Devotay
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Dr. Elizabeth Barham addressed this at a conference I attended last summer. Here are some brief excerpts from the minutes of that conference:
Dr. Elizabeth Barham, Professor of Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri, discussed the subject of Appellations.Appellations such as the French AOC and Italian DOC systems are important because they support a strong, fair connection between the local and the global
Slow Food is important to her work in this area because “it represents the consumers voice in a changing food system”
Unlike the existing “American Viticultural Area” system, which has a tax-producing purpose, appellations are partly about intellectual property. In addition, appellations are unlike trademarks because trademarks are owned by a person or a company and can be moved anywhere while appellations belong to a place and are unmovable.
Dr. Barham is working on a pilot project in American appellations in Southeast Missouri. There is much more information on her publications site at www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/ebarham/
She asks that everyone contact your congressional Representatives and Senators to urge them to keep “Geographical Indications (GIs)” on the “Doha Development Agenda” with the WTO. There is more information about that at her site (above) as well.
Check out the website, it's very deep.
Also, Maytag is not the best blue from Iowa. Check out "Schwartz und Weiss" from the Golden Ridge Cheese Co-op in Cresco to know good Iowa Blue
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At the risk of getting laughed at, I really enjoy a fine Moscato d'Asti. Incredibly sweet I know, but it's really liquid sunshine and really enjoyable.
Not at all, I think you're right. I especially like the Moscato d'Asti from Michele Chiarlo and Bricco Riela
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Whats wrong with synthetics? A chemical is a chemical is a chemical. It doesn't matter where it derives from. Synthetic vanilla essense is exactly the same as the "natural" stuff down to parts per million and, by logic, tastes exactly as good. Synthetic salt would be exactly the same as normal, un-iodized salt again down to parts per million.
Oh, Jonny did you back the wrong horse.
It's not about that. Trying to define flavor using science is like trying to define love using science. I doubt that you would suggest that we manufature a drug that causes the exact same neurons to fire in our brains as do when we fall in love. Flavor is like that, it's a passionate emotional experience and, well, ain't nothin' like the real thing , baby.
Tell ya what, I cook with olive oil, butter, grapeseed oil, even lard sometimes. If it has negative effects on my heart, well, it has positive effects on my soul and I'd rather live a short meaningful life than a long boring one.
I'll take real life and real love over synthetic fat and love potion #9 any day.
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You also missed a treat when you skipped Lucia's restaurant & Wine Bar. Check'em out at www.lucias.com
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Nature has your answer - cook with grapeseed oil. It is virtually tasteless and has a very high smoke point.
The words "synthetic" and "food" should never be same sentence together.
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One word: heirloom
If you are looking for massive variety and amazing flavor it's the only way to go, especially with your tomatoes. And the best place to find a huge selection of them is at Seed Savers Exchange - Iowa's gift to the gardening world.
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Ther's a new restaurant in Brandon called Cafe Provence. Owned by Chef Barral, one of the founders of the New England Culinary Institute. I haven't been there yet but I trust Barral.
Robert Barral was my mentor. He guided me through culinary school, and he hired me to teach at NECI. I trust him implicitly and can't wait to get back to VT to try out his new place.
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There is life outside Chicago, y'all.
For the high end stuff:
Lucia's Restaurant and Wine Bar - Minneapolis
L'Etoile - Madison
Harvest - Madison
Handke's - Columbus
The Refectory - Columbus
Lydia's - KC
For the great grub
Battle's BBQ - Ames
Zingemann's - Ann Arbor
Baldy's - Iowa City
And as for Chicago, I love Wishbone, and had a great meal at Red Light last time I was there.
In addition, here's a shameless plug for an aquaintance of mine who runs a restaurant & food website in Chicago - simplyfoodchicago.com
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I have had nothing but great experiences at North Pond. In addition they are great supporters of my friends at Slow Food Chicago, have a great write up in the Slow Food Guide to Chicago, and will receive high praise in my book as well. The way I see it, they're doing everything right.
Brad, you said:
I've eaten twice and North Pond, and won't go back again. I will miss the setting. I won't miss the crowded tables, rushed service, food that didn't match the price tag, lack of attention to the wine list. I feel it's overrated.All very subjective stuff, but I suppose that's what it's all about. For me, the service has never seemed rushed, and I like crowds - makes for a convivial atmosphere. I guess I see your point about the prices, but as an out-of-towner, all the prices in Chicago seem outrageous to me.
Regarding the wines, I fully appreciate your broad expertise, but I don't see what's not to like in this list (see it at http://www.northpondrestaurant.com/text/menuWine.cfm)
It's not the biggest, but a vast majority of us have trouble choosing from a list of just 20-30 wines. I don't like the enormous lists of 100s of bottles. part of the Sommeliers job is to narrow down my choices for me. I found plenty of interesting stuff.
