Maybe you’ve heard of the “slow food” movement – or maybe you haven’t? Well, I’m going to give you a dilly of an example in just a bit.
But first, slow food, as listed on the Slow Food International website, “is to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.”
But before these fast paced modern times – slow food is just what you did – especially if you lived on a farm. So here’s my personal example of a slow food weekend…
When there’s a nip in the air my husband and I always make the classic French bean dish cassoulet. To make the cassoulet in September off 2009 we started in the fall of 2008 when we received delivery of the lamb that my friend, Pat raised for me and the pork that my friend, Chris, raised.
In the spring I planted the Mayflower beans that I used in the dish (it’s believed that the Mayflower bean originally came with the pilgrims in 1620, but heck, if you don’t want to be that slow you can substitute northern beans). I also used my own onions, carrots, and tomato sauce in making the dish.
For the smoked sausage we took a run over to Deutschland Meats in Lindstrom, MN. Together, the ingredients meld together into a heavenly delicious dish. Lest you think I’m totally over the top – I was too lazy to make the baguette – so it’s Take and Bake from Marketplace Foods. Here’s a picture of the finished dish….
The next day I canned my sauerkraut that had been fermenting the last several weeks. My cabbage was a disaster this year, so I bought some huge split heads of cabbage from a local grower….
When I was diving in the freezer, to find the meat for the cassoulet, I found a wonderful pork shoulder roast. I tapped into my new sauerkraut reserve and made a lovely dish.
Often I like to add apples and onions to my sauerkraut, but I was in a more savory mood. I studded the roast with garlic, and I added rosemary and juniper berries to the sauerkraut. I served it with sage dumplings, and winter squash that I grew, and mixed in some bleu cheese and garlic spread from Eichtens. It’s just so satisfying to make it the slow way……
I’d love to hear some of your own favorite dishes where you did it the slow way. Feel free to post!
