donaldson103211

The Demonization of Washing Meat

It’s funny to see so many chefs that are blown away by the concept of people washing their meat. “If you’re buying chicken that seems like it needs to be washed, you’re already fucked” is what I heard most recently, and it got me thinking; Not about why people wash chicken, but why so many people have a problem with it. Though food standards are good enough at this point in time that washing chicken is technically unnecessary, the tradition still holds strong for many households of color.

The reason behind this is an unfortunate one, but one that more people aught to know. For decades, there has been fear in colored communities that the people that don’t want them to live where they do sabotaged products and services in their communities to get them to relocate. In sociology there is a concept that states “if one defines situations as real, they are real in their consequences,” and that means whether these communities were sabotaged or not, they believed that they were, and acted accordingly. Washing chicken is a byproduct of overcoming adversity and doing what one needs to keep their family as healthy as they can. Not to mention the fact that many don’t have access to cushy Whole Foods meat sections with their corporate-friendly overly sanitized kitchens and meat cases.

So let me ask all the chefs that scoff at home cooks for washing their meat: If generations of your family felt that they had to wash their chicken so it would be safe to eat, and there wasn’t a trusted-by-you food-handling professional there to tell you not to and explain the reasoning, wouldn’t you wash your meat too? “That’s unsanitary, it spreads chicken particles everywhere” I hear so many cry as they judge behind their smartphone screens. Has noone ever heard of a wipe down? Surface cleansing wipes for the surfaces around the kitchen? If kitchen cleanliness in these situations leads to people getting sick, the cook probably would’ve made a similar mistake in the case that they didn’t wash their chicken.

It’s time to stop assuming and start letting people prepare food how they and their families have prepared it for generations. It seems many are mistaken believing that it was a “trend” around the mid 20th century, and that big names like Julia Child, Betty Crocker and James Beard were doing It in their own kitchens based on antiquated food cleanliness practices. This whitewashes the early struggles of a marginalized America, which is a regular practice in the US’s culinary zeitgeist. This information is out there, we just don’t see enough white chefs acknowledge this practice as traditional and not foolish.

Wash your chicken if you want. Simply pat down the meat with a paper towel if you want. But whatever you do, don’t demonize a whole culture of people just because you don’t get it.

My Tongue Doesn’t Work?!

Towards the beginning of September, I began chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin’s squamous T-cell Lymphoma. Needless to say, getting used to my body changing so drastically has been quite the ride .

Fortunately for me, the case is not nearly as bad as it is for some, and my side effects from treatment have been fairly manageable; I am very blessed to be in good enough condition to work at my job and enjoy most aspects of my life.

Having said that, there has been one aspect of it that shook me to my core: my taste buds don’t work the same! What I notice the most is that I don’t perceive salt at all. Potato chips just taste like potatoes, having lost their finger-lickingly addictive nature for me. Coca Cola currently tastes like a weird spiced carbonated tea, and all fast food is so bland that I don’t even bother wasting my time with it anymore. It’s obvious to me that not tasting salt would change how everything tastes, but it’s been crazy to see just how dramatic the difference has been.

Though it has been a massive roadblock to normality for me, I try to see it as a blessing in disguise as much as I can. It’s been easier for me to decide against heavily processed foods and lean more towards things made with whole ingredients. Quality has always been very important to me when it comes to food, but it has recently carried more weight than ever before.

At this point I’m just over halfway through my treatment plan and I can finally say I’ve gotten mostly used to the absence of salt flavor. I’ve made a conscious effort to focus on the flavors that I CAN taste rather than let my underperforming tongue get me down. I certainly appreciate the things that I taste a lot more now.

Have you ever heard of someone going through treatment and experiencing something like this? Reach out to me on Instagram or through email if you want to share your thoughts, I would love to hear about it!

Low Fat vs Full Fat: My Journey to Elevated Eating

For years I’ve bounced back and forth on whether or not I want to use fat free or low calorie versions of the food that I would normally use. A lot of the people I saw online for a long time said “always use full fat because it always tastes better,” then I started delving into the fitness side of food content online and the whole atmosphere around food changed completely.

