Chef Daniel Angerer's Blog

JUICE MENU - the blog

It finally became warmer last week and the temperature actually feels like spring. I have already had the pleasure of cooking with local vegetables like garlicky ramps, spring spinach, skinny asparagus and powerful kale. I am reminded of how tasty local vegetables can be. I feel recharged with essential vitamins and nutrients with all those green vegetables after the cold winter season. For the past few years, I have added a 3-5 day juice diet to my personal spring diet. Some people may refer to it as juice cleanse but for me it’s more about pushing my body’s reset button because not only does it clear toxins from my body but juicing also clears the fog out of my mind.

house-made nut milk

After the second day of drinking only raw juices it becomes apparent that our body’s digestive system is hard at work with a normal diet since things like walking up stairs becomes easier because of the apparent lightness. Concentration reaches a higher level and our skin is noticeably smoother. These are just a few of the benefits of juicing.

 

How much juice
When I do a juice session I usually drink eight 16-ounce liquids a days and in addition I consume three tablespoons of chia seeds, which I hydrate in water, which hydrates the body from the inside out. Chia seeds soak up just about any liquid perfectly. The seeds also help me to keep a satiated feeling all the time. All that said I don’t limit myself to eight juices a day - it’s more like I just don’t want to drink anymore. Of course that depends on how satisfying the juices are!

The juices I want
You’ll find plenty of juice places but only a few produce cold-pressed juices. The cold pressed juice production is superior to any other that is available currently. In the cold press system, a vegetable or a fruit is manually broken down in a slow-grind process, which does not generate any heat. Therefore all of the food item’s valuable minerals and vitamins are preserved. Later that pulp is folded into a strong woven cloth and squeezed with a hydraulic press that extracts the juice, which is then strained through a fine sieve. The process is proven to be much better for the preservation of nutrients compared with a harsh centrifuge juicer.
In general raw pressed juices have to be consumed within a 3-day period before they expire. If you don’t live close to one of the fresh juice places such as Organic Avenue, Juice Generation, Juice Press, or Dig Inn Seasonal Market, you have the options to get them via Fed-ex overnight delivery from Blue Print which uses a no-heat pressure pasteurization method that gives their juices a shelf life of a couple of weeks. Starbucks, with over 13,200 locations throughout the US, uses the same pasteurization technique and makes a juice session possible just about anywhere in the US.

 

nut milk straining through a nut bag

My Juice Menu 
There are a plentitude of raw juices available so it can be a little confusing but I let my taste buds guide me:
• Savory Juice - raw vegetable pressings – usually a combination of kale, romaine, spinach, celery, cucumber, parsley, ginger
• Sweet Juice – raw fruit pressings such as OJ, grapefruit, watermelon, pears, apples or a mixture of such
• Savory & Sweet Juices - a mixture of savory and sweet raw juices to make them more palatable
• Ades - made with lemon, ginger, cucumber, mint, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, often sweetened with agave and spiced with cayenne, vanilla etc.
• Nut and/or seed and spice milks - almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, hemp seeds, oats spiced with vanilla, salt, cayenne, cardamom, cinnamon, and sometimes exotic spices, often sweetened with dates.

 

A Juice Day
I start the day with a nut-milk such as almond and drink plenty of water throughout the morning. For lunch I drink solely green juice. In the afternoon I prefer sweet juice such as OJ and grapefruit which tastes like a treat at this point, plus it gives me carbs to stay alert. I don’t do many ades because they tend to taste too sweet to me. For dinner I’m satisfied with a mixture of green & sweet juice and later finish with cashew or pistachio milk, which are rich and taste delicious – it’s my dessert at this point and gives a nice full feeling before bed.
My breakfast nut-milk and lunch, afternoon, dinner drinks I purchase from stores. But the nut-milks at the end of the day I make myself at home in my Breville blender. It’s a breeze - you can fix it within 10 minutes. Here is my recipe for my favorite end of the day almond milk.

Almond & Vanilla Milk
(recipe yields 16 oz milk)
1 cup slivered, toasted almonds
2 ½ cups warm water
1/8 of a vanilla bean
2 pieces pitted dates, thinly sliced

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender cup and process for 4-5 minutes
2. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve or a nut-bag/cloth.
3. Pour the nut-milk over ice in a glass and serve with a straw.

OLIVE OIL BECHAMEL – the blog

You may have heard of béchamel. It is one of the classic sauces in French cooking and has many applications, e.g., creamed carrots, peas, spinach or cauliflower. When béchamel is applied in soups it is generally called a velouté, which you may have read on restaurant menus - it describes a creamy soup. Baked casserole dishes like lasagna and other noodle dishes are the perfect fit for béchamel. The outcome is a gustatory wonder.

bechamel baked white asparagus

Cream or not?
As a young cook I was taught that béchamel is a cream sauce, which I never questioned, but many years later when I started to re-examine classic recipes it occurred to me that béchamel is made without a drop of cream.  Its three basic ingredients are butter, flour and milk. Indeed the “cream” explains its texture so perhaps it should be called “creamy sauce” though velouté and Béchamel sound a lot more poetic.

 

Béchamel is spiced up fairly simply - salt, pepper and a few gratings of nutmeg make a tasty sauce, which you can apply to numerous dishes. 

creamy bechamel

Contemporary Béchamel
Béchamel may be translated into a contemporary cooking style – meaning one that is more cautious about fat content.  Classic béchamel is made with bleached white flour, which gives the sauce a velvety texture. I prefer to switch out that nutritiously empty flour for more wholesome whole-wheat flour, which lends the sauce a naturally nutty quality. I have had great success with changing the butter in a classic béchamel recipe for extra virgin olive oil, which makes a perfect “creamy” sauce. And the best part of making béchamel is that it can be prepared within 10 minutes!

 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Béchamel
(makes approximately 1-¼  cup béchamel)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups whole milk
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper from a mill, to taste
Nutmeg, 5 gratings or ¼ teaspoon 

1. In a gallon sized pot heat oil on medium heat setting
2. Add flour, stir with a wire whisk constantly and cook for 3 minutes
3. Add milk and spices then cook for 5 minutes. Once the mixture starts boiling stir constantly – this will prevent scorching
4. Pour the sauce into a bowl and scrape the pot clean with a plastic spatula. Cover the sauce with plastic saran-wrap. It will prevent the sauce from drying out

Béchamel application suggestions:
Béchamel may be prepared a day ahead and reheated in a microwave in a microwavable container covered with a loose fitting lid.

Each application serves four:

• For each person steam 4-6 spears of asparagus. In a square-shaped baking dish layer asparagus with thin layers of béchamel. Top with freshly grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
• Dice 4 strips of bacon and a clove of peeled garlic and cook in a skillet for 2 minutes. Add 4 cups of English peas, ¼-cup water and cook 5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons béchamel and bring to boil. Garnish with ½-tablespoon freshly chopped mint leaves.
• In a pot steam 4 bunches of cleaned, de-stemmed spinach. Add 4 tablespoons warm béchamel.
• In a pot combine 2 cups chopped carrots, ½-cup peeled, diced onions, 2 peeled cloves of sliced garlic with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat setting for 20 minutes. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and 2 tablespoons béchamel and bring to boil. Put mixture into a blender and process for 4 minutes. Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. 

 

 

 

 

CROUTONS DO-IT-YOURSELF - the blog

There is something to be said about bread that eventually finds its end as a crouton. It’s a terrific way to recycle day-old bread that has lost its fresh crunch. Croutons are one of those foods that taste so much better when made fresh (ironically since it’s made from day-old bread) and it’s easy to do it yourself.  Plus you can control the ingredients compared to the 50-ingredient + list in most of the store store-bought varieties.

croutons cooked to a golden color

“Crouton” is a French word that means crust. The simplest and quickest version of croutons is buttered bread simply toasted (in a regular toaster) and cut it into small cubes. They are terrific when tossed into salads -- think of Caesar salad in which croutons are a must. The crunchy bread adds terrific mouth feel and bulk into the salad.  Croutons sprinkled over an oozing dish like mac & cheese add a welcoming textural contrast.  And of course croutons are traditionally used for stuffing especially a classic Thanksgiving turkey stuffing where it sponges up the roasting juices and became a delicious flavor catcher Croutons can be large as in a classic French onion soup, which has one cheesy crouton floating on top of the soup. Also, in sweet applications croutons can be seductive - rich brioche bread toasted with a little butter and dusted with powdered sugar, sprinkled over ice cream are a revelation.

slicing & dicing croutons

Making croutons
Lately I have been hooked on croutons and make them in many different ways. I use ground black pepper and sea salt as a basic spice. Usually I toss them in extra virgin olive oil and freshly chopped herbs - basil, thyme and or parsley make a great addition. Granted there are oven-baked variations of croutons out there but I prefer to toast them in a non-stick pan over medium heat, continuously shaking.  A delicious trick is to cook a clove of garlic cut in half along with the croutons in the skillet – this way the bread gets an addictive perfumed scent.  

shake the pan frequently to prevent scorching

 

Classically, croutons are cut into cubes, but often I simply slice the bread thinly, drizzle it with olive oil and cook until they are picturesquely golden. I let them cool on a kitchen paper towel, which absorbs the excess fat.  Then I simply break them into mouth-sized pieces with my hands. The irregular pieces give a dish a rustic look.

Don’t skimp on the oil -- the croutons come out particularly good when they are cooked in plenty of oil, which makes them almost “crouton fries”.  Later you can cut-down the oil in the dressing if you like though.

Basil/Extra Virgin Olive Oil Croutons
(recipe makes 2 cups)
6 slices or 2 cups ¼-inch diced bread, I prefer square sized Pullman whole wheat, multigrain bread
1 tablespoon sliced basil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste
fresh black pepper from a mill 

1. In a bowl toss olive oil basil, basil, salt and pepper
2. On medium heat setting cook croutons until they are browned
3. Transfer croutons to a kitchen paper towel – this will absorb the excess oil

Chef’s Note: Before you take the golden-brown cooked croutons out of the pan sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over them and cook for 30 seconds longer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GILLS, CAPS & BUTTONS – the blog

mixed mushrooms

April rainfall and spring temperature is ideal mushroom growing weather. Literally overnight, chanterelles, morels porcinis, lobsters, hen of the woods and parasols pop their heads out of mossy, moist forest ground.  Still more wild mushrooms grow on tree stumps and logs. It’s a pity that such mushrooms become more and more depleted and the price inches upward every year to a point that they are not affordable unless you’re preparing a deep pocket dinner. Demand is particularly fierce in a city like New York where many chefs want to cook with them. I used to have wild mushroom hunters come to the restaurant that usually walked in from the street without an appointment. They would sell their fresh mushroom goods amongst other sought after treasures such as wild berries, ramps, and fiddle-head-ferns and other finds. They were never interested in revealing the location where they picked their goods. It’s kept a secret like the Holy Grail. Many pick in the Northern areas and come from when you wandered in the woods and coming back with a load of mushrooms close to the city.

mushroom basked

Cultivated mushrooms  
If you like mushrooms there are great advances in the world of cultivated mushrooms like Immaculate white button mushroom, sleek shitake, fat portobello, the porcini look alike cremini and silvery oyster mushrooms are just a few.  While they might not be as flavorful compared to the wild forest mushrooms, with the right cooking technique you’ll be able to produce delicious, tasty mushroom meals.

Cultivated mushrooms are often grown on table-like constructions on composted/sand matter. They grow best in a dark, cool (50 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit) cellar-like environment where it is humid and moist – that’s how they grow the fastest.

hot, hot skillet for sauteing mushrooms

Sauté = cooking fast in a shallow pan on high heat setting
This is the preferred cooking method for mushrooms since they consist mainly of water – around 90%.   It is best to use a non-stick pan. I suggest working in small batches so that the individual mushroom gets enough roasting surface and cooks evenly - this creates tasty mushroom morsels. 

Tips for tasty mushrooms
The following cooking tips are mushroom finishing steps. In my household we use a typical 8-inch non-stick sauté-pan for mushroom cooking which you can also use for omelets, scrambled eggs, roasting nuts, toasting spices, searing crispy skin-on fish and so forth.

I use salt and pepper as base seasoning in the following preparations: 

-       Peel and slice one clove of garlic. Sauté mushrooms - once they are browned, switch heat setting to low, add the garlic and cook for one minute.

-       Switch heat setting to low at the very end of the sautéing process, add minced shallots and chopped thyme leaves, add ½ tablespoon of butter and cook for another minute. These mushrooms are terrific over grilled meats and fish.

 -       Season the cooked mushroom with a dash of light soy sauce, which boosts the natural umami flavor. Toss with 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped Italian parsley. The soy sauce kissed mushrooms are terrific in salads. Let them cool to room temperature before tossing them into the salad.

-       Sautee the mushrooms, once they are cooked and take-on a brown-roasted color, add ½ cup of unsweetened nut milk e.g. almond, hazelnut, cashew milk – this will enhance the natural nuttiness of the mushrooms. For a decadent meal use heavy cream instead of the nut milk. Cook the mixture for two minutes on medium heat setting. Use the mushrooms as a base in pasta dishes or serve it alongside roasted meats.

roasted mushroom in a spring salad

Chef’s Tip: Fine stores carry mushroom-infused specialty oils such as porcini mushroom, black or white truffle oil. They’re expensive but a little goes a long way. Add them just before serving to preserve the aroma.

 

 

 

CHEEZ-IT - the blog

A mom in my toddler daughter’s pre-school sent an e-mail to the whole group of parents. Her son, wanting a cheez-it snack threw himself on the subway floor and screamed his lungs out when he spied those cracker products in a subway news stand. The mom was surprised that her son actually knew what a cheez-it was since she feeds her child a diet of healthy, real food free of highly processed food. “He must have had cheez-it at a play date in somebody else’s house or at the school for a snack” she was thinking. 

cheese crisp stacks

Anyway, I jumped on the cheez-it wagon and digging deeper about some of the ingredients such as shelf life extenders, high levels of salt and sugar and bleached flour makes you think twice about incorporating it into your toddler’s diet. Granted the FDA puts a seal of approval on the product and it’s “safe” to be consumed in normal doses but why even go there especially when you are training the palate of a little person. We’re surrounded by plenty of food containing ingredients that are somewhat questionable especially for your kids. My spouse and I are constantly busy with reading ingredients on packages at the supermarket and making sure that the ingredients live up to our standards. We try to eat as healthy as possible with minimal processed foods, preferably organic.
I don’t mean to spread bad news and go off on a rant but just think about the following scenario. It’s fictional but familiar. Little Dylan gets up early in the morning and gets ready for school. Like so many of us he loves his milk and cereal and there’s a good chance that the milk is from a industrial sized dairy that gets milk from cows injected with r-BGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone or rBST recombinant bovine somatotropin). These growth hormones induce cows to produce milk. It makes a cow increase its milk output by +/-15%. A common side effect of that increased output is mastitis, an utter infection. Mastitis is very painful to the cow, results in puss in the milk and requires a cow be treated with antibiotics. Got milk! The paradox is that in the USA we produce too much milk already so what’s the point of r-BGH. More is better? Let’s move on to Dylan’s beloved cereal which crunches so nicely between his tiny teeth because it has a perfect shiny glaze of HFCS a/k/a high fructose corn syrup or plenty of sugar in different forms. See a list of more sugar  . The average person in the US consumes too much sugar which of course leads to obesity. Best-selling cereals have up to 25% sugar! The sugar gets little Dylan moving in the morning. We’re lucky he is not allowed to drink coffee yet as he would literally climb up the walls. If the cereal is not organic you can be sure that the grain is GE or genetically engineered (a/k/a GMO which is a genetically modified organism). That is scientists getting into the DNA of plants and making them faster growing, resistant to pathogens, etc. There are pros and cons to the GMO subject but a good part of us worries that tampering with nature can result in mutant plants which will eventually harm us. It’s kind of digging our own grave. It’s only fair to us that any product made with GMO plants should be labeled as such. Another point we have to be worried about, even when a product is organic, is the run-off of synthetic pesticide and fertilizer treated produce fields contaminating our drinking water - liquid cancer anybody? A little advice here- it’s a good idea to get a water filter installed in your tap water supply.

cheese heaps on a sil-pat backing mat

Cheese Crackers
Let’s go back to our cheese cracker snacks. I’m a big defender of fresh produce and cooking versus opening packaged processed food for which you need an encyclopedia to decode (if you read the ingredients). The following recipe is simple and needs ONE ingredient.

Gourmet Cheese Crisps
(recipe yields approximately 12 cheese crackers)

4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used my Microplane grater for long cheese shreds)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a cookie sheet pan with a lightly oiled nonstick baking sheet such as parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
3. Mound 2-tablespoon sized grated cheese onto the nonstick layer. The cheese mounds should be spread into 2-inch circles. Also leave 2-inch space around each cheese mount.
4. Bake the cheese for 8-12 minutes. The cheese should have a golden-brown color. Take the cookie sheet pan out of the oven and put it on the kitchen counter for a minute. With a metal spatula scrape the melted cheese circles off the sheet pan liner and drape them over the edge of a dinner plate.

Serving Suggestions: break the cheese crisps into small pieces and sprinkle over salad. Steam asparagus and toss it with a bit of EVO and butter. Serve the asparagus in small bowls, season with black pepper from a mill and cover with cheese crisps.

RAMPING UP THE SEASON – the blog

 

a basket of fresh ramps

Ramps, a/k/a spring garlic or wild leeks, are green, broad leafed scallion look-alike plants. The flavor of this spring allium is pungent, fresh and garlicky with a sweet onion scent. I like to pickle ramps which has the effect of preserving them and extending their short season. Other cooking methots that work well for ramps are steaming, grilling and sauteeing. When applied raw to a dish it must be done in small doses because it tends to overpower any other flavor. The only way I like using raw ramps is juicing the fresh leaves and adding ramp that essence to a nage broth. I like to aerate this broth with a hand blender which makes a cloud-like texture and apperance. My favorite dish is for this green broth a simply steamed rainbow trout which is a mild flavored fish that benefits from the garlicky tasting ramps. In addition neatly manicured spring carrots pocked to the cloud-like broth which makes a picture ready dish.

a bed of ramps in the forrest

 

Every year when ramps are in the house the ramp-perfumed air tickles my nostrills and makes me think of that silky-textured, bright green rainbow-trout dish.  

A scent of sweet garlic in the air
Ramps are not culitvated but come straight out of the woods and therefore need a good rinse under luke-warm water to wash off soil. I get ramps at the local farmer’s market and don’t remember seeing them in a supermarket. Cooking with ramps is the essence of seasonal locavore philosophy since they have a short season and are mainly available at farmer’s markets. Generally they’re available from mid-April to the end of May. The sweet scent of ramps becomes evident when you have the opportunity to run through a ramp laced forest early in the spring season – the air reeks of it.

