Tester Amendment to the Food Safety Moderization Act

15 Monday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Special Information, Things To Do

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I have just received this from Wes Malvini and I do believe it is an appropriate post for this blog. Please participate in this where ever you are located in the United States. Inforamtion is here of how to contact your US Senators. I used a version of the phone script in an email. Thanks.

ACTION ALERT: Act by Nov. 17 on Senate Food Safety Legislation
Call your Senators MONDAY or TUESDAY

by Wes Malvini on Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 1:38pm

From The Cornucopia Institute:
It now appears that the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) will be voted on in the Senate during the “lame-duck” session as early as Wednesday, Nov. 17.

This bill, as we have noted before, would impose extremely burdensome and unnecessary requirements on the thousands of small farmers and food processors who are producing safe, nutrient-dense foods for their local communities – in fact, it may force some of these producers out of business.

A key amendment sponsored by Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) would exempt small farmers who direct market more than 50% of their products.

These farmers must have gross sales (direct and non-direct combined) of less than $500,000, and sell to consumers, stores, or restaurants that are in-state or within 400 miles. This amendment is especially important for off-farm retail locations such as farmers markets and CSAs.

Please call your Senators today (most offices have voice mail where you can leave a message) and ask them to support the Tester Amendment on the Food Safety bill. If you are a farmer this is important to protect your livelihood. If you are a consumer, where will you buy your safe and nutritious food if your local farmers are forced out of business?

It’s easy to call. Go to Congress.org and type in your zip code in the box in the upper right hand corner. Click on your Senator’s name, and then on the contact tab for their phone number. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard and ask to be directly connected to your Senator’s office: 202-224-3121. Once connected ask to speak to the legislative staff person responsible for agriculture. If they are unavailable leave a voice mail message. Be sure to include your name and phone number.

The message is simple:
“I am a constituent of Senator___________. I ask that he/she support the Tester Amendment to the food safety bill. The Tester Amendment will exempt the safest, small, owner-operator farms and food facilities and farmers who direct market their products to consumers, stores or restaurants. Food safety legislation should not create inappropriate and costly regulatory barriers to family farms and the growing healthy food movement in the drive to crack down on corporate bad actors. Please support the Tester Amendment and market opportunities for small and mid-sized family farms, and small food processing facilities.”
Thank you for your help and support for those producing some of the nation’s safest and most nutritious food!

Boise Saturday Market and Red Feather Lounge

13 Saturday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Red Feather/Bittercreek, Restaurants, What's For Dinner?

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We had a wonderful breakfast this morning at the Red Feather Lounge in Boise and next to the Boise City Market. We met our friend Barbara there for breakfast. We have known her since about 1984, but have not seen her for several years. It was good to catch up on “old times”

Then it was time to walk through the Boise Market to try to find some products to purchase and to locate some people we wanted to meet. There is one vendor there – they used to own the Sweetwater Cafe – that we wanted to find who makes dog food and dog biscuits, but they were not there. Maybe next time.

I did find Nonna’s of Sun Valley who we met on Facebook. It was great to visit with them for a short time and to sample their sauces. Here is information gleaned from their information sheet. The photo on the left is of John and Carolina. Their business card below will give you a little more information.

Nonna’s of Sun Valley
PO Box 3122
Sun Valley, Idaho 83353

Carolina Belfiore Stevens,Owner/Creator (208) 720-3100
John Stevens, Marketing/Sales (208) 720-5795

“Nonna’s of Sun Valley offers Traditional Tomato Sauces and Dinners made locally in Idaho using Old World Recipes. In our family, recipes were not written on paper but rather learned through experiences. I would follow my grandmother around the house and garden, collecting ingredients and preparing “Sunday” dinner. We used the freshest and most local ingredients, same as we do today. Our signature sauces are Marinara Sauce, Red Wine Marinara Sauce, Puttanesca Sauce and Vodka Cream Sauce which are available all year long … We use Muir Glen 100% Organic Tomatoes in all our products. We use the highest quality natural ingredients and whenever possible, we use local ingredients such as Ballard Cheeses, Blue Ice Vodka and Cloverleaf Dairy Cream. We purchase many ingredients from Fair Mountain Farm in Fairfield, ID., Kings Crown Organics in King Hill, ID., MM Heath Farms in Buhl, ID., Peaceful Belly in Boise, ID, Rice Family Farms in Meridian, ID., Sweet Valley Organics in Star, ID, Wood River Organics in Bellevue, ID. And many more Idaho farms.”

