Disaster For Dinner

 It's just a fact of life that there could be a cooking or baking disaster. Every home chef goes through several during a lifetime.What to do? Keep calm and carry on with some quick thinking and amending.

This happened to me the other night, I was all set to try chickpea gnocchi from Aldi. I was st to my my favorite sauce burst tomatoes, anticipating the sweet -savory flavor of this on the potato dumplings. Unfortunately it was not to be. i taste tested two or three gnocchi, discovering that those had an extremely sour taste. These were ditched right away, the consensus was they had been left too long on the store's shelf.What to do with the sauce? Luckily there was sliced semolina bread. This proved to be a life saver. The sauce was spooned over the slices, sort of like a hot bruschetta. It was delicious and a great idea for a quick lunch in the future. Luckily it was a family meal and not meant for guests. Yet suppose there had been guests? What to do? One good and easy solution is subbing in the gnocchi with already cooked pasta. Barilla offers this and it can be made in the microwave. Rice could also work in this situation too. what happens when the sauce gets screwed up? I'f it's too salty, add more tomatoes or a teaspoon of honey to balance it out. As for meats, cut away the burnt part and if it's too dry, get some gravy to moisten it. Melted butter or olive oil also helps.

Baking and frosting has their share of disasters.Again I recently found this out when I made frosting with Melt plant butter. I thought it would be just like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and produce a thick, creamy icing that would stay in place. It didn't. It slid off my Easter lambs, making them look like they had mange.I just arranged the fallen frosting to make it look like a bed the lambs were resting on. Again luckily these were not made for company. Frosting can be thickened and not just with more confectioner's sugar.. You can use cornstarch, flour and even butter  to create a rich paste. What about if your cake or cupcakes burn? Like with meat, cut away the burnt parts and cover with frosting or a dusting of confectioner's sugar.  The cake's top may be dry and crumbly too, thanks to the excessive heat. Pour melted butter over the top. This will ensure a moist crumb.  This can be done to cupcakes too. Homemade puddings and custards can be amended thanks to an immersion blender  whipping away all those lumps. Also adding whipped cream and turning it into an instant mousse is also a dessert saver.

Disaster sometimes comes for dinner and dessert. Be prepared if ti does. It's easy to fix a meal or dessert gone bad.

New Traditional Pastas

New traditions are forming every day, especially in food.One of the most striking is in pasta. Gone are the days when spaghetti or penne were made with Durham wheat. Now there are all sorts of flours going into traditional dishes.

One of the most famous and popular is  Banta. I bought their spaghetti  made from chickpeas.

The company has several different different types, from this and angel hair  to lasagna strips to elbow macaroni. There's even kid pastas from wagon wheels to alphabet. It takes about the same amount of time as regular pasta and tastes almost the same too. There is a slight chickpea aftertaste.

The texture too is the same  and didn't clump the way wheat based spaghetti does. The only disconcerting aspect is that the water foams up while boiling. This can be easily skimmed off. More traditional companies such Ronzoni and Barilla are also jumping on the band wagon.They're using vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots, spinach and tomatoes instead of beans. There's also their Super greens composed of spinach , zucchini, broccoli, parsley and kale. Barilla is also offering chickpea pasta too as well as red lentil. Red lentil spaghetti is a fun and healthy way to enjoy a traditional pasta.

Traditional wheat pasta is making way for a new type. It's much more healthier and even tastier. What's great is that you can make it as just as classic and delicious as the original ones.

Cool Cooking On Hot Days

 Hardly anyone will want to be in a hot kitchen after being in one for three months. Then it's summer - when roasting or sauteing anything can be a chore. The best bet? Cool dishes for a hot summer. These are lifesavers and just make lunch and dinner easier.

One of the chillest and tastiest is gazpacho. This Spanish classic is an easy make, especially if you follow Susan Lewis Solamont's, the former Ambassador to Spain's wife recipe for it. It's blitzing a cucumber, tomatoes, onions and garlic with olive oil and red wine vinegar. It's a wonderful dinner , especially when served with crusty sliced boules drizzled with olive oil.It's also good leftover for lunch the next day. Vichyssoise is another example of a chill soup. This is  a creamy leek and potato soup introduced in 1917 at the Ritz-Carlton to cool off diners. You can make chef Louis Diat's original recipe that calls for Yukon Gold potatoes, leeks and onions. It can be made vegan with subbing in vegetable broth for chicken and almond milk and coconut cream for regular milk and whole cream. If you don't want soup, then think salad.  Salad Nicoise is a lush salad with sliced hard boiled eggs, tuna, green beans and tomatoes along with black olives on a bed of Boston lettuce . You can add radishes for crunch and bite and the traditional Dijon mustard based vinaigrette too. Another crowd pleaser is Cobb salad, rich with bacon, avocado slices and chicken breasts.along with a variety of different greens like Boston lettuce, watercress and frisee.

Pasta may not be what you want on a hot afternoon but a pasta salad is another thing. Try an Italian style one with precooked pasta.Barilla brands has a wide variety of noodles that have been already boiled. Just open a packet and mix with slices of summer sausage and sliced cherry tomatoes. Throw in some chopped black olives and parsley for a hearty but cool dinner. Precooked pasta with salsa cruda is another temperature cooling dish on a hot night. The sauce is easy to make. It's just cut ripe tomatoes mixed with olive oil, thyme and basil. Some recipes call for a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar but you can also use red wine if you want to. Add some sliced Italian bread to sop up the sauce. Veggie tacos made with an array of fresh produce is a great week night meal. Sliced tomatoes along with julienned peppers and carrots make the filling. You can also add celery and any kind of lettuce for crunch and color. Top with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream for extra richness. Hummus is an easy no cook dip that works well as a meal with pita wedges. Put in some hot pepper flakes or black olives for more flavor.

It's summer and it's time for cool,tasty meals. Don't go crazy cooking hot food in a hot kitchen. You've been doing such for months. Chill with chill meals.