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Currently, even with all the ice we're having, the Cuevas de Castilla Rueda, Spain, ‘02 is our #1 selling white. Tough to beat at the price, too. In a recent column about it I wrote:
It runs about $10/btl and $110/cs. In it you will find a gorgeous, flowery, perfumed bouquet and plenty of citric structure. Acid balance is spot on, and there is none of that all-too-common malolactic fermentation. -
My favorite is not in New Jersey (my former home - exit 8) but rather in my current home out here in the hinterlands.
With over 450 labels in stock, John's is hard to beat. Good news for you easterners, they ship from their website atwww.johnsgrocery.com
Doug Alberhasky runs the Beer Room, and Wally the Wine Guy has a stellar selection of his own.
Tell'em I sent ya!
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Hello again all. I am just posting to renew this thread. I have 4 months in which to complete my research. Remember that, for the purposes of this book, the Midwest is defined as a 13 state region from Ohio to Oaklahoma to North Dakota.
Suggestions are welome from anywhere in those states, but I especially need help with the states along the northern missouri river (Nebraska and the Dakotas)
Looking forward to hearing from you.
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Unless I missed it, no one mentioned any Cava. Here's my column which ran on the Wednesday before New Year's. It includes a nice mussel recipe:
Table WineBy Chef Kurt Michael Friese
29 December 2004
Jaume Serra Winery
In 1647, about 30 miles south of Barcelona on a hilltop in the Garraf region of the Penedés, a castle was built. It came complete with a dazzling blue ceramic turret and a secret escape tunnel that was used during the wars with France. For the centuries before the advent of electricity, the turret was used as a lighthouse because of its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. Today the castle still holds the battle scars left by the Spanish Civil War.
Records of winemaking on the property date back to 1847, and in 1943 it was purchased by renowned oenologist Jaume Serra. The Rato family bought it in 1975, and built a modern winery on the site in 1984. Today, their sons use the vineyards - the only vineyards in Spain with a view of the Mediterranean - to make a wide variety of wines. Tempranillo, Macabeo, Merlot, and Cabernet are all grown there.
This is the Penedés, though, and it is the combination of Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada that give the winery its popularity in the US. With these grapes, the Rato brothers make Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain. The name “Cava” is simply the Spanish word for “cave,” and refers to where these wines are aged.
Keep in mind that this is not Champagne, nor is the Prosecco or D’Asti of Italy, nor the sparklers of California. Champagne can only be made in the region of the same name, near Paris. It is a distinct wine for a multitude of reasons; some are qualities, some are legalities. This in turn does not mean that there aren’t some perfectly enjoyable, often fantastic sparkling wines from outside Champagne; only that they are different.
Just to keep things confusing, you will often find winemakers from almost any region making sparkling wine labeled with the words Methode Champenoise, this simply means that they use the same vinifiying methods as Champagne; those perfected by (though not invented by) Dom Perignon a couple centuries back. Jaume Serra Winery’s Cristalino Cava Brut NV is one such wine. They use the same type of stronger bottle, Spanish cork and wire cage recommended by the French monk, as well as methods such as riddling and discourgment that help create the yeasty characteristics and, of course, the bubbles. The result, in the case of the Cristalino, is a delightful, creamy, apple and peach-laden treat. There is a pleasant green-gold color, fine bubbles, and a nose like the cinnamon toast my mom used to make for me when I was little.
When you compare all of this, at $8/btl and $88/cs, to the typical Champagne prices of $30/btl and up, it’s easy to see why Cristalino Cava is the wise choice for your New Year’s celebration. For that matter, it’s tasty anytime. Try it with some raw Delaware Bay oysters, or with the mussel recipe below.
And here’s a raised glass to you: may the New Year find you surrounded by family and friends.
Poached Mussels with Parsley-Pepper Vinaigrette
6 pounds mussels
4 each bay leaves
2 cups dry white wine
Water
2 each onion
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, minced
1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers, minced
6 tablespoons Italian parsley
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges, to garnish
Parsley sprigs, to garnish
In a large pot, bring the wine, water, and one of the onions (split) to a simmer. Poach the mussels. Each mussel is done when it pops open (usually about 3-4 minutes). This may be done in several batches, if necessary.
While they're poaching, mince the other onion and combine with the peppers, pepperoncini, parsley, oil, vinegar and salt & pepper. Whisk together, and then toss with the warm (not hot!) mussels. Serve immediately with crusty bread, garnished with lemon and parsley.
Serves 8
Table Wine is a weekly feature of The Press-Citizen. Prices listed are estimated retail. Chef Kurt Michael Friese is co-owner with his wife, Kim, of the Iowa City restaurant Devotay, and serves on the Slow Food USA Board of Governors. He lives in rural Johnson County.
