Anna Friedman Herlihy

Hi all, I googled away, but couldn't seem to find an answer to this, so here goes: What cold soups (savory or sweet) would be appropriate for freezing? I ask because hubby and I are heading to Burning Man this year. I thought frozen cold soups would be a good option for light meals and snacks, since they could just thaw gradually in the cooler (and keep other things cool at the same time) and be able to be eaten/sipped right out of the vac seal bag by just clipping a corner, saving on clean up needs and not producing much trash. Plus they are quite refreshing, which will be welcome in the desert. I was thinking watermelon soup or other puréed fruit soups, but I was also hoping potato/leek or borscht might freeze okay. My guess is that gazpacho types wouldn't freeze right (just turn to mush upon defrosting), but maybe I'm wrong? Also does sour cream freeze okay? (For topping, if we do want to put it in a bowl.) I've only ever frozen soups like broth, chili, bean soups. Hoping to cook up some on Sunday, so would greatly appreciate any thoughts on the matter or past experiences with this. PS--any other eGulleters going to Burning Man this year?

Don't forget about what homemade condiments might be in your fridge or freezer too! I usually have one or two homemade thai curry pastes, several types of homemade bbq sauce, pesto, several salsas (especially now in tomato and tomatillo season), rendered lard, duck fat, beef tallow (since cooking oils seem to count), always some sort of leftover gravy or reduction sauce that I plan to use for something but never do, and more. Plus in the cabinets, home canned pickles, hot sauces, relishes, etc. If we include pickles do we include olives? And if syrup and chutney count, do jam/jellies/fruit pastes/honey count too? I have five kinds of honey right now. Nut butters/tahini? Also for those of us who shop at places like Costco, I'm sure many of us have duplicates, since often they are packaged in twos (like right now I know I have two giant bottles of Worstershire, two things of regular yellow mustard, etc.--the extras of which are actually sitting in the dining room for lack of space). And as for homemade salad dressings, I have not one, but two almost empty dijon jars waiting to become salad dressing shakers as well as a jar of just beet juice without the beets (there's a use for everything, you know )! And if you're going to include bitters, does one include things like vermouth, sherry, marsala, not to mention wine, beer, etc. from the liquor cabinet that get used in cooking a lot (in our house that would also include rum, bourbon, calvados, tequila, and a whole lot more). As of late, my cabinets are so overrun with condiments (and herbs and spices--don't even go there ) that many are just sitting on the kitchen counter for lack of shelf space. I shudder to think if I actually compiled a list (both in terms of time it would take and the length).

I hope it will be the other Sara. As far as I can tell, she has only prepared one dish that got any sort of acclaim (and even then she didn't make it to the winner's round), and doesn't seem to do much compared to the others.

Maggie, My sincerest condolences. As many have said, give it time. My dad died a little over two years ago, and it took me well over a year to get "back to normal" as much as that is possible. For several months both I and my brother did much of nothing. Mild depression is a normal part of grieving as far as I'm concerned. My family was fairly food-oriented too, and one thing I did for a one-year later remembrance gathering, was to cook some of my dad's favorite foods (lemon meringue pie, crab cakes). Maybe in the back of your head start thinking about planning something like this? Although maybe that would create anxiety. We've also started a tradition of going out to dinner on what would have been his birthday at restaurants he liked, ordering what he would have ordered, and splurging on nice bottles of his favorite wines. I think of my dad in a happy way every time I use the kitchen items from my childhood that he still owned and now live in my kitchen (in particular, a couple knives and a giant mixing bowl). Maybe you could adopt some of her kitchen ware? If these things were in the kitchen, someday you would be drawn to hold them, and that might inspire you to use them. A few tears in the food won't hurt it. Food/cooking can help heal, but this is still so soon after she passed away, I would not worry about a lack of desire to cook. Give it a year, at least.

My guess is that during/after use, your house will still smell like oven roasted products. Unless you use it outside, that is... I have a George Foreman rotisserie, and the smell of a chicken roasting wafts all through the house (giant 4 bedroom Victorian). I don't mind though

