Click here to keep up with the latest in world food and wine news.
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What we’re reading: A recipe for American decline, food labeling in Australia, halal culinary guide, Le Marche wine and much more
by Jonell Galloway
Click here to keep up with the latest in world food and wine news.
Photo by Prerna Singh
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Daily International Real Food News and Events, Culinary Travel
by Jonell Galloway
Keep up with daily international sustainable food news and events plus culinary travel, wine festivals, village fêtes, etc.
Click here to read our hand-picked food news, updated daily.
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Simple Sustenance: Chat and Chai — Nigella Seed Crackers
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by Renu Chhabra
Remember the tea kettle — it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings! ~Author Unknown
Last Saturday, I was invited to a fundraiser over Chat and Chai. A room full of lovely women, some dressed in Indian attire, were there to raise money for this noble cause in southern India. Colorful sarees and scarves were the stars of the show. They were displayed elegantly on a table for silent auction, creating a very exotic ambiance. A few guests were somewhat familiar with the Indian culture; whereas, others were inquisitive to learn about it. From food to draping of a saree, it was an enriching experience for many.
After viewing a short film about the cause, it was time to indulge in some Indian-inspired food — curried deviled eggs, lentil salad, tea sandwiches, and a variety of sweets and snacks. The table was full of mouth-watering choices, making it difficult to resist the temptation. Finding my way through this delicious spread was one big challenge. And I knew I wasn’t the only one facing this dilemma. Finally, a warm cup of fragrant chai completed the feast.
On my way back I kept thinking about mathri or mathi, a savory Indian snack. This salty and flaky cracker is laced with herbs and spices. Carom or nigella seeds add a flavorful punch, and black peppercorns give it a spicy bite. Traditionally, it is deep fried. The size and thickness can vary — large discs or bite size. It is a perfect tea-time snack paired with a cup of sweetened chai.
I have fond memories of making mathri with my great grandma. Sitting at the kitchen table, she used to flatten the dough balls with the heel of her palm. She did not use measurements, rolling pins, or fancy cutters. Just a pinch of this and a handful of that was the way to go for her. Her best tools were her hands to measure, knead, and flatten the dough — quite amazing. At the same time, the wisdom and stories that she shared while making this snack made the experience even more special. These are the moments most of us remember for years to come — rustic and soulful. And they linger in my memories as well, even decades later.
Inspired by my memories, I decided to make mathri today with a few of my own twists. Keeping them healthy, I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular white flour. Another detour from the original method was to bake them instead of frying – -a guilt-free indulgence. And they turned out quite delicious!
Recipe
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour1 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds
1/4 teaspoon carom seeds
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup canola oil
1 /2-3/4 cups water
Click here for metric converter.
1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add flour, baking powder, salt, nigella seeds, carom seeds, black pepper, and oil. Mix on low speed. Slowly add water to make firm dough.
2. If needed, bring the dough together with hands and knead to form a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. You can also make the dough in a food processor or by hand.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Roll the dough to 1/8 -inch thickness.
5. Cut the rolled dough into desired shapes.
6. Transfer them to the baking sheets, and prick with a fork.
7. Bake at 325° F for 20-25 minutes or until bottom is golden brown.
8. Re-roll the leftover dough and cut into shapes.
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9. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
10. Serve with a hot cup of chai.
Makes approximately 3-3 1/ 2 dozen small crackers.
Please follow my next post about chai.
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Sauce for Thought: A Non-Newtonian Suspension in the Kitchen
by Alice DeLuca
Would you like to buy a few metric tons of tomato paste? For only $786 per metric ton you may purchase a minimum of 20 metric tons in 238 kilogram drums. That’s one of the interesting business opportunities that are dropped in the email box of a food blogger these days.
Food bloggers also receive lots of offers for coupons. The scheme goes like this: if the blogger will just agree to write nice things about Company X, the company will provide coupons to offer to blog readers as enticements for them to visit, thereby driving up the blog’s popularity as measured by page visits.
