Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming, by Laura Stec with Eugene Cordero, is a treasure trove of facts and tidbits about what we eat and how it affects the health of our planet. Part cook book, part text book, part righteous party planning manual, this 2008 addition to the “good food” cannon takes a very different approach to coaching readers through the details of a carbon-friendly diet. Each chapter starts with several pages of discussion about the food industry and its connection to climate change.  The authors’ perspectives are augmented with sidebars demystifying the science behind each chapter’s and “Book n’ Cook Club” pages that list recipes (full recipes follow), suggested videos and books, field trips or activities, and a menu of small steps readers can take to spice up their shopping and eating in a climate-friendly style.

Cool Cuisine presents ways to source and prepare food while minimizing the carbon footprint of each meal.  To help determine what is cool and what is not, Stec coaches the reader to ask simple questions, such as “How much food am I buying – will I eat it all?” or “How processed is my food?”  Cool Cuisine then takes readers through a three-stage process of “cooling” their diet.  Stage one starts with buying local produce, reducing meat consumption, and minimizing food waste.  Stage two ups the ante by inviting readers to eat even less meat, buy meat from grass-based sustainable farms and buy direct from farmers, when possible. Stage three involves consuming mostly sustainable and organic produce, meat, and beverages.

While Cool Cuisine makes a solid case for the immediate threat of climate change and the negative impact our current food system has on the health of the planet, Stec’s tone and creative imagery keep the book completely accessible. When comparing pest control in monocropping to that needed with diversified farming, she uses metaphor that would be just as happy in a Pixar animation:

Fill a field with only one plant and it becomes an exclusive country club with no need for bouncers. Bugs can lay out their lawn chairs and feast on an endless smorgasbord of corn, wheat, or whatever their preferred amuse-bouche may be. These bugs are like houseguests from hell. They eat everything, replace nothing, and trash the place.

While Stec shows a clear bias towards organic produce and meat from animals raised on grass, each argument is backed up by significant research outlining the attendant environmental and health benefits.  For those readers already attuned to the concept that our food choices can affect climate change but who may feel daunted by the thought of abandoning their favorite comfort foods, Cool Cuisine comes to the rescue with tips on making cooling your diet as tasty as possible. To this end, she points out that we often don’t prepare foods in ways that bring out their best qualities.  The classic case, of course, is vegetables.  Many Americans prepare vegetables in ways that destroy their natural sweetness and appetizing consistency, resulting in a belief that we don’t like vegetables and the failure to eat enough of these healthy, nutritious foods.  Stec proposes a few simple rules to avoid limp, flavorless vegetables, such as: keep water as far away from vegetables as possible (unless blanching); use high dry heat to heighten vegetable sugars; marinate vegetables for a half hour or less; and do not undercook grilled vegetables.

For the meat (and cheese) lovers among us, there is no need to fear a cool diet.  While cool eating does call for reducing meat consumption, it also encourages us to savor the delicious, heightened flavor of grass-based beef, pork, and poultry, not to mention local cheeses, wines and beers, which have a place in every recipe section of the book. In fact, a recurring theme in Cool Cuisine is the notion of a “Most Local Foods Plate,” composed of wine, beer, cheese, milk, honey, bread, eggs, fruit, and vegetables – all items that are grown or produced in all 50 states. When in doubt, recommends Stec, you can find one of these items produced surprisingly close to home. Armed with a renewed confidence in the kitchen, and some tasty flavor combos, readers are guaranteed to finish this book feeling cooler than ever.

So with a copy of Cool Cuisine under your arm, raise a Cooltini and say a toast to getting back to your culinary roots, getting a little closer to the earth, and enjoying every minute of it.

Laura Stec’s Cooltini (a drink for spring) excerpted from Cool Cuisine

I have catered Acterra’s (the environmental organization I work for) April Earth Day Decadent Dinner for many years. We always serve Cooltinis. It’s a seasonal drink in early spring when backyard citrus is still on the trees in the south and west. This recipe comes from my Acterra colleague, Kay O’Neil.

1 Cooltini

2 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice (preferably organic Meyer lemons)

2 ounces organic vodka

1 ounce Cointreau

Small amount mint-infused simple syrup, to taste

Ice

Chambord (French raspberry liqueur)

Cooltini ice cube (optional)

Fresh mint sprig (optional)

Combine first four ingredients in a martini shaker and add five ice cubes. Shake hard; the goal is to get shards of ice into the drink. Using a martini strainer, pour into a chilled martini glass. Add a dollop of Chambord and a Cooltini ice cube. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Cooltini ice cube

12 carob “Earthballs” (cellophane-wrapped candy in the shape of little Earths, sold in the bulk bin of natural food stores)

Ice cube trays

Distilled water

Fill ice cube compartments halfway with distilled water. Put one Earthball in the center of each compartment. Freeze until firm. Remove tray from freezer and cover Earthball with water. Freeze until firm.

Confession: When I was younger I hated sauerkraut. Most people will read that and think, Well, no bother. Just don’t eat the stuff. It’s not like one is presented with it often!

