Baby Pasta

  Baby pasta may sound like they're perfect tiny ones  yet they're really perfect for the older folk.They're tiny bits of flavor that are as versatile as their bigger cousins. These small nuggets of flavor are perfect for anything from soup to salad.

What are these small bits of dough called? Technically they're all macaroni with the classification belonging to all one to two inch shapes. These even apply to the tinier ones. There are many of these "baby" or little pastas. They are more versatile than the larger sorts. You can easily make a salad or soup with them along with turning them into a soothing bowl of goodness just by adding butter and grated Parmesan.Some of the more popular kinds are pastina and orzo. Pastina is what every Italian mother feeds a sick child. These tiny (about the size of a large pinhead) stars are also popular in Turkish cuisine where they're also used in soup. it can also be cooked in broth and then served with butter or a plant based butter and any kind of grated Italian  cheese. Orzo can be served both hot or cold. This rice shaped pasta is great in any kind of broth and enhances minestrone soup. It is also a great summer dish , served cold as a salad. You can also make it for your Super Bowl Party this weekend. Add sliced cherry or whole grape tomatoes along with small broccoli florets,  black or green olives and cucumber slices. To make it heartier, toss in salami chunks or pepperoni along with chunks of Provolone. dress with a garlic vinaigrette made with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

There are other baby pastas too. A close cousin to pastina is acini de pepe or peppercorns. They're actually not the size of a peppercorn but a pearl of couscous. They represent fertility which is why they're always in Italian wedding soup. since they're like couscous, you can make them in similar recipes. A nice warming dish is cooking it with saffron, white wine and saffron, sort of like a risotto Milanese. You could also serve it with dried apricots and pistachios as a side to grilled chicken. Ditalini or small fingers are another baby pasta that can be used to zing up  soups. Like acini de pepe it is also good with a meaty Bolognese sauce for a different kind of comfort food.Anelli or little pasta rings are a fun addition to chicken soup or minestrone. They're one of the chief ingredients in the Sicilian dish timballo. This is a baked casserole that looks like a Bundt cake and is rich with meat sauce , ham and squares of Provolone cheese. There is a coating of bread crumbs but you can also use fried eggplant. It's baked like a cake and served in slices. There is also a smaller version of anelli called anellino, tinier rings that are perfect in soup or just with butter and cheese.

Baby pasta may be little but it has a big flavor.Use it in hot and cold dishes for a tasty main course or side. They are just as versatile and fun as their bigger cousins.

The Guide To Wilderness Cooking

Cooking in the wilderness can be daunting. Many wonder what will they cook on and what ingredients to use.Mostly it's how will the dish taste and if it's cooked enough. Now there's a new cookbook that shows how to cook safely and effectively in the wild.

Wilderness Chef :The Ultimate Guide To Cooking Outdoors  (Conway Publishing 2020) was written by outdoorsman Ray Mears. Mr. Mears is not really a chef but an adventurer who has camped around around the world from Venezuela to Wyoming. He's a television personality, with his series, Tracks, World Of Survival  and The Real Heroes of Telemark,along with Trips Money Can't Buy with Ewan  McGregor. The book is truly fascinating with large nuggets of information.There are section on the different kind of rations along with the most important aspect of outdoor cooking : hygiene. Cooking outdoors isn't cooking in the rough. It's the same as cooking in a home or restaurant kitchen. There's even a picture of an "Andy Handy" a simple gravity tap that comes with a spigot,. Antibacterial soap can also be rigged up to it to for cleaner washing. There are instructions for every type of outdoor cooking and even baking. Campers and hikers can learn how to cook using an outdoor griddle or frying pan for simple dishes or try their hand at building a dry oven in the ground or successfully using a cast iron oven. There's even a chapter on boiling all sorts of drinks , from hot tea to coffee to even hot cocoa. Mr. Mears also shows how to clean up grills and utensils up afterwards.

