stellar eats

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-10-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Autumn!
This journal entry was essential, I had a wonderful thanksgiving! I hope you did too. There's something romantic, comforting and quite enlightening about the rustle of fall leaves under your feet; and the sweet smell of drying leaves in the grass.

Home for the weekend
I had a nice relaxing date Friday, which was good because I had to get up early Saturday and meet my little-sister's boyfriends parents. They were kind enough to pick me up on their way back to Brandon. We had a great visit on the drive too. We got to papa's in the afternoon, so he and I could prepare dinner together! Since we had more people at the table than usual, papa and I had to prepare more than we were used to.

Turkey (or as papa calls it, "ding-dong". Poking fun at the French translation "dindon")
A few years ago, for Christmas I bought papa a turkey deep-frier. They're amazing when used properly (AND SAFELY). Of course, we had a fire extinguisher on hand. Especially considering all the dry leaves on the ground. We did a dry-rub on the turkey (outside the skin, and beneath the skin) before his fateful bath in the oil.

The result was juicy and tender on the inside, and crispy and delicious on the outside! When the oil is kept at the correct temperature during the entire process, the frying process cooks it perfectly without allowing the turkey to soak up any of the oil and turn out greasy.

Moose roast
Papa is a hunter.
I grew up on sustainable game. Moose hunting licenses are a bit more difficult to get than deer for example; most likely for conservation reasons or to ensure population remains sustainable.

Last year papa was drawn for a moose license! It was a very exciting time for him and of course, be bagged us a tasty one!

We blended up a nice custom rub with Marjoram, rainbow peppercorns, cumin, and steak seasoning.

I seared all the edges until golden. Then we lined the roasting pan with celery, onions and leeks and put the roast in for some oven-loven.

The lining of the pan helped shape up a beautiful gravy with mushrooms. Papa and I would have liked it more rare, but we knew our guests liked theirs a bit more welldone.

Salads
Of course, papa made his traditional "gurkensalat" and because he had some fresh beets, he made his mother's (my Oma's) beet salad. Just oven-roasted beets (to make them nice and soft and sweet); sliced, with shaved white onion, fresh parsley and a simple pepper vinaigrette.

OUTSTANDING and always my favourite leftovers too. Those types of salads always taste even better the day after. Sunday (for hangover day), we made some currywurst. I made a side-salad with garden tomatoes, endive, radicchio, cilantro, scallions, white onion and spring vinaigrette.

The colours were pretty nice, huh?

Mommy gets a new hip!
My mom has spent the last year struggling with pain and learned she needed a hip replacement. TODAY is the day she goes in for surgery.

I wish I could be there with her, but I'll be there in spirit. I love you mommy! Sending my love.

We have a lovely fall ahead of us full of WINNIPEG JETS (go jets go!), lovely aroma of leaves, and good times with friends :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

An update of the Stellar Bachelorette life

2011-09-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

Happy September 1st! I haven't visited or posted here SINCE CHRISTMAS and I'm way overdue. I have been busy cooking, eating and socializing as a bachelorette and enjoying every minute. I'm sure you will forgive me.

The George Foreman Grill
When summer came along, I knew I would crave BBQ. I don't own one anymore, so I chose an alternative. I love that Amazon.ca doesn't charge me for shipping, so I browsed their options.

I ended up ordering the George Foreman GR36P Grand Champ 133 Square Inch Extra Value Grill for a great price.

It has proven to be a necessity during the summer for grilled veggies and meats.

Just last Saturday, I cooked myself up a nice steak (right).

My (admitted) Food P0rn Addiction
I obviously have a passion for eating food, and cooking food--but I'm also crazy for good food photography (#FoodPorn). My personal Facebook wall album is JAMMED PACKED with it (as well as humour)--everything from vegetarian, to extreme meats. You can also check out my personal twitgoo account for some of them.

In particular, lately; I'm fetishing over burgers. You can get a good dose of awesome burger pictures at Serious Eats: A Hamburger Today with good, descriptive write ups too.

Recent Food News worth Noting
I followed Next Food Network Star this season because I actually liked one of the contestants! He ended up winning too; and will be starting his own show called "The Sandwich King" this fall. I think the reason I liked him so much was his original concepts, star-worthy-smile; and awesome sense of humour.

Yeah... okay, okay... he's super hot too. Apparently, he did some stand up comedy in the past; here is his bio. Congrats Jeff (JeffMauro)! Can't wait to watch it.

Cutting this short and sweet for now, but hopefully I'll follow up soon. Enjoy the rest (of what remains) of summer!
Christel

Another Stellar Christmas at Papa's

2011-01-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, and Happy 2011!

I had another wonderful christmas filled with family, laughs, love, and of course; stellar eats.

My other-half and I had a week off work to spend together too. As usual, Papa and I prepared dinner at his place. Instead of preparing a traditional goose, duck was on the menu.

Story of the duck
During spring 2010, Papa got ahold of his friend with a small farm outside my hometown. He raises all sorts of animals; including duck.

Papa purchased 3 ducklings in the spring, and just had to pay for feed. The ducks grazed hapily through the summer and fall, and grew to be happy and healthy in time for papa to pick them up at the start of winter.

*BONUS* they laid eggs and we have lil' chicks for next year!!

