Gary Allen's Blog, page 25
October 18, 2011
Food Sites for November 2011
[image error]
Dried Indian Corn, Rhinebeck, New York
As October drifts into November, frost takes its toll in our gardens -- but, at the same time, sharpens our appetites for hearty dishes we haven't thought about since last spring.
In the interest of blatant self-promotion, we have to announce that we'll be reading as part of Drink[dot]Think's evening of intelligent imbibing on Wednesday, October 19, in NYC's SOHO. Don't worry... there will be other, more respectable writers on the program.
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn't sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather. This month, our readers are lucky enough to escape our relentless voice, and find instead a guest author on our blog. Our friend Francine Segan has posted about her sweet new cookbook, Dolci. However... should you feel an irresistible pull toward the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we usually post, you can surrender to that attraction at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for these newsletters to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.
In other news, the edited text, illustrations, and captions for Herbs: A Global History are done, and staff at Reaktion (the publisher) is hard at work putting the book together. The galleys have arrived, and all the Author's Queries have been addressed -- next comes indexing, then all there is for us to do is wait for publication on April 15th, 2012.
We're currently writing another book, for Reaktion's Edible Series, this time on sausage.
"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.
Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.
Here's this month's eclectic bunch of quotations (n.b., "eclectic" -- a fancy word for any collection of items that probably had no business being collected in the first place), soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.
Nonetheless, we refuse to take this personally:
Gary
November, 2011
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.
PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.
----the new sites----
American Indian Health and Diet Project (AIHDP)
(A University of Kansas study, using traditional indigenous foods eaten by Native Americans)
Brewing in Colonial America
(first of a four-part history by Gregg Smith)
COLLECTION: Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes
(selections from Michelle Berriedale-Johnson's The British Museum Cookbook)
Deep Thinking About the Future of Food
(Justin Gillis' blog post in The New York Times)
Food Heritage Sites
(links to "...sites and food-related exhibits are also... where people, especially students and children, can connect with food")
Foodhistory.com
(articles, etc., from food historian and publisher Patricia B. Mitchell)
Haggis: History
(everything known, or presumed to be known, about the "Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!")
Imperial Dining - History of Court Dining
(French-inspired cookery in fin de siècle Russia)
Lady Logie's Recipes
(formerly unpublished recipes from eighteenth-century England)
Pennsylvania Brewery Historians
("Researching Pennsylvania's Brewing Heritage Since 1980;" links to exhibits and events)
Queens County Farm Museum
(dating to 1697, it's "...New York City's largest remaining tract [47 acres] of undisturbed farmland ... the only working historical farm" within city limits)
----yet more blogs----
5 second rule
Crumbs on My Keyboard
Decolonizing Diet Project Blog
Food Studies
Hungry Passport
Kate Sonders Blog
----that's all for now----
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:
Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
__________________
"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #133" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.
As October drifts into November, frost takes its toll in our gardens -- but, at the same time, sharpens our appetites for hearty dishes we haven't thought about since last spring.
In the interest of blatant self-promotion, we have to announce that we'll be reading as part of Drink[dot]Think's evening of intelligent imbibing on Wednesday, October 19, in NYC's SOHO. Don't worry... there will be other, more respectable writers on the program.
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn't sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather. This month, our readers are lucky enough to escape our relentless voice, and find instead a guest author on our blog. Our friend Francine Segan has posted about her sweet new cookbook, Dolci. However... should you feel an irresistible pull toward the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we usually post, you can surrender to that attraction at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for these newsletters to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.
In other news, the edited text, illustrations, and captions for Herbs: A Global History are done, and staff at Reaktion (the publisher) is hard at work putting the book together. The galleys have arrived, and all the Author's Queries have been addressed -- next comes indexing, then all there is for us to do is wait for publication on April 15th, 2012.
We're currently writing another book, for Reaktion's Edible Series, this time on sausage.
"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.
Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.
Here's this month's eclectic bunch of quotations (n.b., "eclectic" -- a fancy word for any collection of items that probably had no business being collected in the first place), soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.
"To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living." Anthony Bourdain
"Leading specialists agree that food is the number one cure for hunger." Stan Freberg
Nonetheless, we refuse to take this personally:
"Mellow nuts have the hardest rind." Sir Walter Scott
Gary
November, 2011
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.
PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.
----the new sites----
American Indian Health and Diet Project (AIHDP)
(A University of Kansas study, using traditional indigenous foods eaten by Native Americans)
Brewing in Colonial America
(first of a four-part history by Gregg Smith)
COLLECTION: Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes
(selections from Michelle Berriedale-Johnson's The British Museum Cookbook)
Deep Thinking About the Future of Food
(Justin Gillis' blog post in The New York Times)
Food Heritage Sites
(links to "...sites and food-related exhibits are also... where people, especially students and children, can connect with food")
Foodhistory.com
(articles, etc., from food historian and publisher Patricia B. Mitchell)
Haggis: History
(everything known, or presumed to be known, about the "Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!")
Imperial Dining - History of Court Dining
(French-inspired cookery in fin de siècle Russia)
Lady Logie's Recipes
(formerly unpublished recipes from eighteenth-century England)
Pennsylvania Brewery Historians
("Researching Pennsylvania's Brewing Heritage Since 1980;" links to exhibits and events)
Queens County Farm Museum
(dating to 1697, it's "...New York City's largest remaining tract [47 acres] of undisturbed farmland ... the only working historical farm" within city limits)
----yet more blogs----
5 second rule
Crumbs on My Keyboard
Decolonizing Diet Project Blog
Food Studies
Hungry Passport
Kate Sonders Blog
----that's all for now----
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:
Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
__________________
"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #133" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.
food sites for November 2011
[image error]
Dried Indian Corn, Rhinebeck, New York
As October drifts into November, frost takes its toll in our gardens -- but, at the same time, sharpens our appetites for hearty dishes we haven't thought about since last spring.
In the interest of blatant self-promotion, we have to announce that we'll be reading as part of Drink[dot]Think's evening of intelligent imbibing on Wednesday, October 19, in NYC's SOHO. Don't worry... there will be other, more respectable writers on the program.