The recipes are very interesting too. There are sections on all sorts of frying and baking simple recipes like scrambled eggs and streak in embers, cooking a beef cut on glowing coals. Yet there are some truly sophisticated dishes too. There's Persian inspired rice spiked with such colorful jewels as sultanas, raisins or apricots along with cinnamon and turmeric.Pasta lovers will enjoy the venison bolognese. made rich with pancetta and red wine. For those who love game there are a few rabbit recipes too, one with the foraged burdock and wild water mint while the other is Spanish style with tomatoes and white beans.Of course there are fun recipes. Mr. Mears even includes s'mores (with an Englishman's disdain for them) and Nakkisoppa, Finnish hot dog soup. made with the dogs and different veggies like onions , parsnips and potatoes. There's also comfort food recipes such roast chicken , Yorkshire pudding and crispy fried  rosti potatoes in a pan. There are tasty curry, soup and fish recipes too.Yes, there is bread - all sorts of it.  Campers and outdoorsmen can make the famed bannocks, a kind of English muffin type of bread , and its' cousin, damper. Johnny cakes , made on many a Civil War campfire are here too.  There are even regular cakes and a pineapple upside down one too. Campers who like to forage wild fruit will have an apple pie and crumble recipes to try out.

Wilderness Chef : The Ultimate Guide To Cooking Outdoors is the perfect book for those who love the outdoors. It's full of good advice and good recipes. It's perfect for the great outdoors, whether the campground or backyard.

Cleaning The Freezer

As much as we want to jump into the freezer right now, it's really good time to clean it out. We may have overbought during lock down and the top of our fridges may be bursting. It's time to clean out and see what we can do with those frozen meats and veggies.

Many bought burgers during the pandemic, and kept them there as restrictions eased and our favorite restaurants opened. Now is the perfect time to grill them for family barbecues. They can also go into the air fryer for a few minutes if you don't want to stand in 90 degree heat. One thing about hamburgers is that they are versatile so you can make them a variety of different ways. Try them as Salisbury steaks served with a sauce made from mushroom gravy or mushroom soup over precooked noodles or rice. You can also break them up and add them to crockpot chili or Bolognese sauce. The same can be done with veggie burgers such as Gardein's or Boca too. What is a fun meal is taking those frozen fries and making a sheet pan dinner with them and the patties. It's an easy way of having a summer classic without too much fuss. The same can be done with those chicken patties that have been hanging out by the ice cream. Add some pasta  sauce and top with Parmesan cheese. You can even serve these with a side of just plain spaghetti and let everyone mix the sauce on their plates.

Your freezer probably has a ton of frozen veggies too. Luckily these can be made into the perfect summer side - salads. It's easy to steam broccoli or green beans in the microwave and then toss with a vinaigrette. Chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Salads don't have to be limited to just those veggies. You can make a pea salad using frozen peas and mint leaves. Add some feta to make it a bit more substantial. Mixed frozen veggies can be added to stir fries or used in sheet pan recipes.  The last is just tossing them in olive oil and laying flat on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.  They can also be added to various stocks to create minestrone soup. Frozen corn can be turned into a chowder or added to a potato soup for color and flavor. As for those bags of frozen fruit. Thaw them out for all sorts of toppings for ice cream sundaes or parfaits. They can also be added to smoothies for more flavor and chill. Save them for breakfast where they'll be perfect with waffles or French toast.

It's time to clean out that bursting freezer.Let it have a rest from all that pandemic buying.  Empty it to create tasty meals and desserts.

From Meat To Meatless

Many people want to go vegan or at least vegetarian but can't.It can be kind of daunting giving up the meats they love for -soy.What starts out as a noble dream to save animals and help the earth goes flat when faves such as bacon and chicken wings have to go. The best bet is to ease into the lifestyle. Don't go cold turkey when you're craving turkey.