But, being that I am half-Latvian, sauerkraut was presented to me more often than most people would consider normal. Perhaps normal for you would be that one year at a family picnic when your eclectic Aunt Betty, having just returned from Germany, wanted to share the joys of sauerkraut along with a rousing schuhplattling. Or perhaps it was on a vacation 3 years back and it appeared mysteriously, slathered on a hot dog.

But, as I said, being half-Latvian, sauerkraut was seemingly everywhere. Forget the odd family picnic or bizarre vacation hot dog.

This sauerkraut receives it's fuchsia-hue from beets. You can also use red cabbage for a less brilliant, but still pinkish blush.

On our regular journeys into the depths of Chicago’s Latvian neighborhood we would find my grandmother at home, stirring a large batch of sauerkraut. (Think stock pot size– enough for everyone to take home!) At the yearly Latvian block party, buckets of sauerkraut from every family on the block would be on the offering– right there, next to the jelly bean guess-the-quantity competition (which, thank you, I won one year). You know block parties, one little nibble from your own grandmother isn’t enough, you have to look good in front of the neighbors. During cold Chicago winters, my own mother would raise the stock pot and pour in the ‘kraut. Eventually, the operation was moved to a portable burner in the garage so the smell wouldn’t saturate the house during the 4+ hour cook time– and of course, so we could have sauerkraut more often.

As a child I thought sauerkraut was, well, sour. It was also funny looking. And it smelled weird.

I’m not talking about the sauerkraut that is served cold with sausage on the side (though ours was most often served with kielbasa on the side). My family’s Latvian sauerkraut is slow cooked for hours until it reaches caramelization. It sits there on the plate, a deep amber mass, fit for a rustic Baltic meal: a side of meat with mustard and dark Latvian rye bread.

As a child I recall my polite no thank you’s when it was being served, but was always met with the parental, “Okay, just a little then.” So there it sat on my plate being pushed around and spread out to appear if at least not enjoyed, partially consumed.

But years pass and tastes change and that sourness now seems more sweet. My grandmother, uncles and mother still make a stock pot full of sauerkraut, and sometimes I even find myself behind the stove on a cold New York City night taking out the stock pot. But the start to sauerkraut, whether it’s slow cooked, or uncooked and cold, begins with fermentation.

As one can imagine, northern Europe plays host to some frigid winters. (If you cannot imagine, I spent an August in Latvia, their warmest month, and wore a sweatshirt the whole time there. Of course, families were basking in Speedos on the beach, but to each their own.) Cabbage was, and still is, a mainstay of the cuisine. It grows well in cool climates and once fermented, it has a long shelf life, feeding a family through a brutal winter. A little salt and a crock pot is all it takes and in a few days natural bacteria in the air take over for a lacto-fermentation (ending as lactic acid converts sugars to acid).

Once fermented, kept raw, sauerkraut is very high in vitamin C. In fact, it was sauerkraut, and other fermented foods, that cured early explorers of scurvy (not barrels of oranges*) . Further, all those sugars, converted to acids, lower the pH and are good for digestion. And some believe that fermented foods keep them healthy and can fight against disease and illness from the avian flu to ulcers and cancer to hangovers. (A hangover cure might also explain why my Latvian family can drink like a fish through the night and wake up raring to go.)

It should be noted that all these benefits occur when the sauerkraut is eaten raw, uncooked. If you want the same beneficial bacteria to play in your stomach and don’t want to make it yourself, seek out raw sauerkraut on the store shelves. Most of the sauerkraut you find in bags has been quick fermented with vinegar and will not have the same positive results.

Should you want to make it yourself, it’s easy and a fun experiment for any kitchen! You can add a plethora of vegetables to the mix. In my batch, pictured above, I have cabbage, beets, carrots and kohlrabi. You can even add hot pepper flakes for a kimchi-like variation.

NOTE: Never use aluminum as your fermentation vessel, or aluminum tools to stir or taste. A ceramic crock or large glass 1 to 5 gallon containers are ideal. Clean everything well so only good bacteria have an opportunity to multiply (a run through a dishwasher or hand washed with hot water and soap is fine).

Sauerkraut

Serving size = about 6. Active time = 20 minutes. Inactive time = 1 to 3 weeks, depending on temperature (hot temperatures speed up fermentation)

2 medium to large heads cabbage (red or green), about 5 lbs

3 carrots

1/4 cup Kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)

Shred the cabbage and carrots using a food processor (or finely by hand), as you would for coleslaw. Set in a bowl and toss with salt, garlic and caraway seeds. Transfer to your fermentation vessel (see note above). Using your fist, pack the vegetables firmly into the bottom of your vessel to release as many air bubbles as possible.

(This is where a glass vessel is nice because you can see your progress.) Juice should escape from the cabbage and just cover the vegetables. If not, add a little water and a bit of salt until vegetables are just covered. (The older your cabbage, the less juice it will have!) Place a weight inside your container, keeping as much of the cabbage underneath as possible. A ceramic plate or food-grade plastic bag filled with some salt water (in case the bag breaks) works well. Cover the fermentation vessel with a kitchen towel or a few layers of cheesecloth and secure. Set aside on counter.

