Have A World Food Day Dinner and Fight Hunger

"Host a meal, share a recipe,

and spread the word."

Oxfam, the international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice, is spreading the word about World Food Day
on October 16th this year. The organization is sponsoring a World Food Day Dinner to promote the GROW Method - five principles to change the way we think, buy, prepare and eat food to create less waste.

 

All you have to do to participate is host a dinner on October 16th. Invite four to ten guests; your friends and/or family members. Set the table with Oxfam's GROW placemats and stickers. Sit, eat, and start a conversation using the GROW Discussion Guide.
And... enjoy!

Click here to receive your FREE GROW materials and recipe cards from Oxfam.

And, here are some recipes from Jamie Oliver, Lidia Bastianich, Mario Batali and other renowned chefs, to inspire your World Food Day Dinner (I'm trying the chilaquiles!).

See you at dinner on October 16th!

 

 

what would be YOUR last meal?

I came across this book during one of my junk shop hauls, and knew that it was exactly the type of subject matter I love: a little warped, slightly morbid and somehow combined with a foodie twist. What would your last supper be? "Last Suppers" by James L. Dickerson attempts to answer that question based on the replies of film, television and music stars, political and business personalities, authors, sports celebrities and of course, famous chefs. The celebrity list is a little "dated" in a 1990's way, but the answers to the question of "what would your last supper be?" are all interesting and revealing.

Some replies are predictable. As you can imagine, the choices of chefs tended to be like this one: "Napoleon of Seared Cape Cod Sea Scallops with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Winter Truffles, and an Asparagus Emulsion". And but of course, the chairman and CEO of Boston Beer Company suggests a different Samuel Adams beer with each of his courses. Some selections leave you scratching your head - George Zimmer, CEO of The Men's Wearhouse chooses oatmeal with brown sugar and low-fat milk. Um, I'm going for the unhealthiest, fat-laden fried and cheesy things I can find, dude. No way would oatmeal be the last thing I eat on my last day on this planet.

I found my own choice to be most similar to Gregg Allman's: catfish and hush puppies, red beans and rice, sweet iced tea, and tiramisu (although I'd likely swap fried chicken for the catfish and get a beer in there somewhere). Or, maybe Ann Coulter's last supper: margaritas.

A guest list for each celeb's last supper is also included, and many of the menu choices are accompanied by recipes (although the one that I really wanted to read was not included, naturally - Chef Todd English's "chocolate hash browns." Say what?)

The book concludes with the actual last suppers of several deceased celebrities, based on eyewitness accounts, etc. Of course, most of these people didn't actually choose their last suppers; it just sort of unfortunately happened that way. The exception would be Ernest Hemingway, who apparently calmly dined on his usual choices at his favorite restaurant before shooting himself the next morning: New York strip steak, baked potato, Caesar salad and Bordeaux wine.

Marilyn Monroe's final meal was reportedly at a Brentwood restaurant where she ate guacamole, stuffed mushrooms, spicy meatballs and washed it down with Dom Perignon champagne. Yeah. I could go for that, I think.

Overall, this is a good read; the reader is introduced to true comfort food stories. I mean, your choice of a last supper menu should be foods that you absolutely love and want to share with loved ones (or a freaky and surreal "celebrities in heaven" guest list) as the last meal you will ever enjoy. Even if that last meal is oatmeal.

"Last Suppers - If the World Ended Tomorrow, What Would Be Your Last Meal?" by James L. Dickerson; 1999 Lebhar-Friedman Books, New York.

lonesome road kitchen challenge #1

Chiles Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos is one of those "benchmark" dishes that I use in judging a favorite Mexican restaurant. So of course, since I love this classic dish so much, I simply had to attempt to prepare it myself. I did, and here are the luscious results!

The name of the dish simply means "stuffed chile pepper" and the filling can be just about anything: cheese, beans, chicken, pork, beef (including the classic, picadillo). The chiles may be battered and fried (or not) and I've had all sorts of delicious sauces on chiles rellenos. For this version, I chose a light Ranchero Sauce whose clear and bright flavors complement and contrast with the gooey goodness of the cheese filling and the rich taste of the poblano chile peppers.

Ingredients for the chiles:

• 4 fresh poblano chiles
• 8 to 10 oz. Monterey Jack or Chihuahua cheese
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup flat beer
• Vegetable oil for frying (corn or safflower work well)

Ingredients for the ranchero sauce:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (even better if roasted!)
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Prepare the Ranchero Sauce by cooking onion and garlic in oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the peppers, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, cumin and salt. Simmer over low heat, covered about 20 minutes. Add cilantro and lime juice just before serving; set aside and prepare the chiles.

