Disaster dining at its finest

    Disaster dining at its finest
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

In my short life, I've weathered tropical storms, tornados, lighting, ice storms, extended power outages and jellyfish (not a weather phenomenon, but still pretty scary), so I like to feel prepared for any contingency.

I can do CPR and Heimlich, and could probably save you from drowning, but I wouldn't have the first idea of what to do with the food in my pantry if my house had caught fire, or if there had been 6 feet of water in there, or if a tornado spread the contents over the next half mile.

If my pantry was the only food I had access to (it could happen!), I'd really need to know whether or not I could eat it, and how to safely cook it.

The tornado season is upon us, a time of year when I don't sleep very well, having been through more than my fair share. But, the real inspiration for today's menu was Roger Heineken, who, after the Katrina Incident, had mentioned a nifty little book called Apocalypse Chow: How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out (Emergency Eating for Hurricanes, Blackouts, Bachelors, and Other Disasters, by Jon and Robin Robertson (www.robinrobertson.com).

It's really funny, but also extremely practical. This book and several others (The Storm Gourmet,The Bird Flu Preparedness Planner) received quite a lot of attention after the monster hurricanes of 2005, when emergency services could not get to where they were needed in a timely manner. I think even Alton Brown did a couple of desert island‚ survival cooking episodes. You've got to eat, safely, so here's some interesting information for you that, hopefully, you will never need to use.

Believe it or not, FEMA is looking out for us too at www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/foodmanage, and another chock-full of information site is www.agen.ufl.edu/~foodsaf/he118.html from the University of Florida (they actually do more than sports down there!).

Generally, here are some rules to consider. Keep handy a week's supply of food that does not need refrigeration. Select food that can be quickly warmed or eaten cold (Granola bars, chili beans, canned vegetables). Many canned goods can serve as both cooking pot and serving dish. Lay in some household bleach and a few jugs of bottled water. Just remember: When in doubt, throw it out.

Not a drop to drink...

One of the first things you'll need to check on is how much water you have and whether or not it has been contaminated. The Red Cross states that you will need one gallon of water per person per day, and should plan on needing water for at least three days. Contaminated water can contain microorganisms that cause things like dysentery, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis. Purify your water before using it for drinking, cleaning, cooking or personal hygiene (especially brushing your teeth). Things are going to be bad enough without contracting a major intestinal ailment!

The best way to disinfect your water is to boil it for 10 minutes. If you can't do that, you can go to the second-best method: Household bleach (sodium hypochlorite). The bleach you use should be plain old bleach, not scented or with other additives. According to the Clorox company, you should collect water in sterilized containers. You certainly don't want all your clean water going into a germy jar. If the water has particles floating in it, either strain it through a cloth (or coffee filter), or let it settle out and then decant the clear portion.

Next, look at the water. If it's clear, add 8 drops of 5 percent to 6 percent solution bleach per one gallon. If it's cloudy, add 16 drops. Mix it up really well and let it sit for 30 minutes. At this point, give it a sniff. If it's clear and smells faintly of chlorine then the water is disinfected. If not, repeat the procedure and check again after 15 minutes. If it's still not clear and does not have a chlorine smell, then you need to pour that water out and start over with a second batch.

The Red Cross and FEMA both say it's best if you can boil it first to kill any Cryptosporidia or Giardiae, then chlorinate it as a back-up measure. Bleached water isn't very tasty, so shake it up to get some air in there and maybe even add a pinch of salt to help the flavor.

If you're running out of water, check your house for more. You can empty out the water heater tank (turn off the electrical and gas first). You can even clear the water out of your household pipes if you have to: Open up the highest tap to let air in and drain it all out through the lowest tap. If worse comes to worse, you can scoop the water out of the toilet tank (but not the bowl!) as long as you haven't put any chemicals in there. Hmmmm. Any toilet in a storm?

You don't want to survive a disaster only to die of carbon monoxide poisoning. OUTSIDE: Charcoal or gas grill, gas camp stove. INSIDE: Fondue pot/chafing dish with indoor-approved fuel (like Styrno) or a fireplace with wood or newspaper logs (Open the flue! Don't use charcoal!). Don't have a fondue pot? Wrap three bricks in aluminum foil, arrange them in an open triangle with air-gaps at the points on a nonflammable surface, place a can of Styrno in the center and you have a cooking frame for your sauce pot!

Only cook what you plan to eat since storing leftovers may be a problem. Eat your most perishable food first. Refrigerated food will remain chilled for four to six hours in a refrigerator without power. Place a thermometer in it to be sure that food has been kept below 40F. If food has been above 40 degrees F for more than 2 hours, you'¢re going to need to evaluate it before you eat it.

Flooded foods

What if your food has been through a flood? Flood waters may carry raw sewage, oil, chemical waste, or the neighbor's pooch's poop. According to the government, just about the only thing you can try to eat at that point are undamaged cans or glass jars of food. Even then, if a container has a cardboard insert in the lid (like salad dressing) it can conduct water, therefore no mayo.

So, no meats in plastic wrap, no eggs in the carton, no flour in the bag and nothing that is dented, rusted or bulging. Now, once you have that intact container, you've got to sanitize it before you open it or you'll just contaminate the contents and get sick.

