Ready For A Wild Weather Summer

 To say the weather has been acting up this summer is an understatement RIght now there are tornado warnings around the New York City metro area. Tropical storms and hurricanes loom . These all can be a breeze to manage food wise. It's just selecting the right foods to exist on.

Water is usually the first thing affected. Make sure you have plenty of bottled water . This can be used for not only drinking but for adding to soups and baby formulas. Make sure everyone - including cats and dogs have their share too for complete hydration. Should you also pack soda and juices? Yes but keep in mind that drinks like Coke and Sprite will also make you thirsty  so balance them with water. You could add flavored water enhancers to  Stanley cups or Bubba containers (your local dollar store has their versions of these for much less). You get hydration plus taste. Instant coffee is also good because the caffeine can power you during some difficult situations. What about milk? It should be powdered however it can last in a fridge for four hours in an unopened fridge. The same applies to nut and oat milk. What about milk boxes.? If they've been out more than four hours then  no.THey're unsafe. Toss them   The same applies to dairy creamer. Toss it after two hours . Use powdered as well to flavor coffees..A;spwait before you buy any milk from stores. They too probably have had power outages so their milk and creamers may not be safe.

As for food - think canned. Canned proteins such as deviled chicken and ham along with fish like tuna salmon, mackerel, anchovies and sardines are also good. They can be made into salads or just eaten on bread or rolls as a sandwich. Beans are anothe protein that's a must have. Chickpeas are versatile and can be eaten straight from the can or be mashed into hummus. Any bean can be made into a patty . You don;t even needs eggs t bind then=m. Potato flakes or even oats can be subbed in instead. Veggies  - save for lettuce  right now can be eaten. A panzanella salad can easily be made with leftover bread, and sliced tomatoes. Just add shelf stable olive oil.  You can also create a hearty cold dish by using sliced tomatoes ,canned tuna and cannellini beans.Dried herbs can flavor it  as can salt and pepper. Sliced peppers mixed with tuman orslamon is also a good hearty and easy dinner to make. You can also use avocados, whether for bread or as a salad.  Keep fruits like apples and plums along with bananas for a quick snack or dessert. Snack cakes like Little Debbie or Oreos can hold too. Keep cereal ready for breakfast along with jams and jellies.

It's tornado seasonIt's soon to be hurricane season.Be prepared for when they happen. You'll feel better with filling foods and drink.

A Global Barbecue

 This is the time for that all American past time - barbecuing.Yet sometimes barbecues can be  - well - bland. It time to do the American thing and take from other cultures to create an interesting and tasty cook out,.

Spices can make ordinary meats like chicken and beef sing. One is Berbere spice ,an important ingredient in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking.It's a fiery blend of chili peppers, fenugreek,garlic ginger basil and nigella to name a few. It gives a flavorful lift to sometimes bland chicken meat. A great recipe is chicken wings or legs with it along with caramelized lemons. It;s just rubbing the legs and thighs with the spice and then grilling for eighteen to twenty minutes  until crisp. Serve it with pita or a slaw , the last a staple in Ethiopian cooking. Hamburgers can also get spiced up with this.Use one to two tablespoons per pound of beef .The flavor is a smoky flavor. Serve on a bun with tomato and red onion slices. Keep in mind that ribs can also benefit from this smoky blend.Rub  the mixture ion the ribs and then cook for two to three hours. Another spice blend is the Indian garam masala. This is a fine blend of cinnamon,mace , star anise and chili along with other ingredients such a as asafetida - a type of dried latex, coming from a rhizome. Garam masala is an excellent rub and marinade for chicken. Use it as a marinade that will also include Greek yogurt and lemon.

Hot dogs come from Germany yet there are other wursts that are just as delicious >Bratwurst is one and can be turned into a curry wust thanks to the addition of a curry sauce . You can do the same with a regular hot dog.The sauce is a m ix of curry paste, coconut milk and tomato paste. The spices that give it zing are ginger root, and chicken broth.Sugar and cinnamon temper the hotness of  the sauce. Slather it on like you would chili sauce. Another German wurst that's out of the box is weisses wurst or white wurst, made of finely ground veal and pork combined.It' seasoned with lemon parsley and various spices> Even though it's traditionally boiled it can be grilled on a low heat. Serve on a pretzel roll with  sweet mustard. Can Italian sausage be grilled on an open flame? Yes! These are great grilled  along with sliced bell peppers. Add the two together on a good hero roll for the ultimate barbecue.Serve with a tomato salad for a tasty side. An international pleaser is a salad Nicoise from Marseille. It might seem like a glamorous meal buts is an easy salad made with not just lettuce but also hard boiled eggs ,tuna fish and boiled potatoes String beans are also added in this vinaigrette drenched salad. 

A barbecue  can be elevated with some international flair. Add spices for a tasty rub or use a different kind of sausage to eat. Think outside of the box for a Provencale salad. it makes for a fun outdoors meal.

Various Flatbreads

 Flatbread satisfy the need for a quick but satisfying meal. They could be anything from pizza to a Tarte flambe to focaccia. They're easy to make and the toppings can be as elaborate or as simple as you make them.

Flatbreads are one of the oldest foods in the  world , first coming into existence around 12,400 BCE in what is now modern Jordan.Back then they were just a mix of flour and water, usually grilled on  a hot surface such as a heated stone.Flabread comes in different shapes depending on where you're in. It's naan in India, pita in the Middle East and focaccia in Italy. A simple quick flatbread involves flour water and surprisingly yogurt. Some recipes call for this last. Some don't. A really simple recipe just has water and flour  along with sugar and salt. Most of them don't have yeast, however the Greek version does have.This is what makes the Greek bread have that light fluffiness that goes well with souvlaki. As with any yeasty dough it has to sit and rise for about an hour to an hour and a half.Naan is a bit different  with the addition of the melted butter or ghee along with milk. Pita is truest in form to the original flatbread.There's - only the most basic of ingredients. It ;s an easy make and a great alternative to regular bread.