The focus went from “make food as delicious as possible” to “use ingredients that allow you to eat as much as possible with as little calories as possible” and I saw what I thought was a grand opportunity: eat a lot and still get fit. You see, I’ve struggled to manage my weight for most of my life, and eventually it got exhausting. I felt that everything I attempted ended up not helping, and I felt desperate to try whatever new mindset or strategy had a lot of proven potential. I wanted to do this without realizing the reason for my unhealthy eating habits came from issues I had within my own mind. Self-harm and harsh judgement festered under my relationship with food and it took a long time of looking within and reflecting on my values to realize that. Many demonize low fat alternatives as bland and worthless. I see its value, and deliberately seek the opposite philosophy for the food that I have come to eat.

After looking at food as something I need to decode and navigate like the seven seas, I realized my misguided thoughts. I needed to respect food. A hearty cup of low fat yogurt with sugar free jam and stevia just doesn’t do it for me any more. I learned to use less sugar, adapt my palate to loving acid and earthiness, tang and tartness over the sweetness I craved in my youth. This has helped repair the bonds of my broken relationship to a better place. It’s not perfect (I still love the guilt-free indulgence of a diet Dr. Pepper now and again) but I have never been more happy with it. I’d rather have a quarter cup of rich, full fat yogurt with sweet and tart raspberry jam because of how much better it tastes, not just because I believe there is no substitute. It deserves the indulgence that it brings.

Using lower calorie foods to have more hearty and filling meals helps a lot of people lose weight, I won’t deny it. But quadruple zero fat greek yogurt and ground turkey with just salt just leaves me wanting more. I need more soul in my food. And I’m willing to focus in the little things more and more to experience that fulfillment.

Refried Bean Croquettes

Makes 8 large-ish croquettes

1 can refried black beans

6 slices of bacon, fried/ baked and chopped

2 small or one large Red onion, small diced and sautéed

2 poblano peppers

3 tbsp masa harena/ fine cornmeal

1 egg

1/2 lb Oaxaca cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

4-6 cups oil for shallow frying (enough to come halfway up the croquettes when frying)

sour cream/ salsa to dip

Equipment: a 4-6 qt pot, tongs, baking sheet with a rack lined with paper towel, broiler/ butane torch, small mixing bowl with a lid that fits it (or aluminum foil), large mixing bowl, 1 long, deep dish for breading

Roast your peppers under the broiler and turn ever few minutes until the entire surface of both peppers are black
Add the peppers to a heat proof bowl and cover with a pot lid or plate. Let sit until cool enough to touch.
Once cooled, take paper towels (or wear disposable gloves) and rub off the burnt skin. Cut the stems off and remove the seeds as well. Chop into pieces equal to the size of the onions.
Once everything is cooled, mix all but the cheese and breadcrumbs fully. The mixture should be slightly sticky to the touch. If it’s too dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time until it’s the right texture.
Take a spoon and scoop an amount of bean mixture equal to the size of a golf ball and push a chunk of cheese into its center, making sure that the cheese is completely enveloped in the mixture.
Roll these balls in panko breadcrumbs until there are no bare spots and reserve in a sheet pan
I use a saucepan to shallow fry because it ends up a little less messy that a frying pan. Fill the pan just under halfway with oil and heat to between 350℉ -375℉. Fry the croquettes until golden brown and drain over a cooling rack set in a baking sheet to keep them crispy. Be sure to season them with a 3 finger pinch of salt while they are fresh out of the oil.
For the dipping sauce, mix equal parts sour cream and salsa.
Enjoy while hot or keep warm in a 200℉ oven

Sandwiches!

These are just ideas for sandwiches, email me (Donaldson103211@gmail.com) with any questions!