The day in the kitchen...
Cooking just brings a smile to my face. And a Christmas meal? Well, look at my face and tell me I'm not happy haha. Papa and I make a great team in the kitchen too: he knows I hate peeling potatoes, and I know he hates dishes. Those are always fully respected.

This years meal was as follows: Herb de provence rubbed duck stuffed with mandarins and rosemary; Bone-out Maple Glazed Ham; Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes; Gurkensalat; and steamed winter vegetables.

It was a phonomenal meal. We had 2 different gravies too; 1 to go with the duck, and 1 to go with the ham (of course).

Following this feast (I had 3 plates LOL) we played a competetive game of Risk (vintage version, thanks to Jeff!) paired with Jagermeister (of course) and several bottles of wine and beer. I can't wait for next year :)

If you would like any of the recipes, let me know! I would be happy to share them.

Baba's Borscht Recipe [Modified to protect her secrets, of course]

2010-12-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

You know those warm, sincere, home dishes where each bite takes you back to your childhood?

Today I experimented with my grandmother's (my mothers-mother; Baba) recipe for Borscht.

Borscht (also borsch, bortsch, borstch, borsh, barszcz, or borshch, Ukrainian: борщ) is a soup of Ukrainian^[1] origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient^[2]^[3], giving it a deep reddish-purple color. In some countries tomato may occur as the main ingredient, while beetroot acts as a secondary ingredient. Other, non-beet varieties also exist, such as thetomato paste-based orange borscht and the green (zelioni) borscht (sorrel soup).

Last year, Baba and I spent a few hours in the kitchen when I asked her to teach me the recipe. I knew it was vegetarian, and I knew the flavour profile was always consistent. I learned her secret and decided not to disclose it.

However here is a modified version I made this afternoon that tastes similar and is healthy, warm and delicious in this Winterpeg weather. When I visited to learn the recipe, Baba lovingly gave me 3 large jars of her canned beets. They're jarred with mirpoix and are a beautiful, rich wine colour.

I couldn't wait to cook it.

Hot borscht, the kind most popular in the majority of cultures, is a hearty soup. It is almost always made with a broth made of beets. It usually contains heavy starchy vegetables including potatoes and beets, but may also contain carrots, spinach, and meat. It may be eaten as a meal in itself, but is usually eaten as an appetizer with thick dark bread.

My Baba chooses the Red/Purple beet (Hot borscht) route. I'm not sure if it has to do with region my family roots come from or not. Looking into wikipedia; it appears that I identify most with this recipe (without the cabbage)

In Belarusian cuisine, the tomatoes are standard, sometimes in addition to beets. It is usually served with smetana (Eastern European-style sour cream) and a traditional accompaniment of pampushki (sing. pampushka), small hot breads topped with fresh chopped garlic.

Stellarized Borscht: adapted from Baba

Ingredients

1 L of Tomato-Vegetable Cocktail; or V8®
1 Large Jar of Baba's Beets : [in this case you could stew your own peeled/canned beets with mirpoix if you don't know my baba or have a Ukrainian baba of your own]
1 Large Red Onion
1 Head of Garlic
1 Can of Tomato-Kidney Beans
3 Fresh Tomatoes
1 Large bunch of Fresh Dill
Fresh cracked pepper
Sea Salt

Procedure

Combine in a hot pot olive oil; diced onion, chopped fresh garlic, fresh dill, and diced fresh tomatoes. Simmer over med-low until soft. Add jar beets, can of beans and tomato juice. Season with S&P.

Simmer for approx. 45 mins over med-low (low simmer); reduce to low for another 30-1 hour. Be sure to taste and season with S&P before serving.

Sometimes it is topped with fresh cream, or I like to top it with cottage cheese. The apartment smells like Baba's house right now and I'm very comforted. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Memories of Birnen, Bohnen und Speck

2010-10-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Liebe Grüsse!
I thought it was time for a seasonal post; and one of my fondest memories of the break of autumn is Papa's preparation of Birnen, Bohnen und Speck ["pears, beans and bacon"]

Brief History and Summary

This warm, sweet and savoury masterpiece is a North German dish which is especially popular in the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Hamburg. (If you didn't know; vast majority of my Loll family resides right outside Hamburg) It also goes under the names of Bohnen, Birnen und Speck and, locally, the plattdeutsch names of Beer'n, Bohn un Speck, Grööner Hein and Grönen Heini. The ingredients required mean that the dish is mainly eaten in the months of August and September.

Hande (of foodvegabond) also shares her memories of this fabulous dish in a post I really enjoyed reading...

"....So she cooked for me a very typical northern dish, “Birnen-Bohnen-Speck”, that is pears, green beans and yes, speck, a.k.a. bacon. The name pretty much describes the whole dish, just add potatoes to the equation, but of course that is a given in any German dish, no? I fell in love with this interesting combination; the slight bitterness of the beans, the sweetness of the pears, and the smokiness from the pork belly came together so well that I asked her for the recipe....
Mutti died almost 6 years ago, and I am so sorry that I learned just this one dish from her. Although I moved completely to Germany a couple of years later, for some reason I never stayed longer than a day or two with her... I don’t think my mom learned to cook anything from her, so this is bound to be the only culinary heritage I ever will have of Mutti. Last week when I bought the fresh green beans at the market and cooked this dish for the first time for T., who is Bavarian and unfamiliar with this dish, the smoke from the pork belly wasn’t the only thing that tickled my palate and made my eyes water."

