Grandma's Recipes For All To See

 There's something about a grsandmother in the kitchen. They exude a confidence and deep knowledge more than any professionally trained chef. They just know.  Now that knowledge is coming to your phone or tablet screen .

Regular contributor Tejal Rao wrote about this new phenomenom in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Grandmas are big now. There are many different clips on TIkTok and on YouTube right now where they're cooking along with offering advice.These woemn and their culinary stories are fascinating.  One is the french  series "The Grandma Project" wher directors feature their  immigrant grandmothers. Ms. Rao compares these shorts to the opening scenes in  Martin Scorsese's 1974 documantary "Italianamerican. In it his mother Cahterine sits on her couch  and bemusedly asks what should she do ? Tell him how she makes sauce? She thought of Mrs Scorsese when she watched another older woman, Munise Bostanci. Mrs. Bustanci's grandaughter filmed her singing  amournful Turkish song when she was simmering bulgur wheat with onions and potatoes for her lunch. Her attitude was similar to Scorsese's mom,a kind of bemused tolerance as she asked "Who would watch this? My children and grandchildren?"

It turns out many would watch her. They're called grandfluencers and they dot the TikTok and You Tube landscape, There are "Pasta Grannies" VIcky Bennison's gentle docuseries on the techniques of Italian grandmothers .It was so successful that it became a cookbook. Then there's Veg Village Food, family vidoes which features a seventy year old Punjabi woman Amaur Kaur who typifies the genre.. Mrs. Kaur has a simple set up in her couryard, a wood burining oven and an outdoor tap t wash vegetables. she cooks for 100(1) children in her village. sometimes more. She feeds them bamboo biryani, golgappa, a street snack made with mint water and puff of homemade dough . She also whips up eggplant pakoras and even pizza and milkshakes along with all kinds of twists on packaged noodles.. Mrs Kaur works steady and hardly speaks, except to identify the types of ingredients as she tosses them into pots and pans. Yet these home chefs also offer asides on their lifes from their late husbands to their grandchildren. Sometimes they made funny and sarcastic comments which crack up their filmaker grandkids.

Watch any of these shorts about grannies cooking. You'll learn more fromthem than from a cooking class. There are lessons on cooking, yes but also lessons about life.

Frozen Pizza It's Getting Fresher

Frozen pizza is one of those quick meal or snack bites.It's great if you don;t want the bother of going out or calling up for a hot pie. Yet it's not as tasty as fresh , hot pies. That's changing. You can have  good quality and flavor right from the freezer.

Regular contributor JUlia Moskin wrote abut this in today's New York Times Food section. She even enlisted her feloow TImes workers to jou=in her in a taste test of some of the more "boutique" brands. The new generation of frozen pies are nto like the ones everyone grew up on. The bigger companies like DiGiorno and Red Baron make their pies with dough conditioners, additives and processed cheeses. all engineered for freezing. The crusts are infused with sugar and oil, the dough is parbaked and the cheese and sauce are applied raw to be cooked in your oven.However this infuriates pizzaiolo like Manhattan's Anthony Mangieri, founder of Pizza Napoletana has created a frozen pizza that meet his standards.It would have to be wood fired, slow rising and fashioned from all natural and all Italian ingredients, He founda plant in Northern Italy that could give him the perfect pie.The first tries didn;t exactly work out, The dough was extreemly gummy and the managers were vexed by his high demands. It wass only when he compared his pies to Ferraris made nearby that they listened. More mom and pop pizzerias are following his lead, relying on a delivery company like Goldbelly to deliver the goods.

How did these new breeds of frozen pizza measure up? Ms. Moskin, along with Erik Kim who also writes for the Times Food section and VaughVreeland,  a supervising producer for the paper  judged them. She also included editor Cathy Lu.They sampled many , but all were from independent pizza makers dedicated to Neopolitan pizza. They came from all over, from the artesenal pizzerias in Manhattan and the boroughs  to the ones in San Francisco and Phoenix alognw ith ones from Atlanta and San Antonio. They found that some were not as good as some of the superamrket brands. WHich ones did pass muster? There was Robert'a from Bushwick Brooklyn. It did have lovely puddles of cheese which everyone loved however there was a skimpy layer of tomato sauce and a crust that had dried out in the freezing process.There was also another New York pizza  Table 87. Mr Kim  loved the tomato puree yet Mr. Vreeland thought it too sweet and comp[ared it to LUnchables. Talia of Napoli had a great crust. , the perfect char as Mis Lu said. yet the toppings were faint in taste. The best was Mr. Mangieri's Genio pizza which was perfect in all aspects. It was a combination of salty and oily.

