The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Turkey
The domesticated turkey body that you have either frozen in the freezer, defrosting in the fridge, roasted in the oven or stripped on the day after Boxing Day is descended from the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). This species is found in North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes family.
It was domesticated over 2,000 years ago by the inhabitants of the Mexican states of Guerrero, Jalisco and Veracruz. This bird was imported by the Spanish as the bird's flesh and eggs were used for protein, whereas the feathers were used by the Aztecs for decoration. It is thought that in the 16th Century, William Strickland (an English navigator) introduced the turkey to England.
There are eight varieties of birds (including Black and Bronze) recognised by the American Poultry Association and a further seven varieties (including Buff and Midget White) to be recognised, this list can be found here.
A report on Turkey and Goose production (completed in 2007) for Defra reported that two companies, Bernard Matthews Farms and Cranberry Foods, dominate the all year round market and there were approximately 600 smaller seasonal producers in 2006. This year brought 17 million turkeys into existence with 10 million being used in the seasonal period, which equated to 184 tonnes of turkey meat produced in the UK with another 48,000 tonnes being imported. This industry contributes £365 million to the UK economy.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy published "How To Raise Heritage Turkeys On Pasture" and despite the turkey being a hardy bird that can be easily managed; its growth can be hampered by 9 different types of deformities, injuries, behavioural and situational problems including Bumblefoot as well as 32 diseases and parasites including Newcastle Disease. Amazing to see it on the dining room table.
Saturday 22 December 2012
Friday 21 December 2012
The Twelve Ingredients of a Christmas Dinner - Parsnips
The Twelve Ingredients of a Christmas Dinner - Parsnips
The parsnip, that thing that looks like an anaemic carrot, is known as Pastinca sativa and is a relative to the carrot. It was hard to distinguish the difference between the carrot and the parsnip until 17th century when the Dutch bred the orange colour to highlight the independence of the Netherlands.
It was thought that the name could have been an amalgamation of the names "parsley" and "turnip" - the parsnip is related to parsley. But it is more commonly thought that the name comes the Middle English pasnepe (from the Latin pastinum which means "a kind of fork") (source).
The parsnip grows best in sandy loam conditions that have low soil temperatures and the English took it to the USA. The parsnip, and the carrot, are of Eurasian origin with the latter being from Iran and Afghanistan. I do hope that the Armed Forces stationed in Afghanistan will enjoy carrots and parsnips for their Christmas meal. I have recently heard that a friend of mien, serving in the Royal Air Force, has had parsnips out in Camp Bastion.
In the commercial and domestic harvesting, care should be taken when dealing with the leaves and the shoots, as they may contain furanocoumarin - this is a photosensitive chemical that can lead to phytophotodermatitis. This chemical is probably more prevalent in the wild parsnip. All this is, is the chemical has reacted to the ultraviolet light to form a burn that may blister for 24 to 48 hours before leaving dark spots that may look like freckles. The best solution is to wear long protective gloves when harvesting or if the sap gets on your skin is to wash it off with cold water and stay indoors, as the heat and light of outdoors will only increase the potential for blistering (more information can be found here http://multifariousraymonds.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/parsnip-anyone)
Hugh Fearnely Whittingstall, in his Guardian column (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/21/parsnip-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall) for the 21st of December 2012, that "parsnip's intense sweetness and pungency can make it quite an overpowering mouthful" and one if his suggestions is to add a small bit to stocks. The roasted option helps to intensify the natural sugars to produce a caramelised effect. The tapering of the roast parsnip gives three different textures to the diner; the crisp end, the golden chewy centre part and the fluffy and soft thicker end. In his article, Hugh F-W suggests adding herbs and spices instead of honey as the vegetable has enough of its own and the honey may add to the burning of it within the oven. He provides three recipes for curried, purée and rösti.
Apologies for the lack of clickable hyperlinks, these will be restored in a later edit.