WHat do you put on flatbread? Pita screams for za'atar - that zingy Middle Eastern spice blend that consists of thyme, marjoram and oregano, mixed with toasted sesame, salt and sumac. This is mixed with olive oil and either drizzled (or slathered) over warmed pita.Shawarma , which can be grilled chicken or beef is also good on it Thee meat is grilled in a spice blend call shawarma spice which has cumin, turmeric  garlic and paprika in it. Lamb can also be cooked this way too. As for Greek flatbread nothing beats souvlaki . This last is meat cooked in a mix of  oregano, paprika and rosemary. Of course there is lemon toto to give the dish some zest. Italian flatbread or focaccia is best known and there are so many debates as to what to top it with. A simple topping is olive oil and black or green olives. Yet for a tastier mix try topping one with sundried tomatoes and marinated onions.. Meats and fish like pepperoni and anchovies can be added for more substance and flavor too.

Flabreads with toppings are nice alternatives to sandwiches and pizzas. Bake them and top them with tasty veggies and meats. They're a perfect lunch or dinner.

Midnight Pasta Dinnertime Fun

Midnight pasta has a glamorous appeal. It's original name pasta mezzanotte implies a quick dinner after a wild night out. Imagine people coming back all dressed up to make a good plate of whatever. Yet I reality it's just means a dish thrown together with whatever can be found in the pantry. This makes for a good week night supper.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark explored this in her  A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Another name for midnight pasta might be pantry pasta because the ingredients are what's ever left in the pantry.  Think canned fish like anchovies or tuna, along with pickled peppers, capers , canned beans and of course tomato paste. Add spices like fennel seeds , top with cheese like grated Parmesan. Use lemons for a fresher ,  different spin. Ms Clark also likes to scatter a frilly green like parsley on top or leftover celery leaves  chopped up. A  few fresh picked and chiffonaded basil leaves can also be used for a good dose for color and flavor. She gives three recipes , one that includes the unexpected miso along with beans. Beans such as cannellini and chickpeas bring about protein and create a silky creaminess when broken down with the olive oil. As for pasta, any kind will do . It always pays to have a box of any kind in the house.

The three recipes  given are perfect for weekdays and weekends. There is pasta with white beans, olives  and fennel. Here she uses short chunky pasta like fusilli cavatappe, campenlli or shells.  They're better for the sauce to cling to. A can of drained cannellini beans makes up the sauce's base while crushed red pepper and fennel add mellowness and zing at the same time. Pitted green olives give  the sauce tang and brininess.  For  sauce , reminiscent of bright days by the seashore there is the pasta with lemon,capers and anchovies, This is a sauce for long pasta like bucatini and spaghetti. A lemon sliced into thin half moons gives the sauce its' sunniness  while anchovies bring about an earthy saltiness . The same goes for the two tablespoons that are also added. A tablespoon of butter gives it creaminess. A different spin is long pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine with miso, Parmesan and pickled peppers. Miso and soy sauce are added to a mix of melted butter , garlic and black pepper. Parmesan and pickled peppers along with the pasta are added and mixed together last. A pinch of salt can be added if the sauce isn't briny or salt enough.

Midnight pasta is a great and fun way to make sauce. Don;t serve it at midnight though. It's the perfect meal for weekdays and weekend suppers.

The Perfect Pasta Salad

 Pasta salad is everyone's go to dish in hot weather. No matter how a home chef;s make it it can be soggy and somethings mushy. It can also be boring if it's on constant dinner rotation. what to do ? Create one that exciting and memorable.

Regular Ali Slagles does just that in her article in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday FOod section. Every  home chef has their version of a pasta salad. It's probably a tried and true one that needs some punching up. This is easy to do. Swap out the pasta usually used with gnocchi(!) or tortallini. Sear them in a well oiled skillet until the outsides are golden and crispy for a crunchy bite.Another idea is boiling ravioli or cheese filled tortallini for a bust of creaminess.Orzo and ditalini make for a different kind of pasta salad. For the maximum amount of flavor double or even triple the vegetables used. A big part of  pasta salad is how it balances the pasta';s tenderness switch the fresh greenness of various produce. Add bite sized pieces of quickly cooked veggies like asparagus, green beans and snap peas. quickly boil these with the pasta  for last two or three minutes  . Another idea is fold in some newly sliced veggies like celery ,radishes and red onions for crunch. Also add some mint ,dill basil and parsley for more taste. These can also be added to the dressing for a truly green state. Tomatoes are a vital part of any salad, and that includes pasta. However don;t throw them in immediately after chopping .Let them sit in salt  for fifteen minutes to half an hour.If they're bitter , then add a pinch of sugar too.

How does a pasta salad go from a side to a main course? By adding all sorts of protein. Ms. Slagle recommends adding a milky cheese like mozzarella or ricotta. Add bite size bits of the cheese or an oozing puddle of burrata for a fun surprise. Only add cheese to vinaigrette based salads. Mayo based ones already have given the salad a plushness. Another must to make a pasta salad heartier is adding a can of tuna or beans.Just remember to put these in after the pasta has been tossed with the dressing.If not the tuna will be flaked to a million pieces while the beans turn to mush.Taste and tweak flavors. Don't' serve the salads right out of the fridge. The cold mutes the flavor and everything will taste the same. let the bowl sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Now do a taste test. If it's too bland add a bit of vinegar for brightness.Add a bit more mint or basil or just simple salt and pepper. Ms Slagles gives four salad recipes. One is rich with tuna and tomatoes, another has corn and miso while the third is redolent with extra green pasta salad. The fourth is a simple but flavorful pasta salad with summer tomatoes basil and olive oil.This last can have anchovy filets for brininess and zip.