These are the Next Gen of frozen pizza. Try them for a more authentic fresh fromthe oven flavor/Its the next best thing to having a homemade pie.

Hearty Recipes From Canada

 The two things Canadians know by heart is snow and frigid temps. That means a winter full of  hearty high in calroie and carbs dishes and dessert. They will not only keep you warm but stick to your ribs. There's nothing better than winter foods offering this.

One of the most famous is poutine. This can be considered a filling snack or a dinner and there are many versions that are served through out Canada and even the US (check out Cranford, New Jersey's  Cranford Hotel's duck poutine which has pulled duck soaked in a rosemary and shallot gravy)/ The dish is fairly recent , first being made in the late Fiftie s in  the Centre de Quebec. It's a mix of crispy fries and gravy with the addition of cheese curds. These are long Cheez Doodle looking curds that you can find at Target. You could add steak or chicken to this, Not surprisingly there are vegan versions as well and you can use a mushroom gravy instead of a meat based one. Poutine is an easy recipe  with the fries being cooked in an air fryer  while the curds and gravy be warmed in the microwave. The Atlantic kissed provence of Nova Scotia has a good hearty recipe to try.  Nova Scotia  donair actually has Greek origins and was created by a Hellenic chef. It's taking a mix of lamb and beef spiced with cayenne and chili for heat. A sweet garlic sauce is poured over rhe slices that also have tomatoes and onions on top.

One fo the most satisfying dishes is the tourtiere, a French -Canadian meat pie. The filling is a combo of beef pork and mashed potatoes , spiced with a heady mix of different spices, from cinnamon to sage and thyme th nutmeg. There's even a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat. You'll also need potato water from boiled potatoes to give it some starchiness. The crust  is made with  flour , cold butter and salt.  A mix of water and vinegar is also added. It's kneaded, rolled into a ball and then chilled. after this is the mix fo the spices. The fillign is sauteed , with the onion then the spice mix and meats being sauteed in butter.It's stirred for forty five minutes with the potatoes being added in the end. The dough is rolled out and the bottom is put into a pie tin. The filling is laddled in then the crust is put on it. Brush the top with an egg wash and bake in a preheated oven  for 40 minutes at 375 degrees Farenheit. What to serve for dessert? The famed Canadian butter tarts. This is a mini tart filled with a rich and buttery custard. The crust is a simple one and the filling is reminscent of a pecan pie without the nuts.

The Canadians know how to do winter. They create filling and delicious meals ,perfect for a cold winte'rs night. You can als have this hearty goodness too.

Sunday Dinner Monday Leftovers

 One of the best aspects of a Sunday dinner is that it can stretch into Monday. Tose roasts and sides can d double duty on a busy first day back to the office. It's amazing what a little stretching can do.

Of course one of the easiest leftovers is a hot sandwich. This is great if you have turkey or roast beef. It's just slicing what's left  and serving it with gravy on any kind of bread. You could even get  fresh dinner or kaiser rolls and split them. This makes for a satisfying meal , especially on a cold night. The same is true if you have leftover stuffing.Keep in mind any meat chopped up , which includes leftover ham or chicken can go into a salad too. This is even easier and quicker  than  sandwich , but just as satisfying. Another idea is chopping  up the roast and serving it with pasta. Many make turkey tetrrazzini after Thanksgiving but it's also good on a Monday night. This is simply blending the leftover bird with mushrooms, cream cheese and chicken broth and already cooked spaghetti ( you could also try fettuccini or angel hair for different textures). It's then baking i the tettrazzini in a greased casserole dish for a good forty five minutes. Another idea is devilling ham or chicken It's shredding the meat in a food processor ro chopper and then  adding a tablespoon of  mayonnaise to get that creamy texture. For the ham you could add some celery salt for more flavor while the chicken gets a pinch of tarragon. Serve on toasted bread for sandwiches.

