Food is Food

Some years it’s easy to find reasons to be thankful and positive. This is not one of those years for me, and for many people I know. But I want to share something that really moved me. It’s a video of a basket maker in Rwanda (and it’s just 2 minutes long). Take a look!

Being thankful for chairs, for electricity, for being able to support her family in a country that suffered the most terrible genocide not that long ago is truly a wonderful thing. As you may recall, in three months in 1994 an estimated 800,000 to a milion Rwandans were brutally murdered and a country destroyed. Today Rwanda has made the most incredible strides toward reconciliation. And if it’s possible in Rwanda, why not in the rest of the world? 

The day after Thanksgiving is the traditional start to holiday shopping. If you are heading to the Macy’s near you or just shopping online, I hope you will check out the baskets from Macy’s Rwanda Path to Peace initiative. Because the program is celebrating 10 years, there are beautiful 10th anniversary baskets available in festive red and white. Half of the wholesale price of every basket goes to the women who make them by hand. The weavers make roughly 10 times the average wage in Rwanda. This amazing program supports fair trade, sustainable income and poverty reduction, it employs HIV-positive weavers to help them support themselves and promotes the culture of reconciliation by employing thousands of women who are organized in groups from both sides of the 1994 Rwanda genocide conflict.

You can find the entire Rwanda basket collection online including the anniversary baskets which range from $30-60 each. Please note sale prices and discounts do not impact the amount the weavers earn. 

I’m giving away this gorgeous basket in Fall colors. I received this basket to review and am very impressed with the quality. It would make a wonderful fruit basket or centerpiece. 

To enter this contest and win the basket please leave a comment telling me what you are thankful for this year. You must have a US mailing address to win. You MUST leave your email address in the field where it is requested, it will not be visible to the public only to me. DO NOT leave your email address in the body of your comment, if you do, I will delete it. I will choose a winner at random on December 3, 2015.

The past few years I’ve been making a welcoming cocktail for Thanksgiving. This year I was offered a bottle of Templeton rye and a stipend for ingredients to create a punch for the holiday. It sounded like a slam dunk, but I am not terribly gifted when it comes to developing cocktails. I can follow a recipe, I can swap out a few ingredients but creating new cocktails is not really my strong suit.

So I cheated. Meet my secret weapon, one of my favorite bartenders, Jen Ackrill. She was a fixture at Rye in San Francisco before moving to live the dream in Hawaii. Today she is the Director of Mixology at Top of Waikiki and SKY Waikiki. I got a chance to try her revamped cocktails when I visited Oahu last year. Jen makes really, really good drinks. She crafts sophisticated cocktails, even her fruity tropical ones and she is particularly skilled with brown spirits. Her cocktails are always balanced and inviting. Next time you are in Waikiki, stop by and say hello! Seeing the sunset at Top of Waikiki, a revolving bar with incredible views of the beach and the city really can’t be beat. 

This punch contains my all-time favorite vermouth, Carpano Antica. I started drinking vermouth in Italy and France and it’s long been my go to aperitif. Carpano Antica is nothing short of spectacular. It’s bitter and sweet with vanilla, warm spices, orange, cocoa and toffee. 

Templeton rye was made during prohibition and was fabled to be a favorite of Al Capone. The current version has notes of toffee and caramel. It’s sweet, lush and has characteristic rye spice and a woodsy character. 

I asked Jen to come up with something with Templeton rye and apple cider that a home bartender could make and this is it! A Fall punch just right for Thanksgiving that has a lot in common with the classic Manhattan. My sincere thanks, not just for the holiday but to Jen for saving the day. 

Thanksgiving Punch by Jen Ackrill

Makes about 10 servings

3 cups Templeton rye

1 cup Carpano Antica

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup simple syrup (I use equal parts water and sugar)

11/2 cup apple cider

Top with a spicy ginger beer like Cock and Bull

Garnish with orange and lemon slices, star anise and cinnamon sticks and a thoughtful block of ice—use a fun cake pan: turkey or leaf shaped to make your ice. 

