Rookie Cookery

Food and Fun at the Scottish Games 2008 in Woodland, CA

Being of Scottish ancestry, I have always longed to attend a Scottish Games event where I could celebrate and learn more about my heritage. This past weekend I finally got my chance, at the 132nd Annual Scottish Games sponsored by the Caledonian Club of Sacramento, held at the Yolo County Fairgounds.

This is a food blog, so let me cut to the chase and tell you what we ate:

Being a traditionalist, I chose a meat pie meal with peas and gravy.

This was as good as one might expect for food found at a fair.  The pastry was a bit chewy, the ground meat rather bland, covered with a potato topping and gravy.  In short, it was rather uninspired. But it would be unfair to judge Scottish food by this fast food variety. The peas were better than I expected, however.  I washed it down with an imported Scottish soda called Irn-Bru (pronounced "iron brew"), which was flavorful and tasted like a mild orange soda.   As it turns out, I am very glad I chose the Irn-Bru, and I'll tell you why in a few paragraphs.

Of course there was a place selling fish and chips, as well as bangers (sausages) and various meat and pastry combinations.

My husband Jim ate a chicken pasty which he said had large pieces of chicken in it:

Our son Ethan had some kind of meat filled dumpling:

As we ate our lunch, we watched the opening parade that featured bag pipes,  representatives from many clans and District Scots, persons in period dress, drums and pipes and drum majors.

Most of the afternoon we watched bag pipe band and drum major competitions, featuring competitors all the way from Scotland, Ireland and England as well as prize winners and competitors from the United States. I think the youngest we saw was a very talented young man of age six (pictured in the first photo above during opening parade).  It was thrilling to hear the music and watch the precise movements of the drum majors, especially the teen and older men who tossed and flourished the mace (a long staff) with incredible dexterity.

We saw a man demonstrate his team of majestic clydesdale horses, each weighing about 2,000 pounds,  that could walk sideways and turn on a dime in an old traditional carriage set-up.

When the sun got a bit much, we retreated into a building and lisitened to a fascinating leture on tartan and the clan family system taught by a Professor MacRae (I hope I am recalling that name correctly!) who was a geneology expert, having taught at University of Edinburgh.

It was from this man that I learned that my great-great Grandparents, the MacPartlands, from Loch Lomand, were from a family name that is a variant of the MacFarlane clan name.  (It comes from a word which means "parson" or vicar). While I do not have proof that my family actually belonged to the clan, (a certified process), I like to imagine that I might be part of the MacFarlane Clan lineage. Maybe some day I will be able to apply what I learned from the speaker that day, and find out if I have living relatives in Scotland. 

During his fascinating lecture, our speaker mentioned that one day while traveling in his native land of Scotland, he happened to stop at a little wayside store in order to buy something to drink-- his favorite Scottish soda called Irn-Bru, which "tastes like a rusty nail"  because it has  iron in it.   As it turns out, Herself,  (the Queen of England) happened to be in the store that very day also! The guard at the door allowed him to enter and shop for his soda while Herself was there, with a little basket over her arm. He told the story as an illustration that the Scottish people are not class snobs even though persons may have noble titles.

The kicker to the story is, when he mentioned Irn-Bru I was able to lift my half-empty bottle and say "like this?" and he was very delighted to see that vendors  were selling the import  at the games. He read the label aloud and sure enough a type of iron was on the list of ingredients. Irn-Bru is known as "the other Scottish national drink" (other than whiskey) and has successfully competed with major brands of soft drink that are sold here in the states. (Note to self: Consider attending the Scottish whiskey tastings next year....)

Of course we watched the Scottish Games themselves: competitions in traditional and very old Scottish sports such as the caber toss, (both men and a woman's division),

as well as heavy weight toss over the bar,  and demonstrations of border collies, highland dance, piping, drumming, etc. 

Ethan looked longingly at the claymore (long swords) being sold, but refrained from a purchase. Maybe next year.  I however, reasoned that since it was the week of my birthday and my first Scottish games, it was time I finally purchased a tartan.  After long deliberation, and with the new information from the lecturer, I selected a beautiful MacFarlane tartan sash, in honor of my MacPartland forebears, even though I do not have official proof of their clan membership.

There were vendors selling kilts of course,  and it was wonderful to see so many people wearing the tartan and/or kilts, from the extremely traditional to the new and very modern stylings.

