I chose the term “Yankee” in the title of this blog as a reference to the old New England tradition of frugality, as well as a reference to the regional and local ingredients that I enjoy so much. That’s not to say I limit myself (or this blog) to New England fare, but I always use local ingredients wherever possible.
Cooking started out as an activity that I enjoyed and found rewarding. I began in my parent’s kitchen as a kid either helping out (I always ended up peeling the potatoes) or baking treats after school. As an adult, I lived for a while in a major metropolitan area, where I dined out frequently and became familiar with many different international cuisines. While I absolutely enjoyed feasting on sushi, bibimbap, curries, and falafel, apart from the exotic ingredients in the food, I didn’t put much thought into where the food came from at the time.
Food origin is now something of interest to me for a few reasons, the most important being that local food is more nutritious and flavorful, having not been bred to sit on supermarket shelves for eons. The same is true for local free-range chickens, for example. The less they have to travel the less likely they are to be frozen. And the more they get to run around while they’re alive, the more lean muscle mass they produce, which leads to a tastier bird.
I’m also a believer in the idea that we “eat our landscape”, which is that if we like seeing open spaces, farmland and clean waterways, we have the power to vote with our dollar and keep it that way by patronizing smaller farms as opposed to factory farms. I’m not going to get into the conditions in factory meat farms. We all know it’s not pretty and humanitarianism aside, I’d prefer not to eat an animal that’s been sick, and I certainly don’t want to eat an animal that’s been fed antibiotics in order for it to stay artificially well. E. Coli outbreaks can happen on any farm, but it’s less likely to cause a problem if the animals are well looked after and slaughtered properly.
New England is teeming with great small-scale family farms that produce fresh fruits and veggies, artisan cheeses, free-range chickens for meat and eggs, and grass-fed cows that have lived healthy and happy (until that last moment) lives without disease. If this is true in New England – a densely populated segment of the megalopolis – it’s likely true for your area as well.
These days I live in a more rural setting, closer to farms and further from the trendy restaurants of cities. Because of this, I cook most meals from scratch and I rarely dine out anymore. However, I sometimes miss having access to great Malaysian, Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Indian, French, Mexican, Thai, and Spanish restaurants. This blog documents my attempts to imitate the meals I used to so enjoy when I lived in the city, as well as my own tried and true standards.
Most importantly, I only post what I’ve tested and know is good so that you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!