I have yet to spend a day with my Papa so he can show me how he makes it---and Hande's story really made me realize how important this is!!!

Ingredients

Generally cut French beans (Brechbohnen) are used. In Hamburg on the markets occasionally Turkish peas may be found, a Vierlande bean variety that used to be frequently used for this dish. During preparation several sprigs of savory are added to the beans.

The pears used for this dish are cooking pears which would otherwise be inedible eaten as fruit in their own right. They are small, green, rock-hard and do not have the sweetness and juiciness of the popular eating varieties. These pears are mainly found at markets and in small vegetable shops. In the Hamburg area, other varieties are used: the Vierländer and the rather sweeter Finkenwerder cooking pears. The Vierländer sort have a slightly firmer consistency after cooking which is preferred by many. These cooking pears are only available from July to September, subject to the weather. As a last resort for those who have missed the right season, Bürgermeisterbirne pears may be used. They are not as sweet when raw and are clearly sweeter.

The bacon used is streaky, smoky bacon. Here, too, it is important if the dish is to taste its best not to use 'any old bacon'. The origin - whether from the Vierlande, the Black Forest or Tyrol – is immaterial; all of them are suitable and offer a variety of interesting flavours. The deciding factor is the storage of the bacon. Only streaky bacon that has been air-dried and stored produces when cooked that pleasant taste of seasoned fat that melts in the mouth. Bacon, which - as is common today – has been stored hygienically in its vacuum wrapper, only produces a sort of fibrous stringiness after being cooked.

The Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein preference is to add potatoes to their Bohnen, Birnen und Speck that are still firm when cooked – such as the Cilena or Linda varieties. In Land Hadeln beef or lamb can also be cooked along with the bacon.

Typical Preparation

According to taste the bacon in placed either in complete strips or cut up into water which is then brought to the boil. Meanwhile the beans are cleaned, washed and cut into sections. After 25 minutes of cooking the beans are added together with the savory to the bacon and cooking continues. The flowers are removed from the pears, but the stalks are left on. The pears are left with their skins on throughout. They are now laid on the beans and everything is cooked together.

The peeled potatoes are boiled separately in salted water. Towards the end of the overall cooking time of about 50 minutes some flour is mixed with water, poured into the pot and briefly boiled up.

Typical quantities for 4 people are:

750 g beans
500 g pears
400 g bacon
500 g potatoes
1 sprig of savory
2 tablespoons of flour

Each person is served one or two pears, a good portion of bacon, beans and potatoes and broth accordign to preference. OF COURSE: A fresh beer goes well with the dish. This hearty meal tastes particularly good after a long walk in the country.

There are variations that do away with the savory, but adding freshly chopped parsley towards the end--IS SO ESSENTIAL TO ME, which use broth instead of water for cooking (ready-made or home-made) or which use pepper.

In closing: I have to convince Darren to help me prepare this; and I JUST HAVE TO ask papa to show me his original process. Hope you learned something new!

Fresh Mussels

2010-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! I'm so excited that Tomatoes and Peppers are ripening! A co-worker picked some really nice chili s from his garden; and I managed to get a couple of them. My ultimate favourit-est thing to do with chilis of any kind is make Steamed Mussels!

This is what I plan to do with them -- hopefully this weekend:
Ingredients:
- Fresh (preferrably PEI) Mussels; Shells scrubbed, and de-bearded
- 1 can of Beer; I like Moosehead®
- 2 chilis or jalepenos; these have to be fresh, and very finely chopped
- 2 bell peppers; diced
- 1 yellow onion; diced
- 1 cup of fresh chopped parsley OR cilantro
- 3 chopped scallions/green onions
- 1 loaf of day-fresh crusty bread or focaccia

Procedure:
In a large wok or stock-pot (over stove or BBQ) add ALL INGREDIENTS (but the herbs/green onions/bread) and cover for 10-20 minutes---or until all mussels open. If there are a few that don't open with the bunch of mussels; it's probably dead. You have to throw them away (sadly).
Once the mussels are steamed add the herbs and green onions to a large 'family style' plate or platter. Ensure the dish is deep enough to hold all the nummy juices.
Eat up! Be sure to use the crusty-bread to soak up all the precious liquids.

This dish is pretty healthy and definitely says summertime. If you can; try to get your mussels from a sustainable source like farmer Gordon King.

Serious Eats did a wonderful review including a cool video about how he farms 1.25 million pounds of Mediterranean mussels—an especially meaty-plump kind of mussel that's sought after by chefs—per year in South Puget Sound. In the video; Gordon describes his harvest season in detail.

Stellar Vegetarian Squash Bake

2010-08-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hey there!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while... my little sister came for a visit last weekend and brought 3 x 1-foot-long (what looked like yellow zuccini maybe?) squash. I had no idea what to do with it.

I was feeling vegetarian that day...

The only other time I cooked squash was spaghetti squash and it turned out amazing, so I did something similar...

