Local Curried Chick Peas

I've been writing for a while about local produce being used to create exotic foods and so, this is my first attempt to make an Indian dish using only local ingredients (except for the spices).

The chick peas I found were from a brand that only harvests its beans from a Canadian source (they are grown in Alberta and Saskatchewan). I know this is not in Ontario, but it is still the local option compared to an American or European brand.
Also, although the recipe calls for the vegetables to be peeled and minced, I always use a food processor because then the consistency of the final product is always closer to what you find in restaurants.

The Recipe is as follows:

3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium sized onions, peeled and minced
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
2 large fresh tomatoes, finely chopped and skinned
1 green pepper, chopped
2 20 oz cans of chickpeas, drained
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp very finely grated fresh ginger

Heat oil over medium heat in soup pot or Dutch oven.
Put in minced onion and garlic and stir fry until rich in colour.
Turn heat to medium-low and add ground cumin, cayenne, and turmeric.
Sit a few seconds and then add cilantro, green pepper, and tomatoes.
Stir-fry until the mixture is well mixed.
Add the chick peas.
Stir and add paprika and salt.
Stir again, cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes (or longer if necessary).
Remove cover and add ginger.
Stir and cook for another few minutes.

The dish has a sweeter flavour than most curries, but it is delicious nonetheless.
Look for my next post when I will attempt to make naan bread from local flour!

Butternut Squash puff Pizza

This recipe is a version of Gordon Ramsay's Butternut squash puff pizza.
With the exception of the pastry, oil, salt and pepper all the ingredients are local Ontario items that can be found in the fall. Butternut squash and sage can even be grown at home. Experiment with this recipe it is a wonderful base for extra ingredients like turkey or pork.

2 packs of frozen phyllo dough
1 medium butternut squash
dried sage
fresh sage
Extra Virgin olive oil
Smoked Cheddar
salt & pepper

Thaw the phyllo dough. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Roll the dough out into two squares that line the baking sheet.
Overlap the seam and roll flat. Score a 20-30mm border around the edge.

Peel and chop the butternut squash into cubes.
Saute the squash in a hot pan with the oil. (make sure the pan is hot before the oil goes in or the squash may be greasy)
season with salt and pepper.
Bake the squash for 20 min in a 350 degree oven.

Lightly dust the dough with the dried sage.
Sprinkle a small amount of the cheddar on top.
Place the butternut squash on next.
Finish with more cheese and the fresh sage.

Bake at 350 until the edges puff up and turn golden brown.
Remove it from the tray by sliding the dough off before cutting.

Two things: FarmVille love and Local vs. Sustainable

Hello! So another week gone by. I want to try and incorporate some images into my blogs so I decided to take a picture of my farm on FarmVille. Yes yes I know, FarmVille notifications are annoying and you hate it when it floods your home space on your facebook page.
I understand your concerns about this game. I am not one to play silly games or have applications on facebook, BUT I am now really into FarmVille. You get to harvest crops, tend to animals and harvest some cool trees and decorate your farm in a neat way. The goal is to make money and get ribbons for different tasks. Any one who's been addicted to The Sims, stay clear of this game if you're short of time. Anyways I thought I might show you what half of my farm looks like now....i have some grapes, potatoes and corn freshly planted. My ultimate goal is to finally reach level 25 so I can harvest sunflowers, because sunflower seeds are my favourite snack (WOW, I jsut read that over and I sound like a HUGE nerd! Really I don't care what level I'm on it's a cute and fun game anyways!). So far, I've just been harvesting a lot of grapes for wine! And they're profitable!

Okay so the main topic, last week I stated the difference between Local and Organic food. There is another common misconception about local and sustainable food. They are in fact also different from one another. WWF is doing a campaign that is called "Localicious" and it promotes eating food that is locally grown to help out the environment. Here is their direct paragraphs that state what Local and sustainable mean separately.

"What is local and sustainable food?

Local food is grown close to where it's being consumed, so it doesn't travel far distances to reach our plates. When food is transported over long distances - especially if by planes or trucks that burn fossil fuel energy - it contributes to global warming and pollution. Consider that the average food product travels 2,000 km before it reaches your home. Now multiply that by each food item you eat each day! That's a lot of fuel, which also means a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. Although local food isn't always available due to seasonality, it's all about doing your best. Every choice you make has an environmental impact and can help lower your carbon footprint.

Sustainable food is not always local, but is produced in a socially responsible manner, with lower impact on the environment. Some sustainable food practices even help protect and enhance wildlife habitats and biodiversity. Look for products like sustainable coffee beans. Although they may travel thousands of miles to reach your table in Canada, coffee is grown on perennial bushes that don't require plowing, which keeps soil carbon stored in the ground. They do not require refrigeration until they're roasted, which means they can travel in more efficient vessels like trains. Other environmental issues to consider when shopping for food include, waste, packaging and recycling.

Local sustainable food: When local sustainable choices are not available, consider purchasing either local or sustainable food to make greener shopping decisions."

(DIRECTLY FROM: http://community.wwf.ca/ActionDetail.cfm?ActionId=44)


Happy Farming!
Em

Ah, me. 'Tis (beginning to be) the season where local foods are less bountiful; i was sad to see that my selection of local greens had shrunk considerably on saturday, when i went to do my shop. I have therefore become familiar with 'red chard', which for some reason had long been an intimidating vegetable for me. Who knew how 'candied' those red stems can be? I didn't.

I regret that I have not been experimenting much with food these days - merely cooking something - anything at all -to bring for lunch during practicum to save me from Scarborough's fast food options, including the nutrient-deficient cafeteria food -- (this is really something that has not changed AT ALL since i was in highschool, the dreck that is on offer for these growing minds to eat! Terrible!)

In any event, the menu for lunch has been brown rice with a variation on additions, like red chard for example. Throw in some chopped egg, feta, onion, celery, some spice, and there you have my hasty but fairly tasty locally sourced meal. The rice is from the states, but all other ingredients come from Ontario...

Traveling and Eating Local

In my household, the "Aeroplan Arrival" magazine is delivered twice a year, corresponding to my parents membership with this plan. In the Fall/Winter issue this year, I noticed an article promoting traveling across North America specifically to eat the local food in particular regions. For example, the city of Charlevoix in Quebec is featured for its use of local cheeses, lamb and bread made from local wheat which is served in many restaurants in the region. Places to visit span throughout Canada and the United States - not surprisingly the destinations most easily obtainable through Aeroplan points which coincides with the ultimate purpose of the magazine to promote travel with Air Canada and its affiliates. For the Toronto section, various regions which are famous for culinary delights are highlighted including Kensington Market, a restaurant called "La Tortilleria" known for its native Mexican chef, and certain restaurants in the downtown core that feature famous, creative chefs who use local recipes to celebrate part of "Canadian History" with horse-meat and pork as stables of the restaurant.


In response to this article, I had a few immediate thoughts:
- Doesn't promoting travel in order to eat local food defeat the purpose of eating locally in the first place? Is the carbon footprint the same or greater when people are being transported so that they can eat locally, rather than when food is taken out of its natural environment to feed people abroad?

- On a more positive note, local food is being used as a type of tourism in places where travelers would not necessarily expect to find "exotic" food, nor would they venture to certain parts of the United States ONLY for dietary reasons. In this way, an article like this brings new meaning and possibilities for traveling in places usually considered to be closer to home.

- Also, to continue my discussion from last week, I am astounded at the possibility of local food being used to create more exotic dishes. There is a continuing belief that local food CANNOT be used to create international cuisine. In my next blog, look for my attempts to make an Indian dish using as many local ingredients as possible.