“Food, Inc.” informs, educates and calls to action
As a journalist with more nearly two decades experience, watching “Food, Inc.” made me long for the days of investigative reporting that lasted over months and even years before yielding a story.
As a film-goer, I was riveted. It was masterfully constructed, cleverly composed and artfully shot and edited.
As a consumer, it shamed me for my ignorance and apathy.
As a food writer, it compels me to tell you the DVD release date is 11/3, show it to everyone you know.
This is an important film. It even-handedly conveys information that is open to discussion. You know you’ve done things correctly when publications that are obligated by their openly right-wing agendas can say little more than, “it would’ve been better with an explanation from those they point fingers at.” Of course it would’ve. It also would’ve been better if representatives from Cargill, Smithfield, Tyson, or Monsanto would’ve done an on-camera interview.
Yes, “Food, Inc.” targets multi-national corporations. Yes, it targets politicians. Unlike Michael Moore, who seems satisfied to titillate his believers without reaching a broader audience, director Robert Kenner isn’t satisfied to villify the practices of the Bush administration. He also pokes a finger directly into the chest of the Clinton administration for the NAFTA agreement’s role in damaging the world corn industry, which led to an underground railroad between industrial chicken and pork farms and undocumented Central American laborers, who work cheap and are eventually deported.
According to the film, the old practices of coal mining operations that led to union organization have been transferred to commodity farming and unions can’t protect the workers because they’re undocumented.
And that doesn’t include the deadly consequences of feeding cattle a high-fat corn diet instead of the grass and oats they eat naturally and stuffing them together in corrals like a lot of canned sardines. Then there’s the heart-breaking story of a little boy who died from eating tainted beef, and how his mother has fought unsuccessfully to push a law that would help others avoid such a fate.
I can’t get the horrific and cruel footage of animals led to slaughter out of my head. Is it really necessary to abuse an animal just because it’s life is about to be taken? If a dog were treated in the manor of the animals shown in the film, those responsible would go to jail. Doesn’t an animal born to die, born to sacrifice its life so that we might be nourished and survive deserve better than to be forced to walk when its legs or broken or being hoisted by a forklift? Don’t they deserve better than being kicked into a pen and compacted? Don’t they deserve better than to be force-fed chemicals and hormones that make them so corpulent they cannot walk or escape a life spent wallowing in their own excrement?
And is that really what you want to eat anyway? Is it no surprise that we now have Mad Cow disease and a host of other food-borne illnesses?
In the end, the film is about us. It’s a mirror. Do you put convenience over health? Is the price of humane treatmant anything under a dollar?
And then there’s the farming industry. Thanks to some incredibly dubious dealing in Washington D.C., imagine that, farmers are being plucked up one by one by large corporations. This happened because politicians rely on our apathy. Here at the newspaper, we’ve tried for years to find a way to lure you into reading about what’s happening at our own state capitol to no avail. Our coverage has become smaller and smaller due solely to lack of reader interest. And out of this apathy, you have patents being put on life and commodities. Long story short, it means soy beans are under the control of a single worldwide corporation called Monsanto. The corporation itself isn’t evil, it’s a machine run by people. It has no heart, it relies on its stewards to ensure it operates with morality and humanity. Sadly, when the machine gets too big and the salaries too high, the tendency is to err on the side of profit. When this happens, decisions are made without context. Consequences are beholden only to the bottom line. When businesses run people rather than the other way around, the results are catastrophic.
While the word catastrophic probably brings to mind images of 9/11, the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building or Nazi concentration camps, smaller scale catastrophe is currently under way.
Watch the film. Decide for yourself. If you want to do something, the film has a Web site for guidance.
But put simply, self-govern. If we are to improve the conditions of the animals we eat or the workers who provide them, we will have to pay more. Before you complain about your grocery bill, take a look around your house and in your garage. Can you live with one less premium cable channel? Maybe no more Netflix? One less six-pack of beer? Maybe it means a cell phone that simply makes calls. Maybe you don’t need a gas-guzzling SUV to drive 10 miles back and forth to work. Maybe you don’t need a pair of shoes for every day of the week. Maybe you don’t need anything from eBay for a month.
It’s up to us.
