Shopping for some unusual ingredients

Crickets.  Yes, you heard me right.  I've decided to take the leap and try eating some bugs.  Bug eating is actually fairly prevalent in many non-western societies.  Though it's not widely found here in the USA, go South into Mexico or Central and Southern America and you're sure to find some bug on the menu.  Insects are also common ingredients in Asian and African countries and for good reason.  Bugs are plentiful and highly nutritious.  Not to mention they're far more green than a lot of the foods we find on our plates nowadays.

For my first foray into eating insects - also called "Entomophagy" for those who prefer not to simply refer to themselves a bug-eaters - I decided to try out something that's simple and easy to find in a safe environment: crickets.  Crickets are easy to get - averaging about 11 cents each for a large cricket at a pet store.  It's fine for trying out a couple but a bit steep if you plan to make crickets a common menu item.  You can find them online in larger quantities for less money.  I found a place that sells 500 crickets for under $10.  Crickets are also easy to breed and grow yourself once you have a starter group.  But that's a different matter altogether.

There is a series of stages one goes through when one is out trying to find crickets to eat.  The first reaction upon asking about buying crickets and then being questioned on the type of pet you have is this moment of awkward silence.  Then comes the part where you try to explain to your flabbergasted pet store employee about the nutritional benefits of insects.  Then there gets to a point where it's just fun to watch the kind of fascinated horror on their faces.  Occasionally you may find someone working at a pet shop who actually knows something of entomophagy, as happened to me today.  It was pretty fun discussing the relative benefits of eating mealworms vs crickets.

Needless to say, today was a learning experience in regards to crickets.  I'm going to be setting up my cricket living quarters soon so I can keep crickets prior to trying to cook them.  I'll be posting more on this venture soon.

Pamphlet Curry

I know the name seems a bit misleading, since this curry is not made with pamphlets in it.  The recipe came from a pamphlet a friend of mine picked up at a grocery store, hence "Pamphlet" curry.  I use this as the title because this is not at all like Indian or Thai curries.  Call it "Curry Lite": something you give to someone who is just venturing into the world of more spicy foods.  This was my first introduction to curries and though I have since moved on and many traditional Indian curries are among my favourite foods, I still enjoy the occasional pamphlet curry.  It's easy to make, quick, and requires ingredients that are easy to get in a grocery store.

Ingredients:

Chicken - I tend to use about 2 boneless tenderloins per person, but any kind or cut of chicken will do.  If using chicken breast, slightly under half of one breast is about the serving size for one person.
Garlic Powder (optional)
Onion Powder (optional)
Ground Cumin (optional)

Sauce:

1 cup Mayo (normal/light) or unflavoured salad dressing (like Miracle Whip)
1 cup Orange Juice
Curry Powder
Crushed Red Pepper (optional)


To Prepare:

1) Cut the chicken into smaller portions.  Think about how big is safely bite sized and try to get it around that size.

2) In a frying pan, cook the chicken on medium-high heat.  You can use oil or cooking spray, but I prefer to simply add a bit of water to keep from adding too much extra fat to the dish.  At this point you can season to taste with garlic powder, onion powder and ground cumin (if you like you can also add in your own seasonings once you're familiar with the recipe.  Salt, pepper and other spices tend to go well)

3) While the chicken is cooking, you can make the sauce.  Put 1 cup of mayo into a bowl and add the curry powder.  How much is generally a matter of taste, but about 1 tablespoon is a fairly safe starting amount for a mild curry.  If you like it spicy, feel free to add more!  Blend your mayo and curry powder mix until smooth.

4) Gradually add your orange juice, stirring constantly with a whisk.  This is important - do not add it all at once or your sauce will be a lumpy mess.  Take it easy and make sure that your sauce blends well as you go.  The recipe calls for half and half - an equal amount of mayo and orange juice.  If you want a thicker sauce, simply reduce the amount of orange juice, for a thinner sauce, increase the orange juice.

5) Add crushed red pepper.  We usually use about two "shakes".  This can be omitted if you want a very mild curry or increased if you want it hot.

6) When your chicken is done, serve it onto a plate and then scoop the curry sauce onto it.  Voila! Pamphlet Curry.  This goes very well with rice and most vegetables.

This blog is about food

Let me just take a moment to introduce myself.  I'm a 31 year old artist/writer and co-owner of a small-press publishing company.  I've done a lot of odd things in my life but I always fancied myself as somewhat on the dull side.  Yet here I am, starting up this blog.  

Salmagundi! is a place where I can share everything food-related, whether it be recipes, reviews, personal experiences or things I'd love to try.  I can't claim to be some kind of culinary expert (in fact, I've had no formal experience with food at all, unless one counts a year or so working in the fast food industry), but I'm here and I want to learn as much as I can.

Some background on me: I've been a picky eater for most of my life.  As a child, my diet was limited to the same ten or fifteen dishes all the time and I had a hard time breaking out of those habits even as I got older.  It wasn't until seven or so years back that I even began trying new things at all - mostly out of desperation and having nothing else.  Over the years, I've been broadening my horizons and I've discovered the wide world of available foods.  There's so much out there that I'm never going to try it all, but I'm darn well going to give it my best shot!

This blog is where I'll share my culinary adventures.

And to preemptively answer any questions...

What does "Salmagundi" mean?

salmagundi  \sal-muh-GUHN-dee\ , noun:

1. A salad plate usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, served with oil and vinegar.

2. Any mixture or assortment; a medley; a potpourri; a miscellany.

That's kind of what this is, so I thought it fitting.