Instead of money and real compensation, manufacturers and marketers offer the food writing community coupons in exchange for the virtual currency of “visits”. Using coupons of very little value, and shamelessly taking advantage of blogger vanity, the company receives “exposure” without having to spend a single honest dollar for advertising. The problem is that this currency of “visits” and coupons is coinage that the blogger cannot spend or barter for things of real value.
Also common is the “free sample” offered so the hapless food blogger will “tweet’ about the product or perhaps “like” the product on Facebook, thereby starting a viral marketing event that companies dream about. I have found entire Styrofoam containers of frozen food products shipped to my doorstep, sent by a startup company hoping I will write favorably about their product and start a stampede of customers. Few of these products have been even as tasty as hospital food. In addition, since 2009, if a blogger receives a product in exchange for a review, the Federal Trade Commission requires the blogger to disclose the gift.[i]
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Food News Daily: October 20, 2011
Mainstream Anglo Media and Press
The world’s first vegan strip club: Will topless dancers really be able to teach customers at Casa Diablo to shun meat?, The Guardian
Shared Meals, Shared Knowledge, The New York Times
Angela Hartnett’s wood pigeon salad recipe, The Guardian
Energy Shots: The Next Big Thing in Marketing Caffeine to Children (Marion Nestle), The Atlantic
Prevent Alzheimer’s, Cancer: The Positive Effects of Drinking Coffee, The Guardian
How to make dandelion and burdock beer – dig for victory and a very British root beer, The Guardian
Best of the Anglo Food and Travel Blogs
The Pawpaw: Foraging For America’s Forgotten Fruit, NPR
Pinch Me – A Culinary Dream Tour of Germany, Doc Sconz
The Danish food revolution: How the Danes went local, sustainable, and DIY, Culinate
Baked Sweet Potato Fries, She Wears Many Hats
Cheese flavour map charts cheddar/blue/regional/goats cheeses by how nutty/earthy/tangy/savoury, British Cheese Board
Alternative Press/Sites
Feeding frenzy: Who’s behind the unsavory food stamp parodies, grist
Kraft recalls Velveeta mac and cheese, may contain wire bristles, Digital Journal
Book Review: “25 Years of Recipes from ‘The Art of Eating.” (Julia Child called the founder, Ed Behr, a cultist!), Zester Daily
Shrimp Po’ Boys with a Spicy-Sweet Remoulade, Feast on the Cheap
World
Gandhi Tour developed in India, Time
Grilled Halloumi and Turkish Fig salad with Persian Pomegranate, Shiyam Sundar
« Bio-logique » : Sur la logique de production et de consommation du « bio » aujourd’hui en France, exploratrice de saveurs
NO-GO zones for coal seam gas projects should be set up to protect high food-production areas, Victorian farmers say (Australia), Weekly Times Now/Slow Food Melbourne
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Jonell Galloway: Kentucky Fried Chicken meal recipes from Swiss radio station RSR
I passed an afternoon with the charming radio presenter Florence Farion, for her show La Fourchette du Dimanche, and this is the result: a Kentucky fried chicken feast, including loads of vegetables to help you digest the fat.
By popular demand, the recipe for my Kentucky Fried Chicken meal. Click on Télécharger l’émission at bottom of page to download radio show & pdf file of recipes (in French). Click here to listen, or go to the RSR site and find the July 3rd edition, listed at the bottom of the page:
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What is Mindful Eating?
by Jonell Galloway
Mindful Eating : Get serious about what you put in your mouth!
Mindful Eating means getting serious about what you put in your mouth.
Mindful Eating is sensual — in this case visual — as well as cerebral.
You don’t have to think with your taste buds every minute of your life, like I do, but eating takes on a new importance in your life, and is no longer just an essential action required to fuel your body.
Mindful Eating starts by being mindful of every aspect of our food chain, from the very soil to the end product we put in our mouths. It is about taste and smell and nutrition, but also about respect for the land and soil that provide our nourishment.
It is about the seeds we plant, the fertilizer we spread.
