Supply Chain Holidays

 There is a global supply chain shortage going on right now and it may affect the way we cook for our holidays. what rt do if the store doesn't have what you want? Improvise. It's amazing what you can do with substitutes and innovation.

The news says don't worry. Everything we need will be right there, however there seems to be shortages on the shelves right now. There may be turkey and chicken shortage, but mostly for smaller birds. You could go large or think of a meatless Christmas or New Year's, Unfortunately beef is also going to be in short supply as is bacon. You could try a tofu roast which does come out well of prepared right. If you treat Tofurky like the real thing , using a brush on baste of melted butter followed by a rub of salt and pepper then, you will have a crusty, delicious roast. There is also a plus in serving Tofurky. It comes already stuffed with a wild rice stuffing. There is also a pretty good gravy included in the package. You can flavor this up with a small onion and some butter cooked in with the gravy. Another idea is going to a turkey or chicken farm and buying a free range bird for your holiday meal. Ham isn't going to be affected so you could easily serve that. The leftovers make for great devilled ham and split pea soup.It's also relatively easy to prepare with such glazes as a maple or a ginger-brown sugar one.

What other foodstuffs may be hard to obtain?There is talk of pasta and bread shortages. Luckily there is no flour shortages thanks to the 2020 overage. If you have to make your own. You can get a pasta maker which there are no shortage of (you may even get a discount thanks to holiday sales) or you can even make it by hand alone.It's easy and there are a wide range of types to create. even lasagna noodles can be handmade, giving a holiday meal an extra special touch. Bake bread along with your list of Christmas cookies if there is a bread shortage in your area. You can start with white but add some variety with sourdough and rye. It would be an extra special Christmas treat to make breakfast and dinner rolls for your table. Canned foods may also be disappearing from the shelves.As for veggies, think frozen ones then. You can make some lovely salads and sides using frozen green beans and broccoli. Winter vegetables are another option. You can create amazing sides with carrots, turnips and Swiss chard. Swiss chard is a popular side on Piedmontese tables. Try it cooked with red wine and Parmesan cheese.

Yes, this may be the holiday known for its' food shortages. Yet you can overcome those by ingenuity and innovation. Get creative with substitutes for a memorable Christmas or New Year's dinner.

A Good Vegan Cookbook

 A good vegan cookbook is just the thing for those longing for a dietary change in the New Year. Luckily there's a new cookbook that can make meatless, eggless and dairyless eating a snap. It's the perfect Christmas gift for those who want a healthier lifestyle.

The Complete Plant Based Cookbook :500 Inspired, Flexible Recipes for Eating Well Without Meat  ( America's Test Kitchen Publishers 2020) written by the experts at America's Test Kitchen. This is a must have for vegans, vegetarians and those seriously thinking about embracing the meatless lifestyle. This is chock full of advice. The first chapter is a plant based primer with tips on how to store fruits and veggies along with what to do about preserving any ingredient's unami, that special oomph of of flavor. There are pages dedicated to the veg-centric plate and the importance of aqua faba - that all important and versatile chickpea brine or water. The books also shows how to make a vegan meal more filling, usually with the addition of grains and good crusty bread.There are recipe suggestions about pasta dishes and grain dishes. There are also recipes for what's known as building block recipes such as vegetable broth , fish sauce substitute along with creating home versions of rice, soy , almond and oat milk. Vegan home chefs will also love the aquafaba mayo and cashew ricotta. There is also a basic almond milk yogurt, perfect on its' own or mixed with fruit. Some  basics can even be made ina slow cooker like the vegetable broth. Those with celiac allergies will appreciate the section on gluten free dishes. Do the chefs approve of the whole Impossible Meat or Beyond Beef movement? Yes. They even show you how to cook the perfect burger

The recipes are great , with the chapters being divided into eleven chapters.Every kind of dish is represented here, from brunch to pizza to main courses and even dairy  and egg free desserts.Breakfast lovers will enjoy the millet porridge with maple syrup or the hash browns omelet with kimchi, Soups and salads are well represented here too, Chickpea Salad sandwiches are the perfect lunch full of tang and textures thanks to the beans with the addition of scallions and celery.A fiery Caribbean style Swiss chard and butternut squash stew is the perfect winter lunch or dinner bowl. warmer days will warrant the Summer Vegetable Gratin a casserole of different squashes onions and tomatoes, baked with breadcrumbs and olive oil. There's international dishes of cauliflower biryani and vegetable fried rice. There are also fun dishes like Thin Crust Pizza with Mushrooms and Cashew Ricotta and plant based meat Beef Tacos.Bean lovers will enjoy the many bean recipes like red beans and rice with okra and tomatoes. Dessert lovers will enjoy the richly flavorful peach crumble with the crumble enriched with coconut oil (although you can also try I Can't Believe It's Not Butter) and the Chocolate  Espresso tart made with water based ganache instead of a cream one. There's a yummy recipe for Coconut Ice Cream too and semolina pudding with almonds and dates.