Risotto must be stirred with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula so it will cook each rice grain evenly

Ramp Risotto
(recipe yields four entrée sized portions)
8 ramps
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cups risotto rice such as Vialone Nano rice
1/2 cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio
4 -6 cups water
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper from a mill to taste
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra virign olive oil 

 

1. Rinse ramps with water and cut roots off and throw out. Chop ramps 1/8-inch wide. Keep the green and white ramp part separate.
2. Heat oil in a gallon-sized pot on medium heat setting, add the cut white ramp part and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Rinse rice with hot water and drain in a colander – this will wash off some of the natural rice starch. Combine rice with the cooked ramps in the pot and cook for 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. The rice should have a glassy apperance at this point. Add white wine and bring to boil then add 2 cups of water. Cook the rice constantly stirring slowly – this will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and cooks the rice grains evenly. Keep adding water by the half cup and stirring constanly. The rice will continue to absorb the water and cook to the desired donenness. I like to cook the rice “all dente”, which will take approximatly 25 -30 minutes. This is the point where the individual rice grain still shows a somewhat uncooked center but is ready to be eaten.
4. Take the rice off the stove. The rice should have a chili-like texture before adding olive oil,  pinenuts, green-cut ramp leaves and cheeese. Stir vigorously and add a few spoonfuls of water to achive that chili-like texture. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Tip: If you like an extra rich risotto add 2-tablespoons of  butter at the end.

 

 

 

 

 

Cacio e Pepe - the blog

Cacio e Pepe
I am among those people who eat lots of pasta. For one its power food, which gives me my strength for my daily workout and keeps me going throughout the day. The other reason is that it’s quick and simple in terms of preparation and not too shabby at all when prepared nicely.

Spaghetti Cacio e pepe

Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e pepe means cheese and pepper and that is the essence of this well-loved dish. It‘s one pasta that highlights that simplicity. All that you need is thin spaghetti made with Durum wheat. It is that hard durum wheat that allows the pasta to be cooked “al dente”. Al dente translates as “to-the-tooth”  meaning the pasta is cooked and consumable but the center is slightly underdone  - -it gives some bite or texture to the tooth. If I have the choice I gravitate to whole-wheat pasta because of the wholesomeness. When I cook cacio e pepe though I make an exception and prefer the refined, white pasta because it tends to absorb the sauce better.

I learned the following Cacio e pepe cooking method from my Italian chef buddies, these guys made sure to make me understand to follow the steps religiously. Indeed I have adopted it and it’s always a success.

simple and great tasting Cacio e pepe

 

Cacio e pepe
(recipe yields four servings)
2 tablespoons whole black pepper corn
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 lb thin spaghetti pasta
¼ cup vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed
1 pinch pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces butter
2 tablespoons, chopped Italian parsley
2 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated 

1. Fold peppercorns in a clean kitchen towel and pound it with a meat hammer, small sauce-pot or any other heavy object. The black pepper should be cracked and no more peppercorns should be whole.
2. In a 6-inch skillet combine cracked pepper, pepper flakes, vegetable oil and 1-tablespoon olive oil. On medium heat setting cook peppercorns for 10 minutes. The pepper should be lightly bubbling but not frying  - this will extract the pepper flavor and soften the cracked pepper fragments.
3. In a gallon-sized pot bring 3 qt water to a rolling boil on high heat setting. Cook pasta for 7 minutes. At this point the pasta is very al dente. Pour the pasta through a colander and reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water. Spread pasta with kitchen tongues over a cookie sheet pan - this will prevent the pasta from sticking together. Let the pasta cool at room temperature.
4. In the gallon-sized pot heat 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water then add pasta and pepper/oil mixture. Heat pasta for 1-2 minutes.
5. On the side of the stove add the rest of the olive oil, butter, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Serve the pasta immediately.

Chef’s Tip: Serve the pasta with ciabatta bread. 

SNACK ATTACK – the blog

Even with Spring temperatures around the corner we have had cold snowy nights in the past two weeks and that is certainly a great excuse to watch your favorite TV show and be seduced by the commercial candy industry. We don’t have to worry - they have us covered! Being a couch potato and snacking on paper-thin, delicate slices of potato chips, perfectly spicy salsa & extra crunchy tortilla chips, milk chocolate covered salted pretzels, peanut butter cup ice cream and other junk food goodies to a point where it does not feel right around the waist line anymore. Admit it this happens to most of us - hopefully not too often though.


Last week my spouse diversified our snacking habits. She came along with honey caramelized popcorn rolled in extra bitter chocolate. Salty, decently sweet and a cracking-sound and crunchiness made them a success. In addition I liked it because popcorn is a gluten free treat, and being a whole grain they have plenty of fiber and roughage. I have been cutting down on the daily gluten intake and it feels really good on my body. That popcorn was our dessert for the day and it while still decadent it was easier to get up the next day!

 

Caramelized popcorn with chocolate

Popcorn rocks!
I think most of us agree that popcorn is awesome. It can be a snack, appetizer and/or dessert. It’s versatile depending on what kind of additional ingredients are tossed into the steaming, puffed heap. Popcorn is a canvas for flavors to experiment with - they adapt to just about every flavor very well. In addition, popcorn can add volume to a party menu without breaking the bank and is prepared within minutes with the push of a button on the microwave. Another way to make popcorn is the old fashioned way on the stove top shaking the pan back and forth. I don’t get why people buy the bagged version of popped popcorn in a store to eat at home. Popcorn can be prepared within 4-5 minutes and it tastes so much better freshly popped and the best is you get to control all the added ingredients.

 

A few versions
I’m listing some of my favorite popcorn recipes, which are addictive. The recipes are for an average 3.5 oz package of un-popped corn. I buy mine at Whole Foods or some decent brands can be purchased online check out Qyinn popcorn which I tried recently at a friend’s house. I prefer the organic kind, which has nothing, added except salt and a little non-GMO canola oil. 

-       A whiff of fragrant Mushrooms : add 2 tablespoons truffle oil to freshly puffed popcorn and shake in a bag to coat them evenly
-       BBQ: 1/8-tsp smoke liquid (available in most health food stores) 1/8-tsp cayenne, 1 teaspoon paprika powder. If not eaten out of the bag this version can be sprinkled over grilled or barbecued meat dishes.
-       Umami Popped Corn:  add ½ cup finely grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and a dash of light soy sauce. This is a sinful version with lots of flavor.  
-       Dulce de Leche with Coconut & Maple: in a sauce pot heat ¼ cup maple syrup and heat on medium heat setting until the syrup is dark brown, add ¼ cup coconut milk then cook to reduce by half the volume. Pour the goodness over the popcorn.
-       Popcorn with bacon and maple: Cut bacon slices into 1/8-inch wide strips then cut across 1/8-inch wide into cubes. In a saucepot combine bacon and 2 tablespoons water and cook on medium heat setting for 5 – 8 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and cook for 2 minutes longer. The bacon should have a brown roasted color. Poor bacon bites including fat over the freshly popped corn.
-       Hot Chile Popcorn – combine the following ingredients n a bowl and mix with a wire whisk: 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco, Sriracha), 3 tablespoons cider vinegar,  3 ounces chopped blue cheese (Maytag, Roquefort), 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Poor mixture over freshly popped corn. 

…enjoy your movie night with guilt free - ok relatively guilt free snacking.

 

MIGHTY RADISHES – the blog

I am eagerly waiting to taste the first spring radishes. Like crocuses. radishes are  a messenger that the local fresh vegetable season has officially started. Last year radishes came to the local farmer’s market in the last week of March.  This year due to the cold, long lasting winter season they will most likely make their appearance the first or second week of April. Radish sprouts are already available though.

garden radish

Radish varieties
At the farmer’s market when radishes are next to ramps, earthy fiddlehead ferns, tiny beets and baby carrots, they all make a picturesque pallet of colors. One of the farmers I frequently buy radishes from grows different varieties ranging from pale purple, pastel-pink, black, pale-yellow, snow-white to fuchsia-red. The taste of those radishes is amazingly different. One of my go-to radishes is the French breakfast variety, which is oblong shaped, about 2-inches in length and mustardy in flavor. Another radish I find interesting is the Icicle variety, which looks like a white baby carrot and has a pungent, peppery flavor profile. Another favorite of mine is the Daikon radish, which can grow up to 50 pounds! Daikon is a bit stinky when grated and can have different levels of spiciness depending on the size. I paired Daikon radish with a flash-seared, crimson-red blue fin tuna on Jasmine rice when it was still plentiful in the ocean.  The red and purple variety Alex the farmer grows tends to be mild flavored and makes a perfect, colorful addition in salads. Watermelon radishes are among my favorite for great presentation.  These crimson red radish radish slices are a  perfect amuse bouche.

amuse bouche

Their natural pungency wakes up the senses and it is a nice way to introduce the spring season. We served them with a tiny bowl of coarse, black lava or pink Himalayan salt where the guest would dip-in the radishes and enjoy the burst of crunch, pungency and salinity at once.

 

First Unearthing Radish Memories
When I think of radishes that picture of a radish dressed up like a mouse comes to my mind. You might have seen that picture in a children’s book.  A round, red radish is the mouse body, thin slices are the two large ears and the natural radish root is the tail. I guess that picture must have made a big impression when I saw it as a young boy in a book the first time.

radish mouse

 

I still remember unearthing the first radishes of the season in my parent’s back yard when I was a kid. I harvested bibb lettuce and snipped some chive stalks, which sometimes blossomed at that time. Chive blossoms are tiny, purple florets with a pungent oniony flavor.

Radish and Butter Lettuce with Chives
(recipe yields four portions)
8 radishes, approximately 1-inch in diameter
2 heads Boston bibb lettuce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼-teaspoon sea salt
5 grindings black pepper from a pepper mill
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup chive, snipped with scissors into ½-inch long pieces.

snipping chive keeps the herb fresh and juicey

 

1. Cut green top and root off from radishes then rinse with water. With a mandolin or a knife cut thin as possible slices of the radishes. The slices should be perfect little disks and paper-thin.
2. Tear the lettuce into 3-inch/mouth sized pieces and rinse with water. Dry the lettuce with a salad spinner or on kitchen paper towel.
3. In a large bowl combine radish, lettuce and chive. Sprinkle mixture with vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil then toss with kitchen tong.
4. Put the salad into four bowl plates.

Chef’s Tip: Cut rye bread into ¼-inch cubes. Toss bread in extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground pepper (1 slice rye bread/person + 1 tablespoon EVOO). In a non-stick pan toast bread cubes until browned then transfer on to kitchen paper towel – this will absorb excess oil.  Sprinkle the room temperature croutons over the salads. 

SIMPLE DELICIOUS – the blog

The other day we cooked garlic confit – which is whole garlic cloves (slowly cooked in a generous mixture of canola and extra virgin olive oil) to a buttery consistency. The pot of garlic sat next to the stove cooling off a bit before it was going to be pureed and its aroma was pleasant. Garlic puree is one of the staples for seasoning next to sea salt and black butcher pepper in many of my recipes. It’s sweet and rich at the same time and boosts the flavor in general. I make sure to poach garlic long and slow in the oil to make the pungency of raw garlic disappear otherwise it tends to overtake the palette of flavors.

garlic cloves

Meat & potato kinda meal
It just happened that we had prepared staff meal the day we prepared braised beef shoulder and mashed potatoes and some roasted carrots. The beef had a fork tender consistency and did not need a knife for cutting. The six hour cooking time had definitely shown off. It seemed a suitable meal especially on a day it just had started to snow and the wind made the temperature seem North Pole like.

 

The carrots were doused in sweet paprika and roasted underneath the beef for an hour. The beef roast dripping juices added that special something to the carrots.  The mashed potatoes were kept simple. It had a chunky texture and was enriched with a noticeable amount of extra virgin olive oil. We have an excess of EVO in the kitchen from a tasting of olive oils for some of our upcoming spring vegetable dishes, which came in handy for the mashed potatoes.   

Biting my tongue…
When lunchtime came for us I was a bit shocked when I saw a new cook reach with a ladle into the caldron of the oil-poached garlic and pour a generous portion right over his mashed potatoes. I had to bite my tongue a bit and hold back not to say something, and I’m thinking – dude don’t get fresh your first day at work in a new kitchen reaching into a pot which is not destined to be consumed by the staff – a matter of respect. His plate looked so good though that he inspired me to do the same.  Certainly I was not disappointed. It was one of those moments where it made me close my eyes for enjoyment and day dream about the deliciousness in my mouth – salty, juicy, beef, dripping soaked sweet carrots coins, and here comes the kicker wonderful, olive oil-creamed mashed potatoes covered with a satisfying richness of buttery garlic cloves – a thorough delight.  

I’m a little bit hooked and have been cooking it the third time at home already since. I suggest serving the following recipe with slowly cooked meat such as braises with plenty of gravy.

simple delicious mashes potatoes with garlic confit

 

Mashed potatoes studded with Garlic Confit
(recipe makes four side portions)

2 pounds Yukon gold, or russet potatoes
1 teaspoon salt, for the potato cooking water
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 branch rosemary, about 5-inch long
2 heads garlic
½ cup canola oil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
black pepper from a mill
sea salt, to taste 

1. Break the garlic heads apart so that all cloves are separated. In a small saucepot bring 1 quart of water to boil and cook the cloves for 30 seconds. The cloves will be easy to peel that way. Once all garlic cloves are peeled combine the oils and garlic cloves in a small saucepot. Cover the saucepot with a tight fitting lid and cook the mixture on low heat setting for 30 – 45 minutes or until the cloves are soft in the center when pierced with a knife. Strain garlic cloves in a colander and reserve the oil.
   
2. Rinse potatoes with water. In a gallon-sized pot combine potatoes, cumin, salt and rosemary then bring to boil on high heat setting. Continue to cook potatoes on low heat setting until they are soft in the middle when pierced with a knife. Strain potatoes into a colander and let the steam escape for 10 minutes. Peel potatoes with a small paring knife and put them into a pot and add salt, pepper and ½ of the oil from the garlic cooking. Over low heat setting incorporate all ingredients with a table fork then add the rest of the oil a little bit at the time continuously mixing with the fork.
3. Serve the potatoes piping hot and sprinkle with warm garlic cloves.

Chef’s Tip: The garlic puree is a pantry essential and keeps well for a week as long it is covered and refrigerated. Simply double the amount in the recipe and store half of it!

In fact I can hardly think of a dish I would not use garlic oil in, but here are some definite uses:

-       brush baguette with garlic oil and toast or grill it
-       dip bread into garlic oil instead of the usual olive oil – tastes great next to a charcuterie and cheese plate
-       switch garlic confit from the raw garlic in guacamole – this will take your guacamole to the next level
-       enrich pasta dishes with the garlic oil instead of olive oil or butter

 

JAKOBSMUSCHELN – the blog

No doubt this word is a tongue breaker. It’s the German word for “sea scallops.”
I chose this word for this post’s headline because I was first introduced to sea scallops in a fancy, worldly restaurant in the south of Germany. That was where I tasted this delectable seafood from different oceans of the world on a daily basis. They were wild caught from the bottom of the ocean by divers. I recall that the divers collected them in nets and brought them to the water surface. Those scallops were delivered to the restaurant still alive. In fact later when customers ordered a particular sashimi style-raw scallop dish, it was still moving on the plate! The preparation of the dish went like this: the scallops were shucked out of their large sea shells then rinsed with ice cold water and sliced paper thin with a razor sharp, long-bladed fish knife. We put the slices on a puddle of sour cream, which was spread out in a circle over a plate and then garnished with baby herbs and finished with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Indeed the freshness was evident because the sliced pieces of sea scallop moved in a calm wave pattern. It was explained to me that “when the scallop pieces are hit by the sodium of the salt it sets off a chemical reaction, which makes the sea scallop move.” Needless to say, it freaked me out a bit at first, but when we heard the constant “ohhhs, ahhhs and jaaas” from customers we went on with the barbaric slicing.

Sea Scallops sizzling in my non-stick pan

 

Scallop fishery
In the US I prefer scallops from Maine because of their proximity and immaculate taste. The main commercial fishing season, in the northeastern Gulf of Maine is almost over for this year and generally lasts from mid December through the end of March but that changes from year to year. NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) and the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils together manage the federal area of the sea scallop fishery. Thanks to effective management of fishing season and area throughout the year sea scallop harvest yields have risen in the past years.

Sea scallops are found in groups that are called “beds” on the sea floor and get caught by dredges (rake/steel bar like gear), which kicks them up from the ocean floor and then get caught with an attached metal net. Dredging compared to scuba diving for sea scallops is questionable because it damages the undersea flora and fauna but tight regulations for harvest periods, allowable yield and changes in harvest gear will hopefully bring a solution along in the near future.

Scallop Shells
The beautiful-large scallop shells find all kind of uses from candleholders, jewelry holder to ashtrays. They can be worked into an art project with their pretty shape  and sometimes I serve seafood dishes in these shells like small portions of risotto for cocktail parties.

Did you know…
Scallop shells show grow-rings that correspond to the age of the scallop somewhat comparable to a tree stump. They are approximately five years old when they are about 5-6 inches in diameter and big enough to be harvested.

Immaculate sea scallop beauties

 

Perfect Pan Roasted Sea Scallops
(recipe makes four portions)
16 sea scallops “U10” meaning under 10 pieces per pound
2 teaspoons salt for brining
sea salt, to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed oil
black pepper from a mill
½ teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 tablespoon butter 

1. Rinse scallop with cold water and remove white tough mussel from each.
2. Measure 2 cups of water and mix with 2 teaspoons of sea salt, combine with scallops. Transfer the scallops to the refrigerator and brine/let sit in the water for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the sea scallops from the brine and dry on kitchen paper towel.
4. Heat a non-stick pan on high heat setting and add sea scallops. Cook for 2 minutes then add oil then cook for 2 more minutes – at this point the sea scallops should have evenly browned if not cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Switch heat setting to medium and turn the scallops over. Add butter, shallot and thyme and cook for one minutes or until the shallots have a translucent appearance. With a spoon paste top of scallops with the butter/thyme/shallot mixture for 1 minute. Quickly take scallops out of the pan not to overcook them.
   
   

   Perfectly seared sea scallops with pasta and ricotta.

Serving suggestions for pan seared sea scallops:
-       on a bed of mixed greens with a simple lemon & olive oil dressing
-       alongside pasta with tomato sauce and fresh basil
-       I like to arrange them around risotto e.g., peas & carrots risotto, wild mushroom risotto, tomato risotto with saffron   

 

 

 

SPRING PLANTINGS – the blog

March is inching closer and I’ve been talking to farmers about planting this year’s crops. Yes, even when there are no spring greens to be seen at the local vegetable market, farmers push full throttle ahead to get seeds into their fields. Timing to do so depends on the relative climate of the winter season. In the Tristate area it seems the first seeds are going to be planted the second week of March. We are getting closer!