Instructions for Sanitizing Flooded Canned Foods (www.ces.purdue.edu)

F Mark contents on can or jar lid with indelible ink.

F Remove labels. Paper can harbor dangerous bacteria.

F Wash jars and cans in a strong detergent solution with a scrub brush, then

F Immerse containers for 15 minutes in a solution of 2 tsp. chlorine bleach per quart of room temperature water.

F Allow containers to air dry before opening.

You need to sanitize your dishes and cookware, too, which you can do with the bleach. You can also boil metal pans and utensils in purified water for 10 minutes. Discard wooden spoons, plastic utensils, and baby bottles they can have small scratches or surface irregularities that harbor bacteria.

Not that kind

of fiery food

Assuming that there is still some food left after a fire, you need to give it a once-over. Even if it didn't burn or was in the refrigerator, it may be permeated by chemicals from the fire retardants or by chemical-infused smoke.

Foods that are sitting out, like potatoes or fruit, need to be tossed. Anything in a cardboard box, plastic wrap or screw top container should go as well (including that partially opened bag of chips). When you first open the refrigerator or freezer (assuming it hasn't gone over the temperature limits), take a good sniff. If you smell something odd (and it's not the 6-day old tuna salad) you need to throw out anything that isn't securely sealed, and decontaminate the remainder. When in doubt, throw it out!

For anything that's left, sanitize it according to the flood instructions and eat with confidence.

Say that a tornado has taken out half the town, there's no power, the shelters are all full and you need to watch over your partially demolished house anyway (heaven forfend!). It's time for dinner and you are hungry. Here's a couple of recipes from Apocalypse Chow that they shared on their website.

They're both tasty, and beat the heck out of peanut butter and crackers for the fifteenth meal in a row.

ALMOST-INSTANT BLACK BEAN CHILI

2 (15.5-oz.) cans black beans, drained

1 (16-oz.) jar salsa

2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste

1 Tbsp. dehydrated minced onion

1 (8-oz.) can corn kernels, drained

1 cup purified water, or as needed

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan, reserving half the corn. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Add as much water as needed to create a sauce and prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Simmer, stirring frequently, until heated through and long enough to cook off any raw taste from the chili powder, about 10 minutes. Garnish with the remaining corn kernels. Serve with some quick-cooking rice, tortillas or chips, if you’ve got them.

If you can boil water, you can make pasta. If you don’t have a jar of ready-made pasta sauce on hand, make this recipe. Use up any fresh ingredients you may have on hand.

PASTA IMPROV

1 lb. pasta of choice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (28-oz.) can crushed Italian seasoning tomatoes

1 Tbsp. dehydrated minced onion

2 Tbsp. red wine

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions. Drain well, toss with

1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and set it aside while you make the sauce.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, onion, wine, red pepper flakes, basil, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer until hot. Stir in the cooked pasta until heated through, tossing gently to combine. Serve hot.

Here are two more recipes, this time from Daphne Nikolopoulos’ “The Storm Gourmet” (Pineapple Press, 2005). These two make an elegant summer meal by candlelight, because that’s all you’re going to have once the sun goes down. Take some pictures for your scrapbook because no one will believe you did this in the middle of a disaster! If I didn’t have an avocado,

I’d look for some marinated artichoke hearts or a can of corn to add flavor and texture.



GAZPACHO MARTINIS

1 (14.5-oz.) can petite-diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper

1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, diced

Tabasco sauce

Combine tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, oil, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper in a martini shaker. Shake vigorously (about 10 seconds). Pour into martini glasses. Add Tabasco to taste. Garnish with avocado cubes. Serve with boxed breadsticks (near the salad croutons at the store). Makes two!

SALADE NICOISE

2 (6-oz.) cans light tuna in extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 (14.5-oz.) cans sliced white potatoes

1 (14.5 oz.) can French green beans

1 cup marinated artichokes, quartered

1 Tbsp. capers

1/4 cup pitted and halved Kalamata or other black olives

Anchovies (optional!)

Salt and pepper

Dressing:

7 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp. prepared Dijon mustard

Pinch salt

1/4 tsp. cracked pepper

In a small bowl, toss tuna with lemon juice. Set aside.

In a large salad bowl, combine potatoes, beans, artichokes, capers, olives and anchovies. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Flake the tuna with a fork and add it to the salad. Combine dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar. Shake vigorously until creamy and frothy, pour over the salad and serve. Can you tell from the ingredients that the author lives in south Florida?

Are you ready? I think I am! Since Elizabeth Locey gave Andy and me a cast iron fondue pot (cast iron!) I know exactly what we're going to do as soon as everyone is safe and sound. We'll heat up whatever olive oil we can scrounge and fondue all night long with our perishable meats and vegetables! You are all invited, as long as you threw out the things you were in doubt about.

Next week we'll share your favorite peanut or peanut butter recipes. Your challenge for the following week is something very sweet! We may not get as many as we'd like this year, so put them to good use: PEACHES. Lovely Georgia I mean Colorado peaches in cakes, in cobblers, on hams. Send that fabulous recipe to murphysmenu@yahoo.com or The Emporia Gazette, P.O. Box C, Emporia, KS 66801.

Keep an eye on the sky and lets get cooking!