I wanted to really know where the food I was eating comes from. REALLY comes from. No surprise, I'm finding that the better the food, the easier it is to trace. Here's my account of how I'm doing it, who is growing it, making it and selling it and what that all means in the big picture of the world...
Heather Carlucci | Chef | Advocate | Mom |
Popcorn. The Love Affair Continues.
Heather Carlucci | Posted on 5:19PM In the search for traceable, fun food, snacks are often tough.
Sure, fruit is great. So are nuts. But occasionally you want something really SNACKY.
From back when I bought my first round of great traceable dry goods, I had a bag of popcorn.
Didn't think much of it. But I saw Johanna pull a bag of it out of her purse one day while we were at the New Amsterdam Market.
Note: Johanna, the forager at Print, really eats of the Earth most of the time. There is ALWAYS food in her purse. Cooked food. Stuff she's made herself. She's prone to migranes and i know that if you know where your food comes from, it's very helpful navigating your way through the pain and lights in front of your eyes or actually, avoiding them all together.
We'll get to health and ailments and food in another post.
So, that bag of popcorn looked really good. And jeez, I had it in my cabinet. Popcorn from Cayuga Farms.
And if you have kids, particularly toddlers, it's key to have a bag of something crunchy that they can call their own. My daughter loves fruits and cheese and nuts but popcorn is up there with the things that other kids have in packages.
It's all about the popcorn. And as you can see from the photos, you can even do it a little half heartedly.
Everything was in the dishwasher and I so wasn't up to emptying it.
A couple of teaspoons of oil, a layer of corn and a lid. Medium flame. Shake it every once in a while.
So here's the little saute pan with the wrong lid making great popcorn.
Not the most professional set up but it's after work, I'm pooped and I can't stop laughing at my daughter dancing to Miles Davis.
toddler ready popcorn
So much better than the microwave bags. Sorry people at Newman's Own.
Traceable still trumps you.
Damn, I Love Lentils.
Heather Carlucci | Posted on 10:45PM One of the hardest things about this blog is far from staying within the parameters of what's traceable.
It's the pressure of getting good photos. We live in a world where bloggers have made 75% of blogs pics so readers don't get bored, the intructions are clear and the writer can share their experiences whole heartedly.
It should be easy. But for me it's an extra thing I wish I was better at having for you.
I forget most of the time. I just do what I do and realize I've jumped over everything. No excuses. Everything has a phone in it now.
So I made the lentils. Took one photo that looks like what was left over after a bad pub crawl.
I sent Sherwin a stock photo of dal and felt like crap the minute I hit "Send". Sherwin is my guide in all this and he did say we've gotten comments about offering more images.
The following post will have "artful" lentil photos throughout to show Sherwin I'm trying. They won't help you experience much, but you will get a great recipe.
I give you the next post....
Finally got to break into the Timeless Foods yellow lentils I ordered a few weeks back. Holy mother of legumes, they are so good. You know when you don't think twice about something assuming that that's just the way it is and that's alright with you?
And then you have what it's supposed to be?
Well, that's what I'm feeling about these lentils. I made Chana Dal, the traditional Indian preparation.
Very easy.
I'm still researching traceable spices so I made this dish with what I had in the house. Peppers were from the market as were the cilantro and onions. I find this dish very comforting. Soul food.
It's one of my faves
Recipe
Chana Dal
1 cups chana or mung dal
4 cups water
13 chilis, finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 ½ onions, finely chopped
1 T ginger
1 T coriander
½ tsp cumin, ground
¼ tsp paprika
1 ½ salt
2 T cilantro, chopped
Method
1. Combine dal, water, chilis, turmeric and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Add more water if needed as dal cooks to soft.
2. Cook cumin seeds in oil to sizzle.
3. Carmelize onions with cumin. Add ginger and cook to soft.
4. Add salt, coriander, ground cumin and paprika and cook through.
5. Pour over dal and stir.
6. Finish with cilantro.
Mushroom Update
Heather Carlucci | Posted on 9:03PM 
Day 7. And since I took this photo this morning it's grown even more.
Fabulous.
We're tossing around the idea of quesadillas but pizza is in the running as well.
Let you know on day 10.
I must admit. I had my doubts.
Heather Carlucci | Posted on 9:40AM Just yesterday Johanna asked me how my mushroom in a box growing was going. I told her I was worried. 5 days had passed and the coffee ground/fungi soil seemed as hard and dry and arrid as when I had first opened it. Misting twice a day, just like they told me to.
"Well", she said, "it says it'll take 10 days and it's only been 5 and maybe it's an 'all of a sudden' thing."
"Totally possible."
And yes, when I checked it this morning, look what was peeking out of the side of the plastic:
Happy Thanksgiving!
There's gold in those darn hills. Yes, I grew mushrooms! I'm excited, my daughter is excited.
According to the instructions, you can have a second crop too.
I made friends with Gracie Cavnar, the founder of Recipe for Success, when I presented her with the Town and Country Magazine Women Who Make a Difference Award in September. I think this may be a great project for her students. I'll let you know how it goes.
More on Mushroom-gate in the coming days. If they're growing this fast, it's mushroom quesadillas for everybody.