Thursday, September 24, 2009

"Can" You Do It?


Thank you to WTHR-13 and Treeboy for the opportunity to demonstrate how to can vegetables on live TV this morning. Let's start with our most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) based on this morning's show:
-Yes, Tree Boy is very tall.
-No, we are never awake canning before 7 a.m.
-Yes, Karen is capable of appearing on live television without speaking. (You have to see it to believe it.)
-Yes, we really did pickle okra.

More importantly, do we really live the 100-mile diet? Yes, we do. We enjoy visiting local farmers' markets, participating in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and visiting farms in the area. We can, store, dry and freeze enough produce to last us through the winter. Today you saw one of our favorite items to can - tomatoes.

If you are interested in more information about how to can your summer bounty, please leave a comment on our blog or visit National Center for Home Food Preservation. You can get the specifics of how to can most common garden items at this website.

Trust us, you can do it.

Slow Food is currently working with the federal government to make changes to the Child Nutrition Act (School Lunch Program). Any donation to help us with this made in the month of September will entitle you to a Slow Food Indy membership. For more information check out the website or come out to Whole Foods Markets this Saturday (September 26th) in Indianapolis and Carmel between the hours of noon and 2. I will be at the market on 86th street and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Scenes from An Italian Restaurant


You remember how it goes:

A bottle of red, a bottle of white -
It all depends on your appetite.
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian restaurant.

With the tomato crop booming in our side yard right now (much more affordable than actual landscaping), we are inspired to invent variations on our favorite Italian dishes. Each time we visit Italy, we are enamored with Tuscany, truffles and time-honored food traditions. It's more affordable to journey through Italian meals at home than through the Italian countryside at present, though.

Which reminds us of another journey.....and not the one from the '80's that brought us time honored Junior High slow dance music such as "Faithfully." It's the journey to preserve Indiana grown produce at its peak in preparation for the cold winter months ahead (El Nino, say it ain't so). It's easy to romanticize the joy of opening a can of well preserved-tomatoes in the dead of winter and savoring its summery essence on a snowy winter day. That would be roughly akin to telling you about the joys of children without the pain of childbirth.

Speaking of which, we definitely birthed the mother load of tomatoes this year. The pain of the experience is still fresh in my mind, in fact......mostly because we've spent many August mornings and evenings canning tomatoes. Every time I turn around, another counter is covered with a different type of tomato: German Pink, Cherokee Purple, Yellow Stripe, Yellow Pear or grape tomatoes. They are mating like crazed lovers, which makes me wonder if some of them are sipping our martinis when we aren't looking.

We did learn a valuable lesson about canning this year, though, which is that it's best shared with friends. We say this for two reasons. First, friends who are canning rookies believe this will be a fun experience, which means you can expertly direct their vigor toward tasks you detest, such as turning the crank on the food mill, doing dishes and stuffing blue cheese in the olives (because, after all, if the tomatoes are drinking martinis, shouldn't you?). Second, canning with friends is a great way to reminisce about your childhood when your family actually canned food. Remember those days? You got one job (hopefully licking the spoons - even if your mom didn't know you assigned yourself this job). Thom E was so excited about teaching friends to can, he even hosted a canning day at the school (though in retrospect, it may have been a ploy to miss the first half of a couples' bridal shower).

Well, in conclusion, we offer two great ways below to enjoy your tomato treasures while they are still ripe. Next, we remind you to can early and often. And, finally, you can meet us any time you want at our Italian restaurant. Mangia! Mangia!

Mediterranean Tomato Treats

1 medium eggplant (any variety you can buy locally will work)
Pita Bread (large or mini - If you live in Indianapolis, check out www.indyethnicfoods.com to identify local sources)
Assorted fresh tomatoes, diced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Greek style feta cheese, diced (or the rough equivalent from your local farm)
Assorted fresh tomatoes, diced
Fresh Basil leaves, chiffonade

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat eggplant in olive oil and place on a sheet pan. Roast eggplant 20-25 minutes or until skin is brown and pulp is soft. Remove from oven. Cool completely. Remove stem and skin from eggplant. Puree in a blender or food processor.

Brush pita bread with olive oil. Toast lightly. Spread toasted pita with eggplant puree. Top with cheese and tomatoes. Season to taste. Garnish with basil, if desired.


Garlicky Cherry Tomato & Bread Gratin

1- 5 oz. piece day old Baguette with crust, cut into 1" cubes (about five cups)
1 1/2 lbs. small cherry tomatoes
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped flat leaf parsley
3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan (or Parmesan style - buy local!) cheese
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 10" ceramic quiche dish. Toss bread with other ingredients. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Going Local Week This Week


Karen & Thom E's Feast

Most food lovers can relate to "Babette's Feast," the tale of an impoverished woman who spent a large sum of money on a single meal. Of her guests, only one truly appreciated the cost of her generosity.

Sometimes we forget the true cost of living in a country that promotes and sustains industrial agriculture. It's easy to overlook the cleverly concealed costs of cleaning up contaminated water supplies from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations' (CAFO's) waste run-off, declining health from nutrient poor/sugar and chemical laden/genetically modified foods, and the amount of our tax dollars used to subsidize the very corn that is making us obese, ill and (ironically) malnourished. Time magazine recently published an excellent piece that highlighted what America's "cheap" food is really costing us.

