I'm not certain of the exact time I became acquainted with the Slow Food movement, but as soon as I did, it immediately resonated with me. The movement's stated mission of seeking food that is equally "good, clean & fair" cuts to the core of my food interests. Slow Food's claim "we believe that the food we eat should taste good; be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare, or human health; and that its producers should receive fair remuneration for their work" are words that flow just as freely from my own lips.
In the summer of 2008, I traveled alone (someone has to stick around to care for our little homestead, this being before we'd secured a trusty house-sitter!) to San Francisco for Slow Food America's "Come to the Table" conference. It proved to be a life-changing, immensely transformative experience, that won't soon be forgotten.
We're all about "slow" living, chez English. From drawn-out, rambly meals with friends, to spontaneous pancake breakfasts with my mom (we added fresh blueberries & wineberries from the yard to Hub's "pancakes of perfection" this past Sunday!), we adore taking time, care, love, attention, precision, and fascination with all things food related.
And so, in recognition of my slow food love affair, today I'm offering up The Pleasures of Slow Food, a gorgeous book loaded with recipes that take a bit of time, but are worth every delicious bite. To enter, simply list the food you love to make that takes a bit of extra time, love, and/or elbow grease. I'll offer mine: salted chocolate chip cookies. Not the sort of affair you whip up and consume in 30 minutes, these tasty morsels require the patience of 36 hours before their sweet salty goodness is yours. Do it, though. Bide your time, read a novel (this is my recent fascination), make some lemonade, count fireflies, and then, finally, eat your heart out.
The giveaway will run through next Monday, July 11th (which, incidentally, is my 35th birthday!), midnight EST. PLEASE leave a way for me to contact you, should you be the winner, via either an e-mail address, blog, or website. I'll randomly choose a winner (via the random widget) and post the winnings the next day.
I've had inquires about why I only open my contests to U.S. residents. The answer is that I'm just a simple, stay-at-home writer and mom, on a budget like so many others. If international folks would like to try their hand at winning, that's fine by me, just know that I might need you to go in on the postage with me, perhaps via Pay Pal, as one small measure wrote and suggested.
*If you'd like to read another "slow"-focused small measure post, check out this little ditty on "slow design" from awhile back.
Homemade bread......like my Mom made!
ReplyDeleteHomemade tomato soup! It's still quick enough to make after a long day at work, but a lot more work than opening a can of Campbell's. Plus, it's so, so delicious.
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing the giveaway!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls!
ReplyDeleteTamales
ReplyDeleteMmm, sweet rolls.
ReplyDeleteI love making bread, the kneading, the rising, the waiting & then....YUM!
ReplyDeletecreame fresh- french sour cream!!!
ReplyDeleteI love canning and drying my garden harvest... sterilizing jars, soaking, slicing, slaving over boiling water on the stove while it's still 90 degrees out... it's all worth it when you taste summer in a jar in the middle of December.
ReplyDeleteSavory chicken pot pie. It is our family favorite. The recipe has to be broken up throughout the day for me to be able to have it on the table by supper time, but it is so worth it!
ReplyDeletespagetti sauce from scratch :)
ReplyDeletePane crostoso - crusty italian bread. Simple, a little slower but way better sandwiches!
ReplyDeleteHomemade eggrolls with garden fresh ingredients. You have to chop and combine all the vegetables with the chopped fresh ginger and spices the day before. Let it sit overnight and roll them about an hour before serving. We bake them in the oven to avoid frying them which takes about and hour or more. Depends on how crunchy you like them! Tender, love and care. So worth it. This is a family recipe that I got from my mom that she got from her aunt...
ReplyDeleteHomemade broth/stock. It makes everything taste so much better!
ReplyDeletecourtney [dot] elizabeth [dot] foster [at] gmail [dot] com
French onion soup with homemade bread to top with!
ReplyDeleteHomemade chicken broth and sourdough bread. <3
ReplyDeleteFrench onion soup with homemade bread to top it with!
ReplyDeletehomemade pasta with homemade tomatoe sauce, simple fresh salad with homemade dressing. simple ingredients but worth every second that is put into expelling there deliciousness :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... definitely meatballs from an old Finnish recipe.
ReplyDeleteHomemade gluten free granola. Melting the butter and sugar slowly, than baking the whole thing on a cookie sheet on low temps for a couple of hours. The anticipation makes it even better.
ReplyDeleteI love to cook, and slow is my style! I love to bake cinnamon rolls using my Mom's recipe (which was an adaptation of my Grandma's recipe) and think of them both very fondly while baking and enjoying!