My dream is to go to Scotland some day, but until then I hope to make it an annual event to attend the Scottish Games. Am I ready to join the local Caledonian club? That could be fun!

Welcome to Rookie Cookery. My Banner is gone.

See that big blank space above? That is where my blog banner would normally appear. For some reason, that file is "no  longer found".

I guess this is more impetus to work on the site.  That, or quit altogether, because this makes me feel very very cranky.  But first I have to go to my regular job.

Did I mention how cranky I feel right now?

Signs of Spring

A little rain and sun and the bulbs announce that spring is almost here.  I ran out to get this photograph before the following rain storm beat them down; they fared pretty well and are still gorgeous.  These bloom in a sunny patch of our front yard here in the Sacramento area.

Then yesterday mid-morning I went outside  to put mail in the box, and caught these two ladies strolling down the street past my house, bold as brass.  We often see flocks of turkeys at the nearby parks and along the Sacramento and American River waterways, but this is the first time I have seen them in our neighborhood.  There are also peacocks that roam the neighborhoods some times.  Some day I'll tell you the story of the pea hen that took up residence in our back yard in our old neighborhood for a short while.  Talk about your suburban excitement!

Can you tell I have spring fever?

The blood orange tree is going nutsy too, but I need to give it more attention, poor baby.  I love you, blood orange, really I do!

Smitten with Bitten (Mark Bittman's new Blog)

As if he weren't busy enough,  New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman has entered the blogosphere with his new blog called Bitten.

The blog is in addition to his regular weekly Minimalist feature. He will be posting daily recipes from his archives, as well as new recipes and articles of interest to food lovers everywhere.   One of the advantages of a blog is the comment section, and Bittman's readers have already shown a ready responsiveness to answer his question about how they like to use tomatoes packed in oil.   

I for one am looking forward to reading more from Mr. Bittman, not only in terms of cooking and recipes, but on the topic of food in general.  Welcome to the blogosphere Mr. Bttman!

How To Have A Robert Burn's Night Party and Serve a Haggis

This gorgeous volume of the complete works of Robert Burns (copyright 1887) is a treasured family heirloom.  It was given to me by my Mother, but it is my Father who is of Scottish lineage (my Grandfather being born in Scotland) and I love my Scottish heritage.

Burns, perhaps best known as the author of the song Auld Lang Syne, (most often crooned drunkenly on New Year's Eve here in the States),  is the National Poet of Scotland. His birthday is January 25, and everywhere people of Scottish descent gather, you can find people celebrating Robert Burn's Night. You might think of it as a kind of Scottish version of the Irish St. Patrick's Day.

I was planning on celebrating my first ever Burn's Night party this Friday,  but my most brave foodie friends (more on that later) were unable to attend, and now my husband has a terrible case of the stomach flu. Alas, I have had to cancel the party this year.  What follows are the Essential Ingredients to a proper Robert Burn Night party. (Consider yourself warned if I invite you to such a gathering next year.)

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS FOR A ROBERT BURNS NIGHT GATHERING

1. Have the party on, or very near, January 25-- Robert Burn's birthday.

2. Serve a food called Haggis (or something like it--see below)

3. Read aloud Burn's famous "Address to a Haggis"

4. Preferably, bring the haggis to the table with a touch of ceremony and bagpipe music.

5. It couldn't hurt to wear some tartan plaids or a kilt.

ABOUT THE HAGGIS

The haggis, known as the national dish of Scotland,  consists of a porridge of oatmeal and lamb's liver, lungs, and kidneys, onions and seasonings, bound up in the stomach of  a sheep, and boiled for several hours until done. 

Simple, really. Even Alton Brown shows how easy it is to make a haggis.

Some might argue that my husband's stomach flu is merely a clever ploy to "enjoy" his haggis ahead of time. But that can't be so, as he won't eat lamb meat anyway. And I promised all my invitees that there would be non-haggis foods at  the party.  Nevertheless, it can't be denied that haggis is an aquired taste, if not avoided with some alarm altogether.

When planning my own Burn's Night, I debated whether or not to serve an authentic haggis, or to make what I affectionately call a Half Assed Haggis, which is to say  a Pretend Haggis that consists of lamb meat but no organ meats.  A web search produced everything from authentic to vegetarian (!) versions of "haggis."  Here are a few recipes such as  traditional haggis,  an Americanized haggis from Country Living, and finally a Vegan haggis (which some might argue is no haggis at all).