Hickory House Pimento Cheese Stuffed Pickles
Pimento Cheese Stuffed Pickles
4 3- to 4½-inch-long kosher dill pickles
1 cup grated mild cheddar or american cheese
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons drained chopped pimentos
Cut pickles in half lengthwise. Using a small sharp knife, cut out seeds by making a shallow V down on paper towels to let drain.
Put cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos into a small bowl and mix well with a fork. Using the fork, fill cavity of each pickle with some of the cheese filling, mounding filling slightly and covering whole cut side of pickle.
Source: Rick Bayless.
Cook’s note: We used Claussen pickles and a half-cheddar, half-American mix.
Hickory House Baked Beans
Chef Rick Bayless shared these original Hickory House recipes with Saveur Magazine in 2005. He told the magazine navy beans were used in the restaurant, but he preferred prefers pintos.
Serves 4 to 6
½ large red or green bell pepper
2 15-ounce cans, drained or 3 to 3½ cups drained cooked pinto or navy beans
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon worcestershire
Preheat oven to 375 degree. Stem and seed bell pepper, cut into quarter-inch pieces, and put into a 2-quart or 8” x 8” baking dish. Add beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and half cup water to dish and mix well.
Drizzle worcestershire sauce on top. Bake until top is glazed-looking and browned, the beans start to peek up from the liquid, and the liquid is bubbling vigorously around the edges, 45-60 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Source: Rick Bayless.
Cook’s notes: I used a cast-iron skillet, which reduced the cook time to 35 minutes. I also used one can of pinto beans and one can of navy beans. My vegetarian wife loved the exclusion of bacon, and I didn’t miss it at all.
Hickory House Barbecue Sauce
Hickory House Barbecue Sauce
This is the standard sauce. For more heat, add more chile to the rub, like ground cayenne, chile de arbol or chimayo.
2 cups ketchup
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup water
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons white or cider vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons Hickory House rub
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Put ketchup, sugar, garlic, 1 cup water, Worcestershire, vinegar, barbecue spice and pepper into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir until well-combined. Season to taste with salt, if you like.
Simmer over medium-low heat, reducing heat, if necessary, to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes. If not using sauce right away, allow to cool, then store in a clean jar, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Source: Rick Bayless
Hickory House Rub
For its dry rub, Hickory House used a Cain’s barbecue spice blend that’s no longer made. This recipe is Rick Bayless‘s interpretation of that rub.
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
¼ cup ground chile, such as ancho, New Mexico, or guajillo, or paprika
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Put garlic, ground chile, salt, pepper, sugar, oregano, and thyme into a small bowl. Stir well, making sure garlic is thoroughly combined. If not using spice mix right away, store in a small clean jar, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Source: Rick Bayless
Hickory House sweet slaw
 Sweet slaw from The Hickory House Sweet Slaw Edmond teacher LuAnn Tucker, Rick Bayless’ sister, prefers this mayonnaise-enhanced slaw, another Hickory House specialty, to the tangy “sour” version. ½ medium head green cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced (about 8 cups) 1 2-ounce bottle chopped pimentos, drained, or 1 small red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4” pieces 3 ribs celery, cut into 1/4” dice ¾ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon sugar Salt Put cabbage, pimentos, celery, mayonnaise, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl and toss well. Adjust seasonings with more salt, if you like. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. The flavor and texture are best when slaw is made an hour or two before serving. |
Hickory House sour slaw
Rick Bayless served this with smoked quail in his first dish during the finale meal on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters.”
I made it for friends and heard nothing but praise. I ate it all week long. Great stuff.
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoons water
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon. sugar
Heaping 1 teaspoon salt
½ medium head green cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
Put oil, vinegar, sherry, water, garlic, sugar, and salt into a blender and puree until smooth. Put cabbage into a large bowl and sprinkle parsley on top. Pour dressing over slaw and toss well. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Source: Rick Bayless.
Rick Bayless’ deviled eggs recipe
Deviled Eggs
Adding mashed potato to the filling of this traditional hors d’oeuvre helps bind it.
6 eggs
1 medium red-skin boiling potato, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Put eggs and potatoes into a medium pot and add enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Add salt and simmer over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium to medium-low and gently simmer for 9 minutes more.
