I'm hitting an official week of eating traceably today since I actually started a couple of days before the start date. It's been interesting. It makes me see how easy it is to just throw something in your mouth without caring about it's origin. It's very much brought to light that really, in my heart of hearts, what the government departments say to be clean, healthy food doesn't work for me. Why should pesticides and herbicides be okay for humans if it kills other living beings? We may live through it but what does it and will it do to us in the long run? Food is more political than we shed light on....I think I'll get to that in another post. I've had to be very selective about what I eat and therefore more careful about cooking and storing all of the ingredients I bring home. In this country, we waste so much food. (Big schill: if you're a gardener and have even one extra tomato to share or tons or just a pot of chives on your window sill, find a food pantry in your neighborhood (REALLY in your neighborhood) go to www.ampleharvest.org OR if you need fresh food, that's who it's there for. Feed people, feed your family, feed yourself.) In my want/need to do this project, I've started mail ordering from people who grow/cook/mine great traceable ingredients. Remember, I'm not shooting for local (well, in veggies,yes) but also to bring light to those places and products that might be usefulif you have the means. My first package came last night from Timeless Natural Foods. They sell dried beans, legumes and grains.I ordered yellow lentils, black chickpeas and purple barley. I've been hankering for mushroom barley soup these days. It's rainy and grey and I've heard a rumor of snow. The whole order cost me $36.07. This will probably make about 8-10 quarts of soup, stews or other foods to freeze with perhaps $8 worth of other ingredients.This could take up to 3 weeks to consume. Mind you, I can easily eat traceably at the restaurant or in other places in the city but really, I'm about eating at home and seeing how to accomodate habits like traceability into the everyday. Going completely traceable is not very realistic for most of us. Today, I'll be cooking the kidney beans I bought at the Union Square farmer's market on Wednesday.They'll make their way into Rajmah Chawal. Indian rice and beans. It's my favorite way to have kidney beans.
Recipe:
Rajmah Chawal
2 cups dry red kidney beans
½ onion- finely chopped
1 T ginger- grated
1 T garlic- chopped
2 large tomatoes- chopped
2 chilis
1T cumin seeds
4 tsp salt
1tsp paprika
1tsp garam masala
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
4tsp cilantro- chopped
In stock pot, cover beans with 2” salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until beans are soft/tender, adding water as needed.
Cook cumin seeds in canola oil until they sizzle. Add onions and caramelize. Add chilis, garlic and ginger. Add tomatoes and let cook about 15 minutes, until they have softened. Puree in blender and return to pan.
Combine salt, paprika, garam masala, turmeric and coriander and stir into tomato.
Add beans and let cook through.
Finish with cilantro, adjust seasoning.