The parsnip, that thing that looks like an anaemic carrot, is known as Pastinca sativa and is a relative to the carrot. It was hard to distinguish the difference between the carrot and the parsnip until 17th century when the Dutch bred the orange colour to highlight the independence of the Netherlands.
It was thought that the name could have been an amalgamation of the names "parsley" and "turnip" - the parsnip is related to parsley. But it is more commonly thought that the name comes the Middle English pasnepe (from the Latin pastinum which means "a kind of fork") (source).
The parsnip grows best in sandy loam conditions that have low soil temperatures and the English took it to the USA. The parsnip, and the carrot, are of Eurasian origin with the latter being from Iran and Afghanistan. I do hope that the Armed Forces stationed in Afghanistan will enjoy carrots and parsnips for their Christmas meal. I have recently heard that a friend of mien, serving in the Royal Air Force, has had parsnips out in Camp Bastion.
In the commercial and domestic harvesting, care should be taken when dealing with the leaves and the shoots, as they may contain furanocoumarin - this is a photosensitive chemical that can lead to phytophotodermatitis. This chemical is probably more prevalent in the wild parsnip. All this is, is the chemical has reacted to the ultraviolet light to form a burn that may blister for 24 to 48 hours before leaving dark spots that may look like freckles. The best solution is to wear long protective gloves when harvesting or if the sap gets on your skin is to wash it off with cold water and stay indoors, as the heat and light of outdoors will only increase the potential for blistering (more information can be found here http://multifariousraymonds.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/parsnip-anyone)
Hugh Fearnely Whittingstall, in his Guardian column (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/21/parsnip-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall) for the 21st of December 2012, that "parsnip's intense sweetness and pungency can make it quite an overpowering mouthful" and one if his suggestions is to add a small bit to stocks. The roasted option helps to intensify the natural sugars to produce a caramelised effect. The tapering of the roast parsnip gives three different textures to the diner; the crisp end, the golden chewy centre part and the fluffy and soft thicker end. In his article, Hugh F-W suggests adding herbs and spices instead of honey as the vegetable has enough of its own and the honey may add to the burning of it within the oven. He provides three recipes for curried, purée and rösti.
Apologies for the lack of clickable hyperlinks, these will be restored in a later edit.
The Twelve Ingredients of a Christmas Dinner - Raisins
The Twelve Ingredients of a Christmas Dinner - Raisins
The raisin is part of the dried fruit mixture that is used to create both Christmas pudding and mince pies are literally dried grapes. So much so that the word 'raisin' comes from the Old French, which comes from the Latin 'racemus' meaning a bunch of grapes.
The varieties of raisin depend on the colour and size of the grape that is either flame or sun dried. The dried fruit contains 67%-72% sugar by weight (30% fructose and 28% glucose). When the sugars crystallise within the fruit, it forms a gritty texture. The raisin also contains 3% protein 3.5% fibre, but it is not all good news - the raisin has less Vitamin C than undried grapes. Don't feed the raisins to dogs, it can lead to renal failure. (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raisin)
Raisins tend to swell in the stomach by absorbing water, they also contain the amino acid Arginine that stimulates libido and is beneficial to erectile dysfunction and the Oleanolic Acid that raisins contain protect teeth from brittleness, cavities and decay. (Source http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-raisins.html)
But what if you have waned of the raisin within baked or boiled goods; you can always add loose raisins to a shallow dish, pour brandy over the fruit (preferably warmed brandy) and then light the liquid. The game of Snapdragon was a popular parlour game played from the 16th to 19th centuries, where raisins were plucked from the burning brandy in a light dimmed room and eaten whilst avoiding being burnt. A chant could be recited whilst the game was played and this game was first recorded in Shakespeare's Love Labour's Lost (1594). Although there are several health and safety implications linked to the game. (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap-dragon_(game))
The raisin is part of the dried fruit mixture that is used to create both Christmas pudding and mince pies are literally dried grapes. So much so that the word 'raisin' comes from the Old French, which comes from the Latin 'racemus' meaning a bunch of grapes.