Breakfast Sammy

3 eggs, lightly scrambled with salt, pepper and a splash of milk
2 slices of a country bread loaf, toasted
2 slices American cheese
ketchup mixed with a dash of chili sambal or sriracha

Sausage patty melt

2 thin sausage patties
2 slices of toasted white bread
1-2 slices of American cheese
1/4 of an onion, sautéed until brown around the edges
1-2 tbsp mayo for the bread
4 slices of dill cucumber pickle

Summer Vegetable and Cheddar sandwich

2 slices of soft white bread
1/4 green bell pepper, sliced thin
10 thin slices of cucumber
4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
mayo on both sides of bread
1 tbsp toasted and chopped pistachios pressed into the mayo’d slices of bread
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
pickled red onion
2-3 leaves of butter lettuce

BLT

2 slices of soft white bread, each toasted on one side only

Thick cut applewood smoked bacon, fried or baked
2-3 leaves of a flavorful lettuce like romaine

6-8 thin slices of tomato, seasoned w/ salt and pep
mayo on the toasted sides of the bread

Egg and Avo Soldier

toasted French bread style loaf
3-4 soft, creamy scrambled eggs
1 avocado, sliced
flaky salt and pepper

Open- Faced Sausage and Avocado

Breakfast sausage or sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
red pepper flakes
toss the sausage in malt or sherry vinegar and ground, toasted fennel and coriander seeds
seasoned, mashed avocado
Crusty Bread, toasted in olive oil
shredded havarti and red pepper flake to garnish

Grape Parfait

This recipe is simple, yet delicious. It delivers a lot with a little, and is a go to for me on hot days. This recipe makes 3-4 servings

2 cups rinsed red grapes

1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/3 cup toasted roughly chopped pecans or walnuts

2 4-finger pinches of brown sugar

Pinch of salt

Mix the yogurt with the maple syrup, salt and nuts
Add the grapes to the yogurt mixture
garnish with the brown sugar, only on top to preserve its texture

White cheddar biscuits with Calabrian chili butter

2 cups/ 300 g all-purpose flour

1 tbsp/ 14 g sugar

2 tsp/ 12 g kosher salt

2 1/2 tsp/ 8 g baking powder

1/2 tsp/ 4 g baking soda

1/2 cup/ 15 g very cold unsalted butter, grated

1 cup/ 80 g shredded aged white cheddar (look for labels that describe it as tasting similar to parmesan)

1 stick softened, unsalted butter

1 large head of roasted garlic (about 8 decent sized cloves)

2 tsp chopped Calabrian chilis (use 1 tsp if you don’t want it as spicy)

zest of 1 grapefruit (or 2 lemons)

a 4-finger pinch of flaky salt

Combine all of the dry ingredients with the butter and cheese and mix thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup of cold buttermilk and mix until no dry spots remain.
Wrap the dough in plastic and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. After this time, lightly flour your clean countertop and roll out the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick. Fold like a triple-folded pamphlet and roll out again the same way, folding the same way at the end. Try to keep the edges as squared away as possible.
Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes. Then cut into 8 even squares/ rectangles. Place on a sheet tray with a finger width of space between each one.
Brush with the egg wash and bake at 400℉ for 10- 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top and bottom.
Make your compound butter. Wrap in plastic to chill. Once solid, cut into square pieces to place inside of your warm, sliced biscuits.

Twigs in a Blanket

24 asparagus spears

multipurpose dough (1 batch of dough can make 8 Twigs in a Blanket)

1 stick of butter, melted

2 tsp dried sage

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp mace (optional)

2 tbsp freshly ground Black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400℉
Roll out some dough (about 1/8th of the recipe) without flour until about 1/2″ thick and wrap around 3 asparagus spears. Be sure to press the dough together once wrapped to keep them sealed.
Once you’ve rolled up all the asparagus, brush the asparagus with half of your melted butter.
Mix together your ground spices and sprinkle onto the buttered asparagus.
Proof your twigs in a blanket under a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap until the dough slowly bounces back after a gentle poke, approximately 30 minutes.
Bake at 400℉ for 20 mins, or until nicely browned all around.
Brush the dough with the remaining butter and sprinkle on some flaky salt. Cool under a clean kitchen towel once baked to keep them soft.