Here is what I was going to foist  cook for my friends: I was going to cook some lamb's stew meat, chop up some onions, and cook it up with some pin head oats in the crock pot.  Then I was going to serve some colcannon and bangers (sausages) to go along with it.

For the reading of Address to a Haggis, one must prepare by practicing the ancient Scottish dialect in which the poem is written.

Good luck with that.

Scottish bagpipe music?  You can probably find cds to borrow from your local library, purchase some off Amazon, or download it from iTunes. 

Then there is the matter of kilts. Let your conscience be your guide, but I think they can be sexy as hell, although one should avoid going overboard into the realm of cheesy.   They are good for dancing,  too, as Tartanic demonstrates when they play. Despite the sometimes poor quality, (and dubious humor at the end), here's a rather informative little video on the how and why of wearing a kilt.   

So that's it for now, my bonny readers.  And happy birthday, Robbie Burns. 

 

A Perfectly Composed Autumn Lunch by chef Raul Salinas

Creating and serving an individual dish, whether it be an appetizer, salad, a main course, side or dessert, takes a certain amount of knowledge and skill.  Putting all these different elements into a well balanced and harmonious meal takes real experience, and at times, reveals the touch of an artist.  Recently I enjoyed such a meal prepared by personal chef Raul Salinas.

I first met Raul as a fellow diner, over a meal we shared at the Hidden Kitchen here in Sacramento last summer.  He was at the other end of the table, so I didn't have much chance to interact with him.  I was intrigued to learn that he was a professional  chef and wondered what sort of fare he would have delivered to accompany the great wines he had  brought to share. Little did I know I would soon have the chance to find out for myself when visiting the Quixote Winery in Napa a couple of weeks ago.

Raul himself is a quiet man,  somewhat reserved on first impression. Even if I had sat next to him, rather than several seats away at that Hidden Kitchen dinner where we met, I suspect he would have let me do most of the talking while he observed, listened, poured a little wine and  let his good taste do the talking.

It is axiomatic that the food of a chef will, like any other art form, reflect something of his or her character and personality.   The lunch I enjoyed at Quixote was the beginning of my learning that on a new and experiential level.  Raul's meal was perfectly composed of fresh, seasonal and local ingredients, with an amazing depth of flavor and understated elegance.

And, If the meal reflects the man,  there is a certain humility revealed when a chef has the wisdom to  refrain from culinary razzle dazzle,  and rely instead on simple good ingredients,  perfectly prepared.  Here was our menu that day:

A starter of farm fresh eggs,  from the neighbor of our host who has been raising the eggs organically for thirty years.  The eggs were simply boiled and sliced, garnished with a few grains of kosher salt, and were the best I have ever eaten in my life.   A lesser chef would have felt compelled to dress them in some superfluous way.  Raul had the good taste to let them speak for themselves.

The salad woke up our taste buds, very lightly dressed, waltzing with persimmons and walnuts.  Now he really had our attention.

The main course consisted of beef short ribs that had been marinated in a reduction of (what else?)  the host's wine. It was meltingly tender,  deep ebony in color, rich in flavor, and spectacularly delicious.   

The  beef was accompanied by a warm pilaf of barley and winter squash.  It was the perfect foil to the intensely flavored meat,  with it's own earthy textures and rustic flavors.

There were also braised brussels sprouts, one of my personal favorites.    They were perfect, without a trace of bitterness.

The dessert featured was a warm apple cobbler topped with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. It was just the right note to conclude a very satisfying meal.

I am not one who has dined out much, nor tasted widely of the world. However I know a great meal when I have one, and Raul's lunch hovers near the top of my list.  A meal to remember, from a young and talented  chef. I don't know what his professional ambitions are, but I suspect Raul has got the chops to set his course and make it happen.  I feel blessed to have been at the table for a taste.

