Finals season is upon us, and that means that nutritious comfort food is in order.  Beef stew is food of my childhood.  The addition of balsamic vinegar was a fun variation that I came up with on the spot–it came out very well.  The balsamic didn’t overpower the beef, but just stayed as a nice hint in the background. 

I always thought of beef stew as being a very rich food, but it’s quite healthy.  The best cuts of meat for stewing are very lean and tough, gradually tenderizing as they braise.  Most of the fat in the dish is healthy:  some oil for sautéing the vegetables and leftover turkey fat for the roux.  Even if you use a traditional butter based roux, it’s really only a little bit of butter in a large pot of stew.

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean beef stewing meat (see explanation below)
• 1 small onion
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 large carrot
• 1 russet potato
• any kind of broth (or just water)
• ~1 cup of white wine (optional)
• ~2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• large sprig of rosemary
• a couple sprigs of thyme
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter or poultry fat (not oil)

 

Instructions

Before we get started, a note on selecting your beef stewing meat.  You want a nice quality lean cut that is cut into even cubes.  Some people prefer a fattier cut like chuck, but I much prefer something like round steak in my beef stew.  You can often find precut beef stew meats at the store, but if they are unevenly cut or don’t look fresh, I would recommend getting a piece of round steak and cutting it into cubes yourself (or asking the butcher to do so).   

1.  Heat a large soup pot to medium high heat.  Add the beef cubes and sear on all sides, then remove and set aside.  They don’t have to be cooked through, just browned on the outside.  It is important not to crowd the pot, so sear the cubes in multiple batches if necessary.  If you have a fattier cut of meat, the beef may release some fat during this process–discard any excess grease.

2.  Add a bit of olive oil to the bottom of the pan and lower the heat to medium low.  Chop the onions and add to the pot.  Saute until soft.  While the onion is cooking, chop the other vegetables and add them to the pot as well.  (It’s fine to improvise a bit with the vegetables, but if you want to add anything other than very hearty root vegetables, wait until the stew is almost done before adding them.)  When the vegetables are softened, move to step three.

3.  Add the browned beef back to the pot.  Add rosemary and thyme–the leaves will fall off during cooking, so don’t bother with chopping.  Cover contents of pot with broth, water, and/or wine.  Add the balsamic.  Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.  The key to beef stew is patience:  if you don’t give the meat enough time to stew, it will be tough.  Don’t even think about touching the stew for the next 45 minutes.  You may need to wait as long as two hours for optimal results.  It doesn’t require any attention from you during this process–just let it stew.

4.  When the meat has become tender and the juices have thickened, it is time to make the roux.  (Before you make the roux, you may want to add a bit more liquid to the pot depending on how much has evaporated. When the added liquid is hot, continue.)  In a separate pan, combine the butter or poultry fat with the flour and whisk.  (You really need a wire whisk to do this properly).  Whisking constantly, let the roux cook.  It will thicken and gradually darken.  Eventually, it will become liquidy again and turn a lovely golden brown color:  that is what you want.  At this point, start to gradually ladle in the stew liquid (but not any of the beef or vegetables), whisking the whole time.  The liquid should thicken immediately.  When your roux  is quite dilute (and any lumps have been thoroughly whisked out), pour it into your stew pot and mix it in.  In a few minutes, your stew will thicken up beautifully.

5.  Adjust for seasonings.  Enjoy!

I am not one to worry much about food-borne illness.  I eat sashimi, beef tartare, and salad dressing containing raw egg, and I like my pork chops with a touch of pink in the center.  However, the following information stopped me dead in my tracks:

Consumer Reports latest tests, released today, of 382 whole chickens bought from more than 100 stores in 22 states, found that two-thirds harbor disease-causing bacteria—salmonella, campylobacter or both.

Over 80% of Tyson and Foster Farms chickens tested harbored salmonella, campylobacter, or both.   Organic air-chilled chickens were significantly cleaner, especially with regards to salmonella, but over half of the organic tested birds harbored campylobacter.  Furthermore, the report found that a high percentage of these bacteria–even those on organic birds–were resistant to antibiotics.

It is unsurprising that more poultry are infected with campylobacter than salmonella for the simple reason that the USDA has no established baseline level of campylobacter.  The USDA has generally found lower levels of salmonella contamination than those reported by Consumer Reports, perhaps because the USDA tests birds in the slaughterhouse rather than at the store and because slaughterhouses are generally given advance warning that the USDA is coming.

