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Peasant Food - food desert style

Peasant Food - food desert style
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  • Post #91 - April 1st, 2009, 1:13 pm
    Post #91 - April 1st, 2009, 1:13 pm Post #91 - April 1st, 2009, 1:13 pm
    Thanks, brandon! I wish I'd gotten more bang for the effort...I really missed the big meatball they usually have in the middle, and the citrusy bite the broth usually has. I wonder, if I stuck with the culture-fusion idea, what Ablondigas soup dumplings would be like?
  • Post #92 - April 1st, 2009, 4:32 pm
    Post #92 - April 1st, 2009, 4:32 pm Post #92 - April 1st, 2009, 4:32 pm
    Mhays, *where* did you learn how to make those dumplings-in-general? I don't mean just soup dumplings, but dumplings? The form is so pretty, so perfect! I am soooo jealous of your artistry....

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #93 - April 1st, 2009, 4:38 pm
    Post #93 - April 1st, 2009, 4:38 pm Post #93 - April 1st, 2009, 4:38 pm
    :oops: Thanks, Geo! The secret is to cover your mistakes with with worchestershire sauce and pretty parsley...really, I just squshed them into submission, they're nowhere near as pretty as they ought to be (not the least of my problems: rectangular ice cubes and circular wrappers)

    The tip from C2 of using a tortilla press (not a unitasker in my kitchen, I use it for tortillas, tostones, and now dumplings) turns your dough into nice, round wrappers that would be easy to fold around any ball-shaped filling - you just fold them up to the middle as best you can. Keep in mind that these are a good bit more squashy than a purchased wonton wrapper, which can work for and against you at the same time.
  • Post #94 - April 1st, 2009, 6:27 pm
    Post #94 - April 1st, 2009, 6:27 pm Post #94 - April 1st, 2009, 6:27 pm
    Well, nonetheless, your dumplings are purty!

    Now, I take your point about spherical ice 'cubes'. Turns out that Great Minds Think Alike. Here's something available in UK:


    Image



    With something like that, we could make our soup dumplins more easily. Yesssss!

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #95 - April 23rd, 2009, 10:06 pm
    Post #95 - April 23rd, 2009, 10:06 pm Post #95 - April 23rd, 2009, 10:06 pm
    From one desert to another - Koshary

    So, I was watching a No Reservations rerun the other night and caught about 20 minutes of the show on Cairo before I had to move on to other tasks (OK, I fell asleep, but not because of the show.) I pricked up my ears on hearing about Egypt's famous street food, كشرى, which, from the ingredients listed, sounded like it contained nothing but pantry staples! Score one for the food desert! I found several websites devoted to Koshary or koshari, including this well-worth-reading post on Gourmet's website: Koshary Needs Love, Too. An Egyptian Tourism website had a description and a recipe that sounded authentic, and a number of recipes popped up on Recipezzar and places like that - but the recipe I liked the best came from a listserv entitled www.turntoislam.com - needing only a few tweaks to make it food-desert friendly.

    Basically, in an American kitchen, Koshari is an ideal way to get rid of your starchy leftovers - and has the added bonus of being vegan as well as tasty, and so will accomodate your picky guests. It consists of 5 layers in a predetermined order: pasta, rice pilaf, lentils, tomato sauce, fried onions, and chickpeas. There are two accompanying sauces that add flavor to what otherwise might be a bland starchy dish - this is definitely a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" experience. Best of all, there's almost no technique to Koshari - it's really about getting a lot of pots dirty at once, and then assembling.

    So, I decided to layer my Koshari in one large bowl and serve it family-style; from what I read it's more traditional to assemble it in individual portions to order, but it worked fine for Sparky and I. The first task was cooking all the ingredients: pasta, lentils (green is traditional, but I used red with success - I'm guessing food-desert dwellers will be able to find split peas if they don't have lentils) and, as Paula Deen delicately puts it "rice and roni" discarding the "flavor packet." I cooked the "rice and roni" per the package directions in the microwave to save stovetop space.