Multipurpose Dough (double batch)

300g warm milk

200 g warm water

9g/ 2 tsp active dry yeast

88 g/ 7 tbsp sugar

18 g/ 3 tsp salt

100 g/ 7 tbsp fat (olive oil or clarified butter for the best taste)

904 g/ 2 lbs/ 7 cups flour (bread pref, ap works well enough)

1-2 Tbs olive oil (for oiling the bowl)

Stand Mixer

Countertop for shaping

Add the ingredients in the order that they appear above to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated with the liquid; be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl just to be sure there isn’t any dry pockets.
Detach the dough hook and leave It in the bowl with the dough. Let the dough rest for 2 hours covered in plastic or a damp, clean linen tea towel.
Replace the bowl on the mixer and reattach the dough hook. Mix on low/ medium speed until the dough looks much tighter and smoother than it started.
Rest the dough for 20 minutes and repeat step 3.
Once the dough is very smooth and stretchy, place the dough on the counter and flatten it out. Grab and pull each side to the middle of the dough, firmly attaching these arms to itself. Flip the dough over and roll the dough in circles against the counter until you have a perfectly smooth ball of dough. Oil the bowl up and add the dough back, seam side down, and make sure oil has coated the dough. Ferment covered on the counter until doubled in size.
From this point, I like to cut the dough in half and freeze one of the halves to use later. You can use this dough for a loaf of white bread, pigs in a blanket, pizza pockets, or anything that you can think to use dough for!

Bomb-Ass Pork Chili con Carne

I like to think about what is available to most home cooks, so I try my best to adapt my recipes to be widely accessible. Always feel free to contact me with any questions!

2 lb Boneless pork butt, cubed into 1 inch pieces

3 Yellow Onions, diced

2 Poblano peppers, diced with seeds removed

1 can of diced, charred tomatoes

2 T of tomato paste

4 each of 3 different dried chili peppers (I used ancho, mulato and guajillo for mild spice, smokiness and sweetness)

4 leaves of fresh Sage

3 sprigs of fresh oregano

1 can of Black or white beans

2 cups beef stock (or water with a tbsp of beef Better Than Bullion)

1 cup of Coffee

2 oz of chili infused mexican chocolate or 70% dark chocolate

1/2 cup white Vinegar

112 fl oz can of a Beer (look for something full flavored like Modelo and avoid light beers)

2 tsp Ground Cumin

2 tsp Coriander seed

2 tsp Celery salt

2 T Garlic powder

2 packets of Sazon (for the pork)

Neutral oil

Garnish with shredded cheddar, scallions, sour cream and Fritos

Equipment: blender, 5 qt pot/ dutch oven, a few bowls to hold prepped ingredients, 1 sheet pan for roasting the dried chilis, oven bits

The morning you want to make this chili, season the chunks of pork with all of the Sazon seasoning and let it sit in a plastic bag in the fridge
4-8 hours later you want to get your pot/ dutch oven preheating over medium on the stove with 2 Tbsp of a neutral oil.
Once hot, sear each piece of meat on 2 sides in 3-4 batches. If you overcrowd the pot it will steam rather than sear the bottom of the meat. Once all the meat is seared, reserve it on the side to be re-added later.
With the heat still on medium, add another 2 T of oil and then the onions and poblano peppers. Stir occasionally.
While the vegetables sauté, lightly toast the dried chilis in an oven set to 400℉ for 5 minutes. Flip the chilis and return them to the oven for another 5 minutes. If they start to smoke or burn at all, remove them from the oven.
When the vegetables in the pot are lightly browned around their edges, add all of the ground spices, mix and toast for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and a T of oil and fry that for another minute or two, or until the paste is fragrant and has darkened slightly. Add the canned tomatoes.
After the chilis are toasted and fragrant, remove the stems and seeds. Add the chilis to the jar of your blender with the vinegar, beer, coffee, stock/ better than bullion and water and let soak until the dried chiles have softened. Blend until completely smooth.
Add the meat, chili puree, fresh herbs and chocolate to the pot with the vegetables and simmer the whole thing for at least 3 hours, checking every 30 mins or so. You can do this on the stove over medium/ low heat, but the best way to do this is to out your pot into a 350 ℉ oven with an oven save lid cracked slightly.
After the meat is tender enough to cut with a fork and the sauce has thickened and reduced slightly, add the beans of your choice. Let the beans heat through for about 15 minutes and serve with preferred garnishes.