Sides can also get a make over and even turn into the main course itself. Salads can be revitalized with more veggies added or evne cheese rounds or croutons. Leftover Idaho potatoes can be sliced and turned into air fryer chips . Spike them with some lemon juice and oregano for Greek style fries . These would be perfect if you're having hamburgers.If there are a lot left over then mash them. It's just adding milk or cream along with butter and seasonings. Again these are good with any leftover gravy. As for mashed potatoes themselves. think colcannon.It's taking the mash and frying it up with any leftover spinach , scallions and leeks plus a mashed up clove of garlic if you want more flavor.  You could also make another traditional Irish dish -, boxtie or potato pancake. This time combine the mashed potatoes with flour , one egg and a tablespoon of milk. The pancakes are just seeasoned with salt and pepper but you could add chopped onions or scalllions to them for color and taste . The pancakes are then fried in olive oil or butter. These can be made large and served like a crepe with mushrooms or tomatoes inside and a mushroom gravy on top.

Yes you ca stretch that Sunday supper into Monday's dinner. It's a quick and economical way of repurposing delicious food. Try it and create an enirely new meal.

Forget The Make Up Eat

 You don;t need serums or highlighters, creams or concealers if you eat the and drink the right foods and liquids. These can help achieving that glowy dewy look. Add some healthy meats and veggies or tnat extra glass of water and you'll not only feel better but look better too.

Winter brings about a lot fo problems with skin and hair. They get dull fast thanks to the frigid temps and the constant heat blowing around the house. What can bring back that summery glow? Salmon and lots of it. This versatile fish is loaded with Omega 3's which is good in restoring skin's . bloomy look.It can also help to protect the skin from certain skin cancers too.Salmon can be versatile too. Try a pan seared version , spiiked with ginger and soy for a tasty dinner or a sheet pan one for an easy Sunday dinner. It can be not only be flavored with ginger and soy but garlic and lemon too or lime for a different flavor. A fun lunch would be salmon patties  bound  with breadcrumbs and eggs. Air fry these instead of deep frying for a healthier meal. These too can be serve with brown rice as with the  grilled or sheet pan versions. Another fish that's great for keeping skin young looking is tuna.It's a good source of selenium (which also is in mnay nuts)and that helps preserve the protein elastin. This keeps skin smooth and tight and also helps protect it from UV rays. Of course you should eat fresh tuna . You'll be able to find fresh tuna steaks in every grocery store. Try marinating it in fresh orange juice before grilling or even a just  a pan seared tuna with just salt and pepper.

Veggies have always been touted as being good for the skin and hair. Of course it's true. Sweet potatoes can chase away acne and any other break outs. They can cut  those sugar cravings which can exercerbate  your blood sugar and in turn ruin cause all sorts of skin problems.  If you want sweet and crunchy then julienne a couple and then air fry them. It's a healthier way to eat a fun snack food while helping your body. Try a garlicky aoili dip with it  using plain Greek yogurt with olive oil added for smoothness and chopped garlic along with salt and pepper for flavor. Roasted sweet potatoes are good too, especially with a thick pat of Melt plant based butter. Tomatoes in season are also a great food to eat for beauty.They're chock full of lycopene which helps boosts the skin's protection against the sun's rays. A tomato is a truly versatile fruit (yes that's what it is) Think of adding roasted ones to a salad or making a tasty bruschetta with rounds of toasted Italian bread. What to drink with this? water. It  doesn;t have to be boring. You cna aerate with fizzy bubbles with a Soda Stream. If you want some flavor then add in some crushed strawberries, cherries or blackberries for a tasty new soda. If it's too bitter or sour. just add a tiny drop of agave to balance out that tartness,

You don;t need that expensive serum or popular concealer for beautiful skin or hair. Eat and drink healthy. These are the best you can get for looking healthy and glowing.

A Master 's Legacy

 Thnaks to Eileen  Yin Fei Lo, American home chefs have learned the subtleties of Chinese cooking. She introduced an entire generation to both varied and healthy Chinese cooking. Thanks to her,people  discovered they could  make the dishes they craved isntead of relying on take out.

Sadly Chef Lo passed away at the age of eighty five back in November.She was born in Guangzhou China, the daughter of a government worker and a homemaker. She married American journalist Fred Ferretti in Hong Kong where her family fled after the Cultural Revolution. She lived in Monclair ,New Jersey . According to her son Stephen Ferretti , she was constantly critical of restaurant food. It was easier to cook at home. She and her husband shared a deep connection to food. They even wrote joint reviews for the New York Times where Mr. Feretti worked. Her love of cooking led to her writing cookbooks. Thanks to her home chefs learned how to create won tons, siu mai - a Cantonese version for wonton and char si bao, buns stuffed with barbecued pork.She became friendly with such famed chefs as David Burke and Charlie Palmer and taught them how to cook Chinese food in their establishments. Chef Burke even hired her in the mid-1990s to create a dim sum brunch at his Park Avenue Cafe restaurant.

