Potatoes The World's Staple

 Tomorrow being St Patrick's Day most recipes turn to something with potatoes. Yet these tubers not only fed the Irish but the whole worldl  Europe readily  embraced then as did the rest of the world. Today they are one of the staples in every home chef's and restaurant's kitchen. There  were a Meso American staple before that feeding the tribes of North and South America.

What are potatoes exactly? They're sort of a veggie but not in the traditional sense.  They come from the perennial nightshade and are related to Bella Donna , deadly nightshade. Their tamer cousins include peppers, tomatoes and eggplants however all have deadly to eat leaves that are full of the toxin solanine. It first came from the Peruvian Andes along with Bolivia. They are one of the world's oldest used foods , having been domesticated between seven and ten thousand years ago. The Spanish brought them over to Europe, post- Columbus and they took off in Eastern and Northern Europe. There are now five thousand kinds of them now  as India and CHina lead the world in potato production. The word comes from the Spanish patata which derives from the Taino word batata meaning sweet potato. The spud comes from Britain where it originally meant a short and stout knife ,It came from the Danish Spyd which means spear. The taters look like like spears in a wat.

European cooking embraced this New World  favorite.  A modified form of Chilean fried potatoes made their way to Spain where Saint Theresa of Avila and turned them into what would be considered the forerunner of modern fries. Even though Belgium and France have a running feud over who created the first modern ones it is France that is the originator do them. It wasn't even a Frenchman who cut and fried the first batch! That honor belongs to Bavarian Frederic Kreiger who fired them on a roaster in the famed Montmartre section in 1842. The British embrace them as they became the perfect foil for batter fried cod for their famed fish and chips. They bounced back over the Atlantic to become an American staple , perfect tiwth German hamburgers or fried chicken. However the tuber was elevated by the French and Italians. The French  turned them into Pommes Dauphinoise or scalloped potatoes , layers of delciated slices surrounded by cream milk and cheese. The Northern Italians plumped them into little pillows of goodness called gnocchi. The Germans created a heartier fare , kartoffel glace  round balls of them stuffed with a small piece for gingerbread.

Amazing what one tuber did to the world. Potatoes are not part of the Irish diet ,They're part of everyone's diet  and have been for centuries.

Not SO Local Hawaiian food

 What is Hawaiian food? it's not exactly local or indigenous. Think of it as an amalgam of various cuisines from far away Europe, Polynesia and Asia. It makes for interesting and delicious flavors.

Bon Appetit contributor and new one to the New York Times Food section, Elyse Inamine wrote about Hawaiian food in yesterday's section. Hawaiian food ia marriage of different cuisines from around the world. It first started between the Tenth and Twelth centuries  when Polynesians settled on the unihabited Hawaiian Islands.They brought taro, sugar cane and pigs, recognizable in today's cuisine. They created such isand standards as poke made with reef fish and kalua pig roasted un an underground oven. Yet the arrival of  British and American colonizers  dismantled the Hawaiian kingdom, supressed its 'c ulture and eventually attracted an influx of immigrants to work on plantations. The term locall is releatively recent , coming from a trial in which a white woman, Thalia Massie, a white woman living in Manoa, a Honolulu suburb falsely accused five mixed and mostly Asian men of rape.It started as a term of abuse but eventually was embraced by the locals. Now it also refers to the dishes which have a long hisoty of being fusion.

Yet what is Hawaiian cuisine? Islanders will tell you it's family recipes that have been passed down for generations. every family has their own versionTrue Hawaiian recipes are hard to come by. Nurse practioner and food blogger Relle Lum is trying to find them. As she states when the foreigners came everything Hawaiian was banned, even the hula. It's important to keep up whatever tradition that are left. She showcases such classics as squid luau with  stewed taro leaves as well as mochiko chicken which is a  blend of Japanese karaage and Southern fried chicken. There is also musubi  which is basically Spam sus    hi, with the meat placed on a bed of rice and wrapped in nori or black seaweed. Cooks on the island see a fusion of all the cuisines. At Tiffany's a popular restaurant, chef Sheldon Simeon has playful takes on local food. He infuses traditionaloxtail soup with the flavor of pho,, adding cinnamon , clove and burned ginger to teh broth. His fried chicken is steamed then fried , then sprinkled with  apowder flavored like sinigang  the sour Filipino pork stew. Other influences are Spanish , Filipino Korean and Japanese. So long asi t's ono, or delicious.

Hawaiian cuisine is everything. It's a historic , multi cultural mix.It's a palyful take on foods but also a devotion to all t hings Hawaiian.

