Sunday 24 November 2013

Pickling and Fermentation in Cooking




Nearly every wellness expert on the planet will tell you that the fresher the food you eat is, the better it is for you. While there is definitely some truth to this, fermented products are of late becoming well-known for their healing properties. Fermented products provide a probiotic boost to the body’s digestive tract and are essential to the production of necessities like Vitamin K within the human body. Healthy levels of symbiotic bacteria within the gut not only aid digestion but are also beneficial to the immune system, the skin, and can help maintain optimum body fat percentage.

As a young person growing up in Ireland my experiences up until recently have been pretty limited when it came to pickled or fermented products. I have undergone a forced and unpleasant interaction with a jar of Chef beetroot on a bi-summerly basis for as far back as I can remember. Working with food professionals who care passionately about food has caused for me a complete reversal of my opinion on many ingrediential processes, not least of all pickling and fermentation.

When created with knowledge and love, pickles and ferments can be some of the prettiest and most appetizing food available. You can pickle almost anything, sweet or savoury. When googling for recipes I happened across sweet pineapple pickles, tall jars of colourful sliced radishes, kilners of hard boiled eggs that when stored with beetroot and sliced had taken on a bright purple ring of colour. Whilst aesthetically pleasing, without the process of fermentation we wouldn’t have many of the foodstuffs that we take for granted today. Cheese, yoghurt, wine, beer, soy sauce and miso are all products of managed microbial action. Historically, evidence of fermentation has been dated as thousands of years old and most cultures have a particular fermented or pickled product native to their area or ethnicity.

The motivation to pickle came from a common goal: to preserve for future consumption. Nowadays, the technique is still used to capture harvest's bounty and ensure ample food for winter. 



Here are some guidelines that I have learned for pickling at home:


  • Produce- Produce pickled at its peak of freshness will invariably yield the best result. The freshest produce will also have the most crispy texture, necessary for a good pickle. Vegetables grown in your own garden make the most delicious pickles, and preserving ingredients you have grown yourself inspires a sense of pride. Otherwise, look to the farmers' market for fresh vegetables to pickle, avoiding ones with blemishes or soft areas. Fast is equally important—make your pickles as soon as possible after picking or purchasing your produce. Maintaining the integrity of the vegetables is an important factor in the pickling process.                      
  • Salt - Salt is a key ingredient in a wide range of pickling methods. In many brines, salt tempers the balance of flavors, as it also does when you add salt to food at the table. In some cases, salt helps draw water out of vegetables, such as cucumbers, to improve their texture. Kosher salt and pickling salt, which are nearly identical, are the two main types of salt used for making shelf-stable pickles. Do not substitute common table salt. Some people add a lot of salt to brines in order to achieve a pronounced salty flavor—but the subtleties of spices, herbs and citrus can generate equally distinctive final results.                                                                                      
  •  Acid - Acids are a vital element in making shelf-stable pickles. Properly sealed jars of pickles can remain on the shelf for a long period of time because they have achieved an acceptable level of acidification, the pH of the contents (pickles and brine) has been stabilized, and all bacteria have been eradicated. Acid in pickling takes two forms: vinegar and citric acid. Vinegar, an acetic acid, works on pickled vegetables to stabilize their pH levels. Different vinegars have different degrees of strength, or grain. Most vinegars commonly used in pickling have a grain strength of 5 or 6 percent. Avoid using vinegars with a grain strength lower than what the recipe requires, as this may result in pickles that don't acidify properly. Citric acid takes the form of juice from citrus: lemon, lime, and orange. It brightens and embellishes the flavors of pickles and complements other ingredients, but it doesn't usually provide the basis for acidification. Heat penetration is another factor in acidification. Brines are brought to a boil (212°F) and poured quickly into jars before their temperature drops below 195°F, which typically takes a few minutes. Jars remain in the boiling-water bath for a specified length of time to ensure that the core temperature of the contents reaches a level that will kill any form of bacteria present. If the jars have been properly sealed, the combination of vinegar and heat penetration will reliably kill bacteria and the contents will be safe to eat.                                                 
  • Flavourings - The combination of a vegetable (or fruit), a vinegar and pickling spice defines the pickler's palate. But it is the pickling spice—the unique and flavorful mix of herbs and spices added to the brine—that plays the most distinctive role. Different combinations of herbs and spices help create pickles with distinctive flavors, and experimenting with these elements is where you can really get creative with yo' bad self! In my pickles as pictured at the top I have used pink and black peppercorns with an aul bay leaf flung in for good measure.

