The One Kitchen Revolution

Which came first the seed or the fruit? In any case, this circular movement of reproduction and continuance has fostered the planet we see today. Circular orbits, circular patterns of seasons, circular concepts of DNA to seed to parent to seed and so forth. This is the revolution, true revolution. It is a complete circle.

Of course, revolution itself conjurs up many images of past events: American revolution, French Revolution, the cultural revolution in China. Each of these had a similar feature: each movement cast off the previous regime, and installed a new one, from one to the next.

Our modern 'revolutionaries', like Glenn Beck and Michele Bachmann, have very little in common with this type of revolution. There is nothing to follow up their dissatisfaction with 'the way things are.' There is no answer to what we ought to do once we have revolted, as like always, life must go on. People still need to eat. People must mate and have babies in safe and secure places or the revolution is devolution, and ends in death, with no reproduction or continuance.

It is, in fact, Will Allen, leading voice of the food revolution that we should be watching instead (http://www.growingpower.org/). So what is the food revolution? First off, the food revolution asks a very important question: "Where does your food come from?" Let's try that one again:

"WHERE DOES YOUR FOOD COME FROM?!?!?"

That question, in and of itself is revolutionary, though our great grandparents would be shocked to see how quickly our connection to our food roots has been severed, or at least severely sprained. Where does your food come from? It used to come from the backyard or the neighborhood farmer. In Portland, Oregon, where I am lucky to be alive, the food is often local. We are a few steps ahead in the march toward food safety and awareness here in our little corner of the NW USA, but we still have many miles to go yet.

And that is the crux of this writing. Revolution is circular. Where does your food come from denotes a single direction. At this juncture I must ask:

"Where is your food going?"

Americans throw away 40% of the food they purchase (http://uspoverty.change.org/blog/view/americans_waste_40_of_their_food). If this seems like a lot, it is. Think about it. We are pissed off because we pay 30% of our wages to taxes. That means you are working for the government for 1/3 of your working year. Outlandish, indeed. But throwing away 40% of our food? First of all the waste must end. But second of all, we have to stop looking at our by-products as waste at all.

In the city of Portland, residents are allowed up to three hens for egg production. Kitchen scraps make great chicken scraps, leftover vegetable bits (yes, even the melon rind) make excellent stocks. Why use water when you can use a more flavorful liquid? Not only does this process capture any remaining nutrients from otherwise wasted items, it helps to break the vegetable matter down in advance of the compost, making an easier time for the worms and mycelium.

Scraps of meat leftover, which cannot be composted, can certainly be turned into soup and canned. I used to be so intimidated by the process of canning, but it is really quite simple and can be done for any amount of food, from one quart of leftover soup to 40 quarts of marinara sauce to last two years.

"Where is your food going?" This is the One Kitchen Revolution. No matter how much green local sustainable organic, bio-dynamic, no spray, non-GMO food you buy, what you do with it matters. We have to complete the cycle of knowing to complete our revolution. Start today, start at home. It is the only logical place on which to stand our ground and start the battle of a lifetime.

On the Trail of the Fungus...

Greetings food lovers and amateur cooks. Fall is upon us! I have have had the great time and the great luck of ringing in my favorite culinary season, with the years first Mushroom Hunt and Gather in Columbia Gorge. The weekend began with a fantastic dinner and wining in Troutdale, with pancetta wrapped chicken breast and thigh, served with a selection of grilled fruit and marscapone polenta to usher in flavors of the fall, coffee rubbed venison short ribs, and a fantastic heirloom caprese salad, all courtesy of the Black Rabbit Restaurant at the Edgefield Inn, Toutdale.

Hitting the road early after a fantastic stay at McMenamin's Edgefield Hotel, my partner and I made our way into the beautiful Columbia River gorge wilderness, in search of glimpses of gold peaking up from the forest floor. And found it we did! Chanterelles are out, my friends, and I would encourage any and all to grab the opportunity provided within our unique culinary nest of the NW. We found, in a relatively short time, at least a pound or two of beautiful, small golden chanterelles, among a nunber of othe rmushrooms, as well. Russula, boletus, amanita, polypore, and other less edible mushrooms are springing into degenerative action all over the forest.

After viewing an incredible scenic 360° view from the top of Larch Mountain, and pointing out the (barely) snowcapped peaks to visiting world tourists, we descended to give the hunt another whirl. Lo and behold, what we found was indeed a dashing of hopes, no doubt instigated by the fungally ignorant: Along a path we found a number of smashed and decapitated Lobster mushrooms, no doubt in their culinary prime, now rendered food for the next fungal flush.

It was with this knowledge of the nearby treat, however, that we resumed out search, and were soon rewarded with a 1.5 pound lobster mushroom just peeking out from the earth and glowing red in the setting sun. Seeking a camping spot in Oxbow Regional park, we concluded the days mission, but not without a congratalatory Hi-Five for the bounty collected on the first of what will become many days on the trail of the fungus!

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Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

1/4 cup olive oil blend
2 T butter
1/2 medium Onion, small dice
2 carrots, small dice
1 large Lobster Mushroom, medium dice
1 pound Chanterelle Mushroom, rough chop
1 pound shiitake mushroom, rough chop
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
dash ground cloves
1/4 c. beer (I used Fat Tire)
3/4 gal. vegetable stock
4 oz. Roux--
-2 oz. butter
-2 oz. unbleached white flour
1/4-1/2 cup Half'n'Half
Salt and pepper to finish
Truffle oil optional
Spinach leaves, fresh, chiffonade

1. In a 10 qt pot, sweat onions and carrots in butter and oil until onions are translucent
2. Add mushrooms, turn up heat and saute until juices are out, moisture is reduced, and some mushroom flesh has begun to just stick to the bottom of the pan. Add cinnamon and cloves.
3. Deglaze the pan with beer (add beer, let it come to rapid boil, scrape bottom of pan with metal spoon to dislodge the mushroom fond)
4. Reduce liquid au sec
5. Add Vegetable stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer (BTAB/RTAS)
6. Cook to further soften the mushrooms and integrate flavors
7. Meanwhile, cook roux to nutty brown smell wafts
8. Brimg soup back a low boil and quickly whisk in Roux
9. RTAS, allow to simmer for 10-20 min. remove scum from surface
10. ON LOW HEAT, add half and half to desired consistancy
11. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
12. I added truffle oil, roughly 1/2 tsp and chiffonade spinach leaves for color.

This soup is a warm and wonderful introduction to fall! Enjoy!