To prepare the chiles: Roast chiles on a grill or in the oven or over a gas flame until skins are blackened and blistered. See below (these were done on our grill and they smelled fantastic!):

After poblano chiles are suitably blackened, immediately place in a bag to steam. Wait a few minutes, then peel. (Sometimes not all of the skin comes off and that's okay. Do the best you can!)

Cut a "T" shape in the chiles and remove seeds. Place thick slices of cheese in each chile and distribute chopped onion evenly among the 4 chiles.

Prepare the batter for the chiles by combining the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add flat beer and beat batter until smooth. Dip stuffed chiles in the batter and allow a bit of excess batter to drip off.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch cooking oil in a large skillet until oil shimmers and is hot enough for frying. Carefully add the stuffed and battered chiles and fry about 2 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain a bit, then place in a rectangular baking dish. Pour Ranchero Sauce over chiles and place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until dish is heated through.

Serve with a twist of lime, perhaps a dab of sour cream or a sprinkle of Cotija cheese. This is delicious and beautiful served with saffron rice, as I did in the top photo.

Serves 4.

slow and smoky brisket

For many households, a tender and juicy slowly cooked beef brisket is the highlight of the Passover meal. And if there are leftovers... what a great sandwich they make!
This brisket marinates for 4 to 6 hours, then cooks slowly for about 3 hours, so plan ahead. Start off with a gorgeous ruby red borscht, and serve brisket with roasted potatoes and maybe some honey-sweetened carrot tzimmes too!

Ingredients:

• 6 to 7 lb. beef brisket
• 3/4 tablespoon hickory Liquid Smoke
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• freshly ground black pepper - lots!

Combine Liquid Smoke, Worcestershire sauce, the salts and black pepper in a 1 or 2 gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the brisket and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

I like to remove the meat from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking so it is not ice-cold when it is placed in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius). Drain brisket slightly and place in a baking dish; cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook in the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius) and continue to cook at least 2-1/2 more hours, or until brisket is tender and done. Remove from oven, uncover and let meat rest for about 10 or 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

sunday dinner redux - love on a plate with a twist 3 - pickled!

At left... my awesome kosher dill pickles and bread & butter slices!
What to do with all those cucumbers? Well, there's really only one thing you can do: make pickles (or try to pass them off on friends and family who have an overabundance of cucumbers as well).
My favorites are the kosher dills; hubby likes the sweet bread & butter variety. Fortunately I make both... and they totally rock!
I'm sharing the kosher dill recipe because it's my personal favorite... don't rely on those "easy" pre-made seasonings; it's just as easy to gather some simple ingredients and make your own from "scratch." Check it out:

Per quart of pickles:

1/2 lb. small pickling cucumbers (or trim larger cucumbers to a comparable size)
2 tablespoons dill seeds
1 clove of garlic, peeled and halved
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, if you like
2-1/4 cups water
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon pickling salt

Pickle Crisp, use as directed on package

Carefully clean and trim cucumbers; be especially sure to trim blossom ends. Pack loosely into prepared, hot canning jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Add dill seed, garlic (and pepper if you like).

Prepare the brine with the water, vinegar and salt and bring to boiling.

Slowly and carefully pour hot brine over cucumbers in jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims and adjust new lids. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). Pickles are fabulous in about a week!

a little more about "sunday dinner redux"...

Sunday Dinner Redux is my attempt to bring sanity into my own schedule, LOL, and to share some recipes and thoughts about food and cooking in general.
There was a time when I experimented with all kinds of ingredients, techniques, and new recipes but sadly the time factor has crept in, impacting my natural creativity in the kitchen. Well, I'm about to change all that (I hope) and get back to my old adventurous self when it comes to new dishes, meal plans etc., at least one day a week *sigh*.
Our often inconvenient schedule in the Lonesome Road household includes hubby's karate three weeknights a week; his twelve-hour workshifts, and me "trying to get something done" so the flexibility of time just isn't there most days. Saturday and Sunday are really the only two days of the week where our work and after-work schedules don't affect our mealtimes. Now, I'm not really one for all the nuclear-family-sitting-around-the-table-listening-to-each-other-slurp-and-chew-scene; I'm more of a grazer myself and I like to eat when I'm hungry not when a clock or person tells me that "it's time." But I do believe that in the midst of our hurried lifestyles, among the rush and on-the-go habits we've adopted, it's nice to slow down occasionally and treat cooking and nourishment as a nurturing process, a process that can be enjoyable in itself, not just something to hurry through to get out of the way.

So, in the future I will continue to post about my fun in the kitchen and what I have learned; I enjoy all types of food and have lots of things to share. I also hope that you will share your ideas with me!