Mystery Stew with improvements requested

Today I received a question about adding flavor to a catch all stew of dumpstered veggies. I will relay a sampling of our correspondence about it below.

For those unfamiliar with dumpster diving, it refers to seeking out the trash behind restaurants and grocery stores for their expired or unwanted items, and putting them to use. There is a large population of people that subsist on dumpstered food, and it uses up perfectly good food that otherwise would contribute to landfills. What could be better than that? Of course, those who practice this "freeganism" must use their own judgment about whether a rotten tomato is safe to eat or not, but there are many ways to put almost anything to use - even a half rotten tomato!

Here is an example of some stew, not made with dumpstered items, but made with everything bu the kitchen sink...

mmm, stew...

Hi Jennie!

Hope you're well. Aside from being busy, I''m doing alright.

I have a mystery for you. Yesterday, my roommates and I made our weekly trip to the Food Lion dumpster, where we came out with some barely-okay vegetables. We're veterans enough to know that nothing is better for stew than mushy veggies, so now we find ourselves with a slow cooker, a pot full of peas, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, and black beans. It's filling and warm-- two very important factors. But something's off, which brings me to you.

It doesn't taste like anything! I've thrown in salt, pepper, basil, and chili powder, but it's still bland as could be. What will make this hearty stew taste like... something?

THANKS!!

--

Hi Hannah!

Well, there are a few possibilities.

One simple trick might be to add a small can of tomato paste. There is a bit of salt in there and in general, tomato paste is a good base to rely on for veg to play off of. You could also add a bit of soy sauce, cumin and teriyaki, or a dash of balsamic vinegar, some roasted garlic and some parmesan, or PEANUT BUTTER and mustard and nuts and a bit of brown sugar to make it like a west african nut stew! Also, maple syrup is a sweetener that add depth and subtlety without overwhelming a dish.

In the future, one good way to give automatic richness of flavor to not-so-great veggies that you want to stew with is to roast them first in olive oil, salt and pepper. That way, the salt and oil soak into the veg, and the sugars of the veg are activated (like how onions caramelize and get sweet). Some people brush the veg with an olive oil and tomato paste mixture for added flavor, yum!

Sometimes with kitchen sink stews like this, I like to eat it on crackers to make it last longer, or pile it on a bed of greens and toast like a sammich, and thin it out toward the end with water or stock to make a soup...and continually add more ingredients as I find them, like pasta, tomato, any other veg that comes along, or chili leftovers! I love meals that can extend into new ones.

xox
jennie

PS you will love the blog below, as I do.

http://fruganliving.com/

--

Jennie to the rescue!

That was amazing. I read your response aloud to my housemates, who were in jaw-dropped awe. None of this comes naturally to us, so it's incredible to have your emergency services at hand.

The dumpster-diving living is great. I have been munching on perfect grapes for three days. What college kid can afford fresh fruit? Perfectly ripe fruit that's been sitting atop partly moldy bread and dented cans is fine by me.

That blog is by a woman after your own heart. I need to know where she finds all that! I've forwarded the link on to friends in Sarasota, who feed a house of 9 solely on dumpstered food. I think that means 9 new readers.

Hope LA is treating you so, so well. Happy St. Patrick's day! Here's to finding corn beef and hash behind a Trader Joe's.

Love, Hannah

--

While I don't know for sure what Hannah and her pals decided upon to improve their stew, it sounds like some ideas began moving around in there. I can only imagine what that many young brains could concoct when given so many free foodstuffs!

Also, the blog I mentioned above is terrific and I highly recommend reading it. I think we have a similar view on frugality and a waste-not-want-not attitude, but she is far more active in seeking out wasted foods than I am. It is quite inspiring! For now, I will continue my focus on problem solving.

I hope everyone has a lovely St. Patrick's Day. I will be baking and eating Irish Soda Bread in just a few hours. Here is a picture of the St. Pat's day party I co-hosted last year (with soda bread remains):

Cilantro Experiment Update!

I am very pleased to report that not only did I hear back from the friendly people of the cilantro debacle/experiment, but I heard good news about the deliciousness of the meal and even received photos! Hurray! Christian, who appears to be the ringleader of a wily group of brothers, has approved my posting an excerpt of his email regarding the meal in question (and the photos).