Pour off water from pot. Transfer potatoes with a slotted spoon to a medium bowl, then put pot of eggs under cold running water to let cool for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, add relish, mayonnaise, and mustard to potatoes, thoroughly mash together with a fork, and set aside.
Peel and cut eggs in half lengthwise. Using a fork or spoon, carefully scoop out yolks, add them to the potato mixture, and mash together with a fork. Spoon filling onto hard-cooked whites, mounding filling slightly and covering whole cut side of egg. Garnish with chopped chives and/or bachelor’s button (which are edible), if you like.
Source: Rick Bayless.
Cook’s note: With no chives or bachelor’s button on hand, Italian parsley worked well for the garnish.
Rick Bayless: An Oklahoma-Grown Hero
Rick with daughter Lanie, who just began college at New York University.
Oklahoma City native Rick Bayless has crossed the goal line with the pig skin. Of course, it came off a suckling pig marinated in an achiote-citrus based mix rather than a football. But the Sooner state is on its feet nonetheless.
Kids from Texas, California and occasionally Oklahoma who don a football uniform for our college football teams routinely are the topic of conversation, hero-worship, much fawning and praise. It’s a nice thing for the kids. Football is a nice escape from maudlin lives. It all works out. They move on to the NFL or normal lives, and we move on to the next crop. To quote Wooderson from “Dazed and Confused,” we get older and they stay the same age.
Nevertheless, once they wear a football jersey, their lives carry a certain level of interest forever, whether they end up with a bust in the Hall of Fame or just busted.
To earn the attention, respect and interest of this community from any other field is a tall order.
But master chef Rick Bayless has been filling tall orders since he was a teenager. While most of us went through high school ordering take out from rib joints, Rick was in the kitchen making the sauce. While most of us were bouncing through high school trying to make our first love connection, Rick was running a catering operation and working ahead to get through school in three years instead of four. When most of us turned 21, it was license to go on our first bar crawl. When Rick turned 21, he was starting grad school and, again, running a catering company. He’d been through plenty of heartbreak and disappointment by 21, but he never stopped reaching forward.
I’ve been a fan of Rick’s since 1987 when his first book, “Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking From the Heart of Mexico” was published.
I grew up in San Diego and Austin and was supported by a leather goods manufacturing business owned and operated by my parents but run by Mexican employees. The business began in Tijuana as a mail order holster supplier. It grew over time into a manufacturer for the U.S. military. I worked in the factory every summer, listening to Tejano music, ducking dried balls of contact cement and begging for food made by the wives of the men who worked for Cathey Enterprises.
I remember having dinner at our foreman’s house when I was 16, we ate without silverware that night.
“In Mexico, most people don’t have money for that sort of thing,” Alfredo told me. “Tortillas are our forks”
Then he showed me the art of the swipe: tear a tortilla into four, then using the thumb and forefinger pinch the wedge firm enough to slide into the beans, rice and pork/chicken/beef and lift. Presto, you have a bite-size taco. When the eating is done, you’ve not only finished all the food, you’ve also cleaned the plate.
I still have the first cookbook I ever bought, “Mexican Cookery” by Barbara Hansen. I was 12 and only had money for a paperback. The book tore in two at least 20 years ago, but I still have both halves and proudly use a number of recipes from it and a lot of the techniques today. I’ve thrown a gringofied Cinco de Mayo party every year, and that book is greatly responsible for it.
Then I bought a used copy of Diana Kennedy‘s “Recipes From the Regional Cooks of Mexico,” which was the perfect segue into Bayless. “Mexican Everyday” is more than a book title for me.
When Rick described his first experience with Oaxacan black mole, it reminded me of my first mole experience. I was 12. My parents and I ventured out one Monday night to a popular local Tex-Mex spot in Austin called Jorge’s. Little did we know, Jorge’s was closed Mondays. Just down the street was a new restaurant called Fonda San Miguel, which featured interior Mexican cuisine. They were opened Mondays and mole on the menu. At first, I wasn’t sure about it.
Pollo en Mole Poblano from Fonda San Miguel in Austin.