After 2 to 3 days, taste the cabbage; fermentation will have begun!

Continue to taste until it reaches a tartness you like, 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the temperature in the room. After day 3, you might notice a film developing on the top of the brine. Skim it off every day or two, but don’t wait more than 2 days. Once the vegetables have reached a flavor you like, transfer to the refrigerator. It will keep for many months.

If you are going out of town after your fermentation has begun but is not finished, just transfer your container to the fridge and replace it to your counter when you return. Cold temperatures slow fermentation. Never eat fermented foods that taste “meaty” or smell off– your nose is powerful, trust it! This is a sign the wrong bacteria have taken over (rare, but it can happen). Fermented foods should smell tangy, tart and fresh.

Other additions include curry, turmeric, hot pepper flakes, dill, onions, turnips, kohlrabi, radish or other vegetables and seasonings in your sauerkraut!

*Editor’s note: Wasn’t it barrels of limes? Hence the term “limey”?

St. Patrick’s Day brings out the Irish in everyone, so this year, go the extra green mile and cook up some sustainable St. Paddy’s recipes to fuel your green beer soaked revelry. My Irish ancestry certainly shines a little brighter around this time of year, and nothing transports me back to Ireland more quickly than digging into fresh baked Irish soda bread, mouth-watering corned beef and cabbage, or a slice of heavenly chocolate Guinness cake. Okay, so I don’t think I actually had the cake while studying on the Emerald Isle, but I never complain when my friend Sarah whips one up. So, don your leprechaun hat, put on your “Kiss me I’m Irish” T-shirt and get cooking!

Irish Soda Bread

Soda Bread is a classic staple of the Irish diet (okay, maybe not as much as the potato), and a fun and easy way to try your hand at baking bread. This recipe from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food calls for buttermilk, so find a diary near you that sells milk from grass-fed cows, which is much healthier for you, the cow and the planet. Finding local flour can be a bit of a challenge, but the number of small-scale growers and mills is growing all the time.

3 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk

Read on for the rest of this recipe and recipes for Corned Beef & Cabbage and Chocolate Guinness Cake!

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Measure flour, salt and soda and mix together in a large bowl.

3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. Stir, adding more buttermilk if needed; the dough should be soft, but not wet or sticky.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just enough to bring the dough together. Turn it over and pat it into a round loaf about 1 1/2 inches high.

5. Place on a baking sheet and cut a cross into the top of the loaf with a knife. Cut fairly deeply into the bread, being sure to cut all the way to the edges; this helps the bread to rise properly.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 30 minutes or until done. To test, tap the bread on the bottom. It will sound hollow when done.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I know my vegetarian friends will wince when they see this one, but I have a hard time resisting the lure of corned beef and cabbage. So, to keep this recipe green, find a beef supplier near you that provides locally and humanely raised, grass-fed meat. And if you wanted to skip the meat entirely, I’m sure no Irishman or woman would fault you for substituting potatoes for the corned beef. Or you could try this vegan corned beef recipe.

This classic recipe comes from The Irish Cook by way of the Mother Nature Network -

Large, lean cut of brisket (mine was about 2 ½ pounds)
Savoy cabbage, 1 head cut into several pieces
Potatoes, 6 or 7 large white
Carrots, 5 or 6 large washed well since you are not peeling (I peeled mine)
White Onions, 2 large or several boiling onions
1 tsp. of onion powder
1 tsp. of garlic powder
1 bay leaf, torn
Salt and pepper to taste
Cold water

1. Put brisket in the bottom of the slow cooker

2. Place potatoes, carrots and onions on top of brisket

3. Season with onion powder, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper

4. Pour cold water to just below the top of vegetables

5. Cook on low for 8 hours

6. Place cabbage on the top of vegetables

7. Cook for another 2 hours

Chocolate Guinness Cake

My friend Sarah had the nerve to move to London and take her amazing Chocolate Guinness Cake with her, so I suppose I’ll have to hack through Nigella Lawson’s version, which may be where she got the idea in the first place. You can find organic eggs, dairy ingredients and (hopefully) flour locally by using the Eat Well Guide. And while you won’t be able to find the Guinness locally, unless you happen to live in Ireland, buying in bulk is always a green way to go! Or better yet, find a brewery near you and use their stout.

For the cake:
Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/8 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

For the topping:
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream.

1. For the cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

3. For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners’ sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

4. Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.

Yield: One 9-inch cake (12 servings).

takepart by finding all your St. Patrick’s Day ingredients locally using the Eat Well Guide.

Today’s Tip: Create a well stocked larder

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about replacing conventional items in your kitchen with sustainable ones. Now our guest blogger, Marjorie Taylor, helps to beef up that stock in her posting “A Cook’s Larder.” Keep reading for a delicious Bacon and Zucchini Tart recipe at the end of this post!

Marjorie Taylor is the proprietor of The Cook’s Atelier. She cooks and writes about food from her tiny home in Burgundy, France. See more of her writing on her blog, www.thecooksatelier.com.

