The Corn Supremacy

For summer grilling that is delicious and easy on the wallet, look no further than fresh corn. Lindsay, my wife and culinary researcher, found a simple recipe that utilizes corn husks as a wrapping for seasoned chicken thighs. Similar to tamales but missing the corn filling, they were very tasty.

Start with husks pulled from several ears of fresh summer corn.

Place a medium-sized piece of chicken within one of the open husks and season.  Wrap another piece of husk around the meat so that it's completely encapsulated in husk.

Use a strip of corn husk to tie the bundle into a neat package.

Place the bundles directly over hot coals.  The husks will shield the chicken slightly from the fire's intense heat.

 

Grill for 25-30 minutes, turning once partway through cooking.  Move the bundles out of the way of the fire's direct heat partway through cooking if it appears they'e cooking too fast.

While the bundles are cooking, boil the ears of corn that were inside the husks, cut from the cob, and quickly fry in a cast iron skillet with some butter and sea salt.

Serve hot off the grill.  Be careful when unwrapping as the contents will be hot.

Baba Ganoush for Simple and Light Summer Dining

One of my favorite foods to make in the summer is baba ganoush.  Also referred to as eggplant caviar, this heavenly dish is simple to make and delicious on bread, in sandwiches, or by itself.  Start with a large eggplant (or 2-3 smaller ones).

Slice into 1/2" thick pieces and generously splash or brush with olive oil.  Cook on a hot grill.  I like to cook the pieces to the point of charring, but you don't have to do this.  Alternatively, you may cube and bake the eggplant in a 375 degree oven.

Cut the slices into smaller pieces, add 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic (depending on taste), and the juice of 1/2 lemon.  Puree the ingredients in a food processor or blender.

After blending, add 3-5 tablespoons of tahini, which is available at Middle Eastern markets or the international section of most grocery stores.  Mix well.  Bon Appetit!

Thanks Randal for Introducing me to Babka!

On a recent visit to Columbus, my friend Randal brought me a mango babka from Trader Joe's.  Knowing that I couldn't finish the entire pastry before it began to go bad, I cut it into portions and froze them to enjoy later.

I researched babkas online and found that they're enjoyed in many parts of Eastern Europe and often served on Easter Sunday.  This version had mango layered in with a wonderful glaze and made a perfect breakfast with a cup of tea.

Food is about sharing the things we enjoy with those we care about.  Thanks Randal for the many gifts of food and friendship you've given to me over the years!

If you're interested in trying you're hand at making a babka, this recipe looks like a good one.
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-babka-229608 

Avoiding Food Waste

Avoiding waste can be a challenging.  At the store, we often purchase more than we need and find that at least some food travels almost directly from the store to our garbage cans, with only a brief layover in the fridge.

I purchased these lovely cucumbers several days before the 4th of July.  Planning on using them for a salad over the weekend, I reached for the package and found them moldy and unsuitable to eat only 5 days after they had been purchased.

Below are a few suggestions on how to reduce food waste this summer:

• Visit the grocery store frequently and buy only what you plan to use for 2-3 days.  I was fascinated when I visited New York's Chinatown about a decade ago and was advised that most residents only buy groceries for 1-2 days, use those items, and then go out to buy for the next several days.
• Have recipes in mind when you purchase meat and produce.  If you know what you plan to make, there's a greater likelihood you'll use what you buy.
•  Cook frequently.  Even if your schedule is busy, try to make the time to prepare most of your meals at home.  You'll eat healthier and portions will be much more reasonable.

Thanks Professor Alomari!

Thank you to my friend and colleague Omar Alomari for the WONDERUL baklava!  Occasionally when a friend brings food into work it's a wonderful reminder that food serves many purposes in our culture: it provides sustenance to the hungry, it serves as a catalyst for gatherings and conversation, and perhaps most importantly, it is a wonderful sign of friendship and care for others.