But then I did find some very good Pine Bark Toffee made with pine nuts and sunflower seeds. A very different and amazing flavor to toffee. Here is some information about them.

Here is their business card with all their information. I don’t know if they ship or not. You will have to contact them directly.

And yes, it’s time to think Turkey. Fresh Turkey! Thanksgiving Turkey! Maybe this will help to get you in the spirit. Hope so.

That was our morning on this cool – almost cold – fall morning in Boise. Enjoy and check these businesses out. They will appreciate it. Cheers!

Dinner With Wes Malvini

12 Friday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Local Harvests, Photos By: Bob Young, Rabbit, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Special Dinners, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Last night we had a delightful dinner with Wes Malvini, among other things, now working for Idaho’s Bounty. Wes has been marketing director for Holesinsky Winery and Davis Creek Winery (both wineries in Idaho), film maker, writer, author, wine maker and vineyard manager. He has been busy! It was great to have Wes over for dinner and to talk to him about his achievements and future endeavors. Here is what we had for dinner. The photo to the left is the table setting Robin created. Enjoy!

Prepping the Grissini.

Grissini

Frying sage leaves.

Cheese Crisps with Fried Sage

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Rabbit Dinner
with
Wes Malvini

The Menu

Appetizer
Virginia Prosciutto and Figs/Grissini

Entrée
Lapin a la Moutarde
(Rabbit In Mustard Sauce)

Tarragon Carrots

Wild Rice

Salad
Lemon Cucumber and Fennel Salad

Bread
Fresh Baked Sourdough Baguettes

Dessert
Goat Cheese and Apple Slices

The Wine List
2006 Parma Ridge Vineyards Chardonnay

2004 Fat Bastard Chardonnay

2000 Haight Vineyard Chardonnay
(The winner for tonight! What a surprise.)

1978 Chalone Vineyard Pinot Blanc

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Appetizer
Virginia Prosciutto and Figs

Entrée
Lapin a la Moutarde

Dessert
Goat Cheese and Apple Slices
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So there you have our wonderful dinner with friends from last night. Enjoy the photos!

Pasta alla Puttanescsa

11 Thursday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anthropology of Food, Party Time, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, What's For Dinner?

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The other day while we were in the Boise Coop Wine Shop for a Port tasting, there was this gentleman there tasting the port and saying he was making a Puttanescsa tonight. We said we were making a Pasta With Portanesca Sauce. Then someone from Italy on Facebook asked if the Portanesca was the same as the Puttanescsa. Confused yet? Here is the recipe and the history behind it for Puttanescsa. Enjoy!!

Pasta alla Puttanesca

Note: A classic sauce made with tomatoes, capers, olives, and anchovies. The lore of Pasta alla Puttanesca, which translates as “Whore’s Pasta,” varies: some say it refers to the spicy, pungent aroma produced by its ingredients that enticed passing customers; others claim pragmatically that this out-of-the-larder dish was the easiest thing workers could prepare between customers, and cheap to boot. People cook it today because it has a remarkable flavor, is easy, and is made of ingredients easily kept on hand.

Ingredients:
1 lbs Spaghetti or Linguini
½ cup + 1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Anchovy fillets, chopped
½ tsp Garlic, finely chopped
3 c canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes (keep the juice), coarsely chopped
salt
2 t fresh chopped Oregano, fresh chopped or ½ tsp dried oregano
2 T Capers
8-10 Black Olives, pitted and julienned

Directions:
Put all but 1 T of the olive oil and the anchovies in a large skillet over a low heat and cook, stirring until the anchovies dissolve. Add the garlic and cook for about 15 seconds, taking care not to brown it (garlic gets bitter if browned)

Raise the heat to a medium-high and add the tomatoes, and juice, with a pinch of salt. When the sauce comes to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer until the tomatoes have reduced and separated from the oil. This will probably take 20-40 minutes.

Remove from the heat and set aside. If you want, you can now refrigerate the sauce and save for the next day.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add 1 t of salt, and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring until the strands are submerged. If you have a smaller pot, you can use less than 4 quarts of water, but you must constantly stir the spaghetti for one minute.

When the pasta is halfway done, return the skillet with the sauce to a medium heat, adding the oregano, capers, and olives. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and toss with the sauce in the skillet over a low heat, adding the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste for salt and serve at once with fresh Parmesan cheese.

