A Food Star Trims Down

 Action Bronson is a renaissance man of sorts. He's a chef, TV host and rapper. He was also vastly overweight which was posing a problem for him. However he took it upon himself to become healthy - with the same gusto he reserved for eating. Now Action has become an action hero, thanks to exercise and dieting.

Jon Caramanca, who usually write for the entertainment section of The New York Times write about Chef Bronson in today's New York Times Food section. Action Bronson is a kind of Anthony Bourdain for Gen Xers and Millenials. Before he lost 130 pounds Chef Bronson looked like ZZ Top's version of Henry VIII. He was obese with a long, frizzy red beard, creating all sorts of dishes (and swearing like a rapper). This thirty seven year old, born Ariyan Arslani in Flushing Queens was the host of F$%* This Is Delicious along with being a trained chef. Yes, he ate on his show,(which is not for the faint of heart). He also brought that home, getting take out indiscriminately and not paying attention to his health.It also infiltrated his home life where his fiancee, Valeria, a licensed master social worker criticized him . He got so big he was denied health insurance. His clothes, a very big 3XL and 4XL were becoming tight. He had trouble breathing at night along with problems in the bathroom.

Something had to be done. The ultra rich sandwiches he is known for making had to be gone. Bacchanal eating had to be a thing of the past. Luckily  he had become fascinated with body building as a teen ager. He went to gyms. Now it was time to go back to them. Chef Bronson drinks smoothies or branched chain amino acid supplements. During lock down, when everyone else indulged, he ate extra lean meals. There was grilled chicken and sweet potato along with green juices and protein shakes. He has slackened up a bit, which was good for his fiancee. She was worried that he was being too strident  and too conscious of what he was eating. For a recent taping of Delicious Chef Bronson took a  sip of liquid chocolate mousse, then headed to the his car where he retrieved a gorilla faced kettle bell and starts swinging it in the street. In another episode he did three hundred squats in between tasting focaccia and lahmucan,a kind of Turkish ground beef pizza He also owns a line of olive oils with Grove & Vine, the perfect ingredient for healthy eating.

Action Bronson is taking action in creating a healthier lifestyle for himself. He has become a good role model for his fans that maybe have over indulged themselves. He has learned to eat well and eat healthy.

Spring Reawakenings

 If it's Spring it means cleaning time. That means getting into those dusty and cob webbed corners. It's amazing what could be found there. It's usually a long forgotten treasure that can be reused or repurposed.

That's what happened to me today when I decided to clean in the crevices by my stove. I stored a slew of pans there, from cupcake to pizza. I also found some interesting things, I've forgotten about.

One is the broiler plate. form my Mom's original stove that we replaced four years ago,

I don't think this can fit into my new oven but I do have another use for it. It can be used to grill veggies , especially corn and even meats on the outdoor grill. Veggies like asparagus and eggplant slices usually fall through the grill plate's wide opening.This makes cooking them impossible. Using this will make grilling any kind of veggie  a snap.

Another treasure I unearthed is my madeleine pan.

I have never made them and now am looking into a vegan recipe.The recipe usually requires two large eggs, which I can use Vegg baking substitute for this and a whole stick of butter. I may just experiment and try I Can't Believe It's Not Butter which gives a nice buttery flavor. The other flavors come from the addition of vanilla and lemon zest.Madeleines are a labor intensive with halving the dry ingredients and adding them to the wet ingredients after careful stirring. Then there's chilling the batter for an hour before baking. The result is worth it howevermm

You never know what you'll unearth during Spring cleaning. Some items may be useful, some may be repurposed.  They 're all treasures and should be tried out. Some good stuff may come out of it.

The Plank Pizza Company Beer Parlor

 Sometimes the best restaurants are  right in your backyard. This was the case with The Plank Company Beer Parlor in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Who knew a place this good  - and hip existed in the suburbs?

I decided to give this place a shot after hearing so much about it. Yes it is a beer parlor, done in the hip unfinished style seen in Hoboken's or Manhattan's West Village beer parlors or gardens however it also offers it's signature plank pizza served on a plank.

This was a tasty , super cheesy bite with a very thin crust. The sauce was excellent and there was a lot of it. as opposed to the sometimes skimpy dollops some pizzerias put on their pies.The pizza  is a long oval and cut into easy to handle slices.  There are all sorts of toppings from what I had The Red, which is a traditional pizza to The Chopped Salad which is pick any of The Plank Pizza Company or PPC's different salads. on a sour dough crust. There is even one called the Sunday Dinner which is meat loaf and mashed potatoes with gravy and mozzarella cheese. I do want to try the Click Click Bangkok which is spicy marinated chicken with peanut and Sriracha sauces . The dough is also topped with cucumbers, scallions bean sprouts and chopped peanuts.

There are also appetizers like the avocado egg rolls and tacos like carne asada ones which has tender bits of steak , guacamole and diced onions. This is a must order for steak and taco lovers. PPC also has soups, and even desserts. Yet this is a beer company and with that there are several different kinds, local sourced from nearby microbreweries ( Hackensack Beer anyone???) along with ales from all over the country.

You first taste the brew and then if you want it , the waiter brings a growler or jug of it. You can take this home and bring it back to be refilled with any beer or even  cider of choice. Stout and IPA lovers will appreciate the beer parlor's wide array of various brews.

If you're in Saddle Brook then stop at The Plank Pizza Company Beer Parlor. It's a great place for food and drink. Come for pizza  stay for the beer along with the appetizers , soups salads and desserts.

The Plank Pizza Company Beer Parlor is located at 383 Market Street, Building D, Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07663. They're right behind the BP Gas Station.PPC also does delivery and take out. Their number is 201-843-2426  and are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Taco Bell Chili

 Surprisingly enough Taco Bell doesn't make chili. It makes everything else Mexican, from chalupas  to burritos to tacos. For some reason chili has always been off the menu. This is odd because they probably could come up with a delicious one. However the average home chef can, using their sauce packets and the usual ingredients and come up with a tasty variation.

This was something I wanted to try. I have tons of Taco Bell sauce packets in my house , thanks to a tendre for their burritos. I used my Mom's chili recipe, and tweaked it. 

I used ten  packets of the mild hot sauce packets along with kidney beans and tomato sauce.

These actually gives the chili a spicy flavor but not overwhelming Ten packets work, You could try less or more. You can also try their extra hot or Diablo strength if you want a two or three alarm chili.

Then there was the usual Morningstar Farm soy beef crumbles

Water, olive oil and a tiny drop of maple syrup were added. I usually use honey but found that maple syrup also works if added in a tiny  amount (think one drop).

Cumin, onion and garlic powders are the spices used. A good dash of each  flavors the chili.

I decided that the kidney beans and crumbles weren't enough so I also added some red beans for more protein and to fill it out.

Everything was cooked in the crockpot on high for two hours. The end result was a flavorful chili, one of the best I've made.I am definitely making all future chilis with the  hot sauce packets from Taco Bell. 