What is a larder? A place where cooks go to find the staple ingredients for a meal, such as last season’s preserved items from the garden, dried beans, lentils, rice, assorted pastas, garlands of dried aromatics, and staples such as extra-virgin olive oil, vinegars, salts and baking supplies. In addition to my dry storage, I always keep a supply of homemade chicken stock and real butter in the freezer and a large hunk of Parmesan in the refrigerator.

A larder doesn’t have to be a separate room, as long as the area you choose is a relatively cool, dry place, that’s all you need. Simple solutions could include a vintage armoire that you find at a flea market, an extra closet or designated spot in your basement. The idea really is to keep staples on hand that allow you to prepare a meal without the need to run to the grocery store every time you cook. If you stock your larder with the basic staples that your family enjoys, you can easily prepare a meal using the ingredients from your larder along with the fresh, seasonal ingredients from your local farmers’ market or garden.

Given our economic times, this is the perfect opportunity for us to get back to the basics, rethink our priorities and learn to cook. With a little planning and a day or two in the kitchen, you can prepare the essential items for your larder. Don’t try to stock it all at once; make a list of what items you frequently use and gradually add them to your larder. To me, keeping a larder is really more of a state of mind. It’s about returning to the home-keeping skills of previous generations before we were seduced by convenience foods and to a time when we still valued sharing our meals together at the dinner table.

As a home cook, you can follow this principle, always have something ready in a flash, and keep your grocery bill under control at the same time. Store items in airtight containers and make sure that you properly label and date everything. I’m very much a visual person, so I like to store my items in clear glass vintage canning jars with tight fitting lids. They allow quick access, but are also very beautiful. During the summer months, I take advantage of the bounty of the farmers’ market and the garden and preserve things for the next year. For example, when tomatoes are at their peak and are in abundance, or when peaches are aromatic and bursting with flavor, that’s the time to schedule a day to put up for next year’s larder. It’s a fun day in the kitchen that you can enjoy with friends and family.

Nothing is more comforting than a family sitting down for dinner together, enjoying one of life’s simple pleasures. A larder can be a source of inspiration and, if well stocked, can be a great beginning to an impromptu meal or weeknight supper. Most importantly, a well stocked larder will help you to feed your family healthy meals that not only feed their bodies, but their spirits too.

This tart is a perfect weeknight supper served with a simple salad of baby greens from the garden or your local farmers’ market.

Bacon and Zucchini Tart

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

For the dough

½ teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup ice water
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, preferably organic
5 ounces unsalted butter, cut into cubes

In a small bowl, mix together the sea salt and water to dissolve the salt. Keep cold until ready to use. Place the flour and the butter in a large bowl. With your fingers, mix the butter into the flour pinching between your fingers until you have incorporated the butter into the flour and the mixture forms large crumbs. If you prefer, you can use a pastry cutter or fork for this step. Add the salt and water mixture and work the dough with your fingers just until it is combined. If it seems a little dry, add an additional tablespoon of cold water. Gather the dough into a ball with your hand and gently press to form a disk. Be careful not to handle the dough too much or you’ll end up with a tough pastry shell. Wrap the disk with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, turning the dough as you go, until you form a circle large enough to line your tart pan. Trim the edges and prick the bottom of the shell all over with the tongs of a fork. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

Line the tart shell with parchment paper. Fill the lined tart shell with dried beans and bake until the edges are just beginning to brown. Take the tart shell out of the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and dried beans. Return the tart to the oven, and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes, turning as needed to ensure even color. Place on a rack to cool completely.

For the filling

3 slices of bacon, preferably nitrate free, cut into small cubes
½ cup freshly grated gruyere cheese
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise with a vegetable peeler into ribbons
3 eggs, slightly beaten
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup crème fraîche
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the tart

In a sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium heat, until crispy. Drain and set aside.

Sprinkle the cheese over the bottom of the tart shell and top with the bacon and zucchini ribbons. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, crème fraîche, thyme leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the cheese, bacon and zucchini. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, as this tart is best served at room temperature.

Marjorie Taylor is the proprietor of The Cook’s Atelier. She cooks and writes about food from her tiny home in Burgundy, France. See more of her writing on her blog, www.thecooksatelier.com.

As Americans, we can barely pick up a copy of our local newspaper without seeing something that points to the pressing issues concerning our troubled industrialized food system. The good news is there is a movement that is gaining ground that strengthens our communities and preserves the environment at the same time. By supporting sustainable agriculture, local farms and the simple act of returning to the table, you too can be part of this grassroots movement. With our growing concern for our health, and the health of the planet, I see no better time to get back to the basics of good food.

Good food doesn’t have to be difficult or overly time consuming. It really comes down to the care that you take in selecting the ingredients. Personally, I feel it is important to make the commitment to only use ingredients that have been produced in a sustainable way. For example, by the simple act of making sure that you use only grass-fed beef, free-range chickens and purchase eggs from pasture raised hens, you will be making the best choice for the environment. If you shop at your local farmers’ market or start a kitchen garden, you will ensure the quality of the food that you prepare for your family and at the same time you will be supporting your community. Farmers’ markets and backyard gardens bring more to the table than delicious ingredients, they are reminders of where good food comes from.