Steven, I can't give you studies or figures (wish I had the time to research this though), but watering a garden with municipal water sprayed from a sprayer (especially when the sun is out) is a huge waste of water, energy, and chemicals (fluoride, chlorine, etc.). Right now we have a drip irrigation system which I know cuts water usage dramatically (especially since we now tend to water at night when there is little evaporation--the drip irrigation makes it possible to do so without worry of plant diseases), although we are not on a metered water system here, so I couldn't tell you by how much we have reduced consumption (I know there are studies out there though comparing hose/sprinkler watering to drip systems). We are hoping to move into a rain barrel set-up to drive the drip irrigation system. When we do that, I would hazard a guess to say that we will be using far fewer energy-driven water resources (just the initial costs of making the drip irrigation hoses and parts and the barrels) than most commercial farms. Right now, my guess would be that it's about even. As for the buying plants in a nursery and then putting them in your garden, that seems also to be quite energy wasteful. We start everything from seed, and have been beginning to try to harvest seed along with veggies to be able to stop buying seeds (although in certain varieties this is legally prohibited). Certainly everything we start from seed direct in the garden (about 3/4 of what we grow) eliminates most energy costs (just the shipping and packaging of the original seeds). I do wonder if the cost of our grow light and heated germination mat for a folding buffet table's worth of seedlings for about 3 months cost less energy-wise than what a commercial nursery would output combined with the costs of transport. The benefit of doing this for me is that my seedlings are healthier, don't introduce any unwanted pests to my micro-environment, and I can grow a more unusual selection of plants (things like heirlooms are not often available at garden centers). I just really think that if every family started growing as much as they could (timewise, spacewise, moneywise), it would for sure make a dent in the energy/resources use in this country. It is amazing what even a partially sunny windowsill can grow with a tiny bit of attention. And there are so many ways to water with water that would otherwise be wasted (e.g. keep a few buckets around for catching the shower water as you're waiting for it to heat up--this takes no extra time, just some forethought!)

The only endorsed product I own is the George Foreman Rotisserie Oven. While I never would have bought it on my own, I won it about 4 years ago as a door prize at a work holiday party. I love this thing! It makes the best roast chicken I have ever had (also wings in the rectangular attachment), plus it has this neat rotating basket thingy that makes awesome oven roasted veggies with no turning. I actually use it quite a lot, and it has held up over the years. It was quite a nice surprise, as usually I am quite wary of these types of things.

LOL! PS--Thanks for the correction. Always thought it was 2.

I would be one of those really busy people. I do manage to squeeze in the time to garden (although I often let the weeds get the better of me for lack of time), the time to source pasture-raised meats, the time to walk or bike to the store or the farmers market if I only need a few things, the time to grab my own bags instead of relying upon plastic ones... That said, however, you can buy some "real food" at the supermarkets and even WalMart too. As a consumer you just have to do more homework before shopping. In relation to the title of this topic, I guess sometimes "food miles" are a crock (like with the New Zealand lamb example compared to British lamb from the article that spawned the resurgence of this thread), and sometimes they are definitely not (like when one grows one's own food in one's backyard, without chemicals, using only rainwater....) But once you start adding the cost of other things into the equation (municipal water, "organic" fertilizers and pest control, grow lights for starting seeds inside, building materials for cold frames, fuel for canning, electricity for freezing...), it all gets fuzzy. We just all need to arrive at a place on the continuum of faraway big ag to backyard grower that we each feel comfortable with!

The eating late is only a problem if you have to go to sleep early. The usual recommendation is to finish eating at least 2 hours before going to sleep. I'm rarely asleep before midnight and often much later than that, so for us it works. But on days I teach at 9 am, we eat closer to 8 rather than 10, so I can get to sleep by 11.

Growing up my family ate at around 5. 6 was extremely late. It always somehow seemed weird to me. I much preferred the later (7 pm) dinner times at some of my friends' homes or when we went out to eat at a fancy restaurant. Now, my husband and I eat quite late. Usually after 8, if not 9 in the winter. Often in summer, when we're busy in the garden, we don't eat until 10 or later. When it's light until nearly 9 at the solstice, you don't even think about eating until dark. Luckily we're late night people (and certainly not early risers unless we absolutely have to). When mom comes to visit, we always have to compromise for a 7 or 8 o' clock meal. Interestingly, my brother also turned into a late eater.

If I remember correctly Tom Colicchio said that truffles were not Italian enough in the frozen food episode. This just in: In his recent NY Times interview he says the following: "Which foreign country (or region) do you most enjoy eating in? It’s very difficult to narrow this down to one specific place, but I would have to say Piedmont, Italy, during white truffle season." Huh. Go figure.

The amount of cooking they did in that roach coach was no more (in fact quite a lot less) than I do in my own kitchen when I'm cooking a buffet dinner for 30 or a 5 course plated dinner for eight. Having worked in professional kitchens, and plenty of weird cooking locations (a few times in heels and skimpy clothing--gasp--e.g. catering an adult film premiere), I can confidently say that their attire should be a non-issue (but made for great tv--the two ladies in question and Tre were a lot better eye candy out of their chef's coats). They may be professional chefs, but they are certainly not cooking in professional kitchens for this show. They are cooking in reality show kitchens! They know what they signed up for, and as many posters already wrote, how could they not have seen that twist coming? And I'm sorry, if you let your cleavage get burned in the kitchen (any kitchen professional or otherwise), you are doing something wrong! No oil or whatever should be flying up that high. One's chest is not that far from one's eyes, and we don't see professional chefs cooking with safety glasses. But one poster (I forget who) is probably right--I'm sure they were allowed to switch shoes if they wanted to--a PA could have easily run back to the hotel for them while they were shopping for the ingredients! Now I want to go back and look at the episode again to see if they did change parts of their outfits. Maybe I should post a topic on "cooking in heels" just to see how many others out there do this too?

