I've had an inappropriate relationship with eggplant for a few years now. My wife is aware of it and I've sought out some professional help. Eggplant is easy, delicious and dog-friendly. This is an easy recipe below you can make at home or in your neighbors kitchen when they're sleeping at night. They will be surprised and delighted that you broke into their house to bake this eggplant recipe.
2 medium eggplants
2 cups fresh ricotta
1/2 cups chopped fresh basil
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup Primavera pasta sauce
3/4 cup coarsely grated mozzarella
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 large baking trays with olive oil. Cut the eggplants into 1cm thick slices lengthways. Arrange the eggplant, in a single layer, on the prepared trays. Lightly spray with olive oil spray. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, place the ricotta, basil and three quarters of the Parmesan in a medium bowl and stir until well combined. Taste and season with pepper.
Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on 1 eggplant slice and roll up firmly to enclose filling. Place the roll, seam side down, in a 30 x 20cm baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ricotta mixture and eggplant. Pour the tomato sauce evenly over the rolls. Sprinkle with fresh mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until the mozzarella melts evenly
Below is a great article from Kristin Wartman of Civil Eats. I couldn't have stated it any better. Remember, it' not about being anti-corporate - it's about doing what's right. Period.
Occupy Wall Street and the food movement
If you are paying attention to Occupy Wall Street—and by now most people are—the anti-corporate message is coming through loud and clear. Most participants at the events now spreading across the country say they are no longer willing to let powerful corporate interests determine the course of their lives. These Americans realize that a participatory democracy is essential.
As it stands today, 75 percent of the population are obese or overweight and many are chronically ill with diet-related diseases. They are also largely dependent on an increasingly unhealthful and contaminated food supply that is heavily controlled by corporate interests. It’s obvious that this is our moment to drive a very important point home: Upending corporate control of the food supply is a fundamental change that must occur if the “99 percent” are to be healthy participants in a true democracy.
This could be a catalyzing moment for the food movement with a real chance for average Americans to see and hear the connection between corporate control of the food supply and our nation’s health crisis. Indeed, the declaration of Occupy Wall Street (available on its Facebook page), addresses issues the food movement has been working on for years. The declaration states, “They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.”
Author and activist Naomi Klein has been an outspoken advocate and participant in Occupy Wall Street. When asked how it connects to the food movement she said, “The protest is about the corporate takeover of democracy of our lives in every way. The food movement is inherently anti-corporate and it is inherently about rebuilding a real economy.” She continued, “The food movement is where a lot of the leadership is. Occupy Wall Street is not just about banking legislation. The food movement is paving the way for what needs to happen in manufacturing and I think it’s all connected.”
Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University agrees. “Of course Occupy Wall Street connects to the food movement,” she said. “If we had a healthier financial system, we might be able to fund better food assistance, universal school meals, a rational and effective food safety system, and production agriculture that promotes sustainability and affordable food that is healthier for people and the planet. The food movement needs to be there and its voices heard.”
While powerful players like Goldman Sachs and Fannie Mae were on the lips of nearly every American after the 2008 financial crisis, the names of industrial agriculture corporations remain largely unknown. But consider how much power they wield. Take Monsanto as an example. When Monsanto began selling its genetically modified Roundup Ready soybeans in 1996 only two percent of soybeans in the U.S. contained their patented gene. By 2008, over 90 percent of soybeans in the U.S. contained Monsanto’s gene. This is especially alarming given that soybeans account for the largest source of protein feed and the second largest source of vegetable oil in the world. According to the USDA, in 2008-09, the farm value of soybean production was $29.6 billion, the second highest among U.S. produced crops—and soy is ubiquitous in processed foods. It ends up in the meat, milk, eggs, and farmed fish many Americans consume (as a result of it being in animal feed) as well as thousands upon thousands of packaged foods usually in the form of soy protein isolate, soy isoflavones, textured vegetable protein, and soy oils. Soy accounts for a fifth of the calories in the American diet.
