Turkey Neck Chili and an Aboriginal Architect Show Me the Way

"Cook the turkey legs for the evening meal" I was told. Evening came and I discovered that I had 30 lbs. of turkey necks. I simmered the necks in water and made 24 lovely litres of stock for soup. Then we began to separate the meat from the necks. Hmmm! this would make a lovely chili and it did.

This is the path of donation cooking - use (in a safe and sanitary fashion) whatever is donated in a spirit of gratitude and with the hope that it will make a tasty and satisfying meal for all who are hungry and come to our soup kitchen.

I was talking to B, an aboriginal architect, about my practices and feelings while serving my clients. How I feel honoured to be serving some people, my pleasure and pride in making tasty dishes with whatever I am given, my looking inward whenever I feel impatience with others (often it is part of my self that I do not own), and the feeling that I and my clients are both on journeys. He spoke of native ways of greeting strangers and inviting them home. He spoke of Frank Loyd Wright:

The building as architecture is born out of the heart of man, permanent consort to the ground, comrade to the trees, true reflection of man in the realm of his own spirit.

Then we spoke of relationship between people and between people and nature as opposed to conflict.

I thought of all the elements that go into a soup. They begin as separate entities. Then through techniques of cutting, the application of heat, the interplay of opposites (e.g. sweet and sour) and the passage of time they become a team. Their individuality is balanced and enhanced through association. In the end they become a poem on the tongue and a song of grace in the heart.

Bread Pudding as the Stuff Desserts Can Be Made Of

We are often busy- food preparation, meal service, clean up and new donations often occur simultaneously. There is simply not enough time to follow a recipe even if we had all the ingredients. So we tend to use techniques.



We often get donations of bread that are stale. Bread is not just the staff of life it is also the stuff that dream desserts can be made of. What is to be done with stale marble rye, rye, dinner rolls, sandwich bread, etc? Why combine it with instant cafe latte powder, raspberry juice powder, cinnamon, a suspicion of salt, cinnamon and hot water. An hour or two at 375 F.

The colour is a lovely, deep red. The texture is so moist that it feels like cake. Now to serve it. A drizzle of strawberry syrup, tow maraschino cherries and a sprinkle of rainbow sugar. MMMM!!!

Pizza PDQ (pretty darn quick)

Donation cuisine is a blast! Nothing better for getting the creative juices flowing than a wide variety of assorted foodstuffs and hungry guests awaiting.

I volunteer and work in the kitchen of a drop-in centre. We are in the middle of a move to new premises and most of the food is packed away. My manager suggested pizza and this is what I did.

I have prepared many types of pizza including a sourdough that took 4 days just to make the crust! The quickie pizza dough (recipe below) has gotten me more compliments than any of them. People asked for seconds before they finished their first slice!

You can make a thin or thick crust. The addition of garlic powder and herbs to the dough make this a unique and delicious recipe. You can use leftovers and/or your favourite toppings.



Pizza PDQ (pretty darn quick)
1 recipe quickie pizza dough (recipe below)
1 500 ml can pasta sauce
1/2 lb. grated cheese - cheddar or mozzarella
1 medium pepper cut into long strips
1 12 oz. can corned beef broken up into small bits.

Preheat oven to 425 °F.

1. Divide dough into 3 parts. Roll out each part into a 12” circle or to fit your baking sheet.
2. Use a spoon to spread a thin layer of pasta sauce on the rolled out dough.
3. Sprinkle on cheese. Not too thickly as you want to be able to see the pasta sauce beneath.
4. Sprinkle on corned beef bits and pepper strips.
5. Bake for 25 minutes.
   

Quickie Pizza Dough
2 c. flour 1 t. garlic powder
1 T baking powder 1 t. basil or Italian seasoning
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. water
1 T. oil

1. Mix flour, salt, seasonings and baking powder.
2. Add oil and enough water to make a moist, but not sticky dough.
3. Knead for 3 minutes.
4. Let rest for 5 minutes.
5. Use immediately or tightly wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.