That simple premise is what I base all of my cooking on. I enjoy going to my local market, meeting the farmers and cooking with the seasons. I have a tiny kitchen garden where I plant and harvest the herbs I use, and most important, my cooking is firmly rooted in the use of real food – pure and simple. I am excited to share my experience and cooking philosophy with the readers of Sustainable Table and hope to inspire others through bi-monthly posts on seasonal cooking, gardening, and sustainable living. You just might notice that once you start paying attention to what you eat, there’s no going back. To me, living sustainably is a lifestyle and it has an impact on everything I do.

Here’s a classic to jump-start your return to the kitchen.

Roasted Chicken with Herb Jus (Read on for the recipe!)

1 medium organic onion, sliced
1 large organic carrot, sliced
4 1/2  pound organic, free-range chicken
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
1 organic lemon, halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 tablespoon softened, 1 tablespoon chilled
1/2  cup chicken stock, homemade
1/2  cup dry red wine

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium roasting pan, arrange the onion and carrot slices in an even layer. Season the cavity of the chicken with the sea salt and pepper and stuff it with the thyme and rosemary sprigs and the lemon. Truss the chicken with cotton twine. Rub 1 tablespoon of butter all over the chicken and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set the chicken on the rack, breast side up and roast for 15 minutes.

Combine the stock and wine in a small bowl. Baste the chicken with stock and wine mixture and continue roasting for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue basting every 15 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 165 degrees.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. While the chicken in resting, remove the rack from the roasting pat. Set the pan over 2 burners on moderate heat. Pour any remaining basting mixture into the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Strain the pan juices into a small saucepan. Skim off the fat and bring the jus to a simmer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the 1 tablespoon of butter until blended. Taste for seasoning.

Carve the chicken and serve on a warm platter with the herb jus.

Welcome to the first installment of Adventures in Fermentation. In these postings we’ll explore the universe of fermented foods, happenings in the fermentation world, and delve into some recipes to try.

Fermented food and drink are not just wine, beer, and pickles! There is a whole universe of fermented foods to explore. In the next issue, I’ll talk more about what fermentation is exactly and its many positives, but until then, let’s jump right into something soft and cloudy: yogurt.

That’s right, yogurt is a fermented food (remember the term probiotic for the next posting). It is one of the simpler fermented foods to make, requires few supplies, and is something most of us are familiar enough with that you might be willing to try it.

Here’s a kicker that might get you making your own yogurt:
Yogurt on the market most of us are accustomed to has added thickeners (tapioca, citrus pulp, cornstarch, or other synthetic agents) added to make the end product a thick and even consistency (there are also a lot of sugars added). We sometimes also see “with probiotics” stamped on the container. Yogurt naturally is a probiotic food, so forget that claim. The real question is: Why eat all those extras if all you want is yogurt?

Yogurt that does not use thickeners, is much thinner, sometimes even lumpy. To make the consistency weightier, without thickeners, producers often drain the product losing a lot of whey in the process (which can be used to bake bread with). I have heard if you heat the milk to a higher temperature before adding culture you can thicken your yogurt further, but if you are using raw milk products, you run the risk of killing heat sensitive bacteria that makes milk digestible.

I enjoy homemade goat yogurt (made with goat milk) topped with granola, a scoop of homemade preserves, or simply as a yogurt beverage similar to kefir (another fermented food) full of all those great probiotics.

If you are interested in making your own yogurt, it is fairly simple. (read on for the details!)

You will need:
• raw milk or high quality organic milk
• yogurt cultures
• a large pot to heat the milk
• a cooking thermometer
• a glass jar to store your yogurt
• cheesecloth

If you have a friend with a batch of yogurt going, you can grab about 2 tablespoons of their finished yogurt per gallon of fresh milk to make your own yogurt. If not, I recommend purchasing cultures (both a thicker European culture or “tangy” culture) from New England Cheese Making Supplies.

The final yogurt recipe is dependent on the culture you use.

If you don’t want to bother with cultures, you can try using store-bought yogurt as your starter:

1/2 gallon organic (or raw) whole milk
1 cup organic yogurt

Heat the milk on medium-low heat in a saucepot to 165 F, do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow milk to cool to 110 F. Add yogurt, stir to incorporate, cover with a clean kitchen towel and secure with a rubber band or tie. Place in a warm location, undisturbed, overnight (inside a turned off oven works great). The next day, transfer to storage container and refrigerate. To thicken the yogurt, strain it through multiple layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Reserve whey that drains for baking.