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So there you have it. It really does look good and easy to prepare. Have fun and choose a good wine to go with it. Cheers!

Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling at "the Buzz"

10 Wednesday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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Another great Wine Club Dinner at the Buzz last night, 09 November. Really good food and some exceptional wine to go along with the dinner. And Cristi had her helper with her, as shown here. (I’m not allowed to say who this is. Can you guess?) If you missed this one, here are some more to look forward to. Mark these on your calendar! (1) On 18 November is the Beaujolais Nouveau from 6:30. No scheduled dinner, but Bistro type foods will be available. (2) 05 December the Quarterly Wine Dinner. This is a special dinner with surprise wines picked to accompany the dinner. There is a very nominal charge for the Wine Dinner. (3) 14 and 15 December the monthly Wine Club Dinner and Tasting of Carmenere and Gewurztraminer. $15.00 per person for a 5 to 6 course full dinner and 6 to 8 wines. Reservations are strongly suggested!! Look in the sidebar for a link to the Buzz. Here are some photos from last nights dinner. Enjoy the photos; We enjoyed the dinner! Thank-You Debbie, Chisti and Tom for a great evening and dinner. My point ratings are in (20). 20 is the highest rating.

I must apologize: I missed a photo of the Spaghetti Squash that Debbie made. And it was good!! I was too busy eating it and talking!

Empty

Apple-Rosemary Blue Cheese Bites
2009 Chateau St. Michelle Riesling 12% alc. (20) $10.00

Chicken Florentine
(I though this was awesome. Just a hint of curry made this a real treat and a surprise ingredient to this Florentine.)
2006 Grafign Cabernet (Argentina) 14% alc (18) $12.00

The Original Caesar
2007 Blue River Riesling 9.5% alc (18) $12.00

Beef Bourguignon
2008 Louis Martini Cabernet 13.9% alc (18) $17.00

Banana Split Brownie Pizza
2006 Kestrel Cabernet 13.9% alc (19) $21.00

The 2008 Winter Scene Riesling 10% alc (18) $14.00 went with the Spaghetti Squash.

Hope you enjoyed the photos as much as we enjoyed the Wine Dinner. See you there next time? Hope so. Just make reservations. Cheers!

Cold Day, Hot Soup!

07 Sunday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Berryhill and Co, Food, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Side Dishes, Soup, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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It’s a cold, rainy day. 52 degrees, winds E@5mph, humidity 94% and 0.34″ of rain. YUK!

Guess it’s time for the soup bowl. Here is a recipe for Berryhill and Co‘s Tomato Basil Soup which is awesome! Thanks to Chef John Berryhill for sharing this recipe which comes from his blog. Berryhill and Co, for those of you not in Boise, is one of Boise’s finest restaurants. If you are ever in Boise, it is well worth a trip to eat there. Try this soup! The photo here is actually the soup. Cheers.

Pasta With Portanesca Sauce

06 Saturday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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A good tasting at the Boise Coop Wine Shop of Port wines with Christian Lamotte of New West Wines. Here are the ports that we tasted.

Robin and Christian discuss the ports.

The wines we tasted.

But then, when you have tasted all of these wines and bought two bottles, now what? How about Pasta with Portanesca Sauce. Yup! You guessed it. A pasta sauce with port wine and coffee. Here is the recipe. Enjoy.

Pasta with Portanesca Sauce

Source: Robin and Bob Young
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 c Pasta Shells
1 c White Port wine
1 c Water, used to soak the dried mushrooms
1 c strong Coffee, espresso
3 T Butter
3 T All-Purpose flour
½ c dried Mushrooms, reconstituted in the 1 c Water
4 T Pecorino Romano Cheese, ground
½ T Pomegranate Molasses
1½ T Hazelnuts, ground
¾ c Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 T Olive Oil
4 whole Figs
Shaved Pecorino for garnish

Directions:
Cook the pasta until done. Rinse. Add the 1 T olive oil and toss to keep from sticking. Set aside.

Cut each fig in half lengthwise. Set aside.

Soak the mushrooms for 2 hours in 1 cup of water. After 1 hour, replace the water with 1 c Port. Reserve the water.

Reduce the coffee by ½. Add the reserved water and the port wine from the mushrooms. Reduce by ½. Keep warm.

Large dice the mushrooms. Set aside.

Add the butter to a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until it is nut brown. Do not burn! Add the flour and whisk to blend. Add the reduced coffee mixture and stir to blend. Add the ground hazelnuts, the cheese and the pomegranate molasses. Add the optional diced chicken. Stir all to blend. Let the sauce thicken.