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn't sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather. This month, our readers are lucky enough to escape our relentless voice, and find instead a guest author on our blog. Our friend Francine Segan has posted about her sweet new cookbook, Dolci. However... should you feel an irresistible pull toward the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we usually post, you can surrender to that attraction at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for these newsletters to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.
In other news, the edited text, illustrations, and captions for Herbs: A Global History are done, and staff at Reaktion (the publisher) is hard at work putting the book together. The galleys have arrived, and all the Author's Queries have been addressed -- next comes indexing, then all there is for us to do is wait for publication on April 15th, 2012.
We're currently writing another book, for Reaktion's Edible Series, this time on sausage.
"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.
Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.
Here's this month's eclectic bunch of quotations (n.b., "eclectic" -- a fancy word for any collection of items that probably had no business being collected in the first place), soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.
Nonetheless, we refuse to take this personally:
Gary
November, 2011
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.
PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.
----the new sites----
American Indian Health and Diet Project (AIHDP)
(A University of Kansas study, using traditional indigenous foods eaten by Native Americans)
Brewing in Colonial America
(first of a four-part history by Gregg Smith)
COLLECTION: Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes
(selections from Michelle Berriedale-Johnson's The British Museum Cookbook)
Deep Thinking About the Future of Food
(Justin Gillis' blog post in The New York Times)
Food Heritage Sites
(links to "...sites and food-related exhibits are also... where people, especially students and children, can connect with food")
Foodhistory.com
(articles, etc., from food historian and publisher Patricia B. Mitchell)
Haggis: History
(everything known, or presumed to be known, about the "Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!")
Imperial Dining - History of Court Dining
(French-inspired cookery in fin de siècle Russia)
Lady Logie's Recipes
(formerly unpublished recipes from eighteenth-century England)
Pennsylvania Brewery Historians
("Researching Pennsylvania's Brewing Heritage Since 1980;" links to exhibits and events)
Queens County Farm Museum
(dating to 1697, it's "...New York City's largest remaining tract [47 acres] of undisturbed farmland ... the only working historical farm" within city limits)
----yet more blogs----
5 second rule
Crumbs on My Keyboard
Decolonizing Diet Project Blog
Food Studies
Hungry Passport
Kate Sonders Blog
----that's all for now----
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:
Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
__________________
"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #133" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.
As October drifts into November, frost takes its toll in our gardens -- but, at the same time, sharpens our appetites for hearty dishes we haven't thought about since last spring.
In the interest of blatant self-promotion, we have to announce that we'll be reading as part of Drink[dot]Think's evening of intelligent imbibing on Wednesday, October 19, in NYC's SOHO. Don't worry... there will be other, more respectable writers on the program.
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn't sent automatically. We don't want to wear out our welcome with a lot of unsolicited blather. This month, our readers are lucky enough to escape our relentless voice, and find instead a guest author on our blog. Our friend Francine Segan has posted about her sweet new cookbook, Dolci. However... should you feel an irresistible pull toward the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we usually post, you can surrender to that attraction at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for these newsletters to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.
In other news, the edited text, illustrations, and captions for Herbs: A Global History are done, and staff at Reaktion (the publisher) is hard at work putting the book together. The galleys have arrived, and all the Author's Queries have been addressed -- next comes indexing, then all there is for us to do is wait for publication on April 15th, 2012.
We're currently writing another book, for Reaktion's Edible Series, this time on sausage.
"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.
Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.
Here's this month's eclectic bunch of quotations (n.b., "eclectic" -- a fancy word for any collection of items that probably had no business being collected in the first place), soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.
"To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living." Anthony Bourdain
"Leading specialists agree that food is the number one cure for hunger." Stan Freberg
Nonetheless, we refuse to take this personally:
"Mellow nuts have the hardest rind." Sir Walter Scott
Gary
November, 2011
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.
PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.
----the new sites----
American Indian Health and Diet Project (AIHDP)
(A University of Kansas study, using traditional indigenous foods eaten by Native Americans)
Brewing in Colonial America
(first of a four-part history by Gregg Smith)
COLLECTION: Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes
(selections from Michelle Berriedale-Johnson's The British Museum Cookbook)
Deep Thinking About the Future of Food
(Justin Gillis' blog post in The New York Times)
Food Heritage Sites
(links to "...sites and food-related exhibits are also... where people, especially students and children, can connect with food")
Foodhistory.com
(articles, etc., from food historian and publisher Patricia B. Mitchell)
Haggis: History
(everything known, or presumed to be known, about the "Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!")
Imperial Dining - History of Court Dining
(French-inspired cookery in fin de siècle Russia)
Lady Logie's Recipes
(formerly unpublished recipes from eighteenth-century England)
Pennsylvania Brewery Historians
("Researching Pennsylvania's Brewing Heritage Since 1980;" links to exhibits and events)
Queens County Farm Museum
(dating to 1697, it's "...New York City's largest remaining tract [47 acres] of undisturbed farmland ... the only working historical farm" within city limits)
----yet more blogs----
5 second rule
Crumbs on My Keyboard
Decolonizing Diet Project Blog
Food Studies
Hungry Passport
Kate Sonders Blog
----that's all for now----
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:
Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
__________________
"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #133" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.
September 26, 2011
Something Sweet On the Table
Our friend Francine Segan has a new cookbook, and now she's a guest blogger here. If you know her previous books I'll bet your mouth is watering at the mere mention of it.
Dolci: Italy's Sweets
New cookbook on Italian desserts
A tavola non s'invecchia.
At the table you don't grow old.
My latest cookbook is just hitting bookstore shelves this week! I'm so thrilled. It's filled with fun Italian foodie sayings like the one above, plus tidbits on Italian lifestyle, history trivia, and over 100 recipes.
Full disclosure though -- NONE of the recipes in this book are actually mine.
That might sound odd coming from a cookbook author, but it's true. It takes a village to raise a child? Well, it sure took an entire country to write this cookbook!
