Fish And Chips The Perfect Friday Meal.

One of the benefits of a Lenten diet Is eating more fish.Mostly many go for the safe and sensible kinds of grilled salmon and seared scallops. However – there is one dish that defines a fish dinner – fish and chips. That East End favorite is a great Friday night meal.

Mention fish and chips and images of London come to mind. Many ,including us Yanks, think it’s the quintessential British food. It actually isn’t, first arriving in Britain with the Sephardic Jews around the 1600’s. The influence was the Portuguese pescado frito, deep batter fried fillets which the Jews cooked on Friday night to eat on their Sabbath – Saturday. Potatoes didn’t come into the mix until the Columbian Exchange of 1492. Fish  - mostly cod and sliced spuds were the food of the working classes throughout coastal Britain. Charles Dickens was the firs t to mention chips in his 1859 masterpiece A Tale Of Two Cities. A year later the first fish and chips eatery or chippy opened in London.They were first sold and still are sold in old newspapers with a good dousing of malt vinegar. The Americans discovered it thanks to the seafood companies of Mrs Paul’s and Gorton’s, however their offerings are a pale imitation of the real thing.They have what’s known as fish fingers  - which are fish sticks while the real deal is huge triangular pieces of plaice a type of North Atlantic fish.

Fish and chips is a relatively easy dish to make. You do need a  fryer however a regular skillet will work just fine.  Use the oven for a healthier version.Start off with the potatoes. They need to be fried first. Russet potatoes are the bet choice for the chips. Peel them and cut them into fries the size of your index finger. First fry them for only two or three minutes then remove from the hot oil. Let them drain thoroughly. Now it’s time for the fish, Combine flour and baking powder along with salt and pepper. One cup of milk and one egg are also added to create a batter. Let the mixture stand for a good twenty minutes. Dredge the fillets in  this until they are thoroughly coated and fry in preheated oil. (you can use the oil from the potatoes) When the fish is frying, add the chips for the last five minutes  until all are golden and crispy. Malt vinegar is the condiment of choice however it is a bit eye opening if you haven't had it before.Ketchup and tartar sauce are your best bet. For a true English experience serve it with mushy peas  - mashed peas with butter and cream.

Get your Brit on with homemade fish and chips. It's a tasty and fun meal for a Lenten Friday night supper. Make it and enjoy a taste of the United Kingdom.

island Delights

The Caribbean has given us so many delicious foods and drinks. From jerk to rum, we've experienced some of the best the islands have to offer. They are a mix of indigenous ingredients and European influence. It makes for a tasty cuisine of savory, spicy and sweet.

The dishes from the islands are the first fusion recipes. African, Creole, Cajun, and Amerindian have played an important role. The European influence is felt strongly as well. Spain, England, and France were the first major impacts, along with Portuguese and Irish. Surpsingly, but not surprisingly, there is also a Chinese, Javanese, Indonesian, Arab and South Indian input.Most of the islands share the same ingredients such as rice, beans cassava,a  kind of yam, along with cilantro or coriander. Bell peppers figure heavily into it, along with chickpeas, tomatoes,sweet potatoes and coconut. Some ingredients such as  ackee and saltfish, a type of fruit and salted cod are only cooked and eaten in Jamaica. Many bigger islands such as Jamaica have influence over the smaller ones or are so close such as Trinidad and Tobago that they influence each other. Some of them such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Domenican Republic have variations of the same dishes, slightly varying the amount of spicings.

What are the standout dishes of the islands? Puerto Rico and Cuba have the most known and the most popular.The Puerto Ricans make arroz con gandules y lechon - pork cooked with  yellow rice and pigeon peas.There's also pork belly or chicharrones which is crispy and salty like pork rinds. There's the crunchy  tostones, fried plantains, flavored with garlic powder and salt. Cubans have the delicious rice and beans, arroz y frijoles , cooked together. There's also the wildly delicious ropa viejo or old clothes.. This is shredded beef simmered in a tomato based criollo or garlic sauce. Arroz con pollo is another flavorful and famed dish along with the well known Cuban sandwich. This last is a tasty marriage of ham and pork loin with Swiss cheese and dill pickles on a cianbatta or hero bread. Mayo and mustard  round it out.Jamaican food is also striking. Jerk is made with a variety of different meats, from chicken to goat!.It's similar to our beef jerky here in the States. The Rastafarians have contributed vegetarian salt free cuisine to the island. This is called Ital and has such dishes as curried tofu chunks and vegetable stew.

The Caribbean has given the world a variety of tasty dishes. They are spicy and  sweet, savory and crunchy. Try them for an unusual spin on eating.