Taco Bell could probably make a great chili but they don't  - and should. we can using their sauce packets to create a tasty variation that's rich in flavor. Use those leftover sauce packets and make it today for a yummy version on this Mexican classic!!!

Ham Off The Table

 Ham is always the traditional Easter main course yet ir doesn't have to be. There are a variety of different main courses that can work just as well.  They can be poultry or seafood - just something different to change up the holiday.

Capon or turkey can easily work for a holiday dinner. Both go well with that Spring staple asparagus. Capon is slightly different than chicken.It's actually a castrated male that's been fed a diet usually of milk and porridge. The meat are full breasted and tender with a richer taste than either turkey or chicken. Treat it the same as  a turkey, with rubbing the skin with a mix of butter, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.You could also add garlic and lemon too for more flavor. Turkey is also good if you want a traditional meal , complete with stuffing. Keep in mind that this is not Thanksgiving so keep the sides light. Again, think about asparagus and green beans instead of yams and mashed potatoes. The gravy could be an au jus one  with being made with turkey necks and wings , onions carrots and celery,. Garlic flavors it but it can be omitted so you taste more  of the turkey . Cornstarch is added just to thicken it a little. If you want to cook something smaller consider Cornish hens. They are delicious and easy to make, having very tender meat. They can be rubbed with just olive oil and herbs for crisp skin and roasted in a 450 degree Farenheit oven for an hour.

Can you have seafood for your Easter dinner? Yes! If the weather is warm, then think about grilled shrimp over a fluffy pilaf. For something entirely different try a Brazilian moqueca that the New York Times featured in their Wednesday Food section. This is a fish stew rife with shrimp and cod. Tomatoes and bell peppers give it more color and flavor as does coconut milk and chili peppers like the ultra fiery Scotch Bonnet. This Brazilian gem does require dende oil which can be bought at any West African or Caribbean market. For a truly lush dish, think lobster tails. This is a great Spring dish , especially served with a  champagne vinaigrette salad full with grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts , cauliflower and broccoli. You could also serve lobster claws with them too,although they can be messy to eat. Salmon is another great choice for a light Easter dinner. Think of serving it with garlic butter to enhance its's delicate flavor. You can serve it with  crispy roasted potatoes and asparagus , flavored with more garlic butter sauce.

Ham doens;t have to be served every Easter. Mix it up this year with poultry or seafood.  It's a fun way to celebrate the holiday.

Those Smoking Hams

 One of the joys of any Easter dinner is a smoked ham. The flavor is a perfect blend of earthy and sweet, a great foil for asparagus. Surprisingly you can make it at home.

Steven Raichlen, grill master extrordinaire and host of the very popular PBS show Project Fire wrote this article and how to in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Keep in mind if you do want to do this, you have a short window of time because curing does take six days and Easter is only ten days away. You could do this for small family gathering later on in the season. The method is for a wet cure  not a dry cure one. Dry cured hams are rubbed with salts and left to dry for several months , resulting in a tight satiny texture and complex flavor associated with prosciutto and the Spanish jamon serrano, the last costing up to $1000. Wet cured ham, soaks in a mix of water,  salt, and sodium nitrate. The last you can buy on line from the Sausage Maker or Hoosier Hill Farm. Then there's the equipment,  Use either a stockpot , bucket or even a three gallon resealable plastic bag. There's also a marinade injector which gets all the meat cured and juicy. Then there's the actual smoking You can use a kettle style grill or charcoal burning one with a lid. The wood chips are what make the flavor. Chef Raichlen recommends using apple or hickory.

What about the cut used? A shoulder ham is recommended simply because it's small and can accommodate a smaller gathering of people. This is the easiest to smoke and cure in a week . You can also do this to a pork loin (which Chef Raichlen offers a recipe for , complete with a cognac orange glaze). As for the brine he adds a spice bundle of cloves, allspice berries,bay leaves, lemon zest strips and whole black peppercorns. The actual brine is made from water, Morton Kosher salt, honey , dark brown sugar and Prague powder #1 , the sodium nitrate needed. The brine is first made and then the spice bundle is added. As this is all boiling , the ham is prepared ,its' exterior scored with a sharp knife. The ham is placed with the brine in the roasting pot.It's also injected with it and then placed in the fridge for at least three days. The meat will take on a pinkish hue after three days of brining and being injected. It's now ready to be smoked. Set the grill temp at 250 degrees Farenheit, and put it on indirect heat. Put the ham on the grate fat side up and cook until it's handsomely brown and cooked through. It'll take seven hours. Keep adding wood chips to produce a steady stream of steam. evenly rotate the meat so it's nicely browned all over. drape it loosely with foil if it's browning too much.

Home cured ham for Easter is a real treat. Any ambitious home chef can cook this and have a memorable holiday meal. It's a delicious treat perfect for the season.

The Heart Of Puerto Rican Cooking

 Puerto Rican cooking is island cooking, It's a mix of European and indigenous ingredients, blended together to form a unique cuisine. Most of all it's home cooking - the comforting hug needed during hard times and hurricanes, holiday and happy times.

Von Diaz,food professor. author of several cookbooks and articles seen in Bon Appetit, Eater and Epicurious magazines wrote this interesting article along with recipes in today's New York Times Food section.  She is Puerto Rican herself, however being raised in the States, namely Atlanta Georgia, but her heart and cooking belong to this complex tropical island. Its' cooking is a blend of Taino, the original culture of the island along with African and Spanish. Even modern American cooking has lent a hand - thanks to the introduction of canned food. There is also a nouvelle cuisine vibe with pastellos de guyaba, a mix of cheese queso en hoja and guava paste.Of course the backbone of Puerto Rican cooking is sofrito, a cooked mix of garlic , onions and peppers and spiked with culantro - cilantro's cousin. This is in many dishes. such as arroz mamposteao, a rice dish also made with beans and veggie or chicken broth.  Sofrito is in other dishes too, like sancocho, a stew that combines, beef, pork and chicken with the indigenous roots  like white yautia and yucca.

Of course the highlight of any Puerto Rican holiday dinner is pernil.This is a pork shoulder marinated in garlic, citrus and herbs and then roasted for an hour in a 400 degree Farenheit oven . The marinade is a flavorful combo of sour orange juice, garlic cloves, and oregano. (Professor DIaz also offers a tip for cleaning the roast pan too because the skin will stick). Another delicious main course is pescado frito, fried snapper. Again, the marinade is the same as the pernil, except with the addition of sazon - a mix of coriander,garlic cumin and annatto - seeds from the achiote tree. This gives color and flavor to the fish which is cut in three places, better for the marinade to soak in. It's then fried, whole, head an tail in vegetable oil. The fried fish is served with lime. What can end all these dishes? Those pastillos de guyaba, easily made with puff pastry dough. Farmer's cheese can be used in place  of fresco en hoja.  They should be left to cool because the guava gets molten hot and will badly burn your mouth.) Once cool, sprinkle confectioner's sugar over them  and store in an airtight container. Stale ones can be refreshed in a 350 degree Fareneheit oven for five minutes before eating.