(edamame & corn right from the freezer) 

Searching for veggies
Meanwhile we cooks are faced with the dilemma of dishing up tasty vegetable dishes. One solution for vegetables is found in a supermarket frozen food section. Bright-green peas, de-podded nibbles of edamame, neatly trimmed string beans, perfectly shucked corn, wave-cut carrots and so forth are stacked in the freezer section. Much prep work is done already and frozen veggies are offered in those cart boxes or in convenient 1-pound portions.  Although the trend is going to 10 – 8 oz packages – what’s up with that? I always look for the country of origin on the vegetable package and prefer US grown, organic products. I prefer veggies that are grown from non-GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds. Not that there is evidence yet that GMOs are harmful but I still prefer a verified, wholesome source for my cooking.  Altering nature and our food never seems to be a good thing.

A few points worth mentioning about frozen veggies:

-       Frozen veggies make for a quickly prepared dinner at home  - vegetables go from freezer to skillet and a few minutes later they are ready to eat.  
-       Frozen vegetables often come in colorful “eye candy” mixes, e.g. corn, carrots, and peas make a nice looking vegetable side on a dinner plate.
-       Mass produced veggie items may be more economical compared to the fresh veggie cousin flown-in from far away by the bunch.
-       Storing frozen vegetables at home is a no brainer – buy frozen goods in big volume to last for several weeks - ideal for a busy life style, and also this way price volatility does not come an issue since there will be a even supply from your own freezer.
-       Usually frozen vegetables are harvested at peak flavor and ripeness and then are flash frozen.  This preserves nutrients and vitamins and are often superior to a far traveled so-called fresh products.
-       It’s more likely you’ll eat the recommended three servings of vegetables if you have them available at home at all times – kids eat your vegetables!
-       On the down side texture and flavor may be altered and undesirable because of the freezing.  For example, frozen spinach is inedible in my opinion and asparagus, Brussels sprouts and broccoli are stinky and mushy compared to their fresh counterparts.

(a quickly whipped-up meal)  

Minute Corn & Edamame
(recipe makes four entrée portions)

1 lb corn, frozen
1 lb edamame, frozen  
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
5 black pepper mill grindings
¼ cup or 10 pieces black pitted olives, chopped such as Kalamata
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped such as thyme, parsley, tarragon
1 oz medium or hard cheese, grated freshly such as Cheddar, Parmesan, Manchego

1. Put a 9-inch skillet on the stove on high heat setting. After 3 minutes add corn and edamame. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes.
2. Add olive oil, olives spices and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add the chopped herbs and spoon into four bowl plates.
4. Sprinkle cheese over the vegetables.

Chef’s Tip: Cut sourdough bread into ½-inch cubes and heat with two tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Toast bread continuously moving with a wooden spoon for 3-5 minutes or until browned on all sides. Sprinkle bread croutons over the above vegetable dish. The croutons add a welcoming crunchy contrast to the tasty-cheesy vegetables.

Chef’s Note: Good practice is to put frozen vegetables into a dry skillet, let the melting water evaporate and then add olive oil. This way splattering oil won’t burn you and will be less messy around the stove.

 

 

 

 

 

Kiwi – the blog

(kiwi/tomato salad on a rice cracker)

What’s new in the produce department? Florida and California citrus fruits peaked these last few weeks and we have had our good share of pink grapefruits, Cara Cara oranges, Meyer Lemons and bergamot fruits – what a nice color palette in the midst of the long winter. California produces kiwi but I don’t mind using fruit from abroad during the winter months. Countries such as Italy and New Zealand produce tasty kiwis this time of the year. Kiwis grow best in mild weather, in the low 70°F temperature range and don’t require much rainfall. The plump fruits deliver us an important vitamin boost right about now!  That serving of vitamin C is important because our immune system is already weakened from the flu season and the limited amount of fresh veggies and fruits.

(fanning thinly sliced kiwi over greek yogurt sprinkled with chocolate chips)

Plain on the outside beautiful on the inside
My toddler daughter thinks kiwis are funny looking with their frumpy body and brown, hairy skin. But Kiwis are easily peeled with a vegetable peeler and reveal their bright grassy green inside with crunchy black seeds.  You may slice them easily with a knife once peeled.  If they’re soft to the touch, I prefer to cut them in half and spoon the fruit pulp right out of their skin-cup. The bright greenness of the fruit flesh and black seeds sorted around their white center remind me of a tropical flower.
 
(ages goat cheese with kiwi/date mustard)

Kiwi in recipes
Kiwis contain the enzyme Actinidin, which breaks down protein. This means raw kiwi won’t do well in recipes containing dairy products.  The enzyme has a natural milk protein-eating tendency that would liquefy whipped cream for instance. Another down side of kiwis is that it weakens the binding effect of certain desserts that use gelatin, such as panacotta and/or yoghurt desserts.  So the ideal way to consume kiwi in dairy products is to produce and eat them right away.  

Kiwis also have a natural meat tenderizer quality similar to pineapple and papaya – just mash a peeled kiwi with a fork and rub it into meat and let it sit for 30 minutes. It will make your next steak butter soft.  

Recharge with kiwi
Kiwis win the vitamin C crown with twice as much vitamin as oranges – one kiwi fruit a day covers the recommended dose. In fact kiwis are supposed to be the single most nutrient dense fruits, ounce for ounce. The kiwis many phytonutrients repair DNA and protect against certain kinds of cancers.

Winter power smoothie
(approximately 8 oz)
¼ cup mint leaves
1 cup water
3 kiwis
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon honey

1. In a small saucepot bring water to boil then pour over the mint.
2. Peel kiwi and cut into ¼ cubes.
3. Combine kiwi, mint/water mix, lemon juice and honey in a kitchen blender and process 2 minutes.
4. Put kiwi smoothie in the refrigerator and serve well chilled or with ice cubes.

Chef’s Tip: Hard kiwis ripen quickly in a paper bag combined with a ripe banana. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EVOO - the blog

Olive oil has been a popular cooking ingredient since ancient times and in fact it had many other uses too. Spartans and other Greeks used olive oil to rub themselves when exercising in the gymnasia. Olive oil has been prized for its deep penetrating moisturizing qualities. A natural moisturizer, olive oil regenerates skin cells and is widely used in cosmetic products.

Olive Oil Production
Olive oil production is dominated by three countries the leader being Spain, which is responsible for 30% of the world’s production. Next is Italy (Tuscany, Puglia) and Egypt has the third highest production percentage followed by Greece. Other countries, which are not that well known for olive oil production include Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia and more. In the states Arizona, California and Texas have become known as domestic olive oil producers as marketing has been stepped up.

(click on the picture to enlarge, a "melange" of olives) 

Good olive oil production is not a complex science. First olives are churned into a paste and then pressed with weight or put into a centrifuge that extracts the oil. Quality producers make sure that the oil does not reach a temperature higher than 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the extraction step to preserve valuable nutrients. Pomace is the leftover pulp-product after the pressing. Be on the look-out for pomace on olive oil labels which indicates an inferior product as it is treated with solvents and heat to squeeze out the last bit of flavor and oil and is often mixed with other oils such as canola. Another word you may find on olive oil bottles is “refined” which means the olives are treated with chemicals to neutralize strong tastes and acidity. The top quality of olive oil is extra and/or virgin olive oil. The difference between the two oils it the free fatty acid content (EVOO 0.8% and VOO 2%). In the US grading is voluntary  - it is fee based and performed by the USDA.

(Which olive oil should I buy?) 

Healthy Oil
“Virgin” olive oil has been linked to better health because of the high polyphenol content, which contain a wide variety of antioxidants . Also, that high phenolic content gives olive oil a tart, green-grassy and pungent taste.
Extra virgin/virgin olive oils have more monounsaturated fatty acid, most notably oleic acid which may be beneficial to heart health when compared to other oils. Olive oil controls the bad levels of LDL cholesterol and raises the level of good HDL cholesterol that lowers blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

The USDA allows the following claim on olive oil bottle labels:
“Limited and not conclusive scientific guidance suggests that eating about 2 tablespoon (0.8 oz, 23 g, 240 calories) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease”.

Quality
Quality production and overall standards of olive oil is overseen by the International Olive Oil Council (IOC). In the US the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) is in charge of standardizations and strict quality control. Although the USDA does not legally recognize the classification of the IOC, the US is not a member of the IOC, hence you can find on supermarket shelves in the US olive oil as “Italian” when in fact it came from other countries most likely with a lesser quality. “Light” olive oil in a sense of low calories does not exist.  If it is called light it’s because it was cut with a lesser oil. 

Interesting Olive Oil Data:

-       Greece has the highest per capita consumption of olive oil with an average of 50 lb per year, Spain is 30, and the US laughable with a 1.5 lb consumption.
-       There are about 700 different olive oils traded in the world
-       Olive oil is every bit as varied as wine varietals
-       Very fresh extra virgin olive oil is fragrant and may have to be aged to soften its “greenness” similar to red wine tannins (astringent/pucker taste which dries the roof/sides of your mouth) and can give a mildly gritty texture / feel in between your teeth.  Tannins make oil or wine more flavorful and provides body and substance.
-       Olive oil is effective when applied when shaving adding smoothness and softness to the skin.
-       Extra Virgin olive oil is not suitable to fry food since its smoking point is at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit - use refined olive oil which is more heat stable.
-       Less ripe olives make a spicy and bitter flavor versus ripe olives oils which makes a sweet tasting oil

Lastly a few tips
- Keep two olive oils on hand - one for cold applications (EVO) and another for cooking (non-EVO). Also, I have been using our house olive oil to polish my leather shoes and it works perfectly. I doubt that any toxic smelling shoe polish can even compete with olive oil.
- I like to support domestic olive oil producers such as Katz or Lucero – very good products. Others are Olivina ranch and Pasolivivio, well know for its organic growing practices.
-Who says that butter is everything in baking! Try a recipe that uses olive oil in baking -- you’ll be surprised by its lightness in the cake texture and fragrant, fruity flavor.  

 

 

BRIGHT GREEN FENNEL BULBS – the blog

Grilled, braised, roasted or raw, fennel is an intense anise tasting vegetable and people love or hate it for that.  Fennel looks like a child of celery and dill (though it is not either), its flowers blossom yellow and are often mistaken as fennel “pollen”. But these little flowers carry fennel seeds. You might be familiar with fennel seeds from Mediterranean cooking appearing often in seafood dishes; also it is the basic spice used in Italian sausage and meatballs. Personally fennel reminds me of eating licorice candy sticks when I was a child.

(bulbous fresh fennel) 

Fennel grows well in frost-free areas and even though it’s not grown locally right now I still consider it a super star in the repertoire of winter vegetables. The bulbs and seeds are not usually harvested from the same plant. The bulbous vegetable grows just above the soil level and is a versatile treasure. The green top part of the plant, I cut off and throw out because I don’t like the grassy flavor and its feathery texture.

Fennel prep
Salad
Shave fennel thinly with a mandolin for salad preparations – this will make it more palatable and manageable in the mouth since fennel is a fibrous vegetable.

(shaved fennel salad with grapefruits and black olives) 

Grill
If you want to grill fennel, slice in ½ - ¾-inch thick pieces and toss them in a bowl with sea salt, pepper and olive oil.
Braise
I like to cut thick wedges out of the fennel bulbs for recipes that require braising, i.e., where the fennel pieces are cooked partially immersed in liquid. Choose orange juice, chicken broth or white wine to braise the fennel in.

No fuss fennel recipe 
Fennel bulbs are on the rather pricy side so you can apply it sparingly in recipes and combine with other vegetables that are more economical like apples, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, etc.  Fennel pairs nicely with naturally sweet foods such as grilled onions and dried fruits like raisins and cranberries.

I find the following recipe fuss-less and it can be whipped up within 15 minutes.

Fennel Salad with Grapefruit Segments
(recipe makes four portions)
2 fennel bulbs
1 bunch or 6 stalks of scallions
2 lemons, juiced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
10 grindings black pepper from a mill
1 pinch cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 grapefruit

1. Cut green top of fennel bulbs, discard and rinse the fennel with water.
2. Slice fennel with a mandolin or with a knife.
3. In a bowl combine lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne and stir with a fork. Add the olive oil, stirring consistently.
4. Toss the sliced fennel into the dressing and let marinate for 10 minutes.
5. With a knife cut top and bottom cap from grapefruit. Cut entire grapefruit peel in a curved motion from top to bottom then cut grapefruit into four wedges and across into triangular pieces.
   
   Toss grapefruit pieces into the marinated fennel salad. 

(baby fennel - mild and tender) 

 

Chef’s Tip: If you happen to have juniper berries in your pantry add five pieces of finely chopped juniper berries to the salad. Juniper berries complement the fennel flavor perfectly.

 

ALL STAR LENTILS - the blog

Lentils are in the family of legumes and come in many different colors such as green, brown, orange and red though we usually know them as brown.  Lentils may be peeled or eaten whole in their husk that changes the cooking time. They are a terrific source of protein ranking the third highest after soybeans and hemp in the legume family and are generally considered among the healthiest foods. Lentils have little fat and provide a good source of iron and fiber.  And as far as convenience unlike their bean neighbor’s lentils don’t need presoaking and have an average cooking time of about 30 minutes.   In sum they are an all star vegetable, or more correctly a fruit.

(organic green lentils) 

Lentil dishes
I romanticize French style cooking with lentil salad served alongside duck confit and frisse, especially on a cold winter’s night – such a heart-warming dish.  My vegetarian spouse has been perfecting a lentil soup recipe that consist of a potpourri of fragrant, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and bay leaf with a touch of cayenne to spice the palate up.  Personally I like to pair lentils in bitter salads such as puntarella, endive and/or radicchio which calls for some sort of a sweet component in the mix like dried cranberries, black currants, or raisins and rather harsh-acidic vinegars such as sherry or balsamic  with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.  The sweet and tart qualities of the dried fruit and the acidity of the vinegar complement a lentil salad with its naturally nutty and earthy flavor profile. It sounds like a roller coaster of flavors but it makes a satisfying, tasty salad. Of course lentils are ideal in stews and soups because they adapt to other flavors nicely and absorb tastes richly.

(lentil salad with avocados, orange segments and arugula) 

Accidental success
Overcooked your lentils? No worries. Add a cup of brewed coffee and cook the lentils even longer – strain the liquid and puree it in a blender. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and a tad of honey. Or replace the coffee wit extra bitter chocolate (1 ounce/per cup of lentil puree) and blend it until it has melted in the warm lentil puree. Doesn’t sound like it would work? Try it! You’ll be surprised.

(lentil puree seasoned with coffee and a touch of bitter chocolate) 

The following salad can be whipped up within forty minutes and has plenty of variations depending on what’s available in the wintery bitter green department.

Lentil Salad
(recipe yields four portions)

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed in cold water
3 cups cold water
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons acidic vinegar such as balsamic or sherry
1 lemon, juiced
2 pieces endive
1 head radicchio, approx, 5-inch diameter
4 grindings black pepper from a mill
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup cranberries, preferably sweetened with apple juice 

1.     In a 2-quart sized pot combine lentils, salt and water and bring to boil. Turn the heat setting to low and simmer for 20 minutes - covered with a lid. Taste test lentils for soft texture, if they are not, cook for 10 minutes longer. Spread the lentils onto a plate to cool to room temperature.
2.     In a mixing bowl combine salt, pepper, lemon juice and vinegar and mix with a wire whisk for one minute. Whisk the oil into the mixture.
3.     Cut endive into ½-inch wide circles. Cut radicchio in ½-inch pieces and separate into individual pieces. Soak the salads in luke-warm water for 5 minutes – this will remove some of the natural bitterness. Dry the salad in a salad spinner or with kitchen paper towel.
4.     Mix lentils with the dressing and then with the salad and cranberries. Mix the salad with your hands – “kneading” all ingredients gently together.

 

CONDIMENTS-the blog

In the midst of winter we have limited access to locally grown vegetables. At the moment there are no tasty baby green and herbs (unless they come from a hot house) so it’s a bit tricky to make a meal shine without that fresh presence.  That portion of protein on your plate can seem a little boring and monotonous leaving much to be desired.  So please pass the … taste.

(top to bottom: pesto, house-made ketchup, prune delicousness) 

A matter of taste
A good way of raising the flavor profile is adding a dollop of condiment and that does not mean the ordinary ketchup or mustard. I think the same old condiments make most foods taste just that – the same and also tend to mask the flavor.  Another reason why I rarely reach for store bought condiments is their inferior ingredients in commercial brands including long lists of sugars and other less than healthy ingredients, i.e., high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, salt and more salt.  Perhaps it’s not only a matter of taste anymore!

Homemade condiments
Homemade chutneys, pesto, and savory jams are an ideal vehicle to boost the flavor of meats, poultry and fish (and even those vegetables remaining). They can be prepared relatively simply and well in advance, with common household ingredients. Another plus is their long expiration date, which is made possible because of the vinegar content meaning the high acidity level.

Tomato Chutney
(recipe yields approximately 1 ½ cups)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil such as grape-seed oil
1 can (28 oz) Italian, peeled plum tomatoes. I like Cento brand
4 tablespoons agave
10 grindings fresh black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Sea salt to taste
1 bay leaf

(it takes patience to bubble the sauce to the right consistency)

1. In a gallon-sized pot heat the oil on medium heat setting then add onions, garlic and cook for 10 minutes stirring with a cooking spoon every once in a while.
2. Add all other ingredients and continue to cook for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes to prevent scorching.
3. Remove bay leaf and mix in a blender for one minute. Season with salt to taste.

Chef’s Not: I like a slightly chunky texture for the tomato chutney if you prefer a smooth, ketchup like texture process for 3-5 minutes. Scrape the blender walls downward with a pastry spatula between processing.

Spiced Plum Jam
(recipe yields approximately 1 ½ cups)
8 prunes, chopped
1 cup water
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil such as grape-seed oil
½ oz ginger, grated
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 bay leaf  
Sea salt to taste 

1. Soak prunes in the water and balsamic vinegar.
2. In a gallon-sized pot heat the oil on medium heat setting then add onions, garlic and cook for 10 minutes stirring with a cooking spoon every once in a while.
3. Add all other ingredients and continue to cook for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes to prevent scorching.
4. Remove bay leaf and season with salt to taste.

Parsley Pesto with Ricotta and Walnuts
(recipe makes 1 cup)
1 bunch (2.5-ounces) parsley
½ bunch (1-ounce) basil  
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup ricotta
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped then cooked in vegetable oil on low heat
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt to taste

1. Rinse parsley and basil with water then dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen paper towel.
2. Chop the herbs roughly, into1/2-inch sized pieces then transfer into a kitchen processor with the walnuts. Process the mixture for one minute.
3. Add ricotta, black pepper, cooked garlic and olive oil then process for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the kitchen processor cup and then whirl for another minute.
4. Season the mixture with salt to taste.