More ideas:
Use goat or sheep milk for other tangy yogurt creations
Sprinkle with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey

Yogurt is not just for breakfast or a snack! Try some of these ideas:
Blitz your yogurt with chickpeas or white beans for a delicious spread
Serve a dollop over grilled lamb
Use on your sandwich instead of mayo
Mix with garlic and a chipotle pepper and top a quesadilla
Add a dollop to soup
Use it in baked goods, or whip it with powdered sugar as icing
Make a fruit smoothie

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• Some Thoughts from the New Director of Sustainable Table – Not Another Editorial About New Year’s Resolutions
• At the Table – A Salute to Change
• Recipe of the Month – (Anybody Can Make) Soup
• New Folding Handout – Glossary of Meat Production Methods
• Update to Last Month’s Feature Article, Eggnog – Recipe from a Reader
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Not Another Editorial About New Year’s Resolutions

Rich Sanders, the new director of Sustainable Table, dishes out some thoughts about New Year’s Resolutions and sustainable home cooking in this editorial.

Yes, that time of year is upon us again: during the December holidays we were especially good to each other, and on January 1, we resolve to be especially good to ourselves. We’ll eat healthier, we’ll make our lifestyles more sustainable, we’ll be more frugal (the current economic climate leaves us little choice), we’ll turn over that new leaf that pops up every year around this time….

Enough already with the resolutions! You’ve been there, done that, got the bumper sticker, bought the tee-shirt, misplaced the button, and chipped the coffee mug. In two places. Fear not – you can relax, because I’m not going to exact a single pledge from you. After all, you’re slogging through the vicissitudes of winter and you’ve got enough to deal with. Of course, if you try the strategy that I’m about to present and it just happens to be good for you, and supports naturally raised and locally grown foods, and can save you money, and is warm and comforting and tastes delicious to boot, well, that just can’t be helped, can it?

So what’s the strategy I’m talking about? Sustainable home cooking.

Read the rest of Rich’s editorial here.

Diane Hatz, founder of Sustainable Table, shares her thoughts with us in her column on The Daily Table blog, “At the Table.” Here is a blurb from Diane’s posting this last Friday:

I must admit, I’m not a political person. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I vote and do my civic duty, but I don’t follow politics (well, except for the Daily Show) or call my Congress-people or get involved on a political level. I’m one of those people who believe change first comes from the ground up, from individuals and groups of people – it’s the public who make the difference. Politicians are supposed to simply represent us, so I focus on reaching people.

But, this week, as the world stopped to celebrate one of the most historical moments in our lives, I was right there with everyone. To me, the inauguration of President Barack Obama isn’t about politics – it’s about hope. It’s about possibility and change. It’s about the old guard finally being retired. And that is certainly a reason for celebration.

Read Diane’s full post, A Salute to Change, and find all of her “At the Table” postings here.

Are you planning to attend the TED conference in Long Beach next week?  If so, Sustainable Table founder Diane Hatz will be there and would love to say hello!  Just drop us a line if you’re one of the attendees.

I’d like to share an idea I cooked up some time ago: the Conceptual Recipe. It’s not just a recipe for soup; it’s a recipe for how to make soup. And it’s called:

(Anybody Can Make) Soup

All it takes is time. Remember, all the ingredients are flexible and everything is optional. Except the water. If you’d like to use any dried ingredients (like dried mushrooms), start soaking them in warm water now. Put a small amount of neutral oil (like canola oil) in a large soup pot. Over medium heat, brown some meaty bones (beef or lamb for example, and a couple of pounds perhaps) in batches. Arrange them so there’s only a single layer and each piece has room around it, otherwise they’ll steam and not brown. When one side is browned, turn them over. (Don’t move them until they’re really browned though.) When they’re all browned, set them aside.

Next, add lots (a few cups perhaps) of coarsely chopped vegetables and cook until tender letting them pick up all the fond (the brown bits) left behind by the bones and meat in the pot. Which vegetables should you use? Well, what did you find at the farmers market today? How about onion, carrots, parsnips, turnips, celery (or celery leaves), parsley (including the stalk)–you get the idea. When the vegetables are softened, add back the meat bones and enough water to cover well (and then some), scraping up the brown bits. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until meat is tender–this could take hours depending upon how much stuff you’ve started with. Alternately cover and uncover–the idea is that you want it to keep simmering (covered) and to reduce a bit (uncovered), but not down to nothing. Remember to skim off and discard the protein scum that forms. When meat is tender, remove bones from the pot, break up the meat and reserve. Discard the bones and fish out the vegetables–they’ve given their all to the soup. (Alternately, you can strain the veggies out, but remember, you’re keeping the liquid, not the veggies!) Congratulations, you’ve just made stock.

Now you’re going to turn the stock into soup. Add some vegetables like onion, carrots, parsnips, turnips (no leaves or stems this time) cut into bite-sized chunks and any soaked softened drained vegetables you might have started with. You can also add a handful of some kind of dry starch like barley, pasta, or rice. Continue to cook over medium heat stirring occasionally. Covering the pot will prevent any further reduction. When the starch and veggies are cooked, add back the reserved meat.

Notice that you haven’t added any salt to the soup yet. If you did, as the stock reduced, it would be much too salty. Since you’re not reducing any more, now is the time to season. Here’s one of my secrets: instead of using salt, I like to use a little soup/bouillon base. You’ve probably seen it in the soup aisle of your local supermarket. I like the product that comes in a small jar; it has a thick consistency and is, in my opinion, superior to regular bouillon cubes. And as a bonus, they have an organic line and a vegetarian line as well! It’s salty stuff, but adds another layer of flavor that salt doesn’t match. If you can’t find it, regular bouillon cubes will do just fine. Use about the same amount that you would use if it were salt (in other words, to taste). If you’d like to, you can add a little heavy cream at the end, again, to taste. Serve with hot crusty bread (something we’ll never be able to make from a Conceptual Recipe).