    1/2 cup dry macaroni, cooked in boiling salted water per package directions
    1 box "rice and roni" mix, flavor packet discarded, cooked per package directions
    1 cup of red lentils or split peas, simmered in boiling water per package directions, about 15 minutes.
    1 1/2 cup tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
    1 cup water
    2 tbsp dried minced onion
    1/2 tsp granulated onion
    1/2 tsp granulated garlic
    1/2 cup canned fried onions, crushed
    1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (other firm canned beans could be substituted)

    2 tbsp paprika (preferably hot)
    2 tbsp vegetable oil

    2 tsp jarred garlic
    2 tbsp white vinegar
    1/8 cup canned lemon juice
    1 tsp cumin
    1 tsp coriander

    First, make the garlic sauce - combine jarred garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, cumin and coriander in a small bowl and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. Prepare your remaining ingredients, starting with the rice and lentils which will take the longest to cook. Then make the tomato sauce: simmer minced onion, granulated onion and garlic in the water; after it has simmered for five minutes or so, add the tomato sauce and turn the heat to low while you cook the pasta. As the pasta is cooking, prepare the paprika sauce: heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet, add the paprika and fry briefly. Add 2 tbsp of the prepared tomato sauce and remove from heat. I also found it beneficial to give the french fried onions a brief heating in a skillet, though mine got a bit singed.

    Now, for the simple part, assembly:

    A layer of macaroni (ditilani would be more traditional, but this worked) goes on the bottom
    Image

    followed by a layer of rice, and then a layer of lentils
    Image

    Then the tomato sauce and the fried onions (yes, mine went beyond toasted to burnt)
    Image

    Then the chickpeas (from what I gathered from pictures, chickpeas are more of a garnish in koshary - but I liked a rather chickpea and lentil-heavy mix)
    Image

    The whole thing is then garnished with the paprika sauce and the garlic mixture.
    Image Image

    Even though my culinary skills were a bit off tonight, I completely understand why koshary is beloved by Egyptians: it's starchy, but the lentils and chickpeas (I keep flashing back to that episode of the Simpsons) make it hearty and satisfying. The two sauces contrast the blandness of the other ingredients - and it tastes damn fine right out of the fridge at ten-thirty at night! This is definitely going into the weekday rotation.

    Image
  • Post #96 - April 24th, 2009, 12:19 am
    Post #96 - April 24th, 2009, 12:19 am Post #96 - April 24th, 2009, 12:19 am
    Ahhhh, Mhays, you continue going where none of us has ever dared go before (nor even *thought* about going there, for that matter! : ) This looks like a particularly interesting concoction. Must give it a try.

    Tnx for your continuing explorations! How's Sparky surviving all this? BTW, have you gone fishing yet this Spring?

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #97 - April 24th, 2009, 1:02 am
    Post #97 - April 24th, 2009, 1:02 am Post #97 - April 24th, 2009, 1:02 am
    Mhayes, you are an endless source of inspiration, it's almost like a soap opera - what will she come up with next!??!

    All kidding aside, however, this really is an amazing and worthy project. This food desert dweller (albeit con car and, therefore, with many options unlike some of my neighbors) truly appreciates and admires your efforts on behalf of those who have no choices.
    "Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand." Leo Durocher
  • Post #98 - April 24th, 2009, 8:10 am
    Post #98 - April 24th, 2009, 8:10 am Post #98 - April 24th, 2009, 8:10 am
    Thank you both very much; I often feel unsatisfied after a vegan meal, but this one really hit the spot - I highly recommend it. I was rushed while cooking it, and in addition to burning the onions, didn't quite have enough tomato sauce, and even then I really enjoyed it. There will be an improved second attempt, and I'll post those pictures which I'm sure will be prettier.

    Geo wrote:How's Sparky surviving all this?


    Funny you should mention that, Geo - Sparky is not a fan of legumes of any kind, and has definite opinions about burnt onions, but he choked about half of it down, with a face that made me muster up "the food talk."

    I told him that we as Americans take food for granted, we don't realize that there are people who must make do with whatever is available - and often still go hungry. I mentioned the missions of organizations like Heifer Project (Sparky helps choose our "gift" every Christmas) and UN WFP(he plays freerice.) I talked about how some people are so hungry that they would be grateful to have the food we throw away. I brought up how Americans can be unpopular abroad partly because we turn up our noses at food that's different - and that I think it's important for him to learn to politely eat food he doesn't enjoy - in short, I threw the entire Superior Mommy Lexicon at the child.

    Sparky, whose eyes were growing wider with understanding as I spoke, paused mid-bite. Then, he very gravely put down his fork and said "OK, Mom - but I am never going to Egypt."

