Archive for March, 2010
-
Healthy Food Awareness Continues to Hit Mainstream Media
Naked Chef Jamie Oliver’s new prime-time reality show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution premiered on ABC last week to high ratings. The show chronicles Oliver’s attempt to revamp eating habits in Huntington, West Virginia, a community that is one of the most statistically unhealthy in the U.S.
Oliver is a Food Network chef, healthy food advocate and TED prize winner. In the first two episodes, he tackles the Huntington cafeteria lunch menu, quizzes elementary students on their knowledge of vegetable basics and attempts to break one family of their reliance on deep-fried foods by introducing healthy recipes.
Jamie Oliver, courtesy of ABC.com
Oliver’s efforts are met with some resistance. In the first episode, a local radio host tells Oliver, “We don’t want to sit around and eat lettuce all day.”
Oliver does experience some small victories in the show’s first two episodes, however. He convinces the Huntington school system to let him continue to work on the cafeteria menu, and after a diabetes scare, he’s gotten through to the deep-frying Edwards family, who pledge to change the way they cook at home.
Despite the show’s high popular ratings, “one thing noticeably absent from the first two episodes,” the New York Times reports, “is a discussion of any role the American food industry and its lobbyists might play in the makeup of school lunches and in the formulation of the guidelines set for them by the Agriculture Department.”
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, courtesy of ABC.com
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution airs on ABC on Fridays at 9 pm EST. The show’s first two episodes can be viewed online on ABC’s website and on Hulu (see video below to view the second episode).
In addition to reality television, the importance of healthy and informed food choices has been the subject of a slew of recent films and documentaries. Yesterday, Whole Foods Market launched a film series as part of the company’s Let’s Retake Our Plates initiative.
The grocery store announced the film series will run throughout April to celebrate Earth Month. One hundred and fifty screenings will be held in cities across the county, and some will conclude with a post-film Q&A and discussion session.
Food, Inc., King Corn, The End of the Line, Fast Food Nation, Fresh, What’s on Your Plate? and Nourish are just some of the films included in the series.
Some of the screenings are free, others require a donation of $5 that will go to local nonprofits working to improve the environment and food supply.
-
Beet & Carrot Slaw with Celeriac Sauce
from Jozef Eller, Senior at Harwood Union High School
Slaw
1 medium beet, peeled and shredded
½ large carrot, peeled and shredded
½ small red onion, peeled finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Sauce
1 medium bulb celeriac, peeled and finely diced
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup buttermilk
Salt to taste
Minced fresh cilantro or thyme for garnishCombine the beets, carrots, onions and lime juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the celeriac and cook until very soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, puree the celeriac then return to the pot. Beat in the oil and honey until well mixed, then gradually beat in the buttermilk.
To serve, drizzle the sauce over the slaw and garnish with the fresh cilantro or thyme.
Serves 4
-
Allez Cuisine!
The culinary battle of the spring is almost here. Tomorrow morning, the Sizzling Falcons, Chefhawks, Nutritious Hippos and 54 more teams of middle school and high school junior chefs–all with knives honed and whisks at the ready–will head to the Champlain Valley Expo to compete in the 3rd Annual Jr. Iron Chef VT cook-off.
Harwood Union High School's team
Hosted by the Burlington School Food Project and Vermont FEED, the competition challenges teams of middle and high school students to prepare a delicious main dish using at least five local, farm-fresh ingredients. And that’s not all—recipes must also be replicable in a school kitchen by cafeteria cooks. Three awards will be given in each age group: Best in Show, Most Creative and Greatest Number/Best Use of Local Ingredients. The experience encourages students to make healthy eating choices and understand more about nutrition, local agriculture, the culinary arts and school food systems.
Chefs Morris and McCafferty head up the innovative lunch program at Harwood Union High School.
Harwood Union High School’s team coach (and school chef) Paul Morris says his four-student team is ready. They’ve been cooking together since early February and have had five practice runs. “The kids have really pulled it together the last couple of weeks,” says Morris. “They’re working as a team.” Since there are no ovens to use at the competition, they’ve developed a recipe for a “panchilada”—a pan-cooked enchilada that uses lots of great local flavors, such as Pete’s Greens’ butternut squash, Chappelle’s potatoes, black beans from Butterworks Farms and Cabot Vermont cheddar. It’ll be served with a shredded beet and carrot slaw with celeriac sauce, made with local beets, carrots, onions and celeriac.
