Go Halfsies: Eat Less, Give More

Here’s a great dining-out concept I just read about in The Daily GOOD.

Halfsies: Connecting the Dots from Go Halfsies on Vimeo.

Go Halfsies, a social initiative, offers choice to diners to eat a healthier portion size, reduce food waste, and help fight hunger. According to GOOD, “Halfsies plans to partner with local restaurants, beginning in Austin and New York City, that will designate a certain portion of their menu to the initiative. When a customer chooses a meal with a ‘go halfsies’ symbol, she’ll pay full price while receiving only half of the portion. Ninety percent of the proceeds are donated to support the fight against hunger.”

Download their brochure to learn more. And watch for the Halfsies icon on menus! 

A Special Dinner

Last night I had the privilege of collaborating with Butch’s Restaurant in Holland, Michigan to promote my cookbook, Nothing to Sneeze At, during a dinner for which Chef Adam prepared wheat-free, corn-free, cow-dairy-free recipes from the book. I think several of the dinner guests were pleasantly surprised when they tasted the dishes he made and realized how delicious they can be–even with substitutions. For me, it was a treat to taste my recipes made by a professional chef!

We had a great turnout of 20 people and dinner was held in one of Butch’s private dining rooms.

The evening started with a book signing and, after a brief introduction about the cookbook, we began our four-course meal.

Each of the courses was chosen by Chef Adam from one of four sections in the cookbook: soup, meat, pasta, and vegetarian.

Dessert was a yummy vegan chocolate cupcake provided by the baker at Uncommon Grounds in Saugatuck, Michigan, who also bakes for Butch’s.

The event was a fun way to share my experience with food allergies, which were first introduced to me by Bill.

Thanks to Butch for hosting the event–the first of its kind at his restaurant with a focus on food allergies–and showing how the restaurant values its customers by accommodating special dietary needs.

The Perennial Plate: Episode 71

The Perennial Plate Episode 71: Soil Envy from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

It seems that most farmers these days are philosophers, too. Meet David Cleverdon of Kinnikinnick Farm, who sells certified organic produce directly to Chicago farmers markets and chefs like Chef Paul Kahan from The Publican.

Searching for Food in Cuba

Last week Bill and I were in Cuba with First-Hand Aid, the organization that brings medicine to the people there. Another way we help people is by assisting a food program called Meals on Heels, for which we bring lunch to elderly people who can’t leave their homes. I asked the program director how he shops for the food and he told me he spends Friday, Saturday, and Sunday each week going from market to market trying to find all the ingredients he needs to make lunch for 30 people from Monday through Friday. That’s 150 meals. And, in Cuba, sometimes no hay. Translation: there is none.

It’s not like in the U.S. or other industrialized countries where you can go to a supermarket and load up for the week. In Cuba, you have to go to the meat market, then the produce market, then the fish market, but the problem is there may simply be no fish that day. So you continue walking to other markets in the city until you find it (or don’t), sometimes logging 20 kilometers in a weekend.

Here are some images from our visit to a couple of the produce markets, where we were able to find onions, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash–items on our shopping list for the week.

The corn, however, did not look so good. So we kept looking….

But no hay comida–no food here–at this market. So we kept on walking….

We did find some spices at the next market but no corn that was acceptable. Maybe tomorrow….

It’s a common problem in Cuba. Even when tourists eat at restaurants, sometimes the menu items are simply not available. Bill and I were in Havana a week and could not get rice and beans, a common Cuban staple, until the last night when we had dinner.

It just reinforces how lucky we are in the U.S. to have access to so much food from all over the world and, in particular, in Michigan where we have a rich bounty of local produce available even in the winter.

(If you’re interested in learning more about the Cuban economy as it relates to food, check out the article “Thirty Days as a Cuban” in Harper’s magazine. Sorry, but you’ll have to pay for it to access it online!)

The Perennial Plate: Episode 70

The Perennial Plate Episode 70: The Cows and The Horses from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

In this episode, Daniel Klein visits Bryan Ulring of J Bar L Ranch.  Situated on 30,000 acres in one of the most important wild life corridors in Montana, this ranch tries to replicate the bisons’ role in this habitat.  The result is an area packed with wildlife, fertile soil as well as a healthy and delicious meat.

Michigan Ranks in Top Ten for Winter Farmers Markets

Who would have thought a state in the middle of the snow belt, where Lake Effect creates cloud cover and precipitation over the Great Lakes from November through March, would be in the top ten of all the states in the country for its number of winter farmers markets?

According to the Holland Sentinel, Michigan made the list for the first time ever for states with the highest number of winter markets, meaning, those that operate between November and March.

At the top of the list was New York–no surprise–with 180 markets. The Hudson Valley region, in particular, is a mecca for locavores.

The USDA announced the list, citing that the number of winter markets has increased 38 percent nationwide, from 886 to 1,225.