    Cooking errors speak louder than words.
  • Post #99 - April 24th, 2009, 8:26 am
    Post #99 - April 24th, 2009, 8:26 am Post #99 - April 24th, 2009, 8:26 am
    Wise beyond his years, Sparky.

    When I was his age, I got the "Kids are starving in China" Mommy Lecture, to which I responded by lifting my plate and saying "Here, can't we send *this* to them?", truly wise-ass and truly unappreciated by said Mom... sigh. A sign of things to come.

    [And it works both ways. When TODG was in grad school, she brought one of her colleagues—Wei Ming— home for the weekend. Per custom, Debbie's mom cooked spaghetti, piled too much on the plate, and Debbie couldn't finish. Her dad then, quite unthinkingly, said "Eat up, there are kids starving in China!" at which point Wei burst into uncontrollable laughter. After she settled down, she revealed that when SHE was a kid, her Mom regaled her with "Eat up, there are starving capitalist kids in America!" Moms are the same EVERYwhere, eh?! :lol: ]

    Sparky's been pretty obliging about this food desert project! Time to go fishing...

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #100 - May 10th, 2009, 3:13 pm
    Post #100 - May 10th, 2009, 3:13 pm Post #100 - May 10th, 2009, 3:13 pm
    Do you live in a food desert? Take this handy quiz to find out.
  • Post #101 - May 11th, 2009, 4:46 pm
    Post #101 - May 11th, 2009, 4:46 pm Post #101 - May 11th, 2009, 4:46 pm
    Mobile Markets, pros and cons.

    If you read this article, it in many ways sums up the problems of the food desert in general: "About 65% of our sales come from our packaged and bulk items. We make the greatest revenue form on our packaged items as well as there is little to no mark up on the produce. Therefore, the sale of packaged and bulk items is essential to our business....To maintain the Mobile Market's operations, we must purchase the products, pay for biodiesel gas and maintenance of the vehicle, and pay our staff. This amounts to approximately $7,500 per month. The Mobile Market only makes about $1,800 per month, so the remainder of the costs is subsidized by outside funding."
  • Post #102 - June 18th, 2009, 8:55 am
    Post #102 - June 18th, 2009, 8:55 am Post #102 - June 18th, 2009, 8:55 am
    This article from the Wall Street Journal, which focuses on the lack of retailers in Detroit, mentions that there is no big chain grocer within the city limits:

    Wall Street Journal wrote:No national grocery chain operates a store here. A lack of outlets that sell fresh produce and meat has led the United Food and Commercial Workers union and a community group to think about building a grocery store of its own.


    Which must mean that, as far as food deserts go, Detroit must be the Sahara.
  • Post #103 - June 18th, 2009, 9:21 am
    Post #103 - June 18th, 2009, 9:21 am Post #103 - June 18th, 2009, 9:21 am
    This was in the Philadelphia newspaper today.

    An innovative effort to bring supermarkets and fresh food to poor neighborhoods has been so successful, it has spawned imitators elsewhere and earned its creators a visit to the White House.

    "We met for an hour-and-a-half with a bunch of [President] Obama's domestic policy people," said Philadelphia state Rep. Dwight Evans of his June 5 trip to Washington with other partners in the program. "They asked us to give them some ideas on whether this could become a federal program."

    Called the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, the program has combined state funding with private money and the expertise of two Philly-based nonprofit entities to develop more than 60 food markets in under-served communities across Pennsylvania.


    According to the article, 6 new stores have opened in Philadelphia, and 2 more are on the way. They've also helped smaller markets upgrade so that they could sell fresh produce.
  • Post #104 - June 18th, 2009, 3:29 pm
    Post #104 - June 18th, 2009, 3:29 pm Post #104 - June 18th, 2009, 3:29 pm
    Thanks for the links, guys - aschie, looks like large chains are leaving, but Aldi is moving in - which has been shown to work well in food deserts (the one complaint made about Aldi in the original Food Desert study was that there weren't enough of them.) Though apparently the other retailer is Family Dollar - not somewhere you want to go for your groceries (there's one up the street; it didn't make the cut even for this project. Better groceries at Walgreen's.)