I gathered the recipes from all corners of Italy, from hundreds of generous, enthusiastic Italians, eager to share their country's culinary traditions. They opened their homes, kitchen cabinets, recipe files, and hearts to me. The recipes come from all of them, and the result represents their work as well as mine. Each person spent many hours with me, either in Italy, on the phone, via email, or on Skype. They helped me comb through details and nuances until finally, I was able to recreate reliably what I had so enjoyed in Italy.
Here are two recipes that use the wonderful fall fruits -- apples and grapes. The apple cake is so delicious it's the book's cover photo. The grape focaccia is a classic Florentine mid-morning or late afternoon snack. Schiacciata -- meaning, "flattened or squashed" -- is the term they use in Florence for foccacia.
Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake
Torta di Mele
From: Dolci: Italy's Sweets
By Francine Segan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2011)
Pareva la torta di Nonna Papera!
Looks like Grandma Duck's cake!
Said of a particularly pretty cake or pie.
At first glance it may seem like a huge ratio of apple to dough and you're going to be tempted to cut down on the apples. Don't! It looks like a lot of apples, but they magically meld into the batter. You'll love the result. The top half of the cake is chock full of tender apples that float over sweet moist cake.
Deceptively simple, exceptional results.
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an eight-inch cake pan. Beat 2/3 cup of sugar and the eggs in a large bowl, using a whisk or electric handheld beater, until creamy and light yellow. Beat in the flour, milk, baking powder, baking soda and zest. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Peel and core each of the apples. Dice one of the apples on sprinkle the dices over the batter. Cut the remaining apples into thin slices. Spread the slices over the diced apples in the pan in a neat pattern. Scatter thin pats of butter over the apples and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for about one hour, until dark golden and cooked through.
Grape and Rosemary Focaccia
Schiacciata all'Uva
Serves 6
From: Dolci: Italy's Sweets
By Francine Segan
Mangiare il fumo alle schiacciate
Tuscan expression meaning to be quick
This dessert is actually two focaccias, one baked right over the other, topped and stuffed with plump grapes. The bottom crust bakes thin and crisp while the top puffs up tender and cakey. Some of the grapes collapse a little and release pools of pretty purple juice, while others stay whole.
When you take a bite, you get the satisfying chewiness of bread, crunchy in spots, plus the warm grapes, which burst in your mouth. It's sophisticated and rustic at the same time. Scrumptious on its own, it goes well with a dessert cheese or a glass of red wine.
Ingredients
In a small saucepan, heat four Tablespoons of the oil and rosemary until warm. Allow to cool. Reserve.
Sprinkle the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water and let rest until it bubbles, about 2 minutes. Sift the flour onto a clean work surface or in a large bowl. Make a hallow well in the center and fill with the yeast water, reserved rosemary oil, three Tablespoons of the sugar and salt, and slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the center hollow, until dough forms. Knead the dough until smooth and rest it in a lightly oiled bowl until it doubles, about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour two Tablespoons of the olive oil into a rectangular baking pan, about nine-by-thirteen inches or fourteen-by-ten inches.
Put the grapes into a bowl and using a large fork or potato masher, gently mash about half of the grapes, leaving half of them whole. Don't mash them to a pulp! Just gently break the skin.
Take slightly more than half of the dough and roll it out to fit the baking pan. Put the dough into the pan and brush with the Two tablespoons of remaining olive oil (if you like, you can use a branch of rosemary to brush on the oil). Top with 1/2 of the grapes. Sprinkle with fourT ablespoons of the sugar and one teaspoon of the anise seeds.
Roll out and hand stretch the remaining dough to fit the pan. It will be thin. Put the dough over the grape layer. It's okay if it doesn't fully cover the bottom layer. Spread with the remaining two Tablespoons of oil, remaining grapes, sugar, and anise seeds. It's okay if the grapes roll off onto the sides of the pan. It all comes together nicely as it bakes.
Allow to rest for 20 minutes before putting it into the oven so the ingredients can absorb and the dough settle. Bake for about one hour until golden brown on top and cooked through.
Allow to rest at room temperature, in the baking pan so the focaccia can absorb the grape's juices. Serve at room temperature.
Dolci: Italy's Sweets
New cookbook on Italian desserts
A tavola non s'invecchia.
At the table you don't grow old.
My latest cookbook is just hitting bookstore shelves this week! I'm so thrilled. It's filled with fun Italian foodie sayings like the one above, plus tidbits on Italian lifestyle, history trivia, and over 100 recipes.
Full disclosure though -- NONE of the recipes in this book are actually mine.
That might sound odd coming from a cookbook author, but it's true. It takes a village to raise a child? Well, it sure took an entire country to write this cookbook!
I gathered the recipes from all corners of Italy, from hundreds of generous, enthusiastic Italians, eager to share their country's culinary traditions. They opened their homes, kitchen cabinets, recipe files, and hearts to me. The recipes come from all of them, and the result represents their work as well as mine. Each person spent many hours with me, either in Italy, on the phone, via email, or on Skype. They helped me comb through details and nuances until finally, I was able to recreate reliably what I had so enjoyed in Italy.
Here are two recipes that use the wonderful fall fruits -- apples and grapes. The apple cake is so delicious it's the book's cover photo. The grape focaccia is a classic Florentine mid-morning or late afternoon snack. Schiacciata -- meaning, "flattened or squashed" -- is the term they use in Florence for foccacia.
Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake
Torta di Mele
From: Dolci: Italy's Sweets
By Francine Segan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2011)
Pareva la torta di Nonna Papera!
Looks like Grandma Duck's cake!
Said of a particularly pretty cake or pie.
At first glance it may seem like a huge ratio of apple to dough and you're going to be tempted to cut down on the apples. Don't! It looks like a lot of apples, but they magically meld into the batter. You'll love the result. The top half of the cake is chock full of tender apples that float over sweet moist cake.
