Safe to Eat?

Mmmmmm...... Looks delicious. I want nothing more than to turn that beautiful mass of fine ground beef into some of the most mouth-watering burgers (quite possibly my favorite food ever is a nice thick and juicy hand-made burger). This being said, I cannot possibly forgive when an establishment (prized for their so-called "quality" burgers) serves me a potential health risk (can you say burnt outside, raw inside?), luckily being caught only 2 bites in. Trust me when I say that I have not and will not go back.

It might just be me, but I've noticed that within the past 10 years we've been playing a little Russian Roulette with some of our food.... whether or not we know it. It's almost becoming common for people to become subject to a day of gut wrenching pain, sweats, shits and horrible thoughts of killing whoever mishandled or fed you that questionable ingredient. I know for certain I never want to experience it again.

But what happens when it not the dirty kitchen or the cook that doesn't care enough about your safety? What happens when the food is tainted from the source? I'm sorry to the Republic of China, but melamine in milk, baby formula and some milk based products...... are you kidding me? Maybe though I shouldn't be as shocked as that, it's not really the first or last time something like this is going to happen.

Case in point, let's bring it home with a little thing called Maple Leaf Listeria. Not only was this so recent there are still people dying from the symptoms, but of the deceased was a 64 year old man who ate tainted meat in a hospital. Come on... That's ridiculous! And as of October 1 there have been upwards of 20 deaths due to this contamination.

Tops Meat Co. is another name that pops into mind when I think of tainted meat. In 2007 they had the second largest recall of meat at around 21.7 million pounds worth, topped only by Hudson Foods Company who in 1997 recalled 25 million pounds worth of ground beef.

None can forget the scares associated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, most commonly known as Mad Cow Disease. This epidemic was brought on by the food the cow was eating, therefore being infected before even going to slaughter. In England alone more than 163 people have died as a result and over 4.4 million cattle have been slaughtered as per the eradication process.

Avian flu, a hybrid super-bug that is able to infect more species than a normal flu virus and is also lethal to humans. A wide spread pandemic across most of Asia, Europe and parts of Africa.

Almost makes me want to become a vegetarian...... but wait, just recently in 2008 there was a huge recall of fresh jalapeño and Serrano peppers, fresh tomato, green onion and cilantro from Mexico due to a salmonellosis outbreak. Also in 2006 there was another huge recall of both fresh spinach and lettuce across all of North America due to e. coli......

Wondering as I walk the aisles of my local market, picking up products and placing them in my cart. Does this food have the potential to seriously injure or kill me? How is this going to change in the future? I know I'm going to be keeping my eyes and ears wide open, but I don't want to have to question my food. I want to enjoy it.

Pan Seared Salmon on Caramelized Apple & Fennel with a Maple Ginger Glaze

Welcome ladies & gentlemen, to the first of many recipes I'll be letting loose upon your eyes for your palate's indulgence. This particular recipe, not unlike most that will be displayed here, are merely experiments gone fantastically right. Fortunately I do have knowledge enough to realize what flavours will mingle with each other, therefore thankfully these recipes usually aren't complete shots in the dark. I do hope you enjoy.... I did.

Serves 2

2 6oz pieces of salmon (skin on but with scales removed)
1/2 medium size white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
1/2 bulb fennel, core removed and thinly sliced
6 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger

fresh tarragon leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Place the sliced apple, fennel and onions in a frying pan with 6 tsp of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Saute on med-low heat, periodically stirring so as to develop even cooking throughout the dish, until they become a sort of caramel brown colour. make a small pile of mixture in the middle of the plate.
3. Heat up a pan on top element, high heat, until extremely hot, add a touch of oil and place salmon in skin side down. Continue to cook on that one side until skin becomes brown and crispy (not burnt). Turn over salmon on flesh side and place in oven. Remove from oven approx 5-6 min later (the salmon should be just starting to discharging a white substance from the flesh, don't be alarmed.... it just means delicious)
4. Remove salmon and place it on the caramelized apple and fennel. Using the same pan place back on the top element, med-high heat, add maple syrup, ginger and butter. Stir together until sauce thickens and starts foaming (should happen within about a minute of heating and mixing). Using a spoon, glaze over the salmon and surrounding plate.
5. Garnish with fresh tarragon.
6. Eat.