Monday 28 October 2013

Pork and Pig Welfare in Ireland

Pork has been a key part of Irish diet since prehistory. The Brehon Laws, originally written in the 7th century make frequent references to pigs and pigmeat both as food and as form of tribute. For example, the trespass of a pig in a growing field of corn was fineable by one sack of wheat. There are a huge number of traditional Irish dishes that include the use of pork in some form or another - coddle, ribs and colcannon, brawn, pudding... the list goes on. In the 17th and 18th centuries Waterford was a major producer and centre of export for pork, at one time producing at least two thirds of the total consumed in London.

In more recent years the meat continues to have the highest consumption rates per capita. The continued popularity of pigmeat means that food producers have been consistently looking for better, faster and cheaper methods of meeting the demands of major supermarkets, and ultimately, the consumer. The McDonaldisation of a burgeoning consumptive society decrees that farms are now more technological than ever before, taking away both the need to pay additional staff and the room for human error - our food has become mechanised.

Chemicals are added to the food to save money, time and to ensure that the finished product looks aesthetically pleasing. By adding antibiotics and growth hormones to the feed, pigs on the production line grow bigger in a shorter space of time and wont die from the injuries and disease they might sustain living in confined conditions en masse.

In a recent online publication by agriland.ie about pig farms under animal welfare investigation, it was identified that farm animal welfare watchdog Compassion had recently investigated five separate pig farms in Ireland. Dil Peeling, Compassion's director of campaigns alleged "These are the worst pig farms that we have seen in Europe, and the worst conditions that I have seen in years.I am shocked to find pigs kept in such squalor in a modern, first-world country. In some of the farms there was a hospital area that would be laughable if it weren't so devastating: an emaciated pig left to die, dying pigs lying on top of one another. It is a real life hell hole. The levels of neglect on all of the farms points to a systematic failure and the barbarity of the situation points to two options: either the Government doesn't care or it is incompetent. Either of these in inexcusable."

Although the Irish Government have the ultimate duty of care towards establishing the necessary animal-welfare laws in this country, I believe the only way things will change is if the consumer demands it. There is growing change with regards to food reduction with particular focus on fish and poultry in previous years, massively because of the work of food activists like TV chefs like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall who televised their efforts and distributed the distasteful truth to the paying public. Within a very short space of time free range whole chickens and chicken breasts have become available in most supermarkets for a very affordable cost - it is hoped that this can become the norm across all meat products.

With a small amount of planning and a slight increase in cost it is very possible to buy free-range pork products. Most notably "The Red Pig" company in Kilkenny who raise their own pigs and sell the meat at markets and festivals provide very good quality items which are affordable. In absentia of markets it is always important to speak to your butcher - let them know that the desire and demand for free-range in your locale. At the end of the day business is business and if the consumer is buying something, they want to be selling it.

If you are interested in how corporate attitudes affect the food that you are eating, here are some documentaries that I would recommend:

Food, Inc.