The varieties of raisin depend on the colour and size of the grape that is either flame or sun dried. The dried fruit contains 67%-72% sugar by weight (30% fructose and 28% glucose). When the sugars crystallise within the fruit, it forms a gritty texture. The raisin also contains 3% protein 3.5% fibre, but it is not all good news - the raisin has less Vitamin C than undried grapes. Don't feed the raisins to dogs, it can lead to renal failure. (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raisin)
Raisins tend to swell in the stomach by absorbing water, they also contain the amino acid Arginine that stimulates libido and is beneficial to erectile dysfunction and the Oleanolic Acid that raisins contain protect teeth from brittleness, cavities and decay. (Source http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-raisins.html)
But what if you have waned of the raisin within baked or boiled goods; you can always add loose raisins to a shallow dish, pour brandy over the fruit (preferably warmed brandy) and then light the liquid. The game of Snapdragon was a popular parlour game played from the 16th to 19th centuries, where raisins were plucked from the burning brandy in a light dimmed room and eaten whilst avoiding being burnt. A chant could be recited whilst the game was played and this game was first recorded in Shakespeare's Love Labour's Lost (1594). Although there are several health and safety implications linked to the game. (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap-dragon_(game))
The Twelve Ingredients of a Christmas Dinner - Cranberries
The Twelve Ingredients of a Christmas Dinner - Cranberries
The fruit of an evergreen dwarf shrub are harvested in wet fields so that they float and can be corralled as tiny spheres of crimson containing Vitamin C, fibre and manganese. The cranberry plant is found in the cooler regions within acidic bogs, be it natural or artificially managed.
There are four species of Vaccinum that are harvested for their super fruit qualities that include the nutritional and antioxidant qualities; these include erythrocarpum, macrocarpon, microcarpum and oxycoccus.
Tribes of the Northern Continents were the first to use cranberries as both medicine and as a food stuff; the Native Americans used them in dyes, pemmican and wound medicine. The cranberry is now a commercially viable crop in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin as well as several provinces in Canada and Argentina, Chile, Eastern Europe and the Netherlands. The vines are are watered frequently, often with a light nitrogen fertiliser application, but the initial establishing cost if a cranberry bed can reach approximate costs of US $ 70,000 per hectare (US$ 28,300 per acre). (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranberry#Cultivation_2)
95% of the cranberries are used for juice, sauce and sweetened dried cranberries.
It was thought that cranberry juice had specific medicinal properties for urinary tract infections - there is some evidence that cranberries can help to prevent urinary tract infections but it has not been shown to be effective as a treatment for an existing urinary tract infection. (Source http://nccam.nih.gov/health/cranberry). If you have the latter, go and see a specialist. Also drinking too much juice lead to diarrhoea and can lead to secondary problems if people combine cranberry products with blood thinning drugs, liver medication or aspirin. (Source http://nccam.nih.gov/health/cranberry)
I hope Christmas Eve is going well for you all
The fruit of an evergreen dwarf shrub are harvested in wet fields so that they float and can be corralled as tiny spheres of crimson containing Vitamin C, fibre and manganese. The cranberry plant is found in the cooler regions within acidic bogs, be it natural or artificially managed.
There are four species of Vaccinum that are harvested for their super fruit qualities that include the nutritional and antioxidant qualities; these include erythrocarpum, macrocarpon, microcarpum and oxycoccus.
Tribes of the Northern Continents were the first to use cranberries as both medicine and as a food stuff; the Native Americans used them in dyes, pemmican and wound medicine. The cranberry is now a commercially viable crop in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin as well as several provinces in Canada and Argentina, Chile, Eastern Europe and the Netherlands. The vines are are watered frequently, often with a light nitrogen fertiliser application, but the initial establishing cost if a cranberry bed can reach approximate costs of US $ 70,000 per hectare (US$ 28,300 per acre). (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranberry#Cultivation_2)
95% of the cranberries are used for juice, sauce and sweetened dried cranberries.