In the absence of better government food safety regulations, it is so important to be careful when buying and eating food.  Most of these microorganisms will be destroyed with proper cooking methods, but when you’re facing a 50-50 risk that the bird you are cooking harbors a harmful microorganism, food safety precautions are vital.  Never eat undercooked poultry and be especially wary not to allow any cross contamination through your hands, counters, cutting boards or knives.  If something touches raw poultry, it needs to be thoroughly washed before it touches anything else.

I do not usually buy organic poultry.  It is much more expensive and, in my opinion, not any better than conventional poultry in terms of taste or the way that the animals are treated.  This data is causing me to rethink my buying habits.  I really had no idea that there was any difference with regards to food safety issues.  I definitely have things to think about.  Thanks to Blueberry Mom for the tip.

I had a fun weekend with a mix of continuing celebration and studying.  Kimba likes to hang out with me while I study.  Sometimes he curls up nicely on my desk or on top of my computer and sits quietly, while other times he crawls across my lap or keyboard purring and meowing and nuzzling me until I pet him.  Nonetheless, I was able to be pretty productive during the times when I sneaked away.

Over the weekend, the three of us went to see Cirque de Soleil’s show Kooza which was absolutely incredible.  I have been dying to see a Cirque de Soleil show for years, and this definitely did not disappoint.  The wheel of death act was incredible and they had the best juggler I’ve ever seen, by far.  Blueberry Mom was excited to see the show because she had heard that many former Olympic and college gymnasts work for CdS.  At intermission, she said with surprise, “This is a circus!  I thought it was a gymnastics show!” 

We also, naturally, had some great meals out.  On Friday, we went out to eat before going to see The Blind Side (a very cute movie).  We ordered a crispy flat bread for the table with pesto, arugula, and roasted tomatoes.

For our main dishes, we each ordered fish.  I love ordering fish in nice restaurants…its usually fresher and more varied than what I can find (or afford) in the store and its light enough to leave me with room for dessert.  We all shared bites of each other’s dishes.  I had pan fried Arctic Char with tangerine vinaigrette and green lentils.  Sustainable seafood note:  Arctic Char is a great alternative to farmed salmon, especially when wild salmon is not available.  The taste is extremely similar, but the methods used to farm it are much more environmentally friendly.

 

Blueberry Mom ordered salmon in lemon-caper sauce with brussel sprouts and celery root puree.   This was also delicious and inspired us both to resolve to cook celery root puree more often.  Celery root looks like an knobby brown lump in the store, but peeled and mashed, it produces a velvety puree that tastes a lot like a mashed potatoes with a light celery flavor.  Celery root puree, as you can see from the picture, doesn’t have as much body as mashed potatoes, but the mouthfeel is also quite similar.  It’s delicious.  As an added bonus, it has lots of vitamins and fiber and a lower glycemic index than potatoes.

 

The Lemonator ordered roasted trout with smoked almond butter, green beans, and potatoes.

For dessert, we ordered a batch of piping hot house made donuts for the table.  They were perfect bite sized morsels of sugar coated goodness that came with chocolate sauce and Meyer lemon custard for dipping.  This was a very fun and social dessert.  The Lemonator and I almost never get to share desserts due to his strong objections to cream, custard, chocolate, fruit and frosting, so finding a dessert he could share was extremely exciting!

We had one last breakfast out with Blueberry Mom this morning before sending her off to miss as much traffic as possible.

Dinner tonight was a fabulous Thanksgiving leftover soup with turkey and wild rice.  I sauteed onion, carrot and celery in leftover turkey fat (always save the fat when you roast poultry!), added thyme, rosemary, and several spoonfuls of leftover pan drippings that had separated out from the fat in the freezer.  I added Imagine brand free range chicken stock, leftover cava and a handful of wild rice and simmered until the rice was cooked.   For extra flavor, I spiked the soup with my secret ingredient:  several spoonfuls of Blueberry Mom’s fantastic turkey bourbon gravy.  At the last minute, I added chopped turkey breast.  This was so flavorful and satisfying.

Now it time for sleep…tomorrow is the last day of classes and then it is study, study, study.  Goodnight everyone!

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Breakfast today was the world’s best post post thanksgiving dish:  a mound of mashed potatoes topped with wilted spinach, prosciutto and a sunny side up egg.  AMAZING.  I invented it out of what I had leftover in the fridge and Blueberry Mom wants to establish it as a yearly tradition.  Fine by me!

