I was making myself dinner the other night and had plenty of time to play around. I had some pork braising in the oven already, so it was a simple question of what to have with it. Keeping different grains on hand in the pantry is something I try to maintain, and on this day I saw amaranth. Instantly, in my head, I heard a quote about amaranth that came from a chef somewhere in my past. "That stuff taste like bird seed!"

Now while some may agree with this, I know that amaranth can be delicious and I wanted to try a new way of preparing it that might change the opinion of those quick to dismiss the grain. I went through a thought process that included alternate ways of coking grains and polenta came to mind. Probably because amaranth can be popped like dry corn...so corn just "popped" up in my head.

I decided to go for a result that was like creamy polenta. I used my rice cooker first, with just water and a pinch of salt, I wanted the amaranth expanded and tender before I started playing around with it. Cooked amaranth is not delicate like cooked rice, so over-cooking or beating it to mush is not an issue. With the braised pork now out of the oven, I spooned in some of the cooking liquid oven the amaranth, added a touch of butter and simmered while stirring. The dense nature of the amaranth softened in the broth and butter and became smooth and creamy just like I hoped. I finished it with a good amount of Paresanno Regianno grated with a micro plane, it melted right in and highlighted the creaminess with more dynamic flavor. Had that chef tasted this, I'm sure he'd concede that amaranth doesn't always taste like birdseed.


Hey.... how's he know what birdseed taste like anyway?

Garden season is here. Having a garden, no matter how small, is an excellent way to encourage a practical sustainable mindset. It's easy enough to talk up being "green" and how high your standards are in buying local and organic, but living in this world is more than talking. Our effect on this world as a consumer is always a compromise. A compromise to ideals and the fantasy of perfect balance.

This fennel which grows with determination in my small backyard garden is a great choice of food ingredient. The reasons why are not because I was psyched by a fennel dish in an issue of Art Culinaire, or because some Celebrity Chef on TV used fennel, it's because this fennel is what grew in the harsh yet organic paradigm of my garden. In the words of Matthew Rodin "it works!". Sustainability is about being in tune with our environment and with what's working moment to moment, season to season.

Seeking the "high end" of dining experience means setting high standards and striving to maintain them. The result can be deeply satisfying and it's why we chefs do what we do. Maintaining high standards in cooking to me has become more and more about quality of ingredient. It is for this reason that choosing local foods (for obvious reasons), sustainable fish (and everything thing else for that matter), and minimizing waste (less plastic bags!) are just as important to the food as the cooking technique.

Our ability to enjoy food is at risk when the environment is at risk.