A Pasta Dish For Love

 Sports figures influence kids to go  into a sport they love. They influence adults to chase after their dreams .o they ever influence home chefs? Surprisingly yes! One tennis player influenced a chef to create a delicious dish.

Regular contributor and chef Yotam Ottolenghi followed  this in today 's New York Times Wednesday Food section. His inspiration?Arthur Ashe who won Three Grad Slams and died too young at the age of fifty.Chef Ottolunghi used his advice " Start with you are.Use what you have. Do what you can." How can this translate into a delicious shrimp sauce  for pasta?It 's a paeon to resourcefulness  about working with what is ever around. Chef Ottolenghi knows this as he's just coming off a tour. He had to set up an improvised kitchen every night and use pantry ingredients. Luckily  the dishes more or less made themselves thanks with the help of one magic -yet ordinary ingredient olive oil.It is a fat and it carries flavors in way s that water can't. He cooked whole garlic cloves in them and the end result was  a sweet mellowness. The sharp pungency associated with the cloves was softened. A chickpea stew made with tomatoes and garlic bubbled away ,creating a wonderful mix of flavors thanks to a half cup of olive oil.

His shrimp recipe follows similar principles. He used the shrimp to infuse the olive oil with sweetness. Some of it builds the tomato sauce, carrying that seafood flavor in every bite. The rest of the oil is tossed with the cooked prawns along with almonds and coriander. The result is part garnish part sauce. It was the same oil with two different ingredients. That means zero new ingredients to shop for,saving time and money. In front of him were the bones of a simple tomato -pasta,Yet by infusing the oil, the dish is elevated . It will require good extra virgin olive oil (there are several to choose from ,like  the in house brands from Lidl, Stop and SHop and Acme along with the national brands like Bertolli). The shrimp should be of the large variety , and they should already been peeled and deveined Onions and crushed tomatoes (any brand) are also used There are also fennel and cilantro for added taste. Angel hair pasta is used but  also spaghetti is good with this too along with fettucini.

Arthur Ashe inspired many . To inspire a famous chef is even more of a gift and a win.Follow HS advice for a tasty meal .

Cabbage BesidesTHe Corned Beef

 Cabbage consumption us up today as it graces corned beef. Yet this leafy green is just great on it's own.It's good for you and good for your recipe book.

Today's New York Times Tuesday Science section has a whole article about this cruciferous gem. Alexandra Petrillo highlighted the veggies main points.It's chock full of VitaminK , perfect for those with deficiencies. Vitamin K promotes blood clotting and wound healing. It;s also good for the gut.Its'been linked to a greater blood sugar control and also  lowers the risk of colon cancer.Try to eat more fermented cabbage like kimchee and sauerkraut. It's fiber acts as a probiotic.Every leaf is full of antioxidants too.One serving of cabbage has around thirty-eight  per cent of the recommended dose f Vitamin C> The vitamin is known for forming the highly needed collagen, which aids in creating connective tissue. Remember to keep the cabbage intake colorful.Red cabbage lowers the risk of any heart problems and it improves blood sugar management. A good red cabbage saw reduces the risk of high cholesterol as well.Eat stuffed cabbage and watch body inflammation disappear.

How should it be cooked? Actually raw cabbage has only twenty five calories a serving. Try an Asian spin on Cole slaw. It's creating a dressing that's; oil and soy sauce mixed with fresh sliced ginger and scallions.It  doesn't have the floppiness of mayo soaked slaw and is a refreshing side to any barbecued meat  Air fried cabbage steaks make for a healthy yet filling dinner. This is  slicing them horizontally so they resembled meat cuts and then cooking each side for  six minutes each at 380 degrees Farenheit. These are usually drizzled with olive oil and lightly seasoned with pepper and sea salt. YOu could add a layer of Parmesan cheese for something a bit heartier. Stuffed cabbage is also good. For an even healthier spin use plant based meat instead of real beef. They can also be stuffed with ground chicken, turkey or veak and served with tomato sauce on top. They're a hearty way to have the green You could also make pescoi,Piedmontese stuffed Savoy cabbage, filled with polenta and butter and then fried in oil. They;re ten pickled in a combination of savia and vinagar

Cabbage isn;t just for St Paddy's Day. Have it all year round. Try it as a slaw or stuffed. Enjoy a good cabbage steak.Theyre all healthy and delicious

Potatoes The World's Staple

 Tomorrow being St Patrick's Day most recipes turn to something with potatoes. Yet these tubers not only fed the Irish but the whole worldl  Europe readily  embraced then as did the rest of the world. Today they are one of the staples in every home chef's and restaurant's kitchen. There  were a Meso American staple before that feeding the tribes of North and South America.

