Cabbage Is KIng Again

 The round leafy green heads are not just for those on a budget anymore. Cabbage is becoming king of the trendy again.It's not because of the taste>People are rediscovering its; versatility and flavor again.It's cool to be kohl.

Kim Severson wrote about this hot again veggie in today's New York Times Food section. Cabbage has been on the menu at a few upscale eateries across the US.Now it's exploding in a big way to more and more places. The heads have always been known for their long shelf lives and versatilities plus their cheapness. Home gardeners can easily grow a patch of them in their backyards too. China produces the Most Americans have eaten in in sauerkraut and with corn beef but thanks to Asian countries like Korea, China and India , cabbage is becoming a mainstay in the American diet.Kimchi has mightily helped its' reputation and there is a new generation of both chefs and home chefs that are interested in fermentation and gut friendly.It was like this decades ago when immigrants coming to America relied on it for sustenance and nutrition. Now on the world stage ,China produces most of it while Russians eat the most.

When exactly did the cabbage craze begin? It could have started a decade ago when farmers selling to restaurants starting growing specialty cabbage.It was a small tender one with a pointy tip called a Caraflex ,conehead or arrowhead. There was also the Tendersweets which are shaped liked flattened ovals wit loosely packed thin crisp leaves and the napa variety which has a taste that's a mix of iceberg lettuce , cabbage and celery. Chefs found that using the arrowheads were easy to braise or roast and looked gorgeous quartered and sauced on a plate.It also helped that trendy chef Thomas Keller used Caraflex at his popular Per Se restaurant. He charcoal grilled them with apples, sunchokes and pumpkins seeds surrounded by a red cabbage just. Around the same time Chicago chef put a charred wedge of cabbage on his menu at Publican. Surprisingly the pandemic also helped cabbage's growth in popularity. it was thought that eating fermented cabbage might ward off Covid 19. Cabbage though should be on every home chef's rotation. It can be used in stews and soups along with being wedged and charred,  served with a dollop of Blue Cheese dressing.

Cabbage is king again and no wonder.It , like its; cousins the cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli is versatile and good for you. This leafy green is popular and with good reason.

That Meal Out

 It used to be a night out at a good restaurant was an affordable occassion. Now it's an expesnive trip out. why? Because a restaurant is a business like any other. They have expenses too and workers that have to be paid. It also costs to produce a steak dinner or a plate of pasta - just like any other business offering products.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna and Lia Syam explored this in today's New York Times Food section. There are many factors , the most importnt being food prices.They've skyrocketed , especially pork and beef. Restaurant owner Bruce Moffett used to charge twelve dollars for his Korean beef with crispy rice back in 2019. Three years later the dish now costs four dollars more. scallops are up 118 per cent, Keep in mind that sunflower oil comes from  war torn.Russia and the Ukraine. production is spotty hence the high price. On the Americna front, fuel and fertilizer have also gone up which factor into the wholesale cost. After food comes labor costs. Many eateries also give their employees health insurance and that can cost. Salaries have also risen. Even a Manhattan dishwasher can make close to a thousand dollars a week. Hiring a top chef can cost thousands a week. A no name executive chef can pull in $1200 a week. However being generous can affect the restaurant. Mr Moffatt has cut his days open to five instead of the usual six. That could mean thousands of dollars not being brought in.

Of course there are the extras. Liquor surprisngly is one of them. Yes a place can be a BYOB however if it has an extensive wine list anf good bartender then it elevates it. A 765 ml bottle of Laurent Perrier champagne is $38  when it was only $39 in 2019. Even wines have gone up.Sauvignons are now going for $50 as opposed to $45.Luckily bourbon and whiskey are not that expensive. The worst is the utiltiies. Again thanks to Russia invading the Ukraine has disrupted gas production, The natural gas that fuels water heaters and ovens has risen eighty-five per cent.The Good Food restaurant is upgrading its' water infrastructure and is passing the cost down to customers. Then there's new equipment and landscaping and the cost of that upkeep. Even though we don't think about it there;s the cost of dinner ware. Dishes and glasses, especially wine glasses ger broken all the times. Forks get lost in the laundry. It costs to replace them, epsecially wine glasses which can be sold for as high as $36  a glass. Takeout also is another rising cost.  To go boxes are about $120 a case. Then there's the utensils and straws (altough many places are forgoing the last).

Consider all this when you're eating out.Is it worth spending estra bucks for a good meal out? the answer is yes if you really feel you really deserve it. You can't put a price on a fun meal out.

Cookbooks To Carry You Through

One of the most trying things about this confinement is coming up with meal ideas and plans.what do you make? Is your family getting tired of all the bean dishes they've been eating? Are you tired of making the same three or four recipes every week? Not to fear. There are some good cookbooks to get you through these tough times.