Stellar Vegetarian Squash Bake

Ingredients:
- 2 large yellow squash
- 4.5 cups of fresh, raw spinach
- 1 jar of marinara (homemade or storebought)
- 3 garlic cloves; mashed
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 cup of grated aged cheddar cheese
- 2 cups of vegetable stock (homemade or storebought)
- 1 large yellow onion
- fresh pepper

Prep:
- Slice the yellow squash into 1/2-inch thick strips
- Slice the yellow onion into thin rings
- Wash the Spinach
- Combine the rice and stock and cook; allow to cool
- Preheat oven to 300-degrees (F)

In a large casserole dish; lay a layer of the yellow squash (1/2 of it) and top with a layer of fresh spinach (1/2 of it). Lay 1/2 of the sliced onions as a layer over the spinach as well. Add 1/2 the jar of marinara evenly over entire dish, along with all of the prepared and cooled rice. Lay the final layer of yellow squash, fresh spinach, sliced onions, and marinara. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese.
Bake in a 300-degree (F) oven for 1-1.25 hours; or until cooked through and you see the inside boiling/bubbling.

Please note: Ingredient amounts might vary with the size of your baking/casserole dish.

Warm Organic Red Quinoa and Mushroom Salad

2010-05-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Meatless Monday - and my Beau and I had a date. I wanted to cook something Nice; so I assembled a nice warm salad with the Organic Red Quinoa I got in my Stocking from Mom for Christmas (thanks mama!)

Warm Organic Red Quinoa and Mushroom Salad
(adapted from a cooking your dream recipe)

[thoroughly rinse the quinoa]

1 cup Organic Red Quinoa

1 - 1/2 cup vegetable stock

1tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finally chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

6 mushrooms, sliced

1-2 springs of fresh savoury

3 sun dried tomatoes, chopped (I prefer the non-preserved, dried variety)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Rinse the quinoa in plenty of cold water and place in a medium saucepan. Add boiling vegetable stock, the sundried tomatoes, a dash of Olive Oil; and bring back to the boil. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15-18 minutes until the stock is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan and saute onion for 2-3 minutes, add the garlic a fry for another minute. Add sliced mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Finally, add the chopped savoury leaves. Stir fry the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

3. In a small bowl, mix the cooked quinoa with olive oil, top with sauteed mushrooms. Check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper if you like.

HOPE YOU LIKE IT! Cheers :)

Classy Lox Finger Bites

2010-05-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Stellar Eaters :)

I took my new boyfriend home to spend some time with Papa for his girlfriends birthday weekend. We had a great time; and full bellies!

We showed up Friday night around 10PM and Papa had fresh schnitzel with 2 sauce varieties, home fries and fresh spring salad. We finished with some Jagermeister, and some beer and were off to bed for the next day.

The next day was a finger-food party and I thought our Lox finger bites turned out so nice I wanted to share the recipe!

Ingredients:
- Dense 16-grain German-Style Bread; Sliced
- Horseradish Mayonnaise
- 2 Shallots
- Caviar
- a sprig of Fresh Dill
- grey salt
- Lox (cold smoked salmon); thinly sliced

Begin with a dense German-style bread. You could also use a dense pumpernickel loaf.
If you don't have a Horseradish Mayonnaise on hand; it's pretty easy to whip some up. Spread a thin layer of the horseradish mayo on slices of bread and cover with the thin slices of lox.

Thinly-shave some rings of shallots and set aside. Finely chop your sprig of dill and set aside as well. Cut the topped bread into triangles and top each triangle with a small pinch of the shaved shallots.

Take a small teaspoon and spoon on approx. 1/4 tsp. of your caviar. We had red and black caviar which was an outstanding colour contrast.
To finish; simply sprinkle on the fresh dill an serve!

These were a hit; and I can't wait to make them again!

Pineberries - A GMO mutant?

2010-04-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hey StellarEaters: Life has been crazy-busy lately. I came across the most freakish-crazy-looking produce today on Geekologie [an überkiller awesome blog btw]--It's called a "Pineberry": look like albino strawberries and taste like pineapples.

Grown in glasshouses, pineberries start off green, gradually turning paler as they ripen.

When the fruit is sweet and juicy enough to eat, the flesh is almost totally white but studded with red seeds - the reverse of the usual variety.

Discovered wild in South America and rescued from extinction by Dutch farmers...they are smaller than most commercially grown strawberries, measuring between 15 and 23mm across - slightly less than an inch.

The pineberry is said to combine the shape and texture of a strawberry with a flavour and smell closer to that of a pineapple.

The reason I wanted to post this was the hilarity/irony behind the geekologie comment "WTF IS UP WITH THAT, MOTHER NATURE? Bitch you crazy as hell!"

FYI geekologie - Mother Nature would be pissed off...this is a GMO! But the comment was funny--Pineberries were bred from a wild strawberry originating in South America where it grew wild, but was nearly extinct until 2003, when a group of Dutch farmers banded together to save the plant.

The Pineberry is said to have the same genetic makeup as the common strawberry. When ripe, it is almost completely white, but with red seeds.It is a hybrid of Fragaria chiloensis, originating in South America and Fragaria virginiana, originating in North America. The fruit flesh can range from soft white to orange and is very fragrant with a slight pineapple flavor. The plant is disease resistant, but is not very profitable. Due to small-scale farming, small berry size and low yield crop, the Pineberry has been marketed to European restaurants, bakeries and wholesale markets.

Easy, Healthy and Tasty-Stellar-Salmon

2010-03-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday!

I crave fish quite often, and I found a wonderful filet of salmon at Safeway on Monday. I didn't have a receipe but felt like experimenting.

Looks like it payed off too!

One of my best, and simplest meals yet! Give it a try. I guarantee you'll enjoy it. In fact: I enjoyed it so much that I finished it and didn't have leftovers for work!

