Tasty And Good For You

 We hear it all our lives. Eat more veggies. Yet there are many who just hate the site of a broccoli florets or a Brussels sprouts. However there's a delicious and somewhat sneaky way y to incorporate the good stuff into every savory and sweet dish. A new cookbook shows home chefs howl

Author Heidi Herman who has written popular  fiction and non fiction has come up with such a book . Her Hidden Vegetable Cookbook (Hekla Publishing 2025)  has endless recipes that bring vital veggies into a variety of yummy dishes. The cookbook starts with a guide for all vegetables from their description to their flavor, along with how t store then for both long and short periods of time. Another section that I liked is her guide to the gadgets used, from graters to mesh strainers. This is perfect for any home chef planning on incorporating more veggies in their diet.A big 0plus is how tos on how to chop ,mince and puree because this is the easiest way to incorporate vegetables in any  recipe.Some of these , liked riced cauliflower are perfect on their own ,sauteed in olive oil and garlic. There are also recipes for juices which can be good on their own or in snoothies. Ms. Herman also encourages home chefs to add their notes and observations in the books as well. She gives advice about dealing with flatulence from cruciferous or "gassy" vegetables.

The recipes actually start off with sauces jellies and condiments that can be used for meats and tofu.The carrot and beet root jellies sound intriguing, especially the carrots because it's made with brandy.Ms. Herman has some very fun appetizers such as the savory cauliflower cheese ball made with pepperjack and Parmesan cheese. There is also ginger and paprika for heat. The tangy meat balls, perfect appetizers have the added ingredients of carrots and broccoli. Yes there are soups and they are chock full of the good stuff. The main courses are interesting too. She includes a recipe for pumpkin beef stew .its a classic stew recipe but with two cups of pumpkin puree , along with rutebega and a  stew must have carrots. Her chicken pit pie also has a good dose of peas and carrots to add to this classic recipe. What I found fascinating are the dessert recipes. There are beet doughnuts, with a  delicate  pink hue thanks to beets added (keep in  mind beet sugar was long used before cane sugar processing was invented).There is a  beet crazy chocolate cake made with beets .It also has a dash of apple cider vinegar in it as well.Riced kohlrabi gives much needed nutrients in a glazed loaf cake.Another chocolate cake recipe has zucchini in it. Both would be perfect cakes for birthdays.

We all need to eat more veggies. The Hidden Vegetable Cookbook will give really good recipes loaded with much needed vegetables. Buy it for healthier cooking and baking.

Fall Baking

 THis is definitely the time for baking. The weather is perfect for creating everything from muffins to pies.There are spices to try and fruit to add. It'll be a busy season.

Yes , this is also pumpkin spice season.Yet what would be better than pumpkin pie or pumpkin tartlets. You could use fresh pumpkin although most home bakers used the canned variety. This already is spiced and just needs to be poured into a shell. A different spin on it would be creating tartlets, perfect for fall parties. You can easily use a muffin tin for this .It;'s putting cups of pastry dough in them and filling them with a mix of pumpkin puree, half and half , brown sugar, ginger, salt allspice and egg.(the last to bind th epuree and give it some body." After they''re baked you can add a puff of whipped cream. Another pumpkin laden treat is pumpkin bread, perfect for a snack or for breakfast.it too has such warming spices as cinnamon along with the pie filling. Another breakfast treat are pumpkin muffins, made with pumpkin puree and milk. There are also the requisite spices too like ginger and cinnamon.You can also make pumpkin cupcakes too, with out without a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Of course what would fall baking be without apples? They're everywhere. Most sweet tooths love a good cinnamon laced pie. These are great , especially after a fall Sunday dinner but what about something a bit more rustic yet sophisticated?Try a galette which is an easier bake than a regular pie.This is just rolling out the dough and then filling with with sliced apples. The crust is then folded over the apples with an opening in the middle. Some home bakers drizzle caramel on it after it's been baked. Another sweet treat is a turnover stuffed with the fruit. The dough is a light  flaky one that crackles and is the perfect foil for the apple mix. A  These make great snacks to bring to school or to work.  Use puff pastry sheets (which can store easily in your freezer for the shell and Granny Smith apples for the filling. Granny Smiths are the best option for these because of their tartness and are not overly sweet. Turnovers can be decorated with a drizzle of a confectioner's sugar glaze. This is just a blend of the sugar milk and vanilla and then it;s piped onto the turnovers tops.

It's fall and the season for baking. You can go with anything pumpkin or anything apple. The end result is a sweet treat perfect with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

A Shot Of Fresh Fruit

 What gives a summer cocktail or mocktail sassiness and freshness.? A shot of fresh fruit. There's something about adding summer's bounty to a fruity and relaxing iced drink.

I recently discovered this at Moby's down in the Atlantic Highlands. Moby's is  known for its' seafood but also for tasty  drinks that go well with oysters and lobsters. The bartender was making a mango daquairi which gives the traditional cocktail a different tastier spin. Fresh mango slices were pulverized in a blender and then the rum and dark sugar or demerrara syrup.Blueberries and strawberries can also be used in this as well. For the blueberry cocktail use about one cup of washed berries and for the strawberry the same. Keep in mind you can make virgin daiquiris' too. Just sub in Ronsin a non alcoholic rum or use pinenpple or cherry juice. The pineapple gives the mocktail a tropical flavor while the cherry imparts a tart flavor , perfect for counterbalancing all that sweetness.Another fun blueberry drink is one where blueberries are blended with vodka.They're smashed first with mint , homey or simple syrup and a squeeze of lime juice. Add half  a cup of good vodka (like Skye or Stoli) and shake well in a cocktail shaker. Pour into mason jars. Add more mint and a straw for sipping.