Create a fun pasta salad with these tips. Make it tasty. Make it fun. Make it the perfect dish for a hot August day.

It's Pi Day!

Today is 3-14  Pi day here in the States. everyone is going crazy over the different pies out there from pizza to the dessert kind. It's also , fittingly Einstein;s birthday as well.

Here;s the question what kind of pie excites you? Is it pizza , loaded with all sorts of topping and extra cheese?Is it a dessert one with a side of fluffy whipped cream or scoops of vanilla ice cream? My favorite pizza is anchovy (what can I say , it's the Piedmontese blood) with extra sauce, sop extra that's its drippy. My favorite sweet pie  - pecan(again why can I say, it's my Southern and Midwestern roots) . either one makes me want to celebrate. Let's see what your faves and why. 

Seven Fishes Simplified

 Oneof the biggest holiday meals for any Southern Italian is The Feast Of The Seven Fishes. Mothers and daughters went crazy , first shopping for a vast variety of fish  in early winter. Then they had to cook all of it on CHristmas Eve, a very religious day in the Catholic calendar but also a wild one too. The day held nothing but stress. Until now. There's an easier way of  dealing with this imprtant meal and the seafood that accompanies it.

Cookbook author Dan Pelosi wrote this fabulous piece on the dinner in todays' New York Times Wednesday section. He gives a streamlined version of the feast, allowing home chefs to relax a bit more and stress less.In Southern Italy the day is known as La Vigilia or The Vigil.it's rooted in Roman Catholicism which calls for abstaining of any meat on the eve of any holiday.Hence the abundance of seafood. The amount of seven different seafood dishes comes from a Biblical significance. There are no strict rules and every family has their own go to menu. The problem is to bring seven fish dishes to the table, to honor the generations of dinners before prepared lovingly by parents, grandparents , aunta and uncles. The complex menu has evolved to keep the heart of it beating. However it's a bit too much by modern standards. According to Italalian American chef, Chris Petroni owner of Manhattan's Bertucci's restaurant, it can be a heavy lift for many home chefs and their families.

Luckily you can bring seven fishes  - not seven dishes to the Christmas Eve table.Mr Pelosi has a good mix of hot and cold dishes. He offers a zesty cold seafood salad that combines shrimp, scallops, and calamari. Celery , fennel and olives provide a coolness that works well with the chilled seafood. There are also sliced hot cherry peppers for a dash of color and a zing fo fire to liven it up. A good starter with it are the zeppoli con le alici or anchovies. There's are th e classic Italian feast zeppolis made saovry with the addition of salty anchiovies. These balls are deep fried until crunchy and served with lemon wedges and parsley. With these serve the clams oreganata. Ritz crackers mixed with butter fried shallots and Parmesan cheese top off this classic dish. They're baked in abath of white wine and clam broth reserved from them steaming Butter is also added to this and olive oil is drizzwed on the clams. For the main dish there are mussels and cod in a tomato sauce served over thick strands of bucatini. You could add Calabrian chili paste forheat if you want.

This is the Feast Of The Seven Fishes streamelined for a better enjoyment of the feast.It combines tradition with a new spin on classic seafood dishes. it makes for less  stress and moroe time with family.

Barcelona's A True Classic Revisited

 Very few restaurants make it to their ninetieth birthday but Barcelona' sin Garfield, New Jersey  has. This is a throwback to eateries from decades ago. friends and family gather around tables or the bar for good old fashioned Italian and American dishes. You can get everythign form a thin crust pizza to a hamburger.

You can pass by it if you're driving quickly. It;s in a working class neighborhood in a town that was a suburb of Passaic.The atmosphere alone is worth the visit. Friends and family gather there, especially on a Friday nioght to share a communal bowl of salad and drink martinis as they play along with "Jeopardy". The food though is phenomenal and there's so much to choose from. There are the Southern Italian classics , from pizza to spaghetti to just meatball  dishes.Ravioli and lasagna lovers will go wild for the vast array of sauce  choices You can order hot or cold subs along with a variety of soups. There's also American food too. Their open steak sandwich is served with fries and a salad along with a hamburger and mushroom.

 I ordered the small onion pizza with a side of anchovies. (My dinner mates didn not want an anchovy pie). Every inch of the pie was covered with think strings of onion. Add the anchovies and I was in heaven. The crust is crispy and thin, The cheese and sauce were not overpowering as with some pies.

We  also ordered classic spaghetti with a grapefruit sized meatball on top. This is what pasta lovers dream of . The sauce was a tasty blend of tomato and tomato paste, rich with garlic and oregano. Their spaghetti with mushrooms  sounds just as tasty and will be tried on thei next trip. The prices are pretty good with $9 for a small plain pizza  while the spaghetti was $8.50. All meat  dishes are under fifteen dollars. There is even a dessert menu of Italian and American favorites.

If you're in Garfield for either lunch ro dinner come to Barcelona's It's good old fashioned food at good, old fashioned prices. It's like going to a family dinner.

