News from the Meat Eating World

Rubashkin convicted on 86 charges

November 12, 2009

(JTA) -- A jury convicted Sholom Rubashkin, the former owner of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse, of 86 out of 91 fraud charges.

The 12-person jury decision on Thursday in Sioux Falls, S.D. likely means that Rubashkin, 50, will spend the rest of his life in prison; combined sentences could reach over 1,250 years.

Federal authorities launched investigations into the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa after a May 2008 immigration raid. The jury took four days to deliberate after a monthlong trial, and convicted him on a range of fraud charges, money laundering and failing to pay his suppliers. Rubashkin's lawyers had argued that he was an incompetent businessman.

The trial was moved to South Dakota after an Iowa judge agreed that the juror pool had been prejudiced by media coverage.

Top Chef goes Veggie, Regional and Seasonal

If you are like me and follow Top Chef religiously, you know that this episode, and winning recipe by Atlanta's Woodfire Grill owner and Top Chef contestant Kevin Gillespie is a few weeks old already - but it sounded and looked so good I just had to share. The challenge was to cook a meal for Natalie Portman, who is a vegetarian. It was so funny watching the chef's reactions tot this "devastating" news! This is not the easiest recipe we've ever posted (I don't know anyone who has a cold smoker lying around their kitchen) but with a few adjustments - I'm sure this will be a wonderful use of our CSA turnips and kale - if anyone experiments and has tips - please share!


Duo of Mushrooms, Smoked Kale, Candied Garlic and Turnip Purée

Chef
Kevin Gillespie Kevin Gillespie

Top Chef, Season 6, Episode 10, Elimination Challenge Winner
Yield

12 SERVINGS
Ingredients
For Braised Morels:

* 2 cups morel mushrooms
* ¼ lb butter, unsalted
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 teaspoon cream
* Salt
* Lemon juice

For Garlic Syrup:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup cider vinegar
* 10 cloves garlic, peeled

For Turnip Puree:

* 2 cups turnips, peeled and sliced
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* ¼ lb butter, unsalted
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 cup water
* 3 turnips, quartered (for garnish)

For Pistou:

* ½ cup tarragon leaves
* ¼ cup pistachios, toasted
* 2 cups parsley
* ½-1 cup extra virgin olive oil

For Greens:

* 2 bunches kale
* 1 onion, brunoised
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* ½ teaspoon chili flakes
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
* ½ lb butter
* 1 quart water

For Sautéed Hen of the Woods:

* 3 cups hen of the woods mushrooms
* 1 teaspoon butter, unsalted
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 celery stalk, fine brunoised
* 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions

For Garlic Syrup:

1. Caramelize sugar in a little water until a deep amber color.

2. Add vinegar and boil until the mixture redissolves into liquid.

3. Add garlic and reduce ¾ to a syrup consistency (about 1 hour). Reserve.

For Braised Morels:

1. In a small saucepan, emulsify butter into water and cream. Season with salt.

2. Braise mushrooms until tender. Season with lemon juice.

For Turnip Puree:

1. Melt cream, butter, and sugar together until dissolved.

2. Add turnips and cook covered until tender.

3. Pour into vita prep and puree until smooth. If too thick, thin with a little water. Adjust seasoning.

4. Roast the remaining turnips in butter until golden. Season with salt. Reserve.

For Pistou:

1. Combine all ingredients in vita prep.

2. Puree and drizzle in olive oil to emulsify to desired consistency. Season.

For Kale:

1. Smoke kale in cold smoker for 5 minutes.

2. De-stem and wash until cold running water until not slimy.

3. Trim away any brown or discolored parts. Cut into ¼” chiffonade.

4. Emulsify butter into water and add remaining ingredients. Add kale and cook to desired tenderness (5-20 minutes). Adjust seasoning with sugar and salt.

