Seafood dilemma

Habitus is essentially social reproduction - the sensibilities, dispositions, perceptions, etc that one acquires - it's generally used in relation to class and cultural production but I like to think of it in terms of the lived experiences that makes you who you are.  

I suppose I've embraced this food cognition largely because of my upbringing, which I believe I've discussed here before (no beef, pork, salt, sugar, dairy, and organic when possible) - definitely an alternative lifestyle in the 80s.
My husband on the other hand grew up eating just about everything, most of it procured from purveyors of urban food. He watched Food Inc, I've reminded him to the point of nagging about HFCS, and we've talked about industrial produced beef and fish. Unfortunately old habits die hard and many of these taboo items continue to make it into our kitchen.

He means well, just as he did when he brought home shrimp, mussels, and fish from the seafood department of a local supermarket.  I had already taken the sirloin tip out of the freezer, but I knew I needed to cook the shrimp which I assumed to be previously frozen originating somewhere in Asia.  Imagine my surprise when the label said farm-raised. I almost went into a panic thinking about all of the waste, chemicals, and corn that went into the production of those shrimp.  Then I noticed the label also said 'may contain sulfites.'  Now I was really alarmed.  I made shrimp and grits but I just couldn't eat them...I guess I'm officially OCD when it comes to food...I'm sure it was mind over matter, but the shrimp had a smell that just wasn't palatable. 

Tuesday I made the sirloin with potatoes (very delicious - yukon, pressure cooked with broth, smashed with half and half and butter). I made the mussels as an appetizer. They were from Rhode Island, but they were little and quite a few were dead. Even with my cleaning process, there was grit in the juice. The sirloin and mussels laced the air with a strange aroma but the mussels, cooked in garlic, onions, and sun dried tomatoes, brought back childhood memories of going to Walt's and eating what seemed to be an unending supply of mussels with the extended family.  

Subdued spice

I haven't made zigni (with chicken) in ages, opting instead for lentils or beef.  However, because I'm working with what's in the freezer, I made zigni with drumsticks on Sunday.

I ran out of berbere when I made the qulwah but I was able to get a refill from my Eritrean friend - there is definitely a difference in color and intensity between the Eritrean and Ethiopian blends...but they are both delicious.  I'm still waiting to get the 411 on alicha.  

As I was making the zigni I thought that it was going to be overly spicy...surprisingly it was mild, yet flavorful...my son actually ate quite a few drumsticks (normally he only eats the injera and the veggies).  The mildness was likely a result of the liquid produced by the chicken. 

The injera was very fresh but there was a slight problem with the veggies...someone had decided to send out emails while the kale was cooking resulting in a rather charred accompaniment.

Prima pasta

Perhaps I'm a perv but I chuckle everytime I hear the word puttanesca. We haven't had spaghetti in quite some time and I wouldn't mind making a seafood lasagna but this morning I had the urge to make puttanesca sauce.

Of course I went heavy on the garlic and onions, then added tomato paste, olives, capers, anchovies - sauteed that whole mixture to release the essence then simmered with tomatoes - the sauce was rich, aromatic, and flavorful. 

I was enjoying the sauce tossed with penne when my husband texted, wanting to meet me for lunch...I replied that I was already eating lunch then packed some up and surprised him just as he was about to order Jamaican takeout.  He thoroughly enjoyed that puttanesca.

Frozen entree

I did a quick refrigerator clean out on Tuesday; there was all kinds of crap lurking about. I also briefly tackled the freezer. Like the pantry, I've come to realize that stocking the freezer is a fool's mission unless you have a large family or reside in the outskirts of town. It seems borderline sinful to accumulate food while so many people are doing without.

Until my freezer is bare I am on a meat buying hiatus. Last night I made dinner based on what was readily available.  At 6pm there was no time to defrost drumsticks, breasts, or beef so I had to work with normandy vegetables and three chicken tenderloins.
As I mentioned previously, many ethnic are often scantily laced with meat; indulging in meat seems to be an American phenomenon.  With that in mind, I was confident that the tenderloins would be sufficient so I diced them up and made a stir fry inspired by PF Chang's ginger chicken, using a method similar to what I did with the beef.  I served it with tilda, it was yummy and filling.

Spring onions and beef

Beef negamaki was my all time favorite Japanese restaurant dish...nowadays it seems hard to come by. The mongolian beef at PF Chang's is a close runner up.  I guess it's all about the scallions.  For the last few days I've had an Asian obsession. Friday, my husband and I went to Penang's in Chinatown (a Malaysian restaurant with a menu that makes you want to cross the Pacific), then it was PF Chang's Sunday for dinner. 