We are officially knee deep into football season. Halle "freakin" lujah! For those of you that don't know, outside of being a passionate food culture guy, I'm just as passionate about football. Some would say I'm a bit fanatical. My passion lives with a few teams, Syracuse Orange, East Carolina University(My alma mater) and the New York "Football" Giants.
As we are getting knee deep into my favorite part of the year-football season, I figured I would post some of my favorite tailgating recipes on Chopbiscuit. I have been throwing down on the flames at tailgates all over the country for years and have led a few Pig Roasts in North Carolina, judged wing competitions in Buffalo and ventured in a few "Rib Cook Offs" in the "Dirty".
Hope this will help everyone get a few ideas for their next tailgate and enjoy Real Simple, Hearty Grub leading up until kickoff. If you don't like football, the terrorists win. That's not good.
Slow-Cooker Spinach Dip Yield: Pending on the size of the guys
Directions:
Mix 1 cup of a grated "good" smoked mozzarella, 3/4 cup grated parmesan, 6-8 ounces of Panera Bread cream cheese, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 box thawed frozen spinach, 1 jar artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper to taste in a slow cooker. Sprinkle a few dashes of Cayenne pepper for a lil' kick and cover and cook on high, 2 hours 15 min. Grab a couple french baguettes and you're good to go.
Most peanut butter is made from blanched peanuts. Blanching is the technical term for removing the testa, or seed coat, from the peanut kernel. What's the testa you ask? That's just science-speak for that dark reddish, papery coating on every peanut.
Perhaps now you're thinking, "Wait a second. Why are they removing the skins from my peanuts? Didn't I just read somewhere that skins are healthy?" Peanut skins have traditionally been treated by peanut processers as a waste product and sold off as animal feed. But that is changing.
As far as reentry* points to on-a-whim cooking go, these cookies aren’t the most obvious choice. I might have gone with something from the market, or something from a new fall cookbook or maybe just something practical that would feed us for the next few days, like a hearty stew
After experiencing some sticker shock at my last trip to McD’s for breakfast (nearly $8 for two Egg McMuffins!) I was elated to see another chain offering a complete breakfast on the cheap. Subway’s Flatbread Breakfast Combo comes with egg, cheese, and your choice of black forest ham, bacon, or no meat at all. You also get a 16 oz. Seattle’s Best coffee. All this will only set you back $3.00.
*Grubgrade is always easy, simple reading for a good laugh. He even reviews the McDonald's Mac snack wrap. Oigh!
Food can bring people from very different backgrounds together, but it can also drive us apart. In today’s society, what you can afford to put on your plate might be as powerful an indicator of your social standing as the car you drive or the house that you live in. Although most Americans eat diets that are well beyond the point of subsistence, problems affording adequate food are still widespread in the United States and obesity is a scourge that particularly affects racial minorities (interested readers can check out posts I have written on hunger, and obesity).
All of this begs a question: Is it time to have a national conversation on food inequality?
We may already have one in the making. The issue of “food justice” has become one of the most visible complaints made by the Occupy Wall Street protesters. As one protester told a New York Times reporter: “Food plays a huge part in this movement. Because people are tired of being fed poison.” The image of a modern food system that delivers massive quantities of unhealthy, environmentally destructive food to the majority of Americans has become a powerful symbol of corrupt, uncaring corporate greed. (Even sympathetic Ben and Jerry’s has been criticized)
Many of you out there know I enjoy good craft beers, coffee and wine. Well, most of you may not know that I often read 18th century Slavic and Eastern European literature while sippin' on Asian Jasmine white tea, which to me, forms the perfect union with those tender White Tea buds, imparting a heavenly aroma for an exalting cup. Immediately after drinking I partake in watching regional Monster Truck Series action. What can I say, I like a little back 'n forth.
All kidding aside, I have some really cool gigs with my job. I'm able to learn many colorful things about the world of food and beverage, which in the long run helps me with my potential run for Secretary of Food and Beverage for the 2032 Justin Bieber presidential campaign. Okay, enough of the jokes.
