SAVORING MEMORIES
A quick search online recently netted me thousands of “food memoirs.” Most titles were fairly poetic, referencing things like honey, butter, or wine, while others were more agricultural or of “place.” Apparently we love reading about what other people have eaten. Are we too food obsessed? The foodie revolution has spawned a food film festival in New York – imagine that, a whole film festival devoted to food! I gotta assume the snack bar ups its game for the festival. jump to recipe
Years ago when I catered and food styled a feature film I was entrenched in the business of making a movie for a few months. Because the director was a friend I got to play the cook, but I was also privy to some of the artistic choices made along the way. I was struck by the power of a film to move people, and lamented that a meal, no matter how amazing, was merely an ephemeral event with no lasting impact. How wrong I was.
Food is capable of deeply moving people, and olfactory and taste memories can be quite profound (need I mention Proust’s madeleines?). It’s often not the 8 course meals served upon fine linen, but rather the simpler, homey repasts that evoke the most emotion. With a single bite or just one whiff, we can instantly go back in time, maybe to grandma’s kitchen eating warm gingerbread, or just an average day in our youth.
It must have been the potatoes and green beans I had on hand, but I was reminded of shepherd’s pie recently – a particular batch actually, that I gobbled after a softball game in 5th grade. I had missed the family meal due to the game, but tucked away on the counter for me when I got home, covered with wax paper, was a hearty serving. I was famished, and although it hadn’t been a favorite previously, it tasted like the best meal I’d ever had. From then on I was ever asking mom to make it more often. To this day I say “shepherd’s pie” the way Homer Simpson says “donuts.”
Green beans can also elicit food memories of catering the film, which was made in Havana, IL. The writer/director had returned to his tiny hometown to make his movie, asking his former neighbors and friends for any help they could offer. The help came in myriad forms, but I was the recipient of two bushels (actual bushels!) of green beans to feed the cast and crew. Fortunately, the director’s mother offered to help “snap” the copious amount beans I suddenly had. As we snapped, I mused on how I might prepare them. She suggested her usual, “boil them for an hour,” (the appropriate response here is shock) followed by a good dousing with cream of mushroom soup. I went with a my usual (brief) cook time and the addition of caramelized onion. When the film wrapped, I heard from many on the crew that it was the best they had ever been fed on a shoot. Now there’s a happy food memory for a feeder.
Due to summer travel I don’t have a good handle on my pantry at the moment. I would have sworn there was a can of diced tomatoes (or some form of canned tomato product in there), alas! I had no real tomatoes either, but I was committed to the shepherd’s pie, so I grabbed spaghetti sauce – no problem!
Ingredients
- 2 large Idaho potatoes
- 2 Tbsp. butter substitute
- ¼ cup milk substitute
- Fresh nutmeg
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ lb. "meat" crumbles
- 1 cup tomato product
- 2 fistfuls of green beans, trimmed
Instructions
- Bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. When tender, drain and mash with the “butter” and “milk”, then add a few grates of fresh nutmeg, adjusting seasoning as needed. Reserve.
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Heat a large sauté pan and add just enough oil to coat the pan. Add the meat crumbles to the pan and brown, then reserve. Add the onion and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and let cook 30 seconds.
- Return the meat to the pan, add the tomato product, and season with salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. If too acidic, add a pinch of sugar.
- When yummy, add the green beans and rand let cook a few minutes.
- Oil a small baking dish and spread 1/4 of the potatoes on the bottom. Top potatoes with tomato mixture, then finish with remaining potatoes. Make a decorative pattern in the potatoes and sprinkle with a little paprika.
- Bake 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown.
Shepherd’s pie has to be the one meal I always go back and have seconds of! It’s one of those meals that taste awesome even when it’s cold. I love the idea of your version and must try it sometime. I use brown lentils instead of “meat” crumbles, and I add celery (cooked celery is one of my favourite cooked vegies and yet I’m not a fan of it raw).
I bet I would love yours! Lentils are a real staple for me, but I like the pea protein crumbles I’ve found recently – mostly as a treat though. I am embarrassed to say that I often let celery languish in my crisper drawer.