The Vibrancy of Filipino Food

The Philippines are a combination of many  influences , from cultural to terrain. The end result is a bright, tasty cuisine that's now  a strong force here in the States. It's easy to replicate and fun for home chefs to try.

It was the subject of an article written by Angela Dimayuga with the help of New York Times Food contributor , Ligaya Mishan. Chef Dimayuga, who is not only was the chef at the famed Mission Chinese Food in New York City. and also a contributor to Bon Appetite Magazine. She returns to the food of her childhood, food that her mom made , food that the first Filipino migrant workers brought to Northern California , in the 1920's. Filipino food is just as complex and layered as the Italian and French cuisines she learned how to cook. It is also a very meticulous cuisine requiring just as much work and technique of any of those cuisines. Chef Dimayuga has the very good fortune of receiving the secrets behind family recipes from her lola,  before the elder passed at the age of 100. The family knows good food coming form the Lyon of the Philippines Papampanga. There were lessons on  bistek , steak with soy sauce and calamansi, a type of

lime. Her grandmother, who was former pharmacist also showed the chef  how to create her chicken releno, stuffed chicken with pork and sausage, similar to a farci, the French meat stuffing.  She realized her grandmother's recipe was exactly like Chef Jacques Pepin's galentine, after watching his video on it.

There are many recipes here. However Chef Dimayuga regrets that some of her favorites are not listed. The Philippines are an archipelago of 7,000 (!) islands, each with a strong culinary background. You'd need a cookbook just to list all the best. The article tries to do just that in a few essential dishes. There is the bistek recipe that has chunky rib eyes drenched in a sauce of garlic, lemon and orange juices., blended with olive oil, soy sauce and garlic. Of course there are rice dishes. There is an arroz caldo - hot rice - with chicken,collard greens and soy cured egg yolks. A fun appetizer or even a weekend meal is the lumpia  Shanghai cousins to spring rolls that Chinese traders first brought to the islands in the Ninth Century. The filling is a mix of beef and pork, with the usual spring roll  ingredients of water chestnuts,,onions carrots, and celery stalks. What's intriguing is that Chef Dimayuga and her five siblings dipped them in banana ketchup - which can be made at home. It's cooking over ripe bananas with tomato paste to create a kind of sweet and sour jam. There is also the famed adobo, brought by Spanish colonizers, however the vinegar laced chicken stew was always a staple in the cuisine long before European settlement. Hers is a coconut milk and coconut vinegar mix with chicken. To end the meal is bibingka, coconut rice cakes , with the surprising addition of salted duck eggs

Filipino food is delicious and complex. It is a treat to make and to try the many flavors and textures that represent the archipelago. The many dishes are perfect to recreate for their brightness of color and tang.

That Secret Ingredient?Squid!!

Squid is one of those foods that 's either met with smiles or frowns.If done right it's a nice alternative to shrimp or scallops.Squid can be made in a variety of  delicious dishes from pasta to stew. It's truly versatile, appealing to seafood lovers who want to change it up a bit.

David Tanis wrote about it in his column A City Kitchen. in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Squid and its' cousin, cuttlefish is eaten a variety of various ways in different parts of the world.It can be sauteed in garlic, parsley and lemon for a bright, fresh taste Cooked in a rich sauce containing its' own ink, it 's at home in risotto, pasta or paella.Squid or calamari can be stuffed with breadcrumbs for a take on a popular Mediterranean dish. Want crunch? Then try the Chinese "salt and pepper' squid that has a whisper of the famed Five Spices.Many other cultures enjoy barbecued or fried squid as well. Mr Tanis reminisces about a dried squid he bought off a street vendor while visiting Thailand. It was briefly toasted over hot coals, flattened to the thickness of a potato chip and served with a spicy dipping sauce. The Spanish sell a paper cone full of flash fried cuttlefish rings called chipirones  that  are doused with lemon juice. Of course the Southern Italians have calamari. Done right it can be crispy and slightly chewy , perfect for dipping into marinara sauce.