The first step is to test yourself. Try a day or two without any red meat.This will be hard for hamburger and steak lovers. Think chicken and veggie burgers. If that works then eliminate poultry as the second part of the journey to go meatless.Some people become pescetarians - only eating fish and seafood. They still get protein but it's all from the sea  - not the land. They can still eat eggs and dairy so the diet is more of a Mediterranean. It is healthier however but can be a bit costly, thanks to the market price of some fish and crustaceans. If that's the case, then have fish twice a month or look for specials.The diet has many benefits.such as maintaining good heart health.Another perk in an all fish diet is that is staves off macular deterioration, a degenerative eye disease.It can also strengthen lungs and prevent Alzheimer's disease.Pescetarians also enjoy healthy hair skin and nails too as a bonus benefit.

Once you've eliminated most of the meats, it's now easier to wean yourself off fish. Remember that vegetarian and vegan are two slightly different practices. Vegetarianism allows for dairy and eggs, veganism doesn't. If being a vegan sounds too severe for now, than try the other. Many have a hard time giving up omelets and eggs sunny side up. Then there's the ice cream dilemma. You  do have to acquire a taste for soy and coconut milk ice cream.It's delicious but doesn't have the lush mouth feel of the real deal.Again make it a slow transition. Some vegans went the vegetarian route before completely shunning animal products. Luckily , many stores such as Stop & Shop and Acme have a wide range of vegan and vegetarian products. The most popular and varied meatless brands are Morningstar Farms and Gardein. These are my go tos for creating a wholesome and filling no meat meal.Morningstar Farms has soy beef crumbles which I use in my chili and Bolognese sauce. Their chicken strips are the backbone of my chicken mole. I've just discovered Gardein's soy Fish fillets and they're remiiscent of Mrs. Paul's. I look forward to trying their faux crab cakes.

You can go from a meat filled diet to a meat free one. It's just doing it in steps and ending at veganism. Along the way , you find new dishes and recipes that are good for you and good tasting. You'll forget aoo about meat once you do.

Riffs On recipes

Some of the best chefs are the most creative ones. They can take a basic recipe or basic ingredients and turn them into something special.Is it magic? Alchemy? No, it's just thinking outside the culinary box.

One of the most versatile mediums to work with is rice. It's good on its' own, but cook it in any kind of stock, add butter or margarine and it's a light meal . Add some veggies such as peas and broccoli some herbs and voila - a great side with chicken.It can also  be part of a main dish , soaking up stews and chiles. Rice also is a tasty filling in stuffed peppers. Try mixing it with ground beef, and tomato paste, two other basics. For zip  add chile powder or ginger that's been grated. Rice can also be deep fried for a real treat of a lunch or dinner. Throw in chicken or beef  along with some water chestnuts and broccoli. Pasta is another simple ingredient that can be made a variety of ways. Everyone knows spaghetti, It's usually served with meatballs and either a marinara , Bolognese or butter sauce. However , it can turn up in a soup. Try it with a beef based vegetable one or have it as the surprise ingredient in a minestrone. Fried ravioli is a new spin on a very traditional dish. They're easy to cook up that way, Use olive oil or even vegetable oil to deep fry them in a fryer or skillet.. Serve with a side of hot marinara sauce.

Basic meats such as chicken and beef can lend themselves to a variety of different and unique dishes. Chicken cutlets can be turned into something exciting such as pulled chcken. Try cooking it with a smoky barbecue sauce and serve on potato buns. Cutlets can also be oven fried, It's first dredging them in melted butter and mustard mix and then coating them with crushed Saltines. Bake at 400 degrees Farenheit for only twenty minutes.Everyone loves legs and wings.Marinate them in a mix of pinapple juice , orange zest and garic along with such spices as ginger and crushed red peppers for a fiery twist onBuffalo style wings.. Every loves any cut of beef. Suppose it's added on top of a pizza for extra oomph? It's a nice way of marrying two classics and making them even better. A steak salad is a nice alternative toa regular one.Use a hearty greens like romaine or spinach along with deep red grape tomatoes. Salt and pepper almonds are a must to add crunch and more flavor.Steak strips can also be subbed in for roast beef in a chef's salad for surprise and flavor. It can also be turned into a club sandwich with lettuce  and,tomato served on toasted pumpernickel or rye bread.


A good chef is a creative one. Think outside the culinary box.It will result in more delicious dishes, using just basic ingredients.