Barcelona's is located at 38 Harrison Ave ,Garfield New Jersey, a block south of the Garfield Walmart. Go to www.Barcelonasnj.com for more info

Beef Stew Different Ways

One of the most comforting and delicious late winter dishes is beef stew.It's a bowl of rich goodness with a heady mix of a variety of parts, veggies and spices. What's great about it is that there isn't just one recipe,. There are ones from all over the world.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this classic and its' variations in today's New York Times Food section.This is a great article for novice chefs because Ms/ Moskin include basics musts. Yes you have to use beef stock, The meat won't make its' own. The stew should always be covered when simmering,There's also a question of is any stew the same as soup, a braise or a pot roast? Not meaningfully. They're more or less all the same. What about the cuts? Start with a leaner meat . Look with cuts that feature cartilige, tendons and even a few bones.You can pick up beef labeled stew beef. Most grocery stores sell these in two inch chunks and smaller. Keep in mind that beef goes with all alliums, These are onions, leeks, garlic and scallions.Of course you can be brave and add potatoes for thickening and carrots for color and sweetness.The writer Laurie Colwin throws in bright green peppers while Manhattan cookbook store owner Nach Waxman did the outrageous  and tossedSin tomato paste. As far as other add in,s try red wine for an Italian spin or brown sugar for a south Asian or Caribbean vibe.Pork can be added too for more flavor . This is a staple in Mexican stews.

For those that are still undecided , there are four recipes to try out. You can try the absolute classic by The former Times food critic Mimi Sheraton. Generations of home chefs have used her recipes with great success. sShe uses brisket but you can use bomeless chuck or short ribs. Cheeks cna be used too. She adds tomato paste and paprika along with onions and carrots. It's served over potatoes or egg noodles. A different spin is braised short ribs with anchovies and peanuts adapted from the late Indian chef and entrpreneur Floyd Cardoz.It's not the usual mix but's still packed with  flavor. there are onions and short ribs along with Savoy cabbage and fresh ginger.It would be a nice chage up on a weekend night.Another Indian stew is Nihari taken from "Masala :Recipes from India _The Land of Spices  (Tenspeed Press) by Anita Jaisingham. GHee is used in this along with chickpea flour and garam masala. There is also turmeric for kick and color . Patti JInich gives it a Mexican twist by adding ancho and pasila chiles. There are also tomatillos cooked with Roma tomatoes . The veggies serve with reflect it's heritage. There is zucchini , corn, green beans and chayote squash(if you can find it right now.) Squeezes of lime are added for some zing and brightness.

Beef stew on a cold night is always the best. Try any of these whether a classic , Mexican or Indian one. The're all rib sticking good .

Snacks For Dinner

 Sometimes a regular meal can be boring. It's the same old meat loaf or roast chicken. How can you liven up dinner or even a weekend lunch? Serve snacks.it's a fun way to add zing to the table.

I't;s not so much as giving the family a bowl of pretzels or chips to nosh on. It's taking those appetizers and bites you see at restaurants and recreating your version of them.Pne of the most popular are loaded nachos. There are so many different variations of this, from the hearty brickyer's version that's rife with bacon and chorizo and lighter versions, that have sliced veggies scattered over them. The best version is one that your family likes.If they are bing on beans then go heavy on them. If they like a meat lover's version add more ground beef or shredded chicken. If they're vegan, then go with soy crumbles and non diary cheeses like Miyoko's . Sauces can be added before cooking or they can be added afterwards.  You can also make your own tortilla chips by frying or baking them. The crisp chips can be made into a Mexican pizza, now being served at Taco Bell. This is a fun sandwich of crispy tortillas with a layer of refried beans, meat and tomatoes. Again you can make these to suit your familes tastes as well.

Pretzels are the ultimate snack. Now imagine them as the ultimate snack dinner.Buy the big Bavarian ones (your freezer section has them). After they've been baked , slice and serve with warmed cheese and sliced bratwurst. You can also turn it into a fun Baviarian influenced grilled cheese by adding sauerkraut and sliced Black Forest ham. Another fun and cheesy dish , epsecially for a weekend is fondue.  The classic Swiss recipe has Emmenthaler  and Gruyere cheeses grated and cooked in a fondue pot with garlic, kirsch, cornstarch and dry white wine. Boiled potatoes can be dipped into it but the real stars are the crusty chunks of French bread. It may look like a sophisticated snack but the kids will get a kick out of it too.The fondue pot can also be used for that Piedmontese treat bagna cauda. This requires the fondue pot but it's cooking anchovies in a sauce of garlic, butter and olive oil. Stir unti there's a smooth looking sauce. Savoy cabbage pieces are usually dipped into it but you cna also partially broiled London Broil and finsh up with chunks of Italian bread.

Forget the ordinary. Serve snacks tonight for dinner. Enjoy them and the fun they bring.

The Flavor Of Naples

One of the best comfort foods to have is any dish from Naples. The recipes are redolent with rich spices and freshly picked and made ingredients. It is worth revisiting the cuisine and the solace it brings.

Every Neopolitan family has a recipe for tomato sauce. They may all seem the same yet each family recipes varies sometimes slightly - sometimes a lot.One favorite recipe involves the inclusion of pork in the "meat" sauce.Usually called Bolognese by fancier restaurants many Southerners  just call their meat and it can have anything from sausage to ground chuck. Some add pork, usually lean ground into it too for more flavor. It give the flavor a sweeter, richer taste. You can also add pancetta or as it's occasionally  called Italian bacon. It's actually pork belly that's been cured  like bacon then cold smoked, or partially cooked. It melts into the sauce and gives it a richer flavor. Of course, the most important part are the tomatoes themselves. Many use fresh when they're in season, but most home chefs usually go for San Marzano ones. What is the best one here in the States? Surprisingly a panel of New York Times Food and the online zine Wire Cutter picked Target's Market Pantry sauce as the best. You can also try Muir Glen along with Stop & Shop Nature's Promise Organic Sauce and tomato paste.