It is about the human contact between a producer and a buyer and the bond that is formed when he puts the vegetables he has grown with tender loving care and the sweat of his brow into your hand. It is about leaving the land in a condition that will allow our children to live on in a healthy manner.
Mindful Eating is not only about how the steak tastes, but also about what the cow has eaten, where it comes from, how it has been treated.
It is about cooking real homemade food for our family in a spirit of love and awareness, and making sure they are getting the nutrients they need and about avoiding the toxic ingredients so many foods contain.
Photo courtesy of Odette de Crecy.
It is about reading labels in supermarkets, about trying to eat natural, if we can, or at least making the best effort we can to put quality products on the table.
Mindful Eating requires us to look at the food we eat, smell it, chew it slowly and appreciate its texture and flavor, and then pause and enjoy the aftertaste.
Mindful Eating is somewhat a way of life, although we mustn’t become obsessive about it. Almost by definition, it moves toward consumption of local products, and thus re-creation of local economies.
It is a way of communing with our environment – our family, our community, local business, producers, nature – and the satisfaction that is derived from this.
Mindful Eating gives concrete, practical results. It can improve our health and help us lose weight; it can help us lower cholesterol and consume more nutritious food.
It can give us a sense of well-being, because we have the feeling we’re doing what is right not only for ourselves and our family, but also for our community and the world.
Photo courtesy of Nikoman.
It can cut down our food budget, since seasonal products bought directly from local farmers will invariably be cheaper. They will also fresher and have more vitamins.
This is Part One of a series of articles exploring the endless possibilities incorporating this approach into our daily lives. Stay tuned for the following segments:
Part Two: Mindful Eating and Farmers Part Three: Mindful Eating and Health Part Four: Mindful Eating and the Local Economy Part Five: Mindful Eating and the Land ___________________Alessandro Guerani is a food and still life photographer in Bologna, Italy. He also has a food photography blog with beautiful food photos, Food-o-Grafia. The pomegranate photo is from his Baroque Food photo album.
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Brisket and Love: A Tribute to Beatrice Beckenstein Levine, or “Granny Bea”
by Jonell Galloway
Rosh Hashanah beef brisket brings back so many fond memories. It makes me think of how by mother-in-law would start preparing the brisket and the feast days before we arrived. The children were accustomed to eating European food, and in their earlier years had serious misgivings about brisket.
Granny Bea’s brisket was saucy like this one, but the sauce was not beer. It was made with carrots and onions that had been slow-cooked to the point that they formed a sweet sauce, “making it healthier,” she would say.
It was all made with such love and we felt that love in the air as we ate; it created a bond so strong that it will stay with us forever. Every time I hear the word “brisket” I remember the good old days, when she was alive, when we received all her love through her food and her loving, gracious manner, and tried to give it back to her as nobly as we could. Now we can only do that in our thoughts and prayers.
And now when the children hear “brisket”, I can see on their faces that they too feel that love, that bond.
Food made with love and shared in a spirit of love does that to you. Food helps you transmit your love; it also teaches you how to receive love.
This is dedicated to my mother-in-law, Beatrice Beckenstein Levine, the apple of my eye. I love(d) you, and I think of you every day and my heart still gets all warm and I shed a tear or two, and a taste of your brisket comes to my mouth. I’m going to ask for Granny Bea’s brisket once a week when I get the heaven.
Click here to read Mark Bittman and Daniel Meyer’s version of an up-to-date beef brisket.
Related articles
- Braising Brisket – Perfect for Fall and Rosh Hashanah
- Eat: Mark Bittman: Bye, Bye, American Pie, The New York Times
- Mark Bittman Explains ‘How To Cook Everything’
- Central Texas Dry-Rub Brisket
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Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, September 29, 2011
by Simón de Swaan
Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men’s minds are also injured by them.–Mencius, c. 300 BC
Mencius, c. 300 BC, was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself. He encouraged “generosity, self-sacrifice, humility, receptiveness to instruction, as well as to powers associated with these qualities.”
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