Puerto Rican cooking is rich and complex. It's a mix of all sorts of flavors , indigenous, Spanish and African.  This is a perfect blend of deliciousness, pride and history.

Mini D'Ouevres

 Making and serving hors d'ouevres may be a bit too much especially before a dinner or Sunday lunch. However shrink them down a few sizes and you have a fun change that everyone will like. Mini d'ouevres can be as simple or as complicated as you want.

Creating these little bites is easy, especially nowadays. I've recently discovered Keebler''s Club minis. These are fun little crackers with the original's big buttery taste. Imagine pairing them with any filling, from egg salad to cheese. I thought of Miyoko's Vegan Road House Spread a sharp vegan cheddar.

 

It's a fun way to intro soup or a chicken with any kind of veggies dinner. They're sooooo tiny!!!!! Yet they were a snap to make and fun to eat.

You can get creative with any kind of mini d'ouevres. Try making mini meatballs to be dipped into warmed tomato sauce. Another fun bite is Lilliputian pizzas made with slices of Italian bread topped with sauce and cheese. Both of these would be perfect before pasta aglia olio or cavatelli with broccoli. 

If you just want to only serve mini appetizers or apps, then think about cutting up Eggo waffles and putting half a chicken nugget on them. Serve with a drop of maple syrup. Another hearty one is stuffed baby bellas heaped with crumbled sausage bread crumbs and Parmesan. A more elegant bite is shrimp on polenta rounds or  smoked salmon on mini Triscuits.

Mini d'ouevres is a fun way to start a meal. Think tiny for a tasty bite. They may be little but they're packed with big punch of flavor.

Passover Sweets

 Passover starts this coming Saturday and with it special dishes and holiday restrictions. One of the highlights of the Seder table is dessert. It can be quite a challenge to home bakers because of the no flour or yeast rule. Yet there are some interesting sweets that are easy to whip up.

Luckily there are other flours other than wheat or chametz to use. Almond flour is perfectly acceptable as is matzoh meal. You can easily make a flourless chocolate cake using almond flour. It produces a dense , packed crumb, perfect for the other ingredients which are chocolate , butter,eggs yolks and sugar to shine. Orange zest and egg whites are added later, the whites to give the cake some lift. It's baked for thirty to forty minutes in a 350 degree Farenheit  oven. It can be served with candied orange zest or whipped cream if you'd like. Almond flour can also go into making blondies, a fun treat for the kids. This again is ground almonds (which you can make yourself using a food processor),l sugar, vegetable oil and eggs. Chocolate chips can be added for more flavor. The batter is poured into a parchment lined pan and baked at 350 degrees Farenheit for half an hour. Keep in mind you can also use the almond flour for cookies. These are almost like a macaroon  in that they use only egg whites and not the yolks along with a cup of sugar. Of course if you want totally vegan you can sub in the egg white with aqua faba, the brine from chickpeas. These make for excellent meringues and macaroons, the last more in the French style.

Matzoh meal can also be used to make an array of delicious Passover cakes. Remember that you may have to buy matzoh meal because the homemade kind is a lot crumbier and grainier than the finely processed store bought one.,Yet, you can use the first if you have a very strong, almost industrial strength food processor. There are a number of different sweets you can bake. Try an apple cake that's more like a fruit filled coffee cake with a walnut streusel topping. The topping has a refreshing blend of cinnamon, ginger,  mace and nutmeg. to keep the cake interesting. You could also make just a simple vanilla cake and top it with frosting made from heavy cream and confectioner's sugar. Matzoh meal can also be used to make cookie dough too. whip up a couple of batches of chocolate chip cookies using it for the week ahead. This is the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe  that has the usual brown sugar, butter, eggs, and chocolate chips for that classic flavor. Yet instead of wheat flour , there's matzoh meal and honey to sweeten it. You could also bake chocolate cookies too with it, using melted bittersweet chocolate and chocolate chips along with egg whites for  a more meringue like texture.

The seder meal and the week following can end with delicious cakes and cookies. Use either almond flour or matzoh meal for the recipes. They'll give you an array of tasty  sweets , perfect for the holiday and beyond.

Kilwin's -An Old Fashioned Candy Store

 Easter is coming up and that means all things candy. Yet where to get good old fashioned chocolate bunnies and treats. Look no further than Kilwin's a national chain with a small town candy shop vibe.

I recently discovered the store on a trip to Westfield ,New Jersey, a picturesque town in Middlesex County (it's also known for its' most celebrated resident Charles Addams, creator of the Addams Family cartoons for The New Yorker Magazine). Kilwin's sells everything from ice cream to all sorts of old fashioned bonbons. It's a franchise originating from the Midwest. Couple  Don and Katy Kilwins started the company in 1947 with the freshest ingredients. from cacao to fruits and nuts. Ice cream was added in 1985 and the company is also known for its' ice cream cakes too.They also sell a variety of caramel apples and homemade fudge.,Right now they're big on Easter candy.

I couldn't resist these small white chocolate bunny ears. They were only $5.50 for three ounces . They have larger sizes in dark and milk chocolate for $32.00 for twenty-four ounces. Kilwins also is selling chocolate crosses and bunnies as well as  cream and peanut butter eggs.kids will love their chocolate Easter bunny pops, along with the traditional foil eggs. Of course there are jelly beans along with sour chicks and bunnies. For a different spin of Easter candy there's bunny tails along with an Easter decorated  chocolate dipped Rice Krispie treat on a stick.

Check out the Kilwins nearest you for freshly made Easter candy. They have excellent choices for making the holiday special. All make for a sweet holiday.

My Allium Garden

 Spring is here and with it gardening. It's going to be exciting for me because I'm planning on planting an allium garden. These are leeks, garlic and onions, the ingredients I use the most, especially garlic.

Here are the leeks that I cut from the leeks I used from my celery soup and leeks on toast.

As you can see , there are little shoots coming up. In another week there should be about an inch of leek coming up.

The other one is really thriving. as you can see from the pale green sprout coming up. 

This is the garden I want along with tomatoes. I want to plant what I need the most. Leeks are wonderful and just great with butter and Parmesan cheese on toast. Onions and garlic are ingredients I frequently use and love . I can try out variations of French onion soup with just picked from the garden ones. I can slice, batter and air fry them  creating my version of the Blooming Onion. Garlic is my number one flavoring and I cook a lot with it. Young or green garlic can be made into so many different dishes. One recipe on my radar is Alice Waters'  green garlic and pasta recipe, a take on pasta aglia e olio. There's also a green garlic soup with the tender green stems or scapes that sounds delicious.It also has vinegar for zing and heavy cream which can be switched out with silken tofu and soy milk for a vegan version. As for the tomatoes, , I will be growing some form, whether beefsteak or cherry which will be highlighted with the garlic. I'm not one for making sauces, preferring the fresher salsa crudo for summertime spaghetti.