Deceptively simple, exceptional results.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the panMethod
7 ounces, about 1 1/3 cups, all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
2/3 cup, plus 1 Tablespoon, granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Zest of 1 lemon
4 large or 5 medium apples, about 2 pounds total
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an eight-inch cake pan. Beat 2/3 cup of sugar and the eggs in a large bowl, using a whisk or electric handheld beater, until creamy and light yellow. Beat in the flour, milk, baking powder, baking soda and zest. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Peel and core each of the apples. Dice one of the apples on sprinkle the dices over the batter. Cut the remaining apples into thin slices. Spread the slices over the diced apples in the pan in a neat pattern. Scatter thin pats of butter over the apples and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for about one hour, until dark golden and cooked through.
Grape and Rosemary Focaccia
Schiacciata all'Uva
Serves 6
From: Dolci: Italy's Sweets
By Francine Segan
Mangiare il fumo alle schiacciate
Tuscan expression meaning to be quick
This dessert is actually two focaccias, one baked right over the other, topped and stuffed with plump grapes. The bottom crust bakes thin and crisp while the top puffs up tender and cakey. Some of the grapes collapse a little and release pools of pretty purple juice, while others stay whole.
When you take a bite, you get the satisfying chewiness of bread, crunchy in spots, plus the warm grapes, which burst in your mouth. It's sophisticated and rustic at the same time. Scrumptious on its own, it goes well with a dessert cheese or a glass of red wine.
Ingredients
10 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, dividedMethod
2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary
1 packet, 1/4 ounce, fast acting yeast
10 1/2 ounces, about 2 cups all-purpose flour
11 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds black seedless grapes, stems removed
2 teaspoons anise seeds
In a small saucepan, heat four Tablespoons of the oil and rosemary until warm. Allow to cool. Reserve.
Sprinkle the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water and let rest until it bubbles, about 2 minutes. Sift the flour onto a clean work surface or in a large bowl. Make a hallow well in the center and fill with the yeast water, reserved rosemary oil, three Tablespoons of the sugar and salt, and slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the center hollow, until dough forms. Knead the dough until smooth and rest it in a lightly oiled bowl until it doubles, about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour two Tablespoons of the olive oil into a rectangular baking pan, about nine-by-thirteen inches or fourteen-by-ten inches.
Put the grapes into a bowl and using a large fork or potato masher, gently mash about half of the grapes, leaving half of them whole. Don't mash them to a pulp! Just gently break the skin.
Take slightly more than half of the dough and roll it out to fit the baking pan. Put the dough into the pan and brush with the Two tablespoons of remaining olive oil (if you like, you can use a branch of rosemary to brush on the oil). Top with 1/2 of the grapes. Sprinkle with fourT ablespoons of the sugar and one teaspoon of the anise seeds.
Roll out and hand stretch the remaining dough to fit the pan. It will be thin. Put the dough over the grape layer. It's okay if it doesn't fully cover the bottom layer. Spread with the remaining two Tablespoons of oil, remaining grapes, sugar, and anise seeds. It's okay if the grapes roll off onto the sides of the pan. It all comes together nicely as it bakes.
Allow to rest for 20 minutes before putting it into the oven so the ingredients can absorb and the dough settle. Bake for about one hour until golden brown on top and cooked through.
Allow to rest at room temperature, in the baking pan so the focaccia can absorb the grape's juices. Serve at room temperature.
September 20, 2011
Sites for Food Writers, October 2011
Granny Smith Apples, Rhinebeck, New YorkWe're on the cusp of September and October, when the bright flavors of summer produce are still available and the deeper ones of Autumn are just beginning to appear -- it's a great time to be visiting farmer's markets and roadside fruit stands.
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn't sent automatically. We understand that many (OK, most) folks have better things to do with their time than wade through countless unwanted e-missives, so we don't add ours to that pile. One of these uncalled-for tales, "Chili Cook-off Judge," appeared last month. We really like chili… but it is possible to overdo it. We also entered an essay, "On the Cheap," in a contest over at Snooth, and actually won a prize -- despite knowing very little about wine. However... should you feel an inexplicable craving for exactly the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we periodically post, you can satisfy that urge at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for this newsletter to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.
In other news, the edited text, illustrations, and captions for Herbs: A Global History are done, and staff at Reaktion (the publisher) is hard at work laying out the book. The galleys should arrive shortly -- then all there is for us to do is wait for publication in the Spring (well, almost all... we are at work on another book for Reaktion's Edible Series, this time on sausage).
"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is now part of the On The Table site. At the moment, it's an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.
Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.
We must be feeling strangely spiritual -- or so it would seem from these selections that are soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.
"Gluttony is ranked with the deadly sins; it should be honored among the cardinal virtues." Elizabeth Robins Pennell
"God doesn't care what you eat." Martin Luther
"God, yeah. If you had your beloved pet murdered, the least you can do is eat it." Johnny, Lord Acton (when asked if he ate the pigs he raised)
Gary
October, 2011
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here.
PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and, frankly, incredulous) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.
----the new sites----
American Cookery by Amelia Simmons
(full text of the first US cookbook)
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
(all sorts of nutritional information, including demographics and economics)
Chefs Move to Schools
(USDA program to "...help chefs partner with interested schools in their communities")
Choose My Plate
(the replacement for the old food pyramid)
Ein Buch von Guter Spise
(Alia Atlas's translation of the fourteenth-century German cookbook)
Food Rules
("Once the province of how-to cooking shows, food media has extended its reach -- but has it become too big?" Lorraine Ali's article in Adweek)
Future of World Food and Nutrition Security, The
(from the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD)
Guide to Federal Records
(how to search US government archives)
Six recipes from The Medieval Kitchen
(Edward Schneider's translation of a book by Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban, & Silvano Serventi)
----changed URLs----
Basil
Chocolate Traveller Magazine, The
Eye on Nutrition
Food Security Learning Center
International Food Information Council Foundation, The (IFIC)
Organic Nutritional Advantages Questioned Again
Ravensgard Food and Culinary Arts
Research Resources
Short History of Spice Trading, A
Sweet Oranges: The Biogeography of Citrus sinensis
Wheat People: Celebrating Kansas Harvest
----how-to blogs----
Blog posts about blogging -- and writing, design, photography, promotion, and ethics -- can help us become better, and possibly more successful, writers (i.e., having more people read our stuff). Here're a recent favorite:
What's Behind the Food Photography Trend?
