New Horizons and Common Grounds

"The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover: If I love you I have to make you aware of things you wouldn't ordinarily see."   --James Baldwin

There are so many things that make me happy that one could confuse me with a pure simpleton, but in all honesty, the littlest things DO bring me joy.  Biting the ears off a chocolate bunny, sipping good whiskey, smoking a good cigar and laughing with good friends.  Those are the kind of things that bring joy to life.  And then there is the adventure of expanding horizons.

Today was a perfect day.  Before I dashed off, I tended to the budding Victory Garden on the dining room table,  worked in the morning (nothing new for a Saturday and I love my clients), then my Beloved and I went to the Butterfly Pavilion to watch a cooking demonstration.  Sushi for lunch then home for a cigar and bourbon (whiskey--see above) on the back deck. 

Today was slightly unusual in a couple of respects, however. 

First, there is the concept of the Victory Garden. From its noble beginnings, today it often implies self-sufficiency and frugality.  Indeed, those are my specific intentions.  I know everything is organic and a measure of pride from the work of my own hands.  I love to save money on the vegetables I won't be buying.  I love the depth of flavors of home-grown vegetables.  And seeing life spawn under the earth and wriggle into existence presents itself as a metaphor of rebirth.  "He who has seeds, has Spring."  (Ben Franklin)  In the last blog entry, I made mention that we want to eat better.  What could be better for the body and soul than to have produced your own produce?

But the second important difference of the day, we engaged in entomophagy.  Quite literally, the eating of bugs. David George Gordon, "The Martha Stewart of the Bug World" or in his words, "The Emeril of Entomophagy" (I think he made that one up while we were there) presented a wonderfully charming tour of food and creepy-crawlies.  He begins by inviting kids to join him up front and sit on the floor.  (He and I agree on the nature of children: children harbor more germs than the bugs we're tasting today.  If you can keep them sitting and not hovering, breathing into the mis-en-place, we'll have an enjoyable afternoon.  And he handled the squirrelly kids better than their parents did!)  He then outlined the role of bugs in food--the bugs we don't think we're eating (think peanut butter), the bugs that we don't know about which are supposed to be there (think natural ingredient, red food coloring), and the bugs that various cultures around world consume for their nutritional value.

Then the fun began.  Asking for volunteers to cook the food, and other volunteers to taste the food, "we" cooked and ate Tempura Mealworms, Panfried Scorpion, Orthopteran Orzo, and Grasshoppers on a skewer.  My wife was the only volunteer to eat all of her Mealworm (I am so proud of her!) and the Scorpion I had tasted like soft-shell crab.  In fact, I can't wait to go scorpion hunting when I have the chance.  I can envision it in a nori roll (think Spider Roll, literally) or with rice and beans served Southwestern style.

Ok--so entemophagy is a little extreme and I doubt it will become a regular part of our diet, but I don't think we're going to shy away, either. 

Adventure has been a regular staple of my spiritual diet for as long as I can remember.  Culinarily speaking, I include it in increasingly regular intervals.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Tonight we're eating vegetarian, with a twist. 

Creamed Dock (or Cream of Wild Greens)

Sourdock is a wild leafy vegetable (aka, weed) that grows plentifully in open fields across North America.  The leaves are best in spring when they are young and tender.  Caution: as with all wild plants, good identification and good growing conditions are essential.  Many plants have natural or pesticide/herbicide toxins that can be harmful (or worse!) if swallowed.  When in doubt, avoid it.

2 pound young fresh Dock leaves, rinsed, blanched twice and thick stems removed

2 tablespoons Butter

1 Leak, tender white part chopped and greens reserved for something else

1 clove Garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Nutmeg
1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Boil the leaves for 2 minutes, then strain, pressing out any extra water.  Chop thoroughly and set aside. 

Melt the butter in a sauce pan (medium high heat) and saute the leak and garlic until they are tender and starting to turn translucent.  Add the greens and cook, stirring regularly until they start to give off moisture.  Add the seasonings and cream and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the cream is reduced and thickened to how you like it. 

Serve hot with as a side for almost any Southern comfort food!