Steamed About Stevia

The Organic Consumers Association e-newsletter invites readers to freely share their articles on their blogs and web sites. Therefore, I am going to re-post their story (below) on the FDA's unfair bias against the use of the herb Stevia as a natural sweetener in food products. The article states:

"FDA CRACKS DOWN ON NATURAL HERBAL SWEETENER, STEVIA
The FDA, under pressure from the powerful sugar and artificial sweetener lobby, has issued a warning letter to Celestial Seasonings for using a popular natural sweetener in some of its teas. The letter indicates the FDA classifies the herb stevia as "unsafe", even though it is a main staple sweetener in countries like China and Japan and has been used without negative health effects by indigenous people for at least 400 years. In the FDA's letter to Celestial Seasonings, the agency aggressively condemns the use of the herb, noting that "enforcement action may include seizure of violative products". The FDA claims no evidence has been provided to the agency regarding the herb's safety, but federal records reveal the FDA has received over a thousand scientific studies regarding stevia, and all but one of them verify the safety of the herb. In sharp contrast, nearly half of the studies provided to the FDA regarding the artificial sweetener aspartame, previously owned by Monsanto, indicate serious health concerns, yet it is one of the most commonly used (and one of the most profitable) sweeteners in the U.S. The OCA has also verified the FDA has strengthened enforcement of stevia imports at the borders. Last week, the agency updated a document that mandates detainment of imported food products containing stevia.
Learn more: here.

That makes my blood boil. I have used Stevia many different times, and it's infuriating that Stevia is being targeted for suppression when the chemical poison manufacturers like Monsanto get away with murder by comparison. Clearly the FDA has compromised its ethics. I hope you will keep this issue on your radar and look for a way to hold the FDA accountable for protecting our health and to stop harassing people who want to bring healthful products like Stevia into the marketplace.

My next post will be a taste test report on a soda made with Stevia. Stay tuned!

Can't Blog. Reading.

Fisticuffs In The Wine World: A Matter of Taste

I am noticing a minor dust-up following the announcement that Charles Shaw Chardonnay--the infamously cheap "two buck Chuck" table wine found at the local stores-- has been awarded a Gold medal at the California State Fair.

Reactions have ranged from mild interest and agreement that the 2005 vintage of that brand was indeed a serviceable table wine, (although hardly a "wow, this is a gold medal winner!"), to outrage and speculation about the taste and quality of the judges, (it was a blind taste test), fairness and the inevitable subjectivity of any exercise in aesthetics.

What is "good" vs. "bad" taste anyway? That's a trick question, really, because in practice "taste" is neither good nor bad, but rather educated or ignorant. Let's face it, an educated palate has tasted widely of a certain type of experience, has studied the history and milieu of a subject, and has some kind of wisdom from which to form an opinion. This is the reason we listen to critics who are experts in their field; we are likely to learn something from them and benefit from their experience. Critics' opinions should never take the place of forming our own judgements, but an insightful critic can point us in the right direction. And even when I disagree vehemently with a critic, a well written and insightful piece of criticism is a joy to read.

It makes me sad when I see poorly written diatribes against this or that, amounting to little more than a mud throwing contest, leaving the reader perhaps cheaply entertained but none the wiser. It is every bit as disappointing as effusive but empty praise, although it leaves a more bitter taste in the mouth.

It seems I have developed a taste for criticism! It makes me smile to think of it. Here's an example of the kind of criticism that I love: A stylistic review of The Da Vinci Code written by Geoffrey K. Pullum on The Language Log blog. If you care about the written word, as I do, you'll enjoy reading this critique of a huge blockbuster of a novel that certainly won't suffer as a result of his educated scrutiny. This review is not only entertaining, but I learned something too.

Going back to the initial topic of wine tasting, let me just say that I am no snob. I do enjoy the occasional two buck Chuck. But I'm happy to say that when I taste something of exceptional quality, odds are good I am going to know it right away, even if I can't put my finger on what it is that makes it so. Good criticism helps me figure it out, and that's fun for me.

Is there a favorite critic you enjoy reading or listening to? Let me know in the comments! Thanks.

Bunting: Because It's Fun, That's Why

Happy fourth of July, people! To celebrate, let's review the Constitution and promise to do our best to protect, defend and uphold it!

Even though I am often disappointed (sometimes severely) by our government's officials, I do love my country and its founding priciples. On patriotic holidays, I like to spruce up the home with a bit of bunting and decorations that take their inspiration from Old Glory.

These days, the local grocery store is loaded with favorite picnic foods and the festive decorations to go with the meal. It doesn't take much more than a glitzy, star studded (and cheap!) wire tinsel garland wrapped around the dining table lamp or pot rack to let the inner child out to play. I like to keep my eye out for holiday theme items at garage sales and thrift shops -- like these hand painted wooden napkin rings--and pick them up for a song. I tuck them away until the time is right. And don't forget to shop the sales after the holiday! Even if you have to wait another year before you bring it out for display.