Menus, September 3, 2013

You don't need a silver fork to eat good food.

 Paul Prudhomme

You don't have to eat expensively to eat well; your table needn't be upper class to be classy; food works if it fuels the worker.  Such have been the kitchen credos of hard-working working class cooks throughout history and around the world. It's true, working class food has received double helpings of sneering contempt for the last 60 years or so-

it's often scorned for being either

too stodgy,                                           or (my personal favorite) too starchy.

While the posh fare of food smuggins is just as often derided for being either

too stuffy,                                              or just plain silly.

 
The thing is, according to this  very interesting article, until the modern phenomenon of factory produced food, working class food was raised, purchased and prepared quite close to home. It was fresh, it was local, and it was meant to nourish and satisfy hard working appetites.  Using only what what your own farm or the nearby village could provide was a necessity, and that necessity sparked some fantastic forgotten inventions which I, your faithful research hound, have rediscovered:
  

These guys were sent to work with thermosfuls
 of special magnetizing stew. That's why they can perch
up there with such casual security. 

These ladies are enjoying special amphetamine-laced sandwiches.
That's why they look so happy about the mountain of housework
they'll be climbing after lunch.

And these ladies are smiling because Heinz just invented
ketchup soup. Hmmm... the fixed intensity of  some of those
smiles....maybe they too had some special sandwiches.

Seriously. Take a quick look at this list of National dishes around the world, and you'll see that no matter where you (or your parents, or your grandparents) come from, the most famous food of your country is the food that feeds the workers of your country.

This whole mind spin began late Sunday night, as my daughter Liz and I talked about Labor day plans and Labor day food. 

"Labor day food ought to be the food of laborers." She said.

"Hey...." I answered, "what an awesome idea!" 

and then she started a sentence in one of the very best ways possible:

"I wonder...." she began, "what is the food of workers?"

and the resulting mind spin, after a short detour into Middle Earth,

(Here it is Liz, an absolutely authentic
 recipe for Lembas, The waybread of the Elves.
 Easy to carry, with nutrients enough to keep you toiling
all the way to Mordor.) 

took me, as most mind spins do, toward dinner.

Let's see what we wound up with, shall we?

Wednesday: Oven roasted brisket and Caesar salad 

The hardest part of cooking this brisket is remembering to start it 5 hours before dinnertime. If you can't make it home to throw it in the oven at lunch, consider starting it in the morning and lowering the oven temperature and cooking it all day. The dressing for the salad is easy with a tube of anchovy paste.

Thursday: Meat pie and salad

Last night's leftover brisket will get chopped up into the filling of these wonderful pies. Or maybe just one pie.  If you want a more authentic Aussie working meal, make some mashed potatoes, and top the pies with ketchup. 

Friday: Slow cooker pulled pork and kale and apple slaw

The pork will go into the slow cooker in the morning, and by the time I arrive home, the house will smell amazing. Chances are strong that we'll serve the pork as is, rather than turning into sandwiches.

Saturday: Brazilian black beans with tomato vinaigrette and farofa

This meal, black beans with all the trimmings, is the classic fuel of the home audience's boyhood. In Brazil, where he grew up, beans and rice are a staple and appear at both lunch and dinner several times a week. There's a whole lotta pork in this recipe- we'll be using last night's leftover pork instead of the loin, and maybe the sausage and bacon too. (Maybe? what am I saying!?! Of course I'll use sausage and bacon!) I've used cornmeal instead of the manioc flour in the farofa pretty successfully. Looking for an inexpensive and authentic dessert? Try these yummy fudgy brigadieros or this flan. 

Sunday: Tacos

Okay. Take a look at the leftovers in the fridge. Do you  have remnants of brisket, pork and/or black beans?  You don't have leftovers, you have the start of a taco buffet.  Throw down any assortment of grated cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream or Greek yogurt, cilantro or avocados, add some salsa, tortillas and chips, and you've got a feast.  Call your hard working friends over and party together before work starts all over again tomorrow.

And for the rest of this week, I hope you know that it matters.

The way you work hard 

to make sure that the people you love

have what they need

to do what they need to do.

That matters.

And I hope that this week, you feel nurtured too.

I hope that the food you eat

(both the real and the metaphorical)

hits the spots in mind, body and soul;

fills you, feeds you, and fuels you

for all the beautiful
and crazy tasks that lie ahead.