Christina Cooks: Back to the Cutting Board

As Americans, we waste between 30 and 40% of the food we purchase, as opposed to Italians who waste between 4-5%.

Wait, what?

There's a reverence for food in Italy that is unparalleled.

We sometimes forget the importance of buying fresh food in our busy lives.

Well, today we cook and talk about ways to get closer to zero waste in the kitchen.

on Christina Cooks: The Macroterranean Way.

Underwriting for Christina Cooks is provided by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties.

Sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

and by Jonathan█s Spoons.

Individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by: Hi, I█m Christina Pirello and this is Christina Cooks, where each week we take fresh seasonal ingredients and whip them into amazing dishes.

Will they all be plant based?

Yeah.

Will they all be delicious?

Absolutely.

You know, each day in America, Americans produce 700,000 tons of trash.

Think about that.

700,000 tons every single day.

There's a lot of ways we can produce less trash.

A lot.

We can not buy single-use packaging.

We can get rid of plastic bottles.

We can try everything we can think of.

It sounds intimidating to reduce your trash, but imperfect attempts are better than nothing because you can't do it perfectly.

For me, producing less waste begins with how we cook and how we shop.

So we're going to make something that I call kitchen sink soup.

It doesn't matter what you put in it, as long as it's a veg from your fridge or something left over.

We'll take a little extra virgin olive oil because that makes everything better.

Some diced onions.

Because don't we all have onions in the house?

Don't we all have them in the kitchen?

If not, use something else.

Use a leek.

Use some scallions.

Leave the onions out and use a different veggie.

This soup is anything you'd like to be in it.

Don't text me and say, “Can I have the recipe, please?” There is none.

This is it.

You just figure out how to do this with what you have.

We're going to let the onions sweat.

You can add spices to this, herbs to this.

Your choice.

I'm making it very simple.

The next thing to go on top of the onions is diced celery.

Because most of us have that if you don't.

Don't worry.

Next is zucchini.

I always have zucchini because I love zucchini in soup ██love zucchini in soup.

If you don't have zucchini, use something else.

You're going to hear me say use something else a lot.

Because if you don't have it, use something else.

The key, though, to making a great soup no matter what your ingredients are, is to dice your vegetables in small pieces so that there's more surface area to bleed into the broth to make the soup sweet.

Right.

The job of soup is to relax you.

So if the broth is sweet, the result is sweet.

I always have fingerling potatoes in a bowl in my kitchen, so some potatoes are going in.

The last thing to go in is leftover whole grain.

If you eat whole grains, you tend to have some of them left over.

This is millet.

High in protein, produces no stomach acid, very relaxing to the body when it's left over.

There's not much you can do with it.

So I usually always throw it into a soup.

Now because the millet█s cooked, it's not going to absorb a ton of moisture.

So we're going to add water to just cover the millet.

We're going to let this simmer maybe 15 minutes until the veggies are tender and then we'll come back and season it to have the most delicious soup made from whatever you have on hand.

[gentle music plays] So once your soup is cooked, It'll take on a really creamy texture.

The beauty of using millet as your leftover grain is the soup just gets creamier and creamier.

Now we're going to season it.

We're going to use miso.

If you don't have miso in your kitchen sink soup, use salt, it's fine.

But miso gives us a richness that's going to taste like you added a cheese to the soup and it's excellent for digestion.

It's filled with enzymes and friendly bacteria.

So you take a little bit of hot broth and you dissolve the miso in the hot broth.

This is only so that nobody bites down on a lump of miso.

There's no, like, special magic here.

But you know how everyone in our culture is obsessed with probiotics?

Miso is the original probiotic.

So if you really want to strengthen your digestion and make yourself strong and healthy, you want to get some miso in your diet.

You really want to get some miso on your diet, bearing in mind that it is salt.

So take care with how much you use.

It's about a teaspoon per cup of liquid, so the soup now has to simmer for like, 30 seconds so that the salt has a chance to sort of blend and then we'll take it, plate it up.

And you're probably thinking “This woman has the biggest soup bowls I've ever seen.” I love soup.