So give it a whirl. And give us an account of your story in The Parlor, Sustainable Table’s forum on the Sustainable Home Cooking board. Did you try a recipe for the first time? Did you try the conceptual (Anybody Can Make) Soup recipe? Let us know what you made–and how you made it sustainable–and tell us how it turned out.”

I know we sent this out earlier, but just in case anyone missed it – check out our newest handout, the Glossary of Meat Production Methods! We turned this easy reference of sustainable farming practices and their definitions into a folding handout that will fit into your wallet. Keep the guide with you to help decipher confusing meat labeling terms at the store when you shop. Terms include pasture-raised, organic, cage-free, non-confined, no added hormones, no antibiotics, and more.

Print a copy of the Glossary of Meat Production Methods now!

Peggy Dyson-Cobb of Lexington, VA contacted us last month after we sent out our newsletter. She was wondering why we didn’t include an eggnog recipe (Why didn’t we?).  Peggy said, “Making eggnog is not rocket science and is much easier in many areas than finding decent organic eggnog. Sustainably produced eggs and milk products are often available locally – once you have those, a good recipe and the spirits of your choice (delight and anticipation, if not rum, brandy, or bourbon!) are all that is required for a luscious holiday treat – you may not be able to turn out the lights and get to bed until your guests are clear that all the eggnog has been consumed.”

Peggy gets her cream through participating in a cowshare program. She owns a share of a Jersey cow on a local farm, and pays boarding fees for her portion of the cow’s care costs, while getting weekly installments of her portion of what her cow produces. Peggy says, “The milk, cream, butter, buttermilk, yogurt, and soon cheese, that I can make from this excellent milk are delicious and much appreciated at our house!”

Peggy’s Eggnog Recipe (Thank you Peggy!):

Makes 2-3 quarts eggnog, depending on how fresh the cream and egg whites are!

Try it – you’ll never want ‘boughten’ eggnog again!

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark rum
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pint whipping cream

Directions:
Beat egg yolks and sugar until smooth and thick. S-l-o-w-l-y add liquor while continuing to beat. Chill, covered, for 2-3 hours. Then beat egg whites and salt to soft peaks. Beat cream to soft peak, and fold yolk mixture gently into cream. Fold beaten egg whites in, sprinkle with nutmeg, and chill if you can stand waiting.

We are spreading the news about sustainable food and you can join us on Facebook!  Write on our wall to let us know what sustainable efforts you are making or to tell others about sustainable events in your area. Maybe one of your comments will make it into our Daily Table blog!

Help us get the word out about sustainable food and what we’re doing here at Sustainable Table and The Meatrix.  Please pass this newsletter to your friends and encourage them to get involved on our site.  The only way we’re going to save family farms and be able to provide local, sustainable food for everyone is if we all join in and work together.

Keep up-to-date on our blog, The Daily Table!

Ask questions and share your ideas on our forum, The Parlour
Listen to our podcasts on Gabcast
MySpace – Moopheus and Sustainable Table
Sustainable Table fan page on Facebook
See great sustainable food and farming pictures on our Flickr account!

Watch videos on our YouTube account!

If you would like to sign up for The Pasture Post newsletter please go to our sign-up page or if you would like to share the Sustainable Table site with a friend, go to our “Tell a Friend” page.

Thanks for supporting us and for helping to save small family farms!

Please, please comment below, we would love some feedback and/or ideas for future newsletters. Happy MOO Year!

Check out these exciting holiday features:

• Send The Meatrix Animated Holiday E-card to your Friends
• Holiday Feature Article – Eggnog
• Recipe of the Month – Sticky Toffee Pudding
• Coming Soon – Sustainable Table Presentation Kits
• Sustainable Table Podcasts
• Become a Sustainable Table Facebook Fan!
• Send Sustainability to Friends
• Stay in Touch with Sustainable Table

The Meatrix Animated Holiday E-card

Did you forget to send out holiday cards? Have you been too busy? Moopheus comes to the rescue with this entertaining and educational online holiday card. Type in your family and friends’ email addresses and with one click send a “Happy Moo Year” greeting their way. You can also download and print the card for a more traditional approach.

Feature Article – EggNog

Ever wondered what eggnog is? Where did it come from? Why do we only drink it during the holidays? Can it be local and sustainable? Read on to find out.

From our feature article this month:

Of the many foods associated with the holidays, few are as tied to the season as eggnog. Other traditional staples like lamb, turkey, goose, and ham are eaten year-round or at least they can be. Granted, one can always make homemade eggnog in July, but for the most part, eggnog is rarely produced commercially outside of the final two months of the year. The thick, milky beverage materializes around mid-November, hangs around until New Years, and then ducks away as quickly as it came, not to be whipped up and sprinkled with nutmeg again for at least another ten months.