    I'll be very curious to see how the Philadelphia chain does - the business plan is really interesting; I liked how they were taking a multi-pronged approach to the issue by not only by creating grocery stores, but also by offering grants for refrigerators to small corner stores so they can stock meats and fresh produce. In the study, areas served by smaller stores offering fresh produce (think N.Clark Street - no Jewel, no Dominicks until you get to Howard - but there are a dozen carnicerias) aren't really part of the food desert; I think smaller stores are a good solution in an urban environment where space is at a premium. At a bare minimum, every store that offers LINK and lotto should be required to have a good selection of WIC eligible foods.
  • Post #105 - July 25th, 2009, 7:22 am
    Post #105 - July 25th, 2009, 7:22 am Post #105 - July 25th, 2009, 7:22 am
    Food Desert Thai Fish Curry - on an open fire

    Camping is a great opportunity to stretch those food desert muscles: you never know what will be available to you, so it's best to pack everything in with you, and if those things are in cans, so much the better. I did a bit of research on "gourmet" camping and fish curries came up, but I knew a food desert wasn't going to have lemongrass or mint...until I realized that most drugstores now carry a wide variety of herbal teas. Sure enough, my local Walgreen's had a mint and lemongrass green tea.

    So, I began by making a spice paste that sat in my refrigerator overnight - mine didn't get the color I hoped because I realized at the last minute I was out of white wine and used red, so keep in mind that yours will probably be prettier:

    Blend the following and marinate overnight in the refrigerator:

    1 tsp garlic powder
    ¼ tsp onion powder
    1 tbsp minced dried onion
    1 small bay leaf
    1 tsp ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon whole cumin (or 2 ½ tsp ground)
    2 tsp ballpark mustard
    4 anchovy filets, rinsed and mashed
    4 tbsp white wine

    In a small amount of oil, fry the spice paste until it is fragrant.
    Image

    Add the following:
    ¼ cup canned fried onions
    1 small can coconut milk
    1/3 cup water

    Bring to a boil. Allow to simmer until the coconut milk is colored and the mixture has reduced slightly. Being careful not to break up the fish too much, add:

    2 small cans salmon
    Canned potatoes, quartered (if desired)
    2 tbsp minced canned red sweet pepper
    1 small can peas (I had fresh peapods, and so omitted this step and added them later)

    Sprinkle with half the contents of a single tea bag. Heat the fish and vegetables through and remove from heat.

    Image

    Serve over white rice with additional chili flakes.
    Image

    This turned out to be very good - I reduced the amount of mustard in the posted final recipe as I detected a harshness, but it was a nice, spicy curry with surprisingly bright flavors despite the substitutions.
  • Post #106 - August 3rd, 2009, 8:23 pm
    Post #106 - August 3rd, 2009, 8:23 pm Post #106 - August 3rd, 2009, 8:23 pm
    Who's to say what grows in a Food Desert? I say Karadut Receli, that's what! So, heading out to a secret spot known only to Sparky and myself (well, and about two hundred other children) we hit up our favorite local mulberry tree. Mulberries, related to figs and jackfruit, are propagated by birds, making them viable forage even in the food desert. Using the specialized equipment pictured below, we wound up with about two quarts of berries (had we brought even more specialized equipment - say, a sheet and a long pole we could shake the branches with, this would have been an even easier proposition)
    Image

    I also picked a number of white, pink and red mulberries, following the direction from this recipe...and then found all kinds of warnings online that the unripe berries are poisonous, so I spent quite a bit of time picking them all out (none of the warnings seemed particularly scientific - I sent a query to the extension office, but in the meantime, who needs to find out the hard way?) I figured that pectin wasn't all that necessary for this recipe, anyway - I'd be happy with a thick preserve. They were beautiful, though.

    Image
    (Quick - see if you can think about Pyramus and Thisbe without thinking about donkey heads! Gotcha)

    After picking, I used yet another piece of specialized equipment for de-stemming: that's right, I pinched the stems between two fingernails.
    Image

    When I finally had about two cups of berries, I carefully washed them and tossed them in a pot with about 1/2 cup of sugar and a shot of lime juice (bottled lime juice is fine in this recipe; I found it greatly enhances the flavor which otherwise comes across as just sweet - somehow, lemon juice didn't do so.)
    Image

    I boiled and mashed the berries until I had a thick, syrupy preserve. I poured it into 4 oz jelly jars and processed it in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (this step is only necessary if you plan to save the jelly for later, otherwise you can keep it in the refrigerator) The resultant preserve was sweet, thick, and had a lovely nutty crunch remeniscent of poppy seeds - similar to grape jelly, but with a nice floral accent from the lime.
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    Sparky opted for the traditional use for this preserve, where it performed admirably:
    Image