Borderline obsessed with it.

Now, soup cooks, so it takes some time.

So we like to freshen it up with a little garnish of something fresh.

I use scallions.

You can use parsley.

If basil is what you have in your house, or thyme, doesn't matter.

Use what you have.

Grow the herbs on your balcony.

Grow them on your windowsill.

Right.

So this is our soup.

We're going to enjoy this.

And now we're off to Italy.

[Italian music plays] I'm on my way to a sustainable farro manufacturer, which is amazing.

It's literally seed to table, but there's no way I can drive through the province of Siena and drive past the ideal town of Pienza.

It's known for its absolute beauty because Pius The Second was born here and as a result, when he became Pope, he re-engineered the town with the help of a famous architect in Italy known as Rosselino, and they renamed the town from its medieval name, of Corsignano to Pienza that we know today.

It's famous for its pecorino, but really what it's famous for is its view of Val d█Orcia.

It's the most beautiful town in Tuscany.

As I walk through the history of these perfect little Italian towns, I'm struck by the reason that I'm here.

It's not for my own soul, although being here in this place feeds me like no food ever could.

But it's to honor that history, their commitment to their land, their commitment to their food traditions, and their love of the shared meal.

That's what seduces me time after time, and sharing that is my great joy.

Ciao, Amadeo!

Amadeo: Ciao Christina!

Christina: Thank you for having me.

CHRISTINA: So these are your fields?

AMADEO: Yes.

CHRISTINA: How many hectares do you have?

And tell me about how you farm.

AMADEO: So, my grandfather was a farmer.

AMADEO: My father is a farmer.

Me too.

AMADEO: I am a farmer.

Pasta maker, miller.

CHRISTINA: Okay.

AMADEO: Okay?

CHRISTINA: Okay.

Ha!

AMADEO: We have a 150 hectacres.

CHRISTINA: 150 hectares.

AMADEO: Yes.

Organic size, 1992.

CHRISTINA: Organic since 1992, which is brilliant CHRISTINA: and way ahead of the time.

Okay.

CHRISTINA: So no spray, nothing like that.

AMDEO: Only the nature.

CHRISTINA: Wow.

CHRISTINA: In what way do you rotate crops?

AMADEO: Ah, with durum wheat, AMADEO: soft wheat... AMADEO: Your rotation: legumes, like clover, chickpeas, and lentils.

CHRISTINA: Okay, so what they do is they rotate each year a grain like farro, spelt or wheat, and then in between each year they grow clover or lentils or chickpeas because the beans help to strengthen the soil.

AMADEO: Yes, yes, yes.

CHRISTINA: Put minerals back in so that when they grow wheat, they have a stronger, more nutritious product than just soil that grows.

Wheat.

Wheat, wheat, wheat.

So this creates a better product for us to eat.

So now I have a big question.

AMADEO: Yes.

CHRISTINA: Can we go see where it all started?

AMADEO: Yes.

AMADEO: We go.

CHRISTINA: Andiamo.

[Italian music plays] CHRISTINA: So Amadeo, this is where you mill all the flour.

That is the flour that you sell and also for your pasta.

AMDEO: Yes.CHRISTINA: So... let's make some flour.

CHRISTINA: Farro?

AMADEO: No, this is a soft wheat.

CHRISTINA: Soft wheat.

AMADEO: Today... AMADEO: We grained soft wheat.

CHRISTINA: Okay, okay, okay.

AMADEO: Allora in this part we put the wheat okay?

There there are two stone.

CHRISTINA: Right.

CHRISTINA: They are stone ground.

AMADEO: Yes, the upper is stopped... CHRISTINA: Okay.

AMADEO: ...and the under, turns around.

CHRISTINA: OK. AMADEO: The wheat goes between them and CHRISTINA: ...and grinds into flour.

AMADEO: Right and became flour.

CHRISTINA: Flour.

AMADEO: The first wheat is the whole wheat flour and after the whole wheat flour is separated, AMADEO: in the sieve, according to size.

CHRISTINA: So just in a sieve?

AMADEO: Yeah.