It was thought that cranberry juice had specific medicinal properties for urinary tract infections - there is some evidence that cranberries can help to prevent urinary tract infections but it has not been shown to be effective as a treatment for an existing urinary tract infection. (Source http://nccam.nih.gov/health/cranberry). If you have the latter, go and see a specialist. Also drinking too much juice lead to diarrhoea and can lead to secondary problems if people combine cranberry products with blood thinning drugs, liver medication or aspirin. (Source http://nccam.nih.gov/health/cranberry)
I hope Christmas Eve is going well for you all
The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Potatoes
The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Potatoes
The humble potato is that thing staring at you from the dinner plate - be it bashed, boiled, bubble and squeaked, creamed, diced, fried, mashed, roasted, unpeeled and velouted. The variety of ways you can cook a potato is unrivaled by the worldwide number of potato varieties - with approximately five thousand cultivated species.
Three thousand of them are found in the South America mountain region of the Andes in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It is also thought that there are around 200 wild species and subspecies. These species can and have been introduced to the cultivated species to create resistances to pests and diseases (see below for those diseases).
For a food stuff that was brought to the English shores from the Americas, it is the fourth largest food group, following rice, wheat and maize. It is thought that it may very well change the Asiatic diet as, according to the United Nations FAO's (Food & Agricultural Organisation) figures for 2010; China produced 74.8 million metric tonnes. The annual diet of the average global citizen includes 33 kilogrammes or 73 pounds of potatoes according to this pdf.
But before you complain about the price of a potato before you drown your par-bolied potato in molten duck fat; think of what that potato and the potato producer had to go through. The PCL Information Sheet IS02, published by the Potato Council, found here reports that 2012 was a year of contrasts with an early drought followed by low levels of sunlight and then high rainfall that leads to low yields and a late harvest. It was reported that 71% of the harvest was complete by the end of October. And with water, there always comes problems - the cost of the production of a potato has increased by 13% (over 2011) due to the increase in fungicide use and other chemicals.
To think that the potato, a vague relation of deadly nightshade, is attacked by 7 bacterial diseases including brown rot; 30 fungicidal diseases; 6 Nematode parasites; 3 Phytoplasmal diseases; 39 Viral and Viroid diseases; and 13 Miscellaneous diseases and disorders (source). It is a miracle of agriculture that it actually makes it to your plate.
The humble potato is that thing staring at you from the dinner plate - be it bashed, boiled, bubble and squeaked, creamed, diced, fried, mashed, roasted, unpeeled and velouted. The variety of ways you can cook a potato is unrivaled by the worldwide number of potato varieties - with approximately five thousand cultivated species.
Three thousand of them are found in the South America mountain region of the Andes in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It is also thought that there are around 200 wild species and subspecies. These species can and have been introduced to the cultivated species to create resistances to pests and diseases (see below for those diseases).
For a food stuff that was brought to the English shores from the Americas, it is the fourth largest food group, following rice, wheat and maize. It is thought that it may very well change the Asiatic diet as, according to the United Nations FAO's (Food & Agricultural Organisation) figures for 2010; China produced 74.8 million metric tonnes. The annual diet of the average global citizen includes 33 kilogrammes or 73 pounds of potatoes according to this pdf.
But before you complain about the price of a potato before you drown your par-bolied potato in molten duck fat; think of what that potato and the potato producer had to go through. The PCL Information Sheet IS02, published by the Potato Council, found here reports that 2012 was a year of contrasts with an early drought followed by low levels of sunlight and then high rainfall that leads to low yields and a late harvest. It was reported that 71% of the harvest was complete by the end of October. And with water, there always comes problems - the cost of the production of a potato has increased by 13% (over 2011) due to the increase in fungicide use and other chemicals.
To think that the potato, a vague relation of deadly nightshade, is attacked by 7 bacterial diseases including brown rot; 30 fungicidal diseases; 6 Nematode parasites; 3 Phytoplasmal diseases; 39 Viral and Viroid diseases; and 13 Miscellaneous diseases and disorders (source). It is a miracle of agriculture that it actually makes it to your plate.