    I opted to try the traditional Turkish use for this jelly: atop some bread covered in feta cheese (sometimes you can get feta crumbles in the food desert, or you could use cottage or cream cheese.) The sour saltiness of the cheese was a lovely counterpoint to the sweetness of the preserves.
    Image
  • Post #107 - August 4th, 2009, 10:14 am
    Post #107 - August 4th, 2009, 10:14 am Post #107 - August 4th, 2009, 10:14 am
    Mhays-

    Are the mulberries out now, or are these photos from a few weeks ago? My daughter is a big fan and I want to alert her.

    Josephine
    Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
    T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.
  • Post #108 - August 4th, 2009, 4:27 pm
    Post #108 - August 4th, 2009, 4:27 pm Post #108 - August 4th, 2009, 4:27 pm
    Mulberry season has been extended around here: usually it's an early springtime thing, while kids are still in school: I doubt I've looked, but I don't recall seeing Mulberries in August ever before. However, we did this last Thursday, and there were plenty of white berries waiting to ripen - although it's an extremely mature tree, which might make a difference.
  • Post #109 - October 26th, 2009, 9:01 pm
    Post #109 - October 26th, 2009, 9:01 pm Post #109 - October 26th, 2009, 9:01 pm
    Halloween in the Food Desert:

    Image

    I've been thinking about ways to get canned pumpkin into the Food Desert posts: it's an exceptionally nutritious ingredient that doesn't really suffer from being processed, particularly in this situation. However, although I'm certain it can be used in this recipe, I decided on a different ingredient - partially because I had some on hand: frozen pureed butternut squash, readily available wherever frozen foods are sold. Sparky used to live on this stuff: I'm pretty sure it was his first solid food after cereal. After seeing thaiobsessed's post, I rolled up my socks and went hunting for a savory recipe; this is what I came up with:

    Winter Squash (or Pumpkin) Flan with Sage Brown Butter and Pepitas

    The recipe, as written, offers two fairly generous portions - but you should be able to double it and bake it in a standard-size round cake pan.

    1 cup boxed frozen squash or canned pumpkin
    1 cup milk (I used 1%, it's what I have)
    2 large eggs plus 2 yolks
    3 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, divided (I find that canned parmesan works OK if you're cooking with it and not sprinkling it over something)
    3/4 teaspoons finely sage, divided
    3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
    6 tablespoons butter, divided

    1/4 cup pepitas or walnuts
    2 tablespoons sherry
    1/8 tsp granulated garlic
    1/8 tsp granulated onion

    Pretty simply, blend together the eggs, squash or pumpkin,
    Image
    milk, 2 tablespoons of the parmesan,
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    1/2 teaspoon of the sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of butter, melted.
    Image
    Pour into a buttered 6" round baking dish whose bottom is lined with buttered parchment (or double the recipe and use a standard cake pan)

    If you've never tried to line a round cake pan with parchment, here's a quick pictorial:
    Image Image Image Image Image Image Image

    Note: some of my problem may well have been use of a springform pan (recommended by the recipe I started with) which leaked in both directions. If you choose to use a springform, take out some insurance and line the outside with aluminum foil all the way to the top. I don't have experience unmolding a flan from a solid cake pan, but it could hardly have come out worse.

    Place the baking dish inside a bain-marie (another, deeper dish which you carefully fill with hot water halfway up the side of the inner pan. You do this AFTER both dishes are nested in the oven, being careful not to get water in your flan) Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until the flan is set and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes while you make your sauce.

    Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan.
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    Add the remaining sage and salt, the garlic and onion, and about 2 tablespoons of sherry. Whisk vigorously, allowing the sherry to come to a rapid boil and reduce a bit. When the butter starts to brown and things smell wonderful, toss in 1/4 cup of pepitas or walnuts and the remaining parmesan. Stir briskly
    Image

    Now, here is where things kind of went south: I ran a knife around the edge of the pan, and then instead of inverting it on a dish as directed, I opened the springform.
    Image
    After holding together manfully for a few minutes, the flan finally succombed to my clumsy attempts to move it onto a serving plate and desintegrated. I tried it, and as it was still tasty, I served it up with the pepita sauce: excellent light dinner. The sweetness of the squash and the creamy texture were counterpointed well by the slightly bitter sage butter and the chewy pepitas, made even nuttier by the inclusion of parmesan.