Eggnog belongs to the winter, or at least its onset. Rich and heavy with froth, foam, cream, and – depending on the recipe – spirits, the beverage is a soft insulator against the cold. Appropriately enough, it seems that eggnog’s ancestors were concocted to serve that very purpose and so offset the arrival of winter and its attendant weather-related infirmities.

Read the rest of the eggnog story in our featured article section on the Sustainable Table website.

Recipe of the Month – Sticky Toffee Pudding from Kurt Michael Friese’s “A Cook’s Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland”

Kurt Friese’s expedition explores and explains the Slow Food movement throughout the American Midwest. If you haven’t heard of the Slow Food movement, this book will be an eye-opener for you. If you are aware of Slow Food you will be amazed and pleased to learn of the remarkable food diversity that this region of the country offers. The book can be purchased nationwide at independent booksellers, as well as at larger stores and many food co-ops. Find additional information about the book at www.icecubepress.com.

This Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe is from the Schlafly Bottleworks and Taproom in St. Louis, where you can order this dessert. Besides brewing seasonal beer and six staples, they focus their menus on locally raised ingredients whenever they can. They even turned half of their parking lot into an organic community garden – how cool!

For the Pudding:
1 pound pitted dates, chopped fine
2 cups hot water
2 teaspoons baking soda
5 ounces butter, unsalted
1 pound sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1 pound white, unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt

For the Caramel:
1 pound dark brown sugar
1 pound butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 19″ x 13″ pan (or equivalent) with butter and coat lightly with flour, shake out excess flour. In conventional restaurant parlance, a stainless steel baking pan this size is referred to as a “hotel pan,” and is usually 2 inches deep unless otherwise noted. If you scale the recipe in half, obviously use a smaller pan. Combine dates with hot water in a 3-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from heat and add the baking soda. Set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla on high speed for 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Add flour, baking powder, salt. When fully mixed fold in the dates and their liquid. Place batter into greased pan and bake in preheated oven until a skewer inserted comes out clean (30-45 minutes). Cool on a baking rack before removing from the pan.

For the Caramel:
Stir together first three ingredients on low heat until blended and brown sugar has melted. Whisk heavy cream into the mixture.

To Serve:
Spoon warm caramel sauce over one serving portion of Sticky Toffee Pudding. Top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a mint sprig, if you like.

Coming Soon: Sustainable Table Presentation Kits

We have been working hard to bring you an exciting new feature on the Sustainable Table website – Presentation Kits. These kits will make it easy for you to educate others about sustainable food and factory farming. You will be able to download speeches, handouts, and presentation materials to share at your next PTA meeting, church group or community gathering. Teachers and students will find these materials very helpful for a last minute lecture or as tool for a semester long class on sustainability. Please check back to the site; we plan on releasing the first version in the next few months. If you have any suggestions for these kits, please contact Dawn Brighid at dawn (at) sustainabletable.org.

Sustainable Table Podcasts

Check out our podcasts on Gabcast or iTunes (search “sustainable table”)! We have been reading posts from our blog, The Daily Table. The most recent episode is written by Dawn Brighid and read by our very own Patrick Chang of Sustainable Table – “Pesticides linked to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.”

Become our Fan on Facebook and Share Sustainable Table with your Friends

We are spreading the news about sustainable food and you can join us on Facebook! Write on our wall to let us know what sustainable efforts you are making or to tell others about sustainable events in your area. Maybe one of your comments will make it into our Daily Table blog!

Send Sustainability to Friends!

Help us spread the word about sustainable food and what we’re doing here at Sustainable Table and The Meatrix. Please pass this newsletter to your friends and encourage them to get involved on our site. The only way we’re going to save family farms and be able to provide local, sustainable food for everyone is if we all join in and work together.

Stay in Touch with Sustainable Table and The Meatrix!

Keep up-to-date on our blog, The Daily Table!
Ask questions in our forum, The Parlour
Listen to our podcasts on Gabcast
MySpace – Moopheus and Sustainable Table
Sustainable Table fan page on Facebook
See great sustainable food and farming pictures on our Flickr account!

We’ll be back next month with even more information on sustainable food and what we’ve been doing.

If you would like to sign up for The Pasture Post newsletter please go to our sign-up page or if you would like to share the Sustainable Table site with a friend, go to our “Tell a Friend” page.

Thanks for supporting us and for helping to save small family farms!

I just stumbled across this wonderful recipe for a Butternut Squash Lasagne on the Culinate website (it doesn’t have tomato sauce like the pic here!). Butternut squash is readily available, sustainable/local and even as it starts to get cold and many of our options are disappearing, squash will hold up for quite awhile.

If you are feeling really adventurous, you could even make your own mozzarella. Ricki’s 30 Minute Mozzarella Magic sounds like an easy way to go, she suggests local farm fresh milk to help the process along. Ricotta is another lasagne cheese favorite, and The Paupered Chef, gives us a great local organic milk ricotta cheese recipe on his website with pictures that are wonderful.

This should keep us busy this weekend. Good luck!