Gastroanthropology

The Backhandspring Sandwich.

You know you're onto something amazing when people start giving the foods you make special names. My best friend has a cake that has been dubbed the 'Get a Man Cake'. A cake so delicious men fall in love with you when they have a slice. I also know a chef in San Francisco that has a dessert so good it's been referred to as 'Panty-Dropping'. A dessert so tasty that women consider dropping their undergarments once she's tasted it. I'll work on getting them to let me reveal their secrets to the foodie blogosphere, but in the meantime I'll share with you one of my own.

The Backhandspring Sandwich...

A sandwich so good that a few people have be tempted to throw their bodies into backhandsprings upon taking a bite.

First make the sauce...3 parts full-fat or homemade mayonnaise to 2 parts good grain mustard. Add a touch of ketchup and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Stir together with a pinch of freshly ground pepper. Set aside. Cook up thick cut, meaty, smoked bacon. Slice and gently toast thickly sliced wholewheat or soft ciabatta. I toast my bread because it gives it a chance against the sauce, but only gently. Really toasted bread makes it difficult on the roof of your mouth when biting into this little monster. I always avoid baguette or dutch crunch when I make this sandwich because the crusts of those types of bread just seem to get in the way. Slice up tomatoes and avocado. You will also need good quality sliced turkey breast, cleaned mixed greens, including a not-to-peppery arugula. If you want a triple flip, followed by your backhandspring, add a fried egg.

Assembling the sandwich. Slather each piece of bread with the sandwich sauce. Layer all the ingredients...I always try to avoid the tomatoes touching the bread if it needs to travel any sort of distance. 

Burns Night Feast

Through the magic of food I went to Scotland last night for a Burns Night Feast, without actually going to Scotland. What is Burns Night you say? Well, its actually today, January 25th, the birth date of Robert Burns (1759-1796). A feast celebrates Scotland's favorite champion of the common man, poet and balladeer. He is best known for poems like A Red, Red Rose; To A Louse; the famous Auld Lang Syne; and, of course the Address To A Haggis.

A celebration dedicated to a man who writes a poem about boiled lamb and beef innards with oatmeal? The Scots really are a fabulous bunch. Burns Night Feasts feature Scottish classics and copious amounts of whiskey.

Last night at Mudchute Kitchen's Burns Night Feast we had:

Haggis is a must for any Burns Night Feast. Rumor has it that the best haggis in all the world comes from Macsween's. The haggis was so flavorful and delicious, and of the few times I've had haggis, this was the first time I can truly say I enjoyed the flavor. Macsween's also has a vegetarian haggis that is tasty as well. The haggis was served alongside another Scottish dish, Neeps 'n' Tatties, or turnips (more likely rutabaga's in the winter) and mashed potatoes.

Before addressing the haggis, we had Cullen Skink. I first tried this smoked haddock soup last spring on the Isle of Skye, and was very excited to have another taste. The smoked haddock stands up to the potato and cream perfectly making the most scrumptious soup.

For dessert, Caledonian Cream was served. It's whipped cream cheese and heavy cream with orange marmalade and whiskey. Chunky orange peel marmalade is actual of Scottish origin, invented in Dundee in the late 1700s. 

Thinking of your own Burns Night Feast? You could also include some other Scottish favorites like Cock-a-Leekie, a Scottish chicken soup with leeks and prunes; Scottish smoked salmon; Caboc, a rich, creamy cheese rolled in oats and Scotland's oldest, dating back to the 1400s; and, Typsy Laird, a dessert made with layers of sponge cake, raspberries, custard, oats, and whiskey. If in doubt, just lace everything heavily with whiskey!

The only thing missing from last night's feast was a True Scotsman!

Tuscany Part 2: Foods of Siena

San Gimignano, Siena, Tuscany

Our last stop in the province of Siena was a San Gimignano - a gorgeous, walled medieval town from the 900s, and famous for its towers. 15 of the original 72 towers remain. We arrived after lunch and before dinner so had to make do with a bowl of sausages and tuscan beans, which was tasty, but a few other edibles caught my eye. Like this curing cinghiale, otherwise known as wild boar.

 

This selection of cinghiale prosciutto was almost as impressive as the curing meats in a butcher's shop from the town of Siena. Sorry for the blur - I had to take this incognito.

 

As amazing as all these lovely cured meats are, there lies a special place in my heart for all things sweet. And while I am a moth to a flame for sunshine and warm weather, I love fall because it means Halloween, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas cookies, and harvest time for nuts! Celebrating the cooler weather spirit is a famous Christmas cookie from the region of Siena - ricciarelli. 

 

This traditional Christmas cookie (can be enjoyed at anytime of the year, of course) is made up of almond paste, egg whites, sugar, and often orange zest. The dough is made and formed into balls or the more traditional diamond shape. These are left out for a couple days to form a crackly skin, sprinkled with 10x, and then baked. Ricciarelli are very similar to the more well-known amaretti. 

Another sweet treat we discovered in Siena was panforte. It's basically a fruit cake loaded with nuts, candied fruits, and spices. There also exists a chocolate version!

 

A proper panforte is said to have 17 different ingredients, representing each of the 17 contrada that make up Siena. If you want to know a bit more about Siena's contradas check out my previous post.

Its as if the gods knew our trip to Tuscany had come to an end in San Gimignano, as the clouds rolled in and it began to sprinkle.

 

Good thing we managed to have the last of the summer tomatoes the day before...

 

Summer is officially over in my book. A real chill has come to London and this time I think its here to stay. I've even had to pull out my heating blanket for the bed this week. Plum jams on deck, just got my first batch of pears, and already writing my grocery list for Thanksgiving. Fall is definitely here.