ReplyDeleteThis book looks amazing...thanks for a great giveaway and a really great blog!
gardnergirl58@gmail.com
What a great post! I am a big fan of Slow Food and blogged about 'Intentional Eating' - feel free to take a look (it's pretty much the most recent post on my blog).
ReplyDeleteCan I participate as a non-American and help you reimburse postage costs if I win?
Best wishes,
This Good Life
Oh, great idea! I love to make my nana's home-made chicken cacciatori with fresh baked bread from scratch. It takes all day, getting up at sunrise to start the process!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I like to make homemade pasta from scratch together. It can take a long time, especially if stuffed, but it's well worth it!
ReplyDeleteOhhhh, great question to enter the giveaway! Hmmm...I love to make banana bread from scratch. I use flour from the local miling company and I chop the nuts by hand. I'm looking forward to even more slow food when we start harvesting and canning from our garden. :)
ReplyDeleteCrystal
My husband could eat out every day, but I'm a much bigger fan of slow, home-cooked meals. Bread is the ultimate though. Such a luxery.
ReplyDeletePumpkin Gnocchi, made with homegrown and home roasted pumpkin :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely homemade cinnamon raisin bread!
ReplyDeleteI love making homemade tomato soup with my homemade chicken stock made from a nice slow roasted chicken!
ReplyDeletecanole07 [at] gmail [dot]com
If I say bread, does that count since I make it nearly every week? If not, I'll also throw out soup stock. I love having a freezer full of it. The possibilities!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely guacamole. It doesn't take very long to make, but if you try to eat it immediately, it doesn't taste like much of anything. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight in the fridge and it's absolutely delicious!! Just PLEASE let it warm up first if you take it out of the fridge!
ReplyDeleteHomemade goat yogurt. It's pretty fast to make, but then you have to wait, and wait, for the yummy finished product! Love it with a little honey, nuts and fruit!
ReplyDeleteHomemade lasagna from scratch - but not the noodles. I'm not yet that crazy. :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandmothers Pierogi recipe! Lots of time and effort to make wonderful meal.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is perhaps the slowest food of all - anything home grown. Soil prep, planting, watering, weeding, pruning, thinning, harvesting and preparing - canning, or blanching and freezing, drying, roasting, etc....Many months, lots of hard work and all completely worth it. Thanks for doing this give away... I really enjoy your blog!
ReplyDeleteHand rolled spring roles. I like to turn on the radio and loose myself in the slow assembly.
ReplyDeletePudding from scratch. Any kind - chocolate, tapioca, vanilla, Swedish rice pudding It's really so simple with so few ingredients.
ReplyDeleteBrined pickles!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite slow food recipe of late is no-knead bread. It sits and ferments for 18 hours! I made pizza with it done on the bbq over the weekend, gotta say I out-did myself there.. so delicious!
ReplyDeleteVery kind of you to offer a giveaway for your birthday! :D Any recipe that showcases chocolate+saltiness = Mmmm.
ReplyDeleteAn omellete from our own eggs. Been waiting four months, and still waiting. I know the chickens will lay an egg for my omellete soon!
ReplyDeletewww.concrete2chickens.blogspot.com
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Homemade bread with homemade jam!
ReplyDeletehomemade ravioli, with some sort of seasonal filling....YUM!!
ReplyDeleteHomemade sourdough bread! Reminds me and my husband of our days living in France/Italy.
ReplyDeleteHomemade graham crackers and homemade marshmallows for the most amazing s'mores ever!
ReplyDeleteThe first stalk of asparagus each spring, right after it's been snapped off. Worth waiting all year for!
ReplyDeleteI had just established an asparagus bed at my prior house when I suddenly sold and moved - only because I found the perfect property elsewhere - and hated to leave it. Imagine my joy when I walked out the back door of the new place one late summer day, despairing at the overgrown landscape in front of me, only to notice the unmistakeable asparagus plants towering over all else!
Baked beans made from scratch. Gotta soak those beans sooooo long LOL.
ReplyDeleteBread and pasta (kids love rolling it out!!!!
ReplyDeleteRoast chicken is by far the best - and one of the slowest - things we make on any regular basis; salted seasoned three days in advance, it just stares at you from the fridge while you drool until the day to roast it finally arrives.
ReplyDeleteThat said, home-cured bacon is definitely the slowest (in all senses of the word used in your post) meat product we've made all year, and that one hog belly is still feeding us, and that better than any store bought bacon I've ever come across.
I love making cheese--soft cheeses and hard cheeses. It's a zen activity for me. Thank you for hosting the lovely giveaway.
