Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Doing is Believing
Monday, November 29, 2010
Produce of the Week...eh, What's Up Doc?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Dare to Bake: Thankful for Crostata
The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.
As usual, I forged my own path, blatantly ignoring the eggs and butter abundant in this recipe. I am returning to gluten-freeness for a while, in hopes that I will feel better, so this recipe is both GF and Vegan! It is also very much in the Thanksgiving spirit ... with a bit of Asian flair with a foreign winter squash (apparently, they do exist!).
The apples I chose to use are an heirloom variety from the farmstand at which I volunteer a couple of times a month. Black Twigs have a rich, deep red skin and beautiful creamy flesh. They also seem to be slightly more resistant to the pest that has ravaged crops along the Eastern seaboard this year: the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). Yes, before indulging your sweet tooth, I want to spend a few lines on the dangers of non-native species.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A Mental Health Holiday
It is rare, in this day and age, to really take the time to sit down and reflect. And while I feel like I am constantly thinking about the environment, hunger, poverty - did I mention the environment? - those big issues can often be overwhelming in one's everyday life. And so, recovering from a cough and a strained neck (yoga is not for the faint-hearted...), I spent today appreciating little things - who knew that catching up on news, watching Harry Potter, and cleaning one's room could be so enjoyable?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A Squash by Any Other Name...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
If I Were A Pilgrim...
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Produce of the Week: Celeriac
Friday, November 19, 2010
Humble Beginnings
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Homeland
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sta Serra, La Mia Cucina Italiana
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Something's Fishy in the Mediterranean
While this post doesn’t fall squarely into the vegan realm, it will hopefully cause any of my faithful (and even those less so…) readers to think twice about their next sushi order. Last week I attended a showing of this documentary, Looting the Sea, put on by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ). This short film attempts to uncover the corruption and lack of oversight in the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery. It was really eye-opening and disturbing, particularly in that a supposedly regulated industry could in actuality face such severe declines in the tuna population that it is as if there were no rules in place at all!
Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean have declined in population size by 75% in the past 50 years. As a top predator, it is prized for its rich meat, but it also has a very long life-history - meaning, these swimmers take a long time to mature and live to be old. For these reasons, bluefin tuna is particularly susceptible to exploitation. Following suit, the size of tunas caught has dropped dramatically, indicating that all the big guys have been fished out.
Sadly, I am not quite sure what an individual can do about this, except to not consume bluefin tuna. Supposed catch limits and required documentation face steep barriers between lax enforcement and indiscriminant buyers. According to the documentary, at least 1/3 of the bluefin tuna harvest in the Mediterranean is illegal. Tuna is the hot button issue on the street these days. The FAO also recently put out a report on the state of the tuna industry, acknowledging the need for more efforts to sustainable management of the fishery… albeit in a much less politically-charge and abrasive way than ICIJ.
This week and next, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) convenes its annual meeting. There is a lot riding on this gathering in terms of implementing and enforcing strict regulations. Keep an eye out for any major decisions on this front...I know I will.
Latest developments on the ICCAT meeting...not looking good for lower quotas and more stringent regulation.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Produce of the Weeks: Olives...sort of
On the third week of Vegan MoFo and we’re still going relatively strong. This week we will be traveling to the Mediterranean, to take a peak into cuisine and food issues centered around one of my favorite regions of the world. And one cannot venture into this culinarily wealthy realm without talking olives. Sadly, these puppies are by no stretch of the imagination local to the mid-Atlantic. However, it is the harvest season in regions in which olives grow well, so let’s celebrate this amazing produce item!
This small tree species is native to eastern Mediterranean coastal areas. While it may be pretty, we are most interested in the fruits. The olive has figured prominently in classic literature and historic records that document the fruit’s importance to diet and culture of the region’s inhabitants. It holds significance for both war and peace, polytheistic and monotheistic religions, ancient athletic competitions and modern body care. The commercial production predates the Greeks, making an important contribution to Minoan civilization on Crete. In fact, the oldest olive tree has been radiocarbon dated to 2000 years old! At present, olive trees spans the globe in location of Mediterranean climates, such as California and parts of Australia.
Six subspecies and thousands of “cultivars” or varieties make up the group we call olives. In that respect, your local gourmet market’s olive bar is a sorry representation of the true diversity of this fruit. Even with all this variation and globe-trotting, over 2/3 of olive production takes place in Spain, Italy, and Greece (and Spain is more than half of that).
Deriving its Latin name, Oliva, from its Greek origins, the olive also inspired the words for “oil” in many languages. Olive oil is one of the pantry staples that no good Italian (or half) can do without. While I don’t actually like olives in their whole form, I use the oil for almost all my cooking (and some of my baking). That said, it’s difficult to find recipes where the oil itself is the star of the dish.
Why-Should-I-Ever-Buy-Premade-Again Hummus
Hummus is one of those side dish/appetizers that makes or breaks an evening at a Mediterranean restaurant. It is also ridiculously easy to make at home! There are all sorts of variations, but I like the classic. You can also easily reach the desired consistency with water and lemon juice instead of lots of oil, however, the best hummus experiences I’ve had resulted largely from the fragrant olive flavor that builds depth in a good hummus.
1 cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked and cooked until very soft.
1-2 large cloves of garlic
juice of one lemon
1 heaping tbs of tahini (sesame paste)
salt to taste
olive oil to desired consistency
Other tasty recipes:
101 Cookbooks once again delivers with olive oil crackers and kale and olive oil mashed potatoes!
Diet, Desserts and Dogs provides a tasty beans, garlic, and olive oil recipe (classic Italian!). Also, while I'm on the topic of DD&D and Italy, Ricki is giving away a gourmet Italian food basket from Lucini...mmm...
Roasted kabocha squash with olive oil sounds fantastic and sauteed kale with garlic and olive oil is perfect for this time of year.
And if you are looking for some dessert, try the toasts with chocolate, olive oil, and sea salt or lemon rosemary olive oil cake.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive
http://www.oliveoilsource.com/page/timing
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3967357,00.html
Friday, November 12, 2010
Madland's Mad Food Crisis
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Nuts over Conservation
Can we take a moment to celebrate the 100th post of My Munchable Musings? So exciting! Thank you to those who have been following my ramblings for the past year (ehem, mom and dad), it's been an wonderful ride. And thank you and welcome to any recent readers...I hope to continue to capture your interest!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Land of Fire and Water
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Produce of the Week: Sweet Potato
Friday, November 5, 2010
What Mid-Terms Mean for Food
Thursday, November 4, 2010
If you could be any condiment, what would you be?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Finding my DC Community
As many of you know, I recently relocated myself and whatever semblance of a life I had to our nation's capitol (yes, I'm from the US, so that's Washington, DC). While many people in a new place find themselves lacking acquaintances, thanks to a large alumni population, I actually have more friends in one place her than anywhere else in the country. That said, sharing a school does not necessarily equate with shared interests. My challenge - besides finding housing and a job - has been to reach beyond college ties and find niches within the DC metro community with shared passions and pursuits.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
And so it begins...
Sorry, no photos, but I promise to be more diligent in the upcoming posts.
Tomorrow: finding community