Thanksgiving itself was great–we had the Lemonator’s whole wheat rolls for breakfast before singing at a bilingual Thanksgiving service at church.  Blueberry Mom said that my Spanish singing was pretty good, which made me excited.  I don’t speak Spanish, but as a singer you have to fake it!

 

For a pre-dinner bite, I made scallops with bacon, sage, and bourbon butter sauce…

 

…roasted red pepper soup….

…and a tray of munchies: dried persimmon, bell pepper, cranberry hazelnut crackers and nuts.

Thanksgiving dinner itself was simple and traditional.  I joked that it consisted of turkey, vegetables and butter, which isn’t too far from the truth!  The Lemonator roasted our free-range turkey, which came out perfectly and provided lots of drippings for gravy.

Blueberry Mom made heavenly mashed potatoes full of butter and cream, giblet gravy, and brandied cranberries.

I made green beans with prosciutto and pine nuts.

We also roasted brussel sprouts and carrots along with the turkey…

    

…and opened a bottle of bubbly.

My plate.

For dessert, I made pumpkin flan…

…and hot puff pastry cinnamon twists.

Blueberry Mom is here through the weekend, so we have lots of fun planned, including a trip to Cirque de Soleil tomorrow.  For now, I am going to bury my head in textbooks for a few hours.  Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday!

There is much rejoicing in the blueberry house, because I have finally convinced the Lemonator of the merits of polenta.  I think that there are few things tastier than polenta paired with a dark green vegetable (preferably a leafy one) and a succulent protein.  I like getting little combinations of the different components on my fork and eating them together.  Above, we have smooth polenta mixed with fresh herbs and cream paired with fresh grilled prawns and broccolini.  The Lemonator protested about the price per pound of the shrimp (sustainable shrimp are often much more expensive), but changed his tune when reminded how satisfying shrimp are–you don’t need to buy very much to get a wonderful effect on top of polenta or pasta or in a soup.

The remaining polenta we ate with fried eggs and spinach.  To maintain a textural contras with the softer ingredients, we cut the polenta into disks and pan fried it in olive oil with minced thyme and rosemary until it formed a golden brown crust on the outside.  Getting a bite of spinach and polenta swirled in the egg yolk was delicious.  The eggs were from a new source.  It is small and local, but doesn’t advertise itself as organic or free range.  I am attempting to do some additional research, because the eggs were delicious and much cheaper than the brand I currently buy,

Thanksgiving is almost here!  We have done our shopping and I have made the pumpkin flans, so all I have left in terms of advance preparation is to make the roasted red pepper soup.  We saw some beautiful carrots at the farmers market, so we are going to throw those in with the turkey for the last bit of roasting time–simple and very quick to throw together but delicious and colorful.  I am excited.  I hope everyone’s holiday preparations are coming together well.

This simple soup looks and tastes like liquid happiness.  Bright flavors and colors can be hard to come by during this time of year and this soup provides a welcome contrast to the mostly earthy fare of fall and winter.  It is quick to make and very inexpensive.  For those of us in California (or Florida) who have year round access to citrus fruit, this is also a very seasonal recipe.   Thank you to Blueberry Mom for the recipe!

You need four ingredients:  carrots, onion, chicken broth, and orange juice.  Roast or saute the vegetables until tender, then puree in a blender.  Add the puree to a pot and thin with the broth.  Add orange juice to taste and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.  Enjoy!

As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in a very agricultural area. One of the results of this is that I am extremely skeptical of environmental, health, and animal-welfare claims on food labels. I learned things about food production from talking to friends and family that many people don’t learn until someone like Michael Pollan comes along and writes an expose. I knew, for example, that chickens that spent their whole lives in poultry barns were rendered magically “free range” if someone left a door open, even if the birds never went through it. I have a lot of respect for conventional farmers, but I have no patience for producers—conventional or organic—who try to trick consumers about the conditions under which their food was produced.

More and more people are becoming interested in purchasing food, especially animal products, from sustainable, humane operations rather than factory farms. This is a great thing—we have the power to vote with our dollars, and even a small shift toward more sustainable food sources will definitely be noticed. We will have much more influence, however, if we do our homework and don’t blindly trust labels. Many common labels applied to food are not regulated by the USDA, and those that are regulated often have extremely minimal definitions. So let’s take a look at some of the most common terms you’ll see on a label.

Organic

Unlike many claims you find on food labels, the term “organic” is regulated by the USDA and actually has a meaning. Certified organic producers are audited routinely to make sure they are complying with the appropriate regulations. Certified organic producers have to comply with a long list of regulations, but to summarize, organic foods are grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, sewage or genetically modified ingredients. Organic animals are fed organic feed, are never fed animal products and are not treated with antibiotics or hormones.