When the sauce is thick, add the pasta. Stir to mix. Heat throughout.

Plate with two figs cut in half on a plate. Top the pasta with the shaved pecorino.

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As we used to say in the dance classes we were teaching, “Your turn!” Good luck.

Lunch At The Bittercreek Ale House

02 Tuesday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Red Feather/Bittercreek, Restaurants, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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It’s been a while since we have been to the Bittercreek Ale House in Boise, but it is still pretty good fixins’. We usually go to the Red Feather Lounge, Bittercreek’s kissing cousin next door, but only because we are way to early and usually on a Saturday. Red Feather Lounge has a great breakfast and super dinners. So after voting today, we took ourselves out to lunch. Here is what we had. Enjoy. We did. And when in Boise, this is a good place to eat. Cheers!

BC Burger with Bacon
Chipotle Corn Soup
New Belgium Lips of Faith Special Release, Sahti (Finland)

BLT
Fish Brewing Co., Spire Mountain Dark and Dry Hard Apple Cider

Bicycles

The lunches were very good as were the beer and the hard cider. I do like a good corn soup, Chicken Corn Soup from Lancaster or Lehigh Counties in Pennsylvania to be exact, but this Chipotle Corn Soup was superb. I liked it that much. $28.00 for lunch for the two of us. Cheers!

Food Trivia From "Rudy’s – A Cook’s Paradise"

02 Tuesday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Trivia, Recipes, Rudy's Twin Falls, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Now this looks like an interesting week. There is even a recipe posted. Enjoy! (Source: Rudy’s – A Cooks Paradise)

Week in the History of Food and Drink

November 2: The Soup Nazi first appears on the ‘Seinfeld’ TV show.
November 3: National Sandwich Day
November 4: National Candy Day
November 5: National Donut Day (This week just keeps getting better!)
November 6, 1993: The world’s largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich was created in Peanut, Pennsylvania. It was almost 40 feet long and used 150 pounds of peanut butter and 50 pounds of jelly.
November 7, 2010: Happy 45th birthday to ‘Poppin’ Fresh aka The Pillsbury Doughboy.
November 8: National Harvey Wallbanger Day.

In the United States alone, over 10 billion doughnuts are made every year.
However…Canadians Win! They consume the most doughnuts in the world and Canada has the most doughnut shops per capita.
OK. So we here in the States can try to win this competition. Here is a recipe from Rudy’s – A Cook’s Paradise for doughnuts. Enjoy them!

Zeppoli
(also spelled zeppole)

(Adapted from Desserts by the Yard, by Sherry Yard) If you’ve ever been to a street festival in any Little Italy in the United States, you know this lovely treat– a kind of fried doughnut that is tossed in a paper bag with powdered sugar. Use Sherry Yard’s basic batter recipe and then divid it into three portions, flavoring one with lemon zest, one with orange zest, and one with chocolate and orange zest.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
‘2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups ricotta
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3/4 – 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

vegetable oil, for frying
about six brown paper lunch bags

Directions:
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the ricotta and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla and nutmeg and combine well. Whisk in the flour and divide into three smaller bowls. Add the lemon zest to one, mixing well. Add 1 teaspoon of the orange zest to the second, mixing well. Add the last teaspoon of orange zest and the cocoa powder to the last bowl and mix well. Cover the three bowls and put them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (you can leave them for up to 4 hours).

Before you start frying the zeppole, set out a baking sheet with a wire rack on top of it for draining. Open and turn down the tops of six brown paper bags.

In large heavy pot heat two inches of oil to 350 F. Carefully spoon tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil in batches. Start with the lemon batter, then the orange, and finish with the chocolate-orange. Cook the batches of zeppole for about 2 – 2 1/2 minutes, flipping them over every 30 seconds. Fish them out with a mesh skimmer and let them drain on the rack. Keep cooking the zeppole in batches until you have no batter left.

Divide the zeppole into the brown paper bags and then sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar into each bag. Close up the tops and give them a good shake to coat the zeppole with sugar. Eat warm.

Umeboshi Paste

01 Monday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in What's For Dinner?

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I am still looking for the Umami Paste No 5. I went to the Boise Coop today and they claim that this Umeboshi Paste is the same. They do not carry the Umami Paste and suggested the local Asian market. But in the mean time, here is some information and recipes for the Umeboshi Paste.

