The incessant assault of Christmas music. The arrival of quickly-signed cards from people I barely know. The fountain of catalogs flying through my mail slot: oh yeah, the holidays are coming.
I have to say, I'm not in the mood. The current state of the economy clashes with the rampant consumerism of December. And I grow weary of the fussy entitlement reflected in many of the wish lists I encounter. Shouldn't we all be canning, knitting and otherwise hunkering down for a cold winter with a chance of Depression?
This year, to cheer myself up, I've decided to give as many local gifts as I can. I started my shopping with Pangea Organics, whose lovely soaps and lotions are made in Boulder Colorado at their wind-powered plant. Their packaging is not only biodegradable, it's infused with plant seeds, so you can wet it, place it under about an inch of soil, and grow edible sweet basil, flowering amaranth, or even a spruce tree.
What's more, for a limited time you can e-mail holiday@pangeaorganics.com with the subject line "Trees Please" and they'll send you an order form that takes 50% off every product. This is a spectacular deal. I'm imagining wrapped stacks of three soaps each for certain lucky friends.
Next, I bought some Smartwool Socks designed by Boulder artist and friend Julie Maren. I love these socks. My favorite design is Bombay, a cozy crew that comes in four gorgeous colors and features a lotus flower.
Unfortunately, though Smartwool is based in Steamboat Springs, I wasn't able to find the best deal on these socks locally. But the deal I did find was from a very socially responsible company aiming toward carbon neutraility and very engaged in corporate socail responsibility: Timberland. The $20 socks were marked down to under $13 -- plus I found plenty of online coupons to get 20-40% off. A shopping victory!
Then there's the knitting. I've made a bunny beanie, surely the cutest baby hat ever designed. I'm working on fingerless gloves for one of my sisters, and I've got a couple of scarves wrapped and ready.
Finally, I made truffles. I'll confess, the chocolate isn't local, but there's not much I can do about that. Local cream and local butter soothed my conscience. These make a great gift for freinds and hostesses. And they're easy to make. Here's the recipe I use:
Tasty Chocolate Truffles
(makes 50)
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (60% or more cacao works well)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
A capful (or two) of a tasty liqueur (I've used frangelico, grand mariner, and kahlua, among others)
Unsweetened dutch cocoa to cover
Melt chocolate & butter in microwave-safe mixing bowl, stirring every 30 seconds.
Heat cream to simmer and pour into chocolate mixture.
Gently stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.
Add Grand Mariner and stir until blended.
Chill in refrigerator for two hours.
When firm, remove from fridge.
Form small spoonfuls into truffle-sized balls & roll in cocoa to coat.
Keep in fridge.
Take one or more daily to relieve stress or celebrate life.
Maybe it's just the truffles, but I'm feeling better about the holidays...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
The "Right" Bird
Thanksgiving is a time to remember all we're grateful for -- but it's also an opportunity to make choices that make a difference. This year, I was determined to get a bird that was both local and heritage.
Local is a no-brainer. The farther your food has to travel to you, the more fossil fuels you're eating -- and no amount of gravy is going to make that taste good.
Heritage was a newer concept to me, and one I've gotten very excited about. If it's a new idea to you, too, here's a good way to think of it. Heritage is to turkey as heirloom is to tomato. People who keep heritage livestock are working to maintain the integrity of older (and in many cases disappearing) breeds. In many cases, these breeds were created for superior flavor and health -- thinkgs I value -- rather than huge breasts or better freezabilitiy -- things valued in the industrial food chain.
For example, your regular grocery store turkey was bred to have a plump, juicy breast. Sounds good, right? Well, they roast up nicely, but at a price. These birds are too top-heavy to stand up and move around well. In fact, they can't do much of anything -- including breed. This is a worry to me, as I care about the quality of life and health of the animals I eat.
Heritage turkeys have not been overbred in this same way. They have long-established pedigrees, and are much more like the birds past generations ate at their Thanksgiving tables.
But be forewarned, these specimens pose their own cooking challenges. They are leaner (healthier), making it difficult to time the roasting just right so that the breast stays moist while the legs and thighs get thorougly cooked.
My solution this year was to separate the legs and thighs and braise them. I did this days ahead, cutting down on my responsibilities on the big day. This plan also cut my roasting time way down, and I was simply roasting the breast and wings. The roasted breast was good, but the thighs and legs were a revealation. One guest even said "This is the best turkey I've ever had!"
Here's how I prepared the legs and thighs. And how I think I'll do it every year from here on out:
1. Salt and pepper legs and thighs, then brown them in a Le Crueset or other dutch oven on medium heat. Remove the legs and thighs and set aside.
2. Use same pan to sauté 1 small onion (chopped) and 2-3 stalks celery (chopped) in a little olive oil until soft.
3. Return legs and thighs to the pan, and add 1-2 inches of apple cider, 1-2 cups white wine, and a nice sprig of thyme.
4. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
5. Cook for 3-4 hours until meat is very tender.
6. Remove meat and heat braising liquid slightly to thicken. Skim some fat from the liquid if desired.
7. Pull meat from bones and set aside.
8. You can store the meat and braising liquid separately or together. If you keep them separate, you can skim more fat from the liquid once it has congealed in the fridge.
Happy eating!
Local is a no-brainer. The farther your food has to travel to you, the more fossil fuels you're eating -- and no amount of gravy is going to make that taste good.
Heritage was a newer concept to me, and one I've gotten very excited about. If it's a new idea to you, too, here's a good way to think of it. Heritage is to turkey as heirloom is to tomato. People who keep heritage livestock are working to maintain the integrity of older (and in many cases disappearing) breeds. In many cases, these breeds were created for superior flavor and health -- thinkgs I value -- rather than huge breasts or better freezabilitiy -- things valued in the industrial food chain.
For example, your regular grocery store turkey was bred to have a plump, juicy breast. Sounds good, right? Well, they roast up nicely, but at a price. These birds are too top-heavy to stand up and move around well. In fact, they can't do much of anything -- including breed. This is a worry to me, as I care about the quality of life and health of the animals I eat.
Heritage turkeys have not been overbred in this same way. They have long-established pedigrees, and are much more like the birds past generations ate at their Thanksgiving tables.
But be forewarned, these specimens pose their own cooking challenges. They are leaner (healthier), making it difficult to time the roasting just right so that the breast stays moist while the legs and thighs get thorougly cooked.
My solution this year was to separate the legs and thighs and braise them. I did this days ahead, cutting down on my responsibilities on the big day. This plan also cut my roasting time way down, and I was simply roasting the breast and wings. The roasted breast was good, but the thighs and legs were a revealation. One guest even said "This is the best turkey I've ever had!"
Here's how I prepared the legs and thighs. And how I think I'll do it every year from here on out:
1. Salt and pepper legs and thighs, then brown them in a Le Crueset or other dutch oven on medium heat. Remove the legs and thighs and set aside.
2. Use same pan to sauté 1 small onion (chopped) and 2-3 stalks celery (chopped) in a little olive oil until soft.
3. Return legs and thighs to the pan, and add 1-2 inches of apple cider, 1-2 cups white wine, and a nice sprig of thyme.
4. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
5. Cook for 3-4 hours until meat is very tender.
6. Remove meat and heat braising liquid slightly to thicken. Skim some fat from the liquid if desired.
7. Pull meat from bones and set aside.
8. You can store the meat and braising liquid separately or together. If you keep them separate, you can skim more fat from the liquid once it has congealed in the fridge.
Happy eating!
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