----yet another blog----
Meera's Blog
----that's all for now----
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:
Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
_______________
"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #132" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.
September 6, 2011
Chili Cook-off Judge
Recently, we've been corresponding with Gina Hyams, who is working on a project involving chili cook-offs. It reminded us that we once acted as a judge in one of these traveling side shows (we almost typed "floating crap game," but thought better of it -- for reasons that might become obvious later). We had this opportunity because of the intercession of Chef Jim Heywood, known far and wide as the purveyor of Big Jim's Hogbreath Chili. Jim is so renowned that Paul Bocuse once referred to him as LE ROI DU CHILI.
(and yes, before you ask, great chefs DO speak in All Caps)
We could go on for some time about Big Jim, but this is a family-oriented site (OK, vaguely family-oriented). Big Jim's language, while colorful and extremely amusing, is not well-suited for the kind of dignified audience that frequents these pages.
After our judicial experience, we jotted down some notes -- so that anyone who was curious about the inside workings of these events, or might even be considering participating in one, could make a more informed decision. Those jottings follow, forthwith.
__________
Beer is free for judges -- a keg from a local microbrewery was provided. This, no doubt, is supposed to ensure the proper judicial objectivity. There was some idle talk about "cleansing the palate," but everyone seemed to understand that this smokescreen was used in approximately the same manner in which incumbents talk about term limits.
The actual judging was simple: First, judges were not allowed to eat chili before the judging (this is so that they can actually stand the stuff). There were thirty-five little numbered buckets o' chili, divided between two tables. Each judge got a score sheet. The chili was anonymous; the ballots were not. Irate chili-cooks may track down any judge at their leisure and wreck what vengeance they will.
Anyway, the judges write down their impressions: "too greasy," "too salty," "habaneros, while piquant, are not classic," "meat cut irregularly" -- note that ground meat or beans are automatic disqualifiers -- "too soupy," "too dry," "off color," "only a gender-challenged Yankee (or someone from Cincinnati) would be foolish enough to add cinnamon to chili," "smells strangely of burning rubber," and "what the hell is that kiwi doin' in there?" -- refined analysis of that sort.
We circled the tables a coupla' times, being careful not to actually retch over the bad ones. Supposedly, this was meant to avoid influencing the other judges -- but it was really so that we would not be alone in the emergency room for the post-game show. At the end, the judges indicated (at the bottom of the form, between the grease stains) which three they disliked least.
That's all there was to it -- except to stop for a bit more palate-cleansing, and bolt for the Port-o-sans, upending the occasional baby buggy, as necessary.
(and yes, before you ask, great chefs DO speak in All Caps)
We could go on for some time about Big Jim, but this is a family-oriented site (OK, vaguely family-oriented). Big Jim's language, while colorful and extremely amusing, is not well-suited for the kind of dignified audience that frequents these pages.
After our judicial experience, we jotted down some notes -- so that anyone who was curious about the inside workings of these events, or might even be considering participating in one, could make a more informed decision. Those jottings follow, forthwith.
__________
Beer is free for judges -- a keg from a local microbrewery was provided. This, no doubt, is supposed to ensure the proper judicial objectivity. There was some idle talk about "cleansing the palate," but everyone seemed to understand that this smokescreen was used in approximately the same manner in which incumbents talk about term limits.
The actual judging was simple: First, judges were not allowed to eat chili before the judging (this is so that they can actually stand the stuff). There were thirty-five little numbered buckets o' chili, divided between two tables. Each judge got a score sheet. The chili was anonymous; the ballots were not. Irate chili-cooks may track down any judge at their leisure and wreck what vengeance they will.
Anyway, the judges write down their impressions: "too greasy," "too salty," "habaneros, while piquant, are not classic," "meat cut irregularly" -- note that ground meat or beans are automatic disqualifiers -- "too soupy," "too dry," "off color," "only a gender-challenged Yankee (or someone from Cincinnati) would be foolish enough to add cinnamon to chili," "smells strangely of burning rubber," and "what the hell is that kiwi doin' in there?" -- refined analysis of that sort.
We circled the tables a coupla' times, being careful not to actually retch over the bad ones. Supposedly, this was meant to avoid influencing the other judges -- but it was really so that we would not be alone in the emergency room for the post-game show. At the end, the judges indicated (at the bottom of the form, between the grease stains) which three they disliked least.
That's all there was to it -- except to stop for a bit more palate-cleansing, and bolt for the Port-o-sans, upending the occasional baby buggy, as necessary.
August 31, 2011
On Sweetening Tainted Meat
(with a tip of the beret to The Old Foodie)
Back in 1824, when most of us didn't have refrigerators, there were times when the chops we were planning to have for dinner might have gone off a bit.
Taking them out to the backyard for a short eulogy -- and a longer dirt nap—might seem like the appropriate response today, but in Jolly Old England they had other plans. Egerton Smith advised—in his weekly paper, The Kaleidoscope; or, Literary and Scientific Mirror -- that he had found, "by many experiments, that meat entirely fly-blown has been sufficiently purified to make good broth, and had not a disagreeable taste, by being previously put into a vessel containing a certain quantity of beer."
I sometimes (and others, frequently) consider me, the utterly-uncredentialled Dr Sanscravat, to be tainted meat. Would Smith's methods serve to sweeten me?
Soaking in beer surely seems worth a try.
Among the shortcomings of antiquated receipts of this sort is their regrettable penchant for vagueness. Really, now, "a certain quantity?"
What sort of measurement is that?
In the interest of science, I believe it only prudent to approach the experiment in a modern quantitative manner, and to add said beer, one pint at a time, until the desired level of sweetness is obtained.