Yesterday I had another opportunity to sit through an in depth tea presentation by the great folks from The Republic of Tea. As a curious food and beverage lover, I'm always interested in the nuances you pick up when you dial into certain attributes of flavor varietals and the traits of each breed or type represented. For instance, I had no idea that all white tea comes from the tender, white downy buds of the Camellia sinensis bush. Who knew y'all? (stated in my most druken Paula Deen voice)
As someone who makes their living in this business, I always take advantage of these types of sessions. The world of food and beverage is a world of learning and, more learning. In this case, we're lucky enough to have a partner that is widely known as one of the best purveyors of great quality tea in the world.
Does Christian mean organic?
There are those who farm for food, others for money, some because it's what they have always done... and then there are the Stollers. This family in central Ohio farms in connection with their religion. They raise organic dairy cows and practice a way of life that is simple, beautiful and in real connection with the land and each other. Along the same path as Mennonites and the Amish, they have chosen a life outside of mainstream culture. We spent two days with this family and despite our differences, we fell in love and were inspired by their way of life.
Are you drooling yet??? Yeah, sorry about that. But I really think you have to make these, because they’re just so darned easy and also freaking delicious. You know, I don’t really understand how there are so many cupcake shops that stay in business. But I guess it’s probably because there are a lot of bad cupcake recipes online and that scares people off. So if you’ve had some less than amazing cupcakes, please do yourself a favor and make these. There is no fancy machinery required, they’re extraordinarily stunning, and also the best cupcakes my husband and I have ever had.
I’ve finally found the perfect apple pie recipe. It’s perfect because you don’t have to make a crust.
That’s right, all of the glory and none of the pain. In a small kitchen, even a simple pie crust is typically out of the question. Really anything that requires rolling out dough usually gets vetoed. So when my good friend Vanessa shared this recipe with me, I knew I’d found my perfect match. It’s called a “Swedish” Apple Pie.
For millennia, beer has been a favorite beverage in cultures across the globe. After water and tea, it is the most popular drink in the world, and it is at the center of a $450 billion industry.
The first major reference work to investigate the history and vast scope of beer, The Oxford Companion to Beer features more than 1,100 A-Z entries written by 166 of the world's most prominent beer experts. Attractively illustrated with over 140 images, the book covers everything from the agricultural makeup of various beers to the technical elements of the brewing process, local effects of brewing on regions around the world, and the social and political implications of sharing a beer.
As the title says, Chicken Bacon Sandwich, Homemade Fries and Strawberry Spongecake. That sounded a lot for breakfast doesn’t it? It seems like i might go overboard with my breakfast menus at times. I think I might be just a lil bit obsessed.
Continuing on our belief that when possible, we should be eating humanely raised and antibiotic free meat - I just wanted to speak to you about a local farm that I buy our beef products from when given the opportunity. Locust Grove Farm is a cattle farm in Argyle, NY. They raise Limousin, which is one of the lean continental breeds of beef cattle. Traditionally us American folk have raised Angus or Hereford beef breeds. These two British beef breeds are known for their marbling attributes. (fat throughout the meat). The high fat content of British breed beef overshadows all the nutrient value that has made beef such an important part of the American diet for over 100 years.
Lean. Lean. Lean
I bought this ground beef (pictured above) from the Saratoga Farmers's Market right here in Saratoga Springs, NY. I used this ground beef for a Pasta Bolgnese recipe I made last week. While cooking I immediately noticed how lean the product was. For many of us Americans, we may be discouraged by the the fat content that is missing by cooking a product from the Limousin breed. Maybe, that's why we are one of the most obese nations in the industrialized world eh? Anyway, the product was great and we were happy to support a small, local farm that produces some great products.
We are officially knee deep into football season. Halle "freakin" lujah! For those of you that don't know, outside of being a passionate food culture guy, I'm just as passionate about football. Some would say I'm a bit fanatical. My passion lives with a few teams, Syracuse Orange, East Carolina University(My alma mater) and the New York "Football" Giants.
