Food Documentary Film Series

It's the "Year of Alabama Food" and we are really excited about the new raised garden beds we just installed (yes ... we're getting a late start on it. Better late than never, though).  


I'm hoping to get some pics and details up here soon on our new, um, "controversial" approach to gardening.  In the meantime, thought I'd share details of this really interesting sounding film documentary series - for those of you who are here in Birmingham (or those inclined to check Netflix for home viewing). 


Birmingham Botanical Garden's (free) Food Film Series:

June 24 – The Weight of the Nation: Three years in the making, The Weight of the Nation offers an unflinching look at the severity of the obesity crisis, highlighting the groundwork for the societal transformations that must take place in order to slow, arrest and eventually reverse the prevalence of obesity and bring the nation to a healthier weight. It is one of the most far-reaching public health campaigns on this epidemic to date. The multi-part, multi-platform series comprises four documentary films, a three-part series for families, 12 bonus shorts, a robust website and social media campaign, a book published by St. Martin’s Press and the free distribution of DVDs and comprehensive discussion guides to more than 40,000 community-based organizations working to fight obesity around the country. (summary courtesy of HBO)

July 8 – Fresh: Fresh celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

July 15 – Dive!: Inspired by a curiosity about our country's careless habit of sending food straight to landfills, the multi award-winning documentary Dive! follows filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and friends as they prowl the dumpsters of back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of Los Angeles' supermarkets. In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of good, edible food - resulting in an inspiring documentary – a call to action presented with entertaining guerilla journalism.

July 22 – Queen of the Sun: Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? is a profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, director of The Real Dirt on Farmer John. Taking us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, this engaging and uplifting film weaves an unusual and dramatic tale of the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk and Vandana Shiva. Together they present problems and provide solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature.

July 29 – Farmageddon: Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. Farmageddontells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violence, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks resolution.

August 12 – Urban Roots: “Urban Roots is an inspiring film about the emergence of urban farming in Detroit. It shows what’s possible after the collapse of the industrial era and how we begin building a sustainable future for all." Leonardo DiCaprio

August 19 – Dirt! The Movie: Dirt! The Movie is an insightful and timely film that tells the story of the glorious and unappreciated material beneath our feet. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, Dirt! The Movie takes a humorous and substantial look into the history and current state of the living organic matter that we come from and to which we will later return.

Admission to the educational films is free, with each beginning at 2 p.m. in the Linn-Henley Lecture Hall. No registration is required. After some films, experts will host a community discussion about their content.

Food Truck Throwdown

Back when I lived in NYC, I'd often zip down from my WCBS 880 office to grab a quick lunch from a street vendor outside the building.  Hot dogs and pretzels were standard fare. But food trucks have gone seriously upscale since then!

Just look at this list of options in Wash DC -- bratwurst, burritos, pies, crepes, pot stickers... you name it, there's a food truck somewhere that has it. The Food Truck movement has taken off in cities across the country, and it's gaining ground here in Birmingham as well.

This weekend, local food trucks will face off in a Food Truck Throw Down in Woodlawn.  The event pits food truck operators against one another to create the best dish using the signature ingredient, strawberries (which are at the height of season in May - yay!)

The event is sponsored by Main Street Birmingham . You can sample dishes from Shindigs...

Fresh off the Bun...

(check out their mobile app!)

And Dreamcakes...

A panel of local food bloggers (what, no Necessary Pleasures?!?) will choose their favorites.

And, as if great food isn't enough, there's also music from indy rockers The Great Book of John (click here for a WBHM interview and free downloads of their music), hip-hop collective The Green Seed (listen to an interview and music here), and muslim rapper Shaheed Ibrahim Tawheed (download his music here).

The event is Saturday (May 12th) from 3-6 p.m. on 55th Place in Woodlawn (see map below).


View Larger Map


When it comes to Food Trucks, one thing that matters (besides the food, of course) is location, location, location.  NPR's Planet Money team recently went on a hunt for The Mystical Spot in NYC.  If you're looking for trucks in Birmingham, several have posted their schedules on their websites and some even have mobile apps.  Here are a two more trucks you might want to check out:

SpoonFed Grill
Los Dos Hermanos (aka The Taco Truck)

Still hungry?  Check out Birmingham Weekly's article The Rise of the Food Truck and Weld's post about Atlanta's Food Truck Park

I hear Weld recently published a list of all Birmingham-area food trucks, but I can't find it on the site. Anyone know where that list lives?  There are still a lot of lunches left in May!

(header photo credit)

Holy Smokes... this meal has some kick!

Not gonna lie.  Rachael Ray kinda bugs me. She's all perky and stuff.  All the time.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm a huge proponent of half glass full.  I do believe you can think yourself happy.  But, seriously ... this woman's ODing on the stuff.  Check this out.



Perkiness and corn strokin' aside, the woman does produce a reliable recipe. We've got this cookbook and haven't found a stinker yet.