Chef’s Tip: If the pesto is not used up the same day it can be frozen in small portions e.g. ice cube trays and then stored in a zip-loc style bag in the freezer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY WORLD’S BEST SANDWICH – the blog.

I have been wondering what makes a sandwich really awesome and I’ve been searching for the best sandwich for a while now and indeed I have enjoyed delicious concoctions in several shops.  At home I’ve been practicing creating sumptuous pieces of sandwich art. I have been jotting down notes and by reading over I have some revelations … Let’s see what makes my sandwich sing.

(a nice stack) 

Bread
For starters the bread must be fresh or lightly toasted to bring it to its crunchy and seductive fresh state again. I enjoy whole wheat bread, speckled with visually appealing whole grains. One of the reasons why I’m hooked on such bread is the texture and that I can check off my daily dose of wholesome grains from my subconscious list. I really like breads made with a bit of sourdough starter that adds some tanginess and makes the bread stronger and more stable so it can be packed with a serious amount of delicious meat, fixings and sauce. Square shaped sandwich breads known as Pullman (in French pain de mie) are baked in square baking pans and are ideal for a Sammy in my opinion. Another bread that is an excellent fit is ciabatta, perhaps it has a little more texture and I like that it makes chewing a little harder – sometimes it’s fun to tangle with your food. For sure an artisan looking, crusty loaf of bread is pretty to look at but for sandwich making I tend to reach for the Pullman loaf since it can be sliced into even sized pieces.  

(good quality ingredients make a good sandwich) 

Fill’em up
The star of the sandwich layer show is an array of carved, roasted chicken breast, steak, turkey, pork and beef, slowly simmered in a spice broth until falling off the bone. Such braised meats are deeply satisfying and a must try. The meat should be moist but not dripping wet so they don’t make the bread soggy which will make a mess out of a sandwich.

Sauces, spreads
When it comes to sandwich sauces the easy way out is mayonnaise, which is often a tasty solution. If you’re like me and eat sandwiches frequently you might want to check out the nutrition label of mayo – yes the real thing consists of 90% fat. I prefer adding flavor punch with guacamole, which adds creaminess and a kick when it’s made with jalapenos. I make hummus or roasted and pureed vegetables an integral part of my sandwich flavor creation as well. Also it “glues” ingredients together. Fragrant herbs processed with nuts a la pesto make an addictive addition to sandwiches too. And pureed olives perhaps with roasted garlic and/or caramelized onions boost the overall flavor of the sandwich eating experience. A vegetable sandwich might need a smack of piquancy so don’t be afraid to apply your favorite hot sauce freely.

(my "house slaw")

Lettuce & Co
I recommend starting out with 1/8-inch wide shredded lettuce such as romaine or iceberg that can be accompanied by 1/8-inch thick slices of vine-ripened tomatoes. A slaw made out of red cabbage and carrots dressed with vinegar, oil and spices add texture, moisture and volume to the sandwich. Chopping pickled vegetables such as cucumbers or spicy peppers add an acidic tang and bring the palate to life.

Chef’s Tip: Cut your sandwich into triangles, it will create better angles to fit it into your mouth

 

 

BEETS ARE RED - the blog

Beets are deliciously sweet this time of year. The frigid temperatures convert the natural beet starch into sugars.  Beets are definitely intensely earthy and sometimes the beet flavor is overpowering but there are a few tricks to balance that flavor:

1. Cut the amount of beets with steamed grains or legumes such as couscous, lentils or quinoa. Yes - everything will have the same red tint since the beets bleed into the grain but it will balance the beet flavor and make it milder. A rule of thumb is to substitute 1/2 of the beet weight with a steamed grain e.g. 8 oz cooked grain to 16 oz cooked beets.
2. I like to dress my beet salad with a citrus fruit flavor of the moment. Choose lemon or the more fancy juicy Meyer lemon, or an exotic, bumpy-skinned yuzu, which is tart, bright and acidic and has a fragrant aroma unlike any other citrus fruit. If you can get your hands on bergamote, perhaps in a specialty market, try it. The scent will unmistakably remind you of Earl Grey tea. 
   
   
   The other part of the dressing should be extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper.
3. Beets with goat cheese are a classic combination – the goat cheese adds creaminess to the salad. Assertive blue cheese such as Gorgonzola or Stilton is a good contender for the beet & cheese mix. I suggest you sprinkle the cheese over the top of the salad so it will be visible and discernible and it feels like a treat when you get a nibble of the cheese in the beet salad experience. 
4. Toasted walnuts, cashews or pistachios will add crunch to the beet salad. Often I add a bit of maple syrup during the toasting process to caramelize the nuts. It turns them into addictive crunchy nuggets, almost dessert.

For starters try the following recipe.

(beet & arugula salad, with pinenuts and shaved raclet cheese)  

Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
(recipe yields four salads)

1/2-cup cous cous
2 ½ lbs red beets, no tops
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper grindings, to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
4 ounces goat cheese
½ cup toasted walnuts 

1. In a small saucepot bring 1-½ cups of water to boil and season with salt and pepper. Pour cous cous into the water and stir. Put the pot on the side of the stove and cover with a lid for 20 minutes – this will absorb the water and steam the cous cous.  
2. Combine beets and 1-tablespoon salt in a gallon-sized pot and cover with water. Cook beets on medium heat setting until beets are soft when pierced with a small knife. Chill beets in cold water and cut into ½-inch sized cubes.
3. In a bowl toss beets with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. 

Chef’s Note: I purposefully don’t peel the beets because it lends more flavor to the salad.

Beets are surprisingly healthy -- they have phytonutrients and may be cancer fighting. And yes, it’s ok to have reddened urine after you consumed beets -- it’s not harmful.

 

THE DAILY BREAD - the blog

The ancient philosophy of breaking bread relates to sharing and togetherness.  Perhaps sharing is not so common anymore but bread itself is certainly a frequently consumed food.

(sprouted grain bread)

Bread stories from different cultures…
My Italian friend would not touch a bowl of pasta if it didn’t accompany a hunk of chewy white bread to mop up the sauce left on the pasta plate. When I apprenticed in France I remember having charcuterie plates accompanied by slices of rustic levain, which is crusty bread made with natural sour dough yeast culture. It lends the bread a welcoming sour flavor. Equally Parisian baguette stories can fill a book and indeed it’s quite magical to smear pate’ on a freshly baked baguette. Growing up in Austria, there was always a dark crusty rye bread on the table, which is a little heartier, compared to wheat-based bread. One of my favorite morning breads is Challah made with milk and butter, often dotted with raisins. I like to enjoy it with a thick layer of good butter. In the early 90’s when I arrived in New York I was surprised how little European style bread was available here. I missed artisan bread since I was used to fresh bread from the bakery daily. I still remember when I was first introduced to cushy, chewy bagels, still appealing to me these days. I used to be mortified to order such bagels at a busy corner deli just footsteps away from my apartment. My English wasn’t that great at that time and making the counter person understand what kind of bagel I wanted was torture to us both. Today a variety of freshly baked breads are abundant in New York, and my communication problems are a thing of the past – I am thankful for both!

(fresh ciabatta rolls - simple sammy) 

In search of the ideal sandwich bread…
There are three styles of breads that I find myself going back to frequently. My findings are as following:

American bread
These fast bake breads made with commercial “bakers” yeast leave much to desire in my opinion. The only breads I enjoy of this kind are multi-grain breads made with pre-sprouted grains. They appeal to me because they’re healthy and easier to digest. Pre-sprouting or soaking grains in water before they’re added to the bread dough boosts the nutrition value and makes grains easier to digest. I like them since I can keep them in the refrigerator for several days in their plastic packaging and toast them at any mealtime.

French style
I find this type of bread appealing since they are often made with a sourdough starter resulting in a nice crust.  Sourdough breads are often made with a mixture of rye and wheat flour and with natural yeast culture where lacto acid fermentation gives the bread a light sour taste. The process requires a pre-fermented “starter” or in French “levain.”  These breads take longer to make compared to American breads and sourdoughs vary from bakery to bakery and are a great opportunity to showcase the signature style of the head baker. This type of bread can make wonderful sandwiches for lunch and dinner as long as it’s not older then two days, and kept at room temperature in a paper bag.

(freshly baked ciabatta rolls)  

Italian style
Italian breads are made with wheat and yeast to start with and often refined with milk and olive oil. The dough is rather loose which makes a more open texture, meaning it has large air pockets inside the bread. I like ciabatta rolls that are hand rolled flat and elongated, made with whole wheat flour and a sourdough starter for a crispier crust, porous texture but still somewhat soft. They are perfect for sandwiches but unfortunately they tend to get tough and chewy when they’re older than one day.

Drop me a line about your favorite bread. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOT CHOCOLATE – the blog

During the December holidays New York is beautiful in so many ways. Recently I  read a story about chocolate, which naturally brought me to the subject of hot chocolate. My spouse, my toddler daughter and myself have been enthusiastically tasting many versions of hot chocolate with varying levels of excellence.

(dark, satisfying hot chocolate)

I’m not a fan of commercially produced hot chocolate mixtures available at the supermarket. Generally these pre-fabricated mixtures have too much sugar and cocoa powder and rarely do they possess chocolate chunks that makes for a tepid cup of hot chocolate. In contrast a high percentage cacao chocolate mixed into milk and/or heavy cream makes a deeply satisfying cup especially on a chilly winter’s night. The chocolate percentage is often visible on the front of the package  and is explained as the “pure cacao liqueur” content in the chocolate - - the higher percentage the better.  I recommend at least 60% percent cacao liqueur chocolate to make a decent hot chocolate. By the way chocolate liqueur has nothing to do with alcohol but refers to the cacao solids in chocolate.

(Mexican hot chocolate with churros)  

Chocolates ingredients 
Spices: chocolates are often spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, lavender, cardamom and chile. Sometimes chocolate has woodsy flavor notes and reminds you of tobacco which comes from spices in the chocolate. Another example is Mexican hot chocolate which is thickened with cornstarch and milk then chile is steeped in it, which lends heat to the beverage. Recently I tasted a rather wacky ingredient in chocolate – bacon, delivering an obvious smoky flavor to it and it was interesting.

Cacao butter: Cacao butter is the fat of the cacao bean and gives hot chocolate a rich, velvety mouth feel.
Sweetener: Most commonly chocolate is sweetened with sugar and other sweeteners like honey or agave. I like chocolate with little sugar usually labeled bitter and extra bitter chocolate. I appreciate the pure chocolate flavor. 
Terroir: Like a great coffee or wine, how it is made or roasted, its fermentation style, its place of origin and its climate affects the taste and style of chocolate My favorite flavor profile in chocolate is tartness, which reminds me often of cherries.

(chopping chocolate on a clean cutting board - very important!)

Hot Chocolate
(recipe yields 4 cups)

4 cups whole milk
8 ounces chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream
pinch cinnamon
pinch salt

1. Make sure your cutting board does not smell like garlic or onions or any other strong smelling foods. Chop the chocolate with a knife into 1/8-inch size pieces. Divide the chocolate into four equal portions.
2. In a saucepot bring milk and heavy cream to boil. Stir the milk every 2-3 minutes until it boils to prevent scorching. Add cinnamon and salt.
3. Take the milk off the stove and whisk-in the first portion of the chopped chocolate, once that is melted add the second portion and so forth.

Chef’s Tip: The importance lies in boiling the milk for a second and then whisking the chocolate in stages into the warm milk – this is called tempering chocolate.  It makes a seductive satin texture and lets the chocolate shine in its full capacity.

Years ago when I apprenticed in Paris, I enjoyed hot chocolate in a small café on a side street of the Champs Elysees. The frothy hot milk and cream mixture was served in a shallow porcelain cup and next to it was a whisky tumbler-like glass filled with roughly chopped chocolate chunks, which had to be dropped into the hot milk-cream mixture. The sheer pleasure of nibbling on one of those chunks of chocolate paved the way for an enjoyable cup of hot chocolate. The warm chocolate had a luxurious silkiness and pudding like texture – an epiphany.

 

 

VEGETABLE TLC - the blog

With little fresh produce left at the local farmer’s market there is not much whimsy left e.g. no soft playful baby kale for our salads or mellow, small turnips. Certainly there are no more tender, sweet baby carrots unless they’re hydroponically grown in a hot house. In fact right now there are a bunch of overgrown soup vegetables!

(end of the season kale and that's what's left for cauliflower and broccoli)

Veggies on their last leg
What I did find were large horse carrots, overgrown rutabaga (which are from the turnip family) and kale which looks like it needed crutches to stand up - tough and partially wilted around the edges. Surely it has to do with the frosty December weather. Indeed there is nothing happening in the farmer’s fields any longer in terms of newly grown vegetables at this time.  Warm apple cider, baked goods and wintered-in vegetables such as pears, apples and small cauliflower, broccoli heads, few Brussels and the before mentioned vegetables dominate the local offerings. So let’s go with the flow. 

(That's a carrot!)

Creamed vegetables
This time of the year vegetables need some tender loving care to make them delicious. There is one cooking method that churns out reliably tasty vegetable dishes, which includes adding cream to soften the strong flavor of winter vegetables.  Hearty weather calls for a winter coating on your vegetables. 

That brings me to the carrots I picked up at the farmer’s market this past weekend. They were gigantic and had a texture similar to wood in their raw state – nothing anybody wants to eat. On the positive side, the carrot size made it easy to dice them evenly and they made my daughter and her little friend laugh when I cooked them for dinner.  A long roasting time on low heat made them seductively tender and I finished them with a few tablespoons of cream. Another success was kale chopped into inch-sized mouthfuls, cooked on a medium heat setting, to which I added chopped turkey bacon halfway through the cooking process.  At the end I added unsweetened coconut milk to the mixture – delicious! Try the same cooking process with vegetables such as red beets and turnips and perhaps you can still can find a winter spinach out there, which is one of my favorite winter vegetables.

(evenly cubed - makes a nice roasting surface)

Here are a few pointers for bringing good flavor to those winter vegetables:

1.     I suggest cutting the vegetables into 1/8-inch sized cubes for hard textured vegetables or 1-inch sized flakes for leafy greens. This will give it more skillet/roasting surface that equals more flavor. Calculate 10 ounces of vegetables per person for a healthy-sized vegetable side portion.
2.     Cook the vegetables on a low to medium-heat setting not to scorch them.
3.     Season the vegetable with salt and pepper to taste – this will draw the natural water out, which in other words makes a more tasty vegetable.
4.     Once the vegetable is cooked or soft in texture, add cream, it will make it seem silky-textured and wonderfully satisfying to taste. One tablespoon per 6-ounce cooked vegetable per serving (approximately 10 ounces when raw) is a fair amount of cream.

Chef’s Tip: Potent flavored herbs such as dill, sage and tarragon add a bright flavor note when added to the creamed vegetables. Add the herbs at the end and chop them roughly. 

GLUTTONOUS HOLIDAYS – the blog

December invites us to fatten up maybe even requires us it seems. Stick to the ribs food such as thick and creamy soups like chowder and hearty stews with ingredients like bacon bits or a French Cassoulet are often encountered in the cold season.  Fresh vegetable offerings from our local farms are spare and unvaried. It’s holiday time and company parties are kicking in, alcohol consumption will be splendid. The current short daylight invites for nice conversation in front of the fireplace with red wine and cheese. Perhaps a cheese fondue with friends will be served at a get-together. Surely cookies and desserts are more abundant over the next weeks.  Let’s face it winter fattens us up with a holiday season kick-start!

Urging greens
With all that excess I have the urge to enliven the month of December feasting with the occasional salad. Currently there are a few fresh vegetable ingredients and I gravitate towards radicchio, endive, Brussels sprouts, carrots or other vegetables that are locally grown or that have been cellared by farmers. Following are a few examples:

Chopped apple & toasted nuts with shredded carrots and a healthy dose of freshly chopped parsley. Dress it with apple vinegar and olive oil with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. A few grindings of black pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt will do the trick.

(roast free range chicken basted with rosemary)

I enjoy roasted chicken with rosemary, which lends a pine-like flavor that suits radicchio with some chopped dried figs strewn in.  Deglaze the skillet with balsamic vinegar and a few tablespoons of water and pour it over the radicchio in a salad bowl to be tossed. The chicken should be chopped into inch-sized chunks. If you want the salad to be more substantial add some roasted squash from a prepared food store.

A powerhouse of a salad is chopped endive, slices of ripe pears with a blue cheese such as Roquefort and red wine vinegar.  It is reminiscent of the aforementioned red wine and cheese plate but without being too indulgent.

(no endive but radichio with ripe Bartlett pear and Roquefort cheese) 

Frisée au lardons or salad Lyonnais is the most classic way of preparing a salad in the French manner. Translated as “curly endive salad” it is served with bits of bacon and topped with a poached egg  - sign me up mademoiselle s’il vous plait! The dressing is made with mustard and acidic vinegar such as red wine vinegar and sea salt and pepper, sans oil.

(thinly shaved Brussels sprouts dressed with lemon and olive oil and shreds of Manchego cheese) 

One of my favorites lately is thinly, shaved Brussels sprouts with lemon and a good extra virgin olive oil and shavings of a sharp cheese like feta or Manchego with cracked pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Lastly on my wish list to celebrate the season is lobster salad with greens such as curly winter spinach with citrus fruit such as pink Grapefruit.  Delicious. 

Winter salad dressing
The dressing for winter salads becomes less important as the salad ingredients becomes more decadent -- who really needs more oil in that frisée salad with pork batons!

Chef’s Tip: grains such as brown or black rice are a good way to bulk up the salads to serve as entrées. 

THE ESSENCE OF DRIED FRUITS - the blog

Thanksgiving dinner was good and now we’re already in December and the holidays are upon us, surrounding us!  It becomes evident by walking up 5^th Avenue in New York City with all the golden and silver holiday decoration, wreaths, Santa sleds and holiday carols trumpeting across streets. In my mind December is synonymous with dried fruit.  Many of our favorite or traditional holiday candy and bread include dried fruit pastes covered with chocolate, dates stuffed with marzipan, and on \e of my favorites is the Germanic version of fruit cake called Stollen, a yeast bread with raisins, apricots and orange rind.  We loved it as kids growing up in Austria. 

And now as our farmer’s market is thinning out every week as the local farms are going into their dormitory stage, dried fruits are ideal for cooking.  Dried fruits are dehydrated during their peak ripeness stage in Spring or Summer so we can enjoy them juicy and sweet all year round.  Cooking with dried fruits is efficient as they won’t dilute your recipe (they do not add water content unlike fresh fruits) and they make for rather quick cooking, if necessary. 

