Physiology of Foie Gras

Whether you are for or against fois gras, this is a really great article that puts the practice into perspective through the biology of the bird. Read the research and decide for yourself whether this is humane or not.

scienceandfooducla

Photo Credits: (flickr/Ulterior Epicure)

Decadent, diseased, silky, sinful. The adjectives that follow foie gras range from the disgusting to the luxurious. The fattened liver of a duck or goose polarizes people, and there seems to be no middle ground wherein a person can both enjoy foie gras and ethically question it. Because it is such a controversial food, the discourse surrounding it is often steeped in emotion, but the best way to make an informed, fact-based decision is through science. Here we will examine physiology, pathology, and a bit of genetics regarding waterfowl and foie gras in an attempt to promote overall awareness of what we eat (or don’t eat).

Foie gras is French for fatty liver, and that is exactly what it is. The liver of a bird, usually a duck or sometimes a goose, that has been force-fed to the point of having a fat, enlarged liver. The…

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Vietnamese Kebabs

Hiya!

Don’t worry…you’re in the right place! I played around with the layout of my blog and found that I like this design better.  I hope you do too!

So I realized yesterday when trying to get my 2 overtired toddlers out of the stroller, up the stairs, clothes off and into bed, that it somewhat resembled when you had to get a drunk friend out of the bar, off the phone, in a cab, up the stairs and into bed.  So maybe life hasn’t changed as much as I thought…its just shifted. Although at least when I had to help a friend, chances were I was a little drunk too…

It can be hard to find these links. Those little bites of life that remind me of what it used to be like before these two came along.  Yes, its been a while since I had to help a friend like that, but at least I’m reminded that there were hard times then too. I’m learning that there is no perfect and that’s ok.

Which is why it’s ok that these Vietnamese Kebabs, which started off as lettuce wraps, ended up as a salad – I was just too tired to wrap them up.  If you have a little extra energy, I recommend you try it out!

Vietnamese Kebabs

Sorry about the pic…nighttime lighting 😦

For the kebabs:

• 300 grams of pork belly cut into bite size pieces
• 1 thumb of ginger – minced
• 4 gloves of garlic – minced
• 1 stalk of lemongrass cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of oil (I used coconut but you can use olive oil)
• 2 teaspoons of fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• skewers soaked in water

For the wraps/salad:

• salad leaves – I used butter lettuce
• rice noodles
• 1 julienned carrot
• 1/4 julienned cucumber
• pickled radishes 
• 1/4 cup of chopped salted peanuts

Take all the ingredients for the pork, mix together in a bowl and let marinade for 20-30 minutes.  During this time, prepare your pickled radishes and put in the fridge.

Once your pork is ready, preheat the oven to 180C and skewer your pork. There should be enough for around 6 skewers with 3-4 pieces on each. Place your skewes on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until they are browned and a bit crispy.

Prepare your noodles by placing them in a bowl with a dash of rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cover with boiling water and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.

When you pork is done, assemble your wraps by taking a lettuce leaf, adding the noodles, carrot, cucumber, pork. Top with pickled radish (and a little drizzle of the pickle liquid) and chopped peanuts.

** Make this recipe grain free by omitting the rice noodles**