bowing

earlier

now

bowing theatrically or respectfully? just cannot tell.

blizzard

snow day. snow person. shoveling. apricot oat bars. hot cocoa. roaring fires. love a good blizzard.

shrimp and okra gumbo

my eleven year old calls this "game-changing gumbo." as the legend goes, on sunday night, i served this after the first quarter of the american football superbowl. at the time we gathered for supper, his team was down 10-3. (incidentally my kids loved this gumbo even though they both profess to hate shrimp, and one even hates okra. this was the first miracle of the night). well everything changed after this gumbo. what do you know, drew brees and the saints soon pulled ahead and won it 31-17, their first-ever victory or even participation in this championship. the second miracle of the night.

so maybe this gumbo will change the outcome of something in your life in some positive way. and my son sure is happy. he recommended i post this recipe and make special note of it's game-changing ability. so here you are:

shrimp and okra game changing gumbo

as the saying goes, first you make a roux.

roux

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup mixture of butter and olive oil

veg

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 cup celery, finely chopped

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 lb okra, sliced

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

shrimp

1 lb fresh shrimp

i used the wonderful sweet, fresh maine shrimp that are in season right this very minute, but other types will do well

seasoning

generously salt and pepper to taste. start a teaspoon at a time if you aren't sure what you want.

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce or your favorite hot sauce, more or less, to taste.

garnish

chopped scallions

chopped parsley

tabasco or hot sauce at the table for anyone who likes more heat.

for your roux, stir constantly over medium heat for 14-20 minutes or so to form this delicious base of most cajun stews. thickens and flavors it wonderfully. i burned the first batch. i took my eyes off it for only 2 seconds i swear. but no matter. easy enough to wipe clean and start again in a giant skillet. 1/4 cup flour to 1/4 butter (or oil or lard, if you prefer). stir it constantly until it turns some nice color of brown, some say chocolate, some say pecan, i like it a bit lighter more in the pecan range than chocolate or walnut. if it starts to smoke and or black specks appear, it is burned and you need to start over. also start the steamed long grain rice now, for it comes together pretty quick.

when your roux is a nice shade of brownishness, add in the chopped onion, celery and garlic. stir around for and cook for 5 minutes or so on medium, if it seems way to dry, you can add in a little olive oil or butter or stock to help it along.

after 5 minutes. add in the stock. fish stock if you've got it. i didn't, so used chicken stock. add in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. add in the okra and peppers now. chop your scallions and peel your shrimp, if need be.

when the okra is finally tender (5-15 minutes, depending on how small and fresh your okra is) add in your shrimp, tabasco and scallions. simmer for about 3 minutes. taste to correct seasonings. serve over a generous helping of steamed long grain rice. onward to victory.

traditionally gumbo contains chicken and andouille sausage as well. i was not interested in that this time. you can find shrimp and okra gumbo once in a while down south, so it is not an entirely new idea. (are there any new ideas in cooking?)

what should we be eating?

i have been doing some thinking lately, always dangerous. and while i try to avoid politics like the plague, as i once lived in washington d.c. for 4 years as a younger adult type person which truly cured me of ever wanting to know anything about the internal or external machinations of the political conundrum that is america today. but this personal weakness aside, one bit of politics that is unavoidable to me is the politics of food.

everyday we choose what to eat. and what should we be eating? according to food journalist/philosopher micheal pollan, "not too much, mostly plants." and "if it is a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." what if there was a diet that would promote longevity, protect from cancer and heart disease, all the while going a long way to save the planet from pollution and global warming and acidic oceans at the same time, would you follow it? apparently such a regimen exists.

recently in the UK some vegetarian celebrities have begun promoting a concept called meat-free mondays, promoting vegetarianism for one day a week to everyone, and highlighting the true cost of a meat-heavy diet in really quite shocking terms.

i do think we need to change our habits. i do think the manufacture of food packaged goods and the resulting international marketing mayhem encouraging us all to eat more and more food-like substances without regard to our health and welfare is worth railing against. we should thoughtfully take control of our instincts toward a more wholesome diet. we must sacrifice some convenience now for some convenience later (as we and our planet age). as responsible humans, we should endeavor to improve ourselves and our planet by more thoughtful choices, shouldn't we? i do not think we should enjoy our food any less, in fact, i propose we enjoy it more.

what can i do, what can you do, what can anyone do? well. for starters, lets think about what that would entail.

my local hospital recently sent me a list of foods i should be eating:

kiwi fruit

collard greens

lentils

bulgar

sardines

sweet potatoes

blackberries

turkey

prevention magazine has another list:

25 ridiculously healthy foods

eggs

greek yogurt

fat free milk

salmon

lean beef

beans

nuts

edamame and tofu

oatmeal

flaxseed

olive oil

avocado

broccoli

spinach

tomatoes

sweet potatoes

garlic

red peppers

figs

blueberries

asian pears

lychee

apples

guava

dark chocolate

and then the new york times has another list:

the 11 best foods you aren't eating

beets

cabbage

swiss chard

cinnamon

pomegranate juice

dried plums

pumpkin seeds

sardines

tumeric

frozen blueberries

canned pumpkin

well there you go. a list of foods we should probably all add into our daily rotation. now i firmly believe that nutrition science and preventative medicine really can't tell us what each of need to eat more and less of based on our genetics, environment, and individual personal health history, but i imagine one day they will.

in the meantime, i am going to go out of my way and try to incorporate each of these foods into a few new recipes for our healthful enjoyment. i will not sacrifice the delicious enjoyment part. because i love food. food is wonderful. food is an art form. and most of all, food can be enjoyed as a delightful repast each day, ideally shared with family and friends. and so this will be where i attempt to figure out how to really find the intersection of taste, benefit, and even greater enjoyment of our daily food, in a new section of cup and table. stay tuned for the unveiling.

happy weekend to you. big snow predicted here, but we have lots of nice weekend plans, so i hope not too much snow. xo, g

woke up to this

made hot chocolate with steamed milk and a mix of green and black's hot chocolate (pulverized bittersweet chocolate) and some guittard cocoa rouge. not too sweet. not too hot. not too cold. just right. a good start. happy wednesday. xo, g