Yet it is Chef Lo's cookbooks that will be her best legacy. They're still sold on Amazon and there is a wide variety to choose from. She even wrote The Chinese Way :Healthy Low Fat Cooking From CHinese Regions (Wiley Publishers 1987) which features Chinese vegetarian cooking along with healthy ways of cooking through steaming and stir frying. Her first cookbook The Dim Sum Cookbook published in 1981 allowed  home chefs to have the fun of creating all sorts of won tons for the first time. They didin;t have to travel to their city's Chinatowns or Chinese restaurants. Authentic dishes can be made at home. Her second book Eileen Yin-fei Lo's New Cantonese Cooking (Viking 1988)  followed by ten more and ending with  Mastering The Art of Chinese  Cooking(CHronicle Books LLC 2012).  New York Times food critic Florence Fabricant praised her New Cantonese Cooking in 1989 for its' departure from the Chinese food Americans knew. There was a growing interest in Cantonese food  and she introduced Americans  to its freshly delicate and highly seasoned cooking along with how to s on navigating through Chinese markets.

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo made a huge impact on modern American cuisine/ She brought authentic Chinese recipes to the American table. Gone were the days fo chop suey and in its' place authentic wontons and char si bao.

Kouign Aamann The Jewel Of Pastries

The crown jewel of any home or professional baker is the Kouign-Amann ,a lush and fairly complicated to make butter cake. It takes time and patience yet it has its rewards. It can even be a healing experience for some

Regular contributor Yewande Komolafe wrote about this magnificent cake in yesterday's New YorkTimes Food section.Making the Kouign-amman , the Breton words for butter cake is like a climber scaling Mt. Everest. Hard work to do , but there's a feeling of triumph when it's completed. For Ms. Komolafe creating this  cake was also a healing process as well. She had first tried the cake in Montreal  at a bakery that specializes in making them, weeks after her daughter had a serious and frightening Covid infection.  within twelve hours of testing positive her litle girl had a fever so high that she developed febrile seizures. She lost consciousness and had to be rushed to the hospital. Ten hours later the child awoke wanting life to go back to normal. For her mother normal wouldn't return for a while Ms. Komolafe experienced a kind fo pervasive grief that folloowed her everywhere, even on their trip. The kitchen was her only refuge,.As she put it grief occupied all her senses but it neither aided or meddle in her cooking. She found an escape in the Kouign-amann. The patisserie's owner and chef Nicholas Henry let her make one in his kirchen. It helped her as making them six times since then has helped to dispel the grief that followed her.

Her recipe is not the bakery's original. The recipe 's steps are simple yet straightforward. There are three reipes , one for the dough, another for the butter itself (!) and  the third is for the aromatic syrup that soaks it. It is a yeast based dough. It also has the optional toasted sesame oil in it too of you want a nuttier flavor.  The butter part is for lamination and it's a combination of one and three quarter cups get good butter like Kerry Gold) sugar and Morton's salt. The syrup is a mix of granulated sugar, orange zest cinnamom, ground  ginger and cinnamon along with cardomon pods and whole cloves, These last two have to be crushed so they can give more flavor.The dough is a standard one mixed together in a mixer with a dough hook. The most complicated steps belong to the butter.Its' ingredients have to be combined in a stand up mixer using a paddle attachment It then has to be spread into a round and chilled while the dough rises. After the syrup is cooked then itpoured and swirled in the bottom of a greased skillet which will be used to bake the Kouign -amann. Assembly is  basically wrapping the dough around the butter to form a sort of envelope. In a nutshell, it's more folding and then pouring the syrup over it, spreading it with your fingers.It's first baked at forty five minutes in a 350 degree Farenheir oven and then flipped over. There's a second bake, with the cake being done when th e butter bubbling at the edges for an extra twenty to twenty five minutes. More syrup is added at this time. It's cut into wedges and served warm. 

The Kouign -amann is the star of any professional or home kitchen. Try this recipe if you want to create a delicious and lush pastry. It may be difficult to create but well worth it.