“The enthusiasm all across the state for this event is tremendous,” says Paul Morris. “It’s not just students, there will be parents and grandparents there too.”
-
Simple Roast Chicken & Variations
from the FarmPlate Kitchen
One 4-pound whole chicken
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, chives and/or tarragon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for brushing
1 cup water or hard cider such as Woodchuck draft ciderPreheat the oven to 375ºF. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Mix together the butter, herbs, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Gently work the herb butter under the skin on both sides of the chicken breastbone.
Brush a V-rack with oil and set in a roasting pan. Set the chicken on the rack and brush with olive oil. Pour the water or cider into the roasting pan. Roast the chicken for 40 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 425ºF and continue to roast until the skin is crispy and well browned, about 30 minutes longer. An instant-read thermometer should read 170ºF.
Tilt the chicken so the juices from the cavity run into the roasting pan. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. Strain the juices to serve over the chicken.
ROAST CHICKEN VARIATIONS
It’s still root vegetable season in our northeast corner of the U.S.–all of these variations would be delicious served with a selection of your favorite roots.Roast Chicken Pimentón
Instead of the herb butter described in the recipe above, make a mixture with 2 tablespoons softened salted butter, 1 tablespoon pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika), 1 teaspoon minced parsley, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar and work it under the skin. Roast as directed.Roast Chicken with Orange-Maple Glaze
Instead of the herb butter described in the recipe above, simply work 2 tablespoons softened salted butter under the skin. Roast as directed. During the final 20 minutes of roasting, brush the chicken once or twice with a mixture of 2 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade, 1 tablespoon dark amber maple syrup and 2 teaspoons cider vinegar.Roast Chicken with 40 or 50 Cloves of Garlic
Prepare the chicken for roasting as described in the recipe above. In addition, slice 1 lemon and place in the roasting pan along with the unpeeled cloves from 4 heads of garlic. Add 1 cup of white wine to the pan. Set the chicken on the V-rack in the pan. Roast the chicken then carve. Spoon the pan juices and garlic cloves over the sliced chicken. Diners can mash the cloves to savor with crusty Red Hen bread.Roast Chicken with Honey-Rosemary Glaze
Instead of the herb butter described in the recipe above, work 2 tablespoons softened salted butter and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried) under the skin. Roast as directed. Meanwhile, heat in a small saucepan 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried). During the final 20 minutes of roasting, brush the chicken once or twice with the honey mixture. -
Roast Chicken, Five Ways
There are many good reasons to live–and dine–in Vermont. Breathtaking vistas, strong communities, world-class cheeses, the best apples, superb craft beers and chickens that taste like chicken. The flavor difference between a naturally raised chicken and a fac
tory-farm bird is unmistakable. One has flavor, the other does not.Even novice cooks can master a perfectly roasted chicken with ease. The first step is to buy a flavorful local bird. Try Hardwick’s Buffalo Mountain Co-op for quality, Vermont-raised poultry. You can also buy frozen chickens at many farmers’ markets: Check out winter, now spring, markets in Middlebury and Rutland this weekend. While you’re at it, look for organic chickens from Gaylord Farm at Montpelier’s Capital City Farmers Market. Area markets including Shelburne Supermarket and the Brattleboro Food Co-op regularly stock naturally raised Misty Knoll chicken. Someday Farm in Dorset, Vermont, is another great source for locally raised organic chickens.
For the perfect roast chicken, you’ll also need a V-rack to raise the chicken off the bottom of the roasting pan. This allows the air to circulate around the chicken so the dark meat and light meat cook more evenly.
Simple Roast Chicken
from the FarmPlate Kitchen
One 4-pound whole chicken
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, chives and/or tarragon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for brushing
1 cup water or hard cider such as Woodchuck draft cider -
Michelle Obama Prompts Food Giants to Get Healthy
Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the Grocery Manufacturers Association to emphasize the importance of producing healthy, affordable foods to reduce childhood obesity. Mrs. Obama asked that the major food manufacturers take responsibility for improving their offerings in grocery stores by improving food labels and reducing salt and fat in the products they sell.
With the national consciousness trending more and more toward healthy food consumption, big businesses are taking note. Several major food companies including PepsiCo, Kraft Foods and ConAgra have since announced that significant and voluntary improvements will be made in the nutritional value of their products in order to better serve the consumer and meet market demand.Yesterday, PepsiCo announced it will cut sodium in its key brands by 25 percent in five years. In the next ten years, the company will cut the average amount of added sugar per serving by 25 percent and saturated fat by 15 percent.
