healthy food: March 2009 Archives

Back in February, flush with reading Nourishing Traditions, I joined The Bay Area Meat CSA, a buying coop where local folk coordinate around buying pre-orders parts of pigs, cows, lambs, sheep and so on.

I love this site, love the idea, love the opportunity to buy more direct and at a fair price, but...I have not bought a thing. Why? The little issue of a freezer.

You see, our household is small, two-three at a time, and we're not big animal eaters. So...the benefits of acquiring a chunk of a pig would have to be played out with a place to store it. someplace bigger than our tiny little top freezer of the fridge.

Only, is that really worth it? Would the electricity and expense we'd incur to run the thing (and presumably put fruits and veggies we'd process in, along with meat) be worth it?

Or are we better off buying our occasional doses of pastured meat retail?

Pondering this question has led to doing nothing. Doing nothing is fine for now.

The rainy, Sunday morning, early spring breakfast:

• Lemon Ricotta pancakes made with 1 tbl evaporated cane sugar, vanilla, whole wheat pastry fluour, raw milk.
• Rhubarb-strawberry compote
• Bueberry-apple conserve
• Home made chai
• Sectioned fresh grapefruit and naval orange

Much joy

Pancake recipe here, with my modifications: Ricotta-Lemon Pancakes (originally published in Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking).
Makes 10 pancakes

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup raw milk
3 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons evaporated cane sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch of cream of tartar
Organic butter

Place the ricotta in a large bowl. Add the milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar and whisk together until blended. Add the flour, lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and using a rubber spatula, fold until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites and the cream of tartar and, using a whisk or a handheld electric mixer set on medium speed, beat until soft peaks form. Using the rubber spatula, carefully fold the beaten whites into the ricotta mixture just until blended. Stir in the lemon juice.

Place a large nonstick griddle or frying pan with low sloping sides over medium heat until hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle and then immediately evaporate.

Brush the surface with butter. For each pancake, ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the surface. Cook until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pancakes and the bottoms are lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook until the other sides are lightly browned, 2-3 minutes longer.

Serve with any or all of the following: maple syrup, honey, jam, stewed fruit, nuthin'.