A Spicy Sauce To Chase The Chill Away

 There's nothing like a fiery bite to chase away the winter chill. We need something hot to warm us right down to our fingers and toes. There's a new sauce that provides this spark - the Mighty Sesame Company's new harissa spiked tahini sauce.

The Mighty Sesame Company creates everything with sesame seeds - namely tahini, the creamy sauce used in Greek and Mediterranean cooking. They're known for their tahini bars but have recently expanded into sauces. The harissa flavor is new and represents how important tahini is in Middle Eastern and North African  cooking. Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste made up of red pepper  and garlic pastes, caraway and cumin. It is fiery but can be tempered with the addition of olive oil, or in this case tahini, the crushed sesame sauce.

It's the  sauce to put on Gardein's chicken tenders, giving them some spark and zing. It's a nice change up from barbecue or hot sauce and I plan on using the harissa tahini again on them. I can even see it in a pita stuffed with chicken or steak shawarma. The Mighty sesame sauce will definitely be added to plain hummus too to zing it up and will be part of a dressing , mixed with a touch of olive oil.

It's biting cold outside. Warm your palate with  The Mighty Sesame Company's harissa tahini. It's a great addition to any dish, from chicken tenders to hummus. 

Fortifying Yourself

This is the season for colds and sore throats. These can be a real pain , especially if they keep recurring. What to do? Fortify yourself and your system with good foods. Forget comfort bites this winter . It's time to go to strength foods.

After the holidays we need to become serious about citrus fruits. One, they're a refreshing change up from all those sweets and treats and two, they are strength foods, meaning they'll strengthen our immune systems.Citrus fruits such as oranges increase our white blood cells which are used in fighting infections.Even lemons and limes do this as well. Unlike oranges, it's hard to eat both on their own, thanks to their tartness. What you can do is sub in lemon or lime juice for vinegar in vinaigrettes. This makes for a zingy and fun dressing that works for everything from a simple salad to a veggie and fish laden Nicoise. Lemons also can be used to marinate different vegetables , giving them a summery, bright taste. Add a squeeze of lime to guacamole or salsa to elevate flavor. Lemon and lime juice can be added to green and black teas for more taste too. Grapefruit is the mega strength food of all the citrus. It not only boosts immunity but also has antioxidant properties that help fight harmful bacteria and viruses. Again this may be too tart . Drizzle dark honey on top for a tasty breakfast or dessert.

Citrus isn't the only strength food There are veggies that can help fight off colds and sore throats too. Red bell peppers are one, thanks to the infusion of Vitamin C.It's also a rich source of beta carotene which is good for your eyes. Red peppers are versatile. Sliced, they can be added to a salad for some color and sweetness. Cooked, they liven up everything from stir fries to meat loaf. They're also good stuffed with Beyond Meat and onions.Another strength food? Broccoli. Again, the florets are good hot or cold. A side of broccoli with just a lemon and butter sauce is great with chicken breasts or even lam chops. A broccoli salad jazzed up with another immunity booster garlic is a great side with everything from pizza to steak. As for garlic, try to cook a lot with it during these germy times. Use a liberal dose of it when you make homemade sauce . Better yet try that light Italian classic aglia olio, the garlicky oil sauce that's delicious with angel hair  pasta or spaghetti.It can also be drizzled on bruschetta too.If you want a bit more spice but with the same immunity booster, then use ginger, especially if you have a sore throat. Brew ginger tea with freshly cut slices of it to reduce a sore throat 's inflammation.

Get yourself and your immune system fortified by adding strength foods to your diet. You won't be a victim to colds and flu anymore. You not only feel healthy but be healthy too.

The Rhode Island Sloppy Joe My Spin

The recipe in last Sunday's NewYork Times magazine looked too good to pass up. Sam Sifton wrote about it .It is Matthew Hyland,'s, owner of Emily and Emmy Squared  restaurants of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Nashville.He first made it at the deli marketplace at Clements Marketplace in Portsmouth. Rhode Island when he was an undergrad at nearby Roger Williams University in Bristol.It sounded good and vegan convertible. It had to be made.I added my own spins on it.
   It calls for green peppers. I used red because they're sweeter and would work well, offsetting the spiciness of the vegan chorizo I used.

One pepper was sliced , seeded and coarsely chopped. I then added crumbled vegan chorizo.

It comes in a plastic casing  which has to be discarded. (note to self - remember this the next time you cook with it).

Chef Hyland's recipe calls for red onion. I had a quarter of a yellow one left over so I decided to use that. Of course there was garlic, finely minced.