CHRISTINA: Wow.

Okay, perfect.

Let's make some flour.

AMADEO: Can I start?

CHRISTINA: Si!

[machinery noise] AMADEO: Now... we narrow the stones.

That's me.

AMADEO: Slow, slower.

CHRISTINA: Wow.

AMADEO: Right.

AMADEO: Stop.

CHRISTINA: Flour arrives now.

AMADEO: Flour arrives.

AMADEO: Right... in this part.

And now.

CHRISTINA: Wow.

CHRISTINA: My!

It█s beautiful.

CHRISTINA: It's like silk.

AMADEO: Yes.

CHRISTINA: It's so soft.

AMADEO: Yeah.

CHRISTINA: Nice.

AMADEO: This is the whole wheat flour.

CHRISTINA: Okay, so, now, in the sieve AMADEO: Type one.

CHRISTINA: which is good for CHRISTINA: Pizza, or bread.

AMADEO: Yes.

AMADEO: Pizza and bread.

CHRISTINA: Okay.

AMADEO: Type two is for, ah... AMADEO: for example, cakes.

CHRISTINA: Cakes and pastries, cookies... AMADEO: cantucci... AMADEO: Semolina is for gnocchi di semolino... CHRISTINA: Ah...

si!

I do!

AMADEO: You know, yeah?

CHRISTINA: And then you have the bran.

AMADEO: Bran, usually... CHRISTINA: Cakes and muffins.

AMADEO: The bigger part is for animals... CHRISTINA: Ah, really AMADEO: Because it is rich in fiber.

CHRISTINA: And then you have, these are the hard wheat?

AMADEO: Yes, semolina and the flour.

CHRISTINA: Semolina.

CHIRISTINA: And these are for pasta.

AMADEO: Yes/ CHRISTINA: So I understand we have a lovely pasta mill where we can go and see pasta being made.

AMADEO: Yes.

CHRISTINA: Andiamo!

[Italian music plays] CHRISTINA: So Amadeo... We just were at the old pasta factory.

But this is the new modern one.

AMADEO: Yes.

CHRISTINA: So you mix here the pasta?

AMADEO: Yes.

AMADEO: We put the semolina Durum wheat there, and after arrives... CHRISTINA: Ah, up in the, okay... AMADEO: Yes.

AMADEO: And mix with the water.

CHRISTINA: Okay.

AMADEO: Outside it mixes with the water.

CHRISTINA: So this is just flour Solo farina?

AMADEO: Yes!

AMADEO: Solo farina.

CHRISTINA: And then it comes down?

AMADEO: Yes.

AMADEO: And, in this part, there is the die.

CHRISTINA: Bronze?

AMADEO: Bronze die.

CHRISTINA: Okay.

AMADEO: And then after, the pasta comes down in this part.

CHRISTINA: And today we make?

BOTH: Pappardelle.

CHRISTINA: So then?

AMADEO: Eccola.

AMADEO: And with the bronze die, the pappardelle... CHRISTINA: It█s beautiful, it█s soft... AMADEO: Soft.

AMADEO: It█s rough, yes.

CHRISTINA: Yes, yes, it█s rough!

AMADEO: Fantastico.

CHRISTINA: So when your pasta CHRISTINA: is rough like this...

It holds the sauces and the oil better.

So this is the beauty of a bronze dye.

CHRISTINA: Okay.

AMADEO: Yes, it█s fantastic.

CHRISTINA: And after this?

AMADEO: After, the pasta arrive CHRISTINA: So Amadeo, The pasta comes here.

AMADEO: Yes.

CHRISTINA: And then you stack and dry.

CHRISTINA: Why is... may I?

AMADEO: Yes.

CHRISTINA: Why is it brown?

The pasta.

AMADEO: The pasta is brown because our mill have the stones and the flour for this reason is less refined.

CHRISTINA: Integrale?

AMADEO: Integrale, yes.

CHRISTINA: So this would be a whole grain flour, CHRISTINA: we would say in America.

CHRISTINA: And it's rough.