The following dishes and recipes are a few staples in my holiday dish repertoire:

(fingerling potato soup with prunes and croutons)

(spinach ravioli with prunes) 

Prunes & Cream: Indeed people don’t think of dried plums or in other words prunes as desirable because of their reputation for promoting “digestive regularity.” But, stigma aside, thinly sliced prunes layered between shaved potatoes, cream and spiced with mace or nutmeg makes a delicious baked gratin dish.

(organic sliced figs)  

Fennel & Figs: A favorite dish of mine that makes it on a holiday menu every year -- dark-roasted fennel wedges tossed with dried fig segments with a touch of orange juice, spiced with star anise. 

Dried Grapes & Cauliflower: Raisins star in roasted cauliflower spiced with curry. It’s a safe bet to put on the table on a cold, wintery night. 

Winter greens: Dried, chopped cranberries or cherries are a terrific addition to cold dishes such as salads or desserts. The little sweet nuggets make a thinly shaved raw red cabbage or Brussels sprouts salad shine. The concentrated sweetness in dehydrated fruits make it ideal to balance the bitterness of greens such as endive, radicchio or dandelion greens. The following recipe is a perfect dish for the holidays:

(endive and radicchio saladd with date/nut paste) 

Root Vegetable & Date Casserole
(recipe yields four veggie side portions)

1 celery root or 2 cups chopped
2 Parsley root or 2 cups chopped 
2 Carrots or 2 cups chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
2 Yukon gold potatoes or 2 cups chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil such as grape seed or canola
1 teaspoon sea salt
10 black pepper mill grindings 
8 seeded dates such as Medjool, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf, chopped
3 tablespoons vinegar such as apple cider 

• Rinse vegetables and cut top off then cut into 3/4-inch cubes. 
• Keep potatoes in a separate bowl from the other vegetables. 
• In a skillet heat oil and add cook vegetables but not potatoes on low heat setting for 25 minutes stirring every 5-8 minutes with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper. 
• Add potatoes, chopped thyme, dates, vinegar and 1 cup water. Continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. 

Chef’s Tip: Add 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil to the vegetable stew for a heartier casserole.  

 

GETTING DIPSY FOR THE HOLIDAYS - the blog

 

(chickpeas & curry, spinach & tofu, sundried tomatoes & almonds)

Dips are a good fit for entertaining at holiday parties which are coming up. There are a handful of staples such as the infamous blue cheese dip, artichoke & sour cream dip and cocktail sauce for shrimp. I’m sure you’re familiar with the terrific variety in the dip department and every country seems to have their specialty such as Middle Eastern hummus, Mediterranean baba ghanoush, Mexican guacamole, etc. It can get rather fattening when a recipe’s ingredients include mayonnaise, melted pork fat & spices as in a pate’ dip or in comforting bacon & cheese dip.  While these dips are tasty they make me feel sick rather quickly since they’re heavy in my stomach. The simplest of all dips and comparatively “light” might be olive oil with cracked pepper and salt which many Italian restaurants dish up.  

A Note on Temperature
Dips don’t have to be chilled or served at room temperature I love hot cheesy onion & oregano dip, which is thickened with bread and fills a room with a magnetizing cheesy aroma.

Transporting vessel
Dips should have a texture so the transport vessel, which brings it to the mouth, doesn’t end up on someone’s white carpet! It’s important to find the right crunchy item such as an addictive freshly baked bread basket, chips, pretzels, bread sticks, crackers, pita or simple crispy French fries. Indeed there is always crudité a/k/a raw veggie sticks but they’re not that desirable in my opinion to dig into.

When dips are too caloric the down side is that it spoils your appetite for the main course which gives the impression I am the picky chef or the fussy guest.  The truth is I ‘m stuffed and don’t feel like eating anymore unless I gorge myself.

Dip making tricks
When working without a recipe it is the cook’s balance of ingredients which makes it a success. It’s important to understand what the individual ingredients add to a dip mixture. As far as your kitchen tools, blenders such as Kitchen Aid, Breville, Vita-Prep, and Waring are the go-to equipment to make great dips. The following ingredients are staples in the common household refrigerator and some guidelines for working with our everyday pantry:

(let's see what's in the refrigerator...) 

Add creaminess with: avocado, beans (canned or really soft cooked), full-fat yogurt, roasted veggies such as eggplant, butternut squash, sweet potatoes

Add richness with: olive oil, room temperature cheese such as finely grated/chopped cheddar

Add savory saltiness with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar, sea salt

Add texture and mouth feel with toasted, crushed nuts

Add a nuance of sweetness with roasted garlic, honey, maple syrup

Add spice with cayenne, mustard, Tabasco

Add herbs for freshness

(cooking is about balance...taste frequently)  

Here is a sample recipe:
Drain 2 cups canned white beans and combine with lemon juice, rosemary, roasted garlic, and a dollop of yogurt in a blender and puree for 4-5 minutes. If the puree is too thick and not smooth enough add a bit of olive oil and continue to process. Serve with toasted, crusty baguette bread. Makes about 2 ½ cups of white bean dip.

Chef’s tip: We have chia sees in our household at all times. Besides being hydrating to your body they serve as a terrific binder and add great texture to a dip.

 

 

 

THINKING THANKSGIVING - the blog

Thinking Thanksgiving
Hurricane Sandy affected many people in some way or another, which you either heard about or experienced firsthand - for us it involved flooding, no power and being transient for some days. Granted we didn’t have any losses in our family – luckily, but it has been turmoil to get our lives and schedules straightened out. 

 
Last year I put a reminder in my electronic calendar to update our Thanksgiving menu which caught me by surprise as it was not on my mind for obvious reasons. 

I’m opting to keep things simple this year for turkey day and will focus more on charitable work on Thanksgiving.  We have a lot to be thankful for.  

Turkey Tricks
I’ll prepare the turkey in two steps.  These are my turkey tricks for the person whose kitchen space is spare plus the recipe is kind of fool proof guaranteeing a delicious turkey dinner.  The best part perhaps is that the advance steps enable you to socialize with the rest of your friends and family around the Thanksgiving table instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

Granted a whole roasted turkey is a beautiful sight but you might not have the space in the refrigerator next to the multiple sides and desserts which will make the holiday table. This is the reason why I’m suggesting you brine skin-on turkey and to cook it off the carcass – that’s how the French say it. It means the turkey is cooked off the bone. 

(perfectly pink turkey breast) 

Trick one – Brine the turkey
Turkey brining does wonders to the lean bird, the process goes as follows: 
Submerge turkey breasts in a water/salt mixture in the ratio of 1 quart of water to ¼ cup of kosher salt. A general rule for brining turkey is 2 ½ hours minimum per inch of turkey breast thickness. It does not mean you have to contaminate your child’s school ruler with raw turkey. You simply gauge the thickness of the breast e.g. a 2 ½ -inch thick turkey breast can be brined up to 5 hours without being too salty.  When brining a turkey the microscopic cells soak up the salty water so you’ll end up with a moist and flavorful roasted turkey.

Trick two – half way submerge the turkey in an aromatic liquid
A brined turkey cooked in the following liquid assures a perfectly moist product. 
The recipe is for each-10lb turkey breast. 
1 cup carrots, sliced thinly 
1 oz ginger, sliced thinly 
1 oz rosemary, chopped 
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
10 black pepper mill grindings
1 tablespoon paprika powder
1 ½ cups of water
2 cloves garlic

10 pounds brined turkey breast(s)

• Put all ingredients into a blender cup and process for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture has a thin puree consistency. 
• Put the brined turkey breast(s) skin-side-up in an oven proof baking or casserole dish. Add the vegetable/spice mixture in-between the turkey and pan or casserole. 
• Cook the turkey for 1 hour 45 minutes or until the internal temperature measures at least 165. Measure the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. Another way to know the turkey is cooked is to place the turkey breast on a plate and poke it with a pointed knife at it’s thickest part, if the juices running-out are clear - instead of red it is generally cooked. 

Chef’s note: 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the recommended temperature from the Department of Health. I cook my organic, pasture raised turkey at home to an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. 

Happy Thanksgiving and share your turkey cooking experience. 

COLORS OF FALL – the blog

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Leaves turning to yellow then brown seem golden in the autumn sun. Often wind blows through the streets seeming like a brush stroke that whirls the fallen leaves whimsically into the air. When walking through the local farmer’s market, fall becomes particularly evident in the colors of the vegetables  - there are orange pumpkins, golden-yellow hued spaghetti squash, pale-green kapocha squash, purplish and boyish heads of red cabbage.  The beautiful colors are magnificent with bright green Brussels sprouts and turquoise kale leaves during this time of harvest and bounty.   Naturally I cannot decide which to choose so here are tips for preparing various fall vegetables. 

(Fall leafs)  

Fall Vegetable Cooking:
Squash
My favorite recipe for squash is fairly simple. Cut squash such as acorn, spaghetti or hubbard in half, then into wedges, and put them on a sheet pan then sprinkle them with cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne, and brush them generously with agave syrup. Bake the squash wedges for 1 h 30 minutes.

(yes! kapocha squash is still live art)  

Brussels Sprouts
Rinse Brussels sprouts with water. If Brussels sprouts have a woodsy stem cut the stems off then slice them with a knife or a Mandolin into 1/8-inch thick coins. Heat vegetable oil in a 1-gallon sized pot on high heat setting. Roast Brussels sprouts for 5 minutes stirring every minute with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with sea salt, fresh pepper mill grindings.

Kale
 Kale was never on my radar until I started cooking at home for my toddler daughter. I recently had Kale fried and tossed with a spritz of fresh limejuice and a sprinkle of spicy pepper flakes. It was delicious but obviously such a vegetable preparation won’t make me a good parent since it’s not the most nutritious for my kiddo. I’m not fond of microwave cooking but kale works particularly well in a microwave. Rinse kale with water then chop it into ¼-inch wide pieces. Season kale with paprika, cayenne and sea salt. Microwave the mixture for up to three minutes. The kale will be perfectly cooked – it will still have a pleasant texture, color and taste.

Serving Suggestions: arrange the vegetable on a plate then sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil.

 

YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP & POLITICS - the blog

Watching the ongoing political debates and discussing who’s going to be the next president doesn’t leave much time for cooking especially with a busy work schedule. In our household we’ve been cooking delicious soups since they can be prepared in advance and simply reheated in a pot delivering a wholesome and satisfying meal fast. We enjoy the satisfying soups with a freshly baked rustic country loaf of bread. We have becomes fast regulars at a brand new reputable bakery in our neighborhood and we’re getting addicted to it already. Their counter people are really accommodating allowing you to split loaves of bread that is perfect for our soup dinners. This way we never have stale bread left over the next day.

(golden hued split pea soup) 

 

Yellow Split Pea Soup
Yellow split pea soup is one of the soups that we like in particular. It’s satisfying because of its wholesome chunky texture and it’s savory, floral flavor. The golden color of the split peas seems a perfect match with the golden leaves on the trees in the brisk fall season.  

(yellow split pea soup) 

Yellow Split Pea Soup
(recipe yields four servings)

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb potatoes, fingerling potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes preferred
2 carrots, approximately 6” long
1 cup yellow split peas
salt, to taste
black pepper mill, to taste 
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Peel onions and garlic. Cut vegetables into ¼-inch sized pieces.
2. In a 1-gallon sized pot heat vegetable oil on medium heat setting, add vegetables and season with salt, pepper, thyme and cook vegetables for 20 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon every 5 minutes to prevent scorching.
3. Add 8 cups water, add split peas and bring to boil and continue to simmer the soup on low heat setting for 60 minutes.
4. Transfer half of the soup into a blender, add a cup of olive oil and process for two minutes. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and stir to incorporate with a wooden spoon.

Chef’s Tip: Add ½ cup of coconut milk to the split pea soup for an extra velvety texture.

 

NATURALLY TASTY – the blog

Fall and early Winter season produces naturally tasty vegetables in the north eastern hemisphere. This season is almost Spring like with the bounty of vegetables.  The reason is because as temperature cool vegetables such as beets, carrots and turnips, among many others, convert their starches into natural sugars producing beautifully sweet and ripe vegetables. 

(nicely roasted farmers market carrots)

To test the effects yourself simply freeze some of these vegetables and compare them side-by-side with their unfrozen counterparts.  I tried this with a potato – I simply placed one in the freezer until it was frozen solid then steamed it alongside a non-frozen potato.   The frozen version was noticeably sweeter tasting. This does not mean that you have to freeze all your veggies from now on in order to make them taste better. Frost and cold weather is enough to concentrate or convert the natural starches to sugars which boosts flavor, but you may achieve this result with the right herbs and spices as well and transform a basic white skinned potato into a delicious dish. 
One of my favorite desserts in early spring on my menu is parsnip & poppy seed cake.  The parsnips were left in the ground over the winter season so that they were solid frozen for several weeks and brought to the market in early spring for a candy-like taste.  Granted such rare treats are hard to come by and you might be able to obtain them from a farmer’s market only by talking to the people who grow the goods they sell.

Fall Greens
Plants such as kale, Swiss chard and collards store their starch in the leafy part of the plant. Cold weather triggers the conversion of some of the starch to glucose, making the leaves sweeter and resistant to the cold of the season. It might explain why we gravitate towards such leafy vegetables during the fall season.

Tasty fruits
Other sweet tasting examples of fall frost treats are apples, pears and strawberries that are enhanced by natural freeze.  Again the fruits that experienced a freeze were much sweeter.  This brings me to the conclusion that using vegetables and fruits frozen at their peak is preferable to using fresh vegetables of inferior quality or origin.  So I have been buying fruits at the farmer’s market which barely escaped the garbage bin because they did not look good enough and might have had some soft spots and consumers don’t want such “over the hill” looking fruits.  So I take these sweet and slightly bruised goods, freeze them and use them the next day for preserves or fruit butters (e.g. apple butter). It probably goes without saying that they need very little sweetener added!

(simpley roasted root vegetables)  

The following recipe is compatible with the season’s offerings and is meant to more of a guideline in terms of adding vegetables.

Roasted Fall Vegetables
(recipe yields four side portions)
4 golden beets, 1-inch diameter
4 turnips, 1-inch diameter
4 – 8 fingerling potatoes
1 white Swiss chard
½ teaspoon thyme
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper mill grindings, to taste 

1. Peel beets, turnips, potatoes and slice into ¼-inch cubes.
2. Rinse chard with water and separate leaves from stems. Chop the stems into 1-inch long stalks and the leaves into ¼-inch long strips.
3. In a 1-gallon sized pot heat oil on low heat setting and add turnips, potatoes, beets and chard stems. Add some salt and cook vegetable for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir vegetables every 8-10 minutes to evenly cook the vegetables.
4. Add chard leaves and thyme to the cooked vegetables and add ¼ cup water and continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Season vegetables with pepper and salt to taste.
5. Put vegetables into four serving bowls.

Chef’s Tip: If you’d like the vegetable stew to be a little more substantial sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the roasted vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NATURALLY TASTY – the blog

Fall and early Winter season produces naturally tasty vegetables in the north eastern hemisphere. This season is almost Spring like with the bounty of vegetables.  The reason is because as temperature cool vegetables such as beets, carrots and turnips, among many others, convert their starches into natural sugars producing beautifully sweet and ripe vegetables. 

(nicely roasted farmers market carrots)

To test the effects yourself simply freeze some of these vegetables and compare them side-by-side with their unfrozen counterparts.  I tried this with a potato – I simply placed one in the freezer until it was frozen solid then steamed it alongside a non-frozen potato.   The frozen version was noticeably sweeter tasting. This does not mean that you have to freeze all your veggies from now on in order to make them taste better. Frost and cold weather is enough to concentrate or convert the natural starches to sugars which boosts flavor, but you may achieve this result with the right herbs and spices as well and transform a basic white skinned potato into a delicious dish. 
One of my favorite desserts in early spring on my menu is parsnip & poppy seed cake.  The parsnips were left in the ground over the winter season so that they were solid frozen for several weeks and brought to the market in early spring for a candy-like taste.  Granted such rare treats are hard to come by and you might be able to obtain them from a farmer’s market only by talking to the people who grow the goods they sell.

Fall Greens
Plants such as kale, Swiss chard and collards store their starch in the leafy part of the plant. Cold weather triggers the conversion of some of the starch to glucose, making the leaves sweeter and resistant to the cold of the season. It might explain why we gravitate towards such leafy vegetables during the fall season.

Tasty fruits
Other sweet tasting examples of fall frost treats are apples, pears and strawberries that are enhanced by natural freeze.  Again the fruits that experienced a freeze were much sweeter.  This brings me to the conclusion that using vegetables and fruits frozen at their peak is preferable to using fresh vegetables of inferior quality or origin.  So I have been buying fruits at the farmer’s market which barely escaped the garbage bin because they did not look good enough and might have had some soft spots and consumers don’t want such “over the hill” looking fruits.  So I take these sweet and slightly bruised goods, freeze them and use them the next day for preserves or fruit butters (e.g. apple butter). It probably goes without saying that they need very little sweetener added!

(simpley roasted root vegetables)  

The following recipe is compatible with the season’s offerings and is meant to more of a guideline in terms of adding vegetables.

Roasted Fall Vegetables
(recipe yields four side portions)
4 golden beets, 1-inch diameter
4 turnips, 1-inch diameter
4 – 8 fingerling potatoes
1 white Swiss chard
½ teaspoon thyme
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper mill grindings, to taste 

1. Peel beets, turnips, potatoes and slice into ¼-inch cubes.
2. Rinse chard with water and separate leaves from stems. Chop the stems into 1-inch long stalks and the leaves into ¼-inch long strips.
3. In a 1-gallon sized pot heat oil on low heat setting and add turnips, potatoes, beets and chard stems. Add some salt and cook vegetable for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir vegetables every 8-10 minutes to evenly cook the vegetables.
4. Add chard leaves and thyme to the cooked vegetables and add ¼ cup water and continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Season vegetables with pepper and salt to taste.
5. Put vegetables into four serving bowls.

Chef’s Tip: If you’d like the vegetable stew to be a little more substantial sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the roasted vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BALLS ON FIRE – the blog
Polpettine, Fleischlaibchen, Kloesse, buletten, klopse, gehaktbal , almondegas, or whatever one’s culture calls them, meatballs are a popular menu item!
NYC is in a meatball craze right now, a dish that incorporates some sort of a meatball preparation seems to have found its way on endless menus.
Perhaps its because our grandmothers toiled around with various recipes or maybe it’s the sheer simplicity of meatballs with their savory, saucy comforting way that makes us reach for another.

(Meatballs simple and delicious with a sprinkle of Italian parlsey)

Meatball Cookery 
It’s hard to mess them up: put ground meat in a bowl, add spices and chop some old baked bread, eggs, do some mixing and you’re good to start rolling them. But a delicious meatball is another story. Meatballs can include a mixture of different meats and vegetables such as pork, beef, poultry and chopped vegetables such as carrots,  celery and often onions. Various spices and herbs herbs or a mixture of both often include paprika, pepper, oregano, marjoram and rosemary. In my experience weighing the ingredients of an approved recipe is crucial to make it a success over and over again – no “winging” the recipe my friend! Weighing out spices and herbs make all the difference in meatball cookery.

