Before we share the recipe, a quick discussion on the three ways scallops arrive on your plate:

• They are farmed.
• They are dredged.
• They are harvested by hand (i.e. diver)

Although the technology has changed over the years, a dredge is essentially a snowplow that is dragged across the floor of the ocean.  It occasionally has teeth that dig further into the bottom;  It disturbs and arguably destroys much of what it contacts.  According to OceanWise and many of the fishermen I’ve known in my life, this method is extremely destructive.

The most sustainable method is diver-harvested although some farming methods are sound as well.

There is a short but balanced article from 2010 from the BBC which shares a scientists opinion that not all dredging is necessarily a problem though the problem that does exist is considerable and calls for a ban.  There are many choices when it comes to scallops and many are sustainable according to OceanWise.  Check out their list to learn more.

If your fish monger doesn’t know where your scallops were caught or how they were harvested, stay away.  Before buying dredged scallops, imagine what would happen if we disturbed only the top 6-12 inches of soil across an entire farm or city.

Scallops are a treat in our house so we like to keep them simple.  The keys to this dish are fresh (even if frozen) scallops and fresh asparagus (this salad would be awful with asparagus that was less than fresh) as neither are cooked traditionally.  The flavors are simple and beautiful.  While either recipe is good independently, they are even better together.

Ingredients

• Olive Oil (a few tablespoons)
• Lemons (we used 2.5)
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Asparagus (we used 8 large spears)
• Scallops (we used 1 pound)
• Chile flakes (to taste)

Directions

Scallops:

1. Rinse scallops, drain and pat dry.
2. Slice scallops into small pieces, place in a small bowl.
3. Cover scallops with juice of two lemons and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
4. Add chile flakes to your heart’s content.
5. Cover and place bowl in fridge for 30-60 minutes (no longer); stir every 10 minutes or so.  The longer you wait, the more cured/firm they will become.  These do not make great leftovers.
6. Drain before plating.
7. Garnish with coarse salt right before serving.

Asparagus Salad (I make this after the scallops go in fridge)

1. Break the stalks off where they naturally snap.
2. Use a sharp potato peeler to peel slices (start just under the tip – you can cook the tips separately).  You may have to cut the last 2-3 pieces manually.
3. Rest the strips in a small bowl.
4. Add the juice of a half lemon and 2 teaspoons (you can judge by eye) to the asparagus.
5. Season with pepper (I like lots though you may prefer to be subtle), stir.
6. Place in fridge, stirring every 10 minutes or so; it’s ready in 15-60 minutes (or ny time in between).
7. Drain before serving and season with coarse salt on the plate.

I like to serve this with potato chips or thin crackers but even lettuce will do (I take a bite of all 3 things at the same time for maximum impact).  Although I’m happy with my potato chips, I’m not thrilled with them yet so that recipe will have to wait for another day!

If the idea of a vinegar-based beverage has you scratching your head, think of lemonade; it’s very acidic yet somehow refreshing and thirst-quenching.  Since lemons aren’t anywhere near local to us, the idea of being able to create a similar experience with all local ingredients was an exciting prospect to me.

The final results didn’t let me down.  It was fantastic.

A shrub is typically diluted with water or carbonated water.  I’ve been mixing this with 4 parts water to 1 part shrub (i.e. 4 cups of water gets added to 1 cup of shrub).

The recipe requires a scale.  You could bluff it but the results will be difficult to control consistently.  We constantly find uses for our $25 scale and I can’t recommend it enough.

Ingredients

Equal parts:

• Rhubarb, chopped small
• Brown Sugar (or maple sugar if you want to be really decadent)
• Vinegar (any type will do, I used white, though white wine or cider vinegar could be really interesting here).

I used 168 grams (about 6 ounces) of each and ended up with about 1.25 cups of shrub concentrate (enough to make 6 cups of final beverage).

Directions

1. Add the rhubarb and sugar together, stir to incorporate.  Cover and place in fridge for 24 hours (this will draw the liquid out of the rhubarb).
2. Add vinegar, stir.  Cover with a paper towel and let it sit in the fridge for 24-72 hours (the longer it sits, the less acidic it will taste).
3. Strain out the solids, pressing them to remove all the liquid you can.
4. Store in a covered mason jar in the fridge.

It’s awesome – and I can’t wait to make some cocktails from it too!

If you’re looking for a rhubarb beverage that you can preserve and isn’t based on vinegar, try this cordial.

We previewed this function to our FaceBook followers last week and asked for their feedback and we consistently heard that there was too much scrolling and people wanted a preview of each post so they could skim for what they wanted to find.  We’ve updated every single recipe post to do just that and we hope you’ll find it useful!

You can find the index here (note that you can also find it in its permanent home in the menu under FIND STUFF – INGREDIENT INDEX in the menu above).

I do like to laugh at myself.

We had two problems that created the picture above:

1. I cooked with the broiler when I meant to bake
2. Our broiler is uneven (i.e. not level).

This picture demonstrates why you want to make an even broiler (thankfully it was all edible and rather yummy).  It’s time for me to stop procrastinating and fix the element (the task looks pretty easy) and I thought it might be a good chance for you to check yours.