AMADEO: Yes, it█s rough because the die is in bronze.

CHRISTINA: Right.

AMADEO: The bronze die.

CHRISTINA: And so this way when you make a gravy or a sauce, it sticks to the pasta.

So you have more fiber, more minerals and your sauce, or your gravy, sticks better.

CHRISTINA: Bravissimo.

AMADEO: Perfect.

CHRISTINA: And then after this, How long does it dry?

AMADEO: Alora.

The pappardelle - 25 hours.

CHRISTINA: 25 hours drying.

CHRISTINA: So they dry the pasta here very slowly around 25 hours, depending on the cut.

So can we see the drying room?

AMADEO: Yes, yes!

Of course.

CHRISTINA: Okay, andiamo!

[Italian music plays] CHIRISTINA: Okay, so now the pasta goes into the dryer.

AMADEO: Yes, right.

CHRISTINA: Open the door.

CHRISTINA: Let's go.

Let's take it in!

Wow... AMADEO: Perfect.

AMADEO: Okay.

CHRISTINA: Okay.

AMADEO: Perfect.

Right.

CHRISTINA: Haha.

CHRISTINA: Can I have a job?

(laughing) AMADEO: (speaking Italian) Alright.

[machinery noises] AMADEO: Okay, perfect.

CHRISTINA: Bon bene.

CHRISTINA: And now each day when they make pasta, CHRISTINA: they fill the room.

And if they make a lot of pasta, they fill both rooms to dry the pasta, depending on the cut as many hours as it takes for a nice slow dry of the pasta to be perfect.

And then it's important to show █ and to show you █ that everything is packaged by hand, which will see next.

[Italian music plays] CHRISTINA: Okay, so here you can see they weigh and package each package of pasta by hand.

They're sealed by hand.

So this is really one of the most important things to say about zero waste and sustainability is that they don't waste.

Everything is done by hand.

No excess electricity, no waste.

CHRISTINA: This is amazing to see.

What type of pasta is this?

AMADEO: It is a semolina pasta, CHRISTINA: But, Also, you see it's still brown because of the fact that they don't take.

Out all the fibers, bennisimo.

AMADEO: Thank you.

[Italian music plays] CHRISTINA: Amadeo, thank you for having me.

I always learn so much when I'm here.

AMADEO: You are welcome!

CHRISTINA: I loved our lunch.

I loved learning about pasta and flour.

Grazia!

AMADEO: Grazia!

CHRISTINA: And now you know how pasta is really made.

[Italian music concludes] [gentle music begins] I just love how sustainable they are at Mulino.

It's just amazing.

And the beautiful town of Pienza Come on, who could waste knowing that that's where you live or that's what you're in?

We're going to go all sort of South Philadelphia on you guys today, and we're going to make something that we see a lot in Italian cooking made from leftovers or veggies in the fridge.

So it doesn't matter what you use.

I'm going to use what I have in the fridge and it's called a ciambotta, ci-am-bo-tta, not “jambotte” just like it's not “brigutte” or “vah-zhoul” anything like that.

Every time you say a word like that, “jambotte” “brigutte”, an angel loses its wings.

Okay, I'm going to start with extra virgin olive oil, about two tablespoons.

We're going to add to that some pepper on chino.

You can use the powder, you can use the flakes.

Whatever floats your boat.

I like spicy food, so I'm kind of going in here if you don't like it.

I understand.

Leave it out.

Doesn't change anything.

We're going to go on to a nice medium heat.

And because it's a medium heat, we're going to throw our onions right in.

Just chunked onions.

This is a stew.

Basically, you can call it what you like, jambalaya or stew doesn't matter.

And then right on top of that goes whole cloves of garlic.

Now, a lot of times I take the garlic out because somebody is going to bite down on this chunk.

But since this is a nice, sweet stew, this is going to be nice and sweet.

So it's going to stay in this time.

Pinch of salt.

And once you get a nice sizzle, you're going to want to move the stew to a lower heat, either on your own stove, different burner, doesn't matter that we're going to take button mushrooms.

Now, you see the button mushrooms have a little bit of, shall we say, organic matter on them.