The Educated Once-A-Week Carnivore + The Ginger Pig

I'm always amazed at how much trust we put in the food system. We'll pick something off a grocery store shelf, put it into our mouths, chew and swallow. We generally assume that everyone along the food chain has done their due diligence and what we buy is safe. Sometimes the system goes wrong - E. coli on spinach, salmonella in tomato and peanut butter, melamine in milk, dioxin in pig feed, etc... But, for the most part the food we eat is safe, right?

Traceability is much easier with a short chain, less middlemen to make a mistake, overlook a problem, and place the blame on someone else. Traceability is especially important when choosing meat. Everything the cow, pig, or lamb ate, the way it was treated and slaughtered - it's all in your body when you take a bite. I try to limit my consumption to one portion each of meat and poultry a week for two reasons: a little bit is good, but too much does harm, and meat production is the most input and carbon intensive thing you can eat. So for me its eat less meat, but eat better meat.

If you live or are passing through London check out The Ginger Pig. They are farmers and butchers that control everything from the breeding, feeding, and slaughter of their livestock. The Ginger Pig uses a number farms in the North Yorkshire Moors to rear their lamb, cattle, and namesake - The Ginger Pig. 

The Ginger Pig is actually the copper-colored Tamworth. They don't yield as many piglets as most conventional pig farmers want, and The Ginger Pigs get to live a little longer on feed made of barley, oats, and wheat grown on the farm. Longhorn cattle and Dorset sheep are raised and allowed to meander through pasture, spending their days under the sun (well, it is the UK so I'm not sure how many UV rays they are catching, but they are outside!), grazing at their own leisure. When it comes close to their final days they eat on-site grown barley.

At The Ginger Pig butcher shop you see certain whole carcasses hung as part of the natural tenderizing process. They show you how to break down the meat, or do it for you. They tell you how they treated the meat and suggest how you might use it. The butcher's can't shut up about this, that, and the other thing about their pigs and other meat - and that is a very good sign. If you ask your butcher about how and who reared the meat you are about to buy and he is more than happy to talk and share - great. If he hasn't got a clue, it's time to find a new source for meat. 

In Lincolnshire, poultry is raised for The Ginger Pig. They produce these lovely fresh eggs.

Yes, its more expensive to eat meat and poultry where animal health and welfare is important. But, that's a perfect excuse to buy it less often. Less meat is better for you and the environment. Choosing meats that are traceable from farm to fork means you are more educated about what you are putting into your body. Meanwhile, you are more than likely to be contributing to a sustainable farm system. At The Ginger Pig, the butchers, who are a wealth of knowledge, are also happy to be working there. Remember, holistic farming and ranching should also consider the social sustainability of those who work the land, rear the animals, and sell the goods.

The Ginger Pig - Click here for multiple London locations.  

 

Wiener Schnitzel - Vienna, Part 2

During my recent trip to Vienna I was so obsessed with having a real Sachertorte I neglected to do any due diligence on the savory food of Vienna. I usually have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in-betweens pre-planned for any excursions. By luck, we stumbled on some wonderful food in Vienna.

It all starts with the food market. Every European city seems to have a local street market with the best of the best. This market, called Naschmarkt, was spilling with fresh fruit and vegetables, gorgeous in color and quality. The market also had lots of fresh seafood, meat, cheese, breads, and ethnic foods. The unfortunate thing about travel is that I can't take a portable kitchen along with me to take advantage of the fresh foods.

As tourists and travelers on foot we must often rely on street food. Here in Vienna, there was no shortage of wursts and sauerkraut to enjoy while exploring the city.

The sauerkraut was fresh, a bit sweet, and not too pickeled - and after trying kraut in multiple locations all over Europe I find that I prefer it that way.

Most Viennese buildings have cellars and these are well taken advantage of. Many restaurants and cafes utilize or exist only in the cellar. You feel a bit transported in time as candles and low-lights barely illuminate. The food isn't fancy, its just plain old good. Here is a plate of roasted pork, beef, blood and regular sausages, topped with giant, stuffed dumplings on a bed of sauerkraut.

On the last day of our trip to Vienna we hadn't had wienerschnitzel yet. We had one meal left and we walked around the old town and I almost thought we'd return back to London without having eat wienerschnitzel in Wien. No. I could not let this happen. At that moment we stumbled upon Figlmuller's. It was busy (a good sign) and serving traditional Austrian fare, which meant wienerschnitzel was on the menu. We ordered the schnitzel and it came with half a lemon. It was so big, overlapping the plate. It was tender, seasoned, and the breading perfectly crisp. All it needed was a squeeze of lemon. It was the best wienerschnitzel I have ever had. Later, when I asked Mr. Gastroanthropolgist, critic of critics when it comes to all things food, about our meal he said is was the best "fudging" wienerschnitzel he had ever had.

Fortunately, we were able to enjoy our schnitzel in the cellar of Figlmuller's. Unfortunately, that means flash photography, which means I won't post it because it does absolutely no justice to the world's best wienerschnitzel. When we left Figlmuller's I saw this though:

If you can't read it, it's a New York Times review on a place for remarkable Viennese food, where the schnitzel overlaps the plate (all Viennese schnitzels are supposed to overlap the plate), and pounded thin and tend only once the schnitzel is ordered. It's also a great place for Viennese wines, though we may have messed with that a bit as we ordered gesprtizter, or wine with soda water, which is commonly drunk in Vienna. Figlmuller's certainly tasted like the best, and other critics agree.