Food for Thought

I have been watching – bingeing – Jamie & Jimmy’s Food Fight on Netflix. Chef Jamie Oliver and childhood friend Jimmy Doherty star in a cooking show that features simple and delicious main dish recipes, to make on weekends, for a crowd of friends. But not only that – Jamie and Jimmy are determined to inspire Brits to eat sustainably, which translates into fighting food waste at a commercial scale. Each episode has a segment that showcases their novel and inspiring solutions, with ideas as diverse as eating locally caught seafood (langoustine and herring, all currently exported from the British Isles), championing not-ready-for-primetime “ugly vegg”, devising restaurant-worthy recipes for seasonal produce like pullet eggs, and making beer from leftover bakery and supermarket bread. The principles translate easily to any country, and it would be smart to develop and adopt them here in the U.S.

But our first response to the show is to cook! Besides the tempting recipes, Jimmy promotes easy DIY smokers, roasters, ovens, and ice-cream makers for your backyard.
We will start with salmon, home-cured in Jimmy’s simple smoker made from cardboard. Just in time for our mid-April Magnolia Party …

Here’s what we will serve:

Buckwheat blini, topped with smoked salmon, cream fraiche, caviar, egg, red onion and dill

Terrine of smoked salmon, early peas, cauliflower, and carrot mousse, served with apple and beet chips

Smoked salmon “ceviche”, on mini tostadas with avocado cream, radish, corn & sweet potato salsa, pickled cabbage

Smoked salmon sushi, with pickled cucumber, sweet omelette and asparagus

Potent potables: horseradish vodka, red sorghum beer (gluten free, for me), Pisco sours

Delicious food shared with friends, out-of-doors, to welcome spring –
What could be healthier?