27 and no PhD *sob*

Well, a food related post without an actual recipe for a change.

It has been worrying to come across this BBC article re the scary rise of food cost, at pretty much an exponential scale, particularly in the last few months. Wheat alone, in the last year, has gone up by some 130% in cost, posing a big question that hangs over our head - what is going to happen to our supply of staple carbohydrates such as bread and pasta? And dairy, that vital source of proteins, will the spiralling cost turns many away from artisanal by-products that many are still associating with the term “luxury”?

Surely if this trend is to continue, food crisis that currently third world countries are experiencing is going to haunt the developing and developped countries alike. More and more would not be searching for alternative sources of food, and the associated food culture for particular society will alter drastically.

More importantly, perhaps this is not the time to push for more biofuels until it is clear that this is the way forward. Afterall, setting aside of cultivable lands as well as potential food source to become biofuels means there would be less food produced for actual consumption. It’s more prudent to be more environmentally aware and try to search for other methods of reducing fuel usage, instead of finding alternative fuels through food sources in my opinion.

I love my food, and while I try my best to be as conscientious as possible as to buy local, to buy sustainable sources, soon the cost many mean I have no choice but to turn to overproduced (and subsidised) products that are shipped internationally. Only large conglomerates can then survived in the market, while small farmers get pushed further and further away from survival. Surely this can’t be good for economy either, no?

I need to research more into this issue, when I have some free time.

Come to think of it, there are so many issues that are raising concerns all the time, that I don’t quite know where to start anymore either. But for now, I shall start with the love of my life - food.

Fish for Friday.

Forget the battered fish that you normally find. They are soaked in oil/grease, and while I know many who love them for this very criteria, I find it hard to put this past my mouth. Call me a picky eater, but I like my food to not be drenched in fat! Plus, it is really a lot nicer to eat fish with light and thin crunchy skin.
Ingredients (for two):

• 2 fillets of lemon sole (I love lemon sole but take your pick of white fish)
• 2 tablespoons of plain flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 2 portions of frozen chips
• a cup of frozen peas and sweetcorn
• a small knob of butter

Heat up the oven and put the frozen chips in to grill (see, no frying, no oily chips either) according to the instruction on the back of the package.

Put the flour into a clear sandwich bag, and grind some salt and pepper in. Pat the fillet of fish dry and place into the bag one at a time. Shake so the flour lightly coats over the fillet. Heat up oil in a non-stick pan, and fry the fish. Once cooked, remove from heat and place on some kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

In the mean time, boil the peas and sweetcorn in a pot. Once done, pour away the water and add a small knob of butter.

Serve fish with chips, the peas and sweetcorn, and a slice of lemon if wished.

I offered to cook lunch the other day for the boy and another friend, but not knowing his kitchen very well nor having the comfort of all the herbs etc in my own kitchen, I made do and tried to come up with something quick and simple, while suited for a cold winter afternoon. A quick shopping trip and I came back with ingredients to cook a very easy chicken stew.

Yet another one of my cook-yourself-without-me-slaving-away concoction I guess, lol…

Ingredients (enough for 4):

• 4 chicken pieces, cut up into big chunks
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
• 5-6 shallots, peeled and halved
• 1kg baby new potatoes, peeled
• 1 pint chicken stock
• 1 can of green peas, drained
• 1 bouquet garni

In a casserole/heavy saucepan, lightly sauté the chicken pieces with a little olive oil. Then add in everything except the peas, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Season with some pepper, and add in the peas. Leave to cook for another few minutes until the potatoes are tender. Fish out the bag of bouquet garni and serve the stew/ casserole with some baguette or French bread.

Note 1: I may try to cook the chicken in sesame oil next time, or at least marinate it in sesame oil to give it a tad more flavour, and hopefully softens the chicken more. Boiled chicken is never quite as nice in my opinion.

Note 2: In order to cut down cooking time, which is largely dependent on the potatoes, get those nearly-ready-to-eat type, which is normally indicated on the packaging as suitable for microwave cooking. With this, you can have the meal ready in about 15 minutes top!