It is planting season. I am planting what I know I'll need the most - alliums. They're going to be a fun and exciting addition to my kitchen this late Spring and summer!!!

New Recipes For A Traditional Seder

 Passover will be coming up soon and with it a new kind of Seder. Families will be gathering but it won't be like the large groups of years past. There still will be traditions but updated ones. It's time to update the age old dishes as well.

Susan Spungen , chef,cookbook author, food stylist and food consultant (she was vital to such moves as Julie & Julia, It's Complicated and Eat,Pray, Love , wrote about five new recipes to add to the Passover table in yesterday's New York Times Food section. These are dishes for a new type of holy day  and Seder meal. Some dishes like haroset , matzoh ball soup and gefilte fish cannot be changed. Others though, can be tweaked.For the main meal, think  about serving chicken with apricots and olives. It's festive to be made for birthdays too. The chicken can be marinated for anywhere from two hours to overnight with a blend of different spices.Ground sumac (the same used in za'atar) gives the tang as well as a pinkness to the meat. Apricots and olives are also added to the marinade for a combination of sweetness and saltiness along with dried thyme. Fresh squeezed lemon and oranges juices give it more fruitiness as well. Or course there has to be matzoh at the table, but try a matzoh frittata instead of a matzoh brei. This is combining the traditional egg and matzoh with caramelized onions, button mushrooms and rosemary.The mushrooms and onions are cooked first and then added to the egg and matzoh mixture.

Chef Spungen also offers a yummy whole roasted cauliflower with pistachio pesto. The pesto is a mix of pistachios and cilantro along with flat leaf parsley leaves for the traditional  green  pesto color and texture.Lemon zest is added for tartness and color The cauliflower itself is roasted with two small yellow onions and olive oil. The pesto is spooned on top of it along with additional zest and parsley. Many home chefs serve tsimmes or the traditional Ashkenazi stew of carrots, prunes and raisins. Chef Spungen offers something slightly different with no prep work and very little time. Hers is sweet potatoes with a tsimmes glaze. The sweet potatoes are first cut and halved lengthwise and then rubbed with olive oil . After they're  roasted in a 400 degree Farenheit oven for thirty to forty minutes. The glaze is a blend of either the juice of navel or Cara Cara oranges along honey cinnamon and ginger. Cut prunes, vital in the original tsimmes recipe, are also added. The glaze is first boiled them simmered until it becomes thick and syrupy. It's then poured over the sweet potatoes. Orange zest is put on top for decoration and to counteract the sweetness

Again ,Passover will be different this year. Have dishes celebrating the difference. Try these recipes for a spin on the traditional  flavors and tastes.

The Baby Restaurant Boom

 Everyone thought there would be a Covid baby boom. That didn't happen but another baby boom of sorts did occur. It seems the pandemic allowed little eateries to sprout and even flourish during the past year.

Pete Wells, Food critic for the New York Times Food section wrote about this phenomena in today's section.It seems strange this happened since mostly everyone stayed home and cooked. Paradoxically the challenges that killed so many existing businesses fueled the fires for food trucks and pop up to flourish. There are advantages to opening up now, especially the agility to change with the times.They also may have lower overhead costs too which help.One restaurant, Kasama opened last March right around the time of the mass closings., Chef Genie Kwon and her husband Tim Flores adapted to this with an incredible flexibility. They offered breakfasts at their traditional Filipino restaurant. They made steaming lattes for customers who weren't away they were the restaurant's chefs.They postponed making lumpia and fried fish until they 're able to open their dining room. The couple turned to take out , offering duck dumplings like Chef Flores. mother made. These are in a mushroom broth that keeps them hot on the ride home.

Other eateries around the country also thrived and adapted to this new normal. Leah and Louise, a fancily redone juke joint in Charlotte North Carolina did just that. The restaurant's original theme was "small plates, Southern food by way of Mississippi River Valley" as per Chef Greg Collier. However that didn't fly. His chicken sandwiches did , however. It wasn't on his original menu yet he had to come up with something that was affordable to people now on budgets. He sold seven hundred the first month they were out. It kept the business above water. Yet it wasn't what he wanted.He wanted customers to savor his other dishes. He and his wife, Sabrina came up with another dish  a popular rice bowl with veggies. Yet it's the customer that now decides what a restaurant serves. Ni Hao in Baltimore offers meal sets that came about from what customers wanted. Comments were absorbed on the Chinese language app WE Chat. Dishes were tweaked to what they felt was acceptable. Some new restaurant owners like Andreas Koutsoudakis Junior, a hospitality lawyer inherited his from his father who unfortunately died from Covid 19. He redid the place and serves only dishes that customers can come to eat. There is little take out.

The baby restaurant boom is taking hold despite the pandemic. It's not luck but flexibility and good cooking that's making this happen. It's a good sign of life coming back.

Leeks Tweaked

 A favorite family dish is leeks on toast. This Piedmontese recipe has been in my family for almost a century, garnered when my great aunt married a boy from Biella , Italy. It is a great dish that brings out the garlicky ,earthy flavor of leeks. I thought I'd give  a few tweaks.

I had leftover leeks form yesterday's celery soup. In fact I'm planting the roots in my backyard for my allium garden along with my garlic and onion sprouts.

The leeks do have to be cut and soaked in salted water to remove dirt. This just takes ten minutes.

The slices are then rinsed in cold water to get rid of the dirty salted water.Usually the leeks are boiled in hot water over a burner but I decided to steam them for five minutes in the microwave. Doing this retains more of their flavor and nutrients.

As for the bread I decided to switch it up and use this artisan bread from Shop -Rite. It's a French peasant loaf from the Heidelburg Bread Company.

They don't need to be toasted. The slices are crusty enough.

The leeks were put on top. They were super soft thanks to being steamed in the microwave.

Then it's adding a good dollop of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and a sprinkle of Follow Your Heart vegan Parmesan  soy cheese. 

The slices are then baked in a preheated 325 degree Farenheit oven for ten minutes.

Ten minutes later they were ready - the perfect marriage of crusty and melty .. The vegan cheese is just the same as the real Parmesan and it even browned

As for the taste, it was phenomenal. I love the French bread underneath which went well with the leeks. It sopped up the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and was still toasty and crispy.

The updated version is worth making. It's a nice spin on the original, with an earthier , more intense flavor thanks to steaming the leeks. It's a great weeknight or week day dish, easy to make, easier to eat.

A Classic Redone

 The vegan celery soup from  blog The Simple Veganista is  now a classic go to recipe. It's a easy boil and simmer of chopped celery , onions, potatoes and garlic in Not Chick'n broth. However change was needed. The onion was a bit too overpowering so I went with another recipe suggestion  - chopped leeks.

Leeks are a wonderful addition and have the most subtle, sublime flavor. They're an allium which puts them as a cousin to garlic and onions. Yet their taste isn't overpowering  - which is perfect for the soup.

The other ingredients stayed the same. There were four to five cups of coarsely chopped celery.

Then the leeks which are about two cups here.