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It's legal to do so here in the hinterlands, provided the cork is "firmly replaced" and the bottle is transported "out of reach of the driver."
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Several years ago when I was EC at a local hotel, we suspected a bartender of skimming the till, so we hired a PI to watch him. Turns out he was bringing in his own bottles of Jack and Absolut, pouring from them and pocketing the cash - never bothering to ring it up. We had the police come and handcuff him and haul him out in front of a lively Saturday night crowd.
Not so long ago, in my restaurant, we noticed that the morning and evening drawer counts weren't matching up. They were off by $15-$25 every other morning. We finally figured it had to be an employee keying in after hours. We called the police and asked them what to do, and they actually came and placed a hidden camera in a tea box with a little hole cut in it. The camera caught the culprit the very next night, and he had taken the twenty and the five that I had marked with little x's because I watch too many movies. Not only that, but when the cops busted him outside the restaurant, he was holding half an ounce of weed, too. Turns out it was a former employee who had swiped a spare key.
Mess with the bull, get the horns.
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I'd be up for an expedition to the west west side... I've heard that Xinh's Clam and Oyster House in Shelton is good, and I enjoyed the food the chef there prepared for the Slow food shellfish celebration.
Maybe we can do a wine tasting trip, or go for the spring barrel tasting here: http://www.wineryloop.com/events.html
Glad you enjoyed that shellfish event. Hope you'll go and disuss it and more at the PNW section of the new Slow Food Forum
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She is on the list! Right now I am merely compiling. The travels and interviews begin in the spring.
Do you have any other suggestions? All are welcome!
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Yes, Sumac, I've known Ron for a few years. He does good work up there.
Please send your suggestions to me via "PM" I look forward to hearing from you!
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Well, maybe in a way, pigs lead very happy lives if they're raised sustainably. But what I really mean is people who have shunned the fast-paced, indutrialized, drive-thru world in favor of a life where the kitchen and the table are the centers of culture, community and family life.
As for my affiliation, yes I am involved with Slow Food, but this project is not an official Slow Food publication. In that way it will be more like Corby Kummer's The Pleasures of Slow Food than the Slow Food Guide to New York
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Cabrales; and Iowa's own Maytag Blue
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Howdy.
New to the board, so I'll have to give you the full inventory (not gonna list them all, though, maybe someday).
Cookbooks - 226
Most important - Larousse; Child's Way to Cook; Notebook of all my menus from 25 years in business
Favorites, lately - Batalli's Babbo; Chalie Palmer's Great American Food; Cafe Boulud Cookbook
Other books about food - 78
Most important - Schlosser's Fast Food Nation; Nestle's Food Politics; Thorne's Serious Pig; Pollan's Botany of Desire
Favorites. lately - Fried Butter by Abe Opicar; Slow Food - The Case for Taste by Carlo Petrini; Coming Home to Eat by Gary Nabhan
Books about writing and food - 8
Most important - The Elements of Expression by Arthur Plotnick; Allen's The Resource Guide for Food Writers; Writer's Market
Favorites, lately - Osterman & Baker's The Recipe Writer's Handbook; Forche & Gerard's Writing Creative Nonfiction
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Hello, eGullet in the Hearland!
I am conducting research for a new book, Sow Living in the Heartland: A Cook's Tour of the Serene Life, to be published by UI Press in 2005. I am looking for stories of people (whether food professionals or not) who are living the ideals of the Slow Food movement. Not sure what that is? Go to SlowFoodUSA.org
For the purposes of my book, the "Heartland" is defined as a 12-state region stretching from Ohio to Oklahoma to North Dakota. If you know of anyone (including yourself) who should be included in this book, please reply here. They needn't be Slow Food members to be considered.
Please post suggestions here, witha brief description of what qualifies them. Don't post contact stuff, I'll PM you to get that so we don't violate anyone's privacy.
I believe that in addition to being a tremendous help for my research, this will also make an interesting topic of discussion here at eGullet. I'm happy to have found the forum, and thank you in advance for your help!
Peace,
Devotay
Slow Food on a Tiny Budget
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I urge everyone to visit both of Robert's websites (in his post, above). He's a great example of the people who are in the trenches doing the tough work that needs doing. The world would certainly benefit from a lot more Bob Waldrops. I had the honor of working with him to help feed the Coalition of Immokalee Workers when they passed through OKC. Quite an uplifting experience.
In regard to what NulloModo said:
I partly agree - they do not need to be chained to the vicious circle that is part of the hidden cost of cheap food, but they are at the moment, as are many people who are not low income. My 3 stage solution to this problem (and many others) has always been the same:
1) Education
2) Education
3) Education