The New York Times Food section devoted most of today's issue to some of the best cookbooks and included recipes too. The staff made the selections , keeping the quarantine in mind along with the reason why some people read other literature. Even cookbooks offer learning, exploration and escape.Everybody weighed in  from Julia Moskin to Melissa Clark and Tejal Rao. The books can take you to Russia, the South and Korea. One of the most interesting is Beyond The North Wind: Russia In Recipes And Lore  (Ten Speed Press) by Darra Goldstein. Hers isn't the usual borscht pickled herring dishes. Vodka is spiked with birch buds and crisp mushroom hand pies spiced with caraway. There are also stories and traditions explained.  New contributor Vaughn Vreeland reviewed Bitter Honey Recipes and Stories from the Isle of Sardinia (Hardie Grant) written by London chef Letitia Clark. The recipes rely on high quality ingredients and the leisurely lifestyle Sardinia is known for. Another travel destination cookbook is My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes (W.W. Norton & Company) written by chef Hooni KIm. Chef Kims gives us everyday noodles in meaty black bean sauce along with  homemade (!) tofu with perilla leaf soy sauce.

Then there are the comfort food books. Check out Procrastibaking :100 Recipes For Getting Nothing Done In The Most Delicious Way Possible (Atria Books) written by Erin Gardner. Kids and adults will get a kick out of the recipes ranging from baked Alaska ice cream cones to mall pretzels along with chocolate pudding pie. Opera singer and chef Alexander Smalls gives us Meals, Music and Meals:Recipes From My African American Kitchen (Flatiron Books) are grouped by not surprisingly musical genre.Yet's it's also comfort food, from devilled eggs to Gullah dirty rice to chess pie. His potato salad made with pickled sweet relish made a fan out of reviewer Krysten Chambrot. Vegans also get their due with the cookbook Vegan JapanEasy : Classic and Modern Vegan Japanese Recipes to Cook At Home (Hardie Grant) by Tim Anderson.It's an easy read with the writing being conversational. Chef Anderson urges readers to cook holistically  with rehydrating shiitake mushrooms and curing them in soy sauce. There's also a simple vegan stock recipe that probably can be repurposed into a dozen dishes.Other cookbooks are Chicano Eats:Recipes From My Mexican-American Kitchen (Harper Design) by food writer Esteban Castillo that features a mac and cheese fundido with mushrooms along with Dime Times ( Karma Press) written by the famed cafe's owners Alissa Wagner and  Sabrina De Sousa and Yasmin's Fahr's Keeping It Simple : Easy Weeknight One Pot Recipes ( Hardie Grant), These last two are both comfort food recipes along with being easy ones.

It's a time of both reading and cooking. Why not order one or a few of these cookbooks to get you through this quarantine. You'll enjoy learning and cooking new dishes.

The Best Kombucha Guide

One of the best beverages to drink is kombucha. It's  not only good for you but good tasting as well.It's easy to make, being a fermented drink that can be home brewed. Now there's a new recipe book out , filled with refreshing and delicious tea and infusion ideas. All it takes is kombucha, water and favorite fruits,vegetables,flowers and herbs. It's then a variety of healthful, probiotic drinks.

Louise Avery wrote Living Tea (Ryland, Peters, and Small Publishers 2016,) wrote this fascinating and interesting recipe book.Many people are embracing this invigorating drink, as they're embracing other fermenting foods.What exactly is kombucha?It's a naturally sparkling fermented tea full of probiotics, along with beneficial enzymes and antioxidants. Drunk regularly like water it can cure stomach problems, mood swings and bloating.It has been around for 2,000 years , originating first in China and then moving west into Russia and  the rest of Europe. It is easy to make but you need SCOBY or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The book lists a number of sites where you can buy it both in the US and UK. The fermentation itself also requires not only sugar and water but also special bottles such as the brewing vessels along with a thermometer and pH strips for gauging. Ms. Avery also lists the many other essentials needed for creating the drink.There is also a section on bottling and storing as well as caring for the SCOBY. She advises about how much to drink too. Kombucha is addictive, thanks to its' soda like fizziness and sweet flavor.

The book has a wide array of different add ins as well as pictorial how to with Ms. Avery showing the various steps of preparation. The recipes are divided into bases such as fruit,vegetable,flower and herb,spice and tea.She combines pears and ginger for drink full of earthiness and heat. There is a festive blood orange zinged up with bitters along with a.grapefruit and rosemary kombuicha. There are also kombuchas that feature sweet raspberries and blueberries.The last is even blended with lemonade. Veggies aren't really known for infusing teas, yet there  are vital ingredients for a flavorful brew here.Rhubarb, a veggie, usually used in pies,is turned into a tart,refreshing tea when paired with Granny Smith apples. There is a Virgin Mary recipe that combines Bloody Mary ingredients with unflavored kombucha for an eye opening breakfast beverage. Ms. Avery uses a bouquet of different flowers for floral based teas.She even recommends raiding the garden for buds and petals. There is a delicate rose petal that has overtones of the Mideast. Hibiscus petals and lavender also grace delicately scented drinks. Herbs are also used in creating tasty and healthful tonics such as one infused with turmeric. There is a guest recipe from Kombucha Brooklyn  , from owners Eric and Jessica Childs that combines different teas such as silver needle and white peony.for

Living Tea is a wonderful book that introduces people to the joys of brewing kombucha. It's is the perfect guide to creating healthy probiotic drinks that improve one's life. It is the perfect holiday gift for friends, family and even yourself!