The recipe also called for cumin seeds which I didn;t have, Powdered cumin worked just as well.

Two teaspoons.

It was all mixed together with a cup of crushed tomatoes and half a cup of water.

It was a delicious mix.Everything was stirred over a medium flame.

It cooked up very well,  like a Sloppy Joe. which it essentially it is.

It should be layered with kale or spinach and a slice of Provolone cheese but I thought the two may be too much. I did add a liberal dose of celery salt as required.It gave it a Springy green flavor.

I preferred mine on a crusty hard roll, which is what Mr. Chef Hyland recommends.

This was a great sandwich. Next time  I will layer on spinach leaves and Provolone cheese for the whole experience. It was definitely a must do and a tasty one at that too!

Thanksgiving Antipasto

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the antipasto or first course.Many Northern and Southern Italian families celebrate the holiday with platters of delicious charcuterie along with tasty nibbles. It's actually a nice way to open up any holiday party or dinner.

One of the most important parts of an antipasto is the variety of cold cuts being served. Prosciutto is a must.It's a dry cured ham that lends a delicate salty taste to the course. Most usually pair it  with a slice of cantaloupe but prosciutto shines when it's served on a slice of crusty Italian bread or rapped around grissini, the super thin breadsticks from Torino. Another antipasto meat is mortadella. This is a silky textured slice of heaven made from hashed or ground heat cured pork and lard.Pistachios, myrtle berries and black pepper give it its' unique flavor. Again it shines when it's highlighted on a slice of Italian bread. The classic salami is also featured in the first course. This is a crowd pleaser, because of it's strong ,salty flavor. It's usually made of pork but can be made of beef.The name comes from sale , the Latin word for salt., the meat being heavily salted to preserve it. It's good on its' own but can be served with crackers and flatbread.Certain wines go well with pork based charcuterie. Remember to avoid wines with really heavy tannins. Try a white wine such as Pinot Grigio that also goes well with the vegetables Even though it's a German wine, Liebfraumilsch,a dry white wine originating in Rhine Valley , is another good choice, Its'  taste complementing the charcuterie's dry saltiness.

Antipasto wouldn't be anything without the vegetables and other dishes. Marinated red peppers are always on an antipasto plate. They can be bought jarred at the local grocery or salumeria but they can also be made at home.It's just taking red pepper strips and marinating them in a brine of vinaigrette with the addition of basil and parsley. Artichoke salad can also be added, giving the course sweetness and color.Devilled eggs and stuffed celery are the nibbles that make antipasto festive. Devilled eggs are an easy cook. It's just hard boiled eggs halved and the yolks mixed with ketsup and mayo. The mixture can be piped back into the yolk hollow for a fancy look. Dust with paprika for an every fancier bite..  Stuffed celery is the perfect delicate foil for the rest of the antipasto's spiciness. The stuffing is a mix of hard boiled eggs with cream cheese mashed together. It's then stuffed into celery sticks for a tasty cool treat. No antipasto would be complete without olives. The pitted black ones are great nibbles but pimento filled green ones are also good. Bread is always served with an Italian antipasto,and a crusty Italian one is the best. Save the rolls for the turkey afterwards.

An Italian antipasto is a delicious way to start any holiday meal. The array of flavors and extures hets the appetite for what's to come. Enjoy it with a good bottle of wine.

Acorns The Surprise Fall Fruit

Normally you wouldn't put acorns in the same categories as other fall fruits. One they're typically squirrel food , and two, they are highly poisonous if not properly prepared. Yet acorns can be a vital part of an autumn diet. The nuts are another alternative to another fall favorite, chestnut.

There is a big article about them in today's Dining Section of the New York Times. Margaret Lee wrote the article and used her own background for it. Koreans are big fans of acorns and make a dish called dotorimuk or acorn jelly. It seems like it;s served as a side and has a fiery red pepper dressing, similar to the cabbage dish kimchi. it has a silky custardy consistency , probably like that of chestnut pudding.Other acorn lovers are the Germans who turn the nut into coffee (news to me) and the Native Americans who used the flour in baking.

You have to know what you;re doing when cooking acorns. The tannins have to be completely leached or they could be completely toxic. The acorns should be completely and repeatedly rinsed. The water will turn brown with t he tannins after three hours and then a fresh rinse is required Also the type of oak is important,A white oak acorn is less astringent than a red oak and probably has less poisons.

Acorns are an unusual alternative to chestnuts and a unique fall dish. It's something for the brave to try as well as for a foodie with a lot of free time. If you want try them for a different fall treat