Neopolitan kids go wild for mozzarella in carrozza. These are a kind of grilled cheese- croque Monsieur sandwich that's filled with gooey, melted cheese. It starts with white bread and mozzarella.  You can cut off the crusts if you like. The sandwich is then cut in half and dipped into a bath of beaten egg and a sliced garlic clove. The next step is dredging the triangles into breadcrumbs and frying in a quarter of an inch olive oil. Fry until the crusts or ends are brown and the cheese is oozing out. You can use the homemade sauce for dipping for a kind of pizza taste. To vary it , slather a layer of pesto on the mozzarella or add a slice of prosciutto or a couple of anchovies. Anchovies also figure in a savory zeppoli. (Some Neopolitan home chefs also put a bit of prune with this for a sweet -savory flavor). Zeppoli are usually a sweet treat , dusted with powdered sugar after being deep fried. However they can also be savory , with a simple dough of flour, water and yeast. The dough is proofed for two hours then rolled into balls. An anchovy filet is placed in the center and then the balls are fried in six cups of oil. Serve the golden puffs with hot homemade sauce.

There is nothing like Neopolitan comfort food. It is soothing and savory, perfect for these times. Create their best recipes for a delicious lunch,dinner or even snack.

Per Rose Russo Garguilo. Mille grazie per avermi insegnato alcune delle migliori ricette.

A Childhood Favorite Dave Tanis Style

If you're  full Piedmontese or even a fraction of the nationality, you grew up with bollito misto. It was spoken in  almost mystical tones by my Mom and her aunts, my great aunts.It's a variety of different boiled meats and veggies topped off with salsa verde, parsley sauce. Now David Tanis takes one of my family recipes and updates it.

Bollito misto or boiled mix is a big deal.It's usually served at both Christmas and New Year's along with special occasions like baptisms , confirmations and engagement parties. it's a melange of both sausages and various cuts of beef. There are also veggies involved and of course, the most important part bagnet vert , Piemontese for green bath, the parsley sauce. Mr. Tanis received most of the recipes from Chef Danielle Glantz's friend and home chef, Gaia Bonaden , a food and beverage consultant from Torino, Italy. grew up, as I did with the recipe. Her family used a tail to snout philosophy , If you make this you can start with several beef cuts along with veal cheek and tongue along with oxtail. Sausage stuffed pig's feet and cotechino sausage ,a fennel laced mix of pork and red wine are also served. A stewing hen or capon is sometimes added too (my family never added any poultry) It wouldn't be a Piedmontese dish without the veggies. Mr. Tanis includes carrots , fennel bulbs ,golden beets, turnips, rutabagas and Yukon Gold potatoes. I would use Swiss chard if I could find it now too along with cardoons.


Of course bollito misto is nothing without the sauce. This is one heavy on the parsley. There's also basil, which my family recipe doesn't include. ( I  plan on making a vegan version and I am debating about using the basil or just amping up the parsley). Salt brined capers along with a pinch of red peppers are added for more flavor and a zing of heat. There is also horseradish and vinegar added. I remember that we served the horseradish on the side because not everyone liked its' strong taste. Will I add it to my salsa verde? Debatable. There are also scallions which also are a debatable point.Mr. Tanis includes Ms.  Bonaden's salsa rossa.bread soaked in vinegar laced with garlic cloves, tomato paste and two cooked bell peppers. Cayenne and paprika are also added for fire which will also liven up the flavors of the meat and veggies.Mr. Tanis serves all of this buffet style , but it's great family style with people reaching here and there for what they want. He also starts with small cups of broth - brodo with what seems to be tortallini. There's also an endive salad with hard boiled eggs and another Piemontese must have anchovies. I don't know if I would make this . To me it seems a bit much. He ends with a pear and frangipane crostini tart. It sounds and looks delicious but  after bollito misto, dessert is kind of redundant. I'd probably just serve  espresso with grappa and maybe a fresh fruit platter

It's amazing to see this childhood recipe again, especily in the NY Times Food section I intend on making my version to celebrate it. Try bollito misto for a different take on a buffet dinner. You'll enjoy it, guaranteed.

For The King

Father's Day is tomorrow and with it comes the usual barbecue and bottle of whiskey to say thanks. Yet, it's also a day to pamper the sire with tasty  and luxurious dishes , from morning to night . Indulge your father with some delicious fresh from the kitchen and grill dishes. It's a better way of showing your gratitude.

A good day starts with a good breakfast. One good choice -  omelets filled with dad's favorite ingredients.If he wants a bacon one then  honor his wishes. Add a dash of healthiness and color with diced tomatoes and green peppers. Make a large three egg one or fry up mini ones that can fit perfectly between a sliced English muffin. Another  spin would be a cheese one  but instead of the usual cheddar try one filled with Gouda or Edam. Mix it with baby spinach leaves for a richer, more flavorful egg dish. A different yet lush spin is a breakfast souffle. This is a surprisingly easy bake. All you need is a can of the Pillsbury crescent rolls and turning them into cups. Eggs, and whipping cream are whisked together to form a sort of savory custard. Cut up a green pepper and saute in butter . Add the egg mixture to this and cook til half way done. Working quickly add the eggs to the cups , then top with bacon and cheese. Bake about fifteen to seventeen minutes. You can serve with a fresh fruit cup and a Bloody Mary or blood orange screwdriver.