Here’s the list by state for the top ten:

1.  New York
2. California
3. Pennsylvania
4. North Carolina
5. Ohio
6. Maryland
7. Florida
8. Massachusetts
9. Virginia
10. Michigan

“The demand for locally grown food continues to increase,” said Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Keith Creagh. “Through winter markets, consumers are able to buy local products year-round, and farmers are able to bring in additional income to support their families and businesses in what has traditionally been a slower time of the year for many farm businesses.”

One way farmers in colder climates have been able to extend their season is by using hoop house technology, which is probably how I found Michigan raspberries in November at my local market.

Keep it up, farmers! I prefer getting my produce locally from you!

Lamb Shanks for New Year’s

I love lamb shanks. But because Bill and I get one lamb a year, we only have lamb shanks once a year. Last year’s recipe is one of my favorites. I was torn: I love sticking with a recipe I know is good but I also like experimenting. So for New Year’s this year I decided to try Rosemary Lamb Pot Roast with Cannellini Beans. The recipes are similar except this one doesn’t call for any tomato.

My lamb shanks only weighed about two pounds so I cut this recipe in half, except for the cannellini beans. I ended up dumping the whole can in by accident but I was glad I did in the end!

Here are the lamb shanks browning in olive oil with herbes de Provence.

After browning, you add the wine, onions, rosemary, and garlic. I didn’t have cipollini onions so I substituted with two red onions, quartered.

Because our lamb is pastured, I always err on the conservative side for cooking. For example, the recipe called for a 350-degree oven but I set mine at 325. And, I only cooked two pounds of pastured lamb shanks for two hours, then checked to see that the meat was starting to fall off the bone. It was, so that’s when I added the carrots and beans.

Forty-five minutes later, perfection!

I actually let the meat rest about 20 minutes while Bill and I enjoyed our first toast of the evening. The meat and vegetables were so tender. It was a nice one-dish meal and we ate the leftovers the next day with brown rice.

Can You Canoe?

Photo via Canoe Restaurant

During my visit to Toronto this past fall with my friend Cathy, one of the culinary highlights was Canoe.

Located on the 54th floor of the Toronto Dominion (TD)  Bank Tower, it was a big step for me, who doesn’t do skyscrapers–let’s say nothing higher than 30 floors–since 9/11. I know, it’s irrational. But that’s where I landed after the traumatic experience of that event. I figure I can run down thirty flights pretty quickly if I need to.

It was worth the trip once I got off the elevator. Opening a bottle of wine right away helped, of course.

But the real draw–besides the view of Toronto and Lake Ontario–was the chef’s creative use of artisanal Canadian ingredients. It’s all spelled out on the menu.

While our server assured us that the Chef chooses local ingredients whenever possible, not everything was regional. I’ve come across the same dilemma in the States as well. Sometimes you have to go to the prairie states or provinces to get the best pastured lamb because there may not be a supplier nearby that can accommodate a restaurant’s demands. At least it’s better than procuring from New Zealand.

So, I had the Alberta lamb with turnips and butterball potatoes that night. And it was divine. Nothing beats seasonal vegetables to accompany a meat like lamb.

Before the main course of lamb, I started the meal with a duck bacon.

And finished with artisanal cheese, nuts, and cranberry bread.

I think it may be one of the best restaurants in Toronto. And, if you’re not afraid of heights, it won’t be a challenge to zoom to the 54th floor of the TD Tower!

The Perennial Plate: Episode 69

I’ve been behind on The Perennial Plate videos documenting Chef Daniel Klein and photographer Mirra Fine as they traversed the country from May to November this year. But why not watch an episode about foraging for Washington morel mushrooms at the end of December? It’s a nice way to remember what may buried under snow for the next few months.

The Perennial Plate Episode 69: Mountain Morels from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Potato Latkes

Bill and I had leftover mashed potatoes–flavored with olive oil, rice milk, and Pecorino cheese–from last night’s dinner so I thought, what could be better than latkes, otherwise known as potato pancakes, to go with our Christmas Eve prime rib?

Although there was a recipe from My Mother’s Recipe Box for Potato Pancakes, I opted for this more robust version on Cooks.com. In my online search, I came across another recipe that suggested using bacon grease to fry the pancakes in. This was the brilliant idea of the year. Oh. My. God. So, so good! I happened to have some fresh nitrite-free bacon grease in a bowl in the fridge so I couldn’t resist adding that edge of flavor to this side dish.

You just start with a beaten egg….

And some leftover mashed potatoes…

Add to that some chopped onion, salt, and pepper.

If it’s too wet, like mine was (because I made half the recipe since I only had a cup of mashed potatoes and you can’t really just use *half* an egg), add some flour. Because of Bill’s wheat allergies, I used two tablespoons of brown rice flour.

Heat some bacon grease, or other fat, in a skillet until hot. Then drop the latke batter into the pan. Fry like pancakes, flipping them over when they’re brown on each side.

Drain on a paper towel and keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Latkes make an excellent side dish to prime rib.