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the sky above monsanto by Vertigogen, on Flickr
In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a lot of news surrounding Monsanto these days. First, Food, Inc. dealt quite a blow.
Then a competitor sued them for the right to use GMO tech in seeds of their own. That failed, but the legal ramifications are far from settled.
There’s been outcry about the sudden and unreasonable increased cost of GMO seeds.
A re-analyzed report shows consumption of GMO foods can cause organ damage.
A new genetic manipulation, SmartStax is due to hit fields this spring. No longer satisfied with mere Roundup resistance, Monsanto has partnered with Dow Chemical to create an organism that repels insects as well as provides herbicide protection. Until now, the most genes artificially added to a single plant was three, but Smartstax includes eight. Smartstax is a full-on investment in the increased yield promise yet to be realized by genetic modification. But, if consumers won’t buy the food produced by these modifications, farmers won’t buy the seeds, and if farmers won’t buy the seeds, billions of research dollars are lost.
Toward that end, Monsanto has launched quite a campaign. You might have seen the ad. We saw it during the recent football playoffs, but the version playing in my part of the country does not mention Monsanto, but instead, sends viewers to a website, America’s Famers (dot) com. Lots of earth tones, photos of happy, smiling family farmers and “get the real facts” links adorn the site.
What’s next? That depends who you ask. Ask Monsanto and you’ll hear about the unrealized promise of feeding the world just over the next hill (five years away—it’s always just five years from now. Always.) Ask someone savvy in the dangers of eating these foods and you might hear a prayer that the nationwide experiment perpetrated on us without our knowledge or consent is winding down. Ask a farmer and…well, it’s hard to say.
But it’s a hot topic in 2010 and bears close scrutiny! Stay tuned, folks!
January 20 This just in!! The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Monsanto’s appeal to a 2007 ban of genetically modified alfalfa. This case has far-reaching effects, not only because it concerns over 22 million acres of crop grown in the United States, all of which would be subject to cross-contamination from these transgene products which are used to feed livestock, further contaminating the food chain; but also because this case could pave the way for Monsanto to secure rights to genetically modified sugar beets.
Earlier this week I finally mastered hollandaise sauce. I was so excited that I tried Bearnaise sauce. Oh, it broke horribly, turning into solid yellow gunk in floating fat, but even then I was able to save it, thanks to a tip I read in Ratio. I added just a few drops of cold water and boom, it re-emulsified beautifully. I got a kick out of all the whisking involved. It really felt like I was “cooking” not just “reheating” and I giggled about all the calories I was burning off that would allow me a double portion of the sauce on my fish!
Hubby, a fan of neither lentils nor salmon, really liked this dish and I thought it was yummy! I like to sprout legumes so they are very easily digested and the phytic acid in them is broken down. Once sprouted, legumes take even less time to cook. This meal was on the table in less than 30 minutes. I know it looks like a big, hairy deal, but it went very quickly and the sauce was exciting to make!
Salmon on Sprouted Lentils
2 cups lentils
salmon filet
1 medium shallot, minced
1 ounce dry white wine
1 ounce white-wine vinegar
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
Salt to taste
5 oz. unsalted pasture butter
2 small egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons water
Three days before serving, set two cups of lentils to soak overnight in body-temperature water. The next morning, pour off the water and lay the lentils out in a single layer on a paper towel. I put mine inside a colander for easy rinsing, but you could also lay them in a glass bowl. Twice a day, rinse the lentils and return them to their towel or bowl and cover them. On the third day they should have sprouts about a half inch long and that is the perfect length for eating.
Preheat oven to 350°. Bring two cups of stock and two cups of water to boil and skim. Add sprouted lentils, turn down the heat to simmer and cover. Let lentils cook until tender, about 20 minutes, drain and keep warm.
While the lentils cook, place your salmon filet skin side down on a baking pan. Dot with butter and squeeze lemon juice over. Bake 15 minutes, or until the fish is just opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Bring water to simmering in the bottom of a double-boiler.
Combine the shallots, wine, vinegar, pepper, and tarragon in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and simmer over medium high until reduced by half (you’ll have about one tablespoon of liquid left.) Strain the solids out of the reduction and reserve the liquid.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter. Simmer it rapidly for at least 10 minutes. The water in the butter will evaporate and the milk solids will clump together. Let the melted butter sit for a few minutes so the solids will fall to the bottom. Pour the melted butter through a cheesecloth-lined strainer to save just the ghee and toss the solids.
Put the egg yolks and water in the top of the double boiler. Off the heat, whisk the eggs and water for 30 seconds, whipping in lots of air. Put the top on the bottom of the double boiler and cook over very low heat, whisking constantly and scraping the bowl until thick and fluffy. When the whisk leaves tracks that hold for a few seconds, take it off the heat and whisk rapidly for 30 seconds to cool it slightly. Add the clarified butter a very little at a time, whisking constantly. Be sure the butter isn’t too hot or it will break the emulsion into yellow goo and floating butter. (If you do, remember the cold water trick – a couple drops will do the trick.)
Whisk in a little of the reduction and taste. Add as much of the reduction as suits your taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Scoop lentils onto serving plates, top with salmon and drizzle sauce over the top. Serves four generously or six sparingly.
Featured on the Two for Tuesdays Recipe Blog Hop.
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