What are potatoes exactly? They're sort of a veggie but not in the traditional sense.  They come from the perennial nightshade and are related to Bella Donna , deadly nightshade. Their tamer cousins include peppers, tomatoes and eggplants however all have deadly to eat leaves that are full of the toxin solanine. It first came from the Peruvian Andes along with Bolivia. They are one of the world's oldest used foods , having been domesticated between seven and ten thousand years ago. The Spanish brought them over to Europe, post- Columbus and they took off in Eastern and Northern Europe. There are now five thousand kinds of them now  as India and CHina lead the world in potato production. The word comes from the Spanish patata which derives from the Taino word batata meaning sweet potato. The spud comes from Britain where it originally meant a short and stout knife ,It came from the Danish Spyd which means spear. The taters look like like spears in a wat.

European cooking embraced this New World  favorite.  A modified form of Chilean fried potatoes made their way to Spain where Saint Theresa of Avila and turned them into what would be considered the forerunner of modern fries. Even though Belgium and France have a running feud over who created the first modern ones it is France that is the originator do them. It wasn't even a Frenchman who cut and fried the first batch! That honor belongs to Bavarian Frederic Kreiger who fired them on a roaster in the famed Montmartre section in 1842. The British embrace them as they became the perfect foil for batter fried cod for their famed fish and chips. They bounced back over the Atlantic to become an American staple , perfect tiwth German hamburgers or fried chicken. However the tuber was elevated by the French and Italians. The French  turned them into Pommes Dauphinoise or scalloped potatoes , layers of delciated slices surrounded by cream milk and cheese. The Northern Italians plumped them into little pillows of goodness called gnocchi. The Germans created a heartier fare , kartoffel glace  round balls of them stuffed with a small piece for gingerbread.

Amazing what one tuber did to the world. Potatoes are not part of the Irish diet ,They're part of everyone's diet  and have been for centuries.

Irish Quaffs

 StPaddy's Day so this week and with it delicious food likeolcannon and lamb stew. Yet he's need a good wash of something to accompany them. what better than the Irish bews the Island is known for. There are so many .What is good? What 's makes a tasty pint?

Yes, Eire is associated with beer. The Irish have been making it for five thousand years! Early ales reflected the rich greenery of the island. Some brews had the aromatic bog myrtle or heather. The misty damp climate has always made it perfect for growing barley, essential for making a good ale.It also helped that the culture developed the local pub came about. This brought towns, large and small together and fostered a sense of community. )One fo the most famous families ,Guinness started their brewery in Dublin in 1759. Even earlier was Kilkenny Brewery started in 1710 by John Smithwick. There was also William Beamish and William Crawford who opened up one of the first Cork breweries in 1782. The Victorian era saw James Murphy opening a rival one in 1856. Guinness stout is the most flavorful and can be used in both cooking and baking. It has notes of chocolate and coffee along with roasted barley,. It's perfect for those who want to try a good stout with familiar and comforting flavors.

For those craving something different try Smithwick's red ale. This too has sweet notes of caramel and toffee blended with toasted biscuit. It;s the perfect pint with grilled meats such as hamburger or lamb chops on St Patrick's Day. Paella ale is another Gaelic treat. The taste can  be flowery mixed with a rich toasty caramel flavor/. Pale ales are just good with bar nibbles like nachos and sliders however if you want a good pub go to then try fish and chips or sharp cheddar on rustic bread.Whiskey has always been considered a Scottish beverage shower they Irish are also know fro producing some good ones too.It is a month light liquor, Most have a fruit or floral flavor. They're  often triple distilled and kept in vats for a minimum. of three years. That classic dessert drink Irish coffee is made with it.This is a fun cocktail to try at  home.It taking  about two ounces of Irish whiskey and mixing it with strong black coffee. Two tablespoons of brown sugar is mixed in and carefully poured fresh whipped cream is poured over it.

St Paddy's Day is all about drinking to celebrate it's most famous Saint. There are all sorts of good ales and whiskies to try. Have fun .Be responsible with them.

 

Oscar Fare-What's Your Favorite?

 Yes, it's that time of year again for the Ocars. Just like the Super Bowl it's a time for parties and great foods. These range from super formal like caviar on buttered toast rounds to cheese corn. Some like to just have nibbles that are themed with the movies. Think "Hamnet", the movie about the Shakespeares' losing their son and think ale and pasties "Song Sung Blue" could have food  representing one of the scenes from the Wisconsin Stat Fair - corn dogs and Icees. 