Keep in mins you don't have to cook them first as you do for other classic leek dishes like leeks on toast. They are washed, chopped and added to the pot to be sauteed with the celery.

I usually saute the veggies in a mix of olive oil and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I decided to switch out the olive oil and sub in vegetable oil. It does make for a lighter flavor, perfect to bring out the sublime of the leeks.

Both were cooked until they were bright green for about eight to ten minutes

The original recipe calls for five garlic cloves but I used three fat ones, finely chopped.

Then two cans of diced potatoes. You could follow the recipe on the website and use white or Yukon Golds. Adding the canned ones was easier.

Then it was five cups of water and two Not Chick'n cubes and simmered for another ten minutes. It was then blended with an immersion blended for a creamy texture.

The taste was perfect, lighter and fresher tasting than the onion version. It's the perfect Spring soup and a great first course at an Easter dinner. I love the leeks in it and how they don't overpower the celery. The flavors work in tandem with each other. They also don't overpower the potatoes or the garlic.

The vegan celery soup is a classic recipe can be varied. Subbing in leeks for the onion is inspiring, creating a flavorful new taste. It's perfect for the days ahead.

A Year

 It's been a year since our lives have changed. What have we learned? A lot. Whether it was about our inequalities and how they affect our eating habits or learning how to cook and bake. These twelve months have been eye opening, that's for sure.

What is striking about the past year is that the pandemic and loss of income and jobs brought many people to the edge of poverty.Families were teetering already when their companies shut down. Luckily there were angels, people who put together care packages that helped those in need during rough times. These provided enough food for everyday meals along with holidays and birthdays. Imagine the richest country in the world having millions of starving people, of kids going without meals so their younger siblings or grandparents can have their portions. What this pandemic should have taught us is that many Americans are living just above the poverty line. We need to raise salaries and offer better benefits - maybe even food credits for those with kids but can't qualify for food stamps.The SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program is not the best and our government needs to improve it.Again the new administration is well aware of this and there will be changes. Some cities around the country offer free gardens which means free fruits and veggies to those who need them. We must institute this in every US city and town. The financially challenged will be able to get the valuable nutrition they need.

On the lighter side if there is one -we all learned how to be better home chefs and bakers. People who didn't even know how to boil water embraced their inner chef and experimented with all sorts of recipes. Kids joined in and a whole new generation of junior chefs was born. Generations cooking together also provided valuable bonding time as well as supplementing their educations. Measuring cups were great at showing kids fractions with a cup and a half of water or a quarter cup of flour. They learned about the world through international recipes as they mastered the West African fufu or Brazilian feijoada or black bean stew. Everyone embraced their air fryers and immersion blenders with gusto as they also created some of their own recipes.Baking took everyone out of their cooped in funk. It was so popular that the US experienced four shortages thanks to home bakers taking the sourdough challenge. That bread was the star of the lock down and no wonder. The chewy tangy crumb and crusty exterior was the security blanket we needed in the past twelve months. It was perfect , either warm with melty butter or filled with our favorite meats and veggies.

This past year was historic and not in a good way. We learned  a lot , about ourselves  and our communities. Has it made us more caring and more innovative? Let's hope so.

Spring Cleaning Cuisine

It's nearing Spring and that means giving your kitchen a good cleaning. Yet what happens with all those cans and frozen foods? Eat them if they're still good. Don't waste a food product that's still viable. 

Thanks to the pandemic, we all have pantries full of cans of different foods. Keep in mind that canned food is at its' peak for a two year period according to Ron Giles, head of quality assurance at Goya Foods Inc. If you have a lot of beans, then think of a three bean salad. This is a nice side for hamburgers or hot dogs, Just add some sliced onions, herbs and a simple vinaigrette for a tasty side dish. You could also add them to any kind of chili. If you have white beans, then add them to a chicken or turkey chili for a different spin. What about those canned vegetables? They're good for two to five years before they need to be tossed. They still can be made into sides or even added to soups.Think of a peppery corn chowder with those niblets or add some minced green and red peppers for a tasty version of fiesta corn. Canned potatoes are a great thickener for soups, working better than a white flour roue. They can also be used in a quick potato salad with the addition of hard boiled eggs, mayo and celery. Green beans can be used in a salad or in a stir fry with mushrooms, carrots and bean sprouts. You can also fry them and flavor them with lemon and pepper for a new side.

Your freezer probably should be cleaned out too. Frozen food lasts three months at best. Use it before you waste it. Tater Tots are one of the most versatile. They make for a great air fryer snack, especially if you add extra seasonings like chili or garlic powder. You can also serve up different dips with them too from homemade ketchup to aioli. Tater tots can also be turned into a yummy breakfast casserole. This is great way oif also using up any cheddar cheese along with bacon and sausage. The meats are cooked first along with scallions and peppers and then layered over the potatoes along with a mix of whisked eggs and milk. Frozen veggies like broccoli or green beans can be turned into a tasty salad  once cooked and chilled. Just add some crushed garlic and a good red wine dressing. Brussels sprouts can be steamed and then served with melted butter and Parmesan cheese for a lovely side with chicken or turkey. That ground turkey or beef you've had for the last couple of months is still good. Don't keep it any longer because it's not as great after four months. Defrost it and think about turning it into meat loaf, perfect with mashed potatoes and gravy or sliders for a fun weekend meal.

It's that time of the year for purging., Yet use what you have in a variety of different dishes and snacks. It's a nice way of turning Spring cleaning into Spring cleaning cuisine,

A Schnitzel With Kick

 Everyone loves Weiner schnitzel and who wouldn't? It's a a delicately flavored veal coated in bread crumbs and then fried. Yet imagine it with a kick - a splash of vodka that makes it even better. Yes, this is not the traditional staple of Vienna anymore. It's been elevated to another level.

Chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the one behind this transformation and he wrote about it in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He developed this recipe for his San Mateo California beer garden Wursthall. This is more of a fusion restaurant than a truly German one. Chef Lopez Alt also serves chorizo and Korean hot chicken sandwiches. Yet he shines at the Teutonic dishes. He cooks the schnitzel in the same way that Harold Dieterle did at his late and much lamented restaurant Manhattan restaurant Marrow. Chef Dieterle cooked pounded duck breasts in a puffed crust, a German method known as soufflieren that coaxes the breading away from the meat. The meats then becomes well insulated by a layer of air while the extremely hot fat cooks the crust to a delicate crispness that's also rich in flavor. Yet Chef Lopez-Alt adds vodka - about a quarter of a cup of the eighty proof kind. It's brushed on both sides of the meat before breading. Doing such evaporates any water making for the puffiest crust ever. It's not unlike British chef  Heston Blumenthal's recipe for his fish and chips which also has a lighter crust. Chef Lopez-Alt also does this for his tempura recipe.

