Leeks Tweaked

 A favorite family dish is leeks on toast. This Piedmontese recipe has been in my family for almost a century, garnered when my great aunt married a boy from Biella , Italy. It is a great dish that brings out the garlicky ,earthy flavor of leeks. I thought I'd give  a few tweaks.

I had leftover leeks form yesterday's celery soup. In fact I'm planting the roots in my backyard for my allium garden along with my garlic and onion sprouts.

The leeks do have to be cut and soaked in salted water to remove dirt. This just takes ten minutes.

The slices are then rinsed in cold water to get rid of the dirty salted water.Usually the leeks are boiled in hot water over a burner but I decided to steam them for five minutes in the microwave. Doing this retains more of their flavor and nutrients.

As for the bread I decided to switch it up and use this artisan bread from Shop -Rite. It's a French peasant loaf from the Heidelburg Bread Company.

They don't need to be toasted. The slices are crusty enough.

The leeks were put on top. They were super soft thanks to being steamed in the microwave.

Then it's adding a good dollop of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and a sprinkle of Follow Your Heart vegan Parmesan  soy cheese. 

The slices are then baked in a preheated 325 degree Farenheit oven for ten minutes.

Ten minutes later they were ready - the perfect marriage of crusty and melty .. The vegan cheese is just the same as the real Parmesan and it even browned

As for the taste, it was phenomenal. I love the French bread underneath which went well with the leeks. It sopped up the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and was still toasty and crispy.

The updated version is worth making. It's a nice spin on the original, with an earthier , more intense flavor thanks to steaming the leeks. It's a great weeknight or week day dish, easy to make, easier to eat.

A Classic Redone

 The vegan celery soup from  blog The Simple Veganista is  now a classic go to recipe. It's a easy boil and simmer of chopped celery , onions, potatoes and garlic in Not Chick'n broth. However change was needed. The onion was a bit too overpowering so I went with another recipe suggestion  - chopped leeks.

Leeks are a wonderful addition and have the most subtle, sublime flavor. They're an allium which puts them as a cousin to garlic and onions. Yet their taste isn't overpowering  - which is perfect for the soup.

The other ingredients stayed the same. There were four to five cups of coarsely chopped celery.

Then the leeks which are about two cups here.

Keep in mins you don't have to cook them first as you do for other classic leek dishes like leeks on toast. They are washed, chopped and added to the pot to be sauteed with the celery.

I usually saute the veggies in a mix of olive oil and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I decided to switch out the olive oil and sub in vegetable oil. It does make for a lighter flavor, perfect to bring out the sublime of the leeks.

Both were cooked until they were bright green for about eight to ten minutes

The original recipe calls for five garlic cloves but I used three fat ones, finely chopped.

Then two cans of diced potatoes. You could follow the recipe on the website and use white or Yukon Golds. Adding the canned ones was easier.

Then it was five cups of water and two Not Chick'n cubes and simmered for another ten minutes. It was then blended with an immersion blended for a creamy texture.

The taste was perfect, lighter and fresher tasting than the onion version. It's the perfect Spring soup and a great first course at an Easter dinner. I love the leeks in it and how they don't overpower the celery. The flavors work in tandem with each other. They also don't overpower the potatoes or the garlic.

The vegan celery soup is a classic recipe can be varied. Subbing in leeks for the onion is inspiring, creating a flavorful new taste. It's perfect for the days ahead.

A Year

 It's been a year since our lives have changed. What have we learned? A lot. Whether it was about our inequalities and how they affect our eating habits or learning how to cook and bake. These twelve months have been eye opening, that's for sure.

What is striking about the past year is that the pandemic and loss of income and jobs brought many people to the edge of poverty.Families were teetering already when their companies shut down. Luckily there were angels, people who put together care packages that helped those in need during rough times. These provided enough food for everyday meals along with holidays and birthdays. Imagine the richest country in the world having millions of starving people, of kids going without meals so their younger siblings or grandparents can have their portions. What this pandemic should have taught us is that many Americans are living just above the poverty line. We need to raise salaries and offer better benefits - maybe even food credits for those with kids but can't qualify for food stamps.The SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program is not the best and our government needs to improve it.Again the new administration is well aware of this and there will be changes. Some cities around the country offer free gardens which means free fruits and veggies to those who need them. We must institute this in every US city and town. The financially challenged will be able to get the valuable nutrition they need.

On the lighter side if there is one -we all learned how to be better home chefs and bakers. People who didn't even know how to boil water embraced their inner chef and experimented with all sorts of recipes. Kids joined in and a whole new generation of junior chefs was born. Generations cooking together also provided valuable bonding time as well as supplementing their educations. Measuring cups were great at showing kids fractions with a cup and a half of water or a quarter cup of flour. They learned about the world through international recipes as they mastered the West African fufu or Brazilian feijoada or black bean stew. Everyone embraced their air fryers and immersion blenders with gusto as they also created some of their own recipes.Baking took everyone out of their cooped in funk. It was so popular that the US experienced four shortages thanks to home bakers taking the sourdough challenge. That bread was the star of the lock down and no wonder. The chewy tangy crumb and crusty exterior was the security blanket we needed in the past twelve months. It was perfect , either warm with melty butter or filled with our favorite meats and veggies.

This past year was historic and not in a good way. We learned  a lot , about ourselves  and our communities. Has it made us more caring and more innovative? Let's hope so.

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.