I totally do this. In fact I have two sets of guest lists--the ones perfect for a sit down dinner (few food quirks or allergies, show up on time, always rsvp, don't bring extra dishes, etc.) and those that I will only invite to a large buffet-type meal or heavy appetizers with cocktails (so it doesn't matter if they show up late, unannounced, with several extra people in tow, etc.). I have to say though that a few people are banned from all but the most casual of parties because they refuse to show up without some sort of crappy appetizer or dessert of the type that's made from a bunch of super-processed products or just purchased from the grocery store. I am too gracious a host not to put such dreck out (and have the embarrassment of no one eating it), so I just avoid it now, and mostly only invite those folks over for cocktails-only late-night parties! Although a few of these types of "have to bring something immediately edible" have now resorted to calling and asking what they can bring, so I usually guide them into something like "how about some after dinner chocolates" which normally results in something at least marginally edible. Yes I am a control freak about my menus! I wish every guest that feels the need to bring something could be like my friend Magdelena who always brings nice things like jars of fig paste, olive oil, fancy vinegar--things that are not meant to be consumed immediately, but can be appreciated by a good cook! A great alternative to the usual wine (although some of our friends choose good bottles, if I get another bottle of Yellowtail, I might scream). Or why not just flowers like so many folks bring in Europe. I love flowers. Bring me flowers!

I have to jump in to say that I cook in the kitchen in high heels and low cut shirts (or fancy dresses) for dinner parties all the time! I usually am in heels from about 6 pm for cocktails through the end of the party (which in our case usually lasts until well after midnight)--on my feet for most of it except while eating. I also have a very good dry cleaner who is always able to get out the splattered grease, red wine, etc. (aprons don't protect everything). So I guess I feel like Padma did towards Casey and Sara--quit your whining about your attire. ETA--And I've also come home from clubbing many a time and made breakfast (still in heels) for myself, hubby, and whoever else might be attending the after party.

My post was mainly to illustrate how it's such a delicate balancing act, and how little difference those of us who go to fairly great extremes to be environmentally aware may be making. What I do certainly makes me feel better about it all, and I certainly get much better tasting food than the supermarket (which I do have to resort to on occasion for things like...flour). But my hope is that the more people make little baby steps, the better off the world will be after all. If everyone just grew one of the vegetables they eat on a regular basis (lettuce, for example, is easy to grow in a pot on a semi-sunny windowsill), would the saved energy, fewer chemicals, and the like make much of a dent in the global ecological problem? I like to think that it would, but it would be a seriously good dissertation topic as Kouign mentions (sorry, I'm already working on one )

Okay, so how come when I did a search on purslane, all I got was one hit in the foraging topic (not the one that Rancho Gordo just posted)??? But that is beside the point. I made the tacos tonight and they were fabulous. Even hubby thought they were "interesting" (which means if I feed it to him a couple more times, he'll be fine with it on a more regular basis). The texture was really great--much more toothsome than other greens--and this honey-sweetened sheep farmer's cheese I had went well. I served them alongside a smoked turkey black bean soup that I made with the remnants of a turkey we smoked on Sunday. I've got a bunch of the purslane/garlic/onion/pepper mixture left (I thought it would cook down more, like other greens), so I think it will make for an excellent omelet filling in the morning. Anyway, looking forward to trying some of the other suggestions in this thread, plus Rick Bayless has a recipe for that pork and tomatillo stew (and I've got plenty of tomatillos in the garden right now), so I will try that too. If anyone in Chicago needs some purslane, just let me know via pm. Our whole 1/4 acre yard is organic, and I realized on a walkabout today that we have lots of it, besides what I found in the veggie garden.

Speaking of cardoons (or a relative rather), I just (as in 15 minutes ago) ate the first artichoke from my garden!!! In Chicago no less! This was my second year trying to grow them here as annuals, and I'm so happy to have succeeded (one of my top 5 favorite veggies). Only one of the two plants that survived is flowering, so these will be a delicacy for sure, but there's already another little artichoke emerging next to the one I cut today. Counting the days until that one's ready!

