The Plastiki Food Story

THE PLASTIKI FOOD STORY

HOW DO YOU FEED A HUNGRY CREW THREE BY FOUR FEET WITH LIMITED GET CREATIVE AND ASK THE EXPERTS....

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hen Jennifer Tuck and Nona Lim heard Skipper Jo’s casting call to the SF Food Community for help provisioning the Plastiki, they knew the project would be a good match for their team. After all, Cook! uses only the freshest local, sustainable meats and produce to create really simple meal kits.

The main goals were to help the Plastiki crew:

EAT NUTRITIOUSLY EAT SUSTAINABLY EAT RELATIVELY AFFORDABLY In terms of access to awesome ingredients, you couldn’t have picked a better departure city than San Francisco. The process that unfolded was a heart warming collaboration with many passionate and environmentally conscious farmers and foodies.

From Bill Crepps who spent nights dehydrating great bushels of kale and mandarins to Ulimana sending a large box of their vegan brownies and truffles from North Carolina, the sustainable food community was eager to lend a hand.

W OF EIGHT WHEN YOUR KITCHEN IS STORAGE AND NO REFRIGERATION?

The Cook! kitchen crew engaged by turning lovely grass-fed beef, lamb and chicken from Marin Sun Farms into more than 110 jars of beef bourguignon, lamb ragout, Thai chicken curry and many more dishes.

The Plastiki has always been about focusing on a journey of discovery, learning, sharing and innovation rather than just the destination. To this end it has exposed the project to many diverse, curious, passionate and incredibly generous individuals and none more so than the committed and diverse group of organic farmers and local suppliers who have not only overwhelmed the team and myself with their carefully crafted meals, snacks and treats but they have also deeply inspired me with their unrivalled commitment to authenticity, quality and community spirit.

– David de Rothschild

Thanks to Bill Crepps from Everything Under the Sun the Plastiki is loaded with freshly dehydrated (translation: light weight), organic produce.

As for grass-fed meats, SF based Cook! preserved more than a hundred jars of tagines, curries and stews. The crew will then bring it all to life with our new best friend in the galley – the pressure cooker.

San Francisco foodies Jennifer Tuck and Nona Lima of Cook! (www.cooksf.com) came on board to help the crew eat nutritiously, sustainably and relatively affordably. The duo worked with Northern California’s farmers and many healthy food companies to create a bevy of delicious and nutritious meal options.

A DAY IN THE PLASTIKI KITCHEN Three recipes taken from the Plastiki Eat Well Guide collated by Cook! SF

Breakfast: Cornmeal Pancakes

Photography by glutenfreemommy.com

INGREDIENTS (6-8 servings) 1 egg, separated 2 cups buttermilk 2 tbl vegetable oil 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 1/2 cups cornmeal or corn flour

RECIPE 1 Beat egg white until stiff peaks form; set aside.

2 Slightly beat the egg yolk in mixing bowl; blend in buttermilk and oil.

3 Mix together the flour, soda, salt, sugar, and cornmeal; blend into the liquid mixture until smooth.

4 Fold in beaten egg white. Let batter stand for 10 minutes.

5 Bake on hot greased griddle until nicely browned on both sides. These cook a little slower than pancakes.

6 Serve with butter and warmed syrup. Also delicious with fried ham or bacon on the side.

All recipes contributed by

INGREDIENTS (7 servings) 5¼ tb vegetable oil 1 ¾ onion 5 – 6 cloves garlic 3 ½ jalapeño 1 ¾ tb Ginger-root; fresh; minced 2 5/8 tb curry powder 1 - 2 tomato 7 cups Water or low-sodium veggie broth (or chicken broth) 14 tb peanut butter 7/8 tsp salt 7/16 tsp pepper 1 ¾ lbs sweet potato 3 ½ carrots 3 ½ cup okra 7 oz green beans 7 tb cilantro 7 tb peanuts, chopped 1 – 2 limes

RECIPE 1 Sauté onion, garlic, jalapeños and ginger, until the onion is lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

2 Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.

3 Add the tomatoes, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the casserole.

4 Whisk in the stock or water and peanut butter, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

5 Cook over moderately high heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

6 Add the sweet potatoes and carrots, cover partially and cook over a moderately low heat until the vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes.

7 Add the okra and green beans, cover partially and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes longer.

Photography by kitchen-em.blogspot.com

Main Meal: Sweet Potato, Okra and Peanut Stew

Desert: Brown Rice Crispy Treats

Photography by caitlindentino.files.wordpress.com

INGREDIENTS (5 servings) 2-3 tb virgin coconut oil 1 cup brown rice syrup 1/2 cup almond butter 1 tsp vanilla 6 cups brown rice puffs / crispy cereal Optional: 1/4 cup sesame seeds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chopped nuts Optional: 1/2 - 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (unsweetened or sweetened with apple juice or other fruit juices)

RECIPE 1 Put coconut oil into medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.

2 Add brown rice syrup and almond butter. Heat until tiny bubbles form, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Immediately take pot off the heat and add vanilla. Stir again.

3 Place cereal and any optional ingredients into a large bowl.

4 Pour hot rice syrup mixture over it. Mix together immediately with wooden spoon or spatula.

5 Pour mixture into 9x13 inch pan and press mixture flat.

6 Let cool, slice into bars and enjoy.

Adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition cookbook Makes about 15 squares

INSIDE THE PLASTIKI KITCHEN

We do our watches and we sleep at different times. The only time we are all gathered is during dinner or when someone is shouting: ‘whale, dolphin or shark!’.