A word on texture
A meatball’s texture depends on the addition of bread, eggs and foremost the  protein used in the recipe, which holds ingredients together nicely. Protein gives it the overall texture or mouth feel. A vegetarian meatball will need some help in the binding department since vegetables generally have little protein and hence little binding power. Some eggs and/or bread will bind the ingredients together. If you’d like to keep it vegetarian soy protein in powdered form does a very nice job in binding. More and more people including myself seem to do better with a no gluten type of diet hence rice or oats can be substituted for bread.

(American classic meatballs & spaghettie)  

I like to contemporize classic recipes and the following is a good example. A mix of beef and chicken assures a high protein meatball held together with the help of rolled oats, which makes a welcoming bouncy texture.

Up-to Date Meatball Recipe
(recipe yields 4 portions)

1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed
1 teaspoon salt
10 black pepper mill grindings
2 lb ground beef (from the shoulder)
1 lb ground chicken
2 cups rolled oats

1. In a 2-quart pot heat oil on medium heat setting and cook the vegetables for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
2. Put the vegetables on a cutting board and chop finely.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a bowl mix beef and chicken then add oats and vegetables. Incorporate the ingredients throughout with a wooden spoon or use your hands.
5.  Form 2-inch wide meatballs and place them on a shallow oven proof tray.
6. Cook the meatballs for 35 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a kitchen thermometer.

Chef’s Serving Suggestions:
My favorite sauces for meatballs are a simple plum tomato sauce or a pesto. Add shards of freshly shaved parmesan cheese along freshly chopped oregano sprinkled over the meatballs just before serving and this might border on perfection. 

BALLS ON FIRE – the blog
Polpettine, Fleischlaibchen, Kloesse, buletten, klopse, gehaktbal , almondegas, or whatever one’s culture calls them, meatballs are a popular menu item!
NYC is in a meatball craze right now, a dish that incorporates some sort of a meatball preparation seems to have found its way on endless menus.
Perhaps its because our grandmothers toiled around with various recipes or maybe it’s the sheer simplicity of meatballs with their savory, saucy comforting way that makes us reach for another.

(Meatballs simple and delicious with a sprinkle of Italian parlsey)

Meatball Cookery 
It’s hard to mess them up: put ground meat in a bowl, add spices and chop some old baked bread, eggs, do some mixing and you’re good to start rolling them. But a delicious meatball is another story. Meatballs can include a mixture of different meats and vegetables such as pork, beef, poultry and chopped vegetables such as carrots,  celery and often onions. Various spices and herbs herbs or a mixture of both often include paprika, pepper, oregano, marjoram and rosemary. In my experience weighing the ingredients of an approved recipe is crucial to make it a success over and over again – no “winging” the recipe my friend! Weighing out spices and herbs make all the difference in meatball cookery.

A word on texture
A meatball’s texture depends on the addition of bread, eggs and foremost the  protein used in the recipe, which holds ingredients together nicely. Protein gives it the overall texture or mouth feel. A vegetarian meatball will need some help in the binding department since vegetables generally have little protein and hence little binding power. Some eggs and/or bread will bind the ingredients together. If you’d like to keep it vegetarian soy protein in powdered form does a very nice job in binding. More and more people including myself seem to do better with a no gluten type of diet hence rice or oats can be substituted for bread.

(American classic meatballs & spaghettie)  

I like to contemporize classic recipes and the following is a good example. A mix of beef and chicken assures a high protein meatball held together with the help of rolled oats, which makes a welcoming bouncy texture.

Up-to Date Meatball Recipe
(recipe yields 4 portions)

1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed
1 teaspoon salt
10 black pepper mill grindings
2 lb ground beef (from the shoulder)
1 lb ground chicken
2 cups rolled oats

1. In a 2-quart pot heat oil on medium heat setting and cook the vegetables for 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
2. Put the vegetables on a cutting board and chop finely.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. In a bowl mix beef and chicken then add oats and vegetables. Incorporate the ingredients throughout with a wooden spoon or use your hands.
5.  Form 2-inch wide meatballs and place them on a shallow oven proof tray.
6. Cook the meatballs for 35 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a kitchen thermometer.

Chef’s Serving Suggestions:
My favorite sauces for meatballs are a simple plum tomato sauce or a pesto. Add shards of freshly shaved parmesan cheese along freshly chopped oregano sprinkled over the meatballs just before serving and this might border on perfection. 

APPLE SHOPPING - LET YOUR NOSE GUIDE YOU – the blog

ere you go ... 

Pick up a fresh local apple at the farmer’s market and take a big sniff. Depending on the apple the aroma you’ll experience is a treat. A scent of natural spiciness and honeysuckle might hit your nostrils. Fresh apples at the farmer’s market make you realize that Fall has arrived. In contrast, the average apple buying experience in supermarket leaves much to be desired.  The supermarket apples might look beautiful because they’re rinsed with water and waxed for protection but they won’t have that fresh apple scent or taste. Smelling such a waxy apple might reveal a cardboard like dull smell or nothing at all.

I have great memories of a well known restaurant that had rows of apples lined up on shelves in the foyer – it was a treat for the senses to arrive amidst the  mesmerizing scent which put a hectic day in perspective  and encouraged a  beautiful evening to begin…

From the garden of eatin’
The variety of apples at our local farmer’s market is splendid. Some apples are good for eating out of hand where others make a good match for cooking. It always made sense to me to mix-up apples that have different flavor when it comes to baking or cooking. Here is a rundown on the apples at the market currently:

- Braeburn are perfect for eating out of the hand.

- Winesap apples have good acidity which is makes for a delicious taste when eating them raw but they are not a good fit for cooking as they seem to lose their punch.

- A golden delicious apple has a beautiful nose but a rather boring flavor - it’s ideal for cooking because it becomes naturally creamy when cooked.

- Tart Granny Smith apples or Gravenstein apples are terrific when tartness is needed in recipes such as pies and Strudel.  

- Honeycrip apples are one of my favorite fresh eating apples -  they’re juicy and full flavored.  

- Cortland apples are a rather good match when grated into a carrot salad.

- Mutsu are rich and full flavored and have a dense texture.

- Empire apples are naturally creamy and juicy and ideal for raw consumption

- Fuji are almost too sweet and have a yellowish apple flesh and makes a mean apple sauce.

- McIntosh is a mild sweet apple - more of a filler than a star fruit.

- Northern Spy apples are hard and juicy with a tart flavor profile. These apples have thin skin and are therefore ideal for kiddos.

- Rome apples are good for baking in pies since they hold their shape and still keep a noticeable texture when cooked.

- Macoun apples are a delicious all around

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”
Apples are high in Vitamin C and are a rich source of antioxidants. Good timing as the fall brings the cold and flu season.  I recommend leaving the skin on the apples (when eating raw) because most of their fiber content is located in the skin which helps digestion and may therefore reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Chef’s Note: Ever wonder how many pounds of fresh apples are in a pie (9-inch diameter)?

ANWSER: 2 pounds 

FALL CROPS – the blog

Cool nights with no frost and warm, sunny days push veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli and spaghetti squash ahead, and soon if not yet, they’ll pop up at the farmer’s market. Fall season is moving in strong! I have had a busy schedule the past two weeks and was on the road pretty early which made me realize what farmers mean about cool nights – you definitely need a sweater.  I am particularly excited that local Brussels sprouts are scheduled to arrive at the farmer’s stands in about two weeks.

Tender greens
Many of the newly arriving vegetables are not at peak size yet and hence require less cooking time since they have an immaculate tenderness. Cauliflower has a silkiness to it when shaved thinly with a mandolin, broccoli is less cabbagey tasting, and Spaghetti squash cut in a julienne shape, a/k/a fine strip-cut, has a savory sweetness to it.  A simple vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar, citrus juice and an extra virgin type of oil such as olive or pumpkin seed with a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper is sufficient and perfectly suitable. If you like nuts I suggest tossing pine nut or pistachios or crushed walnuts into the mix which adds textural punch and flavor.

Vegetable crudo
I like to combine raw “vegetable crudo” dishes with grains such as buckwheat, farro, quinoa, amaranth and other to make it a satisfying entrée. Technically quinoa and amaranth are not grains because they’re not in the grass family but we cook them and eat them like grains. If you’re a definite meat eater I can assure you such grain and raw veggie dishes impress.

Broccoli & Quinoa
(recipe yields four entrée sized portions)
1 cup quinoa
1 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon celery seeds1½ pounds broccoli
2 large lemons, juiced
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly cracked pepper from the mill
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped 

1. Combine quinoa, water and celery seeds in a gallon-sized pot and bring to boil on high heat setting. Continue to cook quinoa on low heat setting, covered with a tight fitting lid for 25 minutes. Spread cooked quinoa thinly on a cookie sheet pan to cool on the kitchen counter.
2. Rinse broccoli with water and cut thinly with a mandolin or knife.
3. In a bowl mix lemon juice salt and pepper with a wire whisk then add olive oil slowly, continuously whisking.
4. Toss broccoli and the lemon dressing mixture and let sit for 5 minutes. Add cooled quinoa and parsley and toss to mix.

Chef’s Note: You know quinoa is cooked when the germ - a small thread - divides from the individual quinoa seed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHERE DOES SALT COME FROM – the blog

Salt comes from two places – the sea and the earth.  Salt mineral deposits may be found in water under ground a/k/a brine, or in rock formation which is mined – they are the source for every day table salt. The brine salt gets pumped to the surface and solar evaporated until it crystallizes. Typically table salt is heavily processed for purifying purposes and has synthetic additives to prevent clumping. In addition, most table salt has iodine added which is an essential nutrient that does not occur naturally yet is essential for the balance of the human body cells. Iodine helps to prevent metabolic imbalance.



(saltwater evaporating under sun)
 
Which salt scores high
Table salt and sea salt have pretty much the same amount of sodium chloride by volume. Sea salt tends to have many more nutrients than ordinary table salt and can be used more sparingly because of its high salinity. Sea salt is more expensive to harvest hence the heftier price tag.

Types of salt
Kosher salt is one of the most utilized because its coarse texture enables it to sprinkle nicely onto food. In my opinion Kosher salt is a good everyday salt without any additives and I use it for meat and poultry. For seafood I prefer sea salt, which underlines the oceanic natural flavor.

(lavender salt, red beet salt, rosemary salt, fennel salt, basil salt) 

So many salts to choose from …
There are many different salts available especially in gourmet stores – it blows my mind how expensive certain salts are, but granted the selection of salt is a critical decision in making a dish shine.

Celtic salt is often used as a finishing salt – meaning to sprinkle a pinch over fine dishes such as foie gras or preparations of delicate raw fish. This sea salt is hand-harvested with wooden rake-like tools from ocean marshes in Brittany (Guérande). It is grey in color and moist. Many people love it because of its uniqueness: a combination of sunlight, heat and a particular wind from the ocean make it exquisite. It is hand-harvested at just the right time when the “fleur de sel” which is the uppermost crystalline layer of that salt is dry enough to be harvested – truly unique.
Other common sea salt is simply distilled from sea water and has fine coarse texture. It’s a less expensive version of Celtic salt. Remember, such sea salt is nutritionally much better than mineral salt since it contains traces of minerals.
Himalayan salt is hand-mined salt found deep within the untouched Himalayan mountains -- it is said to be the purest salt on earth because the sea beds were covered with volcanic lava and hence it has been protected from pollution. Often it is pink or black in color and truly stands out.
Other flavored salts are interesting such as smoked salt, espresso sea salt, chipotle salt, green tea salt, red wine salt and garlic salt. Such salts are used often for spice rubs but are not really worth their price tag in my opinion. Certainly they make a nice gifts though.

Salt Intake
Excessive salt intake can be harmful to health for older people and those having having high blood pressure. The recommended daily consumption should not be over 2300 milligrams for the average adult.  After the age of 50 the suggested amount is more like 1500 milligrams per day. 

Chef’s note: In case you are wondering, sour salt is often used in the pickling world, and is not a salt but mostly citric acid.  It acts as a preservative in the pickle jar. It preserves the color of the pickled fruit or vegetable and does not make a cloudy brining liquid.

 

WHERE DOES SALT COME FROM – the blog

Salt comes from two places – the sea and the earth.  Salt mineral deposits may be found in water under ground a/k/a brine, or in rock formation which is mined – they are the source for every day table salt. The brine salt gets pumped to the surface and solar evaporated until it crystallizes. Typically table salt is heavily processed for purifying purposes and has synthetic additives to prevent clumping. In addition, most table salt has iodine added which is an essential nutrient that does not occur naturally yet is essential for the balance of the human body cells. Iodine helps to prevent metabolic imbalance.

Which salt scores high
Table salt and sea salt have pretty much the same amount of sodium chloride by volume. Sea salt tends to have many more nutrients than ordinary table salt and can be used more sparingly because of its high salinity. Sea salt is more expensive to harvest hence the heftier price tag.

Types of salt
Kosher salt is one of the most utilized because its coarse texture enables it to sprinkle nicely onto food. In my opinion Kosher salt is a good everyday salt without any additives and I use it for meat and poultry. For seafood I prefer sea salt, which underlines the oceanic natural flavor.

So many salts to choose from …
There are many different salts available especially in gourmet stores – it blows my mind how expensive certain salts are, but granted the selection of salt is a critical decision in making a dish shine.

Celtic salt is often used as a finishing salt – meaning to sprinkle a pinch over fine dishes such as foie gras or preparations of delicate raw fish. This sea salt is hand-harvested with wooden rake-like tools from ocean marshes in Brittany (Guérande). It is grey in color and moist. Many people love it because of its uniqueness: a combination of sunlight, heat and a particular wind from the ocean make it exquisite. It is hand-harvested at just the right time when the “fleur de sel” which is the uppermost crystalline layer of that salt is dry enough to be harvested – truly unique.
Other common sea salt is simply distilled from sea water and has fine coarse texture. It’s a less expensive version of Celtic salt. Remember, such sea salt is nutritionally much better than mineral salt since it contains traces of minerals.
Himalayan salt is hand-mined salt found deep within the untouched Himalayan mountains -- it is said to be the purest salt on earth because the sea beds were covered with volcanic lava and hence it has been protected from pollution. Often it is pink or black in color and truly stands out.
Other flavored salts are interesting such as smoked salt, espresso sea salt, chipotle salt, green tea salt, red wine salt and garlic salt. Such salts are used often for spice rubs but are not really worth their price tag in my opinion. Certainly they make a nice gifts though.

Salt Intake
Excessive salt intake can be harmful to health for older people and those having having high blood pressure. The recommended daily consumption should not be over 2300 milligrams for the average adult.  After the age of 50 the suggested amount is more like 1500 milligrams per day. 

Chef’s note: In case you are wondering, sour salt is often used in the pickling world, and is not a salt but mostly citric acid.  It acts as a preservative in the pickle jar. It preserves the color of the pickled fruit or vegetable and does not make a cloudy brining liquid.

 

PLUMP PLUMS – the blog

(plum beauties at the farmer's market) 

Plums come in many different colors - in fact there are over 2,000 different varieties. Plums are in the drupe family, with a hard shell around their seed, similar to almonds, peaches and stone fruits.
Unripe plums are often picked from the tree but sadly they don’t continue to ripe once picked. I prefer to buy local, tree-ripened plums, picked at the peak of ripeness for that sugar sweet juiciness. Ripe plums are plump and soft to the touch and have a floral-almond like scent. It’s best to buy tree-ripened plums in small crates or batches to rule out getting crushed, bruised plums from large crates. 

(Italian plums)
 

Cooking and more
I prefer Italian plums, which are oval and purple-blackish in color. The variety offers terrific preparation flexibility. You may simply slice them thinly and serve with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of honey. Another favorite way of preparing plums is to cut them into wedges and toss with arugula and crumbled feta cheese – it’s a revelation. Sweet preparations such as plum pie and sheet cakes are a tantalizing finale to a great meal since they’re not too sweet, with their natural tartness.
Other plums such as green, yellow Mirabelle and Japanese plums, a/k/a loquat can be made into jellies, or thinly sliced and sprinkled over pizza in combination with sausage slices and basil. Fermented plums are made into wine, which is popular in Asian countries or distilled into liquor know as Slivovitz in Slavic regions of Europe – in my experience a true firewater!

(tasty plum tart)

Feta & Plum Summer Salad
(recipe makes 4 entrée-sized portions)

4 slices crusty country bread
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound plums, Italian plums preferably
Sea salt, to taste
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper mill grindings, to taste
3/4 pound arugula, rinsed
3 ounces feta or goat cheese

(plum salad with arugula, frisee and sesame crisps) 

1. Put bread on a baking pan and drizzle with 1-tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Toast bread for 5 minutes in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.  With a large chef knife cut the bread into bite-sized pieces.
2. Rinse plums with water and slice into 1/8^th wedges.
3. In a small mixing bowl whisk lemon juice and salt with a wire whisk for one minute then add oil and black pepper.
4. In a large bowl, combine arugula with plums and cheese then add the dressing and toss. Divide the salad into four bowls.
5. Sprinkle the salads with toasted bread croutons. 

(ripe plums) 

Prunes
Specific type of plums can be dried into prunes which have gotten a little bit of a bad rap since they have been in senior citizens diet plans for their laxative effect. Hence prunes are advertised more and more as dried plums.

Chef’s Note: Plums often have often a dusty-looking white coat on their skin – it rinses or rubs off easily and is not harmful. It’s a naturally occurring form of wax, which enhances water repellency and is grown by the plant itself.

 

Cukes - the blog

Cukes – the blog

 

This year on the East Coast farmers markets have an abundance of cucumbers – they are popping up in different colors, shapes and sizes. Pequenos are the little ones resembling an inch-sized watermelon, they’re great for pickling and make a good garnish because of their novelty.  Yellow cucumbers are often oval-shaped and can be mistaken for a lemon since they’re astonishingly similar looking.  Small, green cucumbers are great for pickling with their skin on since it gives them texture and lends them character. Pickling cucumbers are often called “Kirby“ or “Picklers” and have a bumpy-textured skin with tiny white or black dotted spines. If cucumbers are eaten raw, simply sliced, I recommend peeling them since the skin is rather hard to digest and gives most people a burpy sensation, which is not so pleasant. Long straight or lightly bent cucumbers a/k/a “English” cucumbers are most likely destined for supermarkets and are often waxed for their protection from insects and their shinny, handsome looks – another good reason to peel them.

 

Cukes like it hot 
Cucumbers like warm weather from 60 – 90 degree Fahrenheit with the occasional rainfall. Judging the volume at the farmers market and talking to the people who grow cucumbers I learned that is has been a good season for cucumbers in the Tristate area. 