Think silky Bellinis since it's peach season too. This wonderful mix of Prosecco is just as easy to make as it is to drink. Keep in mind that the original recipe does call for white peaches however if you can;t find any then use the golden ones. The peach puree is easy to make (and cna be used to make fresh peach ice cream too).It peeling or boiling off the skins and then cutting four ripe pitted  ones into chunks. They're then put into blender  and pureed You can also use an immersion blender for this too.  Add a quarter cup of th e puree into champagne flutes and the top off with Prosecco or Asti Spumante. You can make an easy Bellini mocktail too with ginger ale or spakling apple cider. These may be too sweet so try a plain or peach flavored seltzer for this.Nectarines are also in season right now and the fruit lends itself to some tasty cocktails. Again peel and then puree. You could add it to Prosecco but also try the nectarine in whiskey sour  which is a combo of simple syrup, whiskey and egg white mixed with the puree. The egg white is added to give the drink it's signature foamy head. As for a nectarine mocktail, think seltzer and puree with an infusion of a mint flavored simple syrup.

Fresh fruit takes cocktails and mocktails to a whole new level. Add some of the summer's bounty to your next drink.It's a refreshing and fruity respite on a hot day.

Making Your Pasta Blush

Homemade pasta is exciting on its own. It's fun to make and a treat to taste. Now imagine adding color and more depth to it and you have a truly interesting dish.It's easy to do  - and brings lunch or dinner up another notch.

David Tanis experimented this and wrote about it in his  A City Kitchen column in today's New York Times Food section.Handmade or home made pasta is one of the simplest preps ever.It's just a mix of eggs and flour, mixed together and then kneaded to form a thick dough. It's usually then rolled out and cut or put through a pasta machine to be cut into ribbons or sheets.The result is a yellowy spaghetti or fettucini ,a perfect base for a homemade marinara or creamy Alfredo sauce. Yet is it enough? Does it need more?Mr.Tanis believes so and has a number of suggestions. A colored pasta not only zings up the dish but adds another layer of flavor. Green pasta can be made with pureeing fresh spinach or chard to the recipe. It gives the usually eggy tasting dough a garden fresh taste. Herbs, always included in any Italian dish, can be respun into a batch of angel hair .Add parsley , rosemary and sage to any dough for a speckled , light green result  that's perfect for any Spring dinner.Saffron not only gives a rich , golden hue but also a distinct flavor that 's great with any seafood sauce.

The recipe that Mr/ Tanis gives is for a peppery, red pasta, redolent with Hungarian paprika.cayenne and pimenten.It's a rusty looking pasta that he teams up with sweet vegetables. The reason behind this combo is that the two opposite flavors compliment each other,All together there is a heady dose of hot spices in the dough.It's zingy enough  so it needs a mellowness to tame it down a bit. Mr. Tanis pairs it with butternut squash along with pancetta for some meat and saltiness. Ricotta gives the sauce  a creaminess. This could also be reversed and made into a ravioli with the squash mixture inside a hot pepper dough.Another idea is serving it with an arrabiata sauce for sheer heat or with lobster for a spin on seafood version. Today's masterful recipe could also be reversed with a butternut squash pasta and a spicy sauce.It's just as easy to make as the hot pasta, and the result is a lovely orange fettucini or bucatini,if you like red colored pasta without the heat , then try a tomato based  or red pepper based one. The first requires two tablespoons of tomato sauce added while the second just needs a small unseeded pepper. For a scarlet pasta, try adding half a cup of cooked beets.


Pasta doesn't doesn't have to be bland both in taste and in flavor. Whip up a batch of spicy red or Springy green for a different spin on a classic dish.It's fun and colorful.

November The Start Of Chestnut Season

Today is All Soul's Day , a big holiday throughout Catholic Europe. it;s when people eat chestnuts as a way for remembering loved ones past. the steam rising out of th e hot shells represents the souls who still linger over over. Another reason why the nut is so popular right now is that it is the season for them. Chestnuts ar e now popping up all over the US as well.

Chestnuts have long been a part of our diets. Early Europeans ate them and they're mentioned d in even Greek and Latin texts. Native Americans ate them as well, although not the same kind. There are three different kinds of chestnuts the Asian, European and the North American and each have several different subcatagories. Each nut is about t he same calorie wise as a handful of almonds or walnuts. They are th e only nuts to contain Vitamin C. Chestnuts have a high sucrose and starch content somethings earning them the the whole plant the nickname of the bread tree.

You can roast chestnuts on a perforated pan on a l ow flame. This is the best way to enjoy the meaty texture and slightly milky sweet taste .You can also put chestnuts in stuffing as well. A better idea is a chestnut souffle with a brandy sauce for a really elegant fall dessert. The most famous recipe is the Mont Blanc, sweet chestnut puree over a meringue base. it is then covered with freshly whipped cream. This is the perfect holiday party dessert, . Mont Blanc is the most beautiful and camera ready dessert to serve to impress guests.

This is the day and month for chestnuts. Eat them freshly roasted or in an elegant dessert Either way they are a true autumn treat!