Ideas for Earth Day
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Earth Day 2009, is coming up on April 22. I’m sure you are aware of recycling, rain gardens and reusables. Have you thought about earth-friendly food?
Food that is grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers and which is grown as close as possible to home is earth friendly. It’s healthy for you and healthier for our environment. Moving food thousands of miles so that we can have fresh grapes in January is not cheap. Neither is having to use all kinds of chemicals to get a food to grow in a zone it’s not acclimated to.
If you will think seasonally, you’ll find the food you buy is not only tastier it may be cheaper, too. A quart of strawberries in April is certainly cheaper than a quart in December.
It will be easier to be earth friendly once the Farmers Market opens in May. You can get fruits, vegetables, breads, jellies and sometimes eggs and meats, all locally produced by people you might even know.
For Earth Day 2009, you could pack a lunch instead of going out for fast food, saving on your carbon emissions. If you carry that lunch in a reusable bag, and put your food in reusable storage containers you’ll save on paper and petroleum products.
Another way to celebrate Earth Day is to stop wasting food. Check your larder before you go to the store to make sure you don’t buy food you already have. The week old apple is still good, but if you have a day old apple are you likely to eat the other one first?
Keep your most perishable foods pulled to the front of the refrigerator shelves so you know they are there and can use them before they go bad. If you had to buy a quart of strawberries in order to get the right amount for a recipe, freeze the remainder on a cookie sheet and then store for use in dessert toppings or fruit smoothies. A strawberry is a terrible thing to waste.
If you don’t like to eat leftovers, then don’t cook so much to begin with. It’s hard, I know! Wasted food means all the energy it took to grow and transport and cook that food goes to waste, too. If I overdo it, I start calling friends and sending take-outs to them. It beats throwing the food away, and someday that gift may come back to you.
Seasonally speaking, one of the first things up are beets. They grow fast, and you can stagger the crop to make their season last a little longer. This recipe is an upscale, fabulous buffet item or appetizer. Beets come in beautiful colors; if you want something other than red, you can grow lighter shades or even golds.
BEET & GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEONS
1 lb. small red and yellow beets (about 1.5 inches)
8 oz. plain or herbed goat cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp. sour or heavy cream
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and scrub the beets, pat dry and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Roast about an hour, until tender. Test for doneness by poking with a metal skewer — if it will go through, they’re ready.
Cool the beets slightly, then peel off the beet skin and trim the ends. Slice them between an eighth and a quarter of an inch thick. They should be thin, but still strong enough to stack up.
Place the goat cheese, sour cream, chives, salt and pepper in a bowl and cream together. You can use a food processor with a paddle, but the back of a spoon or a flexible spatula will work just as well for this quantity. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to a day ahead.
Assemble the Napoleons: Place one beet round on a plate. Spread it with about a teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Place a second round on this, and repeat with the cheese. Finish with a third round, and there you are. If you like, you can garnish the top with a drizzle of olive oil or a little dollop of the cheese and some extra chives, or just chives. You can make monochromatic Napoleons or alternate the reds and golds!
VVV
Asparagus is in season right now, and so perfect for Easter. Pasta is never out of season, and frequently on sale at the store. Plus, it’s fun to make at home — give it a try sometime!
PASTA AND ASPARAGUS
8 oz. angel hair pasta
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cut the asparagus into one-inch pieces and sauté asparagus in the pan over medium heat for about three minutes. Add chicken broth and mushroom slices; cook three minutes more.
Drain pasta, and transfer to a serving dish. Gently toss pasta with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan and crushed red pepper to taste.
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Foods that have been raised in a healthy way are healthier for you. A chicken that has had the chance to run around a bit, and eat a varied diet will have better eggs than a chicken that has been cooped up all its life, sipping on antibiotics. Same goes for cows and fowls, when they can roam the range and avoid the feed lot. The healthier the food you put in your body, the better off you’ll be. Usually, the label “free range” is a good indicator. Therefore, you will note this recipe calls for organic, free range ingredients — a choice left up to you.
A layered casserole or “strata” is a convenient make-ahead dish because it can be covered and refrigerated several hours or overnight until you’re ready to bake it. This one would fit right in at brunch, lunch, or dinner.
ENCHILADA STRATA
1 lb. ground organic beef, turkey, or chicken, cooked
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup mild, medium or hot salsa
1 Tbsp. canned pureed chipotle
1-1/4 cups half & half or milk
2/3 cup sour cream
4 large free range eggs
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
9 six-inch corn tortillas
2-3 cups grated sharp cheddar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cooked ground meat, green onions, salsa and chipotle puree in a bowl. Combine half and half, sour cream, eggs, cumin, salt, and pepper in a second bowl; whisk until smooth.
Place three of the tortillas in the bottom of a round, 8-inch soufflé dish (or similarly sized deep baking dish), overlapping them to cover the bottom of the dish. Spread a third of the meat mixture over tortillas. Pour a third of the egg mixture over meat. Distribute a third of the grated cheese over this. Repeat these layers two more times. Bake uncovered until liquid is barely set, 65-70 minutes.
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This next recipe is an example of how to preserve an overabundance of food, and enjoy it when it’s not in season. Before you know it, there will be squash everywhere!
SQUASH RELISH
12 cups yellow squash
4 cups onions
4 sweet peppers (2 green/2 red)
1 big jar of pimentos
5 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups red vinegar
2 tsp. pickling spice
1 tsp. turmeric
5 cups sugar
7 pint jars with lids
Shred together the yellow squash, onions, sweet peppers and pimientos into a large crock pot. Add the salt, mix well and allow to stand overnight.
The next morning drain all juice off and add the vinegar, pickling spice, turmeric and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boiling point. Pack in prepared pint jars and seal. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal completely. Enjoy through the summer at cookouts, and through the winter as a crunchy condiment.
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So, love the earth, and the things she gives us — when she gives them to us — and your eating will be easier, healthier and tastier. There are several Earth Day events around the area; enjoy them!
Next week we are talking about casseroles. After that, it’s getting to be grilling season (as if grilling season ever really stops!) and I have some interesting grilled items to share with you. What about you? Got an idea or recipe on grilling you’d like to share? Send it in to 517 Merchant St. or murphysmenu@yahoo.com. Let’s Get Cooking.