Spring Cleaning Cuisine

It's nearing Spring and that means giving your kitchen a good cleaning. Yet what happens with all those cans and frozen foods? Eat them if they're still good. Don't waste a food product that's still viable. 

Thanks to the pandemic, we all have pantries full of cans of different foods. Keep in mind that canned food is at its' peak for a two year period according to Ron Giles, head of quality assurance at Goya Foods Inc. If you have a lot of beans, then think of a three bean salad. This is a nice side for hamburgers or hot dogs, Just add some sliced onions, herbs and a simple vinaigrette for a tasty side dish. You could also add them to any kind of chili. If you have white beans, then add them to a chicken or turkey chili for a different spin. What about those canned vegetables? They're good for two to five years before they need to be tossed. They still can be made into sides or even added to soups.Think of a peppery corn chowder with those niblets or add some minced green and red peppers for a tasty version of fiesta corn. Canned potatoes are a great thickener for soups, working better than a white flour roue. They can also be used in a quick potato salad with the addition of hard boiled eggs, mayo and celery. Green beans can be used in a salad or in a stir fry with mushrooms, carrots and bean sprouts. You can also fry them and flavor them with lemon and pepper for a new side.

Your freezer probably should be cleaned out too. Frozen food lasts three months at best. Use it before you waste it. Tater Tots are one of the most versatile. They make for a great air fryer snack, especially if you add extra seasonings like chili or garlic powder. You can also serve up different dips with them too from homemade ketchup to aioli. Tater tots can also be turned into a yummy breakfast casserole. This is great way oif also using up any cheddar cheese along with bacon and sausage. The meats are cooked first along with scallions and peppers and then layered over the potatoes along with a mix of whisked eggs and milk. Frozen veggies like broccoli or green beans can be turned into a tasty salad  once cooked and chilled. Just add some crushed garlic and a good red wine dressing. Brussels sprouts can be steamed and then served with melted butter and Parmesan cheese for a lovely side with chicken or turkey. That ground turkey or beef you've had for the last couple of months is still good. Don't keep it any longer because it's not as great after four months. Defrost it and think about turning it into meat loaf, perfect with mashed potatoes and gravy or sliders for a fun weekend meal.

It's that time of the year for purging., Yet use what you have in a variety of different dishes and snacks. It's a nice way of turning Spring cleaning into Spring cleaning cuisine,

A Schnitzel With Kick

 Everyone loves Weiner schnitzel and who wouldn't? It's a a delicately flavored veal coated in bread crumbs and then fried. Yet imagine it with a kick - a splash of vodka that makes it even better. Yes, this is not the traditional staple of Vienna anymore. It's been elevated to another level.

Chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the one behind this transformation and he wrote about it in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He developed this recipe for his San Mateo California beer garden Wursthall. This is more of a fusion restaurant than a truly German one. Chef Lopez Alt also serves chorizo and Korean hot chicken sandwiches. Yet he shines at the Teutonic dishes. He cooks the schnitzel in the same way that Harold Dieterle did at his late and much lamented restaurant Manhattan restaurant Marrow. Chef Dieterle cooked pounded duck breasts in a puffed crust, a German method known as soufflieren that coaxes the breading away from the meat. The meats then becomes well insulated by a layer of air while the extremely hot fat cooks the crust to a delicate crispness that's also rich in flavor. Yet Chef Lopez-Alt adds vodka - about a quarter of a cup of the eighty proof kind. It's brushed on both sides of the meat before breading. Doing such evaporates any water making for the puffiest crust ever. It's not unlike British chef  Heston Blumenthal's recipe for his fish and chips which also has a lighter crust. Chef Lopez-Alt also does this for his tempura recipe.