Yet the other ingredients in schnitzel should also be top notch. You can use veal but also consider center loin pork chops too. Just keep pounding them until smooth and then whack with the back of a knife after pounding for more texture. The next ingredient is the flour. Chef Lopez-Alt says stick with regular flour used for baking. It's the eggs that are added that can be controversial.Some say they should be lightly beaten.Other  like You Tuber Kein Stress Kochen recommends beating the eggs until they're completely smooth. You can also add oil to them as the editors at Cooks Illustrated, Keith Dresser and Steven Dunn do. There should be four to five in the batter. Then there are the crumbs that make up the crust. They should be finely milled to hold in the moisture. The canned ones should do fine. You can use panko but they have to be ground to produce a finer, more floury type texture. What should the schnitzel be fried in? Oil and plenty of it.The pieces have to swim because it can be bad if they touch the pan.The crust will stick and burn onto it. You can use clarified butter but peanut,canola and even rice bran work. Just swirl the meat constantly in it for evenly cooked and browned pieces.

The perfect schnitzel has the perfect kick - vodka. This ensures a puffy crust that is the dish's signature along with an even more delicious flavor. Try it for a truly tasty Viennese delight.

The Great Bagel Controversy

 Are California bagels better than the ones in New York City? There's a new report that says there is which means a bi-coastal war. Yet before sharp words and sharper knives start flying, let's see why. There may be a reason for the Golden State producing these golden circles.

The instigator behind this is none other than famed chef and New York Times Food contributor  Tejal Rao wrote about it in today's New York Times Food section. It's caused a stir with even local news programs in the area weighing in. Yet is Ms. Rao right? Does California have better bagels than us here in the New York metro area? Yes, but there's a reason for that. Many bakers have New York roots. Emily Winston who owns Boichik Bagels in trendy Berkeley California is from central New Jersey and was fed sesame bagels from the iconic H & H Bagels on the Upper West Side. Her father used to bring them home where the family enjoyed the crisp crust and chewy , dense inside. Then there's Zachery Liporace, a New Yorker who moved to Los Angeles. He started a pop up bagel shop called Pop's Bagel after his grandfather. His bagels, while having that metro influence are a bit different than what New Yorkers expect. His is light with a definite crunch, and perfect with his store's signature cream cheese made tangy with the addition of buttermilk. Ms. Watson also shines. Her bakery had long lines before the pandemic and now she's delivering with larger quantities. This is due to recreating a new website , and hired a Shopify developer to help her.

There are other bagel makers that are putting California bagels on the map.Arielle Skye and her partner,Chris Moss of Courage Bagels are making ones similar to Montreal style bagels. These are smaller with larger holes and have the addition of eggs and malt. There's no salt in the batter and they're boiled in honey sweetened water. Her smoky poppy seed bagels are the best, according to Ms. Rao and the everything ones have tasty bits of onion and garlic.Midnite Bagels is another bagel shop on her radar. Nick Beitcher , the owner, grew up eating bagels from LA favorites Bagel Nosh Deli and New York Bagels. His father used to bring home bags of them and the family still has them for their Yom Kippur fast break. Yet he's more influenced by his time as head baker at the famed Tartine, working in the school of chef Chad Robertson. His have a high hydration and they're naturally fermented with a young, liquid-y starter. This is left to develop flavor for twenty-four hours. He thinks of bagels as he does of bread, with tasting the grain first, then concentrate on the contrasts of flavor and textures.

After all this is there any question about who has the best bagels? it depends on what you're used to eating and what you love. Taste is different for everyone and that should also apply to bagels  as well.

Spring Into Greens

Spring is coming and that means lighter eating. Gone are the heavy gratins and creamy sauces. It's time to incorporate greens into all sorts of recipes from sauces to sides to mains. It's a great way of embracing a healthier eating style for the warmer weather.

Spinach is a definite must in lighter eating. It's versatile and delicious plus being good for our systems. It's loaded with iron, but also folic acid and Vitamins  A,C and K1. As we get a few days of very warm weather , think about a spinach salad instead of  one with the usual Romaine or Bibb. Add toasted chickpeas for crunch and grape tomatoes for more color and flavor. Cook up a non traditional pasta sauce that combines spinach leaves with baby bella mushrooms and garlic. This is a tasty departure from tomato and cream based ones. You could also sub in the spinach with broccoli rabe or kale. Another healthy dish, perfect for Spring is stir fried spinach. This is an easy cook that has baby spinach leaves cooked with garlic in peanut oil. A drop of honey or maple syrup gives it sweetness while chili paste gives it some heat and zing. Toasted sesame oil throws in a nutty flavor. This dish is perfect on its' own but also good with grilled chicken or a lean cut steak.Another must have in your Spring diet is the ever popular kale. This is a must eat because it's the most nutrient dense green on the planet. It's loaded with powerful antioxidants like quercetin and kaempferol that lower blood pressure and prevent cancers and certain viruses. 

Is kale as versatile as spinach? Yes!! You can do more with it than spinach. It can be the backbone of soups to being the star of the dinner table.People may have gotten tired of the ever popular kale chips (they're still yummy and easy to make) however kale is also good sauteed.Again, like spinach, it works well with other ingredients. Saute it with olive oil and spike it with red pepper flakes and garlic. You could also try it with chopped onions and peas for a different kind of sauce perfect with  pasta, polenta or rice. Try pairing it with mashed potatoes for a different but better for you side.It's mashing it with the cooked potatoes. Broccoli rabe has the same benefits of spinach, being rich in iron and having the same vitamins , A,C and K as the other.It's excellent with cavatelli  in a tasty garlic and olive oil sauce. You can zing it up with red pepper flakes or add vegan sausage to change it up. Caramelized onions are also a good pairing and a perfect side. This balances out the bitterness that broccoli has sometimes. You could also add tiny drop of maple syrup or honey to balance it out too.

It's Spring, It's time to eat light with dishes heavy on the greens. It's a nice way of leaving the heavy winter dishes behind and jumping into healthier eating.

Brownies With Vegg Egg Substitute

 Baking in a vegan household is tough, especially when you can't use eggs. Yet there is a solution - an easy one Vegg Uncaged Baking Mix. This really is a godsend to bakers like myself that like using store bought mixes.

I've lately  had a craving for fresh from the oven brownies  and thought "It's time to make them". I bought my beloved Duncan Hines fudge brownie mix.

The mix requires two eggs for a thick cakey brownie. This is where Vegg comes in. It's mixing two teaspoons of the substitute in a cup of cold water. Half a teaspoon of sugar is added.

Then whipped into a yolk like liquid with a fork.

It was then added to the batter along with a third of a cup of water and a third of a cup of vegetable oil. The batter pretty well mixed up the same as it would have with two eggs. It was glossy, in the pan before baking.

The oven was set at 325 degrees Fareenheit because I used a darker surface pan and baked the brownies for forty minutes instead of the usual thirty. Vegg warns you that baking times will be longer when using the egg sub in. After forty minutes a tester came out clean.

This is just from the oven, perfectly baked and the cake pulling away from the sides of the pan.