Pepper plants are super easy to grow inside in a hydroponic/grow light set up. The place where we get our grow lights, germination mats, organic products, etc. (Brew 'n' Grow in Chicago--but they also have mail order altgarden.com), always has peppers in their showroom display--every time I'm in there they are bearing fruit. The only thing is that you need different types of light bulbs for foliage versus fruit (you use metal halide for vegetative growth and high pressure sodium for flowering/fruit). We just use this equipment for starting seeds (we convert our front parlor into a nursery for three months out of the year), but if we ever do build that addition to the house, I'd like to incorporate a permanent growing room. But you could totally set up your pepper plants to keep growing through the winter (just be sure to use a high pressure sodium bulb to keep them flowering and fruiting)!

This study just reminded me that when hubby and I do finally have some rugrats (probably in the next two years or so--I'm getting old--yikes!), they are never going to be allowed to watch tv (well, at least as long as I can possibly control that). I might just have to keep them in isolation until they've successfully developed extremely broad palates (which, I think, is what my folks did--I can't really remember watching tv until I was at least fully into elementary school--and by that time I was already a devoted fan of such "adult" foods as liver, sweetbreads, spicy peppers, cruciferous veggies, et al.).

Hey thanks guys! The tacos and the fatayer sound especially fab (even got some sumac powder in my spice cabinet--love it on lamb). Very excited about this "extra" veggie that has appeared in my garden. Maybe I should forgo weeding for a month about the same time next year! Keep the ideas coming please

Didn't get any hits on this question in the Foraging topic, so I thought I'd post a separate topic. I think I have a bunch of purslane growing in my vegetable garden (yes, I kind of let the weeds get the better of me the past month). Can anyone confirm my id? If this is purslane, any thoughts on recipes, seasonings that go well, etc. I did find some recipes on the internet, but they use the purslane as an accessory to the main ingredient. I'd like to showcase it. Here's the pic. Thanks much!

I thought this was a very interesting piece, and really gets you thinking about how to be a responsible food purchaser/consumer. I think it comes down to having to do more research. Certainly, pasture-raised (no need for fertilizers, drugs, or feed), boat-shipped lamb may turn out to be less carbon-intensive than the lamb in Britain. For me, however, I can go to my local farmer, buy a whole, pasture-raised lamb, cut it up and freeze it, and never have to go to the supermarket for lamb for the next year. It gets you thinking--certainly less driving/shipping involved, but how do my/society's costs for the electricity for my two upright freezers, the vacuum sealer, the plastic bags for the sealer, etc. compare to having to drive to the store more often? Is air-shipped fish more carbon-intensive than me going out and catching my own in a local pond? Probably, but who knows. It certainly seems like this should be the case, and I do feel some guilt when I know a product has been air-shipped. My vegetable garden is another example. I rarely buy vegetables from April to November. I have an abundance in my garden--so much so that we occasionally give veggies away to friends and neighbors. We use a drip irrigation system and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. But how much does my garden lessen my "carbon footprint" compared to the supermarket when you factor in the cost of producing water here in Chicago, the cost of producing and shipping my beloved fish emulsion fertilizer and neem oil (from India, no less), the fuel for canning and freezing the surplus for winter? Mind you, our next step is to set up rain barrels to water from as much as nature will allow, so that will help lessen the footprint. Certainly my veggies taste much better than the supermarket and even somewhat better than the farmer's market because they are that much fresher. I guess if you can make wholesale changes, like I have, I feel you really can lessen your carbon footprint, besides dramatically improving the quality of your food. Between all the "freezer meat" I have now (I buy beef, pork, lamb, and chickens farm-direct, so I drive three times a year to the farmers--I get chickens every time I pick up a large animal) and my garden I rarely go to the supermarket six months out of the year. When I do, it's easy enough to walk or bike, since I only need a small number of things. Once a month, I'll drive so as to pick up staples. I've been trying to remember to bring my own bags to reduce my reliance on plastic. Because of how I'm now mainly getting my food, I guess I feel less "guilty" about buying air-shipped fish and similar things that seem like they are carbon-intensive. As a foodie living in Chicago, I'm certainly not going to give up basic things like lemons and limes or exotic spices and condiments. Although if I ever do get around to building that orangerie....but how much oil would it take to have my citrus so close at hand (building materials, heating/cooling costs)?

I'm sure this place can help you out. They have all sorts of animals I've never seen sold anywhere else (only a small portion listed on their website). http://www.czimers.com/index.htm But be warned, they did have a bit of a brush with the law a number of years back over selling some endangered tiger or lion meat or something--given that they otherwise have a good reputation, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Don't forget you can poach eggs in just about any liquid or fat. Duck fat poached farm fresh eggs--now that's decadent. But also things like tomato juice are interesting. Milk or broth is interesting too. Don't know how wine would be. Also apparently you can cool and reheat poached eggs, although I have never tried this myself.