    Image

    There are a number of factors at work here that could have caused the lack of structural integrity. One, I didn't have cream and tried to build up the fat lost in the milk by increasing the egg yolks and butter - I don't think that's the issue, or I'd have noticed a more general texture problem. Two, (I think more importantly) the springform leaked some water into the custard (it was watery-scrambled-eggy where this happened, and the major site of the breakdown; I'm inclined this was it.) Three, I lost my nerve and did not play the game right and invert the plate over the flan and then turn the whole thing upside down to release it.

    Any thoughts? I do recommend the recipe for flavor and texture if not presentation - if you try it, please let me know if you have better structural success!
  • Post #110 - November 15th, 2009, 9:44 am
    Post #110 - November 15th, 2009, 9:44 am Post #110 - November 15th, 2009, 9:44 am
    I thought of this thread when preparing an entry for the 'best potatoes' category for Meatloaf Fest IX (a meatloaf-cookoff-themed party). For Meatloaf Fest III or IV (can't remember which) I put in an extraordinary effort with lots of high quality ingredients and...didn't even make the final round.
    This year I decided to go 'low-brow' with cheesy-hashbrown-potato casserole. They make this at the cafeteria in the hospital in Wisconsin I used to work at, and well, I really kind of enjoyed it.

    Ingredients (not pictured: 1/2 chopped onion)
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    Baked casserole
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    The result?
    Success--Winner, Best Potatoes...
    Image

    I'd like to thank the academy...
  • Post #111 - November 15th, 2009, 9:55 am
    Post #111 - November 15th, 2009, 9:55 am Post #111 - November 15th, 2009, 9:55 am
    That's awesome! Nice job!
  • Post #112 - January 4th, 2010, 8:37 am
  • Post #113 - January 4th, 2010, 9:42 am
    Post #113 - January 4th, 2010, 9:42 am Post #113 - January 4th, 2010, 9:42 am
    thaiobsessed wrote:This year I decided to go 'low-brow' with cheesy-hashbrown-potato casserole. They make this at the cafeteria in the hospital in Wisconsin I used to work at, and well, I really kind of enjoyed it.

    That looks suspiciously like a family classic on my wife's side, Spike O'Dell's Funeral Potatoes, I admit a fondness for the dish. I recently made, at my nieces request, a triple batch to bring to our family holiday party. Funeral potatoes travel well, taste surprisingly good for a dump recipe,* in particular if you assemble at home then cook at the party just before serving.

    Funeral Potatoes

    12 Servings

    32 ounces potatoes, frozen hash brown-southern style or O'Brian
    1 pint sour cream
    15 oz. can cream of chicken soup
    1/2 cup onions, chopped or grated
    2 cups corn flakes, crushed
    1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
    1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
    1 tablespoon Louisiana style hot sauce**
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    1 stick margarine

    Melt 1/2 stick of margarine in a big pot add potatoes ,salt, pepper and stir.
    Add soup, cheese, sour cream and grated onions.
    Mix and place in a greased 9x13
    Melt the rest of the margarine add the crushed cornflakes and sprinkle on top of the potatoes.
    Bake at 350 for 45 Minutes uncovered

    - Funeral Potatoes is an easy recipe to 2X, 3X, 4X, but do not attempt to bake more than a 4X recipe in a single casserole dish, as it will not bake properly.

    - If you 2X, 3X, 4X recipe size Funeral Potatoes will need a longer baking period. Do not simply increase oven temperature, as the top will burn. For 4X decrease oven temp to 325 and bake 1-hour 15-minutes.

    Gary's Note: I have made Funeral Potatoes any number of times in last 20 years, as have most members of my wife's family. The original recipe came from Popular Chicago radio host Spike O'Dell and was designed as a dish that was simple to make with readily available premade ingredients and could be brought to a funeral.

    I sometimes add grated jalapeno and/or crushed red pepper, though this ticks off my bride as she says its too spicy for her family. Though they always seem to enjoy the spicier version.

    Enjoy,
    Gary

    *Open and dump in a can of this, open and dump in a package of that.

