soupnancy

Bits and Bites August 2009

From a ‘liver doctor/wine writer’ - the down- lo on alcohol and heart disease. Whatever.. it always comes down to the same thing: No silver bullet, nothing is black and white, everything in moderation including moderation. Not that any of us really thought that drinking (wine or otherwise) should have an unqualified green light.. Like with nutrition, we don’t need the scientists for that. But like this guy says, that doesn’t mean we need to stop imbibing and enjoying.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/23/FDF2196S5E.DTL

A panoply of interesting wine books hitting the shelves http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2009/08/6-new-wine-books-on-psychology-geography-snobbery-and-more.html

One Part Creativity: Zero Parts Recipe. Can just using ratios really teach me to be a better cook? by Jennifer Reese.. An insightful account on using and creating recipes, in response to Michael Rulhman’s book Ratio.

I love ratios and I hate recipes. Of course, a few basic ones are key, and a few other tried and true favourites are handy to have; cookbooks are always useful for inspiration and as back up for reference. But mostly, I think a general recipe-free approach makes for the most rewarding kind of cooking, and usually the best tasting food. And yes, even in pastry where apparently every gram matters. I have always considered a recipe but a guideline, relying more on taste and feel, coaching cooks and students to use their senses and heads, as opposed to blindly following recipes. I do admit that beginning cooks are best starting off by executing standard recipes (still without ever being a slave to them, always alert).. and with time (Yes, time! No short-cuts), instincts become more refined, and success is possible armed but with but a few ratios, the doors open for creativity and real fun. Recipes are over-rated, and strict recipes are stifling and boring. They take the magic out of cooking, and don’t account for the variability in ingredients, mood, time and place, or what’s in your garden or fridge. Set yourself free!http://www.slate.com/id/2219243/?obref=obinsite

The Trouble with Julie and Julia http://www.gourmet.com/food/2009/08/julie-julia-movie A critique of the hit movie that offers perspective.

Miso Massawippi - a local product worth trying: Organic, unpasteurized, gluten free, probiotic - most mportantly, super tasty. I like the Soya and Rice orange paste for soups, vinaigrettes. Available all over town in épicerie fines and health food stores, eg. Rachel Bery,Les Douceurs du Marché, Atwater market. www.alimentsmassawippi.com

A Slowfood event in Old Montreal featuring tastings, demonstrations and conferences with visiting chefs, guest speakers and artisans on a variety of subjects in the ‘bon, juste et propre’ vein. http://www.saveursettentations.com/33.html

Made to imbibe We’ve been enjoying the by products of fermentation for longer than we have been civilized - no wonder, go figure. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-origin-of-wine

On Canada’s Horsemeat Industry It’s good to know that we should be leery of quality and the source of horse meat since the industry is so poorly regulated. http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/behind-the-barn-door/

What they brought to the table, by Frank Bruni A thoughtful piece about how people act at the table provides a lens on human nature – very amusing and spot on. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/dining/19note.html?ref=dining

Pasta, quicker than ever (1 minute!) We soak rice noodles and many other grains and legumes to shorten cooking time, even for better results, so why not wheat pasta too? I don’t know if I would bother though; I don’t mind waiting 7-8 minutes, allowing for time to make sauce and sides. Yes, it might be useful in a restaurant, but then you would be using all that precious fridge space for tubs of soaking noodles.. And what happens with what doesn’t get sold – I’m not sure 24hr soaked noodles are so appetizing. And surely flavour would be leached out, if using good pasta.. I’m all for improvements in the kitchen, but not so much into complicating life for nothing. http://ideasinfood.typepad.com/ideas_in_food/2009/08/one-minute-pasta.html

Corn plastic, in case you’re wondering what it is and what to do with it.. You do just throw it in the garbage, but I think it was supposed to be slightly more bio-degradable than conventional plastic. Obviously, it is not something to encourage with Cargill and GMO petroleum corn behind it; best to RRR (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle). http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-12-ask-umbra-truth-corn-plastic

Debunking the meat-climate change myth – a farmer speaks out. It is not meat eating per say that is bad for the environment, but the industrial way of raising meat that is the culprit – the fossil fuel based grain diet. http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-07-debunking-meat-climate-change-myth/

Ten links to help you know more about your food, compiled by the Culinate team.  

http://www.culinate.com/articles/features/sustainable_food_resouces_online

Union Square Café - still as popular, just not with the critics. This was one of my first restaurant cookbooks and my first NYC dining experience, so even if much time has gone by, I have a soft spot for the place. I think Danny Meyer and co. were sharp, visionary and inspiring with their Mediterranean mix of upscale and comfort food, choosing local ingredients and friendly over uppity service, quite novel at the time. There is something to be said for that, and for longevity.. Even if I know the food isn’t top notch by today’s standards, I don’t mind seeing it voted ‘most popular’ year after year. But I also know that trying to please all the customers all the time works against consistent quality; you have to have rules and systems and focus to maintain quality, especially when booked to the hilt every night. But maybe the bulk of their customers are happy with this approach, preferring the jovial atmosphere over fine tuned food and service. All the best to them.

http://events.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/dining/reviews/05rest.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Now a Pyramid shaped watermelon, after the heart shaped one and the square.. The Japanese are just crazy. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090718p2a00m0na017000c.html