Forks Over Knives

Zeitgeist

Earthlings

Dil Peeling, Compassion’s director of campaigns, alleged: ”These are the worst pig farms that we have seen in Europe, and the worst conditions that I have seen in years. I am shocked to find pigs kept in this squalor in a modern, first-world country.
“In some of the farms there was a ‘hospital area’ that would be laughable if it weren’t so devastating: an emaciated pig left to die, dying pigs lying on top of one another. It is a real-life hell-hole.
“The levels of neglect on all of the farms points to a systemic failure and the barbarity of this situation points to two options: either the Government doesn’t care or it is incompetent. Either of these is inexcusable.”
- See more at: http://www.agriland.ie/news/pig-farms-under-animal-welfare-investigation/#sthash.53G4yYhh.dpuf
Dil Peeling, Compassion’s director of campaigns, alleged: ”These are the worst pig farms that we have seen in Europe, and the worst conditions that I have seen in years. I am shocked to find pigs kept in this squalor in a modern, first-world country.
“In some of the farms there was a ‘hospital area’ that would be laughable if it weren’t so devastating: an emaciated pig left to die, dying pigs lying on top of one another. It is a real-life hell-hole.
“The levels of neglect on all of the farms points to a systemic failure and the barbarity of this situation points to two options: either the Government doesn’t care or it is incompetent. Either of these is inexcusable.”
- See more at: http://www.agriland.ie/news/pig-farms-under-animal-welfare-investigation/#sthash.53G4yYhh.dpuf
Dil Peeling, Compassion’s director of campaigns, alleged: ”These are the worst pig farms that we have seen in Europe, and the worst conditions that I have seen in years. I am shocked to find pigs kept in this squalor in a modern, first-world country.
“In some of the farms there was a ‘hospital area’ that would be laughable if it weren’t so devastating: an emaciated pig left to die, dying pigs lying on top of one another. It is a real-life hell-hole.
“The levels of neglect on all of the farms points to a systemic failure and the barbarity of this situation points to two options: either the Government doesn’t care or it is incompetent. Either of these is inexcusable.”
- See more at: http://www.agriland.ie/news/pig-farms-under-animal-welfare-investigation/#sthash.53G4yYhh.dpuf

Thursday 26 September 2013

Garden Pasta

September is a wonderful time of year for natural produce. I am lucky enough to live in the countryside where we have enough space to grow a few bits and bobs in our garden. This provides me on occasion with an opportunity to cook with fresh, organic ingredients. Responsible cookery is something that interests me hugely, with particular regard to meat production. Up until recently I had only ever tasted white meat and fish, we did not cook red meat in our house for health reasons. Although I have since learned to enjoy steak, I still believe that the protein we need in our diet can be sourced in a vegetarian way and enjoyed just as much.

To make this dish I used eggs from my godmother's chickens. In my opinion, there is no comparison between eggs laid by battery eggs and the warm buttery richness of those laid at home. This, plus my concerns regarding the appalling welfare of hens on the production line means I will only ever purchase free range eggs.






I also gathered some herbs and leeks that we grow in our back garden. Leeks are a sturdy vegetable that can withstand the chillier climes of autumn and many of the herbs we grow like rosemary and thyme can be used year-round. Chives are used to garnish this dish, sadly these wont see out the winter.


To make the pasta I used Michael Quinn's recipe from his blog Quinn at the Stove. Unfortunately I don't own a pasta machine so I faced the task of rolling and cutting the pasta crudely with a "sure it'll be grand" mentality. Tip: this is incredibly time consuming so beg, borrow or steal a pasta machine if you can!


I left the pasta to dry on a sweeping brush balanced over two kitchen chairs for about forty minutes before cooking.




A few test strands of pasta were cooked before I went ahead and made the dish, as it was hand cut it took a little longer than it would if I had used a machine. Each circumstance of cooking is different, my best advice is to taste the pasta as it cooks and always make sure the water is already boiling and salted. For this dish I cooked the pasta al dente, or with a slight bite, as I knew it would cook a little further as I prepared the sauce.

The leeks were peeled, washed, then sliced very thinly, and added to a saucepan with 100mls of warm cream. I added a rosemary branch and a piece of thyme and left the saucepan to keep warm on the stove while the rest of the dish was prepared.

The sauce was incredibly easy to make. In a casserole pan I heated about 50 grams of butter and added a splash of olive oil here to prevent the butter from colouring. When the butter was fully melted I roughly whisked 3 eggs and added them to the pan. I turned off the heat straight away so as not to overcook the eggs, they cook further when the heat of the just-drained pasta is added anyway.

After a moment when I could see the eggs beginning to become solid at the bottom of the pan I removed the herbs from the cream, drained the leeks and put them to one side and added the fragrant cream to the eggs in the pan, followed by the pasta, then tossed lightly.  There really isn't anything more to this sauce other than adjusting seasoning to your own personal taste. Somebody told me once that you should never season eggs with salt before cooking them, as this ruins the texture. For me the pasta was already sufficiently salty to carry the sauce but I did add plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.

To finish, I plated the pasta and placed the cream-softened leeks in a little pile on top. The chives I picked earlier were tied into a small bundle with one chive strand, then oiled with a little EVO to make them shiny.