Carrying this luxury vibe into lunch and dinner.If the man of the house is a steak eater, then grill a few T-bones or even more deluxe, a filet mignon. Amp it up by serving it with a rich and flavorful bagna calda sauce.This Piedmontese favorite is usually a dip for various vegetables yet it is the perfect sauce for steaks, It starts with anchovies, oil and garlic being cooked in a small saucepan. Mash the fillets down with the back of a metal spoon. This ensures that they will melt into a smooth, satiny sauce. Add four tablespoons of unsalted butter and cook for about five minutes. Pour over the steak. A variation is placing the steaks on toasted and buttered white bread. Lobster is another plush idea. Try barbecued lobster tails,These only take twenty minutes on the grill and can be served with just a slice of lemon or with a sprinkling of pepper flakes for a spicy turn. Bring in scallops and crab for a total seafood feast. What to end it with? Try a dessert of chocolate stout ice cream which is an easy cook and freeze. It's heating whole cream and adding dark chocolate chips and sugar . When the chocolate and sugar are all melted , then add a pint of Guinness,. Put through an ice cream maker and freeze until ready to serve. Add hot fudge sauce and whipped cream along with crumbled bacon for a read "dad" dessert.

Fathers treat their families all the time. Treat them with a day full of delicious foods and drinks. They 're worth it.

Is Kelp The New Kale

There's a new green in town that may dethrone kale as the top veggie. It's seaweed and it's not only versatile and nutrient dense but also good for the planet. Eating it is good for us and good for Earth.

Melissa Clark explored this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. As seen here , the entire section was dedicated to sustainability and eating to help the planet. Kelp is one of those plants that is low impact on the climate but high impact on diets. Ms. Clark traveled to Portland, Maine where the plant is surrounded by clean seawater. (Don't try this at home, especially if your shoreline is near a big city) Eating seaweed is nothing new.Different kinds such as sweet red dulse,inky alaria and ruffled sea lettuce have fed coastal communities for thousands of years. Traditional Welsh recipes calls for frying fresh seaweed in bacon fat while the Irish cook it with potatoes The Scots even bake it into breads and biscuits. Indigenous Americans were not immune to its'' possibilities and cooked all manners of seaweed, from brown to green to red. Of course most Americans have had their first taste with Japanese sushi, yet it's not the same as fresh. It hasn't caught on, probably because of  seaweed salad most sushi restaurants serve. It's cloying and damp, a far cry from what is originally cooked in Japanese households and restaurants.

Will kelp fly in American home kitchens?One of its' big pluses is that the cell structure won't break done during freezing , thawing and then refreezing. This is due to it developing in constantly changing tides and temperatures. Keep in mind that its' different from nori, kombu and  dulse. These have to be prepared differently. Ms. Clark puts it smoothies, soups and saute pans with a hit of chile and garlic.  She gives three different recipes. One is roast chicken with crunchy seaweed and potatoes. This is a sheet pan meal so the seaweed is baked til it's crisp and crunchy  not unlike kale - which you can sub in for it. Then there is creamy white bean and seaweed stew with Parmesan. It's a typical Italian bean soup spiked with dried kombu which is often used in Japanese soups. If you want something a bit more briny the last recipe is a lemony pasta with anchovies and kelp. Chiles give it bite. In this, kelp is pureed but you can also use kelp smoothie cubes. Think of it as a pesto thickened with an anchovy paste flavored with lemon zest,  garlic and chile peppers.It's an interesting concept that can work with any kind of pasta, preferably a chunky kind like rigatoni.

Will it help the planet to eat kelp and its cousins? Yes. Will it help your diet? Yes. Cooking and eating seaweed is a win-win situation. Try it not just for your sake but also for the planet's.

One Can Of Tuna Can

What can one can of tuna make? A variety of different dishes , from lunch to dinner. All it takes is imagination to create a tasty dish that's satisfying and nourishing.

Everyone has at least one can of tuna in their pantry. I usually have two or three cans of Genova tuna which is packaged in olive oil. I prefer the fish this way because it's has more flavor. You can use tuna packed in water.It is lower in calories. What can do you with a can of tuna/One thing - and it's pretty obvious tuna salad. You can go with the classic recipe which also includes chopped celery and chopped onions or shallots.You can make it a bit fancier by adding some chopped bell peppers or carrots.if you're not into mayo then sub in avocado.It gives the salad a creamy chunkiness and a buttery flavor. My favorite salad with tuna is Salad Nicoise. It has a summery , sea breeze vibe about it as it celebrates Provence. An authentic Nicoise has not only tuna but also beans and hard boiled eggs for more protein along with Roma tomatoes and green beans for color and crunch. You can also throw in anchovies too if you want more of a briny taste. As for the greens, try a bag of mixed ones for a rounded out and varied flavor.  I usually use a simple vinaigrette as a dressing but you can try one with a small pinch of  Dijon mustard added. Serve with French bread to mop up the dressing.

Tuna can also be used in hot dishes. How many of us have had the gooey, hot fishy treat the tuna melt. It's a staple of diners and lunch counters but can easily be made at home. The classic one calls for white bread cheddar. but there are variations that have mozzarella and tuna on Italian bread. The sandwich starts out with tun a salad spread on a slice of white or whole wheat. A slice of mild cheddar or American cheese  is then added .it's finished with another slice of bread and fried. A less greasier version is a baked version. Make it the same way as the original, just skip the second slice. Bake at 350 degrees F for twenty to thirty minutes. A can of tuna can also make a great sauce.Use the basic tomato sauce recipe and add drained , flaked tuna. Capers can also be added for a bit more saltiness.  What kind of tuna should you use?I would go with the one in olive oil and cut back on the olive oil used in the recipe (usually three tablespoons. Cut it back to a tablespoon). The sauce is great with penne or rotelli along with the longer pastas such as spaghetti and angel hair.Not surprising a can of tuna can also top a pizza too for a different take on a seafood pie.

