Changing Your Buying Habits

Commercialized food has gotten too easy and too cheap. It is really astounding how cheap some things are.

On certain days, we can buy whole chickens at the local grocery store for under $5. How is this possible? It should cost more than that to feed a chicken. If you have cats or dogs you’ll know what I mean. How long can you feed a cat for $5?

Everyone should read the latest New York Magazine article about a guy who decided to grow his own food for one month of eating. Veggies, chickens and rabbit – in Brooklyn. This guy’s struggle to grow his own food for one month is inspiring. At the end of it you really have to ask yourself, “how is it possible to get so much for so little?” I really don’t want to know the answer to the question. I do buy the $5 chickens, but I try to balance this with purchasing chickens and other products from local farmers. If I were religious about this, I would go the whole localvore path and buy everything from local merchants. I think this is the right thing to do, but it takes real dedication and a willingness to at least double your food bill. 

We take too much for granted. Our quest for ultra cheap food (and everything else) has lead us down a nearly irreversible path. People now think that “organic” food is weird. 50 years or so ago, everything was organic. It just means “no chemicals added”.

My philosophy is to do everything in moderation. Buying things and doing things that are extreme is extreme. This includes buying things that are so cheap that it makes no sense. Somebody or something has to be paying the price for the insanity. This has to be bad. I’m not generally a bleeding heart. But sometimes you have to pick a cause.

So, what can you do?

1. Grow some of your own food. Tomatoes and herbs are easy, start somewhere.
2. Go to farmers markets, buy from the source. Keep these guys in business. It’s the only way many of us will ever taste heirloom varieties.
3. Buy “heritage breeds“  if you can. This is the most expensive part. Not everyone can do this, yet. The more that do, the easier and cheaper it gets. Why are chickens white? The answer is that they were bred that way because black chicken feathers show after plucking. Most people (in the US) don’t like seeing missed feathers. White ones are hard to see. The end result, we have plenty of chickens that look great in the meat counter, but have no taste. Try a chicken or a turkey bred for flavor. It will blow your mind. They almost don’t taste real. Kind of like eating wild deer versus farm raised cattle. Huge difference.

Take a stand. Do something you can be proud of, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Mollydooker – “The Boxer” 2006 Shiraz

Wow what a wine! For $25 it is a steal. The 2005 goes for about $80. If you can find this wine go buy some. I picked up 6 bottles at Cafe Lucci in Glenview, IL a couple of months ago. I’ve got one bottle left.

I love rich wines with earthy, peppery tones. This is right up my alley. It is quite surprising for such a young wine. Generally you would expect this kind of depth in a wine around 5 years old.

Turkey Pot Pie

 

Nobody makes pot pies. I don’t know why, they are pretty easy to make and are “to die for” good. This is one of my favorite ways to use leftovers from Thanksgiving turkey. This recipe uses freshly browned turkey breast, but it is much better with leftover turkey “bits”.

Ingredients:
1 cub carrots, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp herbs de Provence
1 lb turkey cut into cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups water
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 9 inch pie shell rolled thin

Yields 2 pot pies

Directions:
1.Heat oil in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, celery and herbs. Saute for about 5 minutes.
 

2. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

3. Heat remaining oil over medium high heat in the same pan until just smoking. Add turkey cubes. Stir every couple of minutes until turkey is well browned. Transfer turkey to bowl with vegetables. If using leftover turkey, skip this step.

4. Make a roux by melting the butter in a small sauce pan and adding the flour. Stir every couple of minutes until the roux turns a nutty brown, about 15 minutes.
 

5. While the roux is going, Reheat the large pan over medium high heat. Deglaze with 1 cup of water and add the potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.

6. Add the contents of the bowl add 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes.

7. Add the roux 1 teaspoon or so at a time. Each time stir the roux into liquid and wait a few seconds, make sure the entire pan is stirred. Continue adding roux until the liquid turns to a gravy consistency.

8. Salt and pepper to taste.

9. Cut pie crust into 4 pieces. Arrange pieces in 2 16oz/.5L ramekins such that you can easy cover the top of the pies.

10. Add filling to pie shells. Close shells carefully and vent the tops. For best results, optionally use an egg wash to help seal the edges and to glaze the top.

11. Place the pies on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated oven (350F).

12. Cook until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes in a convection oven or 30 minutes in a conventional oven.

13. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes and serve.