Is it meat? What did the animal go through to provide you that meal? Is it vegetables? Where did they grow? What has been sprayed on them? Are they seasonal? Have you ever asked these questions?
I was interested to watch River Cottage Treatment this week. Hugh had a group of people staying on the farm and was trying to show them the difference between free-range chicken and intensively farmed chickens.
The first thing that struck me was seeing the hens being intensively farmed. Having kept chickens for some years now and spent a lot of time hanging out with them I have come to love them and enjoy their characters. I know their sounds for hungry or thirsty, which are happy contented noises and to recognise that a chicken panting is under stress, something has given it a fright. To see a shed full of panting chickens said it all to me.
The second thing that struck me was how disconnected some of the group where from their food. They seemed unable to make the connection between a plucked, gutted, plastic wrapped chicken for dinner and a feathery bird running around a field. I think this is one of the triumphs of the undesirable side of food production, its ability to separate us from our food, to turn it all into a product from a shop. We cram chickens and pigs into alien unnatural environments that make it impossible for them to display their inbuilt natural desires and behaviours. I feel this is not only a shameful thing for our society but also on a basic level it alters the taste of the meat, it really is substandard. We put little thought into the journey that meat took to get to our plate.
A few months ago my son and I sat quietly a egg in hand watching. Small little chirps emerged from the crack as this new life pushed and struggled to brake out into the sunlight. It was a beautiful moment that he will remember for a long time. We watched it grow, how it would snuggle under its mothers wing, the gentle cooing noise she would use to let them know she had found food. Its little fluffy body gave way to long sleek feathers and soon it was grown, independent and preferring to roost in the olive tree on hot nights rather than the chook house. Each day we would water and feed him a mix of grains, scrapes and veg from the garden. When the time came it was swift and soon the kids were having a biology lesson as they examined its heart and other parts. Its skin and fat was not pasty white but a beautiful yellow colour from its good diet. Killing the animal is not easy, but being able to provide a healthy meal for my family free from chemicals and bad treatment is very satisfying.
Beyond the meat is the fruit and vegetables. Strawberries are a prize food in our house. We all love them and what a treat they are. We only eat them in season and the children check the patch every day eagerly watching the little berries change colour and plucking the juicy jewels the moment they flush with red pride. Eating home-grown, local and seasonal and where possible organic gives your food a whole new dimension. How do we know when the winter is finally over? The first time asparagus greets us at the table. When you think that the three biggest killers in the US are all diet related it makes you stop and think about what, as a society we are doing to our food and with our food.
If you dont have chickens at home and cringe at the price of free range then check out this 3 day plan!
Day one.
Roast chicken
.smear butter over the chicken, place a nob of butter in between its legs and wings, season with salt and pepper. Cut one onion in half, make holes in it and insert slivers of garlic. Place two roughly chopped carrots and a roughly chopped onion in a roasting pan with the chicken. Add a cup of water and a tablespoon of light soy sauce. Roast.
Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside to rest. Add a little more water to the pan, place over a heat and scrap the pan and mix all the juices together. Take out the onion and carrot and you have your gravy! Slice the chicken away from the table leaving some meat for tomorrow.
Day Two,
Chicken pie. (olive oil spread can be used instead of butter to make it dairy free)
Pick all the remaining chicken off your carcase. Mix 2 cups of plain flour with a pinch of salt and 8oz of chopped butter to form bread crumbs, gradually mix in cold water until it forms a dough - use your hands to mix its easier. Set a side to rest.
Make stock using chicken carcase 2 carrot, a couple stems of celery, an onion a couple of bay leaves, salt pepper a dash of soy sauce and herbs. Add 3 lt water simmer for at least half an hour to an hour.
Slice up two leeks and 2 coves of garlic. Melt some butter in a pan, gently cook the leeks and garlic to soften.
Take a tablespoon of the stock, in a cup mix with flour till it forms a paste, add a couple more ladles of stock and stir till well mixed and no lumps.
Spread the chicken and leeks in a pie tin. Add the thickened stock, roll out pastry and place over the top, sealing round the edges. Make two small slits in the top and brush with milk or a beaten egg.
Bake at 180deg for about 40 mins
Day Three.
Potato soup.
Chop up some potatoes. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan. Add some fresh rosemary and garlic to the oil and toss the potatoes to coat. Add the rest of your stock from yesterday and simmer for 20 mins. Using a masher, mash about 2/3rds of the potato. Stir in some cream or butter is desired. In a pan fry 3 slices of smoked pancetta or bacon (free range of course) cut into little pieces. Serve the soup in bowls with bacon sprinkled on top and fresh baked bread ont he side.
One chicken - three days, enjoy!
Next week I will be reporting on our weekend of seaside foraging and how to make the perfect garden fertaliser.
To learn more about stock making and the perfect winter soup look out for details of our new stock master class workshop coming soon. www.preserved.co.nz
Foraging
Anna
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