_______
Editor's Note: The "doctor" promised to document every stage of his experiment and submit a full report, forthwith. However, the last time he conducted a similar experiment, with much the same set of intentions, he was but eighteen years old, and kept no notes whatsoever. He did, what's more, amuse/dismay his entire collection of of aunts with a protracted series of heaves -- dry and otherwise -- at a huge family picnic.
Back in 1824, when most of us didn't have refrigerators, there were times when the chops we were planning to have for dinner might have gone off a bit.
Taking them out to the backyard for a short eulogy -- and a longer dirt nap—might seem like the appropriate response today, but in Jolly Old England they had other plans. Egerton Smith advised—in his weekly paper, The Kaleidoscope; or, Literary and Scientific Mirror -- that he had found, "by many experiments, that meat entirely fly-blown has been sufficiently purified to make good broth, and had not a disagreeable taste, by being previously put into a vessel containing a certain quantity of beer."
I sometimes (and others, frequently) consider me, the utterly-uncredentialled Dr Sanscravat, to be tainted meat. Would Smith's methods serve to sweeten me?
Soaking in beer surely seems worth a try.
Among the shortcomings of antiquated receipts of this sort is their regrettable penchant for vagueness. Really, now, "a certain quantity?"
What sort of measurement is that?
In the interest of science, I believe it only prudent to approach the experiment in a modern quantitative manner, and to add said beer, one pint at a time, until the desired level of sweetness is obtained.
_______
Editor's Note: The "doctor" promised to document every stage of his experiment and submit a full report, forthwith. However, the last time he conducted a similar experiment, with much the same set of intentions, he was but eighteen years old, and kept no notes whatsoever. He did, what's more, amuse/dismay his entire collection of of aunts with a protracted series of heaves -- dry and otherwise -- at a huge family picnic.
August 30, 2011
Food Sites for September 2011
Fresh Peaches, Rhinebeck, NYAs we write this, August is coming to an end and -- while we're not yet tired of fresh corn and tomatoes -- glowing peaches are the darlings of the moment. Peach Gelato. Habanero Peach Preserves. Peach Chutney. We've made them all, and Grilled Peaches can't be far away. At the same time, we know we're on the threshold of September and fall produce and flavors -- perhaps those grilled peaches should have some cinnamon to foreshadow the seasonal change? Maybe some more peach preserves, this time with crystallized ginger?
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn't sent automatically. We understand that many (OK, most) folks have better things to do with their time than wade through countless unwanted e-missives, so we don't add ours to that pile. One of these uncalled-for tales, "On Eating Raccoon," appeared last month. It's not likely to make Raccoon Ragu a culinary fad. "Criminal, Really Criminal" does not really concern food writers, but does address the writing skills of some of our colleagues. However... should you feel an inexplicable craving for exactly the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we periodically post, you can satisfy that urge at Just Served . If you don't want to wait for this newsletter to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter
"A Quiet Little Table in the Corner" is an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.
Leitesculinaria is still in the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.
Finally, just in case you thought we haven't paid quite enough attention to a certain fruit, here're some peachy musings -- on, or soon to be added to, On the Table's culinary quote pages.
"One does a whole painting for one peach and people think just the opposite -- that particular peach is but a detail." Pablo Picasso
"The ripest peach is highest on the tree." James Whitcomb Riley
"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." Mark Twain
And something to listen to, if you're so inclined: "Peaches en regalia" (Frank Zappa, from Hot Rats)
Gary
September, 2011
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!
PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings, go here .
PPPS: If you've received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don't wish to receive future issues, you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We're happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list -- but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we'll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again. You can unsubscribe here.
----the new sites----
Aesthetes and Eaters
(special issue of Invisible Culture on food in, and as, art)
Astor Center
(a place for food and wine lectures, demonstrations and conferences; "...a new approach to education, a new way of exchanging ideas, a new forum for discussing that which brings us together around the table")
Elizabethan Homebrewing
(typically well-researched and documented account from the Society for Creative Anachronism)
Food Republic
(e-zine that "...explores the new culture of food through stories, interviews, global conversations, and experiences")
Food in Tudor England
(just one of many topics in this site devoted to Tudor History)
Food in Tudor Times
(part of a collection of British curricular support documents)
Fooles and Fricassees: Food in Shakespeare's England
(article accompanying an exhibit held, in 1999, at the Folger Shakespeare Library)
Gazzetta Gastronomica
(online magazine of Italian cooking; in Italian)
Jacobean Food
(spit food, pies and chewitts, wafers, ices, and cordials from the time of James I)
Poison Party
(Anastacia Marx de Salcedo's article, in Slate, on why spoiled food doesn't necessarily cause food poisoning, and that the foods that do, don't necessarily taste dangerous)
Pyramid and Protein
(how, and what, did Egyptian royalty feed all those pyramid builders?)
Specialty Produce Daily, The
(a compendium of what's new and noteworthy in the food blog world)
What We Eat in America
(nutritional database, covering foods and supplements, from the USDA)
----changed URLs----
100 Top Restaurant Review Sites For Restaurateurs
cdkitchen.com
Chowhound
Cookbooks Online
Cyber-Kitchen Recipe Archives
Food & Drink
Foodieview
Frogmore Stew and Other Lowcountry Recipes
Sausage Recipes
Wine Taster's Glossary, A
----how-to blogs----
Blog posts about blogging -- and writing, design, photography, promotion, and ethics -- can help us become better, and possibly more successful, writers (i.e., having more people read our stuff). Here're some recent favorites:
Coin of the Food Realm
Digital Food Photography
Star Wars and Photography
Whither the Cookbook?
----yet more blogs----
Culinary Librarian, The
Delicious Prose
Feiring Line, The
it!: Food Meditation
Matt Bites
Plain But Wholesome: Adventures in Mormon Pioneer Food
Recent College Grad's Guide to Wine, The
She Simmers
----that's all for now----
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs:
Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
__________
"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #131" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.
