Good Food News Archive - October 29, 2002

Article : No Progress on Hunger says UN
Featured this week.... RUTABAGA
Recipes : Mashed root veggie casserole, Rutabaga + Winter Squash with nutmeg, Rutabaga for Royalty

Article : No Progress on Hunger says UN

The depressing figures below come from a report that was released by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization on World Food Day this year.

6 million children under the age of 5 die from hunger each year

There were 840 million hungry people in the world in the years 1998-200

790 million of these people live in Third World countries, 30 million live in countries “in transition” and 11 million live in First World countries

In 1996, the World Food Summit in Rome set a target to reduce the number of hungry people in the world by half

Between 1998 and 2000 the number of hungry people decreased overall by 2.5 million per year - most of this decrease took place in China and a few other countries. Taking away China, the number of hungry people actually grew in the developing world by 50 million.

In the worst-off countries, a newborn child can expect to have 38 years of healthy life, vs. over 70 years in the 24 wealthiest countries.

The four biggest killers of children in the Third World are: diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria and measles

Over 2 billion people in the world suffer from “micronutrient malnutrition” (a shortage of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, iodine, iron, zinc and vitamin C).

The cause of hunger worldwide is primarily poverty, followed by droughts/floods, armed conflict and political and economic problems.

30 percent of the poor in rural areas of Latin American and the Caribbean are farmers with no land.

Agricultural assistance programs declined by 48 percent between 1990 and 1999.

The FAO says that a global investment of 24 billion dollars per year would be needed to reach hunger reduction targets. At the same time, they say that 120 billion per year would be saved because of the longer, healthier and more productive lives that people would have as a result.

(to put this investment in perspective: the US alone spent over 100 billion to fix Y2K computer problems). Worldwide, this figure can be multiplied several times.

Featured this week.... RUTABAGA

This is a cabbage-family root vegetable, which looks like a large turnip and, in fact, is thought to be a cross between cabbage and turnip. The name comes from the Swedish rotabagge, which is why this vegetable is also called a Swede or Swedish turnip. We tend to put rutabagas in the box twice a year, usually in the fall and winter, because it is a root crop that we can buy locally at that time.

Rutabagas have a thin, pale yellow skin and a slightly sweet, firm flesh of the same color. Choose those that are smooth, firm and heavy for their size. Store at room temperature for up to week, refrigerate in plastic bag for one month.

They may be prepared in any way you would prepare turnips. Scrub to remove dirt. For maximum nutrition, leave skin intact. Grate or slice raw into salads. If cooked steam, boil, bake, saute, stir-fry, deep fry, mash. Prepare alone or mixed with potatoes like a mashed potato (with butter and a bit of milk). Rutabagas can also be cut into chunks and roasted in combinations with other root vegetables, like potatoes, parsnips, squash, etc. (coat with canola or olive oil and bake for about an hour in a 350F oven, turning once at the 30-40 minute mark, when bottom of veggies is crisp. - add any spices you like, such as thyme, rosemary, etc.).

Rutabagas, which are a cruciferous vegetable, are high in vitamins A and C. They are also a good source of the minerals calcium, potassium and magnesium. Info. sourced from www.allrecipes.com (also recipe, left) and www.nutrition.cornell.edu

Recipes

Mashed Potato, Rutabaga & Parsnip Casserole with Caramelized Onions
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or water or combination)
3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed (5 medium?)
1 1/2 pounds rutabagas, peeled and cubed
1 1/4 pounds parsnips, peeled and cubed (around 3-4?)
8 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 onions, thinly sliced
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Combine chicken broth, potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover partially. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Transfer vegetables to large bowl. Add 1/2 cup butter or margarine . Use an electric mixer, beat mixture until mashed but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mashed vegetables to a buttered 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter or margarine in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions. Saute until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Saute until onions are tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spread onions evenly over mashed vegetables. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until heated through and top begins to crisp.

Rutabaga and Winter Squash with Nutmeg
2 cups peeled rutabaga chunks
2 cups peeled kobocha or acorn squash chunks
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
1/2 cup grated sharp white Cheddar (optional)
Garnish: 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Put the rutabaga chunks in one layer in a steamer basket, cover, and steam over boiling water until tender. Transfer to a saucepan. Steam the squash until tender and add to the rutabaga. Mash the vegetables coarsely, leaving some texture. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey to taste. Heat through and serve hot as is, or mixed with a little Cheddar. Sprinkle cilantro on top just before serving. From The Vegetarian Compass by Karen Hubert Allison via http://www.twbookmark.com/features/thoughtsforfood.

Rutabagas for Royalty
1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup vegetable stock or water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sage
salt and pepper

Cook rutabaga in boiling salted water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in pot and saute onion until soft but not brown. Blend in flour and cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Stir in stock, sugar, sage, salt and pepper and rutabaga. Cover and continue cooking for 30 minutes, until rutabaga is tender and sauce is thickened and reduced. Mash lightly. From the Farm & City Cookbook, Morgan and MacDonald.