Eat Local: Rosemary Potato Wheat Bread

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I walked into the Oberlin market this afternoon to buy my daily serving of "local" fruit, since I'm taking the Eat Local Challenge seriously. I found the little pears and apples easily, but I can't just run in and out of a store efficiently. I like to meander and rifle through the product, making myself want more things than I need. This time it wasn't just product that kept me looking; no, the most gorgeous, earthy, pizza-like, bread-y aroma filled the room. I stepped into the little bakery next to the cash register and was pointed toward lovely, freshly-baked loaves of rosemary potato bread.

It was still warm and, thankfully, the flavor matched the promising aroma. My roommate and I walked around Oberlin finishing our errands while eating large chunks of the loaf. Half of it was gone twenty minutes after buying it. Do you see those weird muffins under the rich loaves? Those are garam masala muffins. The bread was so good that I'm willing to try the garam masala muffins next time I'm there.

Next up: a review of old school milk. You know, the kind that was taken from a cow just down the road and presented in a glass jar. Wish me luck!

Eat Local: Ohio Challenge

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I recently wrote a post for Technorati about The Eat Local Challenge, which was kicked off by Local Matters on October first. This is their noble, and tempting, movement to motivate citizens to eat locally-grown food, based on the idea that it's healthier for you than the alternatives and will help the local economy. I agree with both points, and I totally wanted to take part in the challenge (I've failed at doing it by myself earlier this year), but I live in northern Ohio, and they're based out of central Ohio. I wasn't able to sign up for the challenge (or prizes) in person, but I decided to follow the challenge's guidelines on my own up here.

The challenge is simple: select three or more ways to eat local this month. Some are obvious (try an Ohio-grown food), but you can visit a farmers market, eat at a "locally-minded restaurant", cook a full meal with only local ingredients, host a local food potluck, etc...

I went the easy route and bought those locally-grown apples and pears up there. Needless to say, they're gone. They tasted like typical apples, delicious and mild, but honestly, there wasn't a noticeable flavor improvement. I was expecting something orgasmic, based on the way local food proponents talk about local produce. Not so much this time, but it won't deter me from following through with the challenge. The point to eating locally isn't just flavor, but additional nutrition (and, if you read that link to the Harvard site above, you'll know I'm right) and community support.

There are some pretty neat food items on the shelves of Oberlin's local market. I'm looking forward to experimenting with them this month, so you're going to be seeing them, as well!

My Father's Kitchen: Ossobucco

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This was literally the last of it.

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My father made his amazing ossobucco for a friend's birthday recently. I visited the night before the party and watched the beautiful dish simmer while drinking Rum Barbancourt with him. The aroma would have pleased the gods, as ossobucco is a magical dish: veal shank braised in white wine, vegetables, and broth until it's falling off the bone- and then the bone gives up its marrow. That's what I wait for, spoon in hand.

He served it with risotto alla milanese, a saffron risotto, but I prefer it with polenta. It was so tasty that I almost forgot to take a photo of it- a good sign, right? I managed to take a shot of the last bits, when the risotto alla milanese was finished. I used that crusty bread to sop up the broth.

I asked him for his recipe, and he adapted it to serve two:

• olive oil
  
• 1 carrot
  
• 1/2 onion
  
• 2 cloves of garlic
  
• 3 bay leaves
  
• 2 small sticks of celery, diced
  
• 1 rosemary branch
  
• 1 tsp. oregano
  
• 4 pieces of veal shank or ossobuco
  
• 1 tomato diced
  
• 2 cups of beef broth
  
• 1-2 cups of white wine
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
  1. Sauté the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, then add the peppercorn, bay leaves, rosemary, and oregano.
  2. Brown the veal shanks in a separate, large pot in butter.
  3. Add the diced tomato to the veal shanks, fry it, then add beef broth and white wine as needed to keep it covered. Add the prepared vegetables.
  4. Cover the pot and cook it for three hours at a slow pace (simmer).
  5. Add salt to your taste, and serve it with risotto or with polenta.

I included a link to making risotto alla milanese, and you can buy polenta or make your own, which I recommend.

My father's version of ossobucco alla milanese has quite a few more vegetables than the "traditional" dish, and I asked him a couple questions about how he learned to make it. Read on, if you're interested:

Christien Meindertsma : on Pigs

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I'm sure you've all heard you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Well, that's technically not true. What's more, you'll find the sow's bristles in some brands of bread and that sow's bones and connective tissue in your gelatin-which some breweries use as a filter for their beer.

Christien Meindertsma, a designer from the Netherlands, spent three years following pig 05049. She documented at least 185 products sourced from that one particular pig. I didn't know half of the ones she spoke of (wait until you get to the hemoglobin cigarette filters-priceless!). Bet you won't have heard of all of them, either.

Thanks, IHC.