The Complete  Plant Based Cookbook 500 Inspired Flexible Recipes For Eating Well Without Meat is the perfect vegan and vegetarian cookbook. it has a plethora of recipes that are delicious and filling. It's a good addition to any home chef's library.

Simple Saturday Suppers

Saturday is usually the busiest day of the week. There's chores to do, food shopping and anything school related Who isn't tired after all that?Thne add in cooking a dinner? That just adds to the exhaustion. Don't despair. Just think simple.

It's tempting to get fast food or take out delivery when you're too tired to cook.Yet you'll wind up with a meal that's too greasy, salty and fatty. Order their version of healthy and it 'll be soggy lettuce with drippy sweet dressing and loaded with everything from bacon to cheese. Your best bet is buying easy to cook foods  and just making everything fresh. Anything egg based is a good choice. Eggs are simple, especially when creating an omelet. Add fresh spinach or sliced grape tomatoes along with bell pepper slices for a tasty and colorful dinner.Turn it into a sandwich by putting wedges on toasted whole wheat or \seven grain breads.Another idea is whipping up a hearty scramble. This is where you can really  get creative. Toss in some kale and Swiss chard along with the usual veggies. Spice it up with garlic , onion powder or even a few drops of hot sauce. Serve with toasted pita . Scoop up the scramble with wedges.If you love breakfast sandwiches, make those. There's no written rule that they're just for breakfast. Layer the egg with low calorie cheese , turkey bacon, and avocado slices.

Pizza is always an easy supper to make.All you need is all purpose flour  ( you can also use whole wheat or gluten free to customize it to your family's need). yeast, warm water and olive oil. For more flavor throw in a pinch of garlic powder and oregano. Sub in freshly sliced vine ripened  or Roma tomatoes for the usual jarred pizza sauce. As for toppings, go with the usual like pepperoni and mushrooms or something different like shredded chicken or juliennned ham slices. A novel idea is a white pizza. Top it with ricotta and mozzarella . A bechamel sauce can also be added. This is a mix of butter , flour and heavy cream, flavored with crushed garlic cloves. Prosciutto and arugula top it. Of course the simplest and most delicious dinner is a grilled piece of steak with a string bean or broccoli salad. Brush the steak with olive oil infused with rosemary and garlic. The salad can be made earlier and chilled in the fridge.If you're not into steak then try chicken.Add in a baked potato to make it more filling.

A Saturday supper doesn't have to be fast food. You can create an easy and simple meal . It's a nice way to end a busy day.

A Jamaican Christmas Up North

Christmas is full of amazing aromas and flavors. Amp those up and you have a Jamaican holiday. The Jamaicans have always amped up everything about Christmas, from shopping with a junkanoo band playing to cooking and baking flavorful rich dishes. They do the day right.

Famed cookbook writer  and regular contributor, Priya Krishna wrote about it for today's new York Times's Food section. She not only got tot taste the best of Jamaican home chef Hazel Craig but also saw how she created these amazing dishes. Her assistant was her daughter , Jessica, the head  pastry chef at L'Artusa in  Manhattan's West Village.Hazel lives for Christmas celebration It has been the one constant n her family's trouble life here first in Queens , then Islip Long Island. They had even suffered a fire that completely destroyed their house. Yet Hazel would not be deterred during the holidays. She cooked curried goat, callaloo,ackee and saltfish in a small trailer. Even in their rebuilt house, she made sure they had the same feasting as they did before. It stems from Hazel's Jamaican upbringing. The island goes into full partying mode every December. She grew up in Spanish Town where people would dress up, playing drums and dancing in the streets. Her grandmother made her favorite dishes which included curried goat and a fruitcake rife with cherries and raisins marinated in rum since the Christmas before, Hazel's dessert nowadays is a sweet potato pudding , dusted with nutmeg.

