Food Poem Fridays: R.S. Gwynn's FRIED BEAUTY

Fried Beauty
By R. S. Gwynn

Glory be to God for breaded things–
Catfish, steak finger, pork chop, chicken thigh,
Sliced green tomatoes, pots full to the brim
With french fries, fritters, life-float onion rings,
Hushpuppies, okra golden to the eye,
That in all oils, corn or canola, swim

Toward mastication’s maw (O molared mouth!);
Whatever browns, is dumped to drain and dry
On paper towels’ sleek translucent scrim,
These greasy, battered bounties of the South:
Eat them.

My Critique of the Top 50 Recipes on RealSimple

Real Simple printed the list of the 50 recipes that were most often viewed on its website in 2008. From my critical perspective, they reflect the tendency towards agrobusiness-made-cheap chicken and inflammatory, high glycemic index foods in the American diet, which are at the root of so many chronic health problems plaguing our population's health, bloating our national spending on health, and hurting the environment, too.

My recipe for more universal health would be to reduce portions of animal protein and eat less dense, more fibrous foods - like more lentils, fruits, and vegetables - and substitute whole and "ancient" grains (like wild rice and amaranth flour) for processed, "post-agricultural" ones (like bleached all-purpose flour and polished white rice).

A dinner plate should look more like a colorful smorgas board and not be a big slab of white breast meat from a coop-raised, beak-snipped, chicken, slathered with cheese and white breadcrumbs with a few tasteless steamed green beans on the side like an afterthought.

Ice Cream Cake, for instance, was #2 (in fact, dessert recipes made up four of the top ten). Instead, how about antioxidant-rich fresh berries - maybe blended with some frozen hung and whipped organic, whole fat yogurt (satisfying, rich in calcium and the right amount of fat needed to absorb that calcium, and providing healthy pro-biotic "good bacteria"), sweetened with a little raw honey?

I tried to find some recipes that I would actually feel like making and eating myself. Probably only the grilled shrimp tacos and summer bouillabaisse, with a few modifications, would make it onto my plate, and maybe a modified version of the banana nut bread (more bananas, different sweeteners, some applesauce instead of all that fat, and ground flaxseed, almond flour, and whole wheat flour in place of the refined grains).

What did you think of the list?

Recipe: Spicy Tangerine Shrimp

Good served with brown or multigrain rice or noodles; cooks quickly; brightens up a wintry day; and is high in vitamin C, other antioxidants, and protein.

Spicy Tangerine Shrimp for 4

2 tangerines
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons water
3/4 pound shrimp
3 cups small broccoli florets (I used broccolini; you could use any crunchy
green vegetable you have on hand, like asparagus or snap peas)
3 scallions, cut on the bias into 2-inch lengths
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons nama shoyu
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Grate the zest from the tangerines; set aside. Peel the tangerines, removing all pith, and
separate into sections; reserve the sections. Stir together the cornstarch
and 2 tablespoons of the water (I actually used yuzu rice vinegar) in a cup until smooth; set aside.

2. Swirl a small amount of peanut oil (~1-2 teaspoons) around a nonstick
wok. When hot, add half of the shrimp and stir-fry until done, about 3
minutes, using a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the
remaining shrimp.

3. Add the broccoli and the remaining 2 tablespoons water to the wok; cook,
covered, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the scallions, bell
pepper, garlic, tangerine zest, shoyu, and crushed red pepper; stir-fry
about 1 minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the wok; stir-fry
until the sauce thickens and bubbles, about 1 minute. Return the shrimp to
the wok along with the tangerines; stir-fry until heated through, about 1
minute longer.

Recipe: Pomegranate-Date Tagine

I had resolved to make more tagines when we returned from Morocco - they're layered with sweet spices, a lingering tang (not a bright one), and the mouth seems to want to savor bites for longer, encouraging a healthy slowness in eating, lingering and conversation.  I haven't made very many in the last several months, but here's a particularly simple one, that could also be made in a covered baking dish if you don't have a tagine.

Pomegranate-Date Tagine for 2

olive oil
1 lb to 1.5 lbs wild coho salmon
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 preserved lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Cup pomegranate juice
1/4 C chopped dates
1 tsp salt

Generously salt and pepper the fish. Heat a tagine over medium heat until
very hot. Lower oven rack to lower middle position and preheat to 275°F.

Add the onions, minced ginger and preserved lemon to the pan and saute for
about 20 minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds and caramelize
the onions (another 10 minutes). Add the fish to the pot, the pomegranate
juice, and the dates. Bring to a boil and salt to taste.

Cover and place in the oven. Braise for 30 minutes or until the fish
flakes.

We had this with pistachio couscous (simply, couscous for 2 with
about 1/3 Cup shelled and coarsely chopped pistachios stirred into it while
hot; also added a dash of lemon juice).