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Ryujin Yuuki Umeboshi Paste
Boise Coop. $6.93 6oz jar

The Boise Coop claims that this is the same as the Umami Paste No 5, which they do not carry. Here is a description of Umeboshi:

“Mitoku Umeboshi Paste is a deliciously tart, versatile seasoning from Mitoku’s natural Umeboshi (salt pickled plums). Premium 3-year umeboshi plum flesh is gently ground to make this unique, zesty puree. Use it to add lively tartness to salad dressings, dips, spreads, sauces, and cooked vegetables, especially cabbage and broccoli. It is the ideal seasoning for sushi rolls or tucked in the center of rice balls. Spread on corn-on-the-cob for a delicious and low fat alternative to butter. Superb!

Ingredients: Japanese natural ume (umeboshi puree), red shiso (perilla) leaves, and sea salt.

Umeboshi Paste is a puree made from the flesh of pitted umeboshi plums. Mitoku Umeboshi Paste has a balanced, centering energy that neutralizes extreme foods and conditions. Ume paste aids in digestion, strengthens the blood, and neutralizes acidity. Umeboshi Paste has a salty, tangy flavor, combining a sour and salty taste, with a wide range of culinary and medicinal uses.

Uses: Umeboshi paste is ideal in making sauces, dressings, spreads, rolled in sushi or add to soups, tofu and natto. Delicious on corn on the cob and broccoli! Umeboshi paste is a healthy substitute seasoning in place of salt. “

Source: http://www.simply-natural.biz/Mitoku-Ume-Paste.php

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From: http://www.foodista.com/food/TF6ZG3HD/umeboshi-paste

A tangy and salty red-colored paste made from pickled umeboshi fruit, which are related to apricots but frequently referred to as “plums”. It is used as a condiment in Japanese cuisine. Promotes healthy appetite and digestion.

Flavors: Salty, tangy
Food Complements: Asian dishes
Wine Complements: Riesling, Pinot Gris
Beverage Complements: Sake
Substitutes: sea salt, miso, soy sauce

Umeboshi Paste is traditionally made from the wild, tart umeboshi plums grown deep in the Japanese Alps by small family growers. Umeboshi in hot water (sometimes with strong alcohol) is a typical winter drink in snowy parts of Japan. In Mexico, it is known as chamoy and is usually made with apricot or tamarind and a mix of salt and dry chili.

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And from http://www.epicurious.com/ I found this recipe –

Shrimp and Daikon Salad with Ume-Shiso Dressing

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 30 min
That distinctive quality of ume-shiso—the tart-and-salty combination of umeboshi (pickled plums) and green shiso, an exuberantly undefinable… more ›

Ingredients
For salad:
1 (10-ounce) piece daikon radish, peeled
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For dressing:
3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 1/4 teaspoons umeboshi plum vinegar
2 tablespoons umeboshi plum paste
1 1/2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped green shiso leaves (about 9)

Equipment:
an adjustable-blade slicer; a large (2-burner) ridged grill pan (preferably cast-iron)
Preparation
Prepare daikon and shrimp for Salad:

Using slicer, cut daikon lengthwise into very thin slices (see cooks’ note, below). Soak in a bowl of lightly salted cold water, chilled, 30 minutes. While daikon soaks, toss shrimp with oil and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat grill pan over medium-high heat until hot, then cook shrimp, turning once, until just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Make dressing:
Whisk together mirin, vinegars, plum paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking. Stir in shiso leaves.

Assemble salad:
Stir shrimp into dressing. Drain daikon well. Rinse and pat dry, then divide among 6 plates. Using a slotted spoon, top with shrimp. Serve drizzled with some of remaining dressing.

Cooks’ Notes: • •Daikon comes in many shapes and sizes; you may have to cut or quarter your piece to get slices about 5 by 1 inch. It can be soaked up to 3 hours.
• Shrimp can be cooked 30 minutes ahead and kept at room temperature.
• Dressing, without shiso leaves, can be made 3 hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Stir in shiso leaves (and shrimp) just before serving.

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And from http://www.food.com

Umeboshi Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:
¼ c Rice Vinegar or ¼ c White Vinegar
½ c Vegetable Oil
1 T Sugar, to taste
1 t Sesame Oil
1 -2 T Umeboshi Plum Paste
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in blender and puree.

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So there you have some more information. If I ever find the Umami Taste No 5, I will be sure to let everyone know. For now, Cheers!