ABC News reports that PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi told investors the company will focus more on producing healthier foods even before additional legislation is passed requiring changes because “the consumer is shifting” and demanding healthier, more nutritious foods that are a better value.
Last week, PepsiCo also announced it would remove full-calorie sweetened drinks from all schools globally by 2012, a policy that is currently in place in the U.S.
-
Vermont’s Culinary Contenders
The men’s and women’s Cats aren’t the only VT contenders in the news right now. Three northern Vermont restaurants–Bluebird Tavern, Hen of the Wood and Kitchen Table Bistro –are anxiously waiting to hear if they’ll advance to the final round of the 2010 James Beard Foundation culinary awards. That announcement will be made at a breakfast in New Orleans on Monday morning.
Seven top Vermont chefs will be packing up prized Vermont foodstuffs and caravanning to New York City early on Sunday to prep for the Team Vermont Dinner to be held at the James Beard House on Monday evening. The dinner will showcase the outstanding agricultural and culinary landscape of Vermont today. The all-star chef roster includes:Lara and Steve Atkins, Kitchen Table Bistro, Richmond
Sean Buchanan, Stowe Mountain Lodge, Stowe
Aaron Josinsky, Bluebird Tavern, Burlington
Rogan Lechthaler, Verdé, Stratton Mountain
Mark Timms, Topnotch Resort & Spa, Stowe
Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood, WaterburyWe caught up with a confident Chef Buchanan yesterday. “We’re ready to go,” he said. “We worked out the kinks in the menu at a run-through at Kitchen Table Bistro last month.” The team will have to set up a zone defense in the Beard House’s tiny kitchen to cook this winning meal.
Hors d’Oeuvre
Misty Knoll Farms Chicken Liver BLTs
Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue Toasts with House Pancetta
Black Truffle Ice Cream Cones
Aaron’s Corn Dogs
Vermont Beef Tenderloin Tartar with Radishes & Fried Pickles
Wannabea Farm Rabbit Pâté with Long Trail Porter Mustard & Pickled TurnipsDinner
Assorted Housemade Bluebird Tavern Charcuterie
Heirloom Squash Soup with Roasted Sunchokes & Misty Knoll Chicken
Branzino with Rutabaga, Turnip Greens and House-Cured Guanciale Dressing
Cavendish Quail & Pork Belly with Cider Glaze & Smoked Cheddar Polenta
Maine Lobster with Hen-of-the-Woods Mushroom, Spring-Dug Parsnips & Brown Butter
Deconstructed Beef Wellington with Pickled Tongue, Braised Heart & Virtual EggDessert
Coffee-Chocolate Sundae with Candied Almond & Vanilla Anglaise -
Irish Apple Pie
from the FarmPlate Kitchen
A mix of apple varieties (like those offered at Champlain Orchards) is best here. Two or three golden delicious apples are good because they keep their shape when cooked. Some Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening or Granny Smiths will add a tart note. And every apple pie should have at least one McIntosh for its lovely aroma.
If you can’t find demerara sugar, use brown sugar to flavor the apples and sprinkle white sugar on top of the pie.
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup Irish whiskey (Bushmill’s or Jameson’s)
3½ pounds Vermont-grown apples
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup demerara sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 Vermont Mystic Pie Company frozen pie shells, defrosted
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon milk
8 ounces heavy cream such as Butterworks Farm Organic CreamCombine the raisins and whiskey in a small saucepan. Heat gently almost to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Set aside to let the raisins soak up the whiskey.
Peel and cut the apples into wedges. Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the apples, ½ cup of the sugar and the spices to the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, just to soften the apples. Pour any whiskey that hasn’t been absorbed by the raisins into a glass, then add the raisins to the apples.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Tip the apple-raisin mixture into one of the pie shells. Invert the other shell on top of the pie. Crimp the edges together. Cut a slit in the top to let steam escape. Brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup sugar.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden and sweet juices have begun to bubble up through the crust.
Whip the cream and add a teaspoon or two of the raisin whiskey to flavor it. Enjoy the pie with a dollop of cream. This lovely pie is also good when served with a slice of Grafton Village Three-Year-Old Cheddar.