Yet the other ingredients in schnitzel should also be top notch. You can use veal but also consider center loin pork chops too. Just keep pounding them until smooth and then whack with the back of a knife after pounding for more texture. The next ingredient is the flour. Chef Lopez-Alt says stick with regular flour used for baking. It's the eggs that are added that can be controversial.Some say they should be lightly beaten.Other  like You Tuber Kein Stress Kochen recommends beating the eggs until they're completely smooth. You can also add oil to them as the editors at Cooks Illustrated, Keith Dresser and Steven Dunn do. There should be four to five in the batter. Then there are the crumbs that make up the crust. They should be finely milled to hold in the moisture. The canned ones should do fine. You can use panko but they have to be ground to produce a finer, more floury type texture. What should the schnitzel be fried in? Oil and plenty of it.The pieces have to swim because it can be bad if they touch the pan.The crust will stick and burn onto it. You can use clarified butter but peanut,canola and even rice bran work. Just swirl the meat constantly in it for evenly cooked and browned pieces.

The perfect schnitzel has the perfect kick - vodka. This ensures a puffy crust that is the dish's signature along with an even more delicious flavor. Try it for a truly tasty Viennese delight.

The Great Bagel Controversy

 Are California bagels better than the ones in New York City? There's a new report that says there is which means a bi-coastal war. Yet before sharp words and sharper knives start flying, let's see why. There may be a reason for the Golden State producing these golden circles.

The instigator behind this is none other than famed chef and New York Times Food contributor  Tejal Rao wrote about it in today's New York Times Food section. It's caused a stir with even local news programs in the area weighing in. Yet is Ms. Rao right? Does California have better bagels than us here in the New York metro area? Yes, but there's a reason for that. Many bakers have New York roots. Emily Winston who owns Boichik Bagels in trendy Berkeley California is from central New Jersey and was fed sesame bagels from the iconic H & H Bagels on the Upper West Side. Her father used to bring them home where the family enjoyed the crisp crust and chewy , dense inside. Then there's Zachery Liporace, a New Yorker who moved to Los Angeles. He started a pop up bagel shop called Pop's Bagel after his grandfather. His bagels, while having that metro influence are a bit different than what New Yorkers expect. His is light with a definite crunch, and perfect with his store's signature cream cheese made tangy with the addition of buttermilk. Ms. Watson also shines. Her bakery had long lines before the pandemic and now she's delivering with larger quantities. This is due to recreating a new website , and hired a Shopify developer to help her.

There are other bagel makers that are putting California bagels on the map.Arielle Skye and her partner,Chris Moss of Courage Bagels are making ones similar to Montreal style bagels. These are smaller with larger holes and have the addition of eggs and malt. There's no salt in the batter and they're boiled in honey sweetened water. Her smoky poppy seed bagels are the best, according to Ms. Rao and the everything ones have tasty bits of onion and garlic.Midnite Bagels is another bagel shop on her radar. Nick Beitcher , the owner, grew up eating bagels from LA favorites Bagel Nosh Deli and New York Bagels. His father used to bring home bags of them and the family still has them for their Yom Kippur fast break. Yet he's more influenced by his time as head baker at the famed Tartine, working in the school of chef Chad Robertson. His have a high hydration and they're naturally fermented with a young, liquid-y starter. This is left to develop flavor for twenty-four hours. He thinks of bagels as he does of bread, with tasting the grain first, then concentrate on the contrasts of flavor and textures.

After all this is there any question about who has the best bagels? it depends on what you're used to eating and what you love. Taste is different for everyone and that should also apply to bagels  as well.

Spring Into Greens

Spring is coming and that means lighter eating. Gone are the heavy gratins and creamy sauces. It's time to incorporate greens into all sorts of recipes from sauces to sides to mains. It's a great way of embracing a healthier eating style for the warmer weather.