Reading this article and another one about CAFO's in Indiana inspired us to (yet again) contact our elected officials to express our utter disgust about the prevalence of industrial agriculture in our own state. It's particularly disappointing to share with you that the number of Hoosier CAFO's has SUBSTANTIALLY increased under the Mitch Daniels administration.

So, what's a concerned Hoosier to do?

First, take a moment send an electronic letter to these folks. It's as simple as saying, "I do not support CAFO's and will not vote for you if you continue to do so. I do support investing in sustainable agriculture that produces good, clean, fair food."
-Governor Mitch Daniels:
-Lt. Governor Becky Skillman:
-Indiana State Department of Agriculture:
-Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM):

Second, support Going Local week September 6-12, 2009, by eating one Indiana local food at each meal. You can do this by purchasing food from the farmers' market, eating at a locally owned restaurant that uses local ingredients (such as R Bistro, Goose the Market, City Cafe, The Meridian or Cobblestone Grill), or even spending your happy hour at a locally owned and operated establishment (like the Mass Avenue Wine Shop, which also serves local foods).

You may wonder if this even makes a difference. As a reminder, "if half the families in Indiana shifted $6.25 of their current weekly food budget to the purchase of Indiana grown or produced local food that this effort would provide an annual contribution of $300M into the local Indiana economy. Impressive? Yes, but that's not the final number. Studies consistently show a that a dollar spent locally will multiply itself by three to five times making the actual economic impact of that one dollar in the local community where it was spent far greater than a buck," (per www.goinglocal-info.com).

Third, consider replicating our local food feast using the recipes below!

Pesto Vegetables in Puff Pastry

1 sheet puff pastry
1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
4 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/4" thick
2 petite pan squash, sliced 1/4" thick
1 zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, small diced
1 c. firmly packed basil leaves
4 T. olive oil
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. soft white cheese, such as fromage blanc or fresh mozzarella
1/4 c. flour
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 4 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When it is shimmering, add vegetables. Sauté until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place basil and olive oil in a blender or food processor on high speed for one to two minutes. Add pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Process on high speed again, until it forms a chunky paste. This is Pesto.

Place garlic cloves and kosher salt in mortar. Use pestle to grind until a paste forms. (You may also remove the pesto from your blender or food processor and make garlic paste in there if you prefer).

Lightly flour a bread board or counter. Roll out puff pastry to a large rectangle. Spread rectangle with pesto, starting the center. Then, top with garlic paste. Next add vegetables in a think layer to within 1" of the pastry border. Finally, sprinkle with cheese. Roll jelly roll style and place on a sheet pan. Brush with beaten egg.

Bake until puffy and golden brown. Serve hot or room temperature.


Watermelon Jicama Salad

One medium watermelon, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 medium jicama, julienne
2 c. feta cheese, small dice
Leaves from three sprigs of mint, chiffonade
Small handful of cilantro, minced
2 limes, juiced
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic or tarragon vinegar
Salt and pepper

Place first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss dressing with salad. Chill. Serve.

Celebrate Indiana's GOING LOCAL WEEK 2009 by eating one Indiana local food at each meal. By consciously choosing locally grown and produced foods you'll enjoy fresher and more varieties of food, get in touch with the seasonality of the Indiana food shed, protect the environment, and help support the local Indiana economy.

There's no one central event for GOING LOCAL WEEK 2009. The event supporters are asking participants to celebrate the event on a local and personal level. Here are some ideas for activities during that week:

Visit a restaurant using local ingredients, farm, farm market, or farmers' market in your area.

When dining out, choose restaurants who support our local producers by offering local food items on their menus or in their dishes. Find these restaurants at www.indyethnicfoods.com

Host a local foods pitch-in and ask everyone to bring a dish made primarily with local foods.
Bring in fresh Indiana melons for the staff instead of doughnuts during the week.



Have an in-office potluck lunch where everyone brings in something they’ve made with a local ingredient.



Go out to an after-work “happy hour” at a local winery if there is one close by.


Get together with your friends at work and take turns that week bringing a local food dish to share at lunch.

Choose to switch one of your pantry or refrigerator staples such as dairy products or eggs to one from a local producer.

Go to a U-pick.

Preserve some fruits or vegetables for winter use.

Invite some friends over for a local food cooking activity--make a pie with apples you picked from a local orchard, make bread or muffins with Indiana flour or cornmeal, or make tomato sauce with the last of the season Indiana tomatoes.

We hope you'll take the time to tell us what you're doing and how you're planning to "discover, celebrate, and savor the abundance of Indiana's fresh, in-season, and local foods."



Indiana Local Food Stimulus Package noting that if half the families in Indiana shifted $6.25 of their current weekly food budget to the purchase of Indiana grown or produced local food that this effort would provide an annual contribution of 300 million dollars into the local Indiana economy. Impressive? Yes, but that's not the final number. Studies consistently show that a dollar spent locally will multiply itself by 3 to 5 times making the actual economic impact of that one dollar in the local community where it was spent far greater than a buck.