The remaining 2lbs of that chuck roast was in the fridge so I thought I might take a stab at pepper steak - it occurred to me that I had never made it in my life - I think I was scared that I wouldn't be able to produce the right flavor but I decided to work with inspiration from the mongolian beef and surprisingly the escabeche fish. 

I mixed up a marinade similar to what I do for escabeche - tamari, brown sugar, water...added a bit of corn starch and marinated the beef with some thinly sliced ginger.  My husband had sliced a vidalia onion, some colored sweet peppers, and some scallions that I sauteed with a head of garlic. 

After I added the marinated meat I realized I should've seared it first - but at 10pm, that wasn't going to happen.  I stir fried and then added the remaining marinade - brought to a boil then simmered...added a dash of oyster sauce and voila - a delicious dinner was served. 

Vivacious vidalias

For years I never understood the hype around vidalia onions...an onion is an onion....but with my new found appreciation for these marvelous flavor enhancers, I've learned otherwise.

My first encounter with the vidalia was 7 years ago in New Bern...I bought a bottle of vidalia onion dressing from the Tryon Palace gift shop and it was delicious - on the bottle there was a notation about vidalia onions and the state of Georgia, but it just seemed like marketing to me.  This spring I bought a vidalia onion hot sauce from Carolina Cider Company and that was good as well - a little sweet for spice aficionados but good nonetheless.

My daughter has declared Eritrean food to be her favorite, with Indian a second runner up.  I made timtimo Tuesday and qulwah Saturday.  My husband chopped the onions just like Abay does and I cut up half a chuck roast (about 2 lbs). Although substantially meatier than what would traditionally be served, the qulwah was absolutely delicious.  Qulwah is generally prepared similarly to a stir fry but I simmered it a bit and it was scrumptious...the veggies on the side weren't bad either - I sauteed onions, a bit of tomato paste, and added vegetables normandy, seasoned, and added a bit of turmeric for color. I realized that the vidalia onion is more than the onion du jour, it is a must have staple.

This budding obsession with vidalia onions has the potential to become problematic.  Vidalias are a seasonal item that are only grown in a particular region - like Basmati rice, the climate and soil give it distinguishable attributes.  That's almost funny when you think of it - seasonality and locality have almost been ameriolated from our food system. 

Dining out

The worst thing about hotel vacations is it's hard to readjust to domestic life - it's different in a condo because I'm cooking and doing laundry just like home - but in a hotel, we dine out.  Last week we were way over budget because we were still in dining out mode after just a couple of days at the Jersey Shore.

One of my Girl Scouts recommended Bobby's Burger Palace in University City. She assured me that it was not greasy and would not have the same impact on me as Five Guys. 

She was absolutely right. I decided to be daring and have a Dallas burger (coleslaw and a sauce that resembled steak or BBQ sauce), my husband had a Santa Fe, and the kids crunchified theirs (topped with potato chips).  We enjoyed the burgers and the customer service was great.  We spent around $30 and considered getting milkshakes but for $5 each for a 12 oz shake, we went to the market and bought an almost 1/2 gallon of ice cream and made our own with a dash of vanilla for good measure.

Oil & water

The first thing I thought of when President Obama approved offshore drilling was my Carolinian shrimp.  I have only recently began to enjoy these sweet, succulent sea creatures and I was afraid of how offshore drilling might impact the ecosystem.  Some might consider me a geek but I have a passion for coastal ecosystems, wetlands in particular.  They are as rich in biodiversity as the rain forest and until relatively recently was a misunderstood resource.  Just take a look at the history of engineering and politics along the Mississippi river and the subsequent impact on the delta, the residents of the bayou, and the Hurricane Katrina fiasco. 

I thought the damage would be physical...more of a hydrological disruption of spawning areas...I was certain the shrimp and oyster populations would decline over time - the thought was devastating...that was the absolute best seafood I have ever had, and it was the cheapest.  I thought Legal Seafood was tasty until I treated myself to Turner Fisheries at Copley Place.  Then there was Devon Seafood Grill in Hershey.  And now we've settled for Bonefish Grill because it makes sense with kids.  Despite the interesting preparations and the quality of the seafood, you can't top food straight from the sea.  I admit that the harvesting was likely via unsustainable trawling but my vocabulary is limited in terms of expressing the deliciousness of fresh seafood. 

