A Truly Multi-Purpose Ingredient

In recent years I've come to look at the year 1976 as the start of a transitional period in my life. Though fourteen, 1976 was my last year living at home. I had 3 girlfriends that year - two in the space of a 4 week period and a third whom I have since learned went on to become a Sex Therapist - I'm still trying to understand if there's a connection. It was the year that brought the Summer Olympics to Montreal - and with them Nadia Komenichi, to maintain somewhat of a theme; and in music we were subjected to the Starland Vocal band's "Afternoon Delight", England Dan singing "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", and Paul McCartney brought us "Silly Love Songs".

...and it was also the year that I went off to cadet camp for 6 weeks in the summer.

Picture several thousand adolescent boys playing soldier, with a smattering of the opposite sex thrown in, and you can imagine the conundrum faced by camp administrators. I suspect this is where the rumour began that the cookies we were served every morning around 10:00 am were laced with Saltpeter. Now, at the time I didn't know what Saltpeter was - a knowledge gap that was shortlived.

You see, according to folk lore, Saltpeter, aka potassium nitrate, is an antaphrodesiac and was added to food in all-male institutions ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niter) or as Hoodoo in Theory claims, it has a reputation for"diminishing the male sex drive when ingested, although this is not backed by scientific evidence". But hey, try telling that to a couple of thousand cadets. It's also the main ingredient in fireworks and gun powder... which seems faintly ironic.

Having set the stage, let's fast forward a decade or so to my mother's discovery of a recipe for spiced beef - which subsequently became a seasonal favorite. But it was only a couple of years ago, when I emailed her for the recipe, that I learned a critical ingredient was said potassium nitrate.

Now, once I get something into my head it is only through arduous dialectics that I am going to change course. And so, while I've since adopted the spiced beef recipe as a seasonal favorite in my own home it is only because I'm prepared, in my love of food, to make some trade-offs.

So, pardon the pun, but if you're up to it please have a look at the Spiced Beef recipe in My Recipes, and enjoy... something!!