Buy Land for Food

Without farmland, we have no food.

Smart investors are starting to realize this, according to an article in the LA Times, and are buying up land not for housing development, but for growing food.

This is a refreshing concept in a society which counts new housing starts (i.e. houses built on farmland) as an economic indicator.

Finally someone is realizing that there is money in food production. Money in the land. Money in farming.

If your mutual funds are tanking, maybe it's time to invest in something valuable: land for food.

Chipotle Sauce

Sometimes a simple condiment transforms a sandwich into a fabulous taste experience.

This chipotle sauce is in that category.

I used it in grilled cheese sandwiches recently, and they went from humdrum to out-of-this-world. I smeared the sauce on the bread, layered in cheese, red onion, and cilantro, and cooked the sandwiches in butter in a cast iron frypan until they were golden and the cheese was soft. Simple and delicious.

The sauce is also good stirred into stews or soups to add a spicy smoky tomato flavor. It will last at least a week in the fridge. I've frozen a little for longer storage.

Chipotles are smoked jalapeños. Look for them canned in adobo sauce at your local grocery store. Once you open the can, transfer them to a jar and they'll last for months in your fridge. I keep one jar of the whole chipotles in adobo, and another that I've puréed -- it's quite firey and I use it sparingly in anything that needs a kick.

The tomato paste in this recipe tames the heat but leaves the flavor intact, and the molasses deepens the smokiness like good barbecue.

Chipotle Sauce
chipotles in adobo
6oz can tomato paste
1/2 tbsp molasses

Purée the chipotles in adobo in a blender or mini food processor. Measure out 3 tbsp. (Store the remainder in a jar in the fridge for months.)

Add the tomato paste and molasses to the 3tbsp puréed chipotles. Stir well to combine.

Makes about 3/4 cup.

Pickled Okra Update

You might remember that when we went back East in September I tasted pickled okra for the first time and actually liked it. My previous okra experiences had been of the slimy kind. But when it's pickled, okra is crisp and tasty.

When I got back to Los Angeles, I looked for it in my local grocery stores, but couldn't find it. I feared I was going to have to make my own pickles this summer.

But I have good news.

My local supermarket is now carrying Talk o' Texas hot pickled okra.

I diced some up and added it to my lunch time bean salad. Yum. Not as spicy as pickled jalapeños, but more flavor than regular pickles. Okra has many benefits for the digestive system, so it's a good addition to a meal.

And now I don't have to make my own.

Oatmeal

On these cool winter mornings, I think there is no better breakfast than oatmeal.

There are many good reasons to eat oats. They lower cholesterol; heal ulcers; and restore thyroid, pancreas and reproductive gland function. They contain many trace minerals including silicon, a mineral which helps the body excrete aluminum and lowers levels of this toxic metal in the brain, liver, bones, spleen and kidneys.

Yes, we should all eat oats every day. And they're so quick to make, there's no reason not to.

I find the best oats for porridge are Bob's Red Mill organic Scottish Oatmeal. Any health food store that carries the Bob's Red Mill line will be able to order them for you -- and remember to get the organic ones. Studies have found that organically-grown foods have more minerals than non-organic, and that's what we want the oats for.

A key to my oatmeal technique is the use of a spurtle. This is the traditional Scottish oatmeal-stirring stick -- recreated by Lee Valley Tools. It's like a wooden spoon without the spoon end, and it makes great lump-free oatmeal.

A wooden spoon can be used instead.

Then pour the oatmeal into your bowl, add a touch of real maple syrup and a splash of organic milk, and settle in for a feast.

Oatmeal
1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill organic Scottish Oatmeal
1 cup boiling water
dash salt

Bring the water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan. Sprinkle in a little salt, turn down the heat, and sprinkle in the oats, stirring all the while. When all the oats are in, let them cook, stirring regularly, until they are the consistency you like, about 5 minutes.

Serves one.

Bubble and Squeak

There's something about mashed potatoes that soothes the soul on these cool winter days.

When I was a child, my mother would combine leftover mashed potatoes with cooked cabbage to make Bubble and Squeak, a traditional English dish made with leftovers from Sunday dinner. It gets its name from the sound it makes while cooking -- listen closely.

I made it the other night and served it with a mess of cooked mustard greens for a healthy meal that tasted like comfort food.

Cabbage is a true health food. People who eat it regularly have a lower incidence of colon cancer. It is rich in fiber which makes it good for constipation and colon health. It's also a good detoxifier, purifying the blood and removing toxins like free radicals and uric acid. It's rich in iodine so it helps the brain, nervous system and endocrine glands work well.

I try to eat cabbage or other members of the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower) a couple of times a week. And this dish makes it easy.

Bubble and Squeak
1 lb potatoes
1/2 lb cabbage
1-2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Peel and chop the potatoes. Put in a pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender. Drain and mash.

Slice the cabbage thinly and cut the ribbons in 1" lengths. Add to a pot with an inch of water boiling in the bottom, cover and cook until tender. Drain.

Combine the cabbage and mashed potato, salt to taste, and add liberal amounts of fresh black pepper.

Heat a cast iron frypan over medium heat. Add the butter and when it has melted add the potato mixture. Squish it together into a cake and then let it cook until it is crispy on the bottom, 5-8 minutes. Then flip the cake - I usually do this in pieces and then push it back together again. Or make it into two cakes, as in the picture, to make the flipping easier. Cook until crispy on the bottom, another 5 minutes or so. Serve with mustard or rooster sauce.

Serves 2-3

Variation: stir a tablespoon of mustard into the cabbage and potatoes before frying it.