Tonight we made Boneless Rib-Eye Steaks with Killa' Chimichurri and Mushrooms with Smoky Chipotle and Wilted Spinach.  (does ribeye have a hyphen??)

Ingredients
Four 10- to 12-ounce boneless ribeye steaks, each about 1.5 inches thick
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp grill seasoning (i.e. McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)

1 garlic clove, halved

4 slices crusty bread (we ate the bread yesterday... so simply toasted some regular bread)

Worcestershire sauce

Chimichurri Ingredients
4 stems fresh oregano leaves, stripped
5 sprigs fresh sage leaves, stripped
6 stems fresh thyme leaves, stripped
1 generous handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (oops, we forgot to put this in ours!)
2 garlic cloves, popped from their skins (we used already minced from a jar)
1 medium red onion, 1/2 of it finely chopped and 1/2 of it thinly sliced
zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil

Mushroom/Spinach Ingredients
1 pound spinach leaves (stems removed, well rinsed)
3 tbsp chipotle in adobo, chopping with the sauce (or you can use 1 tbsp chipotle chili powder)
1.5 pounds (combined) shiitake and cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Pat the ribeyes dry and arrange on a broiler pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with grill seasoning. Preheat broiler to high.

Prepare the Chimichurri: Pile the herbs together and finely chop. Coarsely chop 2 cloves of garlic and add to the herbs.  Put herbs in food processor or mill and pulse, then transfer to a small bowl. Add the finely chopped onions, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, a splash of water and about 1/3 cup of the olive oil and stir to combine.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, chipotle in adobo, sliced onions, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.

Place steaks under hot broiler and cook 6 inches from the heat for 6 minutes on one side, 4 minutes on the flip side (for medium rare to medium) or 6 minutes on one side and 6 minutes on the other side (for medium to medium well).  Once the steaks are cooked, let them rest 5 to 10 minutes for the juices to redistribute.

Once the mushrooms are tender, coarsely chop the spinach and add it to the pan in bunches, stirring until wilted and fully incorporated. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Toast the bread and rub it with the cut garlic clove. Place the toasted bread on plates and top each slice with a whole steak.  Tops the steaks with a few shakes of Worcestershire and generous spoonfuls of chimichurri. Serve "mountains" of smoky mushrooms and spinach alongside the steaks with lemon wedges to squeeze over all.

Reviews
Chef Tanya -- First things first. The recipe has a lot of ingredients and many steps, but it was actually quite simple.  You could easily go from cutting board to oven to plate in 30 minutes.  Like I said, most (if not all) of RR's recipes are pretty good. This one is no exception.  It is spicy and the bread under the steak? Inspired!

Jason -- Excellent. Loved it! We paired it with a Founders Chocolate Stout which wasn't a good option because both the beer and the meal are very heavy.  Plus the chocolate clashes with the spiciness of the meal.   I'm not really good at pairing beers and food, but if I were to give it a shot I'd suggest an IPA or maybe a sour.

Hannah -- I liked the steak. I don't know if I'd like it medium rare or not, but it tasted good anyway. I did not exactly like the spinach stuff because it was really, really spicy. I mean, I like spicy stuff.  It's just that this is really spicy. I'm glad that it didn't have everything mixed together because then I wouldn't be able to eat the steak.  Something else that I didn't really like about it was all the fat that was left on the steak. That's not officially part of the meal, it was just a test if I could scrape it off or not. I know that fat is supposed to help your hair be shiny, but whatever.  And I didn't get to try to beer. I'm not allowed. So, I don't know what the beer's supposed to be like.

It may not have matched with the meal, but this is a most excellent beer.  Certainly put a toothy, RR-like grin on Jason's face!

Seared Scallops with Crushed Mint Peas over Oven-Baked Potatoes

After last night's disappointment, thought I'd share another meal we tried this week that was fabulous! It comes from a cookbook called The GL Diet Made Simple.  Read more about the GL (glycemic load) diet and its cousin the GI (glycemic index) diet here.

I was a little trepidatious going into this one, squishy peas and all. But it's a winner all the way around (well, almost... make sure you watch the video at the bottom).  This recipes serves 2. Double or triple as needed.

Ingredients

• 4 large fresh scallops (or 8 small ones... though we use more)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1.25 cups frozen peas
• 2/3 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped mint leaves 
• one small baking potato for each person, sliced sort of thinly

Directions
Heat over to 400 degrees.  Line baking dish with potato slices and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Mix to fully coat the potatoes. Cook 20 minutes or until done.

Wash the scallops and pat dry on paper towels (or cloth towels if, like us, you don't use paper towels). Turn them in the oil and season with pepper.  Set aside while you prepare the peas.

Melt butter in saucepan, add the scallions and soften for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add the peas and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir the mint through, then pulse in a food processor until roughly chopped (this is the squishy part. And one note: be sure your processor can handle hot liquid. The plastic seal on mine melted.)  Return to the pan, season with pepper and keep warm.