Thursday 20 December 2012
The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Chestnuts
The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Chestnuts
The Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) is a fast growing tree that reaches a mature height of around thirty feet (nine metres); the plant was introduced from Sardis, Turkey where the nut was used as a carbohydrate substitute when the cereal crop harvests failed. Eastern USA had four billion trees in the early 1900's but by 1940 a blight had wiped a great number of them reducing the potential for cross-pollination.
The fresh chestnut, the fruit (nut) not the wood, is calculated to be about 180 calories per 100 grams - lower than almonds and walnuts; it contains no cholesterol, little fat (and mostly as unsaturated) and no gluten. The carbohydrate level is of a par to wheat and rice and no reason why it acted as a carbohydrate source for many medieval communities. It contains twice the amount of starch than potatoes and eight percent of the nut is made up of five sugars (fructose, glucose, raffinose, stachyose and sucrose). It also contains 40 milligrams of Vitamin C per 100 grams. (Source)
As stated above, the tree originated in Turkey but gained European status through the help of invading armies. Alexander the Great and various Roman armies planted these trees during their campaigns to create food supplies, much, later in the campaigns. In 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Americans spent $20 million importing chestnuts from Europe and Asia.
The chestnuts can be brewed for beer, milled for flour, roasted and sold in the street. I recommend not to eat them raw, as I found out to my cost, when I was on traffic light duty in the mid 90's - I felt a bit like a horse with colic, I am guessing.
The chestnut trees can also be coppiced to form fencing spials and posts as well as using the more mature trees for furniture making.
So if you have gluten intolerant guests for Christmas, why not give them a cabbage, chestnut and hazlenut salad or a chestnut crepe, some recipes can be found here.
Wednesday 19 December 2012
The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Sprouts
The Twelve Ingredients of A Christmas Dinner - Brussels Sprouts (Brassica oleracea)
It is thought that that the current form of the Brussels Sprout, the vegetable that seems to the butt of all Christmas culinary jokes, can be dated back to the 13th Century from Belgium. Although it is has been considered that an earlier cultivar from the Gemmifera group was cooked in Ancient Rome.
The sprout is in season from September to March of the following year (source). Defra reports that sprout production increased by 10% in 2011 (Basic Horticultural Statistics 2012). The Scottish Government (2011) reports that 645 hectares (2009) of 15,246 hectares was used for sprout cultivation, this increased to 776 hectares in 2011 and produced 12.8 thousand tonnes in 2011. This 2011 sprout production raised an average of £13.39 million (Scotland.gov).
Brussels Sprout plants can leave a nursery after a period of sixty days where the stalk can be harvested after one hundred and ten days. Each stalk can be harvested up to five times over a seven week period and can lead to a potential 100 sprouts per stalk being harvested. The shelf life of a sprout is about twenty days if stored at one degree centigrade (Wired 2012)
An American cup measurement of sprouts contains 1,122 International Units (IU) of Vitamin A and 699 of beta-carotene (source). A fresh single sprout, be it raw or cooked, contains 10 calories whereas a cup of frozen sprouts that has been cooked contains 65 calories (source).
Why not treat them as a micro cabbage in a deconstructed Christmas dinner? A recent article in Wired (August/September 2012) states that the LYFE (Love Your Food Everyday) Kitchen in Palo Alto sees the Brussels Sprout as an alternative to the French Fry.
The Brussels Sprout is thought to contain anti-cancer chemicals (sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol) that may boost "DNA repair in the body's cells and block the growth of cancer cells"(Wikipedia 2012); although boiling the sprouts will reduce the concentration of the anti-cancer compounds. It is thought best to roast, steam or stir fry and add the cross at the base of the bud's stem to increase the penetration of heat to the vegetable, if the sprout is large.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has published a roasted sprout salad here.
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