"Jennifer, thought you would enjoy some pics of the cilantro experiment. In all honestly, it turned out really well, the meat was extremely moist and flavorful, and I think it may be a permanent addition to my repitoire. If you want the recipe, let me know and I will forward it along. Bob, by the way, is somewhat of a cooking disaster, but we love him nonetheless. He is only job that night (after giving an obligatory "what can I do to help" while swigging a coors light from the couch and noticing that many of us were sweating it out in the kitchen) was to finely dice the parsley. He was given specific instructions to not dice the cilantro (which, as you know, is much more potent) several times and he even orally confirmed to me that he was not dicing the cilantro whilst, in fact, he was dicing the cilantro. After applying the crust for the mandated time period (about 4 hours), it wasn't until I was making the guac that I noticed the herb mishap, and that point, it was too late to make another crust (well, that, and I was out of kosher salt).

Bob's punishment was to call you for advice, so, many thanks for your timely reply and for sound advice to move forward rather than abort.

All the best,

Christian"









Thanks guys!

Stains (from fire, not food)

I haven't often met a stain I couldn't cure. I have no training in stain removal or other home-ec type processes, but I like to solve problems and stains are problems. When one of my best friends and her fiancé recently lost most of her belongings in a horrible fire, I went down to attempt some stain removal with her. She was able to salvage a couple of bins of clothing that had been clean in a hamper when the fire happened. Starting with a recipe from the Red Cross (who, along with the Chicago Fire Department were incredibly kind and helpful to my friends), we concocted a recipe that was sure to help at least a little bit.

The Red Cross recommends:

2 tablespoons Sodium Hypochlorite
1 gallon of water
Use in combination with Clorox, Purex or Lysol

We used:

1 gallon cheap vodka (apparently gets the smell of the smoke out more than the stain)
1/2 bottle Lysol
1/2 bottle dish detergent
a few generous scoops of OxiClean (intense!)
a couple gallons cold water (cold water opens up the fibers in the fabric, theoretically allowing the stain to escape)

After pouring all of the ingredients into a large plastic bin, we soaked the smoky clothing for a couple of hours. Immediately the water turned black, so we were very hopeful (and disgusted) about what would be coming out of the clothes. After the soak came the scrubbing, which, in retrospect, could really have benefited from some gloves. The Oxi plus Lysol was pretty rough on the hands, but the fact that it's so granular and harsh really helps while you're trying to scrub out the smoke. Some items were not too badly damaged to begin with, and the scrubbing brought the stains right out. Others were more difficult--it seemed like across the board synthetics held the stain more permanently, while cottons and cotton-blends were forgiving once we really got to scrubbing on them.

My friend and I discussed trying bleach on some of the white items, but I don't know if she's had time to attempt it. Obviously there are some more important things than testing bleach when putting your life back together after a fire. I really enjoyed the stain removal experiment though, it was a great learning experience in the stain department, and the process allowed for some quality friend-helping time.

INFORMATION

This blog was created to supplement and assist with informing the public about a phone hotline. The Emergency Food Hotline is moderated by me, Jennifer Bastian.

The primary focus of this hotline is to offer solutions in the planning and preparation of food. I strive to offer advice on food preparation, and in the many areas of our lives that relate to food. I enjoy helping to plan exciting meals out of near-empty pantries, and can think of substitutions for when you're missing just about any ingredient. I am also interested in being of assistance in other regions of home and life, such as cleaning stains from fabrics, giving basic advice about cameras, and how to best trap a baby squirrel hiding in your house.*

Notable experiences with callers will be included in some way on this blog, as well as any interesting bits of information that they or I learn during the conversation.

You may reach The Emergency Food Hotline by dialing the following number:

414-839- 2403

Please leave your name and telephone number, and allow for a 5-10 minute delay in the return of a phone call. It is possible I will already be on a call, or need to check a source before speaking with you. If for some reason I do not call back quickly enough, please feel free to call again so I will be aware that it is indeed an emergency.



*Of course, none of this advice will be endorsed by any official organization, so use it at your own risk.