It had this chocolate aftertaste that confused my fledgling palate. It had a peanut butter tone that seemed out of place to someone who was used to getting his Mexican on at a place called Jorge’s Uptown Enchilada Bar or Matt’s El Rancho.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and tried it again on a subsequent visit. Then again and again. Both Jorge’s and Fonda San Miguel still stand today, just a few blocks apart, but my family never ate at Jorge’s again. When I go back to Austin, I rarely miss a chance to go to Fonda San Miguel. And every time I go, I think I’m going to try something new but when the waiter asks to take my order, I invariably end up saying, “pollo en mole poblano.” It has a flavor unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It’s a rich clash of spicy and sweet, nutty and smooth. I cook a lot, but I don’t cook mole. It’s a labor-intensive and time-consuming dish.
When Rick first started trying to make mole, he had only the experiences from his parents barbecue restaurant to draw from — no classical training. He had no Internet recipes to compare, no instructional videos to observe. He had only what he’d learned in his travels and the resolve to begin a 20-year journey to perfect a single dish. The result: renowned food critic Gael Greene admits: “I was just shivering all over when I tasted that dish.”
Rick tasted something he loved, saw how hard it would be to make and got started on a 20-year journey to perfection. I tasted something I loved, saw how hard it would be to make and chose a different recipe to learn. Rick wins Top Chef Masters, I watch him win Top Chef Masters.
He did it all without ever picking up a ball, singing a song or running for public office. Luck is just another dish he whipped up in the Frontera Kitchens using intelligence, commitment and unmitigated determination as ingredients.
He’s never chased money, but money found him. His Frontera Foods line was the idea of a regular customer.
But does he sit in the corner of restaurant counting it? Nope. He said he chose to compete in Top Chef Masters because he likes challenge himself, step outside his comfort zone. Like his mother who picked up golf at 50, Rick is pushing himself at 55. That’s how you become Top Chef Master.
But that’s a made-for-TV title. A passing fancy. Take a good look, folks. You’re looking at far more than a reality TV star.
The Joseph Campbell model tells us heroes overcome weakness or bondage, using resolute courage to rise from the masses and elevate the consciousness of the community through self-sacrifice for the greater good.
So what do you call a kid who after losing his father as a teen takes on family responsibilities while getting his education in less time than required in order to speed up pursuit of his dream? Courageous.
What do you call someone hurtling down one path who stops midstream to follow his life’s calling despite the investment in time and money and throws himself into this new dream without reservation and turns that decision into a multi-platform, multi-million dollar career that not only supports his family, but pays respect to the underappreciated, elevates his community culturally and uses his success to sustain others financially? And what if that person is a chef whose never been classically trained but himself goes on to train up-and-coming chefs into rewarding, successful careers? And what if the cuisine he chooses has long been marginalized and is now looked at with respect thanks to his years of passionate and reverential sharing and education?
Way more than a Heisman Trophy winner. Sounds like a hero.
Congratulations Rick, you’ve earned it. You’re an inspiration to millions and a source of incredible pride to your home state of Oklahoma. And by all accounts, you’re a good son, too.
Go behind the scenes of Top Chef Masters with Rick here.
Batches of Hatches available
Hatch chiles are available at local Homeland stores.
Local Homeland stores have gotten into the annual late August Hatch chile explosion. 10 pounds for 10 dollars at my Homeland store. So many chiles, so little time.
First things first, learn to make green chile. It’s the foundation of all New Mexican cuisine. You can use it alone, or use it to make stews. Only the limits of your creativity and their availability stand between you and a daily green chile dose.
First, the green chile must be roasted, skinned and seeded. Direct flame is the optimal roasting method. Since most of us don’t own rotary chile-roasters, so the grill is your best choice. The broiler will work, but direct flame has always worked best for me.
I crank it up, and turn on my Ipod. Place the chiles over the flame. By the time you’ve heard “Black Betty from beginning to end, it’ll be time flip.
By the time you’ve heard all of “Common People” by Pulp, it’s time to rescue these New Mexican refugees. They should be good and charred, but not extra crispy.
Plunge them immediately into a bowl or pot of ice water for quickest results.
You can also wrap them in wet towels and seal them in a Zip-loc for 15-20 minutes, too. I like the ice water method because it’s fast and tends to keep the chile crisper. Since it’s going to cook again, I like to keep it as raw as possible.
Next, simply put a slice down the side of the chile, flay it open and brush away seeds.
Flip and peel away the charred flesh of the chile.
Now they’re ready to cook.
