Let it be said that fresh, seasonal ingredients are always the best place to start. We know this. But what about all the hoopla surrounding antioxidants? There are two things that seem to sum up the current situation. First, there are a lot of reports saying all kinds of things that make great marketing for people who make pills. Second, after much research I have confirmed that mayonnaise is not included on the current list of things you should increase your consumption of. But what if I made a pomegranate and fresh salmon oil mayonnaise? Hmmm, that could actually work. But I find that searching these things out and trying them keeps food interesting. Some of them I have incorporated into my house cuisine -- and some of them are disgusting.
Flax seed, pomegranate, turmeric, annatto seed, berries of many types, and hemp seed are a few items that make it on the table. Yes, hemp, ganja seed, tropical cola bud crunchies, or whatever else you want to call pot seed salad. But a lot of these things take some getting used to. Fish oil capsules make me belch something awful, so they went out the window. The dog won’t even eat them. But here we start with turmeric and annatto Seed. This is how I am dealing with the fall elections.
As the sewage infested bilge of politicking continues to rise I find the need for antioxidants and ways to settle my stomach to be of utmost importance. By chance I have in my collection of tasty treats turmeric and annatto seed (or achiote if you like) that by all things I have read fill the bill. If I could, I would buy stock in Pepto-Bismol but unfortunately it is part of a larger company whose politics I don’t have the time to understand. I also confirmed that pink is not one of the five colors that should be on your plate, as recommended by the FDA and the DNC. So off we go.
To begin with, it is good to understand that both of these items are used for coloring things, so you have to work with them carefully. Annatto seed is used to color cheddar cheese and for face paints among the natives in the Amazon jungle. Turmeric is used to die yarns among other things, and its cousins cardamom and ginger work well with it (i.e.: curries). Suffice it to say that I wouldn’t wear your best duds when cooking with these or any other brightly colored ingredients. The other thing to remember is neither of these spices do well with light so store them in dark areas and buy them as needed so they are fresh as possible. When you Google either of these spices you’ll find a litany of benefits reported from their consumption. I am not betting the farm on it, but it can’t hurt.
The taste profile of both spices is earthy, perfumed when toasted and ground, and frankly a bit foreign. As a simple starter I combined each of them with a basic chili powder in a ratio of three parts chili powder to one part turmeric OR annatto seed powder. I then use either mixture to heavily season beef steak, bison steaks, lamb t-bone chop, or my ever-present Morningstar vegetable patty (think falafel) from the freezer. I sauté the centerpiece of my plate in olive oil over medium heat and turn them after about five minutes. For fun with the turmeric blend I substituted a raw palm oil that I found at the granola store (which has been sitting in my fridge for six months waiting to find a use) and that took me in all new kinds of directions. The palm oil itself is also a bright orange/yellow and loves to stain things, so I sauté all items mentioned and what is technically a sauce pot to help limit the splatter. If you don’t own a splatter screen, I would highly suggest buying one.
The aforementioned tamarind sauce was a great counterpart to the steak or lamb, especially using the palm oil. A quality Major Grey's chutney or other fruit sauce works well too. For the vegetable patty, I've come to love sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil) and goat cheese as a topping or a yogurt sauce. Simply place the strained sundried tomatoes and goat cheese on the patty after you flip side one and they warm up just fine.
Now, forgive me for a moment, but I must digress. Who the hell is Major Grey anyway? Well, the Major Grey’s chutney you find at the store is named for somebody who is a myth. The brand goes back to the early 1800s, bought by some guys named Cross and Blackwell, sold to Nestle, and then sold to J.M. Smucker and somebody else. Chutneys are generally savory jams that on a good day still have the flavor of the original fruit and are served as a condiment with many Indian meals, a ketchup of sorts. Try a couple or take some mental notes at an Indian restaurant when you arrive or at an awkward pause in the conversation.
Try the annatto rub on a piece of pork butt for family taco night - a little crock pot cookery for you:
- 4# pork butt, salted liberally
- 3/4 cup annatto rub (1/4 cup annatto powder and 1/2 cup chili powder)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 10 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 quart low sodium chicken stock
- Water to cover
Place ingredients in a crock pot and let it cook all day on low. When you come home, bring your taco bar fixins and have at it. A good squeeze of lime on the meat when making the taco is always good. The leftovers make great breakfast burritos. Add a couple of chipotle peppers if you want some smoke flavor.
We will see how the whole antioxidant food thing turns out. But I have found many great ingredients to add to my house cuisine during my continuing search. I know I feel better ... I think.
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