Ingredients:

• Large piece of Parchment Paper

• 1.5-1.75 inch think Salmon Filet; skin-on (about 2 servings)

• 1 Large Leek; thoroughly cleaned, and chopped {never cleaned'em? here's some tips}

• 2/3 of a lemon; sliced in rounds

• approx. 3 full sprigs of fresh dill; chopped {dried will not suffice!}

• 1 clove of fresh garlic; minced

• pinch of coarse sea salt

Directions - sooo easy:

• Preheat to 350-400 degrees F

• Place filet on centre of parchment paper

• Sprinkle on the coarse sea salt

• Scatter minced garlic over top of filet

• Layer sliced lemons to cover top of filet

• Add the fresh dill and leeks on top of that

• Fold parchment from one corner to the other (pierogi-style)

• Place your parchment pouch on an ungreased, non-stick baking sheet

• Bake for 15 minutes

Enjoy! Thats it! I told you it was simple.
BONUS: No oils, fats or butter is utilized; the butteriness of the salmon is totally enough.

Have you ever made a fish parchment pouch? Share your ingredient combination in the comments! I'd love to hear from you.

Cheers!
~ christellar

Bikeloc - Local Food Warriors

2010-03-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

When I find something inspirational I just have to share it with others.

Have you heard of Bikeloc? I betcha u wanna...

Two compassionate foodies ( Robert & Aaron ) are on a mission to raise awareness, start a trend, learn and share the stories of the Local Food Movement through potlucks.

Overview

"The local food movement is burgeoning, and this summer provides a uniqe and timely opportunity to understand and document it – city-to-city across the US, via potlucks.

We're two invigorated, food-minded friends spending 100 days biking across America, holding 12 or more community potlucks along the way. Like journalists, we’ll ask questions, listen, and learn about the local food movement, with an ultimate purpose of spreading ideas and inspiration through conversation and personal story sharing.

We feel that the best way to understand the local food movement is by listening to stories and hearing perspectives of individuals in communities across the US."

"This summer we're biking across America to learn and share the stories of the Local Food Movement through Potlucks.

Sound like a good idea? Sign up for updates and we'll keep you posted on our progress.

What you see here is just the beginning of what's going to be a pretty awesome website, so keep coming back to see what new features have been added over the next few weeks!

In food,

Robert & Aaron"

Brilliant concept isn't it!?

Goals

Bike 4,000 miles, sharing local food ideas in 12 community potlucks
Engage 500 individuals in discussion and action around local food
Inspire 50 people to positively change their approach to food

Do me a favor: Promote them with Pepsi® Refresh Project as a "GOOD IDEA"

I mean: we all love food. Or at least anyone reading this does. And its SO important to understand where your food comes from. I cannot stress this enough!

I ran into these cool cats on twitter (of course), you should consider following them.
Even if you aren't a foodie--per say--I would still rececommend considering local options.

Why should you eat locally whenever possible?

10. Eating local eliminates the middlemen. Transportation, energy, packing, advertising, and middlemen profits account for about 25-percent of total food cost, all of which can be greatly reduced by eating local. Local foods may not be cheaper, but eating local certainly reduces the negative social and ecological consequences of our food choices.

9. Eating local saves transportation costs and reduces GHG emissions. By eating local we can make a significant contribution to social and ecological sustainability through our personal statement in favor of reducing our dependence on non-renewable energy and protecting the natural environment.

8. Eating local improves food quality. Local foods can be fresher, more flavorful, and nutritious than can fresh foods shipped in from distant locations. According to most surveys, this reason would top most lists of those who choose to eat locally.

Eating local also encourages eating seasonally, in harmony with the natural energy of a particular place, which is becoming an important dimension of quality for many of us.

7. Eating local makes at-home eating WORTH IT! Preparing local foods, which typically are raw or minimally processed, requires additional time and effort. But, the superior natural quality of local foods allows almost anyone to prepare really good foods at home. Good local foods taste good naturally, with little added seasoning and little cooking or slow cooking, which requires little attention.

Home preparation of raw foods also saves money, compared with convenience foods, which makes good food affordable for almost anyone, regardless of income, who can and will prepare food from scratch. Preparing and eating meals at home also provides opportunities for families to share quality time together in creative, productive, and rewarding activities, which contribute to stronger families, communities, and societies.

6. Eating local provides more meaningful food choices. Virtually all of food items in supermarkets today are produced using the same mass-production, industrial methods, with the same negative social and ecological consequences. In addition, the variety in foods today is largely cosmetic and superficial, contrived to create the illusion of diversity and choice where none actually exists.

By eating local, food buyers can get the food they individually prefer by choosing from foods that are authentically different, not just in physical qualities, but also in terms of the ecological and social consequences of how they are produced.

5. Eating local contributes to the local economy. Farmers who sell food direct to local customers receive the full retail value, a dollar for each food dollar spent. Of course, each dollar not spent at a local supermarket or eating establishment, detracts from the local economy. But, the local food economy still gains about three dollars for each dollar lost when food shoppers choose to buy from local farmers. In addition, farmers who produce for local markets receive a larger proportion of the total as a return for their labor, management, and entrepreneurship because they contribute a larger proportion to the production process. They also tend to spend locally, both for their personal and farming needs, which contribute still more to the local economy. Eating local is good for the local economy.

4. Eating local helps save farmland.

More than one million acres of U.S. farmland is lost each year to residential and commercial development.