As we are getting knee deep into my favorite part of the year-football season, I figured I would post some of my favorite tailgating recipes on Chopbiscuit. I have been throwing down on the flames at tailgates all over the country for years and have led a few Pig Roasts in North Carolina, judged wing competitions in Buffalo and ventured in a few "Rib Cook Offs" in the "Dirty".
Hope this will help everyone get a few ideas for their next tailgate and enjoy Real Simple, Hearty Grub leading up until kickoff. If you don't like football, the terrorists win. That's not good.
(1) Combine water, yeast and dried basil in a mixing bowl. Mix with hands until yeast is dissolved. Add honey and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Add the salt and the different flours using your dough hook and knead the dough until it pulls cleanly from the bowl and has a smooth, elastic texture (between 5-7 minutes).
(2) Cut dough into 10-ounce balls right away on a lined tray, cover and place in fridge for at least 6-8 hours. This will slow the fermentation process and you know how we like to "slow the fermentation process". *wink* The longer it sits in the fridge, up to 24 hours, the easier it is to work with.
(3) Bake in your oven at it's highest temperature. Mine gets just over 500 degrees, but if you can get that up even higher - you're a lucky bastard. Bake until ingredients are melted evenly and crust gets some charring to your likeness.
Now, grab a beer and relax. You're going to have some bad ass pizza dough.
Since we just wrapped the day of drinking sponsored by the Ye Olde folk from Ireland, we figured it's time to get back to our roots here at Chopbiscuit and continue the reviews of The World's Best draughts. We have poked fun at our favorite canned beers in the past, but ultimately we love the best in beer making. Whether it's a Belgium White, American Brown Ale, Japanese Rice lager or an oatmeal stout - We enjoy a good beer.
So, let's continue the exposition with our reviews.
Beer: Harvest Spice Ale
Beer style description: American Ale
If you're ever near Boston, here is a beer to seek out. My wife introduced me to this beer a couple years ago. I have never seen a beer served this way with cinnamon sugar edging the entire rim of the glass, like salt for a margarita. This affects the aroma (obviously sweeter with cinnamon) as well as the initial taste.
This brew is just good. The blend is excellent--many of the beers spices came out (nutmeg, all spice, and cinnamon). It's full bodied, but not overtly sweet. While this is more of a novelty beer to some, it still is very tasty, well made, and worth trying with an open mind. Act like a "free spirited" woman and give it a shot. *wink*
Yesterday I was walking around town looking for some local, all-natural, free-range chicken to make some Stir fry tonight for my wife Katie. After perusing some local shops, I found some Misty Knoll farms chicken at one of our local artisan grocers, Putnam Market. I was happy to pick up some chicken knowing the world-wide reputation Misty Knoll has for ethical and healthy farming. As I was walking home, I realized that I spent over an hour looking for this specific item because of it's attributes. Knowing the obvious, most people will not suffice this amount of time and energy to do the right thing and pay that little extra. I paid $9.89/lb for these chicken breasts. Let's state the obvious - most families WILL NOT and COULD NOT afford that price tag for chicken at their dinner table. I'm not making a case here, I'm just stating the blatant obvious.
I paid for it because I could afford it and want to support a healthy food Eco-system. To many of my friends, I'm that elitist snob that shuns at the thought of industrial farming and it's relationship to my kitchen at home. It's true, I'm that guy. But, the more and more these farms, markets and dietary habits gain bandwidth, the realization of those overly processed, filthy industrial chicken and cattle farms will have to move towards better practices. At one point you could only buy a few craft beers. Sam Adams changed the landscape along with a few other micro lot breweries and changed the game. Shitty canned beer will always have a place in my heart from the college years, but they're not in my cooler anymore thanks to people that wanted a beer with good, clean ingredients and artisan brewing methods. Commodity coffee? How's Sanka an Folgers doing these days eh?
It's about bringing what seems fringe and elitism to the main stage of retailing. If you have deeper pockets, try to buy what's right. If you have a family of five and live on a fixed income - do what you need to do, we understand the circumstances. We'll get there eventually by being smart and understanding the landscape.
