Prison Gourmet Cooking

"Prison cooking Inmate style. All ingredients can be ordered off of the Colorado Department of Corrections Canteen sheet, or sneak them back from the chow hall."

http://www.squidoo.com/prisongourmetcooking

Now if i could just find a Martha Stewart shiv cozy I'd be set.

There was a post on Chowhound about this long ago, and I must admit, I am fascinated by "improvisational food." I've been working with the Department of Corrections, and it'd be inappropriate to discuss any current strategies I've heard the folks inside discuss, but I have heard that one recipe that used to be quite popular was crackers crumbled up, placed on thin foil (the kind that might be used for some chips; aluminum foil is usually not allowed: too readily weaponizable), covered with catsup and a layer of American cheese and allowed to sit under ceiling lamps to make "pizza." Then, the lamps were changed out and pizza was off the menu.

This "pizza" could not be much different/better in taste quality than what's being served in the jail cafeteria. But making it gave people some control over what they ate, and I think that sense of control is what may have been most powerfully appealing. If you've ever been in jail, you know what I'm talking about: the loss of control over one's life is probably the most difficult aspect of incarceration.

A Chef Opens a Restaurant. His Training? Decades in a Prison Kitchen.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/nyre ... .html?_r=0

Used to have the Alcatraz cookbook, but it's mia since we moved. Bought that and a couple engraved tin mugs as we exited the gift shop post tour.

Dave148 wrote:

A Chef Opens a Restaurant. His Training? Decades in a Prison Kitchen.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/nyre ... .html?_r=0

Thank you! I had no idea how much I needed this.

and this... https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ex-convict-successful-chefs_us_58012bc5e4b0e8c198a80664

I was watching the new Phil Rosenthal series on Netflix and one of the places he visited in Tel Aviv was Dr. Shakshuka, which has a prison backstory:

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-an ... le-cuisine