ReplyDeletehttp://frommaggiesfarm.blogspot.com/
I have so many favorites: homemade bread & pies as well as pickled veggies from the garden. I've been trying to muster up the courage to make yogurt for awhile.
ReplyDeleteMy current favorite 'fast' slow food is strawberry-rhubarb crisp with rhubarb from the garden and berries from a local u-pick farm. Mmm!
My current favorites are bread a la "Nourshing Traditions" which takes about 30 hours start to finish and from scratch refried beans which are my familiy's current favorite dinner with shredded chicken and salsa. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteHomemade Egg Rolls!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us "non-residents" join in the fun :)
Beef stew, simmering slowly for hours! A fresh baked- from -scratch apple pie for dessert. Yum!!
ReplyDeleteHomemade yeast rolls...just like Mama makes on Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMy husband's grandmama's melt-in-your-mouth cookies. We're the only ones in the family who have mastered them, so when we do make them, we make a whole lot so we can send them to the extended family just like grandmama used to.
ReplyDeleteWe make homemade pasta around here - definitely more time than store-bought, but oh, the flavour and texture! Topping it off with some homemade sauce makes it even better.
ReplyDeleteI cultivated a sourdough starter, and use it to make bread the old fashioned way.
ReplyDeleteDefinately bread, nothing else has that dense but soft yumminess! Top with butter and homemade jam, and well... I think I may have to do that this week!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite labor-intense meal is the Flageolet Gratin recipe I found in Sunday Suppers at Lucques. It is totally amazing, but involves tons of prep work. Definitely worth it though!!
ReplyDeletechicken enchiladas with homemade beans and spanish rice
ReplyDeleteSlow food is some of the best food-
ReplyDeletetime taken to grow it, harvest it,
treat it with respect and eat with love!
Made from scratch pasta, so worth the extra time!
ReplyDeletehomemade bread and butter. Both require patience and lots of elbow grease, but there is nothing like it.
ReplyDeletehomemade vegetable stock - so much tastier than the store-bought stuff, and I control how much salt and other stuff goes in it.
ReplyDeletemberghaus(at)hotmail(dot)com
I have to choose just one thing! Oye! I will say waffles! I have been in search for the perfect waffle recipe for ages. Finally my husband's aunt sent me a recipe from a french cook book...they are as close as any recipe I have been able to find. The secret...some cornmeal and stiff egg whites that you have to painstakingly fold into the batter. Fold not stir! Not to mention the recipe calls for buttermilk and I don't always have it handy. Although it takes almost 20 minutes to get the dough together and another 5-7 minutes to cook it all is worth it even before I have had my first cup of coffee!
ReplyDeleteMaking sweet treats for my monsters
ReplyDeleteHomemade bread for sure!
ReplyDeletewww.beingfrugalbychoice.blogspot.com
Homemade cheese! Not just fresh cheese but aged cheddar too! Takes a good 3 months at least!
ReplyDeleteStrawberry jam - I try to make enough to last for a year, knowing that the great local berries won't be back before then!
ReplyDeletesalted butter caramel...mmmm :)
ReplyDeletecurlygirl8988@yahoo.com
homemade bread of just about any kind~ from crusty loaves to whole wheat sandwich bread to cinnamon rolls.... mmm mmm good!
ReplyDeleteGranola - made a batch today. And homemade mayonnaise with lots of garlic and lemon.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say canning. Its a lot of work in the hot summer, but so worth it when you're enjoying your homegrown produce months later!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHome canned vegetable stock. I save all my onion tops, carrot peelings, celery ends, etc in a bag in the freezer. When it's FINALLY full, I use the stuff to make my stock. It simmers for hours, then I ladle it into hot jars and process in the pressure canner. PS The onion skins give it a rich, golden color
ReplyDeleteSlow roasted tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all - are you loving the Hunger Games trilogy? It's such an entertaining and thought-provoking read for something classified as Young Adult! And I cannot wait for the movie to be released in spring 2012. Now that I have that thought out of the way (always love meeting other Hunger Games fans) - I love to make bread. Knead it by hand - I swear it's got to be a form of meditation. And when I feel like juicing and zesting a dozen lemons, making lemon bars from scratch with a homemade short bread crust is my favorite sweet treat.
ReplyDeleteI love making homemade cinnamon rolls and my own butter to make them with. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI'm learning the process of sourdough -- the flavour and health benefits are so worth the effort!
ReplyDeleterachel @ wokabout . com
I always enjoy the essentials - bread, yogurt, stock. Nursing it all day, worrying over it, doting over it, expecting it and then finally being able to eat and enjoy it al the while realizing that when I take my time and make things myself they turn out infinitely better than anything to be found in the supermarket.
