News: Monsanto's At It Again

ENOUGH, already!

by Renwick Miller

03/13/2013

Frankenfoods and the Sequester Shuffle

So this latest round of fiscal prestidigitation...  Errr, "sequestration",  from Washington  is doing what it's done so well for so many years:  Scaring the shit out of us by waving a paper tiger with one hand, while opening the cage divider between us and a streak (group) of rabid, hungry, real Bengal tigers with the other.

One of the big cats in this show is none other than Monsanto (Surpriiise!), sneaking in on us through a  $700 million hole in the USDA's proposed fy 2013 budget  that effectively loosens regulation on GMO products from giants like Monsanto while simultaneously cutting subsides to small farms and farmers, arguably crippling, if not eliminating competition to, thereby increasing profits for, giant agribusiness.

For you clicktivists reading, there's a petition circulating courtesy of care2.com.  According to Care2.com contributor / author Kit B.:

"The Senate has included some very harmful amendments for our food and farmers in the budget they are considering for 2013. Specifically, these amendments would limit the oversight of controversial genetically engineered crops and prevent enforcement of contract fairness provisions for family farmers. 

The need to keep the government running is not an excuse to undermine consumer and farmer protections. "

As of this writing, I've seen no documented proof of the legislation's ties to any one company, but knowing that Monsanto's former V.P. for Public Policy, Michael R. Taylor is now the FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Foods kinda leads the mind in some directions, especially considering that part of the mission of this FDA post born in 2009 is to;

"Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty regulation!"

• develop and carry out a prevention-based strategy for food safety,
• plan for new food safety legislation.

No, I'm not shitting you, check the FDA website.  This sort of chutzpah has to happen organically (pardon the pun), I sure as hell couldn't make it up.

A Little History 

Personally, I'm chomping at the bit to see the web of Monsanto connections that leads to these sorts of fiascoes.  It seems a long and storied tradition, the  link between Big Ag and our regulatory bodies, with simple a Google search  for 'monsanto links to usda and fda' turning up a plethora of names, reporting and accusations going as far back as the Reagan administration FDA's approval of  the sugary-sweet neurotoxin Aspartame, with none other than Donald "Rummy" Rumsfeld (then chairman of G.D. Searle & Company) himself spearheading that effort.  See the complete article at Rense.com;  How Aspartame Became Legal - The Timeline.

A more recent article from the blog Dregs Of The Future cites a points of convergence infographic provided courtesy of the natural health website Mercola.com, which lists individual names and their titles as both Monsanto and FDA employees, respectively.

I think it no small coincidence that this looks like a butt.

Wow.

If you've got an idea as to courses of action, reasons for hope, or ideas on how the hell we're going to explain to our grand-kids our lack of fingers on the back of our necks:  "Is that an 'old people' thing, gram'ma?  When did you lose your neck-fingers?"  please post them below.  PLEASE.  Meanwhile, I'm going to finish stuffing my face with chili-cheese & whipped cream flavored corn chips.  Comfort food makes me feel safe.

Link: Dumpling Reviews, The Chicagoist.com

The Chicagoist.com: Five Of The Best Chinese Dumplings In Chicago

Recipe: Sun King Brewery Winter Contest Winner: Winterfest Braised Rabbit

Hometown Girl Makes Good!  Rabbit. 

by Renwick Miller

03/06/2013

Chicago native Janet Stimac's Winterfest Braised Rabbit won her first prize at the Indianapolis based Sun King Brewery's "Cooking With SunKing" recipe contest, Winter Edition.

Sun King's emphasis in this endeavor seems to be on both local and seasonal ingredients used to create "wonderful and creative dishes".  

Image Copyright © 2012 Sun King Brewing - All Rights Reserved

Looking at the write-up on the brewery's website, Janet's drunken bunny recipe beat out some stiff competition;  "Touch of the West Beer Crust Pizza", "WeeMac N’ Cheesecake" and "Wee Muckle Drizzled Steak with Osiris Brussel Sprouts" to name a few.  Hopefully those and some others will appear on the Sun King website.  

According to Sun King's Beth Belange:

Bunnies hate her.

"(Janet) matched locally-brewed Sun King Winterfest with some locally sourced ingredients. Janet purchased the rabbit, chard, and the cornmeal for the polenta from local farmers at Sun King Community Partner, the Indy Winter Farmers Market."

Yaaay, Janet!

The prize-winning recipe in all it's scrumptrulecence lives  at the Sun King Brewery Website.  Thanks to Janet for permission to write her story, and Sun King Breweries for inspiring what seems to be a festival of yum-tastic-ness. 


Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the liquor store.  If I remember correctly, Sun King makes one helluva porter.

Recipe: PIEROGI!

Ciastowate Kluska Dobroć or "YUM..."

by Renwick Miller
04/16/2013

If you're wondering, "Ciastowate Kluska Dobroć" means "doughy dumpling goodness" in Polski ("The Polish"), and no, I don't speak Polish.  Languages are fun, and so is Google Translate.

For those of you who're used to the traditional recipe format and / or didn't read the "about" page, I'll do my best not to piss you off too bad, but don't expect miracles.  Ditto for you, pierogi purists.  I didn't grow up in the Polish tradition, but do enjoy good food, so feel free to enlighten me via the comments section below.