For Sautéed Hen of the Woods:

1. Melt butter with oil. When golden color, add mushrooms, celery, lemon juice and zest.

2. Let sit on heat until golden brown and tender, trying not to stir too much.

3. Take off the heat and season.

To Serve:

1. Spoon pistou onto plate.

2. Set kale next to pistou.

3. Spoon turnip puree on the other side of the pistou. Place quartered turnips on top of puree as garnish.

4. Top kale with mushrooms.

5. Drizzle garlic syrup over pistou.

Box Items This Week:
apples
sweet potatoes
butternuts
collards
kale or asian greens
grits

Enjoy!

Next Thursday, November 19th - The Turkey free Thanksgiving Table
Whether you are consdiering a birdless meal, or just want some inspirational side dish recipes - join Rabbi Norry for a delicious evening of cooking, eating and gratitude.

Come at 5:30 if you can for minyan, then stroll over to the kitchen for a pre-holiday treat to be truly thankful for! After the class we will share the prepared meal together to culminate another wonderful CSA season. Please RSVP to naomi.rabkin@gmail.com - space is limited!

Reflections On the End of the Season

By Madeline Guzman,
Newsletter coordinator and member of Hazon CSA in Rockville, MA

Tikvat Israel has now experienced almost three seasons of CSA produce. For most of us, being part of a CSA has been a new experience. The reaction to participating in our CSA has ranged from ecstatic to greatly disappointing. Those who have enjoyed the experience aresigning up for the next season. Those of us less pleased are either dropping out or giving the CSA “another chance.” This has led me to think about what each of us is expecting of a CSA. If one comes into this experience expecting a delivery of the “right” quantity of vegetables in perfect size, shape, and flavor that are most enjoyed by your family, you may be disappointed. If one comes into this experience learning to accept what the land produces, one might be amazed by what the earth (and our farmer) have to offer.

As our summer CSA season drew to a close, I reflected on the responses to the produce received by our members. I’m not sure everyone fully appreciates the meaning of a CSA. To me, it means the shared responsibility for bringing fresh food to our table. In conjunction with my CSA membership (and inspired by Danny Bachman), my husband and I started a vegetable garden. Like the experiences of both Danny and Pam Stegall, our CSA farmer, not all has gone according to plan. Some of our produce came out unlike what we expected, some better than expected, and a few crops were even a total loss. The results in my own vegetable garden were probably a mini-experience of what Pam feels throughout her growing season. The difference is that her commitment is to many more people than my own.

True, CSA produce is not perfect. The pesticides and fungicides used on conventional produce do not protect organic produce. Sometimes this means being very careful to wash away animal pests or cut away a damaged portion of a vegetable. Like us, animal pests (and even bacteria and fungus) find our veggies tasty! We need to be a bit gentler and forgiving of what the earth produces.

One particular Hazon CSA in Tenafly NJ, has been hit particularly hard this year. When Steve Golden (Tenafly’s site coordinator) visited the farm, he saw first hand the inexplicable fact that the beets did not grow, despite being planted in the best soil of that particular field. Indeed, the other rootcrops – turnips, carrots and radishes – did not really produce. So too the arugula, as well as the broccoli – which looks like it had some leaf disease which limited its growth. Not to mention the horrible late blight that killed all of our tomatoes and those in neighboring Rockland County and throughout the Northeast.

Crestfallen, Ted (another one of our famers) brought us the few cherry tomatoes which were not completely rotting in the field even though they too were infected (if you left it on your counter to ripen, as we did, the blight overtook the little fellow overnight). We all sympathize with the Stephens who will now have to pull up all the myriad tomato plants and burn them. What a great shame – so much painstaking care and tending going up in smoke. Thankfully, the squash did much better, although the green zucchini harvest was only a fraction of what we would have had if the season were “normal.” That goes for the first planting of cucumbers and string beans. All in all, the spring/summer harvest has been a devastating experience for the Stephens family. (excerpted from The Jew and the Carrot blog, “A Difficult Summer: A Letter from the Tuv Ha’aretz in Tenafly” by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster)

Reading afterward about the support provided to the devastated farming family in this situation was heartwarming. My point is simply that CSA members are literally sharing the successes and failures of farm life. So, dear members, thank you for thinking hard before you commit yourselves to this practice and immersing yourselves in it completely once you have.