We are still as dependent upon the land for our very survival today as when all people were hunters and gatherers, and future generations will be no less dependent than we are today. Our dependencies are more complex and less direct, but certainly are no less critical. Eating local creates economic opportunities for caring farmers to care for and retain control of their land, while valuing their neighbors as customers. Farms that don’t impose environmental and social costs on their neighbors can be very desirable places to live on and to live around.

Eating local may allow new residential communities to be established on farms, with residences strategically placed to retain the best land in farming. New sustainable communities could be built around common interests in good food and good lifestyles.

3. Eating local allows people to reconnect. The industrial food system was built upon a foundation of impersonal, economic relationships among farmers, food processors, food distributors, and consumers. Relationships had to be made impartial and impersonal to gain economic efficiency.

As a result, however, many people today have no meaningful understanding of where their food comes from or how it is produced.

By eating local, people are able to reconnect with local farmers, and through local farmers, reconnect with the earth. Many people first begin to understand a need to reconnect when they develop personal relationships with their farmers and personal knowledge of their farms. We cannot build a sustainable food system until people develop a deep understanding of their dependency upon each other and upon the earth.

2. Eating local restores integrity to the food system. A sustainable food system must be built upon a foundation of personal integrity. When people eat locally, farmers form relationships with customers who care about the social and ecological consequences of how their food is produced – not just lower price, more convenience. Those who eat locally form relationships with farmers who care about their land, their neighbors, and their customers – not just about maximizing profits.

Such relationships become relationships of trust and integrity, based on honesty, fairness, compassion, responsibility, and respect. Eating local provides people with an opportunity not only to reconnect personally, but also, to restore integrity to our relationships with each other and with the earth. In today’s society, there can be fewer if any higher priorities.

1. Eating local helps build a sustainable society. The growing problems that confront today’s food system are but reflections of deeper problems within the whole of American society. We are degrading the ecological integrity of the earth and the social integrity of our society in our pursuit of narrow, individual economic self-interests. Some may argue that Americans will never agree on the principles that define the integrity of our relationships. However, such arguments mistake values for principles. I believe virtually all Americans agree that people should be honest, fair, compassionate, responsible, and respectful.[iv] Who among us really believes it to be right and good to be dishonest, unfair, uncaring, irresponsible, and disrespectful? Relationships of integrity are essential for sustainability, not just for our food system, but also for the whole of our society and the future of humanity. There can be no higher reason for eating local than helping to restore integrity to our society.

(Thanks to John Ikerd for the great list!)

Are you a business interested in sponsoring these local warriors? Contact them and tell them why! I'm sure they would appreciate it :)

I personally give these gentlement 4 thumbs up (wish I had more thumbs) for their efforts and I'd like to give them kudos for their passion for local cuisine.

Jamies' "Proper" Chicken Caesar Salad

2010-02-22T10:01:00.001-08:00

So: It's sunday afternoon, I'm preparing my raw veggies for the week, I'm channel surfing, doing laundry, and The Almighty Jamie Oliver is on Food TV. I set the remote down while I'm folding my jeans and I *gasp*: Wow. Jamies' delicately pulling moist, juicy-looking chicken off of a leg. That shot in itself caught my attention.

I love a good home-made caesar salad: Big chunks of fresh-greated parm, salty anchovy and lots of garlic is how my papa makes it. This one looks close {shh...probably better} haha (image source)

Directions

With my own versions of the classics, like Caesar salad, it's not about changing things entirely;

it's about respecting the original while bigging up the flavors and textures where I can.

My twists for this salad are to use chicken legs (not dry old breasts!), smoky pancetta and lovely rustic croutons to suck up all the juices. It's a lovely little salad with just a hint of attitude - and it's versatile, as you can serve it hot or cold.

P.S. Use your imagination - if you have any other unusual salad leaves, flowers or herb shoots lying around, chuck some in to make it look a little less predictable.

Ingredients

4 whole free-range or organic chicken legs, skin on
1 loaf ciabatta bread (about 9 ounces), torn into thumb-sized pieces
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices pancetta or bacon
1/4 clove peeled garlic
4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, plus a few shavings to serve
1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche
1 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the chicken legs in a snug-fitting roasting pan with the pieces of torn-up bread. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to make sure everything is well coated, then lift the chicken legs up to the top, so they sit above the bread. This way, the bread will soak up all the lovely juices from the chicken, giving you the best croutons! Pop the pan into the preheated oven.

After 45 minutes the chicken should be nicely cooked. Take the pan out of the oven, drape the pancetta or bacon over the chicken and croutons, and put back for another 15 to 20 minutes for everything to crisp up. The chicken legs are ready when you can pinch the meat off the bone easily. When they're cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside for the chicken to cool down slightly.

Pound the garlic and anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar or a Flavor Shaker until you have a pulp. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the Parmesan, creme fraiche {he mentions you can use good-quality yogurt here instead}, lemon juice and 3 times as much extra-virgin olive oil as lemon juice. Season dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pull the chicken meat off the leg bones - you can use 2 forks to do this, or your hands if you're tough like me - and tear it up roughly with the croutons and the bacon. Wash, spin dry and separate the lettuce leaves, tear them up and toss with the chicken, croutons, bacon and creamy, cheesy dressing. Scatter with some Parmesan shavings. (image source)

This is such a gorgeous and simple preparation! And it's easy, because it's rustic and focuses on flavour as the spotlight. He finishes the dish-episode by mentioning that it's an ideal salad to impress boyfriends' parents, in-laws, etc.

