Sustainable Food–Living off the land, the garden, the ferment

Now almost a month after our Western Washington University “cook-in” and “dig-in,” our class is finally over and I’m posting a few pictures of sustainable food. Below, “natural” yoghurt drains, releasing its nutritious whey (for other lacto-fermentation projects), with soft cheese remaining (for spreads). Many recipes for this can be found in both FoodWISE and…

Sorrel soup!

Make delicious sorrel soup, sautéing spring onions, then adding freshly-cut sorrel and broth. Just salt, pepper, and a little thyme creates a delicious meal, especially with some of that bread in the previous post! Now, for a heavier version, one with vegetables and potatoes, more in the Ukraine style, see here.

Fermented bread, Tassajara style, requires a sponge first!

My favorite recipe is from Tassajara….but it’s the fermented grains that make it a whole food…..You can buy them, or just soak the wheat berries overnight, dry, then mill. The sponge is created with gentle stirring and kneading, creating a wet mixture, ready for rising. Add the rest of the rye and wheat flours, oats,…

Beautiful vegetables

Taking a little time from research and writing, beautiful vegetables are a must-have. if we all can agree on one thing, it’s eat more veggies! Here, cabbage and beets…other root veggies. Gentle roast, not scorch! True also for the pizza, dough from La Fiamma, mushrooms grown in our house. For more, see my FoodWISE (https://gigiberardi.com/foodwise-3/#book).

“Real Brie” and “Real Manchego” cheeses

Brie and Manchego—I’ve started to make soft, mold-ripened cheeses, and I must say they are delicious. You can eat them as soon as the mold has developed, a week after setting the curds, even better, two weeks later. And a month later? Delish! But is this REAL BRIE—no, it’s not going to taste like the…

My favorite restaurant food (ever): Spinach Greens, Italian Greens!

Especially when I’m travelling, including staying in Italy, my favorite food to order is spinach greens (even if they’ve been frozen)—with a little olive oil, salt, and cheese (my preference: my own parmesan)…and maybe some garlic, it’s a completely satisfying meal. Recipe for “Italian greens” is on p. 184 FoodWISE!

Favorite roasted potato recipe—light and fluffy!

FoodWISE cooking today is about roasting light and fluffy potatoes! From Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes. It’s at: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/simple-herb-oven-roasted-potatoes/ I’ll share the trick right now, which is really a step—soak the potatoes (cut into cubes) in water! Basically, all you do is cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes, and soak in water to remove some of…

FoodWISE Making the best food choices

FoodWISE tells the story of celebrating the “gray” in our lives—the best food choices may not always be the most obvious. Thank you Chanticleer Book Awards for awarding semi-finalist status to FoodWISE! See gigimberardi@wwu.edu #food #foodie #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #yummy #instagood #love #foodblogger #foodlover #delicious #follow #like #healthyfood #homemade #foodWISE #tasty #healthy #instagram #eat #corona…

What’s for dinner? Eat this!

What’s for dinner? Eat this! Recently, we were looking around Bellingham, WA for a good restaurant. We had some staples, like D’Anna’s café Italiano (with its fresh pasta, and Sicilian-themed fare), and new ones, like Storia Cucina (with clearly-sourced ingredients, house-prepared and -cooked—all tasty, which is important). In fact, when I developed the acronym for…