Served with a cup of hot tea, there is nothing better than this famous Middle Eastern treat.  Thank you Omar!

FoodPope Summer Tip: Keep an Eye Open for Discarded Grills

As the summer continues to heat up, grilling becomes a wonderful way to prepare an array of meats and vegetables.  If you're looking to get grilling for a reasonable price without the hassle of paying a lot at a local department or hardware store, keep an eye open on garbage night!

This little gem is a lightly-used Charbroil grill that one of my neighbors was tossing in the garbage last year after upgrading to a larger model.  If investigating a grill that someone has thrown out, check to make sure that rust is minimal and that the grill grate appears to be in-tact.

Also, make sure the grill appears stable and if it's a gas model ensure that hoses and attachments to and from the propane source appear uncracked and undamaged.

With this grill I found I got a really hot charcoal fire going the first time I used in and then placed the grate over it for about 10 minutes to burn off any remaining food and residue left behind.

Approximately 12 rack of ribs, 10 burgers, 10 hot dogs, and several chickens after finding this grill in the garbage, it's still working great and I plan to use it for at least another season.  At $0, the price was definitely right!

Dueling Crock Pots

The Rival Crock Pot has a long history of helping hungry families prepare a range of dishes from soups and chilis to roasts and ribs.  Here, my Crock Pot from the early 2000s duels against a model from the late 1970s.

Despite a several-decade difference in age, both Crock Pots performed beautifully at cooking a rack of ribs each.  Each rack of ribs was cut into 3-4 rib sections before placing in the Crock Pot and cooking at low heat for 7 hours.

After cooking, I applied a dry rub consisting of equal parts Joe's Stuff seasoning and brown sugar before finishing for 8 minutes per side on the grill.  Delicious!!!

Check out Crock Pots: http://www.crock-pot.com/

Check out Joe's Stuff: http://store.nosoc.com/joes-stuff-21-oz/

To GMO or Not to GMO, That is the Question

Recently I've been pondering whether I need to spend more time seeking non-GMO food products.  The movement towards requiring food manufacturers to label their foods as containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is one that is hotly debated.  Large corporations such as Monsanto argue that labeling foods as non-GMO can be misleading, as it suggests that foods that are genetically-modifed are less healthy than those that aren't produced using this technology.

As I walked through the aisle at Kroger last week, I decided to pick up a half-gallon of fat-free, organic milk.  At $2.99, the cost seemed a bit high, but I liked the fact that I was buying a product that produced using organic practices and was free of GMOs.  I thought back on the organic milk I had purchased the week earlier when yesterday I bought a gallon of milk from the United Dairy Farmers (UDF) for the same $2.99.

That's right: for the same price I purchased twice the amount of milk.  The two products tasted the same, and the dietary information on the labels was identical.  So what's a person who has the best interest of animals, the environment, and the health of my family in mind to do?  My suggested solution, buy organic, non-GMO products when you can, but don't necessarily reject genetically-modified foods just because they are altered in some way.

Stories abound of large companies like Monsanto utilizing ethically questionable practices such as hiring individuals to roam the heartland using gestapo-like tactics to intimidate farmers into not only using genetically-modified grain, soy, and corn in their fields, but also threatening lawsuits when farmers violate patents by reusing seed from previous crops.  Monsanto is also a major player in the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) which is given to dairy cows to get them to produce higher volumes of milk more quickly than without rBST.

The use of rBST seems like a logical decision until one considers the testimony of many farmers that cows on rBST do not live as long and suffer more injuries (some fatal) as a result of the hormone.  I've read some farmers equating rBST as a product that's akin to "putting a Corvette engine in a Volkswagon," because a cow's metabolism is sped to way beyond where it should be and the cow eventually "burns out."

But do stories like these mean that all GMO products are necessarily bad, and that corporations such as Monsanto are inherently evil?  I don't think this is the case either.  As I continue to think about whether all foods that contain GMOs should be labeled, there will certainly be continued debate.