Enjoy! 

The Nordic Cookbook covers the cuisines of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, each of which reflects diverse cultures, histories and populations. One of the most celebrated contemporary chefs from Sweden, Magnus Nilsson, the chef of Fäviken was tasked with compiling this impressive book. He started with a poll, then embarked on a series of culinary adventures for three years through the region to gather recipes and more. The result is a book with a staggering 700 recipes.You might be wondering, does it even make sense to try and include all the Nordic countries in one book? That was the very question the author struggled with answering, but eventually he approached the project with gusto. I asked Nilsson what surprised him most in writing the book and this is what he told me, "I thought I knew the food culture of the Nordics rather well and it turned out I didn't. There was just so much more diversity than I ever expected."

Indeed, one of the reasons the book is so useful is that introduces readers to a much broader range of recipes than ever before. So do the Nordic countries have much in common? This is what Nilsson told me,  "The one thing which all parts of the Nordic region have in common is that there are four distinctive seasons of which one, Winter, is one when you can't harvest plant based foods. Meaning that historically people had to preserve summers surplus and keep it for winter. Even though we can have fresh foods all year around these days this is still very visible in the way we eat." Not surprisingly there are recipes for pickles, jellies and jams.

You'll find lots of classic recipes for things like meatballs and gravlax and Danish pastries, but also some clues as to what makes these recipes so special. I was surprised by some of the more modern recipes, like Chilli Creamed Chicken and Banana Casserole, apparently a classic 1980's recipe from Sweden and Boiled Danish Meatballs in Curry Sauce. The number of recipes for potatoes could have filled an entire cookbook. Mostly the ingredients are accessible with lots of pancakes, braised meats, soups and cake,  however I doubt many folks will attempt the recipe for Icelandic rotten shark, Puffin Stuffed with Cake or Boiled Pilot Whale with Blubber and Potatoes. Regardless, it's good to know those recipes have been preserved for future generations to learn about, complemented by documentary style photography throughout. 

I've made many a meatloaf in my day, but I had never thought of putting squash in it before.  However I swear, you can google any two ingredients and a recipe will pop up, which is exactly what I did last night.  By adding butternut squash (cooked in bacon, onion and sage) to this meatloaf, the flavors are off the chart.  And now I talk like Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  

I used this recipe and made some minor changes.  Instead of pork, I used ground turkey, I skipped the red pepper flakes (in case my kids wanted to try it, hahahaha, they did not), I didn't use an egg because I didn't have one (it turned out just fine), and before cooking it I topped it with a balsamic/ketchup combo (which I highly recommend doing).  By the way, I like to use my hands to form the loaf and cook it on a baking sheet vs. a bread pan.  I think it makes the exterior nice and crispy, which I love.  I plan on turning it into a sandwich for lunch.  Is it lunchtime yet??  

Rutabaga might be the coolest word.  Say it a few times (if you know how to pronounce it).  Rutabaga.  Rutabaga.  Now say it with an Elvis accent, I don't know why, just trust me.  Don't you feel cool?  Or are you starting to feel extremely foolish?  Ok, we'll move on.

It is a root vegetable, and when I went to that cooking class I talked about a few weeks ago, the chef prepared Rutabaga Fries.  They were so good - not crispy like traditional fries, but that caramelized, roasted texture makes up for it.  Rutabaga's taste similar to a turnip, and have a little of that horseradish flavor that I happen to love.  Combined with the earthy rosemary, salt, pepper and good olive oil, these were a perfect side dish for this time of year.

(Serves 4)

1 rutabaga

2 T chopped rosemary

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel and chop the rutabaga into 1/4-inch sticks.  Place in a bowl, and drizzle with olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper.  Use your hands to toss, making sure everything is well coated.  Place on a baking sheet, and roast for 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan a few times to ensure even cooking.