The family comes from all over the US for a traditional Jamaican Christmas. Hazel makes the fiery callaloo which would be a perfect chill chaser. right now.It's a fish and greens stew chock full of all sorts of flavors. The original recipe calls for Amaranth and water spinach but Ms. Krishna suggests subbing in kale and Swiss chard with their stems removed. Saltfish or baccalao (cod) is also added for substance along with tomatoes and onions, Hazel adds a teaspoon of Lawry's Seasoned Salt which also has paprika and garlic.It's also cooked with vegetable or canola oil. The fish is first boiled and then shredded into little pieces. The tomato and onion are sauteed , then the saltfish and greens are added and stewed.The other recipe is for curried goat.If you do try this, remember that most supermarkets don't sell it. You'll have to go to a halal butcher for it.Onions and potatoes are added to it along with that famed Jamaican Scotch Bonnet pepper - which is pure fire.There is also the addition of Jamaican curry which also has allspice added ,a spin on the true Indian curry.It takes anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours to cook in a Dutch oven.

Jamaicans know how to do Christmas right. They make it a festival of food, both fiery and warming and sweet and calming. That's exactly what a holiday should be.

A Provencal Passover

The Avignon region of southern France is rife with history and tradition. This also applies to food and the traditional dishes associated with this season of faith and belief. To the Jewish community of Avignon, the Passover dishes take on a special meaning.

Joan Nathan, a regular contributor to the New York Times Food section and export on Jewish cooking wrote an informative and intriguing article on the community at Carpentras. since Roman times, Jews have lived in this Northern Provence town and will now be celebrating Passover at the Carpentra Synagogue, first built in 1367/ It is one of the oldest synagogues still in use and will welcome some with roots in African Judaism.Carpentrs a became the center of Jewish life in 1306 when the Jews were expelled from the Kingdom of France.Like other nearby sanctuaries of Avignon and Cavaillon, the town was under French rule but the Contat Venaisson under the command of Pope John XXII. His Holiness decreed that the Jew would be welcomed as refugees. Thanks to the initial 1,000 Carpentras was known as 'Petit Jersusalem. They still sadly  had to  contained be in a ghetto, which was locked at night. They had their own butchers and bakers which now the slaughterhouses and ovens along with the ritual baths are being excavated. Some things have changed. Most of the younger generation have moved to the larger cities and townspeople have to travel to Marseilles for kosher meats.

The holiday foods has both Jewish and Provencal influences The cuisine is Jewish dishes were adapted from local foods according to the laws of kashrut, or Jewish religious dietary laws. Gilberte Levi's Haroset, the sweet paste that represents the mortar that built the pyramids has dried  apricots, figs, raisins and chestnuts, reflective of the harvests of southern France. She will also serve veal stuffed with Swiss chard, with the last being a popular ingredient of the region. Her Haroset is easy to recreate It not only has the chestnuts but also almonds, pine nuts  and walnuts.She adds in the traditional apple along with cinnamon and fresh ginger. The fruit used can be dried because sweet Kosher wine will moisten it. The provencal veal breast stuffed with Swiss chard also has rosemary and garlic, not too far in ingredients from an Italian Easter lamb Cote du Rhone,a  dry red is also added for moisture.

Carpentras  will celebrate Passover ,using ancient recipes and traditions of both France and Jerusalem. The food will reflect centuries of lives led there. It is a reminder of their contributions to Provencal life.

It's Fall Veggie Time!