Wines For A Week Night

Wine is an important component of any meal. It's especially important on a weeknight, where it helps to unwind after a stressful day. What to serve? That depends on what's cooking. Just don't be too serious about it. Save that for the meal.

Eric Asimov wrote an entire column about it in yesterday's New York Times Weeknight Cooking issue.  As he writes weeknight wines should be like easygoing comedies as opposed to Ingmar Bergman films. They should be delicious and refreshing without requiring rapt attention. Also the price shouldn't break the budget. Figure around ten dollars is fine. Most of what he recommends come from Italy, Germany, and France, but you could easily get ones from Spain,Portugal, Greece and California.it's just that there are more varieties and tastes coming from the first two.There are some that are close to twenty dollars and these are included in his list.One of the first and the best recommended is from Piemonte.It's  De Forville Langhe Nebbiolo.It's perfect with any kind of risotto or gnocchi,thanks to its' notes of sour cherry and roses.It's also hardy enough to pair well with grilled fennel laced sausages.Another wine, perfect with pasta or even just meatballs is Contra Soarda Veneto Rosso Gaggion 2012.This is made in northeastern Italy , It's made from the marzemino grape , a relatively unknown variety here in the States, but used for centuries in the Trentino, Lombardy and Veneto regions.

For those who would like a French wine then think Chateau Gravile-Lacoste Graves 2016. It's one of the less expensive wines.that is a combination of semillon,a golden yellow grape  ,sauvignon blanc and muscadelle.Serve it with seafood, such as steamed salmon or a light lemony shrimp scampi.Its also a good dessert wine too. German wines are always a nice addition to any meal wanting them.Try  a Knebel Mosel Reisling 2015,is dry, stony and pure. Its' minerality goes well with any kind of chicken dish, think an easy roasted one along with ham. It's perfect with shellfish, so think of serving it with any crab or lobster dish. Mr. Asimov also throws in a Portuguese wine, Tiago Teles Bairrada Maria da Graca 2015.It is  a ninety per cent blend of red- alfochiero and ten per cent white bical. It's fruity and flowery . Pair it with spicy stews or even peppery seafood gumbos. Grilled lamb kabobs and lamb chops are always a part of weeknight dining. Drink a truly Greek wine, Gal's Retinitis
Nobilis NV 2015.It's made with the more refreshing roditis instead of the usual dull savatiano.

There is a huge choice of wines to go with any weeknight dinner. Pick the one that pairs the best with what you're serving and go with it. It'll make for a relaxing drink after a hectic weekday.

A Classic Revisited Nino's Pizzeria

It's very rare that a restaurant lasts almost  forty years with the same owner. Yet that's what happened  with Nino's Pizzeria in Garfield, New Jersey. It's been feeding the community with good food, introducing generations to Southern Italian classics. I've come back to it after a long time away and I'm glad I did.

Nino's is an unpretentious  little eatery with only four (albeit big) tables.It's been a take out since the original owner opened up this Harrison Ave. landmark forty years ago. The current owner John, and his brother bought it from the original owner, Nino, hence the name. Unlike other Italian restaurants in the area, this one has a surprise - good Portuguese food. Yes, Nino's has pizza, garlic knots and rice balls, as their fellow pizzerias but they also have frango assado, roasted chicken with vegetables and the famed codfish bacalhao, steamed, fried and  roasted.Picadinho , that tasty blend of minced meat and vegetables can also be ordered for a change of pace. The catering menu even includes a roasted  suckling pig or leitao along with a seafood rich paella Portuguese style.It can be washed down with the mild cherry tasting soda Guarina from Brazil.

This is a nostalgic trip for me, I used to go to Nino's during my college years for their garlic pizza. It was a gem, standing out, with the perfect ratio of cheese to sauce, studded with tiny bits of minced garlic. Has it changed? I had the plain slice and it was not greasy , unlike  slices from other local pizzerias. There was more cheese than sauce, creating a chewy , gooey texture. Their crust is good, more of tart one than than of the usual flat one with puffs. Their calzone is about the best around.It's crust was light and crackly,again not sogged down by oil. The filling is the traditional  ricotta, but it was like a ham infused cloud , light and fluffy without the usual cloying salty taste.It came with a tomato dipping sauce which was also perfect in flavor and texture.Many Italian restaurants put out a sauce that's too thick and chunky which slides off the calzone, ending up on the floor, table or lap. Nino's was spot on , and the best part was that it actually tasted like tomatoes - not too sweet or garlicky. The calzone and sauce were a definitely matched pair.

Nino's is worth visiting if you're in the Garfield area. It has an interesting mix of Portuguese and Italian food, all tasty and good. Visit it if you're craving pizza, pasta or bacalhao.

