Actual imagery of factory farms is too depressing for food pages, so we’ve substituted this image from The Meatrix. See the Times story for the real thing.
In yesterday’s New York Times magazine section, Michael Pollan, who is professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the school’s Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism, does more than just expose another filthy meat “factory farm.” In these huge, meat-producing operations for pigs, chicken and cattle, animals are penned in on top of each other, standing in their own muck, such that they must be fed antibiotics daily or they would die of disease. (If you want to see the animated film version this, suitable for children, see the award-winning “The Meatrix”). It’s just not ugly anymore, though: It may be fatal. A virulent strain of the Staphylococcus bacteria, called MRSA, is now killing more American than AIDS, and it’s antibiotic-resistant.
Studies in Canada and Europe have found that confinement pig operations (factory farms) are reservoirs of MRSA. While scientists have not established that any of the strains of MRSA that are responsible for American deaths originated on factory farms, the livestock industry has not been cooperative, nor has the Department of Agriculture rushed to investigate. What can you do? Read Michael Pollan’s story, and switch to organic meat. The latter is not a suggestion of the Pollan story, but THE NIBBLE’s. Organic meat comes from antibiotic-free animals, which would avoid any forthcoming drug-resistant infections in humans that stem from the antibiotics in meat. You can read more about the challenges of Big Agribusiness in Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and more about organics in the NutriNibbles section of THE NIBBLE online magazine
Crush a package of red spiral peppermints with a rolling pin between waxed paper. Keep them in an airtight jar. Then, use them to apply a touch of holiday flavor to ice cream, the rims of hot chocolate mugs, cupcake icing, other desserts, vanilla yogurt…whatever strikes your fancy (use a pinch to garnish to any dessert plate). It’s as if the Good Peppermint Fairy touched her wand to make things a bit more special. Peppermint bark is crushed peppermint added to chocolate bars. Read about our favorite peppermint bark from Enstrom’s—peppermint plus semisweet and white chocolate and chocolate cookies!
This week’s prize in THE NIBBLE’s Gourmet Giveaway is a delicious 3-4 pound spiral-sliced, boneless ham from Nueske, which we rated as one of our favorite hams after tasting more than 40. It has a hand-applied honey glaze that gives it a mild, sweet flavor. And it comes fully cooked, already cut into neat, even slices—ready for a party or a special family dinner. Serve at room temperature or gently warmed. Few things so delicious require so little preparation time (“remove ham and set on plate”). You can see more of Nueske’s ham and bacon products at Nueskes.com. See more of THE NIBBLE’s favorite hams in the Gourmet Meat & Poultry Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. Also take a look at the other top hams in our ham challenge tasting. Take trivia quizzes on ham and other food topics at the Gourmet Giveaway home page.
A few months ago, we went to a press reception where we were introduced to the wonders of Chipilo Authentic Mexican Crema. Crema, or cream, which is what Mexicans call cultured sour cream. If you are a sour cream lover, it will take you higher—in a slightly different way than Ike and Tina Turner, but just as exciting. It’s richer, sweeter, more complex in flavor. It’s la crema de la crema. Newly available in the U.S., it’s made in Wisconsin according to Chipilo’s specifications, since fresh dairy products can’t be imported into the U.S. until next year. (However, most Mexican cremas are made from milkfat imported from New Zealand!) This is a crema worth going out of your way for, and worth spending your calories on.
Much more exciting than sour cream.
Use crema as you would sour cream; but it can do much more. The innate sweetness makes it a natural dip for fruit, a topping for pancakes, a spread for muffins and toast. Just resist the temptation to eat it from the carton. The first sales initiative focuses on Latin markets—their customers already understand what crema is and are familiar with the brand (Chipilo is the number one crema in Mexico). From our point of view, it’s taking too long to get into the mainstream. So, get over to the nearest Latin market and buy a few pounds. In one-pound containers, give them as holiday gifts. Not only will they be the most inexpensive gifts you can give, they’ll probably be the most appreciated by anybody who likes good food. To find a market near you, email chipilo@intermarketsourcing.com.
Make your Christmas salad decidedly red and green.
Make a beautiful red-and-green Christmas salad by adding “red” greens to your “green” greens. If you can’t find the more exotic red lettuces (red leaf lettuce, red oak lettuce, red romaine, red mustard greens), most stores carry radicchio, the naturally red-veined chard and baby kale. For more color, add very thin rings of red and green bell peppers and slice crunchy, white water chestnuts into thin disks as “tree ornaments.” Use an elegant vinaigrette: fine olive oil with a sherry or Champagne vinegar in a 3 tablespoons:2 tablespoons proportion. Add a pinch of dry mustard, plus salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste. Click here for a red-and-green salad recipe with an Asian twist, seaweed, cherry tomatoes and sesame (shown in the photo at left). Visit the table of contents of the December issue of THE NIBBLE online magazine for more holiday recipes.