NOT ONLY does Jamie suggest choosing free-range eggs, but a free-range chicken would add to its divinity I'm sure. I must whole-heartedly agree that it appeared quite impressive. Here's the recipe; I want to try this once I get a BBQ. Do you think it work well just roasted in the oven?

Have a BBQ? You should so do this.

Stellar Shrimp Soup

2010-02-18T11:13:00.001-08:00

Hello stellar-eaters!
I sucessfully created a tasty asian-inspired soup last night and thought it was worth sharing:

I had some frozen vegetable stock from my veggie-trimming purge-process (explaination to follow later) and used it with the following ingredients:

- Frozen deveigned, deshelled raw shrimp (approx. a dozen)
- 1 bunch of Bok Choy
- 1 package of Europes' Best: Imperial Blend vegetables [EDAMAME KERNELS (SOYBEAN), SNOW PEAS, BAMBOO SHOOTS, SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS, WATER CHESTNUTS, CARROTS, RED PEPPERS.]
- minced garlic
- ground ginger
- fish sauce
- soya sauce
- sesame oil
- garnish: raw green scallions, chopped

**simmered slowly for approx. 1 hour
NOTE: It seems a bit overcooked, less than an hour may be sufficient

My Slow-Food Twitter List

2010-02-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

I can admit it: I think I'm addicted to Twitter. How could you not be? It's the biggest worldwide bulletin board filled with flexible options and IMMEDIATE updates and coverage.

I've recently created an @christellar/slow-food list with many, many tweeple tweeting information on slow-food recipes and industry news. I encourage anyone interested in the slow-food movement to follow this list.

In addition; I also recieved my FEDEX Express of the well-known award-nominated documentary, Food Inc., which seriously blew me away in regards to awareness and appreciation for the food Western Society and Global Citizens eat. [food inc on twitter]

I highy encourage ANYONE to watch this extremely effective and educational documentary...it will change your LIFE. :) Have a stellar day!

xoxo christellar

Annual Christmas Goose

2009-12-28T07:33:00.001-08:00

I had a fabulous Christmas this year! More nummy food than I could ever dream of. As part of my European background; my family has a traditional Christmas Goose almost every Holiday Season. This year my father and I spent the afternoon of Christmas Eve preparing dinner for a small group but this was the best Christmas Goose yet! So good in fact: I'm going to share the recipe!

**Inspired by the Great Jamie Oliver

- 1 large goose in large roasting pan: line the roasting pan with seasonal winter vegetables: carrots, parsnips, yellow onion (instead of a rack)

- preheat oven to 350 F

- ensure the goose is fully cleaned

- mix ground pork (not lean variety) with diced yellow onion, fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

- cover goose neck opening with ground pork mixture to ensure secure closed cavity

- through rear opening; line the goose cavity with the rest of the ground pork mixture.

- slice 1 orange and 1 apple and line the inside cavity of the goose (IMPORTANT: do not over-stuff the cavity)

- add a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary to the cavity.

- place the pretty goose over the root-veg-rack created and add about 1 cup of wine/water/broth to the pan to ensure the veg do not burn to pan.

- add a couple cubes of butter to the top of the goose

- bake @350 F for approx. 2.5 hours; basting the goose every 15 minutes to ensure the breasts remain tender

- after 2.5 hours; reduce temp. to 300 F and bake for 1/2 hour more.

- allow the bird to rest for 30 minutes.

We served our goose with some white and green asparagus with brown-butter sauce, made gravy from the pan-goodies and smashed garlic potatoes.

Merry Christmas StellarEaters :)

In Season: Cabbage

2009-12-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

Winter is here and man its cold. But it also means a transition to variety! Cabbage has to be one of my favourite vegetables.
My father would cook cabbage (or kale) with salty pork and its such a great pair.

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, chopped (2 cups)
5 tablespoons EVOO
1 Turkish bay leaf
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (4 cloves)
1 large head Savoy cabbage (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), quartered, cored, and coarsely chopped (12 cups loosely packed)
Ham stock including meat
1 1/4 pounds tender green kale (1 large bunch), stems and center ribs cut out and discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (12 cups loosely packed)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup dry white wine anykind
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Cook onion in 3 tablespoons oil with bay leaf in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add cabbage and increase heat to moderately high, then sauté, stirring occasionally, until cabbage starts to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add stock (with meat from ham hocks) and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in kale, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 15 minutes.

Add wine to skillet and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, until liquid is reduced to about 2/3 cup. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice, the rest of the EVOO; then add sauce to cabbage mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice if desired.
**NOTE: Add some salty sausages to your mixture and serve over steamed potatoes or quinoa

A TRIBUTE: To frozen Veggies

2009-12-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

When I like a product brand or company: I tend to really like them.

Since I didn't cook much this weekend; besides a bit of a Shrimp Stir Fry, I thought it was worth mentioning how my grocery-cart looked this weekend....3 bags of Europe's Best Frozen Veggies; I just love'em!

They're Frozen Fruits are phenomenal (nothing compared to Grocery-brand quality) and they're Frozen Veggie blends are really really good.

Their website also features tonnes of recipes including: Roasted Salmon with Mango Lime Chutney...definitely worth trying.