What are the tasks you delay working on in the kitchen?

A frittata i very similar to quiche (we used the terms as synonyms when I grew up) except that it has no crust and has a higher percentage of eggs involved (a quiche often includes the addition of cream or milk to the eggs).

There are two tricks that I use when making a frittata that I insist make a difference.

The first trick is to add vinegar – white wine vinegar is my favorite for this.  I add it after I’ve added everything but the eggs and then I taste the mixture.  There should be enough to taste a tang though not quite enough to pick out that it’s vinegar.  This means I may add a tablespoon or more.  The exact amount is more art than science but trust your senses and you’ll do just fine.  The addition of acid just takes a Frittata from an omelet to something entirely different.

The second trick I insist on is that I beat the egg whites separate from the yolks and add them to the mixture at the final moment.  This ensures your frittata is airy and light and doesn’t become an egg log.  If you look at the very top picture in this post you’ll see air bubbles in the photo of the end product.

You can prepare this dish in 10 minutes and then it’s just a waiting game for it to cook.

Ingredients

• 6 Eggs (room temperature is best
• 2 Cups of cheese (cheddar or mozzarella will do but I love to mix a combination and will even include things like feta or ricotta)
• Asparagus, as much as you’d like (I used a small bunch), chopped into small discs.
• Mushrooms, as many as you like, I used about 10.  Chop however you’d like.
• 1 large onion
• A half tablespoon of Herbes Salees (or 2-3 teaspoons of any dried herbs)
• White Wine Vinegar (+/- a tablespoon)
• Butter to grease pan
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dried chili flakes to taste

Directions

1. Turn oven to 350.
2. Mix everything but the eggs and vinegar in a large bowl.
3. Add some vinegar, toss the mixture and taste.  Repeat until you can detect a tang in the flavor (this will get milder as we add the quantity of egg)
4. Grease your cooking pan (I use a small cast iron frying pan for this purpose; it has enough room for the fritatta to raise as needed)
5. Crack and separate your eggs.
6. Lightly beat the yolks, add them to your other ingredients and stir to incorporate.
7. Using a whisk or hand mixer, beat the whites until they are filled with little bubbles.  The more bubbles the better.  Once you’re happy with the amount of bubbles proceed with haste – but be safe.
8. Gently pour the whites into the other ingredients and lightly fold the ingredients into the mixture (i.e. distribute the whites gently).
9. Add the mixture to your pan and place in the oven.
10. Cook for 45 minutes before testing (stick a knife into the center and when it comes out clean, you’re done).  It should finish cooking in 45-60 minutes.
11. Allow the frittata to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

We’ve been fighting to determine why it hasn’t been working – and finally solved it late last night.  Apologies for the inconvenience; it should be working now!

Within seconds of speaking, I knew I had better be taking notes.  Originally from Belarus, she had worked in Italy for 10 years with Slow Food before launching it into Canada, Eastern and Central Europe.  Her resume (you can see more of her bio here) reads like that of a modern day food warrior – and she is.

Lilia moved to the USA because she felt that if she “could change a small bit of the way the US related to food, she could make the world a better place.”  I fully believe the woman dreams in Technicolor and found her completely inspiring.

We were walked through some of her personal history with the Slow Food movement as well as it’s efforts in places like Bulgaria where they’ve worked with local farmers to change legislation and allow the growing and selling of food that was once a cornerstone of their local diet (such as the smilyan bean).  Legislation had made small-scale farming (and selling) very difficult-to-impossible until recent years where Slow Food has worked with passionate members of the community to lobby for – and create – change (you can see more on the Slow Food Site here).

My biggest excitement came as Lilia turned her attention to her most recent involvement, Food Day.  Here’s one-minute video featuring Morgan Spurlock (“Supersize Me”) which explains his excitement for it:

Food Day (October 24) is a movement to create awareness and celebration around 5 principles:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
5. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

I really appreciate that making good food affordable is one of the key issues that Food Day addresses.

The first event took place in 2011 and had a National Presence and creating sustained change in several cities.  This 2.5 minute video shows some of the events from last year as well as the vision for the coming year:

The advisory board is an unbelievable panel of people.  There are more than 80 people involved and they include:

• Will Allen
• Dan Barber
• Michael Pollan
• Josh Viertel

And many others who range from activists to chefs to elected officials.   The complete list and mini-bios of all of them can be found on their site.

One of the things I adore about this movement is that they put the power to make a difference in the hands of everyone.  By visiting the resources section of their site you’ll find everything you need to create your own event (from a simple dinner with friends to a rally to shake your city).  They have posters, videos, educational resources and more that you can use to run (or join) an event of your own.

Similar to Food Day, is Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day which is tomorrow (May 19, 2012).  The movement has gained massive support – there are events planned in 627 cities spread across 58 countries.  There’s an interactive map to find events close to you here.  The beautiful site shows lists of events and dinner parties dedicated to raising awareness and raising funds to educate children in the arts of the kitchen (creating change from the ground up).

