Food For Thought 9/15

I really want to make an effort to build community around this heavily debated subject. Food. It’s something we have to engage in daily. There are so many feelings and thoughts surrounding it. Our food choices partially reflect our personal values and beliefs. Food also represents connection and celebration. It shapes our social gatherings and binds us culturally. It is a basic human need that can be hard to come by for some. It creates the body we live in and influences our thoughts and emotions.


Food feeds our brain just as it feeds our heart. The food we put into ourselves holds another, less considered, power: the power over how we see, think about, and participate in the world. 


When I started considering all of the nuances that food has for us it started changing my perception of it. I started getting interested in quality, where it came from, what it looks like when it grows and seasonality. I started looking for people and recipes I could go to that highlight seasonal produce. People who give the limelight to vegetables and celebrate them, making them the main focus.


We all know we should be eating more vegetables and prioritizing fiber, but how do you do this and make it exciting and fun? And how do you do it where you want to keep coming back for more?


I say start off with a sweet recipe that highlights the last couple weeks we are gonna have fresh corn! Why not make a treat a try sourcing your ingredients from a farmers market or fruit stand. YOu can easily replace bueberries with raspberries, there are end of season berries still around. I like to adjust recipes to suit my allergies. You will see in the recipe how I adjusted it for my own liking. You don’t need to know how to cook to do this, just start swapping ingredients out and see what happens. That's the fun of food! I also recommend buying the freshest corn you can find for this one!


Here is a recipe I made this week from Susan Spungen. She has been doing this food thing for awhile and is featured in the NYT quite a bit. She also has a couple really great cookbooks. I used this recipe from her free substack emails. Check her out.



Blueberry Corn Buckle

Serves 6 to 8

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick)/113 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces

  • 3/4 cup/151 g granulated sugar (I used a 1/2 C you could also use maple syrup)

  • 1 ¼ cups/160 g all-purpose flour (I used bob's red mill 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour)

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cardamom

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup sour cream or full-fat yogurt ( I used cocojune coconut yogurt)

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 ear fresh corn, shucked

  • 1 pint blueberries, washed, blotted dry, and picked over for stems

  • 1 tablespoon turbinado (raw) sugar or skip it


  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Heat a 9- or 10-inch iron skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Swirl the pan frequently until the butter turns nut brown and smells toasty, which will take anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Even in a dark pan, you’ll see the color turn, especially in the center when you swirl it. Immediately transfer it to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Keep the skillet (now buttered) standing by. 

  2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Whisk to combine thoroughly. 

  3. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla to the bowl with the butter and whisk to combine thoroughly. Using a box grater, grate the corn over a plate or bowl (watch out, it can get a little messy!). Whisk the corn into the wet mixture.

  4. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture using a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Transfer to the buttered skillet and top with the blueberries. Sprinkle the raw sugar over top and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake is deep golden brown on the edges. Let cool for 10 minutes. Best served warm!

 
 
Wellness, Food & RecipesHilary SilvermanManeland