How quickly Thanksgiving fades into our rear view mirror as we face the impending crush of Christmas, New Years and the end of a very tumultuous year.
All other hot button issues aside, food in all of its forms has been a pivotal point of debate. Local restaurants opening and closing. Wage increase and then decreases. The continuing wave of what I call “simmering pot” cuisine, dishes and recipes that after a long slow conceptual incubation are introduced not solely in brick and mortar places but on food trucks, in blogs, Facebook and Instagram.
The continuing march of molecular gastronomy out of the large urban areas into the hinterlands, literally the last bastion of home cooking, and the hinterland’s response? More farm to table artisan cooking at its fiercest. Micro farms, vineyards, and communities dedicated to preserving and updating traditional foods and methods.
There is a thread of politics that runs through our fascination with food. We are asked to consider GMO’s, corporate farming, organic regulations and by laws, fast food. These issues ebb and flow with our attention spans but never recede completely. There is animosity, dialogue, compromise and inherent challenges that will continue to be generational in nature and create anew the need for our vigilance.
While we are guarding the gates of whichever fortress we hold dear we might as well eat.
There continues to be no shortage of food in this country only an inexplicable failure to deliver that food equitably. Food deserts still exist and in some communities have spread. Ten blocks away from a gleaming high tech supermarket stands a street corner store selling what used to be snacks and now pass for some family’s food pyramid. Farmer’s markets continue to be fashionable, urban markets not so much.
Great strides are being made in the areas of urban farming, a city cousin of the community gardens of old. But we still lack the connections between the source and the need, that elemental human touch necessary to turn the tide not only of childhood hunger but stranger still morbid obesity.
Keeping these issues in the forefront takes dedication and patience, and a little ingenuity doesn’t hurt either. I went back a few years ago and dug up Free Rice, an internet game which donates rice to the World Food Program for every vocabulary word that is correctly defined.
It’s an excellent teaching tool and a perfect illustration of the nexus of education food and passion. Inventive play and positive intervention crystalize the concept that sharing a meal, no matter the miles between us establishes a necessary root to nourish. The fact that rice means many things to many cultures around the world, and that it is the most widely consumed grain on earth further adds to the aura of familiarity.
“Rice and beans” represents a perfect protein match and has cultural implications that go far beyond a simple dish and a full belly. Rice in particular and food in general may not solve all the world’s problems but it certainly gets us talking and keeps us engaged.
Risotto
This is actually a method of simmering a grain, usually Arborio rice slowly to draw out the starch and soften the shell to an al dente texture, creamy with a bite is the way one of my former chefs described it. You need to use a higher starch, harder shell grain for this method as others will simply turn to mush.
Make no mistake Arborio rice, barley even bulgur wheat are great grains for this dish but inattention to the method or lag time at the end of the cooking process can end in the same result.
I start my risotto by sweating a diced shallot or onion in a little warm fat, just enough to coat the rice after the shallot has cooked. At this point you can toast the rice a bit just be careful not to brown the shallot as well.
The process then settles into a measured addition of warm stock at intervals, just enough to cover the rice as it cooks. The idea is to slowly soften the shell, draw out the starch and cook the grain. Herbs, aromatics such as saffron or paprika will be added farther along in the process to keep color and flavor more distinct.
Check the doneness by periodically breaking open a single grain. Early in the process the amount of hard white center will be apparent immediately. As the grain cooks the white center will shrink, the grain will soften and as the center disappears you will stir through the risotto vigorously to release the starch and finish the dish.
Season, add in cheese or other cooked garnish and you are ready to enjoy a warm bowl of goodness.
John Foster is an executive chef who heads the culinary program at Sullivan University’s Lexington campus. A New York native, Foster has been active in the Lexington culinary scene and a promoter of local and seasonal foods for more than 20 years. The French Culinary Institute-trained chef has been the executive chef of his former restaurant, Harvest, and now his Chevy Chase eatery, The Sage Rabbit, in Lexington.
To read more from Chef John Foster, including his recipes, click here.