Jamie Oliver created this amazing 3-minute video to explain his vision of The Revolution and it’s progress:

It’s positive events like these and the dedication of people like Lilia Smelkova that keep me motivated and hopeful that a difference is being made in the way we relate to food and the systems that bring it to our homes.

Are you participating in events for either event?

 That’s right – on Monday, May 28th come on out to the Avro and bring a friend and you’ll get your Home Ec badge of the month!

Home Ec was designed around building a community of people interested in different aspects of food, friendship and getting together.  Since we’re about halfway through the yearly schedule, we’ve decided to have a thank-you night and just hang out without asking you to have to make anything.

We’ll be using the night to share some of the goodies out of our pantry (if you’re really feeling left out, you’re welcome to bring something simple to share but don’t feel obliged).  May 28th is all about just hanging out, meeting some new people and seeing where it goes from there.

We’ll be teaming up with The Avro (it’s in Leslieville, Toronto) to make another custom cocktail for the evening

Here’s a list of our previous Home Ec Events.

No RSVP is required though it does help us plan – you can do so  by adding a comment here or adding yourself to the FaceBook RSVP list.

Will we see you there?

The total cost of the meal was less than a cost of a submarine sandwich each – and we both had the equivalent of 2 claws (including knuckle meat) and a full tail each.  If the idea of buying and cooking lobster is scary or unknown, be sure to check out our series on buying and eating lobster - it should take the mystery out of the process (including how to use the entire animal and extend the budget tremendously).

One of the neat things about this salad is that it features raw asparagus.  Asparagus, especially when it’s young, doesn’t need to be cooked at all to be eaten.  I like to cut it into small discs; they add a burst of flavor and lots of texture.

This is a great meal – the portion below is what we served as a main course for two hungry people.  I went heavy with the lemon as there’s no dressing on the leaves themselves.  You could easily cut it in half though I liked the bold hit of lemon as a flavour in this salad.

Ingredients

• 2 lobsters – the meat from the tail, claws and big knuckles (the ‘arms’ that lead to the claws) removed and chopped fine.
• 4 Asparagus stalks, tough ends removed and the rest cut into small discs
• Chopped Hazelnuts (0.5-1 tablespoon after chopping).  Easiest way to chop is to carefully cut a slice off a piece and then lay the flat side down and proceed carefully.  Toasting after chopping is optional but nice.
• Juice of 0.5-1 lemons
• arugula
• Olive Oil (.5-1 teaspoons)
• Chili flakes to your taste (I used about 0.25 teaspoons)
• Salt (to taste)

Directions

1. Combine ingredients (minus the arugula) and toss.
2. Allow the flavours to combine for 10-15 minutes.  Stir every few minutes and taste as you go.
3. Place arugula on plates, top with your mixed ingredients.
4. Optional: a final application of olive oil (we have a condiment bottle that we can pour it from).

That’s all there is!  It’s fantastic!

There are a few things to be wary of when foraging in a city:

• Pesticide use (present and past)
• Soil conditions/ toxicity
• Water/ run off conditions/ toxicity
• Pet contamination
• Human contamination

It’s difficult to ensure that any specific place has the ideal elements but some quick research will help out.  Toronto, as an example, bans all spraying in public parks and has for a number of years (though that was only in 2009 and most prefer waiting 10-15 years of pesticide-free use before eating product from treated soil).  Soil toxicity is much more difficult to determine (though, in theory, you could take some samples for testing) and knowing some history of the area can help.  I’m not an expert in this field and I take an educated guess though you may decide otherwise.

Those first two observations are essentially common sense.  After that, I pretty much invert every logical rule you could have:

• I look for a park/ large public space near a dog park.  The bigger the dog park, the better.
• I look for a park that has lots of foot traffic – though a park with many paths is best (as opposed to one giant one that pushes people on the same course).

People avoid foraging close to dog parks – I think the spaces near them are ideal.  Watch people as they arrive at a dog park – they walk an almost straight-line to the park to let their dog go for a run.  Watch the paths they take – the park acts like a giant dog magnet which keeps them away from the rest of the space.  Don’t forage in the immediate area as many dogs won’t relieve themselves in the place they play but will wait until the moment they leave the space.

Also avoid the fringes – where fields meet forest.  Dogs also enjoy these areas to ‘mark’ – far more than in the middle of the field itself.

I’ve found that areas with lots of diverging paths also create a funny dynamic – most people stick to the main path either out of concern for being lost, being on autopilot or just for the ease of walking.  Divergent paths allow you to find pristine areas while not destroying the forest floor.  Paths also take you deeper into the woods where it’s improbable that pesticides were ever sprayed (this was generally kept to the fields). 

If you are fortunate enough to find areas which the forest is higher in elevation than the fields that may have been sprayed, all the better.  I avoid the lowest bits (where still water and runoff can gather over time) altogether.

The ideal park has giant open spaces (like baseball fields, picnic parks and more) as well as heavily wooded areas that have lots of walking trails.

What would you add to this list?