Spinach is a definite must in lighter eating. It's versatile and delicious plus being good for our systems. It's loaded with iron, but also folic acid and Vitamins  A,C and K1. As we get a few days of very warm weather , think about a spinach salad instead of  one with the usual Romaine or Bibb. Add toasted chickpeas for crunch and grape tomatoes for more color and flavor. Cook up a non traditional pasta sauce that combines spinach leaves with baby bella mushrooms and garlic. This is a tasty departure from tomato and cream based ones. You could also sub in the spinach with broccoli rabe or kale. Another healthy dish, perfect for Spring is stir fried spinach. This is an easy cook that has baby spinach leaves cooked with garlic in peanut oil. A drop of honey or maple syrup gives it sweetness while chili paste gives it some heat and zing. Toasted sesame oil throws in a nutty flavor. This dish is perfect on its' own but also good with grilled chicken or a lean cut steak.Another must have in your Spring diet is the ever popular kale. This is a must eat because it's the most nutrient dense green on the planet. It's loaded with powerful antioxidants like quercetin and kaempferol that lower blood pressure and prevent cancers and certain viruses. 

Is kale as versatile as spinach? Yes!! You can do more with it than spinach. It can be the backbone of soups to being the star of the dinner table.People may have gotten tired of the ever popular kale chips (they're still yummy and easy to make) however kale is also good sauteed.Again, like spinach, it works well with other ingredients. Saute it with olive oil and spike it with red pepper flakes and garlic. You could also try it with chopped onions and peas for a different kind of sauce perfect with  pasta, polenta or rice. Try pairing it with mashed potatoes for a different but better for you side.It's mashing it with the cooked potatoes. Broccoli rabe has the same benefits of spinach, being rich in iron and having the same vitamins , A,C and K as the other.It's excellent with cavatelli  in a tasty garlic and olive oil sauce. You can zing it up with red pepper flakes or add vegan sausage to change it up. Caramelized onions are also a good pairing and a perfect side. This balances out the bitterness that broccoli has sometimes. You could also add tiny drop of maple syrup or honey to balance it out too.

It's Spring, It's time to eat light with dishes heavy on the greens. It's a nice way of leaving the heavy winter dishes behind and jumping into healthier eating.

Brownies With Vegg Egg Substitute

 Baking in a vegan household is tough, especially when you can't use eggs. Yet there is a solution - an easy one Vegg Uncaged Baking Mix. This really is a godsend to bakers like myself that like using store bought mixes.

I've lately  had a craving for fresh from the oven brownies  and thought "It's time to make them". I bought my beloved Duncan Hines fudge brownie mix.

The mix requires two eggs for a thick cakey brownie. This is where Vegg comes in. It's mixing two teaspoons of the substitute in a cup of cold water. Half a teaspoon of sugar is added.

Then whipped into a yolk like liquid with a fork.

It was then added to the batter along with a third of a cup of water and a third of a cup of vegetable oil. The batter pretty well mixed up the same as it would have with two eggs. It was glossy, in the pan before baking.

The oven was set at 325 degrees Fareenheit because I used a darker surface pan and baked the brownies for forty minutes instead of the usual thirty. Vegg warns you that baking times will be longer when using the egg sub in. After forty minutes a tester came out clean.

This is just from the oven, perfectly baked and the cake pulling away from the sides of the pan.

As far as the taste,  they taste the same as the ones I've baked with eggs.(despite the addition of the extra sugar which is really only a teeny bit).

The crumb and mouth feel are a bit different. The crumb is denser. reminding me of a flourless cake. The mouth feel is that way too. Yet , the brownies are still delicious and I plan on trying the Vegg in other mixes as well as scratch recipes too.

The transition from regular to cruelty free baking is an easy one. Use Vegg Uncaged Baking Mix for any recipe that calls for eggs. It's perfect for any cake or cookie recipe and really not that much different form using actual hen eggs. Try it for your baked goodies and treats.

Gourmet Dining for One

 Many singles feel that they can't enjoy a good meal. Yet they can. Why deprive yourself because it's just you. You can splurge  because it's just dining for one.