I've been leaning towards frozen veggies lately (rather than fresh; being winter) so I was just extra-impressed with their quality, variety and promotional material.

Here's a "stellar" recipe from their site worth posting:

Ratatouille Soup with Goat Cheese Toasts

Ingredients:
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 500 g (1 bag) Europe's Best® Mediterranean Diced Delite, frozen
• 1 L (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
• 45 mL (3 tbsp) tomato paste
• 4 mL (3/4 tsp) herbes de Provence or dried thyme
• 4 mL (3/4 tsp) salt
• 1 mL (1/4 tsp) black pepper
• 4 nuggets Europe's Best® Chef's Spinach, frozen

Goat Cheese Toasts:
• 8 baguette slices (about 1 cm/ 1/2 inch thick), toasted
• 90 g (3 oz) softened goat cheese or herbed cream cheese

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
2. Add Europe’s Best® Mediterranean Diced Delite, stock, tomato paste, herbes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
3. Puree half of soup with an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Return to saucepan with remaining soup, and place over medium heat. Add Europe’s Best® Chef’s Spinach nuggets and cook, stirring occasionally until nuggets have defrosted and are s

For toasts:
4. While soup is cooking, spread baguette slices with cheese. Float on soup or serve along side.

In summation; don't omit frozen veg as an option; they're nutritious with minimal cooking!!!

Have a good day readers!

'sketti squash

2009-11-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

Bonjour stellar eaters
I was so excited about my recipe I whipped-up last night I thought it was of calibur to share it :) A healthy and super-tasty invention

SPAGETTI SQUASH LASAGNA

**Layer ingredients in a small casserole dish in the following order**

1 cup of wild and brown-rice; precooked and mixed
1 medium-sized zuccini; thinly sliced
1 cup of wild and brown-rice; precooked and mixed
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce spreaded evenly; home-made works best
layer of mozzarella shredded cheese
**Cooked Spaghetti Squash [directions below]
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce spreaded evenly
Top with more mozzarella and some parmesean, asiago and provelone cheese
Bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees

[spaghetti squash baking instructions]
Pierce randomly with long knife,
Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for 1 hour,
Remove from oven and cut in half;
Scoop out seeds/slop with ice cream scoop (works well)
Place two halves of squash in roasting pan again, drizzle with EVOO and coarse salt;
Cover with foil and bake for 1 more hour;
Remove and ALLOW TO COOL before scraping out yummi-strings.

Hope this brings inspiration :D stella

Oh Canada! A 'Maple' enspired meal

2009-06-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Canada Day is approaching for us Northerners; We like to celebrate the Birthday (142 this year) of our Nation in style; it's important to Canadians!

foodtv.ca posted a really cute article on Canada Day party suggestions

http://www.foodtv.ca/summer/TipsDetails.aspx?sectionid=335&postid=82737

This is my IDEAL Canada-day meal for 2009:

Maple Mustard Pork Burgers

Ingredients: Burgers
* 2 lb. ground pork (1kg) [my local grocer carries a seasoned sausage ground mixture with pork--I plan on mixing]
* 2 x large French shallots chopped, fine dice
* 2 x cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp salt (5ml)
* 1 tsp ground black pepper (5ml)
Glaze
* 3 tbsp pure maple syrup (45ml)
* 2 tbsp spicy grainy mustard (30ml)
* 1 tbsp of cider vinegar (15ml)
* 1 tsp of liquid honey (5ml)
* 1/2 tsp of dry mustard (2ml)
* 1 tsp orange zest chopped fine (5ml)
* 6 x large onion buns, sliced.
Directions:
1. In a medium size bowl combine the ground pork, chopped shallots, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 6 patties of equal size about 1 inch thick (2.5cm). Place patties on to a tray and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until ready to grill.
2. In a medium size bowl whisk together all glaze ingredients.
3. Preheat barbeque grill to 375°F/190°C or medium high heat. Oil the grill.
4. Brush the pork burgers with prepared glaze. Place pork patties on grill for 7-8 minutes basting every 2 minutes or until dark golden brown and slightly crisp on exterior. Flip the burgers and continue to cook for another 7 minutes basting every 2 minutes. Remove burgers from grill and place on tray.
5. Place sliced buns on the bun rack for 1 minute.
6. Serve burgers with warm onion buns and desired toppings.

The toppings I'm using:
- Canadian Bacon!! Woo hoo!
- vine-ripe tomatoes
- ranch dressing (i put it on all my burgurs)
- gerkins
- spinach

Karma Free has a Maple Carrots recipe that I think would go well with the burgers; there are also suggestions of:

- maple glazed sweet potatoes (grilled)
- maple beans are poi-fect with a burger!

Here's the post on Serious Eats with many many more ideas! Thanks!

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers day daddies! "Papa" and I have spent our best times together in the kitchen; in fact, he's taught me basically all that I know about food (with the exception of Food Network)!

This year I took the Greyhound into my home town and we had my sister over. The meal was 2 die for! (In addition to the fab sushi my sis brought for appies)

- steamed Russian crab legs with drawn butter
- grilled porterhouse (rare of course! and so darn tender I almost cried with Montreal spice)
- fresh baby red potatoes with a shallot/dill cream sauce (a family recipe that kills)
- caesar salad (LOL - from a bag haha)

Food is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of my father; so the event was fitting :)