Election-Day Menu: Food from Our Greatest Presidents
29 January 2009
Hands down, my vote for the greatest presidents we’ve seen in this country goes to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. John Kennedy might have been a truly great president, but he died before he could prove his mettle, though his stand against the USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis counts as something commendable, I guess. Anyway, I thought it would be nice to get in the mood for Election Day by cooking up food served in the White House during the time each man served as president. The following recipes come from these men or their wives and chefs/cooks.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Here is a recipe for when you can't or don't want to leave home; or for those times when you have a leisurely afternoon to spend in the kitchen and you don't want to waste it shopping for ingredients. Making ravioli by hand is a time consuming process, but the results can be well worth it when you compare your own economical and wonderfully rich ravioli with the cardboard-like commercial product found in stores.
Salt is crucial for our health, but currently we eat, on average, at least two and a half times what we need. Critics say that only some people are sensitive to salt and that these are the people, along with anyone with heart problems, liver disease or kidney disease, who need to watch their salt intake. So, is salt a friend or a foe for us?
Pasta is the culinary jack-of-all-trades. With all the different varieties and the virtually infinite number of sauces that can be made, it's one of the most versatile foods on earth. You could literally make pasta every night of the week, and with the exception of the pasta itself, have a different meal each time.
In winter, cold and flu season, it's time to think about prevention. While frequent hand washing is often the first line of defense against germs, you can greatly enhance your body's ability to fight off infections by choosing the right foods. Many foods come naturally equipped with immune boosting and antiviral qualities and the good news is these foods can be easily incorporated into your daily menus. Here are some suggestions:
If you're a vegan, there are lots of ways you can create dairy and egg-free treats that taste so good that even non-vegans will be tempted.
The apple is the epitome of an American fruit. Its initial use was as a means of expansion into the new frontier at the hand of Johnny Appleseed, and it is also the basis of many quintessential American baked goods such as apple butter, apple pie and apple cider doughnuts. Though the apple is prevalent in American food traditions, it is not native to North America - it was brought to the US by English and Western European settlers.
Shrub is a colonial-day drink whose name is derived from the Arabic word sharab, to drink. It is a concentrated syrup made from fruit, vinegar, and sugar that is traditionally mixed with water to create a refreshing drink that is simultaneously tart and sweet. In the nineteenth-century, the drink was often spiked brandy or rum.
There are many ways to decrease your carbon footprint by changing what you cook for dinner: eat less meat, use local vegetables, grow your own, etc. But there are also many ways to decrease your carbon footprint by changing how you cook your dinner.