Never in a million years would I have imagined that the impact was imminent.  And I certainly didn't expect it to be the result of a oil leak in a deep sea well that was shoddily constructed.  Every time I see an image or hear a news report, I get sick to my stomach.  It's not just for the selfish reason of my precious shrimp disappearing.  It's the seemingly lack of regard for the aquatic ecosystem.  The ocean is vast and unfortunately has become a receptacle for all kinds of physical, biological, and chemical pollutants.  We are a society living only in the present...this oil spill is a reality check - the future is no longer about our grandchildren, it's about us...we won't be able to utilize the earth's resources.  This catastrophe has devastated the people who are connected to the land, such as those along coastal Louisiana - their culture and livelihoods are awash in petroleum.  Shrimping is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

The cheesiest

There's cheese, and then there's American cheese.  It never occurred to me that there was a procedural difference between the two until I noticed that the wrapper on the Cooper CV Sharp cheese said processed American cheese.  When it comes to food, that word raises an immediate red flag for me.  When I think of processed cheese, Velveeta, Cheez Whiz, or Kraft Singles come to mind...not deli cheese.  Well, that's how much I know.  Apparently Americans manufacture cheese while other cultures produce cheese using natural curdling processes.

America is known for its cheddar; American cheeses are suitable for American cuisine - they melt and are used for yummy food like grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese.   Eureka...now I know why my quest for flavor fell apart when I attempted the lobster macaroni and cheese some time ago.  I chose all of my favorite cheeses but they weren't suitable for this American dish.  Last night I thought I'd give it another stab - this time I went with gruyere (yes it's Swiss, but it works for fondue) and cooper sharp. 

The cheese sauce had an excellent consistency but it lacked the bite that we like in cheese (my husband was hoping for something akin to prima donna).  We had it with penne, asparagus, and langoustine tails...it was yummy but I think next time I'll go with an extra sharp Vermont cheddar.

Creme delite

Humans are the only mammals that consume milk produced by other species and they have been doing it for millennia.  A cow (or buffalo) can essentially convert grass into milk on a daily basis for years versus raising a cow, slaughtering it, and feasting for a couple of days.  According to the dairy association, milk does a body good - there's protein, fat, vitamins, etc...if you can tolerate the lactose. 

There's a lot that goes into producing that opaque white liquid that is in such demand that Monsanto (aka chemical expert in genetically modified food) developed rbST (rBGH) to increase cow's lactation...but that's a topic for another day.  Milk is pasteurized (heated to kill pathogens), homogenized (pressurized to stop the cream from separating in the milk), and like flour is sometimes bleached with benzoyl peroxide. 

Because milk requires refrigeration, consumption is related to per capita income.  However, people all over the world consume a variety of dairy products on a daily basis - yogurt, cheese, cream, and other milk products that have longer shelf lives or do not require refrigeration.  In many cultures, a variety of canned creamy products might be served with breakfast making dairy products are a significant source of calories around the world. 

Growing up we didn't drink milk and you'll never catch me drinking a glass of cold white milk (but I will drink laban), or dipping my cookies or pastries in milk.  Cream is a different story.  I will make a creamy soup in a minute.  I prefer heavy cream in my coffee, but will settle for half and half.  I love ice cream (made from cream, milk, vanilla, sugar - I can't eat that other stuff) and I don't mind making my own.  Whipped cream is so yummy.  Kheer is delicious. I keep my pantry stocked with evaporated milk and heavy cream in the fridge.

I never thought about my love affair with rich fatty cream until I made ambrosia salad twice this week. I got to thinking about sweetened condensed milk and the many ethnic desserts that use this ingredient. I used it for the first time a few years ago when an Iranian friend showed me a simple dessert made from roasted vermicelli and condensed milk.  It's a product of the Industrial Revolution - it solves the problem of storing and transporting milk and it's so sweet and creamy.

Filipino fiesta

When you're trying to manage your food intake, doctors will advise you to eat slower; apparently there is a delayed response in feeling full.  We found that out tonight.  I made what I'm going to call pancit imperial - onions, garlic and scallions, celery, carrots, cabbage, peas, chicken and shrimp, rice sticks and canton noodles. I thought I was making enough for lunch and two dinners.  However, we ate and ate and ate and ate...we literally had to talk ourselves out of eating more.  By the time we pushed away from the table, I was so stuffed that I could hardly breathe.  I knew there was no way I could eat dessert in that condition so I suggested an after dinner walk.

The kids were excited; we used to take these walks a couple of years ago before our schedules got out of control.  We walked around the neighborhood for about 30 minutes and returned ready to devour dessert.  I made Filipino ambrosia salad this afternoon, it was so tasty that we almost had a repeat of dinner...