Nino's Pizzeria,
300 Harrison Ave #2
Lodi New Jersey 07644
973-772- 5056
Hours 10 AM to Midnight

Kerala Cuisine Brought To Light

Indian cuisine is more than just curry and naan. The cuisine is varied and different, especially in the south. Kerala has recipes that surprisingly echo the American South.One chef is letting America know that - and also rediscovering her past.

Kin Severson wrote about Chef Asha Gomez in today's New York Time's Food section. Chef Gomez not only is returning to her roots but also highlighting a cuisine not well known here in the States. Many think it's just cheap eats - good only for buffets - laden with rice. American chefs have ruined biryani and dosa, not to mention curries.  There are also the food snobs who dismiss it  because there it doesn't command the respect of European or American cuisine. They also feel that eating cheap food doesn't deserve a second glance. However charge too much of it as Chef Gomez did at her former restaurant , Cardamon Hill, and diners will complain.It was for a $32 for a complex fish curry spiked with smoked tamarind while the Southern cuisine restaurant in  the area charged the same for a fish dsh.it is insulting and maybe spurred a PBS sponsored show inspired by her YouTube series, "Curry and Cornbread".

What is the food of Kerala.It's inspired by the Portuguese traders that visited the region for spices (and how Chef Gomez 's family acquired their last name and do not shun meat eating ). They brought with them a love of pork and chiles that would define the region's food. In some ways it's reminiscent of the American South . There is fried chicken, braised pork, and vegetables like okra and field peas. There is also a thriving street vendor culture called thattukadas where Chef Gomez used to head for chunks of chicken with crunchy fried shallots,garlic and curry leaves crisped in coconut oil.It was eaten with flaky wheat parathas, or flatbreads. There is a recipe for this called Kerala Roadside Chicken that combines a variety of different spices, from the traditional garam masala to the particular Kashmiri chile powder. The chicken is fried in coconut oil and then garnished with the highly flavored fried shallots, dried chiles and curry.Serve with any kind of flatbread.

Indian food is much more than just curry and rice. There are so many dishes, from each of the various states. They all reflect the diversity of an interesting culture and cuisine.

Coconut For Coconuts

There is a craze right now that's permeating our cooking and even our beauty habits.It seems we cuckoo for coconuts - in every form.  It's all over these days from flakes to oils, in our best dishes and on our cuticles. Is it too much or does this tropical stunner actually have benefits.

First of all the coconut is not a nut but a drupe, or an offspring with a fleshy outer part covering a seed or pit (think more peaches and plums). The name coco derives from the Portuguese word for skull, thanks to the face like indentations in it sailors who first saw it on their travels were amused by this , hence the name. The meat or the interior white flesh is called copra when dried and used in baking and cooking. The oil and milk from it is used both in food and beauty products. Then there is the coconut water which is everywhere these days.It grows primarily in tropical climates and is not what would be considered domesticated. The meat itself is high in carbs and fat.A one hundred gram serving can yield a whopping 354 calories. with 89% of it being saturated fat. This also applies to coconut oil too which is high in  saturated fat and lauric acid, the last being responsible for raising cholesterol to sky high levels.Ditto for the coconut milk  which is derived from the oil.It is  better to stick with the low calorie , low carb,   coconut water .It also  has a significant amount of  electrolytes  - good for those playing sports.

So is being coconuts for coconuts worth it? The fruit is , for baking and candy making. The copra does have the perfect taste that meshes well with chocolate, vanilla and even lemon cake. As we all know it's a great decoration for Easter cupcakes and holiday meringues.The flakes are also  excellent gracing curries  and other Asian dishes. Again, it's good if you want a splurge  but not  good if you  have it a few times a week.? It also doesn't apply to an Almond Joy or Mounds splurge.then If you do want; a healthy fix of coconut   then try Zola's dark chocolate coconut nuggets instead. What about coconut oil? Health conscious  home chefs could try the one Lou Ana puts out ,The Southern California company makes theirs non -hydrogenated and zero calories which is perfect for any kind of cooking and baking. It also aids in losing weight, speeding up metabolism as well as helping to fend off staph bacteria along with several different kinds of cancer. Coconut oil is  also good for softening cracked heels, cuticles and sun fried hair, Coconut water is another must have.Again Zola, a brand new, sustainable company has different waters that are perfect with a meal or just as a refresher. Also Vita Coca is another good choice with even a newly added cafe latte to drink..

The coconut craze will be wth us for a while. Take what you will from it and use it to benefit your diet and lifestyle. You can go mad for the health aspects of them.