Organic doesn’t tell you everything about a product, however. It doesn’t tell you how big the operation was, whether organic cattle were grain finished, or much about how the animals were treated. Organic pork, poultry and egg operations are not required to allow their animals access to the outdoors. Organic cows are supposed to have “access to pasture,” but the amount of time is undefined. There is a huge ongoing battle over what types of operations meet the “access to pasture” requirement.  Some argue that “access to pasture” should be year round, others argue pasture should be provided during the growing season, while some large organic producers maintain operations that look a lot like conventional feed lots.

Meat and Poultry

The following terms are regulated by the USDA:

• Fresh—temperature has never been below 26 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Natural–no added colorings or artificial ingredients; minimally processed. May have been injected with salt water.
• No hormones—it is against the law to sell poultry or pork that has been given hormones. Don’t be taken in by chicken or pork products that boast about this. The claim does mean something in the context of beef.
• Free range—The USDA regulates this term for poultry, but not meats or eggs. Poultry may be labeled “free range” if the bird had access to the outdoors. Access to the outdoors may mean that a door to a small, fenced concrete yard was open a few hours a day.  It does not mean that the bird ever actually went outside and definitely doesn’t mean that the bird ever saw grass. [Note: there are concerns in the poultry industry that truly free range birds are at risk of contracting avian flu from migratory ducks.]
• Grass fed—the animal consumed only forage after it was weaned and was never fed grains. Animals labeled “grass fed” must also have continuous access to pasture during the growing season.
•  No antibiotics—means what it sounds like. Antibiotics are routinely used in intensive farming operations to ward off infections. Hopefully, a producer who isn’t using antibiotics isn’t farming intensively enough to need them, but there is no guarantee of that.
• Mechanically separated: “paste-like and batter-like…product produced by forcing bones with attached edible tissue through a sieve or similar device under high pressure to separate bone from the edible tissue” used in processed meat products. Mechanically separated beef is considered unfit for human consumption, but mechanically separated chicken, turkey and pork are considered permissible.

The terms “cruelty-free,” “humane,” “eco-friendly,” and “wholesome” have no legal meaning.  Also, if you see the term “cage free” applied to poultry, you aren’t really learning anything—poultry in conventional farms are almost always housed in barns. Battery cages are only used for egg-laying hens, so only look for “cage-free” labels when you buy eggs.

Eggs

The USDA does not regulate advertising claims regarding eggs. There is no legal standard for any of the following labels. Therefore, different producers may feel that different conditions satisfy the labels. There are, however, some voluntary guidelines and generally accepted commercial definitions.

• Cage free—the hen that laid the eggs was not kept in a battery cage. In general, cage free eggs are housed in large poultry barns. This doesn’t tell you how crowded the barns were and doesn’t mean that the birds ever saw daylight. Nonetheless, birds in poultry barns are almost certainly better off than those confined in battery cages.
•  Free range—this term isn’t regulated, but the USDA trade guidelines definite it the same way as for meat: the bird has “access to the outdoors” for an unspecified amount of time. In practice, there is often very little difference between cage free and “free range” eggs.
• Fertile—The hen lived with a rooster. Probably means cage free.
• Vegetarian—no animal byproducts in the feed. Note: if the chicken actually saw the outdoors, it is extremely likely that its “vegetarian diet” was supplemented by bugs and worms.
• Omega-3—Generally means that the chicken’s feed was supplemented with flax, seaweed, or another omega-3 rich substance so that the yolks would contain more omega 3 fatty acids.

What now?

You can glean some useful information from labels if you know what to look for, although perhaps not as much as one would hope.  At the end of the day, no label will tell you as much as doing research on the company or farm you are buying from. If they are producing food in a responsible, eco-friendly manner, they will probably be shouting this information from the rooftops.

1.  Singing along to “Don’t Stop Believing” when it comes on the radio.

2.  Homemade chicken makhani and naan.

3.  Tazo Wild Sweet Orange tea.

4.  Finding my cats cuddling in the laundry

5.  Reading poetry in bed.

 

What makes you happy?