August 20, 2011
Criminal, Really Criminal
One of our correspondents forwarded a list of alleged criminal acts, two of which are included below:
Bumpus, Tennessee
A bank robber in Bumpus, Tennessee, handed a teller the following note: "Watch out. This is a rubbery. I hav an oozy traned on your but. Dump the muny in a sack, this one. No die packkets or other triks or I will tare you a new naval." Dr. Creon V.B. Smyk of the Ohio Valley Educational Council says such notes are, lamentably, the rule. "Right across the board, we see poor pre-writing skills, problems with omissions, tense, agreement, spelling and clarity," he moaned. Smyk believes that the quality of robbery notes could be improved if criminals could be taught to plan before writing. "We have to stress organisation: Make an outline of your robbery note before you write it," he said. "Some of the notes get totally sidetracked on issues like the make, model and calibre of the gun, number of bullets, etc., until one loses sight of the main idea -- the robbery."
Bent Forks, Illinois
In Bent Forks, Illinois, kidnappers of ice-cube magnate Worth Bohnke sent a photograph of their captive to Bohnke's family. Bohnke was seen holding up a newspaper. It was not that day's edition and, in fact, bore a prominent headline from some years before. This was pointed out to The Kidnapers in a subsequent phone call. They responded by sending a new photograph showing an up-to-date newspaper. Bohnke, however, did not appear in the picture. When this, too, was refused, The Kidnappers became peevish and insisted that a photograph be sent to them showing all the people over at Bohnke's house holding different issues of Success magazine. They provided a mailing address and were immediately apprehended. They later admitted to FBI agents they did not understand the principle involved in the photograph/newspaper concept. "We thought it was just some kind of tradition," said one.
Educators agree that such mix-ups point to poor reasoning and comprehension skills, ignorance of current events, and failure to complete work in the time allotted.
These poor criminals are scapegoats who signify the failure of our educational system, and of the government that pays for our educational system, and of the society that pays for the government that pays for our educational system. In a sense, our democratic system guarantees that we get the kind of criminal class that we deserve.
As teachers, we have been wasting our time frittering over issues such as proper pedagogical performance, standardized testing and such. As citizens, we moan and groan (depending on our political outlook) about the over-crowding of our prisons, the escalating financial burden on the taxpayers, the disproportionate sentencing of minorities. We are harangued -- endlessly -- by politicians who want to make names for themselves over these issues, which ultimately leads to our paying more tax money for more ineffectual solutions to the problem. These seemingly disparate complaints, cutting across political demographics, can all be answered by one simple assertion: we need to keep these people out of jail.
All sorts of rehabilitation schemes, fostered by liberals and conservatives alike, have failed -- for one simple reason. We have been telling criminals what not to do. Any parent can tell you that if you order a child not to spill his chocolate milk, he will focus his entire attention on the mental picture of spilled milk -- with inevitable results. This is a pedagogical technique that is doomed to failure.
As the warden so eloquently said to Cool Hand Luke, "What we have heeya is a failya to kamoonnikate."
We have not provided them with something else to do. We have not provided them with the means to do it. Can we expect anything but failure? No, the solution lies in a totally different approach than has tried before. We must train them to be useful and productive citizens, working in their chosen professions, and above all else: keep them from returning to jail. How can we accomplish this?
Simple. We need to train them in the skills they will need to succeed. In the examples cited above, a few simple lessons in rhetoric and logic would have made all the difference. Do you see where this is going? We need, not less criminals, but better criminals -- the kind that are not constantly being caught, clogging up our judicial system. To do this, we must focus on the most needy students: those who are already incarcerated.
We can train them in the refinements of their craft, the little things that spell the difference between a Mercedes and Maximum Security. One might object that this sort of training goes on every day in the joint -- one prisoner educating another. While it is a well-intentioned start, there is a fundamental error underlying the current model. We have losers educating losers. We don't have the best-qualified teachers in place.
We need to do two things to remedy the situation. First, educational professionals need to run the programs. Trial and error are educational techniques, to be sure, but rather inefficient (unless one's goal is to maintain over-crowded prisons at their current level). Trained educators can speed the learning process in even the most challenged students. Second, since (presumably) these teachers are masters of the techniques of pedagogy, not larceny, we need to encourage the cooperation of real experts. How can we compel the better class of criminals, those who are never caught, to act as trainers for their unfortunate colleagues?
Every great artist wants recognition for his work. Let us reward the best by granting them complete immunity from prosecution in exchange for community service -- not someone else's community, but their own. Not only will this raise the standards of criminals everywhere, but it will automatically guarantee that the master criminals will never tie up our courts (and after all, the cases brought against this class of criminal are the most difficult to prove, since they are the most skilled in avoiding prosecution -- through intelligent use of alibi, prudent parsimony with incriminating evidence, as well as the judicious application of extortion, etc).
Eventually, there may be no need for prisons at all. These drains on the public purse could become self-financing institutes of higher learning, like the Harvard Business School. Talented young students could be encouraged to enroll early. This would have the added advantage of removing them from our schools, where they currently disrupt the work of non-criminal students. These non-criminals would quickly become more successful, thereby earning more money as adults, which will -- in turn -- produce better profits for the criminals.
One might argue that we would still wind up being robbed, only by thieves instead of politicians. I would counter that the skillful exercise of criminal talent is more satisfying -- even to the victim -- than the patently bogus dissimulation of professional politicians. The cost might be the same, but the quality of life would be vastly improved.
Everyone benefits in this best of all possible worlds.
August 19, 2011
On Eating Raccoon
Source: "The Coati-Mondi and its Cousins," by the Reverend S. Lockwood, PhD, in@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Palatino"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoBodyText3, li.MsoBodyText3, div.MsoBodyText3 { margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; line-height: 18pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: blue; }span.BodyText3Char { font-family: Palatino; color: blue; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
Popular Science Monthly, Volume 2, December 1872
I planned to make a feast of the beast, so I took it home, skinned and dressed it (or rather, un-dressed, it; wonder why removing an animal's skin came to be considered as "dressing?") on our kitchen table. I was rather surprised -- 'though, in retrospect, I don't know why -- at how much fat there was. After trimming away most of the fat, the raccoon didn't have nearly as much meat as I had hoped. Little did I know that the limited supply of meat was a good thing.