So I usually do stem them not just because of that, but because they can be the stems can be bitter and have like a stick-like texture.

I do brush them with my fingers.

I don't wash mushrooms, but if you feel so compelled, wash them, they're going to go on top of the onions and garlic.

And if your mushrooms are organic, they're grown in a different kind of organic matter.

And a little B-12 in your dirt won't hurt you.

But if you feel like you need to wash them, by all means wash them.

Now we're going to take just and give a quick stir and we're going to cook these onions and garlic and mushrooms just until the onions begin to wilt a little bit.

Just a little bit.

And the mushrooms are shiny with oil.

Now, if these were crimini or shiitake or portobello, I would probably cook them longer until they release their juices and reabsorb.

But.

But mushrooms don't have that much flavor.

So they're going to take on the flavor of the stew, almost like cooking with tofu.

Right?

So the next thing to go in are potatoes.

Just simple, humble potatoes.

A ciambotta is what's known as part of the “cucina povre” the poor kitchen.

When I was a kid, if my nonna made ciambotta, we all knew that my father and grandfather's paycheck didn't quite make it through the week.

So we were having whatever was left in the fridge stewed together.

So the potatoes are all going to go in cut in chunks.

The next thing I had in my fridge was zucchini.

The last zucchini of the garden.

That's going to go on top and then some celery.

And I want the celery to not cook to too much.

So it has some nice crunch.

I want it to feel like there's a little bit of a different kind of texture happening in the dish.

Next, some fresh, diced tomatoes.

If you don't have diced tomatoes or they're out of season, use canned ones.

It's okay.

This is going to give us liquid.

Now we'll take a little bit of salt and let this begin to simmer and move it back to a higher heat.

Because now I need some action to happen here and I'm going to keep my low flame lit because I'm going to go back and forth.

And the last ingredient is eggplant.

Now, eggplant is part of the nightshade family of veggies.

And very often before we cook eggplant, they're cut and soaked in salted water to pull out all the solanine, that can give you arthritic trouble.

But because this is a Japanese eggplant and smaller, I don't have any need to do that.

So I'm not going to soak it.

I'm just going to chop it into chunks.

Leave the skin on.

If you want the eggplant to melt because you want the eggplant to become creamy and the stew to be creamy, then you could take the skin off.

But I kind of want it to hold its shape.

And I'm lazy.

I don't want to skin it if I don't have to.

So I don't.

And now the last thing is a tiny bit of water.

Tiny, maybe... a couple of tablespoons.

And then we're going to cover this.

And this is going to simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes until the vegetables are all juicy and almost creamy.

And then they're going to get served over our leftover farro.

[gentle music plays] Okay.

So after 25 minutes, you have this luscious, almost creamy vegetable stew.

Everything has come together.

So now what we do is we have some leftover farro that we cooked yesterday.

And everyone always wonders, “What do you do with your leftovers?” And rather than toss them or even compost them, which if you can't use them, perhaps you compost them because at least then you're not wasting.

Take your farro and make a nice little bed for your vegetables to be comfortable on.

And then you're going to take the stew and you're just going to spoon this over and make a nice mound of all these soft cooked, stewed, yummy, richly flavored veggies.

That's a tiny bit spicy, so that the stew, which helps to settle you down, doesn't make you feel like a couch potato.

Finish with a tiny little drizzle of olive oil.

And you have an amazing main course.

So what are you waiting for?

Let's get back to the cutting board and I'll see you next time.

On Christina Cooks: The Macroterranean Way.

Underwriting for Christina Cooks is provided by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties: Sweetness, the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan█s Spoons individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by: You can find today's recipes and learn more by visiting our website at ChristinaCooks.com, and by following @ChristinaCooks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Learn how to add delicious plant-based dishes to your daily diet with the companion cookbook VegEdibles, featuring more than 80 easy-to-make recipes.

To order your copy for $29.95 pl handling, call 800-266-5815 Or visit ChristinaCooks.com.

Add “Back To The Cutting Board” and get both books for $49.95 plus handling.