As far as the taste,  they taste the same as the ones I've baked with eggs.(despite the addition of the extra sugar which is really only a teeny bit).

The crumb and mouth feel are a bit different. The crumb is denser. reminding me of a flourless cake. The mouth feel is that way too. Yet , the brownies are still delicious and I plan on trying the Vegg in other mixes as well as scratch recipes too.

The transition from regular to cruelty free baking is an easy one. Use Vegg Uncaged Baking Mix for any recipe that calls for eggs. It's perfect for any cake or cookie recipe and really not that much different form using actual hen eggs. Try it for your baked goodies and treats.

Gourmet Dining for One

 Many singles feel that they can't enjoy a good meal. Yet they can. Why deprive yourself because it's just you. You can splurge  because it's just dining for one.

There's nothing like a good steak for a treat. You don't have to make this a weekly thing. Twice a month is good enough. Again treat yourself to a top quality one at your local butcher or a specialty grocery store like Stew Leonard's which offers specialized cuts. The last can cut the meat into various thicknesses from half an inch to two inches.  You can also buy a good porterhouse from Stop & Shop too. Serve with a round of herbed butter on top. This is an easy make  taking butter and mixing it with dried thyme, lemon juice , rosemary,  sea salt and fresh ground pepper. What do you serve with this? A baked potato won't cut it for gourmet. Try a Hasselback potato. This is slicing  a Russet potato three quarters of the way down and then stuffing the slits with olive oil or melted butter along with chives. You could add cheddar strips and bacon crumbles too. If you want it to be truly gourmet, spoon caviar and sour cream. over it Another great and gourmet side is asparagus. Simply steam it and serve with a rich Hollandaise sauce. Again this is an easy cook, involving egg yolks melted butter and lemon juice. Dijon mustard is added for zing.It can also be used for Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine too.

Shrimp and lobster also make for lush gourmet dining for one. You can easily make a shrimp scampi witch peeled and deveined shriimp. The sauce is a rich mix of melted butter, garlic white wine and red pepper flakes. The shrimp are sauteed in this for two to four minutes and can be served over angel hair pasta or with crusty Italian bread to sop up the sauce. Pair with a green salad that can also have grape tomatoes along with crumbled feta and slivered almonds. Lobster tails may seem decadent but they are a great dinner for one.Best of all they can be made in the air fryer.They just have to be butterflied , and then brushed with a mix of melted butter, lemon zest and garlic. Cook only for seven minutes at 380 degrees Farenheit. What to serve with it? A fresh spinach salad or creamed spinach with butter, cream cheese and onions. Another fun gourmet dinner choice is  a plate of lobster fritters. This is lobster meat (Namely the tail) cut up and made into batter dipped fritters. Serve these with a plate of hand cut fries and a cup of homemade aioli or garlic sauce.

Eating single doesn't have to be dismal sandwiches or microwave dinners. Treat yourself to gourmet dining. Enjoy dining by yourself and eating lush meals.

Making The Most Of Lenten Fridays

 Lenten Fridays can be a bit of a cooking challenge for observant home chefs. Meat is off the table so what do you do?  Go meatless for one day. There's enough recipes out there that are perfect for the weeks leading up to Christian Easter.

Eating less meat is good anyway. It's a chance to infuse more veggies into the diet. A simple but flavorful meal is ratatouille. This is a classic French Provencale dish of eggplant, tomatoes and onions. It can be varied to include bell peppers and squash coins. Its zinged up with such herbs as thyme and basil. Garlic is a must because it amps up the flavor. What's great is that you can make a lot for a Friday dinner and have some left over for A Saturday or Sunday meal. Make it special with a just from the oven focaccio or a loaf of garlic bread. You could even make a ratatouille pizza for something different. It's putting  all the veggies on the dough and adding sauce and shredded mozzarella.Pizza is another tasty idea, even without the pepperoni. You can add shrimp or make it more luxe with lobster. Shred and put boiled tail meat on the dough along with the rest of the ingredients. Another way to go is healthy with spinach and kale. You could also have it with just onions and scallions for a different , more allium flavor.

If you're tired of pizza then think vegan shepherd's pie. If you're wondering about the filling.don't. You can use the plant based Beyond Beef for the filling. Add some carrots and peas along with tomato sauce. The topping is mashed potatoes used as a crisp crust. Dot with butter for a more flavorful topping. You can also do a vegan beef or chicken pot pie. All it takes is Beyond Beef mixed with different veggies like tomatoes and zucchini , baking potatoes and white mushrooms. Tamari and rice wine vinegar give it zing. Veggie broth makes the gravy that is a pot pie's signature feature. Two sheets of Pillsbury Crescent dough rolls  create the flaky top. You can also make Beyond Burgers too. They're just as good as the real thing. You can go totally vegan by adding slices of vegan cheddar for a tasty cheeseburger. Make it a fun Friday night meal by adding French fries. Another vegan meat idea is Beyond Beef meatballs with spaghetti. It's an easy make because they come already made. You can also make them into tasty subs, another fun Friday night dinner.

Lenten Friday's don't have to be fraught. There are so many different veggie, fish and plant based meat recipes out there. You can choose any of these for a great and meatless way to end the week.

A Dinner Trip Italian Style

 Many of us are longing for a culinary trip to Italy or at least a good meal out  at our favorite Italian restaurant. However it's not happening soon enough and with that we have to look to our own kitchens for culinary travel. Any home chef can easily recreate a good Italian dinner from antipasto to dessert. It's having the right recipes with fresh ingredients.

David Tanis offered this in yesterday's New York Times Food section He has the perfect week night or Sunday meal, complete with home baked  Sicilian almond cookies. The meals starts with a mozzarella and charred radicchio. Salsa verde, the  classic Northern Italian sauce is drizzled on top for a sharp jolt of flavor. This is an easy antipasto which also can make for a light lunch too.Start with fior di latte or Italian mozzarella. You can use the American type if you can't find it. It's paired with charred radicchio, an easy cook. Cut it into wedges and grill under the broiler if you don''t have a cast iron pan to cook it in. The salsa verde is simple to create.Parsley, cilantro, chives  and capers are put into a small bowl with lemon zest,olive oil lemon juice and sumac. It's blended and then spooned over the mozzarella and radicchio. Another easy make are the Italian or Sicilian almond cookies. These are similar to macaroons , chewy on the inside and crunchy on the out. They made with egg whites (but you could use aqua faba here) along with granulated sugar and almond extract. They're finished with a dusting of confectioner's sugar and either a whole unblanched almond or Amarena cherry in the middle. These pretty cookies would be perfect for Easter too.