Mr. Tanis doesn't offer a quick crispy snack. Instead he proposes a stew made with the sea creature. It's an out of  the ordinary  idea. Squid and stew usually aren't combined, yet it is popular in some parts of Spain.The Catalans usually cook it with chickpeas and tomatoes, sort of like a thick chowder. Clams are sometimes tossed in too. Mr. Tanis first ate in in a restaurant north of Barcelona. It was done in such a way that it looked like braised veal but tasted like pot roast.It's an easy stew so novice chefs can give it a try.Use a heavy soup pot and start with chicken broth, an onion, a thyme sprig and white wine. Add some carrots and turnips along with chopped leeks and peas. Cleaning it , however, is not for the squeamish. The head and innards have to be yanked out through the tail (where the tentacles are). The tail can be cut off and used in the stew or saved for calamari. The backbone or cuttle also has to removed.It's a clear bone, resembling hard plastic. The squid's skin can also be removed. It's simply tearing it away from the flesh for a cleaner look.

Squid stew sounds like a perfect dish on a winter's night. It's rich with the taste of the sea and the land. It makes for an interesting supper.

The Perfect Cup Of Cocoa

Now that we're firmly entrenched in winter, it' time to enjoy a steaming cup of hot winter. This is the perfect cold weather pick me up. It not only is a sweet treat but a tummy warmer, taking away that frosty nip.

Thanks the Mayans for this chill chaser. They began enjoying it about 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. Theirs was a spicy brew being made with mashed cocoa seeds mixed with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers. It was poured back and forth in cups until a froth formed and drunk. The Spanish found it  bitter yet went mad for it. Thanks to it being part of the dowry for Iberian princesses. the drink was soon spread throughout Europe. The Spanish and English added sugar to make it more palatable and it was dr Hans Sloane wo added milk to the beverage when he had it during a visit to Jamaica. In 1828 dutch Coenraad  Johannes van Houten developed a process to turn chocolate into a powder. From there it was easy for anyone from any class to make a soothing cup. The best cocoa mix is still from Holland - Droste. It's this one that I recommend to make a rich European style hot cocoa. Take two tablespoons of the Droste powder and pour in a trickle of milk to make a paste. Here is where I vary it. I add light cream for a richer mouth feel. Heat a cup of milk over a low flame  for two or three minutes (not too long, or a skin will form on the milk's surface. Pour in, stir and add a tablespoon of sugar. Stir again and top with a blob of real whipped cream.

The above is more of a a liquid dessert , perfect after any meal (and maybe after a morning of shoveling the white stuff) however many Americans prefer a lighter - maybe a more watery(?) version. An American classic is Ovaltine. This Swiss (!) import has graced both British and American tables since the early 1900's. It used to have a malty flavor thanks to the addition of malt for added nutrition., however this is not so anymore. Another good mix is Nesquik cocoa powder. Generations have run to this instant mix , creating not just awesome hot cocoa but also glasses of icy cold chocolate milk. Nesquik also comes in syrup form  for a less messier version. What about those packets?.  Do they make a satisfying hot chocolate? To some purists the answer is no. Yet, they're perfect for those in a hurry, The same with those K-Pods, You won;t have the creamy mouth feel of the real thing yet they're just as delicious. Land O'Lakes has one of the best. Their hot cocoa is nicely rich and their chocolate mint is tasty. Their hazelnut hot cocoa, however, can be a bit too sweet. Swiss Miss is another popular brand and the dark cocoa flavor has a richness that's satisfying. The marshmallow lover's one is fun chock full of mini marshmallows , perfect for s movie night.

Hot cocoa is definitely the best chill chaser.Whether it's a rich Droste one or one from a packet, they''re perfect for keeping you warm/ Make it to take away the mid winter cold.

A Thyme To Cook

Thanks to Hamilton ,people, especially home chefs and foodies are curious what our founding fathers and mothers ate. There is a new cookbook out that delightfully shows not only what our Colonial ancestors ate but also what the Puritans put together.  A Thyme To Discover is a fascinating look back into kitchen history.

Tricia Cohen wrote this little gem while Lisa Graves illustrated it in rich, antique colors. Ms. Cohen has written several historical cookbooks for Skyhorse Publishing.She has covered Medieval feasts as well as the unofficial Poldark recipe book (definitely buying  that!!!) She writes about  the earliest period in American history , and there is even mention of both the light side and dark side of the Columbian Exchange. Europe, Asia , Africa ,and the Americas benefited from the exchange of various foodstuffs such as livestock and bananas along with  an coming here while the New World gave the rest of the world, tomatoes, and potatoes. Sadly diseases were just as easily traded as food.There is a timeline from the Pilgrims to the Colonial Era with some references, especially Abe Lincoln. stretching into the 1800s what I like about the book is that Ms. Cohen gives  a lot of credit to the indigenous people.There are many pages dedicated to the Wampanoag tribe who coexisted with the Pilgrims and Massasoit , the Grand Sachem or Healer.He , along with the famed Squanto helped the settlers plant and harvest so that they could thrive.