ReplyDeleteOvernight oatmeal pancakes....yum!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE making tamales. Slowly cooking the meat on day one. On day two making the masa and complying the tamales with family and friends while drinking from scratch margaritas! Fabulous food, wonderful people!
ReplyDeleteHomemade chicken pot pie or chicken and dumplings....worth it!!
ReplyDeleteLasagna Bolognese - discovered this recipe on the Simply Recipes blog. The smell of the sauce simmering is fantastic & the lasagna is delicious.
ReplyDeleteI love making homemade bread! Yogurt is fun, too, but there's nothing like the smell of bread baking.
ReplyDeletecatelinden @gmail.com
I'd love to make baklava sometime - this would take nothing close to 36 hours, but still a dedication of time and patient layering!
ReplyDeletetomorrow, i am making fresh coconut cream pie for my sister's birthday....breaking open and grating the coconuts, making the custard filling, rolling out and baking the pie crusts then assembling everything and whipping some cream for the top. Yum! i do it for many birthdays. mary in Cincinnati
ReplyDeleteFrom-scratch pasta sauce. So delicious!
ReplyDeleteCuring our own bacon,it takes a week to cure,then a few hours to smoke it.The end product is so worth the wait,crispy,sugary and smokey.
ReplyDeleteI like using dried beans for my 4 th of July baked beans.... They're even slower when I forget to turn on the crock pot!
ReplyDeleteThis book looks lovely. I have not heard much about the slow food movement although I like to buy local whenever possible. jewel51(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteFood!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the process of bringing together so many recipes - chicken soup, lasagne, and nearly any kind of bread or dessert. I don't know if I can pick just one.
OK - how about...home made pretzels!
I make my own cheese - talk about slow food, try waiting 90 days to see if your Monterey Jack turned out! Feta feels fast, ready to eat in 5 days.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'd make pickles! This year I'm having a hard time finding the time to can...
ReplyDeleteI also was thinking bread but I also really like my Lebanese Potato Salad, which has a lot of hand-chopped herbs, for special occasions. I usually only make it when I can make a lot and have frieds to share it with.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the slow food movement resonates with me too. Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeletemmm, homemade pizza or my bread and butter pickles. those are my favorites. i also make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker!
ReplyDeleteSalsa straight out of the garden, followed closely by homemade pizza dough. Now if I could only figure out how to make my own tortilla chips...
ReplyDeletehomemade bread!
ReplyDeleteHomemade pasta.
ReplyDeleteA roast that cooks forever in the oven.
Bialys!
nasturtium(at)fastmail.fm
Mmmmmm, so yummy.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy taking my time, soaking the oats overnight for the morning oatmeal. Caring for the sourdough starter, then allowing the bread dough to sit overnight, and then another before baking..mmmm
I love the process of putting intention into what we eat:)
Frozen yogurt from scratch - from milk to creamy dessert in 12 hours! Totally worth it.
ReplyDeletehomemade sourdough bread..... yummy along with homemade strawberry jam.
ReplyDeleteheloiswegrzyn@yahoo.com
homemade re-fried beans..yum yum good!
ReplyDeleteSwedish butter braided coffee cake--takes two days, but is worth every minute!
ReplyDeletePizza! First make the mozzarella from scratch. Use the whey to make the dough. Prepare the toppings while it rises, spinach from the garden, or later tomato and basil, and bake. Doesn't take TOO long, but longer than the delivery guy-- and way more satisfying. Here's a post about recent fun with homemade cheese: http://susansink.blogspot.com/2011/07/locavore.html
ReplyDeleteyogurt! I give it at least 12 hours and it's delicious.
ReplyDeleteI love sun-tea, my gramma taught me to make it. You take a big glass jar, put 3 or so tea bagsmin it, fill with cold water a few lemon slices if desired and then put it out in the sun for a few hours. Serve it with ice in a tall glass and enjoy! Its totally worth the wait! ~Aubin aubincoulthard@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHomemade mayonnaise is so worth the extra effort.
ReplyDeleteHomemade bread!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing to make is homemade pasta, by hand! My best friend and I get together to make it... we roll out the pasta dough by hand, hand cut it, and then we usually cook it fresh :-) It beats dried pasta any day of the week!!
ReplyDelete*email address: vintagegirl_xoxo@yahoo.com
(forgot to add my email the first time, oops!!)
As I get older, I am more comfortable with slow foods. More willing to make a recipe that takes a few days. When I was younger life was rush rush rush, now, not so much. I would be thrilled to win this one. Last night I made Jam that was allowed to mcerate for 24 hours-fabulous.