Get creative with a can of tuna. There's so much you can do with it. You can even come up with brand new recipes and if you do - share it here.

Souvenir Recipes

One of the best things about vacations is the slew of souvenirs we take home. They can be tee shirts or shells, maybe even jewelry or salt and pepper shakers. Yet the best ones are the food memories, souvenirs perfect for our kitchens. No matter where we go, there's a recipe we're bound to recreate.

Foreign vacations mean foreign foods. It's easy nowadays to recreate dishes from across the globe. Recipes can be easily gotten and translated, thanks to the Web.If you were lucky enough to lounge on Mediterranean beaches, you probably got to lunch on pissaladiere slices or a bowl of pasta vongole .Pissaladiere is relatively easy to make.It's a short crust base topped with a yummy mixture of anchovies , olives and onions spiced with thyme sprigs. Pasta vongole is simply linguini with clams. Again homemade is an easy make. Use fresh clams (none of the canned stuff) and boil them. reserve the juice or broth.It's then cooking chopped clams in them with a little white wine, red pepper flakes and garlic. If you spent July sunning on Mikonis or Karpathos and Kos, then you may be hankering for stuffed grape leaves or dolmades. Fill grape leaves (which can be easily bought at Trader Joe's) with a tasty marriage of arborio rice and pine nuts along with raisins, chopped onions, and mint. You can  add meat, usually ground lamb.

You can still bring back recipes even if you stuck close to home. South Jersey has a variety of fun dishes and boardwalk snacks. Taylor ham, a Boardwalk specialty can be recreated in a variety of dishes.It is good on a soft roll, Atlantic City style, especially when the bread sops up all that melted butter, yet you can also have it as a side with scrambled or sunny side up eggs. Seafood is big  along both of New Jersey and New York coasts. Go to your local fish monger for fresh seafood. You can make an easy dipping sauce using just ketchup and horseradish that's perfect for everything from clams to shrimp. Boardwalk fare can be easily copied. Frozen custard is a treat and can be created on any stove top. It's an egg rich custard that's then poured into an ice cream maker. A fun, spin, popular at many shore ice cream parlors is frozen custard served in a hot waffle boat. The last requires a special machine but you can make fresh  ones with a regular waffle maker.Homemade fudge is a Jersey classic and must have.It's super simple to make, both over a stove top and microwave.Use semisweet chocolate and condensed milk for a Boardwalk must have.

A summer traveled is a summer full of souvenirs. Recreate your tastiest ones in your kitchen. It' s a way of still having the best time all year round.

Pan Con Tomato My Way

One of the best combos of the summer season is tomatoes with bread,especially with French or Italian. It is the perfect marriage. ,enhanced with olive oil and garlic.One version of this is pan con to mate from the Catalina area of Spain.

It was the subject of David Tanis' City Kitchen in today's New York Times Food section.Mr.Tanis had me at bread and tomatoes.As soon as I saw the pictures tomatoes on toasted slices I was hooked.
The original recipe was to use up stale bread hence the crunch.Mr.Tanis recommend huge slices of toasted sourdough bread.I used toasted Italian bread ,first rubbed with garlic.

A second batch really browned I cell and got crispy and crunchy.

Then it was taking a grater (I used my Mom's old Chef's Club from Macy  

It's then slicing vine ripes(mine came from Stop &Shop, but feel free to use the first harvest of the summer)

I  also added a glue of olive oil and the garlic that was rubbed on the bread.The last didn't work out so well.Next time I'll try a sprinkle of garlic powder.

K

It,s then just spooned on the toasted bread 

Pan con tomato was delicious.I sprinkled a pinch of sea salt on it and gobbled it down.This is something I will make again. I might add tuna in olive oil or better yet anchovies! It is a perfect summery dinner  light enough for a hot night but sustaining  enough.

David Tanis, thanks for this new favorite.I will be making this tasty dish a lot  - as long as there are fresh tomatoes.

Impromptu Cuisine

Inspiration is all around if you're a home chef. A bag of frozen veggies could turn into a salad. Leftovers can be elevated to a tasty meal.It just takes  creativity and the willingness to try to make a delicious meal.

This happened to me tonight.It was just going to be a simple cup of soup for a Friday night. However the leftover soy chicken strips from the other night looked too beckoning. I decided to crisp them up in margarine with a heady dash of Sylvia's lemon pepper seasoning.This is a great seasoning to have around.It elevates the real thing and the faux poule too with a rich ,lemony flavor and a hint of salt.The flavoring would be good on barbecued chicken too. What goes with lemon chicken?  Any kind of veggie.I opened my freezer to find Stop & Shop's frozen broccoli. I had been saving the package for a broccoli salad but saw it and thought why not make it now. These are steamed florets so they needed some oomph.All it took was a toss in olive oil flavored with minced garlic. It turned into the perfect hot salad, amped up by a good sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. What started out as a blah idea for a Friday supper turned into something much better and much tastier.I just looked into the fridge, assessed what was there and let creativity take over.. It's amazing how the fridge can act as a canvas.

