Eat Well in Austin

On Friday my other half leaves for a business trip to Austin, TX. Yup, he's on his way to SXSW Interactive.

Business trips usually mean long, busy days. And eating well isn't necessarily at the top of the priority list. Not any more. I found out about a great resource for all the folks heading to Austin for the festival.

Eat Well, SXSW.

Together with Edible Austin, Healthy Monday and Meatless Monday, the people at Eat Well Guide have gathered a list of sustainable, healthy and locally-owned dining options for you to enjoy during SXSW. Check out the interactive map or download the PDF.

Psst ... honey ... there's a Saturday Farmer's Market downtown.

New Thoughts On An Older Movie

Yes I know this is an old movie, but I never thought about it like this before ... so bear with me ...

I happened to catch Wall-E on TV last night. I so like this movie. I mean who can resist a robot romance? Or a cute little robot that makes the characteristically Mac noise when it's fully charged?

But, I digress...

Oddly enough this movie got me thinking about food and not just about the fact that Twinkies will pretty much last forever. Here's what struck me:

1. Overweight, sedentary humans who subsist on nothing but "food in a cup" and have no idea what real food is or where it comes from. (yes, I know being in space impacts the body).
2. Our planet no longer being able to sustain life (except, of course, for cockroaches).

But right here on earth we are becoming this unhealthy, sedentary society who are disconnected from real food and where it comes from. And, in my opinion, we are doing things to mother nature that may soon lead to her/our demise.

It's so important to reconnect ourselves to real food, to truly appreciate those who grow/raise it, and to be as sustainable as possible in what we do. It's important to get our hands dirty - literally and figuratively.

How do you stay connected to food and nature?

Crock-Pot Cacciatore

Yes, I am still having fun playing with my Crock-pot. This time I went for a classic Italian dish: chicken cacciatore. I've only made it a couple of times the traditional way, but thought it would be perfect to try in a slow cooker. I was right.

It still requires a bit of stove-top prep time, but I think it's an important part of process to maximize flavor. And while my mother-in-law's chicken cacciatore still reigns supreme, this is a good contender for second place.

Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1-2 pounds of chicken pieces (I used all thighs)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
• 2 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
3. Add the chicken to the pan skin side down and cook until nicely browned. Turn the pieces over and brown on the other side.
4. Once nicely browned, remove the pan from the heat, and place the chicken in the Crock-pot.
5. Keep about 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat in the pan, pour off the rest.
6. Return the pan to the heat and add the onions, garlic and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions get slightly translucent.
7. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Add the red wine and bring it to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan.
9. Add the crushed tomatoes and oregano. Bring it all back to a simmer.
10. Remove from heat and pour over the chicken in the Crock-Pot.
11. Stir in the thawed peas.
12. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the chicken is falling off the bone.

Alternative

• It seems every region of Italy has its own version of this hunter's style chicken. My grandmother did it in more of brown sauce while some cooks use only mushrooms and no other veggies. My husband grew up with carrots and peas in his cacciatore so that's how I do it. Have fun with it. It's all delicious.

Quinoa Porridge

Before winter was over I was determined to make something just as warm and hearty as oatmeal, but with a little twist. I am so glad I did. Yes, the only local ingredients were the maple syrup and milk but that's better than nothing I suppose.

Quinoa Porridge

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan add the uncooked quinoa, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of milk. Bring it to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes (until all the liquid is absorbed).
2. Add the rest of the milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and flax seeds.
3. Bring it to a gentle simmer and let it cook until it reaches your desired consistency (the longer it cooks the thicker it gets).
4. Then remove it from the heat and stir in the maple syrup.
5. Scoop into individual servings. Top each bowl with some of the dried cranberries and walnuts.

Alternatives

• The sky is the limit with this. There are tons of ways to customize it. Get inspired and just wing it. Come summer I'm thinking fresh local strawberries and honey would be delicious.
  

Irish Stout & Beef Stew

What's one of the best kitchen purchase I've made in long a while? My Crock-Pot!

Boy do I love this thing. I don't know why I waited so long to get one.

Here is a dish that I adapted for my Crock-pot. I used to start this on the stove, then have it cook away in the oven. Doing it the Crock-pot was so much easier, just a little prep time. It came out tender and flavorful. Perfect for a snowy winter day.

Irish Stout & Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds grass-fed beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 1 pint of stout beer
• 14 oz. beef broth
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 2 inch chunks
• 3 carrots cut into 2 inch pieces
• 3 parsnips cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 small onion cut into thick half-moon pieces
• 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 10 oz. frozen peas, thawed
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat
2. Season the meat and dredge in the flour.
3. Shake off excess flour, and place into hot pan. Brown the meat on all sides.
4. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and add the meat to the Crock-pot.
5. Add the veggies to the Crock-pot.
6. Whisk together the beef broth and tomato paste, then add to the Crock-pot.
7. Pour in the beer.
8. Season with salt & pepper (to your taste).
9. Put on the lid and turn the Crock-pot on.
10. Cook on LOW for 10 hours.

Alternatives

• My husband likes to add hot sauce to just about everything. This stew was no exception. I must admit it works. It might not be a very Irish thing to do, but try it. Just add a few hearty dashes for a subtle kick.

This is cross-posted as part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

A Win-Win Situation

I am always so excited and surprised by the diversity and quality of fine foods made by folks right here in Connecticut.

Last week the CT Specialty Food Assoc. held it's 9th Product Awards Competition. There were 237 specialty food items from CT-based producers. Categories ranged from dairy to beverages to confections to snack foods. The entries were judged by a 30-person panel that included chefs from the CT Dept. of Ag's Farm To Chef Program.

Sure it's a win for the producers but I can't help thinking it's a win for us eaters too.

A few of my favorites:

• Outstanding Bread: Wave Hill Breads placed 2nd & 3rd for it's 3 Grain Pain du Campagne & 3 Grain Petit Epi.
• Outstanding Dairy: Cato Corner Farm placed 1st, 2nd & 3rd for it's Black Ledge Blue Cheese, Brigid's Abbey Cheese & Bloomsday Cheese.
• Outstanding Product Line: Boxed Goodes tied for 1st for it's line of herbs, rice, snacks & soups followed by The Olive Oil Factory in 2nd for it's flavored oils.

Here's a complete list of all the winners. I hope to sample it all.

Mmm...I'm hungry!

Food Environmental Atlas

For the last few days I've been playing with a neat online tool one of my food blogger friends (Sophie of Late Bloomers Farm) wrote about called the Food Environmental Atlas. Put out by the USDA, the atlas details things like the availability of restaurants and grocery stores, health, local foods, foods eaten at home, and more. You can look at the entire US or get specific all the way down to the county level.

The above map is a look at the number of farmers markets in Connecticut. The darker color indicates a higher amount. I was surprised to see my county, Fairfield County, was among those with the most farmers markets.

How does your area stack up? Any surprises?