Keep in mind these are not exact recipes but modern takes on them. The meager  pea soup that the Pilgrims ate on the Mayflower has been updated to include mint for flavoring, along with spinach , garlic , leeks and creme fraiche.Indigenous fruit such as the pawpaw have been replaced by bananas in a cookies with a maple glaze. History foodies will appreciate the venison with blackberry sauce over wild rice cakes.different eras have recipes that reflect the food. As more colonists got molasses and flour, baking took off in the new country. She doesn't include recipes for such treats as flummery and syllabub but she does have the Sally Lund cakes recipe, which was a fave of George' Washington as well as its' etymology , from the French soleil et lune,  There are also recipes from some of America's earliest companies such as King Arthur flour and Jim Beam Brewery.(use both in the Bourbon Oatmeal Raisin  cookies!). There are also pages dedicated to the famous Foodie of the Revolution, Ben Franklin ad his funny write up about gout. The Presidents, from Washington to Lincoln are also represented and of course, there is a beef stew with apple brandy in honor of not Alexander Hamilton, himself, but to his mother who ran a provision shop selling apples. The Spanish influence is also mentioned , with a spicy chipotle, cinnamon chocolate pot de creme recipe.

A Thyme To Remember is a great holiday gift for the foodie with a historic bent. It shows how America survived and thrived along with  fun recipes to try.It's a great  and tasty

way to celebrate our heritage

True Spanish Cooking

Spanish cuisine, like any other has been so generalized  as well as misunderstood. There is a whole range to it beyond tapas and paella. Luckily there are chefs who are succeeding in letting foodies know the true side of Iberian cooking. It's not the food of Latin America or Mexico but true and pure Spanish food.

It was the subject of an article written by Glenn Collins in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.The famed Spanish American chef Jose Andres is offering cooking courses on it to show students real Iberian cooking. Thanks to Italian and French cuisines overpowering the American palate for decades, true Spanish food is often overlooked and under rated. That is all going to change. Chef Andres will be teaching students traditional dishes as well as acclimating them to the cuisine's ingredients. Hopefully there will some good restaurants opening in the relatively near future with the chef's influence on them/

True Spanish cooking involves a number of different ingredients and cooking techniques. Chef Andres will be showing students that old chestnut, gazpacho but he will be making it the right way. It should be a liquid salad not just a bowl of icky cold soup. He also wants them to know jamon the air cured salty ham that accompanies many dishes as well as allioli, a version of the Provencale garlic sauce aioli. He will also introduce them to mojama, tuna packed in sea salt and hung out to dry. Chef Andre includes his fried egg or eggs a al Velasquez recipe in the interview. This is just a plain egg cooked in hot olive oil and garlic bath.. It is then served with jamon , and together it makes a heavenly dish , perfect for lunch .It wa snamed after the famed Velasquez painting  fo an old woman cooking an egg.

Spanish food is not just tapas and paella. It is not from the New World. It is an Old World cuisine with varied tastes and flavors , native to the Iberian peninsula. Thanks to Chef Andres, it will be well known and as much beloved as Italian or French cooking.

Raise A Glass of Cider

This is the season for a chilled, heady glass of hard cider. it reflects the labors of the season as well as the abundance of a good harvest. The Times Dining section celebrated it in yesterdays' weekly column The Pour with Eric Asimov. Luckily Mr Asimov got to sample a few interesting ones at the Manhattan bar Dovetail. This make me envious of his job. Cider, refreshingly bracing and fruity crisp is probably the best drink out there.


I have always labored under the thought that most ciders were either English, American or French . Reading the article I found that there are refreshing Spanish one. One from the Basque hills was tried and found fresh and complex. It is not a sparkling clear brew but ratter a cloudy one. Mr. Asimov also tried ice cider. This is where cider is frozen and then the water is removed to create more of an apple wine. American ciders are also good if they're done right. Most of the ciders originate in New England in Either Vermont or new Hampshire, The bright red Redfield apple is primarily used . it gives cider it;s rich red wine like look and intricate flavor.

What was an even bigger surprise to me is that there is a pear cider. This makes sense because pears and apples are basically from the same family. There are also pear and apple ciders which sound heavenly . I can just imagine the taste of both fruits along with the kick of a good hard cider.

This is definitely the time for cider. the season calls for a heady cup of it . Not only that it;s a celebration of the harvest. It is the perfect drink for any fall feast !