Maybe I should get back in the kitchen where I belong...
A dream job, I tell ya. That’s the first thing I thought when producer Rose Thornton and director Jon Sumple informed me that my mission, should I choose to accept it, would be to help a family make greener choices when it comes to their eating habits. First, they said, you’ll whip through their kitchen, flinging cabinets open and exposing their dirty, perhaps trans-fat coated secrets, hidden cleverly behind organic stock boxes. Then, you can take them around the city and educate them about sustainable food choices, and following THAT, you can cook for them and show them how to eat simply, deliciously and with less impact on the planet. Sign me up, I said. I’m game! Show me to these cabinets. Lead me to their refrigerator.
Oh, it wasn’t all a corn-syrup laden cake walk. The family didn’t make it easy for me. There were no arrows pointing to their dirty little food secrets, no red carpets laid out leading me to their processed breakfast sausage patties. But I got them. Oh, yes, I got them. I just had to locate their basement freezer and snag their bag of groceries when they walked in the door, arms laden with fresh purchases. I got my material and I caught them, their unaware fingers gripped around some farmed, frozen imported shrimp. Caught them red-handed, I did, and as it turns out, like most folks, completely unaware of the many issues with imported shrimp.
That's better... Preparing to work the magic.
Truth is, most of us are unaware of the issues surrounding our food choices. It’s easier to digest that way. But Mission: Sustainable isn’t about helping us choke down the overly processed; it’s about making informed choices. Choices, it turns out, that can be delicious. In the filming of our pilot episode, I took their farmed Indonesian shrimp and Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix and I raised them some homemade polenta, braised Northwest greens and wild U.S. pan-seared shrimp. I’d like to think they got the better end of my proverbial spoon.
Pan-fried wild shrimp with green chile and cheese polenta
Ingredients:
1 pound wild U.S. shrimp—peeled, deveined
1 tablespoon Ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon thyme, dried
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 cups stock, chicken or pork
2 cups milk, whole
1/2 cup polenta (I like Estancia organic, found in bulk at PCC)
1 cup cheddar cheese (I like Beecher’s Flagship)
2 ounces green chiles, mild—canned are fine, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions:
Place the peeled and deveined shrimp in a sealable bowl. Add the spices and orange juice. Cover and shake up to coat with rub. Set aside.
Heat the milk, stock and salt to a simmer. Whisk in the polenta gradually, reduce heat and stir for 5 minutes until creamy and tender. Add cheese and chilies and mix in. Serve right away.
Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the butter and oil and, when sizzling, add the shrimp. Cook over high heat without disturbing about a minute on each side, until lightly browned. Don’t overcook. When shrimp just start to curl and turn pink, they are done.
Serve with braised greens (below).
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch mustard greens—leaves removed from rib, chopped, rib discarded
1 bunch chard—leaves removed from rib, ribs and leaves sliced separately
1 bunch kale—leaves removed from rib, chopped, rib discarded
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups stock, chicken, pork, or vegetable
1 pinch red chile flakes
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar—or more to taste
Instructions:
Heat a sauce pot over medium high heat. Add oil and then greens and salt. Stir and cook for about a minute. Add stock, chile flakes, honey and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook down for about 20 minutes, until tender. Serve in bowls with pot liquor.
Tags: becky selengut, eating habits, food secrets, Jon Sumple, Mission: Sustainable, organic, Rose Thornton, Sustainable, sustainable food choices
That’s all well and good, but the article leaves me with a nagging question. What is the cost difference between their farmed shrimp and jiffy cornbread vs. U.S. Wild Shrimp with polenta and braised greens? If we were all infinitely educated AND had unlimited money to spend on food, the world would be a spectacular place, but that’s simply not reality. While I fully support making better and more informed choices, most American families cannot afford to.
Meghan,
Lucky for you that nagging question is well addressed in Becky’s segment on the show. Stay tuned!
Meghan,
Thanks for leaving this post. You don’t know how important your comments are! One of the profound misunderstandings in the sustainable world is that it’s more expensive. Not true. Which is one of the reasons we’re making this show — to help people understand that living sustainably is easier and less expensive than they realize. The purpose of the show is to educate first and entertain second. We want to help you learn about how your choices affect the environment and your wallet. The bottom line is simple: If we can show you how to reduce your carbon footprint AND save money, would you be interested? Sounds like you might be interested in being a future makeover candidate. Let us know, we’d love to talk to you!
Thanks for the response! You’re preaching to the choir with me, I was just playing devil’s advocate : ) I am lucky enough to be employed by a local food company (Grand Central Bakery) who is as committed to this mission as anyone. I am also lucky enough to mostly be able to afford to eat well, seasonally and locally; although as a single person, wasting food is a constant battle! I just came across your webpage via twitter this morning – where would I watch this segment?
We are shooting the pilot episode right now and will be pitching it to networks in the coming weeks. We have a long road before the show makes it to television, but we’re busting our butts to make it happen! We will be having a premier party/event in January, so stay tuned. We’re always looking for new sustainable partners and friends, so we’d love to include your website on our blog roll. Can you pass it along?
http://www.regenerationproductionsllc.com to GoogleReader!
Thanks
BernieR
Hi Meghan: Thank you for bringing up a point that I’m sure most everyone is thinking about. I have a few things to say in response. First is an echoing of what Jon said, buying more sustainable food is not necessarily more expensive, and sometimes can be cheaper. Case in point: I’m recommending the family grow some greens in their backyard for a fraction of the cost of purchased greens.
Wild, domestic shrimp are, I agree, more expensive. I advise that the family eat less of the shrimp both for carbon footprint reasons and for price reasons. The polenta is bought in bulk, which is still more expensive than Jiffy Mix, but some things are worth kicking in a little more money for – as a measure of the “true cost” of the food in question.
Lastly, we are helping this family not just in one arena. Our hope is that their savings in the realm of how they heat their house and how much water they use can be used to prioritize better quality food with healthier ingredients. It’s not as black and white as “I can’t eat well because it’s too expensive” Sometimes it’s about juggling where your money is going and prioritizing certain things over others.
Lastly, people are struggling all over with money issues and we want to make sure the show is accessible. I think that people can take what they can from the show and use the information to make different choices. Not everything we say or advise will be possible, but I think the act of educating the audience is valuable. I hope you will tune in. Thanks for taking the time to comment. (And as a total aside, my partner April Pogue says hi, she used to work at Grand Cru and recognized your name!)
And one more thing, it’s best not to say lastly twice.
Thanks for the response, Becky! I must say, I’m very impressed with regeneration productions – both for what you’re doing and for how responsive you are!
John – Our website is: http://www.grandcentralbakery.com
Tell April I say hello – what is she up to these days?
Hi Meghan:
April is a wine rep. for Chateau St. Martin, small world, huh?
Becky
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A dream job, I tell ya…..