After cooking it for some time, we dug in to our first taste of wild raccoon. Why specify "wild?" No one in his right mind would farm-raise raccoons.
First of all, they're a nasty brutish bunch who would, no doubt, prefer to eat their handlers -- or would, if they did not so much despise us.
Second, when not thinking about eating us, they would much prefer to eat our food. Or our garbage. Either way, raccoons have an innate ability to make a mess of anything we hold dear. Inviting them to be a part of our lives is just stupid. It reveals an over-weaning lack of foresight.
Third, it's one thing to raise an animal that prefers to eat as we do (pigs, for example), when the food we get in return is worth it. Few would argue that trading excess corn for bacon and pork chops is a bad idea. It's quite another to convert perfectly good food into raccoon flesh.
Raccoon, at least the one I ate, tasted like very old and stringy beef -- perhaps the dessicated flesh of some super-annuated ox, an over-worked creature who might very well have expired in mid-furrow. Aside from the poor quality of the meat, a certain amount of residual fat remained, despite my earlier efforts to remove it. This fat had the remarkable property of not melting in the mouth -- so that, long after eating the raccoon, I was convinced that someone had coated my tongue with tallow, or possibly axle-grease.
Needless to say, the raccoon tribe has been safe from my predations during the past four decades. I have not yet had, nor do I expect anytime soon to have, an urge to experience another bout of ring-tailed dyspepsia.
July 31, 2011
Food Sites for August 2011
A field of sweet corn, Hurley, NYMuch of the past month was brutally hot -- which I've used as my excuse for procrastinating on whatever passes for real work. August, which promises more of the same, is upon us but local corn and tomatoes are everywhere... and, with lots of fruit for home-made gelato, the heat doesn't seem quite so oppressive.
Regular subscribers to our updates newsletter receive these updates from our blog, Just Served, directly -- but there is much more at the blog that isn't sent automatically. We understand that many (OK, most) folks have better things to do with their time than wade through countless unwanted e-missives, so we don't add ours to that pile. One of these uncalled-for tales, A Culinary Baseball Quiz, appeared last month. There was also a rather odd love story, Wheeling, with a culinary spin. However... should you feel an inexplicable craving for exactly the sort of self-indulgent claptrap we periodically post, you can satisfy that urge at Just Served. If you don't want to wait for this newsletter to hear about such postings, you can follow us on Facebook, or Twitter.
A Quiet Little Table in the Corner has moved to a new location. At the moment, it's an annotated ("annotated" being used, naturally, in its least academic sense) directory of our writings -- mostly on other people's sites.
Leitesculinaria continues the process of reposting, sometimes -- with shiny new updates and edits -- some of our older articles. The entire list of our currently-posted LeitesCulinaria articles is available here, along with several other articles on food history & science.
Here's this month's food for thought, stolen from some of the best and brightest, and soon to be added to On the Table's culinary quote pages.
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." Lewis Grizzard
"Vegetarians are people who cannot hear tomatoes screaming." Joseph Campbell
"The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves." W.C. Fields
Gary
August, 2011
PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs -- or know of wonderful sites we've missed -- please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those of you who have suggested sites -- thanks, and keep them coming!
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----the new sites----
Caribbean Foods 101
(recipes from the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico)
Corporate Document Repository
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' archive of "documents and publications, as well as selected non-FAO publications, in electronic format")
Epicurean, The
("A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art Including Table and Wine Service, How to Prepare and Cook Dishes, an Index for Marketing, a Great Variety of Bills of Fare for Breakfasts, Luncheons, Dinners, Suppers, Ambigus, Buffets, etc., and a Selection of Interesting Bills of Fare of Delmonico's, from 1862 to 1894. Making a Franco-American Culinary Encyclopedia;" text of Charles Ranhofer's book)
European Network of Regional Culinary Heritage, The
(site promoting the local and regional foods of Scandinavia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine; available in 10 languages)
Food and Beverage
(free subscriptions, for professionals, to 26 trade magazines)
Food Stories
(interactive lessons in food and culture, with sub-divided sections on major topics: Food and identity, shopping for food, food production and technology)
Historic Recipe File
(an archive of recipe clippings, 1960s through 1980s, in the Milwaukee Public Library)
MC Parma i Musei del Cibo
(four museums, devoted to Parmigiano Reggiano, tomatoes, Prosciutto di Parma, and salumi; in Italian and English)
New England Chowder Compendium, The
(scanned documents, decade by decade, from the Beatrice McIntosh Cookery Collection in the library of the University of Massachusetts)
Pulmuone Kimchi Museum
("...established in 1986 to study the culture of kimchi, the archetypal Korean food, to promote kimchi inside and outside of Korea;" in Korean and English)
Study Says Salt Intake and High Blood Pressure Not Related
(this European study does not reflect American eating habits, but is just part of the arguments for-and-against salt in the diet)
"What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?"
("The Government's Effect on the American Diet," an exhibit at the US National Archives; press release here )
----changed URLs----
Museum der Brotkultur
Nordljus
Southern Food & Beverage Museum
----how-to blogs----
Blog posts about blogging -- and related topics, such as writing, design, photography, promotion, and ethics -- can help us become better, and possibly more successful, writers (i.e., having more people read our stuff). Here's a recent favorite:
Is IACP for Food Bloggers?
----yet more blogs----
Dinners and Dreams
Good Cooking for Hard Times
Running with Tweezers
Spice Spoon, The
You Fed a Baby Chili?
----that's all for now----
Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:
Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose -- ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably-brazen plugs:
Our books, The Resource Guide for Food Writers, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries, and Human Cuisine can be ordered through the Libro-Emporium.
Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...
...for the moment, anyway.
________________
"The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #130" is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication -- unless with the author's prior written permission -- is strictly prohibited.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Gary Allen.
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