On Frozen Peirogi

There's more than a few brands on the market, and if you're not familiar, the choices can seem daunting, but here's where pierogi make things easy;  It's a dumpling.

Kaisa's:  A nationally distributed, Chicago born brand and one of my favs.

In other words, it's really hard to screw these up, I think.  Don't get me wrong, it's happened.  Ask the pierogi enthusiasts at ChowHound.com, they've got some very firm opinions on what to try and what to avoid.  I say explore a bit. 

Brands:  Here in Chicago (and distributed nationally) two of the big names are Kaisa's and Alexandra's.  Solid labels, both.  If you're having problems finding them locally, Kaisa's was rumored to ship individual orders once upon a time, and Alexandra's has a hotline to help you find a local distributor.

If you're lucky enough to be in an area with Polish / Eastern European centric grocers, you'll find all sorts of brands and varieties that you won't be able to read the labels of.  JUMP IN!  Naturally you'll want to experiment on your own a bit before trying to impress that Eastern Euro crush of yours with an "Old Country" dinner, but that's part of the fun, no?

Varieties:  Also a fun part of this experience.  Again, it's a dumpling.  You can stuff it with just about anything you like, and many do.  There are of course the traditional choices (sauerkraut, potato & onion, kielbasa, cheese, etc) but in researching this article, not only did I find there's a Pierogi Fest just outside the Chicago city limits, but there's some pretty amazing sounding stuffing choices out there;  Apricot, plum butter and other fruity goodness.

HOLY CRAP...  

I'm going to cease my pierogi education efforts right here and refer you to the Wikipedia article.  Wow.

Jestem Głodny, Cholera! 

OK, down to business.  You'll need to hook or crook yourself the following:

• Frozen pierogi (usually packaged by the dozen)
• 2 - 3 Tbsp. Seasoned olive oil or 
• 2 - 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1-1.5 cups of red and green bell peppers, chopped (save the seeds!)
• .5 - .75 (that's 1/2 to 3/4, NOT 50 to 75!) cups red onion, chopped.
• dried basil or oregano
• salt and pepper
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, diced / chopped / smashed...  Your call.
• Polish sausage, bacon or ham should you choose meat.
• Applesauce
• Sour cream

Personally, I like to steam my dumplings first.  They tend to either burn or stay frozen in the center when going straight from freezer to pan.  If you can pull it off though, good on you.  Once that's done, heat the oil or butter to cooking temperature.  For this one I used a seasoned olive oil (instructions here).  I like to give it medium heat for a minute or two and toss a lone droplet of water into the pan to test.  If it pops, you're ready.  Do NOT try this naked.

Options:  If you're serving meat, you can skip the oil or butter (mostly) and start by sizzling that up first and using the resulting oils & juices to saute everything else.  As I remember it, I used olive oil the night of that photo, so that's how we'll continue.

And stop with the dirty thoughts, already.

Once the oil's ready to go, begin adding the fresh vegetables, stirring steadily.  We're not cooking them, but just a quick saute to unlock flavors.  Keeping the veggie crunch is a nice texture contrast to the dumplings, too.  You'll know one fresh veg is ready and it's time to add the next when you can smell it.  Say you add the garlic first;  when you can smell it, maybe see some browning, add the onion.  When that begins to react to the oil, add the bell pepper, and so on.  I saved the cilantro for last because it's so easy to...  Ruin, for lack of a better word.  Leafy greens like that don't take much, 10-15 seconds, tops.  Once you see it change to a deeper shade of green than what came out of the fridge, it's time for it to come off the fire, or to add the next ingredient, as that serves as a heat buffer.

For the salt, pepper and dried herbs, add them as the spirit moves, though early is usually best.  You want them to both release flavors and pick up some moisture, softening both the flavors and the dried leaves you're inevitably going to bite into.  But, if you're the sort of freak that likes the zing from chewing dried oregano or basil, have at it!  I may just join you for dinner someday.

On that note, check the picture closely, and you'll see bell pepper seeds on the dumplings.  I LOVE these little flavor packets.  Think of it, that little seed has the potential to become a bell pepper PLANT.  The flavor's already there!  They're also packed with moisture, and the fibers aren't terribly tough, so a little while in the pan and they're ready to melt in your mouth.  Just about any time during the saute you can add them, though I like to go early with these as well.

From here, it's time to add the dumplings, and you can go one of two directions;  High heat, your undivided attention, and lots of stirring or medium heat, your near undivided attention, and lots of stirring.  The idea here is to avoid soaking the pierogi in oil.  I don't know about you, but unless I'm really hungover, greasy dumplings are no fun.  Either way, keep in mind this doughy concoction is easy to burn.  You want just a little browning, maybe some charring, and pull it out to drain in a colander or on a paper towel.   Remember it's already cooked, you're just trying to douse it with a little oil and cook some flavor through.

From here, it's time to serve. I'm a huge fan of sweet / savory flavor combinations, so applesauce and sour cream on top are mandatory for me, especially where meat's involved,  though traditionally that's a dessert option.

And get your mind out of the gutter, pervert.

[Photo To Come]

Jeebus...  It's 4am.  A few hours sleep and it's back to the hunt for a day job.  Thanks for listening to me ramble, and join us next time for another installment of "Cooking:  Therapy For The Broke".