What is your Oscar night go to? Mine is definitely old school with a bowl of popcorn with some kind of buttery coating. Will I have MIlk Duds and Raisinets too? Maybe the first , maybe the second too. (a thought he best  movie candy is Sno Caps.

Here's the Friday question of the week  - what is your favorite Oscar fare? Are you going fancy or family style? Let us know and may all your choices win!!!!!!

A Chef's Dark Side

 Chefs can be temperamental and with good reason. Ovens don;t always work . Fridges go on the fritz.Sometimes they'tr short staffed. Some times diners create a lot for trouble . Chefs have all sorts of issues to deal with in their eateries. Yet they should deal with everything with grace and compassion. That wasn't;t the case for the famed Noma's creator Rene Redzepi.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin delved into his story in yesterday 's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Chef Redzepi is back in the public eye die t a pop of restaurant now in Los Angeles. He was a innovator from Cophenhagen who foraged ingredients, a task he learned as a teenager when spending the summer with his father's family in northern Macedonia.He also introduced fermentation and dehydrated foods on his menus which were considered great innovations at the time.  The food reflected the seasons. Ocean season  featured grilled king crabs legs with seaweed and crab Roth with beeswax. The summer season had ingredients foraged from local forests such as mushrooms and fermented plants. Fall brought about wild game cooked with berries and more forest foraging and acorns. All tof these earned him three Michilin stars and made Denmark the culinary destination to go to.Young chefs begged to work there and learn how to forage and ferment.

For all of this Redzepi was not the greatest chef to work for. If one worker screwed up the entire staff was published. Sometimes they were led out into the cold Copenhagen night, to times they were punched directly in the stomach. The crime? Putting on techno music which the chef hated. Instead of just simply telling the young worker to shut it off he went ballistic and took his resentment out on his entire staff. There were more stories. he would crouch under kitchen tables and either jab legs with his fingers or a barbecue fork . He punched a female worker in the ribs so hard that she fell into a metal counter  cutting her hip during the fall. She was on the floor and bleeding  as she was basically ignored by staff.It was only when she went to the dressing room to change a sous-chef went after her t inquire of she was all right. This was only the tip for the iceberg. Unfortunately staff couldn't complain. The one woman human resources department was Chef Redzepi's mother-in law who did nothing to help. Now this reputation, despite his so called change has come back to haunt him. He and his newpop up are not wanted in LA.It's too expensive as well and is taking customers away from financially strapped established La eateries.

Will Chef Redzepi ever overcome his past reputation Sadly no. People remember.People. resent. It doesn't;t make for good PRfor a new eatery no matter how good the food is.

A Sunny Spring Meal

 Everything is lighter in the Spring. Clothing, thoughts even food. Menus are no starting to veer away from the heavy and concentrate on more brighter flavors . A dinner from start to finish can reflect this.

Regular contributor and chef Dave Tanis expertly knows this and ha s give a full course dinner plan in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. His recipes can easily be prepared ahead of time . allowing the home chef to concentrate on other tasks. Get whole bone in chicken legs for the main course while buying canned chickpeas for the easy to make soup. There are also baby artichokes to serve with the chicken while dessert consists of blood oranges for a sweetly tart gelato.This could be the perfect Easter meal from soup to dessert and it could also be the perfect Spring meal for a Saturday night with friends.Perhaps the easiest is the soup .The chickpeas or ceci can also be made with dried ones and are soaked overnight before cooking. They only take an hour of gentle simmering after that.The chickpeas and carrots are added in afterwards as is a Red pepper pesto.Cayenne is blended into to this for some zing and to give the soup more color and flavor.

The chicken legs are also easy  prepare with the sauce being made first. It is a mix of white wine, a dab of tomato paste, onion and garlic. A spoonful of flour gives it consistency and body.The chicken legs themselves are arranged in a roasting pan. Rosemary sprigs are placed on then and then the sauce is poured over them. They're roasted until they're a deep burnished brown and the sauce thickens considerably. This would be perfect with polenta but Mr. Tanis adds another Spring stat baby artichokes; Since they are so young(and about the size of an egg) there is no hairy choke to remove. The tops and bottoms are trimmed and then halved or quartered depending on preference. They are sauteed in olive oil until they're golden and crispy. serve scattered over the chicken and then sprinkle everything with a mi of chopped parsley and red pepper.The  meal needs to end with something bright and refreshing. Make blood orange ice cream, a silky blend of deliciously sweet blood orange juice and half and half. Gran Marnier is added in the mixture as its first cooked and then put through an ice cream churn.

Spring is full of bright colors and brighter flavors. Make it for a great meal to welcome the warm weather. It's a meld of a spicy soup, a mellow chicken and a tart blood orange ice cream