    **Not in original recipe, my adaptation
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #114 - January 4th, 2010, 1:02 pm
    Post #114 - January 4th, 2010, 1:02 pm Post #114 - January 4th, 2010, 1:02 pm
    Yep, that's the recipe I used (almost to a T--less the hot sauce and the mozzarella).
    And here I thought this dish was native to Wisconsin...
  • Post #115 - March 23rd, 2010, 2:06 pm
    Post #115 - March 23rd, 2010, 2:06 pm Post #115 - March 23rd, 2010, 2:06 pm
    Walgreen's adding more food and wine I've found Walgreen's to be the most reliable source of actual food in the Food Desert. Sadly, most of the real food is well-hidden in the snack aisle on the bottom shelf, but you can in fact get a number of pantry staples there.

    CVS, on the other hand, does have some food, but far less of it is food you can cook with. The dollar stores are variable not only from store to store, but from day to day; they rarely have baking supplies, though they usually have some kind of rice and some kind of pasta - and they often have a full case of dairy including milk, cheese and eggs.
  • Post #116 - May 11th, 2010, 5:52 pm
    Post #116 - May 11th, 2010, 5:52 pm Post #116 - May 11th, 2010, 5:52 pm
    This recipe has been making the rounds on foodblogs; when I saw it I immediately thought of this project. To make it fit the project, I did a bit of tweaking - most notably, I filled mine with homemade no-sugar-added apple butter - and then changed the tart shell to make the flavors work better. The full project, including the "recipe" for homemade no-sugar-added apple butter and more pictures, is here on my blog.

    To make almond meal from whole almonds - it's a good idea to freeze your almonds overnight before you grind them, and pulse them in your food processor or blender gently. You will need approximately 1/4 lb, or 4 ounces of almonds to make the cup of almond meal you will need for this recipe.

    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 cup almond meal
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    8 tablespoons (1 stick) room-temperature butter
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1 large egg, whole
    1 large egg, separated
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    Half a recipe apple butter
    1 tablespoon sugar

    Mix your dry ingredients (flour through salt) and set aside. Whip the butter and sugar together with a mixer or in a food processor.  Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and half of the remaining egg white. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, being careful not to overwork the dough.  Put the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour.

    After the dough has chilled, remove about 1/3-1/2 of it, and form it into a log; put the log back in the refrigerator (or freezer.)

    Butter a large (9 inch or larger; there's room for a bit of flexibility) springform pan or tart pan, and, using slightly wet hands, press the remaining dough into the bottom with your fingers (this is a great job for kids.) Create a slightly raised edge around the outside of your pie shell using the long side of your index finger. Fill the center area with the apple butter so that there is an even layer about 1/4" thick.Create a top shell for your tart by cutting slices of the refrigerated dough log and layering them in a spiral starting on the outer edge of your tart: don't worry about making this perfect, they rise a bit, just try to cover the filling - you can leave a space in the middle to show off your filling if you like (or if you, like me, run out of dough.)

    Beat the remaining egg white with a tablespoon of water, and thoroughly coat the top of the tart using your pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar.

    Bake the tart in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from the pan; cut into 12 pieces (cut each quarter in 3.) Enjoy! Nutrition Information.*

    Image

    *note: as commercial apple butter is usually sweetened, I used the nutrition facts for applesauce, but doubled the amount to account for the reduction
  • Post #117 - June 30th, 2010, 4:31 pm
    Post #117 - June 30th, 2010, 4:31 pm Post #117 - June 30th, 2010, 4:31 pm
    Is Chicago's food desert due for extinction? Wal-Mart hopes so. (You can see more of my own take on my blog, linked in my sig.)
  • Post #118 - June 30th, 2010, 9:17 pm
    Post #118 - June 30th, 2010, 9:17 pm Post #118 - June 30th, 2010, 9:17 pm
    Mhays wrote:Is Chicago's food desert due for extinction? Wal-Mart hopes so. (You can see more of my own take on my blog, linked in my sig.)


    The piece on Wal-Mart was remarkable -- and by no less a culinary luminary than Corby Kummer. Thanks for posting that link, Mhays.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #119 - July 2nd, 2010, 2:34 pm
    Post #119 - July 2nd, 2010, 2:34 pm Post #119 - July 2nd, 2010, 2:34 pm
    I don't know if you recall, but gastro gnome had brought a delectable savory pie to pi day that I thought might adapt well to the food desert project. I was a bit torn about the piecrust, though - since part of the point is to make foods that are healthier than junk food (although most homemade foods are) it seemed a shame to tank the entire fat allowance on puff pastry - and, besides, I wasn't sure of the availability of frozen puff pastry - or phyllo, which would have worked just fine - in the food desert.