There's nothing like a good steak for a treat. You don't have to make this a weekly thing. Twice a month is good enough. Again treat yourself to a top quality one at your local butcher or a specialty grocery store like Stew Leonard's which offers specialized cuts. The last can cut the meat into various thicknesses from half an inch to two inches.  You can also buy a good porterhouse from Stop & Shop too. Serve with a round of herbed butter on top. This is an easy make  taking butter and mixing it with dried thyme, lemon juice , rosemary,  sea salt and fresh ground pepper. What do you serve with this? A baked potato won't cut it for gourmet. Try a Hasselback potato. This is slicing  a Russet potato three quarters of the way down and then stuffing the slits with olive oil or melted butter along with chives. You could add cheddar strips and bacon crumbles too. If you want it to be truly gourmet, spoon caviar and sour cream. over it Another great and gourmet side is asparagus. Simply steam it and serve with a rich Hollandaise sauce. Again this is an easy cook, involving egg yolks melted butter and lemon juice. Dijon mustard is added for zing.It can also be used for Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine too.

Shrimp and lobster also make for lush gourmet dining for one. You can easily make a shrimp scampi witch peeled and deveined shriimp. The sauce is a rich mix of melted butter, garlic white wine and red pepper flakes. The shrimp are sauteed in this for two to four minutes and can be served over angel hair pasta or with crusty Italian bread to sop up the sauce. Pair with a green salad that can also have grape tomatoes along with crumbled feta and slivered almonds. Lobster tails may seem decadent but they are a great dinner for one.Best of all they can be made in the air fryer.They just have to be butterflied , and then brushed with a mix of melted butter, lemon zest and garlic. Cook only for seven minutes at 380 degrees Farenheit. What to serve with it? A fresh spinach salad or creamed spinach with butter, cream cheese and onions. Another fun gourmet dinner choice is  a plate of lobster fritters. This is lobster meat (Namely the tail) cut up and made into batter dipped fritters. Serve these with a plate of hand cut fries and a cup of homemade aioli or garlic sauce.

Eating single doesn't have to be dismal sandwiches or microwave dinners. Treat yourself to gourmet dining. Enjoy dining by yourself and eating lush meals.

Making The Most Of Lenten Fridays

 Lenten Fridays can be a bit of a cooking challenge for observant home chefs. Meat is off the table so what do you do?  Go meatless for one day. There's enough recipes out there that are perfect for the weeks leading up to Christian Easter.

Eating less meat is good anyway. It's a chance to infuse more veggies into the diet. A simple but flavorful meal is ratatouille. This is a classic French Provencale dish of eggplant, tomatoes and onions. It can be varied to include bell peppers and squash coins. Its zinged up with such herbs as thyme and basil. Garlic is a must because it amps up the flavor. What's great is that you can make a lot for a Friday dinner and have some left over for A Saturday or Sunday meal. Make it special with a just from the oven focaccio or a loaf of garlic bread. You could even make a ratatouille pizza for something different. It's putting  all the veggies on the dough and adding sauce and shredded mozzarella.Pizza is another tasty idea, even without the pepperoni. You can add shrimp or make it more luxe with lobster. Shred and put boiled tail meat on the dough along with the rest of the ingredients. Another way to go is healthy with spinach and kale. You could also have it with just onions and scallions for a different , more allium flavor.

If you're tired of pizza then think vegan shepherd's pie. If you're wondering about the filling.don't. You can use the plant based Beyond Beef for the filling. Add some carrots and peas along with tomato sauce. The topping is mashed potatoes used as a crisp crust. Dot with butter for a more flavorful topping. You can also do a vegan beef or chicken pot pie. All it takes is Beyond Beef mixed with different veggies like tomatoes and zucchini , baking potatoes and white mushrooms. Tamari and rice wine vinegar give it zing. Veggie broth makes the gravy that is a pot pie's signature feature. Two sheets of Pillsbury Crescent dough rolls  create the flaky top. You can also make Beyond Burgers too. They're just as good as the real thing. You can go totally vegan by adding slices of vegan cheddar for a tasty cheeseburger. Make it a fun Friday night meal by adding French fries. Another vegan meat idea is Beyond Beef meatballs with spaghetti. It's an easy make because they come already made. You can also make them into tasty subs, another fun Friday night dinner.

Lenten Friday's don't have to be fraught. There are so many different veggie, fish and plant based meat recipes out there. You can choose any of these for a great and meatless way to end the week.