Food for Thought
Since I've taken to buying food locally at small shops, I've been having a great time putting together my own recipe ideas. I've been telling anyone who will listen that the best stuff is not at the local supermarket, it is in those small stores that white people are afraid to go into.
My most recent shopping trip found me at the Eastside Food Co-op for some of the basics and then to Patel Groceries (an Indian grocery shop) for some paneer and nan and a box of cardamom cookies. Other places I like to go are the restaurant Mexico y Mexico for some frozen tamales, Kramarczuk's Polish deli for brats, a Korean grocery on 44th and Central, and Morey's Fish House in Motley, MN for some smoked lake trout and marinated salmon steaks.
What do you get for all this trouble? First, there is no temptation to buy Doritos and Coke because they don't sell it at these places. People never want to believe me, but I spend about half as much on groceries since I stopped going to Cub because I don't buy all the junk food that ends up in your cart after a trip through the store. I spend less despite the fact that much of the stuff you buy at a co-op costs more.
Second, the food is better for you. The Co-op has better quality stuff. An $8 pack of bison stew meat is much more lean and tasty than a $6 pack of beef stew meat at Cub. I eat better as a result of going to the Co-op because I don't buy so much junk food any more. I never walk away from a meal feeling like I've got a gut bomb in my stomach.
Third, and this is the best part, is that I have taken an interest in the stuff that I prepare for myself. With a block of paneer cheese, some yogurt, masala paste, peas, potatoes, and cashew bits, you've got yourself an amazing Indian mutter paneer dish with leftovers. It takes like 10 minutes to prepare. Kramarczuk's brats or Morey's salmon on the grill are unbeatable. Pizzas with cornbread crust and freshly grated mozzarella from the Co-op are just as fast and taste better than a frozen deal from the supermarket. When you get involved with the preparation of your meals like this it really adds to the pleasure.
On an ending note, I've been buying bison meat in place of beef, first because I never really cared for beef and second because I believe bison is a more viable livestock here in the midwest. It costs more, but I see it sorta like buying the higher quality beef cuts. It is more lean, of course, and the flavor really comes out when you grill it over wood or with hickory or mesquite chips and charcoal. Now when I eat beef I always notice the greasy texture and it is a turnoff. There are health benefits to eating more lean meat. To me it is a matter of putting your money where your mouth is. Someone has to buy the stuff to give it a foothold in the marketplace. With time, the prices will come down.
My most recent shopping trip found me at the Eastside Food Co-op for some of the basics and then to Patel Groceries (an Indian grocery shop) for some paneer and nan and a box of cardamom cookies. Other places I like to go are the restaurant Mexico y Mexico for some frozen tamales, Kramarczuk's Polish deli for brats, a Korean grocery on 44th and Central, and Morey's Fish House in Motley, MN for some smoked lake trout and marinated salmon steaks.
What do you get for all this trouble? First, there is no temptation to buy Doritos and Coke because they don't sell it at these places. People never want to believe me, but I spend about half as much on groceries since I stopped going to Cub because I don't buy all the junk food that ends up in your cart after a trip through the store. I spend less despite the fact that much of the stuff you buy at a co-op costs more.
Second, the food is better for you. The Co-op has better quality stuff. An $8 pack of bison stew meat is much more lean and tasty than a $6 pack of beef stew meat at Cub. I eat better as a result of going to the Co-op because I don't buy so much junk food any more. I never walk away from a meal feeling like I've got a gut bomb in my stomach.
Third, and this is the best part, is that I have taken an interest in the stuff that I prepare for myself. With a block of paneer cheese, some yogurt, masala paste, peas, potatoes, and cashew bits, you've got yourself an amazing Indian mutter paneer dish with leftovers. It takes like 10 minutes to prepare. Kramarczuk's brats or Morey's salmon on the grill are unbeatable. Pizzas with cornbread crust and freshly grated mozzarella from the Co-op are just as fast and taste better than a frozen deal from the supermarket. When you get involved with the preparation of your meals like this it really adds to the pleasure.
On an ending note, I've been buying bison meat in place of beef, first because I never really cared for beef and second because I believe bison is a more viable livestock here in the midwest. It costs more, but I see it sorta like buying the higher quality beef cuts. It is more lean, of course, and the flavor really comes out when you grill it over wood or with hickory or mesquite chips and charcoal. Now when I eat beef I always notice the greasy texture and it is a turnoff. There are health benefits to eating more lean meat. To me it is a matter of putting your money where your mouth is. Someone has to buy the stuff to give it a foothold in the marketplace. With time, the prices will come down.
posted by Andy at
11:42 AM
2 Comments:
Patel's is generally overpriced, you can get most of their stuff elsewhere, but I always just borrow ingredients from my parents; let me find out where they get it.
Also, there's a place on University in Saint Paul near Western, called Phil. Oriental. They've usually got a lot of good stuff at good prices. And an excellent antique "Defender" arcade game in the entryway.
Have you got a good Palak Paneer recipe? My dad just gets frozen paneer and spinach and it turns out great.
By
Zathras, At
1:05 PM
Patel is close and it is near other places I go. Don't forget that shopping locally saves on gas. There is another place across the street from Patel that I've never been to and then there's South Asia Foods at 694 and Central. I just go to Patel because it is close and that is where an Indian friend introduced me to Indian cooking.
For the time being I just use the mutter paneer recipe off a jar of masala paste I have and then improvise from there. It really is ridiculously easy to make the stuff. Paneer is one of my favorite things to cook with.
By
Andy, At
3:47 PM
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