When 20Food began last March it started as a partnership with The Book of Bartholomew, a series of short stories about twenty-somethings and the food they share together. We first met Bartholomew in September 2010, he was sitting down to fresh corn on the cob, green beans and kale. Later in the series he and his friends share pizza, start a garden, and of course eat plate after plate of Donkey Burgers. Each of the stories (published every two weeks on Book of Bartholomew.com) share the themes of relationships, food, and young people figuring out who they are in the world.
Just like the characters, the authors on 20Food have shared some remarkable moments this year. Navigating the kitchen, a garden, and relationships is not easy for a twenty-something; 20Food has become a place to try out all of those things and share it with the world. Sometimes we’re successful. Sometimes we stumble.
The final chapter of The Book of Bartholomew is set to be published in 2012. In celebration of the series and 20Food, Mark (Bartholomew creator and illustrator) and I have started to collaborate on bringing the food of Bartholomew to life. I’ve always liked to cook dishes that match what I’m reading/learning about. Remember those middle-school cultural fair projects where we all dressed up and made food from foreign countries? The best. Plus, the Bartholomew characters make really good things.
Harvest Dinner, the latest chapter in Book of Bartholomew was published yesterday. In it, Bartholomew and his friends share a stir fry of veggies from their garden. The dinner doesn’t go quite as planned–you can read all about it by clicking the cover above–but what in life ever does? Harvest Dinner also became our first food-from-the-story project. Earlier this month, Mark asked me to re-create the stir fry to be used in the upcoming illustrations. We shared a great dinner of broccoli stir fry, an asian cabbage salad, homemade wontons, and Mark’s garlic and onion fried yams. A few weeks later, my wok is on the cover of this week’s story. How cool is that?
Aunt Josephine’s Broccoli Stir-Fry 
2 Tbsp. high heat cooking oil (peanut, sunflower, etc.)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 C. broccoli, roughly chopped
2 C. carrots, chopped
1 green pepper, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Cooked white rice for serving
1. Heat oil in wok or large stir-fry pan until a drop of water sizzles in the pan. Add garlic, vegetables, soy sauce and cayenne pepper. Stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and serve over warm white rice.
**This dish is perfect without meat, but can also be served with marinated chicken breast. To serve with meat:
2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce (optional)
1. Cut chicken into strips and place in a quart sized freezer bag with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and garlic. Seal tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours, turning bag occasionally to coat meat.
2. Heat oil in wok and add contents of freezer bag. Stir-fry chicken strips until no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside while preparing vegetables. Continue with remainder of recipe, adding meat back in with vegetables for the last minute or two of cooking to ensure chicken is re-heated through.