Here’s a basic green chile recipe. Some like to thicken with flour or corn starch, but not me. I use it in multiple formats, so I don’t like to mask the chile flavor with anything.
Instructions
- Heat up cast-iron skillet on medium high. Add oil and heat until it stirs. Saute onions about 30 seconds. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Add grated carrot and saute about 1 minute. Add chiles and saute about 3 minutes.
- Season with pepper and cumin.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Simmer on medium low, uncovered 40-45 minutes. The longer it cooks, the thicker it will become. I like to use an immersion blender for a smoother sauce.
Culinary tradition: New Mexican
I made a little midnight snack with for my first foray. A cross between Salisbury steak and the green chile cheeseburger, I call it Hatchbury Benedict.
When picking out chiles, keep in mind that as they ripen they will get hotter. Buy extra and cook them at your oven’s lowest temperature overnight to dry them out and reserve for red chile this winter.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pound ground chuck
- 1 cup green chile sauce
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup queso fresco
- 6 eggs
- 6 small corn tortillas, julienned.
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- butter
Instructions
- Saute onion, garlic, carrot and celery about two minutes and salt generously.
- Dump mixture into food processor and add ground chuck. Process until the mixture is like deviled ham, 45 seconds to a minute.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Heat cast-iron skillet and add oil.
- Form meat into 6 1/4-pound rolls and place in hot oil. Sear on each side about 1 minute. Drain and reserve oil. Bake 10-12 minutes.
- Heat a small frying pan and add reserved oil. Fry Tortilla strips in reserve until crisp, about 5 minutes.
- Drain on towels, salt and set aside.
- Heat a standard egg skillet and add a little butter.
- Cook the eggs over easy.
- Remove patties and top with an egg.
- Cover with green chile sauce and grated cheese.
- Top with tortilla ribbons
Cooking time (duration): 45 minutes
Meal type: Midnight Snack
Culinary tradition: New Mexican
Ingredients
- 10 Hatch green chiles (As they ripen they turn red and get hotter) roasted, peeled, seeded and diced.
- 1/2 charred medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic mashed into pasted with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon toasted, ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon toated, ground tellicherry black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Jamil’s: Grade-A, Old-School Dining
Jamil’s Steakhouse is a living museum to a way of dining that is far too rare — slow and smooth.
Technology affords us more time to do more things. Jamil’s opened in 1964 , when phones were still plugged into walls, dialed on rotaries and connected from one to another by real people. Cars were fast but fewer than today. Eating out was a luxury not a habit. When one went out to eat then, it was to make a night of it.
That’s not to say a trip to Jamil’s now will cost you four hours. But if you want it to, Greg Gawey and friends will provide it. That’s not something too common at the modern chop house, unless you reserve a room and plan on spending $150 to $200 a head. Jamil’s will get you in and out if you wish, but that’s not how Gawey prefers. His motto is “slow down.”
That motto serves this old speakeasy well.
Owner Greg Gawey rented this vintage cigarette machine to a film crew in town while making a movie in Guthrie.
Servers who’ve been around since Lincoln Boulevard was like the Las Vegas strip, Lebanese hors doeuvres and good solid steak and seafood. Cabbage rolls, ribs, smoked bologna. Lori and I had it all in our recent visit. We spend almost three hours and were in no hurry to leave. Only trouble was, I was feeling myself get stuck in the chair. I didn’t eat for 24 hours.
I’m not the buffet-type eater, but spread out over time I found myself eating far more than I wanted. But I enjoyed it, and that’s all Gawey wanted. He’s not in business for my health. He’s there to welcome me into his home, which it really could be, and serve me the best food he can muster with friendly, expert, historic service. Mission accomplished.
It doesn’t hurt that it started with what Lori calls the best tabouli in town. Great hummus and the relish bowl, which included peppers, carrots and radishes. Swiping from treat to treat with warm pita, we truly could’ve eaten that and nothing else and been satisfied.
But then came the ribs, then the smoked bologna, then the steak for me, shrimp for Lori. By now you’d think we wouldn’t have room, but we managed. And enjoyed.
It’s a night we won’t forget for a long, long time. Can’t way to go back.
Have you been to Jamil’s lately? Do you remember going there a long time ago?
Share your thoughts.