    I did a bit of poking around, and discovered that this dish is more Moroccan than Spanish/Moorish in origin - it's a ringer for Moroccan B'stilla, usually made with squab and the Moroccan version of phyllo (being aware that there is a very narrow margin between Moroccan and Moor.) I hoped to find precedence for the piecrust I eventually decided on: a polenta crust - but Morocco doesn't seem to have taken to corn like its more southern (and eastern) African neighbors - so this take is mine, all mine.

    Image

    Ingredients

    Crust:
    1 cup cornmeal
    2 cups chicken broth (canned is fine)
    1/2 tsp salt
    about 2 tbsp butter

    Filling:
    1 12 oz can chicken meat, drained (low-salt, if possible - rinsed, if not)
    3/4 cups white wine, divided
    2 tbsp dried onion flakes
    2 tbsp EVOO
    1 tbsp sweet paprika
    3/4 tsp ginger
    1/2 tsp cumin
    1/4 tsp cinnamon
    1/4 cup jarred salsa of your choice
    1/3 cup dried fruit: either raisins or diced stone fruits such as prunes or apricots
    1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds (or a mixture)


    Pour the cornmeal, salt and the chicken broth into a saucepan over high heat, whisking thoroughly until incorporated. Continue whisking as you bring the mixture up to a boil - it will thicken rather suddenly. Keep heating and stirring until your mixture is a spreadable texture, then take it off the heat. Thoroughly butter a large pie tin or tart form. Once the polenta mixture has cooled somewhat, but is still spreadable, pour it into the tart form and spread it around, creating a side crust by pushing it up the side of the dish. Dot the polenta with butter and spread it around. Put your crust in a 450 degree oven while you prepare the filling; it should bake for about 20 minutes.

    Mix the onion flakes and 1/4 cup of white wine (you can do this ahead of time and allow it to rehydrate in the refrigerator overnight; if not, put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and set aside for 5 minutes.) When flakes are rehydrated, pour EVOO into a skillet, and turn the heat on high. Saute the onion flakes until the wine has evaporated. Add the spices and continue stirring until they are fragrant, deglazing with a bit of wine as necessary. Add the salsa (you could use canned tomatoes and cayenne if you can't find a salsa you like,) the remainder of the wine, and the fruit - turn the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.

    Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool a bit (it will be soft, don't worry.) Drain the chicken (note the odd color of canned chicken? Don't worry, the paprika makes it all better) and add it to the onion mixture, then gently spread the filling over the piecrust. Top with a layer of nuts. Bake in the 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, until the nuts are toasted. Nutritional information.

    Allow to cool to just above room temperature before serving, or refrigerate to cool thoroughly, and warm lightly before serving (the polenta will firm up as it cools.) Enjoy!

    More information, including nutrition, here.
  • Post #120 - August 6th, 2010, 4:28 pm
    Post #120 - August 6th, 2010, 4:28 pm Post #120 - August 6th, 2010, 4:28 pm
    Chilled Carrot Soup with Pistachios

    Image
    You may recall that I'd been making a chilled carrot soup earlier this summer. I realized that the recipe depends on well-cooked carrots, so canned carrots would work just fine - and, with some other substitutions to fit the parameters of this project

    3 tablespoons dried minced onion
    1 tsp granulated onion
    1/2 tsp granulated garlic
    1/2 tsp ground ginger
    1/4 cup white wine
    1 tbsp EVOO

    2 14.5 oz cans of carrots, drained
    1/2 tsp red curry powder
    1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
    1/4 tsp salt or to taste
    2-4 cups of water

    Shelled pistachios and sour cream for garnish (or sub a similar nut, such as cashews or macadamias)

    Soak the first four ingredients in the white wine overnight in the refrigerator. Drain, reserving the liquid to add with the water. Saute the mixture in the EVOO until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients except water and saute for a few minutes until the flavors blend.

    Add half the water, and blend with an immersion blender or pour the entire recipe into a standing blender and blend until smooth. Add remaining water, 1/4 cup at a time, blending after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a pitcher and place in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.

    To serve, pour into chilled serving dishes, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of pistachios. &nbsp;Serves 6. <br

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