Put a small non-stick frying pan over high heat. When hot, add the scallops and sear 1-2 minutes on each side. Don't cook them too long or they'll come out tough.  Remove from pan.  Take potatoes out of oven.

Load a bowl full of potatoes, topped with peas, topped with scallops.

So, so, so, so good!  Jason, Olivia and I loved it.

Hannah, not so much...

Thai Noodle Salad

We pulled the old Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook out of the closet last night to try the Thai Noodle Salad. It's a super simple recipe that's great for a crazy week like we're having.

Main Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fusilli tricolore (tricolored pasta spirals -- or if you're like us, boring non-colored pasta spirals)
• 1 cup drained canned straw mushrooms (15 ounce can)
• 1 cup drained canned baby corn (10 ounce can)
• 1 cup julienned red bell peppers, cut into 1.5-inch long matchsticks
• 1.5 cups julienned zucchini, cut into 2-inch long matchsticks

Dressing Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, Thai basil or basil
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 small fresh green chile, coarsely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola or other vegetable oil
•  2 to 3 teaspoons freshly grated lime peel
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
• 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup coconut milk 

Directions
Boil noodles as directed till al dente.

While noodles boil, bring another smaller pot of water to a boil. Blanch peppers for 30 seconds, then add zucchini and blanch another 30 seconds. Immediately remove and submerge in cold water to stop cooking. Drain well and put in large serving bowl.

Reserving 1 tablespoon of the chopped cilantro or basil, combine the rest of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

When past is ready, drain it and rinse well with cold water. Transfer to the serving bowl and gently toss with veggies and the dressing.  Sprinkle on the reserved tablespoon of cilantro or basil.  Let sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Reviews
Chef Tanya -- I'm not impressed. I want to love the recipes I try from Moosewood, but let's just say there's a reason this cookbook gathers dust in my cabinet.  You'd think this recipe would be packed with flavor, what with the peppers and spices and such. But nope.

Jason -- I really liked it. It was easy to make, colorful and tasted good.  I could have done without the mushrooms (they didn't add much in the way of texture or flavor) and maybe added more zucchini/peppers.

Hannah -- I liked it! Well, except the red peppers.  The noodles tasted good and the corns were kind of cool. (mama's note: Hannah's our picky eater, but she did eat her entire bowl of this pasta... so I guess that's something in Moosewood's favor)

Olivia -- (didn't offer a review, but did eat a bowlful before sequestering herself in her room to finish her homework)

Miranda -- (chose to sit in a car in the driveway with a boy instead of coming in to eat dinner. 'nuff said)

Spring Break 2012

I love my job (so much so I started a new blog about it). But I do struggle mightily with work/life balance.  Part of it's the nature of my industry. There's just no down time when you're a journalist.  I used to joke that the only "vacation" time I took during my first few years in radio was a week or two to push out a baby. Seriously... when I was in labor with Olivia my news director called the hospital to ask about a script for a story.  I finally got him off the phone with the lame excuse that the doctor had just walked in and I "need to push now!". 

In recent years we've gotten better about taking time to kick back and relax as a family; but we've never taken a Spring Break trip.  Faced with the reality that this might be our last chance (Miranda heads off to college in 2013), we dug out the swimsuits, packed the cars with a bunch of friends and headed to the beach last week. 

It was a much-needed Necessary Pleasure!  

We stayed in a fabulous house in San Destin. It was equal parts Desperate Housewives (white picket fences, brightly colored houses with expansive porches) and Friends. 

Yes... a house full of tween & teen girls!

Our resident photographer, Miranda

Jerry (of jclyde.com fame) and our honorary munchkin

J & I ... can you tell we're enjoying ourselves? 

We played mini-golf...

and Bumper Boats (note to self: white shirt not a great idea for water sports unless you're 19 and it's Daytona Beach)

and generally goofed around all week.

What the heck?!?

We also ate some really good food, including Hannah's legendary Homemade Mac 'n Cheese and Jerry's feast of soft shelled crab and shrimp alfredo (hope to have a recipe for you soon).

I also managed to read a really good book about polygamy and the LDS church.  A whole book. In one week. Without a call from a needy editor or a stressed staff.

Ahhhh....

Sweet Home Alabama

Want to get a little exercise and learn a little more about Alabama?   Twenty-five towns, including Birmingham, Gadsden, Montgomery and Selma, will be offering walking tours in April to show off their historic areas and courthouse squares.   A variety of community leaders will lead the free tours, which start at 10 a.m. on April 7, 14, 21, and 28.

Tour coordinator Brian Jones of the Alabama Tourism Department says Alabama is the only state with statewide, simultaneous walking tours. The program started nine years ago and keeps growing each year.

If walking's not your thing, check out all the other possibilities on the Alabama Tourism website.  There's some really cool stuff in there!