-
As Irish-American as Apple Pie
St. Patrick’s Day is a close-to-perfect holiday. Everyone can join in, no matter how distant their Irish ancestors. There are no cards to send, no presents to buy and no carved-in-the-Blarney-stone traditions to follow. Some celebrate with a glass of green beer, others with a cup of green tea. You might order a green pizza (green peppers, spinach and basil) at Positive Pie in Montpelier, then head to the State House for the annual Luck of the VSO Farmers’ Night Concert.
It’s free and begins at 7:30 pm. Afterward, with your head full of Irish jigs and reels, you could wander back across Main Street to the Three Penny Taproom for a pint of Victory Brewery’s Donnybrook Stout or sip some Irish (Catholic or Protestant) whiskey.If you’re happiest staying at home on a Wednesday evening, have a slice of our Irish Apple Pie and curl up by the fire to read Vincent Feeney’s new book Finnigans, Slaters, and Stonepeggers: A History of the Irish in Vermont.
Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig!
Irish Apple Pie
from the FarmPlate KitchenA mix of apple varieties (like those offered at Champlain Orchards) is best here. Two or three golden delicious apples are good because they keep their shape when cooked. Some Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening or Granny Smiths will add a tart note. And every apple pie should have at least one McIntosh for its lovely aroma.
If you can’t find demerara sugar, use brown sugar to flavor the apples and sprinkle white sugar on top of the pie.
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup Irish whiskey (Bushmill’s or Jameson’s)
3½ pounds Vermont-grown apples
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup demerara sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 Vermont Mystic Pie Company frozen pie shells, defrosted
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon milk
8 ounces heavy cream such as Butterworks Farm Organic CreamCombine the raisins and whiskey in a small saucepan. Heat gently almost to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Set aside to let the raisins soak up the whiskey.
Peel and cut the apples into wedges. Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the apples, ½ cup of the sugar and the spices to the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, just to soften the apples. Pour any whiskey that hasn’t been absorbed by the raisins into a glass, then add the raisins to the apples.
-
Feds Investigate Possible BigAg Antitrust Violations
The U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are joining forces to investigate potential violations of antitrust laws in the agriculture industry. Attorney General Eric Holder and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack traveled to Iowa last week speak to farmers, ranchers and industry leaders at a public meeting.
The first of five workshops on competition and consolidation in the agriculture industry took place on Friday in front of a crowd of about 700 people.The central question to tackle is, Holder said, “Is today’s agriculture industry suffering from a lack of free and fair competition in the marketplace.”
Public relations executives from Monsanto Company were also at the meeting.
Monsanto, a biotech company that has patented their genetically modified soybean, is one of the most prominent companies under scrutiny. The Justice Department is currently investigating whether or not the patents on seeds are being abused to maintain dominance in the industry. Currently, 93 percent of U.S. soybeans contain Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready gene.
Monsanto received national attention after being featured in the documentary Food Inc., which showed the huge amount of power Monsanto wielded in court against small farmers and seed cleaners who were sued by Monsanto for patent infringement.
According to the New York Times, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney drew applause from the crowd on Friday when she announced the Justice Department “planned to keep a close eye on the coming shift to generic forms of biotech crop traits, as the patents that companies hold on those traits expire.”
About FarmPlate
FarmPlate is developing a revolutionary online community and marketplace for consumers, producers, buyers and supporters of local, sustainable foods. Check out FarmPlate.com frequently— we'll be introducing many new features in the coming months.
FarmPlate’s Flickr Gallery
FarmPlate on Twitter
- Cosmic Gazpacho
- Outstanding in a Vermont Field
- Build a Table for a Feast
- Convenience the Slow Way
- Judge Bans Genetically Modified Sugar Beets
Categories
- Coming Up (18)
- News Feed (42)
- Real Food (41)
- Recipes (56)
- The Beat (42)
- Farmer Beat (5)
- Market Beat (6)
- Producer Beat (6)
- Restaurant Beat (10)
Archives
- September 2010 (1)
- August 2010 (9)
- July 2010 (18)
- June 2010 (17)
- May 2010 (18)
- April 2010 (26)
- March 2010 (18)
- February 2010 (21)
- January 2010 (22)
- December 2009 (24)
- November 2009 (20)
- October 2009 (3)
Comments
- Katie on Rhubarb Traditions
- lost on Hospitals Look to Sustainable Meats
- pete on Peaches – Fuzzy Memories