Cucumber prep
To me cucumbers had  a dull reputation until I started to really think about them. Perhaps because our local guy at the farmer’s market makes a nice variety of spicy and not-so-hot pickles, which have been my go-to snack, all summer. Following is one of my favorite fresh cucumber preparations.

Cucumber Salad with Dill and Sour Cream
(recipe yields four side portions)
2 pound cucumbers (any variety), peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper from a mill, to taste
2 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraiche
1 tablespoon of dill, chopped
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

1. Slice cucumbers in half and chop into ¼” thick slices
2. Put cucumbers into a colander and toss with salt and put over a bowl – this will catch draining juices.  Let cucumbers sit for 30 minutes.
3. In a bowl combine black pepper, sour cream, dill and vinegar and stir with a spoon to mix. Toss drained cucumbers into the mix.

Summer days
Cucumbers have an underappreciated amount of phyto nutrients including flavonoids,  lignan and triterpenes, which are rapidly revealing cancer fighting properties and benefits to cardiovascular health.  Also cukes have no fat and the majority of their mass is body hydrating water – ideal for the dog days of summer.

COCONUTS, TREE OF LIVE – the blog

With a heat wave coming through New York coconuts fit the menu right now. For sure my emphasis lies on locally sourced goods and coconuts don’t have much to do with locavore cooking since they’re a tropical plant. Coconuts are botanically considered a fruit rather than a nut as its name suggests.  In my mind it evokes a romance of vacation with images of palm threes and their fruit, swaying in a hammock with a tropical coconut beverage. The dark looking coconut is encased in a beige colored husk and has a green outer skin. The inside has a layer of white coconut meat, which holds sterile coconut water. In wartime when medicine was in short supply coconut water was used to hydrate in emergencies since it mixes well with blood and has a high level of sugar and natural salts. In these days coconut water is one of the hottest, refreshing beverages to my means.


(use a heavy knife to chop away the tip of the nut
stabelize the nut with a towel and hand) 

(thinly chopped coconut flesh)

Often you can find young coconuts at markets where the seller is cutting the fruit right in front of your eyes. Coconut really is an ideal summer fruit because it’s nutritious and refreshingly hydrating. The white coconut meat can be eaten raw or dried. It is commonly shredded into flakes or shaved into paper-thin slices.  Coconut is unmistakably tasty and used in numerous dishes such as coconut shrimp, tropical salads, German chocolate cake, and macaroons as well as alcoholic cocktails such as Pina Colada and Batida de Coco. Coconut milk is another, well known product, which is produced by steeping coconut meat in hot water. It is worth mentioning that coconut milk has a fat content of approximately 17%. Coconut milk is commonly available in sweetened or non-sweetened canned form -- it naturally separates during storage so shake the can vigorously before opening. Pressing the white meat produces coconut fat or oil. Virgin coconut oil has medium chain saturated fat, which has a cholesterol lowering quality, and promotes blood circulation and cardiovascular health. As long as it is not refined and/or hydrogenated, coconut oil is a wonderful tasting and healthful fat to cook with. Coconuts (or palm trees) are celebrated by many cultures especially islanders as the “Tree of Life.”

Coconut cooking
The following recipe is very simple and delicious. Drop me a note and let me know if you enjoyed it.

(wilted spinach with coconut milk)

Coconut Spinach
(recipe yields four side portions alongside a main course)
4 bunches baby spinach
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk 

1. If spinach has long, tough stems and/or roots cut them off. Fill a bowl with water and rinse spinach. Dry spinach in a salad spinner or on several layers of kitchen paper towel.
2. Heat a gallon-sized pot on high heat setting for 3 minutes. Put garlic on bottom of the hot pot then add spinach. Cook spinach for 5 minutes stirring every minute with a cooking spoon – spinach leaves will wilt and lose volume. If there is a lot of water from steaming the spinach in the pot, pour the spinach in a colander and press the water out with the back of a spoon.
3. In the pot combine cooked spinach and coconut milk and season with cayenne and salt. Stir spinach to incorporate all ingredients. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Note: The water of young coconuts is mildly sweet and refreshing. It is the liquid endosperm of coconuts which is high in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.

(freshly shucked local corn with coconut milk is a treat)  

Did you know? Coconut trees can grow in cultivated conditions yielding up to 75 coconuts per year. 

 

 

 

 

BLACK, ALBINO, RED CURRANTS – the blog

Currants grow in tiny grape-like clusters. The small berries come in different colors black, white known as albinos and purplish-red they’re quiet tart and hence are not that delicious when eaten raw. A nutritional highlight is that they’re packed with vitamin C. It feels like currants are more popular in Europe compared to the US I don’t encounter them often on menus, maybe people just don’t know them well enough.

Currants in the kitchen
The natural tartness of the berries is a nice balance to rich dishes such as pork belly and duck. I like to cook them with a touch of honey or maple and lemon zest they make a welcome match with the gamy flavor of hare, pheasant, venison etc..
The combination game and currants comes naturally since such wild forest animals like to eat them.
Sugary desserts such as meringues offer a great foil for the tart berries. When I was a kid one of my favorite cakes was my mother’s red currant meringue tart. Another favorite of mine is Rote Grüetze it’s a kind of jello that is often served in Germany in the hot summer season. Red currants make a picturesque garnish in a sweet drink and let’s not forget the famous cocktail Kir Royal, which is made with black currant liqueur.

(red currant schnitten/cake)  

No quick pick
When picking currants you’ll have red stained fingers and collecting the tiny berries is a painstaking long affair. Most likely this is why you don’t see them in the first place at markets. 
The following recipe makes a lovely cake which are called Schnitten in Austria the   word explains a shallow cake base usually topped or filled with some sort of a berry jelly in this case red currants folded into meringue. Guten Appetit (enyoy in german)

Red Currant Meringue Schnitten
(9 inch round or square baking pan)
1 pound red currants, de-stemmed and rinsed
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 ounces butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons honey
6 ounces whole milk
8 ounces whole-wheat flower
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 egg whites
3 ounces sugar, organic preferably

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a bowl carefully combine red currants with maple syrup with a spoon.
3. In a small saucepot melt butter.
4. In a bowl whisk eggs, honey, maple syrup, milk and melted butter together then add flour and baking powder. The batter should be not mixed too much since this makes a tough cake.
5. Grease a baking mold with non-stick cooking spray or butter.
6. Fill currant batter into the mold and bake for 20 minutes or a cake tester comes out clean when pierced in the middle. Invert cake onto a plate and let cool.
7. In a kitchen mixer whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
8. With a rubber spatula fold currant/honey mix into the whipped egg whites.
9. Spoon egg white mixture onto the baked cake base.

Chef’s tip: Caramelize the egg white topping with a torch or bake the cake in a very hot oven for 3-5 minutes or until the topping is browned.

 

 

 

FORAGER - the blog

(wild flowers perhaps eatable they did not have a bitter flavor) 

Forager
There is no doubt we have becomes an epicenter for food in the US. We have mastered molecular cuisine and made the impossible possible. Culinary artists have fused meats and fish together with meat glue, combinations of foods are born which we chef’s hardly could have dreamed of even 20 years ago. Flavor combinations were made possible with hydrocolloids a/k/a gums such as agar, alginate, guar, locust bean, xantham, starch, etc. Creations such eggless hollandaise and fried mayonnaise were not possible before. We can infuse smoke into food and have it continue to smoke when it arrives in front of a guest. Instantaneously freezing food with liquid nitrogen has been a rage for a few years now as well.

(I call it sourleaf because of it's tart flavor. I can imagine incoporating it in a salad blend) 

So what’s next?
We have arrived at a time when foraging is the hottest thing - something totally forgotten becomes nouveau again. Grasses, edible flowers, barks, fungus, and seeds we have overlooked in the past are superstars on contemporary plates. I like to call foraging of herbs and grasses free weeding since many plants are vegetating throughout the season and most people don’t know that some chef will be psyched to incorporate them in their daily special menu. Some items I have been using recently in cooking are milkweed, thistles, fiddlehead ferns, basswood, ramps, dandelion, amaranth greens, elderberries, epazote, lamb’s quarters, purslane, sassafras, wild strawberries, violets, wood sorrel, nettles and lavender.  All of these are found in the wild and are not cultivated – look carefully as they may appear like weed to the untrained eye.  

(this had the most fragrant scent I think it's a variety of elderberries) 

Then and now
In prehistoric times hunter-gatherers were chasing animals with spears, and stones or scared them, so they would fall off a cliff. Later on bow and arrow came into the picture which made hunting a lot more efficient. These hunters were foraging animals such as buffalo, deer and fish from the ocean. Mushrooms, grasses, herbs, grains, seeds and edible leaves were a part of their daily foraging routine.

Nowadays food supply works differently of course. Most of the food we eat is domesticated and produced in controlled agriculture. If it’s not organically grown the DNA of plants is often manipulated to withstand draughts, winds and other climatic conditions and non organic crops may be sprayed with synthetic pesticides that can maximize yields and assure “ideal” appearance. The majority of animals we eat today grow up in CAFO’s. (concentrated/confined animal feeding organizations) unless it’s organic and grass-fed and  enjoy fat green pastures on the field. CAFO animals are brought up in a commercialized highly efficient manner to get maximum yield results. The confined upbringing requires a threshold of antibiotics in the diet of the animals, which serves as insurance that no animal sickness can disturb the scheduled slaughter. But times are changing and the average consumer wants to know where their food comes from and realizes that it is not as wholesome and pure as they would have imagined. That’s where a forager comes in.

(wild rose buds - let's brew some tea)

Creating a New Job
I suppose foraging can be called a profession since some restaurants focused on local, natural cooking actually have foragers on the payroll. A forager establishes a supply chain between the green market and its sources including the wilderness, local farms, wild plants, and well-bred animals. Foragers are culinary researchers and need to understand flavors since they’re the liaison between cooks and nature or the immediate supplier.  Foraged plant products are organic and sustainable in a sense that they are not controlled and grow wild in the woods. With foraged goods you’re certain you get the highest quality for a lower cost since such items are purchased at the source or in other words from the person who picked or raised it without middleman. Foragers are the eyes and ears for a chef.

(juniper berries great for a game dish) 

Next time you happen to be in a forest look out for wild berries and herbs -- it’s quite interesting what’s out there that is edible. But leave it up to the trained forager to pick such goodies since some plants are poisonous and harmful.

 

 

 

MESMERIZING HERB - LAVENDER - the blog

(fresh lavender - a seldom treat) 

On a recent visit to a farmer’s market one of the stands turned my head.  I could not stop staring at the blueish-purple ocean of flowering lavender spread out over the entire table – worthy of a picture.  As I approached the stand the strong scent of lavender was mesmerizing.  I had not seen fresh lavender in that abundance in New York City  before.  I found it interesting how quickly it sparked memories from growing up in alpine Tyrol, Austria where it still grows in abundance. We usually see lavender in its dried form in stores like Whole Foods. The purple beauty is used in ornamental dried flower arrangements of potpourris and wreaths and in many cosmetics such as essential oils, soaps, sachets and perfumes because of its bedazzling scent. My mother tucked lavender soap in between bed sheets, which gave it the most amazing, fresh pine aroma. |


(lavender scented candle - mesmerizing)


(plenty of cosmetics with lavender available...)

Lavender in the kitchen
If you  can’t find fresh lavender go with dry. I recommend buying organic lavender so you don’t have to worry about any synthetic pesticides that may have been sprayed and compromise the healthful natural qualities of this flower. I have used dried lavender buds in multiple sous-vide-style cooked venison dishes. The meat can stand up to the strong lavender flavor.  The combination seems to make sense when I witnessed deer happily eating the purple flowers in the wild.  Carrots caramelized with lavender-honey makes this common vegetable shine.  It’s true  I romanticize lavender a bit --  it makes me think of a mountainous panorama on a sunny summer day.  And with summer comes ice cream so naturally I think of lavender steeped in cream showing off this flower in a delicious bowl of ice cream.  It also pairs particularly well with chocolate and makes an appearance on my  fall menus every so often. Because of lavender’s pungent flavor I suggest extracting the flavor in a brew by steeping it in a hot, but not boiling, liquid for a few minutes. Thelavender-infused liquid can be dosed as needed so dishes don’t get overwhelmingly strong lavender flavored.  Blending lavender into shakes, dressing, sauces and soups is a good way to get the texture of flower buds into your dishes. I must admit it took me a while to get into the taste o lavender as  it reminds me of the bed sheets in my mother’s house so I started subtly.  The following recipe is a good way to get introduced to lavender - so tasting lavender is not like tasting soap!

(local veggies seasoned with fresh lavender)

Yogurt with Honey and Lavender 
(recipe yields four portions)

½ cup water
1 teaspoon fresh or dried lavender blossoms
1 tablespoon honey, wild flower honey preferably
4 cups Greek-style yogurt
4 cups blueberries
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. In a small saucepot bring water to boil. Move the pot to the side of the stove
and add lavender. Steep lavender for 10 minutes then strain through a fine
mesh sieve. Add honey to the lavender flavored water.
2. In a bowl mix yogurt with a wire wisk then add the lavender/honey water.
3. Rinse blueberries with water then put into small bowl plates and spoon the
lavender yogurt over it.

Chef’s Tip: add orange zest to the yogurt as it balances the lavender/honey-flavored yogurt nicely. 

 

MESMERIZING HERB - LAVENDER - the blog

(fresh lavender - a seldom treat) 

On a recent visit to a farmer’s market one of the stands turned my head.  I could not stop staring at the blueish-purple ocean of flowering lavender spread out over the entire table – worthy of a picture.  As I approached the stand the strong scent of lavender was mesmerizing.  I had not seen fresh lavender in that abundance in New York City  before.  I found it interesting how quickly it sparked memories from growing up in alpine Tyrol, Austria where it still grows in abundance. We usually see lavender in its dried form in stores like Whole Foods. The purple beauty is used in ornamental dried flower arrangements of potpourris and wreaths and in many cosmetics such as essential oils, soaps, sachets and perfumes because of its bedazzling scent. My mother tucked lavender soap in between bed sheets, which gave it the most amazing, fresh pine aroma. |


(lavender scented candle - mesmerizing)


(plenty of cosmetics with lavender available...)

Lavender in the kitchen
If you  can’t find fresh lavender go with dry. I recommend buying organic lavender so you don’t have to worry about any synthetic pesticides that may have been sprayed and compromise the healthful natural qualities of this flower. I have used dried lavender buds in multiple sous-vide-style cooked venison dishes. The meat can stand up to the strong lavender flavor.  The combination seems to make sense when I witnessed deer happily eating the purple flowers in the wild.  Carrots caramelized with lavender-honey makes this common vegetable shine.  It’s true  I romanticize lavender a bit --  it makes me think of a mountainous panorama on a sunny summer day.  And with summer comes ice cream so naturally I think of lavender steeped in cream showing off this flower in a delicious bowl of ice cream.  It also pairs particularly well with chocolate and makes an appearance on my  fall menus every so often. Because of lavender’s pungent flavor I suggest extracting the flavor in a brew by steeping it in a hot, but not boiling, liquid for a few minutes. Thelavender-infused liquid can be dosed as needed so dishes don’t get overwhelmingly strong lavender flavored.  Blending lavender into shakes, dressing, sauces and soups is a good way to get the texture of flower buds into your dishes. I must admit it took me a while to get into the taste o lavender as  it reminds me of the bed sheets in my mother’s house so I started subtly.  The following recipe is a good way to get introduced to lavender - so tasting lavender is not like tasting soap!

(local veggies seasoned with fresh lavender)

Yogurt with Honey and Lavender 
(recipe yields four portions)

½ cup water
1 teaspoon fresh or dried lavender blossoms
1 tablespoon honey, wild flower honey preferably
4 cups Greek-style yogurt
4 cups blueberries
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. In a small saucepot bring water to boil. Move the pot to the side of the stove
and add lavender. Steep lavender for 10 minutes then strain through a fine
mesh sieve. Add honey to the lavender flavored water.
2. In a bowl mix yogurt with a wire wisk then add the lavender/honey water.
3. Rinse blueberries with water then put into small bowl plates and spoon the
lavender yogurt over it.

Chef’s Tip: add orange zest to the yogurt as it balances the lavender/honey-flavored yogurt nicely. 

 

FETA CHEESE - the blog

FETA CHEESE
Traditionally feta is made with sheep’s milk, or from a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. You might find an exhausting amount of feta on supermarket shelves from various parts of the world, however it is a protected “designation of origin” product in the European Union. True artisan feta is from Greece. Nevertheless other white-brined cheeses or “Greek-style” feta from outside of Greece are made with various mixtures of milk including cow’s.  I prefer goat and sheep’s milk feta that has a funky barnyard flavor versus generic tasting cow’s milk feta. I attest to the real thing from Greece.

(not so good feta galore in a supermarket, where's the real deal?)

Feta making
In the feta making process, cheese curds are pressed into rectangular shaped molds with holes to drain excess whey. After a day the logs are salted and air-dried for up to three days and then brined. Old-fashioned feta is traditionally not brined at all actually, but is simply salted and aged.  These days, to speed things up Greek feta is brined in liquid for a minimum of two months and often up to seven months, which gives it the salty signature character. Paradoxically, feta gets drier the longer it is brined in liquid. Sometimes feta is aged in beech and birch wood barrels in it’s own juices which lends it additional woodsy characteristics, a nice treat. For longer aged feta cheeses, it is recommended that they be rinsed with plain water to remove excessive saltiness.

Feta dishes
I favor the signature zingy, salty feta flavor on salads, in combination with gamey lamb or sprinkled on a house-made pizza or small meze bites on psomi (Greek bread). If you marinate feta in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and lemon thyme or oregano, and serve alongside a variation of olives you’re off to a great pre dinner snack already.  You can even grill feta.  Personally I always found it odd to grill cheese but feta makes it a success; it adds welcome flavor and a softened texture to dishes like Dorade (you might know it under the name sea bream). I remember an entree of grilled leg of lamb and peaches with fire-charred feta – a big hit on our menu in the midst of summer.

(rack of lamb and feta grilling over open flame)

Currently, farmer’s markets have an abundance of local cucumbers, corn and tomatoes which are a perfect canvas for crumbled feta – Kai Orexi/Enjoy!

Feta Salad
(recipe yields four portions)
2 ears corn
2 plum tomatoes
2 cucumbers
3 ounces feta
4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
black pepper millings
sea salt, to taste
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1. Shuck corn and cut the kernels off the cob with a chef’s knife.
2. Cut core cap of tomato. Cut tomatoes into four wedges and across into small cubes.
3. Peel cucumber, cut in half and remove seeds with a small spoon. Cut cucumber across into 1/2-inch wide slices.
4. Rinse parsley with water then dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen paper towels. Chop parsley with a chef’s knife.
5. For the dressing, mix vinegar and salt with a wire whisk then slowly add oil.
6. In a large bowl toss the cut vegetables then add the dressing.
7. Place the salad onto four plates and crumble feta over it. Season the salads with freshly ground pepper from the mill.

