The Ecstasy of Modern Grocery Shopping

I noticed an essay in the NYT Sunday edition today and was struck by its title, “The Agony of Modern Grocery Shopping.” My immediate reaction was to wonder why the author did not stay out of supermarkets if they bothered him. But upon reflection I decided to take a different tact. “We live in the best of times for real food shopping.”

I am a cook who loves to prepare and present real food made made from scratch. I have been cooking for 20 years, write a cooking blog ( http://coolcook.blogspot.com ), and can say definitively that times have never been better for this passion. For starters I shop every Saturday morning at the Evanston (Illinois) Farmers Market. There I buy eggs from a real farm, organic vegetables, wild mushrooms, artisan cheeses from Wisconsin and local fruit from an orchard. Alternatively there are dozens of cooperative truck farms in the Chicago region that sell shares in their annual crops. You can pick up your produce at the farm each week and show your kids where their food comes from.

Three miles from my home is a 100,000 square foot Asian market with the largest fish bar I have ever seen, and every other Asian ingredient known. I take my grandson there just to show him what seafood looks like. Even closer is a Japanese market with sushi-grade seafood, along with The Fresh Market across the street that has an excellent meat selection. Every few months I visit a Chicago-based chain of spice shops, The Spice House, which carries an astounding variety of ingredients.

Our local Costco carries bulk food items at prices that cannot be duplicated and it has a selection of excellent wines at very low prices that are worth the trip. Just a bit further is a local Greek-owned fruit and vegetable shop that has bakery specialties, excellent lamb and imported feta cheeses and olives. My local butcher shop will accommodate my every whim, including preparing a standing rib pork roast with little notice. Around the corner from me is Harrison’s Poultry Farm, which provides organic poultry products to the top restaurants in Chicago. Almost every month I buy a seven-pound capon and have a magnificent roasted chicken.

You’ll notice that I have described ten food destinations and never mentioned a supermarket. The choices are there if you look. Does quality cost more? Sure it does, but if you quite naturally reduce the quantity you eat and replace it with quality you will dine better and spend the same. Does this take more time? I would ask that question in a differently manner. Does your family deserve this attention? Should your children know where real food comes? Should a family sit down every evening possible and share in breaking bread and conviviality?

Preparing and presenting food is part of the natural rhythm of life and these are the best of times.

Richard Wottrich

Meatloaf Olivera
Serves 20

Sometimes a large crowd is expected for dinner, including several kids. The leaves are turning and it dips below 40-degrees outside. A football game is on and cold beer is replaced with good Scotch. It’s time for an old fashioned 25-ingredient five-pound meatloaf. As for scaling this recipe down, don't even think about it! Leftovers make great rye bread sandwiches the next day.

1 pound ground Bison (Buffalo)
1 pound ground chuck (beef)
1 pound ground pork
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, crumble the stuffing
4 cups Japanese Panko bread crumbs
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, charred, seeded, skinned and chopped
1 tablespoon crushed Aleppo chili pepper (or any crushed chili)
1 cup capers, drained or salt cured
2 cups salsa, medium heat
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole brown mustard seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 tablespoons fennel seed
2 tablespoons Greek oregano
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt (If using salt cured capons, cut kosher salt in half)
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
8 strips of natural bacon, cut in half (no nitrates)
Springs of fresh rosemary and thyme

Preparation: Set your oven to 400-degrees. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients, except the bacon, rosemary and thyme. Using your hands or two large spoons, mix the ingredients thoroughly making sure not to compress or pack the mixture. Take a large cast iron pan (15-inches) or a large heavy bottomed stainless steel roaster and spray the inside with Pam, or coat it with butter. In the pan free form a large rectangular loaf. Square up the sides and corners with a large spatula, leaving a gently rounded top. Overlap the strips of bacon evenly across the top of the meatloaf. Grind black pepper over the loaf. Surround the loaf with the springs of rosemary and thyme. Roast the meatloaf for roughly 90 minutes, until a nice crust forms and a meat thermometer reads at least 140-degrees. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Let the meatloaf rest for at least 30 minutes. Cut into slabs and serve with Cornichons (pickles), mashed potatoes and gravy. If there are leftovers (there won’t be) make cold sandwiches on rye the next day.

Richard Wottrich – richard.wottrich@gmail.com – http://coolcook.blogspot.com