Anyone can create a meal like this.Leftover London Broil can be chopped up and added to an already mixed salad to make it more substantial. Add a mushroom gravy to the slices and serve over rice for another hearty meal. Chicken can be repurposed into a yummy Mexican dish with the help of a home made mole sauce.I like the idea of frying it up into crispy pieces and flavored with spices.I could have used a mix of rosemary and garlic too for a Mediterranean vibe. Sliced grape tomatoes would have been added for color and kick.Tomatoes are another ingredient in creating an impromptu meal. Slice them and then saute them in a mix of butter, olive oil, and garlic.Cover with breadcrumbs and more minced garlic and you have the mouth watering tomatoes Provencale.They are also good in a lunchtime pain bagnat,, the Southern French sandwich.This could be an impromptu meal , because besides tomatoes, it also has hard boiled eggs, any veggies and tuna stuffed into an oiled loaf of French bread.If you don't have tuna, sub in anchovies.Serve with a good red wine for a truly Gallic feel and end the meal with grapes.

Impromptu cooking is a fun way of testing a home chef's creativity. It makes you assess what you have and  the possibilities. It just takes a spark of creativity to make a meal with what you already have in the kitchen and the fridge.

Lamb The New Easter Dish Again

Easter cooking can present a dilemma to many home chefs. Will they go with the traditional ham or try  lamb , another truly traditional main course? That's the conumdrum facing many. Ham is delicious and can provide with enough leftovers for a week. Lamb,  is rich tasting, marrying ancient and modern times together. It's also becoming trendy thanks to a more adventurous American palate.

Kim Severson explores the two in her column in today's New York Times Food section. She herself grew up on Easter ham dinners, thanks to a mother who was raised on a dairy farm that also raised pigs. Serving ham was a no brainer.It also provided her family with more than enough leftovers for a variety of different dishes, from sandwiches to pea soup.However it is time to try lamb. It's making a comeback with a newer generation who are into Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes and flavors. Most older Americans have an aversion to the meat ,preferring beef and pork. One of the reasons why is that US soldiers were fed rations of lamb because the meat was so abundant. There were fifty-six million sheep  in 1946. Now there is only about six million.Lamb chops themselves,  are still considered a luxury item, only being served at high priced restaurants or special dinners at home.Leg of lamb can be tricky to cook and many home chefs just cooked it and slapped some mint jelly on it, hoping for the best.Today lamb is gaining in popularity with people buying lamb shanks,
lamb necks, and ribs.There is even a lamb ham that's also gaining in popularity these days.

How should you cook lamb? Ms. Severson goes back to her Italian roots and tries a Roman style Spring lamb with sugar snap peas. She gets three pounds of young lamb from the shoulder or the leg and  cuts it into uniform two inch cubes. After seasoning the cubes with salt and pepper, they're cooked in lard or olive oil. it's an easy cook, putting the cubes in batches and sauteing them. Rosemary and garlic are added along with sifted flour. White wine or Champagne is poured in along with water. It's simmered for an hour. At this point take some of the sauce from it and mix it with four large anchovy fillets (it reminds me of fileto Piedmontese - where anchovies are cooked with steak juices to create a mouthwatering sauce). The sauce is then poured back into the pan and over the lamb cubes. Ms. Severson throws in a  sugar snap pea salad with Calabrian peppers and fennel. This is a spicy accompaniment with a dressing made from the peppers and their oil.Lemon zest, shallot and garlic are also added along with fresh lemon juice.The snap peas are julienned while the fennel is thinly shaved. Shaved pecorino is then sprinkled on top. I would add fingerling potatoes roasted in garlic and olive oil  to round it out.

Ham may be associated with Easter but lamb now is giving the traditional meat its' run. It is versatile and delicious, perfect for the holiday. Try it and taste its richness and lux flavor.

Tomato Time

This is the time for tomatoes. They're everywhere, from big bushel baskets at the farmer's market to hanging in clusters off backyard plants. What is great about the tomato is that it's so versatile. It's amazing what home chefs can do with them, especially with anchovies. Surprisingly it's a great marriage of opposites..

David Tanis knows this and featured the fruit in his A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He gives us three tasty recipes home chefs can play with during the height of the tomato season.What is unusual about them is that they all contain anchovies. The fish's saltiness and meatiness   gives the dishes a unami flavor that pairs well with the tomatoes' sweetness.  He recommends going for the best. They'll obviously cost more but so worth it. Look for the oil packed kind from Spain, southern France or Italy.Most Italian delis sell salt packed versions that still have all their bones These require extra work that will require rinsing and deboning. Don't worry about this last. Filleting them is easy. Using them pays off. Theye have a greater texture and tend to be milder than the ones packed in oil. Mr. Tanis does offer a tip about the packed ones - briefly rinse them in lukewarm water, followed by blotting them on paper towels.Don't go for the paste. Save that for brushing on grilled steaks.To add to the flavor , quickly the tomatoes them to give them a smokiness

The three recipes offered are easy along with being flavorful.The first is charred tomatoes with eggs, anchovies and bread crumbs. Alternate charred tomato slices and hard boiled eggs on platter Drape the anchovy fillets over the eggs and then add a Dijon mustard infused vinaigrette. Freshly ground bread crumbs are them sprinkled over the entire dish, sort of like a cold version of tomatoes Provencale. The next dish is kind of a cross between pizza and pissaladiere. It is an olive oil based pastry crust dotted with tomatoes and mozzarella. Top with the fillets along with capers and olives if you want. Mr. Tanis also recommends adding  rosemary and hot pepper too.One of the easiest and best to make during these sweltering days is pasta fredda. The sauce is a cold one, prepared hours in advance.It's a blend of chopped red onion and cherry tomatoes, anchovies, garlic and pepper with olive oil and vinegar as the base. Keep in the fridge for three hours. Use spaghetti or linguine for the pasta and cook according to directions. Add the cherry tomato sauce along with extra olive oil and basil.

This is the height of the tomato season right now. Pair them with anchovies for a flavorful marriage that works well. It's a great union of salty and sweet.