(tasty greek salad) 

Nutrition Pointer
Compared to cows, goats and sheep are raised in a less industrialized way; meaning antibiotic and growth hormones are more conservatively used. Look for feta or any cheese that indicates “no-synthetic” growth hormones added and “no-antibiotics use” on the label.  It’s a strong selling point.  

CONFETTI VEGETABLES – the blog

(vegetable medley in the making) 


With an abundance of vegetables at the farmer’s market these days it becomes difficult to make a decision – I want everything I see!  I remember a dish in one of the restaurants I had apprenticed in -- a side dish with 27 seasonal vegetables simply steamed. With the bounty of confetti colored spring vegetables it was one of the highlights of the menu simple as it was.
The tricky part was to cut the raw vegetables in a way so they would end up somewhat equally cooked in a matter of a few minutes. Recently with my enthusiasm for the vegetables at the market I have been mixing up to 10 different vegetables in one dish, which is delicious.

(yep - a little prep work is nessersary) 

Tools & toys 
Depending on the chosen vegetables a multiple ingredient list can require quite some prep work. and knife skills are a must. You can defer to a Mandolin but I suggest the outmost care and alertness – so no wine or beer drinking during cooking when you use this
serious slicing tool. Another kitchen toy, which is essential, is a good vegetable peeler. I like such Swiss style vegetable peeler, which do a reliable job with their flexible blade and they lie nicely in the hand.
To make a complete meal out of that vegetable medley I suggest adding a pesto like sauce, which is made with nuts, garlic, and herbs and some spices.

Pecan & Parsley Pesto
(enough to toss into four portions of vegetable medley)
1 cup toasted pecans
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (blanching optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 pinches cayenne
2 cloves garlic, sliced then blanched
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ice cubes 

1. Combine all ingredients in a kitchen blender then process for 2 minutes. The pesto should have a pasty or thick puree texture if not add a tablespoon water and process for 2 minutes.

Chef’s note: The ice cubes in the pesto keeps the color bright green. If the parsley is blanched in boiling water for 20 seconds then shocked in ice water the pesto will become even greener.

The following vegetable list and prep steps are an indication of which vegetables are available right now so pick and choose whatever you find the most interesting or incorporate them all. It’s difficult to pin quantities of each vegetable but from most of them you’ll have plentiful if you pick one bunch of each (excluding herbs)

Seasonal Vegetable Medley
Baby bock choy – cut into small wedges with a knife
Baby carrots – peel and slice with the knife or a mandolin
Baby fennel – shave thinly with a mandolin
Beets – peel and shave thinly with a mandolin
Broccoli – cut into small roses with a small knife
Corn ear – peel husk, remove silk then cut seeds off the cob
Cherry tomatoes – remove green leaves
Chive – cut into inch-sized pieces
Fava beans – shell then blanche for 30 seconds and then remove skin  
Garlic scapes (green garlic) – cut thinly on a bias
Green asparagus – cut thinly with a knife on a bias
Green celery – cut stalks on the bias with a knife
Italian parsley – pick leaves off the stalks
Kale – cut the stalk out of the leaves then in mouth-sized pieces
Kohlrabi (turnip like veg) – peel and cut into batons/short sticks  
Peas – shell
Peppers, small (red, yellow) - remove core then cut into rings
Radishes – cut into small wedges or slice thinly with a mandolin 
Small, skinny yellow squash – cut into ¼-inch thick pieces
Small, skinny zucchini – cut into ¼-inch thick pieces
Snap peas – cut ends off and pull through pea “threat”
Spring onions – cut thinly on a bias or in small wedges
String beans (yellow, green, purple, long) – snap ends off then slice thinly with a knife
Young leeks – cut on the bias 

1. Make sure you rinse vegetables with water before prepping
2. Peel, slice, shave and chop vegetables and herbs and toss them in a bowl together
3. Heat a gallon sized pot on high heat setting. After 2 minutes add vegetables and ½ cup of hot water and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid – this will steam the vegetables.
4. After 4 minutes take the pot off the heat and add the pesto
5. Add freshly ground black pepper with a mill and stir with tongs carefully – serve right away.  

(27 vegetable medley dish with pesto) 

Chef’s Tip: The vegetable medley is a great match to pasta tossed with a sprinkle of black or white truffle oil.

 

Summer Beans - the blog

One of my favorite dishes my mother cooked when we were kids was thick string beans pan-fried with caramelized sweet onions and sprinkled with toasted shaved almonds. It’s home cooking par excellence. Sure the beans were often overcooked and kind of gray but when they were cooked just right they made a squishy sound in your mouth when we bit into them. Wanting to pass the nostalgia of home cooked beans on to the next generation my spouse and I have been cooking them with our 2 ½ year old daughter and she loves to help with the prep work. She calls them “geen beans”.

"geen beans"


(French bean and fava bean salad)

Green Beans
I yet have to figure out why green beans and mushrooms are a traditional Thanksgiving dish. Often the beans are drowned in mushroom cream sauce or to be more correct canned mushroom soup. I’m wondering about the tradition since beans are very much in season in the midst of summer which is right about now. I eyed beans today at the farmer’s market and they were beautiful with all their different shads of yellow, green, purple and even black.  Plentiful crates of string beans, delicate fava beans, short and flat broad beans, long Asian beans, and skinny haricot verts a.k.a “skinny French beans” were available. I think it’s funny when many of us Americans try to pronounce haricot verts - it must be one of the most mispronounced food words. If you need to brush up on your French, for the next time take this as a guide-line [arigoo-ferr’)

(beans at the market) 

Squishy Beans 
(recipe makes four portions)

2 pounds green string beans
1 sweet onion
1 tablespoon sea salt and more to taste
Black pepper grindings from a mill, to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed
¼ cup toasted almond slivers
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon, freshly chopped dill

1.     Snip ends off beans.
2.     Fill a pot (1-gallon sized) with water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring the water to boil on high heat setting.
3.     Prepare a bowl with ice and water.
4.     Cook beans in the boiling water 1-2 minutes. Beans should be crunchy when biting into them. Transfer beans with a slotted spoon into the ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to preserve the color.
5.     Peel onion then cut in half and then into thin slices.
6.     In a skillet heat oil on medium heat setting and add onions season with salt. Cook onions for 15 minutes stirring every five minutes to prevent scorching, add string beans and heat thoroughly.
7.     Add almonds and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, add butter and dill then stir.

Chef’s Note: Instead of fresh dill try adding freshly chopped tarragon. It adds a fennel-like note, which has a natural affinity with beans. 

 

SWEET CITY - the blog

(lemonade in the making - farmer's market strawberries and basil) 

New Yorks mayor Michael Bloomberg has been on the fence against sugary drinks. He want’s to level sugar consumption in terms of sodas by restricting drinks offered any size bigger then 16 oz – big gulp good by. Not a bad idea to my means especially if the sweetness comes from sugar and corn syrup since it is know to add to the scary obesity rate in the US.
Kudos for the timing Mr. Mayor since the hot season invites you to reach for commercial iced soda, lemonade or iced tea it defiantly is refreshing. But think again the other side of such refreshment is an overload of empty calories – meaning it’s not got for our bodies with all the refined sugar as an ingredient. On the other hand there are sugar free beverages which are made with artificial/synthetic sugars such as Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), Saccharin (Sweet’N Low), Sucralose (Splenda) -you might them under the name in parentheses. Such sweeteners are useful calorie wise since they don’t add up but are said to be cancerous and frankly not enough research has been done to know how our bodies going to react to it in the future. There might be hope thought - you might have heard of Stevia an herb, which is manufactured into a sweetener with minimal calories with brand names such as Truvia, SweetLeaf, etc. Stevia does not cause cavities and has great potential to be the top pick for diabetics, which had to reach for the artificial sweeteners mentioned earlier. A downside of stevia is flavor some stevia products add a bitter tang or liquorish flavor to a beverage, which is not pleasing since many of our palates are “trained” to gravitate to refined white sugar.


(watermelon lemonade) 

Lemonades
One of the first business lessons I was taught as a kid was to drop a few fresh lemon slices, an insane amount of refined white sugar, ice topped off with water into a nice looking jar. We sold such creations in clear plastic cups with rainbow colored straws on the curbside of the street in front of our parent’s house.  Well, this was over thirty years ago now I try to be smarter and add touches of sweetness with honey, agave, maple syrup I have yet to experiment with brown rice syrup but it seems to be somewhat comparable. A few combination worked particularly good here are my findings enjoy…

Lemonade recipe steps:
-       use fresh herbs, juices, fruits
-       peel fruits were required
-       juice fruits were required
-       process all ingredients in a kitchen blender (you may strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve if         you want a smooth puree/liquid)
-       pour all lemonades over ice into attractive looking glasses

Zesty Blueberry Mint Lemonade
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 oz fresh mint, chopped
2 lemons, remove zest (yellow skin) with a zester or a vegetable peeler then chop then juice lemons
¼ cup maple syrup

 
Watermelon & Herb Lemonade
2 pound watermelon
1 table spoon fresh lemon thyme leafs or substitute 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon
fresh lavender flowers
2 lemons, juiced
¼ cup agave nectar

Cucumber  & Lime w. Mint Lemonade
4 cups water
2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 limes, juiced
1 oz mint, chopped
½ cup agave nectar

Pink Strawberry & Basil Lemonade
4 cups water
2 lemon, juiced
1 cup basil leafs
1/3 cup honey
 
(raspberry lemonade with mint) 

Chef’s Tip: If you don’t have a kitchen blender put all ingredients (except ice cubes) into a bar shaker and shake the ingredients vigorously then drain the juice into glasses filled with ice. Or muddle ingredients without the ice in a narrow container then add water and pour the mixture through a strainer over ice cube filled glasses.

 

 

 

WATER, SUN AND BEES - the blog

When watermelon starts popping up in markets it becomes evident that summer is here. Watermelon need a lot of mild and warm temperature including sunny days to grow to an average size of 8 lb, which is when they’re ready to be eaten in the earlier part of the season.  Later in August 25+ lb watermelons are not uncommon!  Watermelons have high water content - up to 92%, which is perfect since they hydrate the body and still deliver a sweetness that is so satisfying. Munching on chilled watermelon in the heat of summer is refreshing and delicious. One melon farmer I speak often to swears by three things – sun, bees and water. He covers the watermelon soil with plastic sheets to keep the warmth in the soil which promotes the groth.

 

Watermelon in the kitchen
The seedless variety tends to be a tad sweeter since the plant puts so little energy into seed production.  I personally still enjoy eating the kind with seeds since they seem to be more flavorful also there is the nostalgia of eating melon and playing with seeds, picking them out even eating them. Watermelon are best eaten raw right of the rind, and in smoothies and fruit salad they make a nice color contrast. Watermelon rind can be pickled and tossed with other vegetables in stir-fries for a crunchy texture. Since watermelon does not contain any fat I suggest pairing them with a fresh cheese such as goat or feta, which brings a welcome saltiness along.

Watermelon & Goat Cheese Salad
(recipe yields four portions)
1 lemon, juiced
sea salt to taste
black pepper mill grindings, to taste
½ cup hazelnuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunches lettuce such as watercress or baby arugula
8 cups watermelon cubes or a 2 pound skin-on wedge
8 oz crumbled fresh-cheese such as goat or feta

1. With a wire whisk, in a bowl mix lemon juice with sea salt for one minute or until the salt has dissolved then add pepper. Slowly add the olive oil constantly whisking.
2. In a skillet toast the hazelnuts on medium heat setting until they have a golden-brown color and give off a nutty smell. Put the hazelnuts in a Zip-loc style bag and pound them gently to small pieces with a heavy object such as a small pot.
3. Rinse the lettuce then dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen paper towels.
4. With a knife cut watermelon rind off and then into ½-inch cubes. 
5. In a bowl toss all ingredients except goat cheese. Divide mixture into four salad bowls and sprinkle cheese crumbles over the salad.

Did you know?
In Japan watermelons are grown in a square shape in order to fit more efficiently into boxes instead of their “awkward” oval cousins. 
Watermelons are in the family of cucumbers, and squashes.

Watermelon Nutrients
Watermelons are thirst quenchers and they’re mildly diuretic. Melons are a good source of vitamin C and A. The vitamins fight inflammation, which causes joint damage, and they fight cancers particularly colon and prostate. Bright pink watermelons are a leading source of carotenoid antioxidants that are called lycopene which neutralize free radicals which can do serious damage in our bodies. The most worrisome damage is the oxidation of cholesterol that makes it stick to blood vessel walls and hence can lead to blockage or in other words to heart attack.

Chef’s Note: a sign for ripe watermelon is the yellow spot on the bottom or a hollow sound when knocked.

 

FIRST THEY’RE CHERRY BLOSSOMS – the blog

(still small cherries on the tree)
It all starts out with cherry blossoms in spring. Cherry blossoms are distinguished by having a flock of blossoms, tightly packed together. Usually the flowers are immaculate white or seductive pink shaded. This year we were fortunate to catch the 52^nd Sakura Matsuri Japanese cherry blossom show at the Botanic Gardens in Brooklyn. We went on a particularly beautiful sunny spring day matching the beauty of the cherry blossoms – a real treat.

(juicy cherries) 

In the states most of the cherries are grown in Washington and California. Michigan likes to consider itself “The Cherry Capitol of the World” and hosts a national cherry festival with some 150 events. Cherries have a short season only about four weeks. On the east coast they’re coming to the market as early as June. Cherries get picked directly from the tree or another technique is the shaking of the trees allowing only the ripe cherries to fall into nets laid out on the ground ensuring the delicate cherries won’t get bruised.

Sweet & Sour
The darker colored cherry varieties tend to be sweeter. Bing cherries have a dark almost purple color and are perfect to pop into your mouth for the instant pleasure. Some varieties never get sweet enough to be consumed raw then they’re called sour cherries.  Morello is a popular sour cherry, which are cooked with the addition of a sweetener and are used for pies and jellies.
When buying cherries look for an unblemished outside skin. Cherries have a refrigerated shelf life of up to four days  - best kept in a closed container such as a Tupperware. If you keep them around any longer the taste will wind drastically to blandness.

Cherries in the kitchen
It’s best to pit cherries before processing them in jellies, pies etc. The following recipe is fairly easy to make. The flavor of cherries is underlined by almond milk, which has a natural affinity with cherries. I’m intrigued by the following recipe which includes chia seeds it makes a custardy texture.

Cherry-Chocolate “Pudding”
(recipe yields four portions)

 (cherry done in the style of pudding) 

4 cups cherries
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ cup vanilla flavored almond milk
2 tablespoons cacao powder – organic, pure preferably
4 tablespoons chia seeds

1.     Rinse cherries with water and remove any stems. Pit cherries with a pitting tool or cut them in half and remove the seed.
2.     In a pot (1-quart sized) combine maple syrup and the cherries. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer mixture on low heat setting for 15 minutes.
3.     Strain liquid and reserve.
4.     In a blender combine the cherry liquid, almond milk, cacao and chia seeds and process for 1 minute.
5.     Combine mixture with the cooked cherries and spoon into four glasses or bowls.

Chef’s Note: It’s a good idea to wear dark clothes around cherries since the stain clothes and leave their unforgettable mark!

Cherry nutrients: Cherries are high in vitamin C. and the terrific antioxidant level must be highlighted in particular. 

 

CONSERVING LOCAL BERRY TREASURES - the blog

(crunchy romaine with preserved strawberries, paby beets, Spring carrots, and super sweet tomatoes)

Strawberries and rhubarb are two hot items at the local farmer’s market right now. Greens such as kale, spring onions, baby beets and tiny radishes are looking good too, and are mild in flavor.  Often, seeing the bounty and beauty of these fruits and vegetables encourages me to buy way too much because I want to enjoy it all. This combined with an occasional basketful of goods from the local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) literally has our home refrigerator overflowing. My spouse and I are cool with a busy home cooking schedule but we tend to go on short weekend trips a few hours away from the city so all that beautiful goodness is not at the peak of its freshness when we get home. Needless to say, it’s paradoxical to buy local veggies to have them wilt away in the refrigerator. So in order to limit waste I was considering bringing it along but I don’t want to haul so much stuff and bother the fellow next to us on the train or bus.  So I considered making fresh juices, or frozen fruits in Zip-loc style bags for a daily morning smoothie, or perhaps pickle some of it or make some seasonal jellies.  The latter seemed to me the most appealing at the moment.

(juicy, ripe farmers market strawberries) 

When you make jelly you can preserve fruits at their peak of ripeness, and lock in their sweet flavor, berries in particular!  Jelly can be stored neatly in jars in the refrigerator.   I love to pop open such goodies late at night for a snack with yoghurt on a cracker or rice cake and they’re certainly a treat when eaten for breakfast with wholesome toast. They can be made sweet or savory. Think of strawberries with a touch of balsamic, or with a touch of natural sweetener such as maple syrup and if you want to be adventures add a few leaves of fresh basil. Rhubarb (which has a short growing season) makes a great jelly.  Add a touch of honey with some freshly chopped ginger for some heat -- makes a good combo and is a terrific way of making the tart stalks enjoyable.  I can’t wait for local cherries, which I like to poach in a bit of agave syrup with a small amount of lemon-thyme - unreal for the taste buds. And of course blueberries with fresh mint and a squeeze of lemon and any of the mentioned sweeteners will make your palate tingle.

(fresh blueberries with a touch maple butter)

Recipes?
Recipes are pointless really.  The most important thing is buying berries at their peak of ripeness – so taste them first. Most of the farmers at the market happily let you do that.  Make sure you rinse the berries with water. De-stem and/or remove leaves and pits before adding a sweetener, which is one teaspoon per cup of fruit usually. In case you get your hands on some rhubarb cut it into ½-inch long pieces. Put the fruits individually into a saucepot and add the sweetener and condiments except the herbs. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and simmer it on a low heat setting for 20 minutes. The idea is to heat the fruits gently not to boil them. Add any fresh herbs the last five minutes of the cooking process to preserve their subtle flavor. Fill into clean jars if you don’t have jelly jars a cereal bowl or large cup will do. Cool the stewed fruit on the kitchen counter for 20 minutes then transfer them into the refrigerator and cover with a lid. Berries cooked this way have a refrigerated shelf life of a week. Jarred jelly has been making a nice travel companion for the weekend away as it fits snuggly into our tote bag and does not bother my neighbor on the train. Hmm I think that may have been a recipe after all?


(strawberries with a touch of balsamic, black cracked pepper and honey)

(breakfast spreads, rhubarb & ginger, strawberries & basil, blueberries & mint)

 

Chef’s note: the home stewed jellies make a nice gift.