The star of this whole meal is the main course.It's rigatoni al forno with cauliflower and broccoli rabe. There's nothing like a baked pasta and add to that the healthy kick of cruciferous veggies. What makes this dish stand out is a creamy white bechamel sauce made with half and half and virgin olive oil along with nutmeg.Home made tomato sauce, is also added but at the table when it's being served. This is the classic recipe with tomatoes, onion garlic and basil cooked with olive oil and then blended down into a rich , thick sauce. The pasta and veggies are cooked in the same pot, with the rigatoni being boiled first then the cauliflower and broccoli rabe. These are mixed with the pasta and bechamel sauce along with garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes. More olive oil is drizzled one. Pecorino and Provolone cheeses are added too and then all of this transferred to an oiled baking dish, It's baked in a 400 degree Farenheit oven for forty minutes until it's nicely browned and crisp on top. It's served in either bowls or plates, each serving should have a nice crispy top. The tomato sauce is spooned around the pasta and more cheese is sprinkled on top.

A trip to Italy is a long way off. Even visiting an Italian restaurant can be chancy. Yet we can recreate a three course meal with the flavors of both the North and South right in our kitchen. It's a fun culinary trip, that's easy to recreate.

The Cookbooks That Sustained Us

 The best sellers of 2020 were not thrillers or romance - although they certainly had thrills and love in them. They also had flavor. What sold during the pandemic year? Cookbooks. Thousands of them. They helped us get through some of the most difficult times.

Kim Severson wrote about this phenomena of sorts in today's New York Times Food section.Cookbooks were everyone's go to , starting almost exactly a year ago. They comforted us, taught us how to cook comfort food as well as exotic dishes,Best of all they were simply a friend to home chefs, looking for an escape from a scary new normal.It's no wonder that sales were up seventeen per cent from 2019. The stars were predictable. Joanna Gaines and Ina Garten were at the top. Samin Nosrat, a regular contributor to the New York Times Food section. Her Salt,Fat, Acid, Heat, (Simon and Schuster) was number five on The New York Times non fiction best sellers list. Others, like Claire Saffitz's Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence (Clarkson Potter) also rose to the top ten, speaking to our need for sweet comfort last year. Trends emerged too. Sales of vegan cookbooks soared as did  ones revolving around health. This was due to people concerned about the planet and their own Covid-19 threatened lives. Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by San Francisco chef, Bryant Terry sold 30,000. African American cookbooks like   Toni Tipton -Martin's Jubilee Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking, a mix of history and cooking also sold.

Of course books about baking bread soared. People wanted to join the sourdough trend. Yet other trends emerged too. There was a run on canning and preserving books because many home chefs went out and bought canning equipment. The same was true for grilling. The sales of pellet grills and smoking cookbooks were simultaneous. That's why Franklin Manifesto : A Meat Smoking Manifesto written by Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mckay was a breakout hit. The book sold a whopping 360,000 copies with 500,000 in print.Pizza cookbooks were other big sellers. Flour,Water, Salt, Yeast : The Fundamentals  Of Artisan Bread and Pizza written by Ken Forkish and published by the food centric Ten Speed Press became the top selling baking book on Amazon with 600,000 books in print. Home chefs wanted to travel too and they did it through cookbooks.In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers From the Eight African Countries That Touch The Indian Ocean shows  the different comfort recipes from Eastern Africa along with Dan Buettner's The Blue Zones Kitchen which combines lush photography from around the world with international recipes.

Cookbooks will always be a source of comfort. They not only teach us but take us away from what had been the scary normal. They were godsends in a truly turbulent year.

Away From The Sauce

 A homemade tomato sauce is many a home chef's go to. It's an easy make and cook. Yet it can be too much , especially if it's made often. I had to break away with a mushroom. sauce that works perfect with polenta or pasta. I decided to go with the polenta  - again because sometimes too much pasta is just that - too much.

I started out with sixteen ounces of spinach and two pounds of chopped baby bellas.

I added Morningstar Farms soy chicken strips for protein and flavor.

The sauce was going to be served  with grilled polenta slices.

The sauce was an easy make. The mushrooms and spinach were washed and put into a mix of simmering olive oil and tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. 

Use about three glugs of olive oil and about three to four generous tablespoons of I Cant' Believe It's Not Butter. I also added a Not Chick'n bouillon cube and half a cup of water to make it more gravy like.

Try to get fat cloves of garlic I used two for optimum flavor. They're then chopped.

The chicken was cooked separately in the microwave for about three minutes

Then as all these components were cooking I sliced and fried the polenta.

They were fried in olive oil for a few minutes.

The finished product was a tasty light sauce that was chock full of flavor. The mushrooms and spinach  are a perfect marriage and adding the fake chicken broth was inspiring. I even dunked some Italian bread into the sauce.It was that good. I plan on making this with fettuccine the next time around.

If you're tired of tomato sauce, then try this tasty mushroom, spinach and chicken sauce. It's a nice departure from the usual tomato sauce. It's refreshing and light, perfect for pasta or polenta.s

The Versatile Vegetable Garden

 It is March and that means Spring planting is just around the corner. Yet what to plant? The answer is simple - veggies  that will be the most versatile and the most useful. Plant produce that can be used in several different recipes - not just one.

You can start your versatile garden right away and expect crops in late April or early May. One of the best to plant relatively soon is lettuce. Try Romaine and butterhead because they're the most hardiest right now, Romaine lettuce is the base of Caesar salad but it's also good grilled and then tossed for a different spin. Lettuce can be used for Asian style wraps and cups along with gracing BLT's and any cold hero. Another early and versatile veggie you can plant in a few weeks is spinach. This is a home chef's best friend.It's perfect giving color and flavor to soups such as the Italian classic stratticiella  but it also is great filling a crepe or omelet. The leaves can also be wrapped in a buttery dough for spinach tart or turned into a filling but delicious salad. Just add hard boiled eggs and bacon along with a tangy vinaigrette to the last.Keep in mind that spinach can be added to smoothies  and juiced on its' own for extra iron. Beets are another versatile veggie that can be planted right now. They can be transformed into a tasty borscht or be served cold in a mouth watering salad.

Of course the garden stars, peppers and tomatoes should be planted by mid April or early May. These are definite garden musts.Any color of bell pepper can be stuffed with any kind of ground meat and breadcrumbs for a tasty main course. Of course pepper strips are a wonderful snack with seasoned Greek yogurt and they add color and sweetness to any salad. They are wonderful charred on the grill with only a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. Everyone should plant tomatoes. They are vital to any home chef's repertoire.A bumper crop is useful in making a winter's worth of freezable sauces. You can also turn them into homemade salsas and ketchup.Grow a variety.That way you have them for different dishes. Have one corner of the garden dedicated to grape or jelly bean tomatoes. These are perfect in summer salads and just good snacks on their own. Another patch can be staked out for Opalka or Black Prince varieties. These produce tomatoes with a deep rich flavor perfect for making tomato paste. The best of these tomatoes is , of course, the San Marzano. The ruby red gems can be eaten fresh from the vine or cooked into a mouth watering sauce. Then there's everybody's favorite  - the beefsteak. These are just the thing for that classic summer sandwich - sliced beeksteaks on mayo slicked ,salted and peppered white bread.

Now is the time to start planning your versatile vegetable garden. Pick kinds that you'll use in a variety of different recipes. Doing such is a great way of making that garden grow!!!