One of the best aspects of the turn of seasons is the turn of vegetables.By this month we have been over saturated in tomatoes and zucchini.We want fall veggies, rich with complex tastes.They are versatile in variety of different dishes,from soups to casseroles. One of the most interesting harvests is the cauliflower.Most people associate it was just that crudite you dip in ranch dressing or overcooked with a covering of gummy cheese.Think again .Cauliflower is a great veggie with so many prospects.David Tanis of The New York Times Dining section explored it in his A City Kitchen column.He makes it with rigatoni and sears it in a hot skillet This browns, caramelizes and mellows the taste, bringing it to another level.Mr Tanis cooks it with cumin and mustard seeds but you can also try just sea salt and fresh ground pepper.My favorite is breaded cauliflower, fried to a crisp and browned to a nice nutty color. .As calorically lethal as it is, it is also the tastiest , each piece having a nice ,satisfying crunch.Cauliflower is also good in soup.An easy recipe ,starting cooking down the veggie,then mashing them into a chunky paste.Finish with a simple roué and broth combined.It's a nice creamy potage that 's great on a cold autumn night.Squash is another fall treat.You can make it into a squash or a creamy mash.The deep yellow is also good cut into pieces and grilled. serve with French style butter and a good sprinkling of sea salt. You can also cook butternut squash the same way too. Brussels sprouts also come out when the leaves turn. These are an incredibly fun medium.One of the best recipes are Brussels sprouts chips.Wash and peel the leaves off them, then place on an oiled cookie sheet.Drizzle with more oil and sprinkled with seasalt.A more traditional recipe calls for boiling them for a few minutes.Then put in a shallow baking dish and top with pats of butter and Parmensan cheese.Broil for a minute or two until the cheese turns golden.The sprouts are also good when just simply roasted.These too can be spiked with red pepper flakes or fresh ground pepper.Only foodie's and chefs know about another autumn bloomer, Swiss chard.It's a popular veggie in Piedmontese cooking and easy to cook.Take the white stem part ,cut into two-inch pieces and boiloncecooked then put into a pan with butter.Add a mix of two beaten eggs , a quarter of a cup of vinegar mixed with water.Pour over the chard and let it cook up.Swiss chard leaves are exactly like spinach, including in taste and you can cook the leaves. Like the other, serve with butter for an alternative to the other green stuff. Now is the time to say goodbye to summer vegetables.Embrace the fall harvest with delicious veggies and dishes made from them.They are a welcome change in a welcome season.

A New Flip On Latkes

Hanukkah is the time for traditional recipes such as latkes. These potato pancakes have been associatd with the Festival of Lights for well over a century. Yet there is a whole new generation that want this standard but want it with a twist. Luckily , like any recipe it can be tweaked and updated.

Revamped potato pancakes were the subject of Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Dining section. She changes them to be not only hip but tasty as well. Most traditional latke recipes calls for a crisply fried potato pancake that is topped with either applesauce or sour cream.Sometimes it's a combo of the two together. However she zings some different ingredients in it. There is Swiss chard along with celery root parsnip shreds added to create an earthier fritter.

As for toppings Ms Clark decides to switch  it up a bit. She does recommend sour cream but also a small slice of lox for a burst of flavor. There is also a topping made with beets, yogurt and garlic. This is made with the low cal  but sinfully thick Greek yogurt  for a nice thick creaminess. The beets are mixed with garlic and walnuts  along with dill and horseradish. It can also be used as a dip for raw veggies too. If the beets are too much then just add the garlic and olive oil along with the yogurt. This to is Israeli style and makes for a smoother topping.

Latkes are a true tradtion that has been enjoyed for generations. Spark it up by subbing in different root veggies to add some zest. Then add an unusual topping or stick with the usual sour cream or applesauce for extra flavor.

The Start of The Winter Vegetable Season

I love November . It’s the start of the winter vegetable season. I begin to see different cabbages and root vegetables coming out in their full glory at my local supermarket. Their appearances remind me not only that Thanksgiving is close by but also of hearty meals. These cold weather harvests add to soups and main dishes , providing us with a with the same doses of minerals and vitamins as do their summer cousins.

Leeks are starting to make a comeback right now. I love leeks, whether in soup or in that famed Piedmontese hot sandwich: leeks on toast. This last is the perfect combination of fresh cooked leeks, buttery toast and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Another vegetable returning right now is cabbage. This is one of the most versatile fall and winter vegetables. You can shred it into a salad. , stuff the leaves with meats and rice for a filling main dish or combine it with other veggies for a soothing soup. It’s also good for you and high in Vitamin C - a must have during this flu season.

Other vegetables returning to fall tables are Swiss chard , turnips, parsnips and kale. These are also good for you and versatile. There are many different dishes you can make with them. Swiss chard is good cooked with egg and vinegar (again a much loved Piedmontese dish) while turnips and parsnips can be mashed or turned into healthy souffles. Kale leaves are good baked with olive oil and salt as a better alternative to potato chips. Actually you can create a good vegetarian diet with all of these veggies and never touch meat.

Now that it’s November be on the look out for these vegetables. They are a rich reminder that fall and winter can yield some amazing harvests. Add them to your table for nutrition as well as for color and taste .