Food Groups

In Los Alamos, NM there is a huge sense of community. It is nearly impossible to go grocery shopping without seeing a friend or coworker. Neighborhood dinners and parties happened often, whether it was Betty’s holiday party or Mary’s Halloween margarita bash. I am still trying to find a community like that in Vancouver, but whenever I visit my parents on Salt Spring Island, I feel right at home. 

This past weekend, a wonderful collection of foodie neighbors got together to celebrate my dad’s birthday. My mom provided the traditional French cassoulet, which she had labored over for three days, one neighbor brought a delectable salad with candied pecans and orange slices, a second treated us to tasty hors d’oeuvres, a third brought fresh home-baked bread that completed the meal. All things considered, it was a hugely successful meal where the conversation was as good as the food. It made me realize what I miss from Los Alamos. Perhaps I should put an ad in the paper along the lines of “Aspiring chef seeks group of friends to enjoy good food and wine. Big Mac lovers need not apply.” In the meantime, I will continue to visit my family and enjoy all the community that Salt Spring has to offer.

Popping Back in Time

In my family we take popcorn to a new level. Microwave popcorn is considered a sin and movie popcorn always needs vast improvements. Some of my best memories involve homemade popcorn and I still count it as one of my favorite foods. Growing up, my Dad’s two cooking specialties were popcorn and waffles. Since then he has branched out in an amazing way, but to me he will always be the chef of Friday night movies and Sunday brunch. I started out as my Dad’s assistant at a very young age and by the time I was ten, he thought I was ready to learn the family’s secret recipe.  Even now I have friends who remember how amazing this popcorn was and I am here to share it with the world.

Dad’s 100% Best Popcorn*

Ingredients:

½ cup canola oil (optionally can be half chili oil)

2 cups popcorn

¼ cup melted butter

nutritional yeast

soy sauce

garlic powder/cajun seasoning
grated Parmesan cheese

Equipment:

12-quart stockpot (thick bottom)

large paper grocery bag

·      Add canola oil to stockpot with five popcorn kernels; cook on high heat

·      When five kernels have popped, add remaining amount to pot

·      Move continuously, shaking pot occasionally, until there is more than a two second interval between pops

·      Pour popcorn into paper grocery bag

·      Drizzle one third of the butter over popcorn. Drizzle soy sauce. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese. Shake bag vigorously.

·      Repeat three times or until desired taste and texture is achieved

 *Keep in mind that 50% of the recipe is based on personal taste and is worth experimenting with.

 

Home for the Holidays

There is something eternal about the holiday season. New traditions and old come together without conflict. Every day there are delicious smells in the air along with an indescribable excitement. Some families may roast an annual turkey or decorate the tree with tinsel and golden balls. In my family we eat macaroni and cheese, green chile stew, and spicy caramelized bacon. Our family tree is a hodgepodge of ornaments from around the world, childhood arts and crafts, and antique plastic apples. The New Mexican idea of “decoration” is paper bags with sand and a lit candle in the front yard. Home is where you feel loved, but seeing those farolitos truly helps.

This was a difficult year for me. I moved to a new country, began an education in a new career, left behind many friends and a comfortable job, and I did it all without any certainty about the future. The holidays were all a bit disastrous since I had to learn to celebrate a different Thanksgiving and live without snow or ice on Christmas, but I am extremely lucky to have an amazing family who has stood by me as I try to create a new career for myself out of nothing. Problems are more difficult to bear when one is alone and it took true effort for me to share my problems with my family. In the end though, it was a happy Christmas and a nice vacation away from my life in Vancouver. I know that there is always love and support coming towards me from Salt Spring Island.

Hartwell Family Green Chile Stew
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped roasted New Mexico chiles - skins and seeds removed (roasted anaheims or poblanos can give similar flavor)
1 lbs cubed pork shoulder (ask butcher to cube it (1 inch/small cubes) and to give you the bone from the shoulder
3 Tbsp masa flour (or all purpose if masa cannot be found)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion (chopped)
2 Tbsp butter
32 oz chicken stock
3-4 Yukon Gold potatoes (small cubes)
4-5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 Tbsp oregano (chopped)
1 Tbsp thyme (chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup hominy/posole (optional)
Salt/Pepper

Method:

• Dredge pork cubes in masa flour

• Brown pork in oil in large pot - set aside

• Add butter to same pan, sweat onion until translucent, add garlic and lightly saute

• Add 1 tsp of masa and a small amount of chicken stock to browned bottom of pot - as stock warms, scrape browned bits off of the pan to create a roux. Add remaining stock to pot

• Add all remaining ingredients to same pan except green chiles. Bring to slow boil, then cover, reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes. Add green chile and cook at simmer until pork and hominy are tender (about 1 hour).

• Add salt/pepper to taste