turkey meatballs for B :)

Parsley Turkey Meatballs

Again, its been awhile...this grad school thing is really getting in the way of blogging about food! And I guess, to be honest with myself, I have let crafting take on the role of major source of procrastination lately. I'm still cooking, but for some reason just not getting around to writing about it :(

This little project, though, was inspired by my dear friend B, who has moved far, far away! We were talking about writing recipes and I thought it would be good to start with something simple so she suggested meatballs. That always sounds good to me! Since its the fall, I decided to make them into a soup and use some CSA veggies, namely the spinach, to make a spinach and rice soup (in a veggie broth) with turkey meatballs, to really make it a meal.

Recipe-

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (dark meat)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs chopped parsley
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Heat pan (preferably a cast iron 12 inch skillet) over medium high heat. Form meatballs - I made small meatballs, about 3/4 inch in diameter, since I was using these for a soup. Feel free to make them what ever size you want, and adjust cooking time accordingly. Again, since these were destined for a soup, I just browned them and let them finish cooking in the broth. Spinach and Rice soup with Turkey Meatballs
(in a new bowl I just made - oh crafts!)

One thing that I think is helpful in a recipe is to give the ingredients in the order that they will be used (not so important in this example) and also in the form that they will be added if possible. I think that this helps cooks get there mise en place together, even if they don't tend to do this consciously.

A mid-summer's carbonara

So it appears that we have hit that point of the summer where the zucchini is flowing like and open tap. I love summer squash of all kind, but sometimes I find it a little bit of a struggle to keep things interesting. Yesterday I decided to try and play around with incorporating a few zucchini into a carbonara, which for some strange reason I kind of associate with the summer. I think I heard somewhere once that carbonaras developed because Italian miners would be away for days at a time sometimes, so they would take along foods that survived well without refrigeration, namely pasta, eggs (which my farmer friends confirm do not need refrigeration) cured meat (traditionally pig jowl), and Parmesan cheese. I'm not sure how true that all is, but it does add up to a quick and tasty sauce that requires minimal cooking (the hot pasta is added to the beaten eggs and tossed to quickly "cook" the sauce which also contains the grated cheese and usually some freshly ground black pepper).

My twist on this dish added zucchini which I sauteed in duck fat (because I wasn't using pork of any kind I needed some source of yummy fatty flavor!) along with some green garlic. I then added some chick peas and chopped parsley (also from the CSA), with a little pasta water to round out the veggies. The cooked whole wheat pasta was tossed into four beaten eggs along with about half a cup of grated cheese and lots of freshly ground pepper. I then mixed in the veggies and served with a little more cheese and pepper to taste. This is really a pretty light sauce, as opposed to many American versions which add heavy cream (absent from the traditional Italian preparation).

A food co-op grows in Queens

So hopefully the word is getting out that we are working on starting a food cooperative in the great borough of Queens. The following is a press announcement sent out recently from our group.

Let me know what you think!



Queens Harvest Food Co-op Wants YOU to Eat Well

Queens Harvest Food Co-op, slated to open near the end of 2011, is entering its second year of planning and is recruiting members and volunteers to help make the project, which will bring healthy, affordable food to western Queens, a reality. The next general public meeting will be held on Monday, July 19th from 7:00-8:30 pm, at Queenswest Arts Loft, 21-25 44th Ave, Suite 105, in Long Island City (click here for a map). All are invited to attend.

The Queens Harvest Food Co-op recently adopted a working model that will enable anyone, regardless of membership or volunteer status, to shop there. The main difference between a food co-operative and a regular grocery store is that the members own the store, self-dictating pricing, sourcing and membership. Unlike the some other co-ops in the city, which operate on a “closed model”, in which only working members may shop, the Queens Harvest Food Co-op will be open to the public. Shoppers who choose to volunteer their time to help run the store will get a discount, and busy shoppers who do not have time to volunteer will pay market prices. Reflecting the economic diversity of Western Queens, co-op organizers hope that this model will allow as many people as possible to enjoy the benefits of co-op shopping.

This working model reflects the guiding principles of the co-op, which include social responsibility, sustainability, and community. The Queens Harvest Food Co-op will provide products affordable to all community members, employ socially responsible practices and product sourcing, and aim to accept food assistance programs (such as WIC and SNAP). Greener than your average grocery, the co-op will also employ sustainable practices, such as buying and selling minimally packaged products and selling items in bulk bins, support and purchase from independent, local, sustainable and organic sources wherever practical and possible, and be built and operate as environmentally responsibly as possible. For the community, the co-op plans to offer educational opportunities and resources for healthy living, social responsibility and sustainability, as well as to honor diversity and be a welcoming place for all people.

Queens Harvest Food Co-op (www.queensharvestcoop.com) invites you to our next meeting to learn more about the project. We have a need for enthusiastic volunteers from all walks of life and worlds of experience. Please email info@queensharvestcoop.com for more information or to RSVP for the July 19th General Meeting at 7:00 pm, at Queenswest Arts Loft, 21-25 44th Ave, Suite 105, in Long Island City.
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For press inquiries only:
Contact Diane Kolack dkolack@gmail.com, 718-753-6938,
Co-Director of the Outreach Committee for Queens Harvest Food Co-op.

Okay, so its been a while...

Well I know its been quite a while, but I think I finally have time to get back to a little leisurely pondering... just in time to start working on my dissertation! I think that I will use this space to keep doing more of the same; recording what I'm cooking, reviewing books and films on food, commenting on various assorted food/environment/society topics that catch my fancy. I may also start chatting about my research a little more...because then it will feel less like procrastination. Let's see what happens!