ReplyDeleteTiramisu, often a two-day affair, day one being the making of various ladyfingers, and day two being the actual tiramisu itself.
ReplyDeletesorry, thought there would be a place to add my e-mail address on my tiramisu post: melissajoquendo at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI love making fresh pasta. It doesn't really take "that" long to make, but on busy days it can be tempting to just grab a box from the pantry. Fresh pasta is always worth the extra effort...yum.
ReplyDeleteThe chickens are loving summer! So we're getting lots of eggs, making flan the current obsession at this little homestead.
ReplyDeleteSauerkraut. I add all kinds of fun things to mine, wait a month and then enjoy with everything!
ReplyDeleteSo many of the foods I like to make takes time: Half-Sours, Kombucha, Infused Vodka and mustard. That book looks lovely- thanks for the giveaway opportunity! -Christina
ReplyDeletehomemade monkey bread ~ took forever and tortures you with the yummy smell!
ReplyDeleteHomemade stock & cultured foods!
ReplyDeletekristinLmarsh@gmail.com
oooh, BREAD! thanks for the great giveaway - i'm a huge fan of slow food...the wait is always worth it :o)
ReplyDeleteI have a pancake recipe that has a ridiculous number of steps but makes the absolute best pancakes I have ever had.
ReplyDeleteSauces- with tons of dicing involved and then lots of bubbling slowly!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful give away! I am so looking forward to homemade tomato soup this winter using this summer's bounty! Soon, I will be making blackberry everything....jam, cobbler and ice cream. It simply doesn't get any better than blackberries! Yum! Happy birthday to you!
ReplyDeleteFresh fruit and homemade bread and butter!
ReplyDeleteHomemade pizza dough! So delicious and easy to make.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog after picking up your book 'Canning, Preserving' - I'm thrilled to find someone who has written so eloquently everything I believe in myself!
ReplyDeleteI have a house in a major city, with a 30' x 110' lot - everyone says you just can't grow enough to make it 'worth it' on a city plot, and I have chosen to prove them wrong! In fact, every year, I have enough produce to be giving armloads away to friend ever other day - too much for us to eat as a family of 4! (which is why I've been getting more and more into canning over the past few years).
Your book is so wonderful, I can't wait to read it cover to cover - a CANNING book!! :)
Thanks for the inspiration, and you are right! There is definitely a movement happening, and I'm glad to be in it!!
Within the last year and a half, I have endeavored to make as much as I can myself. Skipping those store bought shortcuts has been a revelation! Never before has my cooking tasted so good — I can not only control the what is in the food my loved ones and I eat, but I the labor of love makes everything taste so real.
ReplyDeleteI now make my own butter, soft cheeses, spice blends, bread, pie crusts (and I grind my own flour — a grain mill is probably the best investment I've ever made), and my favorite, piroshki, as my ukranian grandmother, her mother, etc. have made it. Slow food keeps traditions alive.
I also love to make my own cleaning products — thanks for your wonderful so-fresh-and-so-clean spray recipe, I use it daily!
oops, and my email (for evan) is evanecarlson@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThank you!
homemade pizza in the pizza oven! have to fire up the brick oven, make the dough and let it rise, tomato sauce, cut up all the toppings, pick all the herbs from the garden...but it is ALWAYS worth it :) happy birthday ashley!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHomemade vanilla extract! Worth the long wait :)
ReplyDeleteA pot of soup that simmers on the range for hours. I keeping finding something else to add to the pot so it takes a little bit longer to cook after each addition.
ReplyDeleteSlow rising bread, sooo delicious!
ReplyDeletePossibly the slowest food I cook is the famous no-knead bread... which takes about 24 hours from start to finish. So incredibly good, and entirely worth the time!
ReplyDeleteI love to make granola! It isn't too tough to make but it does take a long time to dry in the dehydrator. But it's worth every minute!
ReplyDeleteLoved the Hunger Games series! Also just diving into your Home Dairy book and looking forward to making me some cheese and yogurt! Happy birthday. I am a fellow NCer who is currently lucky enough to be at the Outer Banks :) I do so much from scratch and take the time needed because it's so much better. I also go to great lengths to get good local ingredients. My interests are always evolving to something new. I make everything from ricotta to marshmallows to pasta and bread. I made a lemoncello that took many weeks to meld. My bolognese sauce is the most labor intensive. Gumbo is also worth the effort. Thanks for the giveaway: gabnlee at gmail dot com.
ReplyDeleteso many wonderful slow foods! i have to say the most exquisite slow delight we've had this year is infused liqueurs - i just broke open a jar of cherries that were soaking in gin and sugar for a year. glory!
ReplyDelete