I have a tendency to fall into perfectionism.  That perfectionism loves to sneak up on me when I’m not looking, and one of its favorite places to settle is in my kitchen.  That little voices in my head likes to tell me that if I can’t cook a three course meal, I might as well not cook at all.  Perfectionism promises to make my food better, but really it just makes me hungry and often bored, to boot.  I’ve been having so much fun with cooking the last few days, and its really just because I’m not thinking too hard and am giving myself permission to play.  Yesterday’s lunch was a plate of penne with shredded chicken, spinach, carrots, peppers, garlic, capers, olives, red pepper flakes, rosemary, lemon and olive oil.  It was sort of like a fall version of pasta primavera, but with some of the pungent, spicy flavors of a puttanesca.  It was delicious and really easy to make.  The great thing about pasta is that you have some time to kill while the pasta cooks, so why not spend the time chopping up whatever you have in your fridge?

We weren’t very hungry last night, so I whipped up a simple batch of fresh pea soup:  sauteed onion, frozen peas, chicken broth, salt and pepper, pureed in my mini blender.  This is so simple but so good.

Today I was craving pita pizza for lunch.  I couldn’t decide what to put on my pizza so I made two halves.  The first half was pumpkin with parmesan shavings, sage, pumpkin seeds, and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.  The second half was classic tomato sauce, mozzarella, sun dried tomato and french minced herbs.  I love pita pizzas because they provide so much flavor and so much room to play for so little work.

 

For breakfasts and snacks, I’ve been loving toast with butter and pumpkin butter, which I initially learned how to make from the Pioneer Woman Cooks.   She recommends combining equal parts pumpkin puree, nonfat plain yogurt and sugar and season with pumpkin pie spice to make a delicious spread for toast.   I like to use honey instead of sugar and use somewhat less of it.  Either way, it is a sweet and delicious fall spread.

 

The husband is coming home soon, so I am going to wrap this post up and enjoy my Friday evening.   Happy weekend, everyone!

I think it’s high time for me to revive my “Spotlight” feature, which highlights people who have had a significant influence on the way that I view food, nutrition, and eating.  The latest addition to my group is Ellyn Satter, a nutritionist and writer.  She is best known for her work on how to feed children, but she has great things to say on adult eating as well.  Her philosophy is incredibly food positive and non-prescriptive.  She emphasizes the importance of variety, pleasure, regular family meals, and listening to the body’s cues of hunger and satiety.  She exudes calm and common sense, conveying the message that you really can trust your body and your appetite to tell you what is best for you as long as you provide it with some structure and a variety of food choices.  She advocates trying new foods, but not forcing yourself to eat something you don’t enjoy just because it is healthy.

I initially discovered Satter through her much quoted definition of normal eating:

Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it—not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good. Normal eating is mostly three meals a day, or four or five, or it can be choosing to munch along the way. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful. Normal eating is overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. And it can be undereating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life.

In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and your feelings.

After reading this definition quoted for the third or fourth time, I visited Satter’s website and was extremely impressed with what I saw.

Most people who end up in one of my spotlight features are there because they have changed the way that I eat for the better.  Satter is here because she gave me vocabulary to describe aspects of my eating that I had previously lacked.  Satter invented the term “eating competence,” which has two aspects:  1) freedom to choose enjoyable food and eat it in satisfying amounts and 2) discipline to feed yourself regular, varied meals and to eat mindfully.  This concept is simple, but it set off a real light bulb moment in my head.

I am a big advocate of intuitive eating, but one thing that had always bothered me is that I know that healthy intuitive eating does not exist in a vacuum.  Simple suggestions such as “eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full” are hard to argue with, but seem to leave out a lot.  Without any context, following such instructions leaves my body feeling downright chaotic.  What my body tells me that I need after I’ve worked through lunch and only started thinking about dinner because I’m starving is very different than what my body tells me that I need when I’ve been eating regular, nutritious meals and snacks all day.  My body isn’t wrong in either case–if I’m starving, then of course my body wants something with lots of fat and starch and salt–but I definitely feel better when I plan out regular healthy meals.  I’ve often wondered whether my preferred manner of eating qualifies as “real” intuitive eating given that it often involves a high degree of menu planning and strategy.

Satter helped me sort this out.  Planning, discipline and strategy are good in so far as they make sure that you have regular balanced meals on the table and sufficient time to enjoy them.  The problems come when your brain tries to veto foods you enjoy, push foods that you don’t enjoy, or tell your body how hungry it should be.  This framework makes so much sense to me.  It’s such a great explanation of the balance between structure and intuition that I’ve struggling to articulate.

Satter has a website with lots of great content.  While much of it is geared toward families with children, there is also lots of material that is relevant for people without children.  I encourage you to take a look.