Feasting After The Fast

 After  day of fasting the foods of Eid al-Adha  are not only nourishing but also delicious. They celebrate when the willingness of the prophet Ibraham to sacrifice his son Ismail. It is a holiday of sacrifice but there is also a side that shows love of family and heritage.

Fasting is one of the important factors of the holiday.It's an actor worship that brings Muslims closer to Allah.It's also empathizing with those who don;t have access to food. Charity is also a must .Muslims mist also share or give food to those in need. Not only is food not allowed but also water, and medicine (although this doesn't apply to the elderly and sick). At sundown the food comes out and there is feasting until daylight. lamb is very big during these night time dinners. Families can make a spiced lamb curry tat's ripe with apricot and saffron.There is also the Palestinian qurbani which can be beef , lamb or mutton. There is also the choice of kababs. A popular one is galouti which iOS made from minced meat, namely lamb. The shami one is Pakistani has dal or lentils added to it and made with beef. Masala flavoring is added to it.There is another kabak from Pakistan , the seekh and it is fried beef . lamb ro chicken mixed with onions and chili peppers for a hot flavorful treat.  Haruyali type of kebab has a green curry sauce on it and it's usually chicken.

Every meal ends with a sweet feasts of various desserts. Many home bakers will make ma'moul , a kind of shortbread ring filled with either pistachios, dates or walnuts.Some dinners will end with makrouta, a flaky cookie filled with dates. Cardamon and anise flavor the dough giving it a rich scent and taste. Stuffed dates are also a good dessert after the highly seasoned foods. These treats called Tamr mahshi throughout the Middle East are filled with different nuts like walnuts,pistachios and almonds. Chopped fruit and cream can also be used as fillings.A creamy rich dessert is Muhallibi, a mixture of milk and sugar thickened with cornstarch or rice.I's cooked and poured into molds to set.It can be topped with pistachios, shredded coconut, cinnamon or raisins.There is also a rolled cookie not only made for Eid but also for weddings.The dough is made with flour butter and yeast with fennel  and Nigella seeds for flavor. They can be filled with either walnuts or dates and both fillings are rich with cinnamon and cardomom along with butter for the dates.

The day is for fasting. The night is for celebrating. Both savory and sweet dishes make for a perfect Eid Al Adha meal.

Chefs' Legacies

 All great chefs are trailblazers, leaving behind legacies for the next generation of innovative cooks. This is none truer in the African-American community. Women chefs brought joy and history to their dishes , creating memorable recipes and memories for their patrons.

Regular contributor and accomplished chef  Korsha WIlson wrote about Black women who left an indelible mark on American restaurant cuisine in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. She covers chefs from three  decades, the Seventies ,Eighties, and Nineties. The restaurants are legendary, the cooks and dishes famed.Pamela Strobel was one of the first(there was Sylvia's started in 1962) owning and cooking for two restaurants ,Little Kitchen which was between 1965 to 1969 and Princess Pamela's Southern Touch which began in 1988 to 1998. She knew famous people such as Andy Warhol and even entertained her guests with bluesy songs. Her cooking skills came from her growing in South Carolina and featured simple meals like pork chops and collard greens. She created a sauce name for her mother who went by Beauty. This was [each preserved thinned with vinegar and has melted butter  and lemon added to it. The latest was B. Smith who ran the popular B Smith.Her food was distinctively Low COuntry with crab croquettes , potato salad and a remoulade. for dipping . She made kale salads topped with chicken and salmon long before anyone else did.

The next decades saw the arrival of the famed Alberta Wright  and Toukie Smith ,a celebrity in her own right.Chef Wright reigned from 1983 to 2007. She had the whimsically named Jezebel. Her restaurant was known for it's bright colored wall where equally bright art was hung,.She too was a South Carolinian who served Low Country specialties as crab soup laced with sherry, broiled red snapper stiffed with cornbread and oyster stuffing and  shrimp Creole with rice and okra. Her enthusiasm for cooking and treating guests like family infused the place. Of course Toukie Smith brought that same level of good cooking to her eatery . She was truly a star ,appearing on the  sitcom 227 and gracing the pages of Elle and Vogue . even though she is best known for these she also created Toukie's that lasted only four years, from 1994 to 1998. She was famed not only for her Black bottom pie, a decadent chocolate pudding filled pie but also for join tables and eat with guests.Those arriving were always welcomed with a kiss as she left a print of her signature red lipstick on them.

These women shaped not only Black culture in New York but  the way all New Yorkers ate. They brought ssignature family dishes and African American cuisine to the forefront. They shaped Manhattan's taste buds in memorable ways.

America;s Stockpile

 Tariffs affect the American people  among with the countries that sell us their goods. Many are stockpiling, anticipating that tt\heir favorites will be costing much more in the months ahead. Is this the right thing to do? Possibly.

Editor of the New York Times Food section Nikita Richardson sent out a question to New York TImes readers about what they would be stocking up on.Some of the results are in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. More than two hundred and fifty readers responded from a question that started with an anecdote from a Cooking editor. A relative had bought four bottles of Cognac in anticipation of tariffs on imported good.It's not just fancy liqueurs that are being horded.Common foodstuffs are too.A coffee lover, Mary Corbett of San Diego California wnr out and bout sixteen(!) pounds of coffee at Costco.It was due to Columbia and other South American countries. She likes looking at it as ti makes her feel safe.It is a wise choice . Coffee consumption was at an all time high last year in 2024. Another component of a good cup is also under attack - oat milk - which comes from Canada. Barista Josh Orter of Brooklyn's Minor Figues has been sticking up on it.

Of course with this silly trade war with Canada, maple syrup will also be affected.Syrup lovers have also stocked up. Luckily because of its' high sugar content,. maple syrup in glass bottles can last for years. Freezing an opened container of maple syrup can also extend its' shelf life.Olive oil is another foreign product both home and commercial chefs need. Most come from Italy but there are brands being imported from Spain and Greece.Two readers offered suggestions. Denise Adams of East Northport ,New York suggests buying and saving.She has  five bottles on reserve while reader Marsha Gelt in Oakland California recommends buying it in smaller bottles. You get more out of it than form the larger ones because olive oil can only last at best three weeks after being opened. A good idea is buying it from Aldo and Lidl where its a few dollars cheaper than in full priced grocery stores. Home chefs are also stocking up on avocados and pantry goods. Mexican goods such as avocados also face a twenty-five per cent tariff.Many ,like Rebecca Lawton of Fort Worth Texas are buying them now , rock hard and letting them ripen.  are stocking up on dried goods like oarmeal and imported canned goods. These can last for years .

Unfortunately the tariff war will go o  for the next four year - maybe even longer. Does i pay to stockpile while the prices go up. The answer is yes, because who knows what will happen during this presidential term.

A Good Quick Meal

  What's your idea of a good quick meal It could be a grilled cheese? Or is it ramen soup with a rare and expensive egg?  Do you prefer Sunday leftovers on MOnday where' there's no prep but plenty of reheating

Le'ts hear your ideal quick meal. MIne would have to be ramen,  any soup for me is a good quick meal that's also hot and filling.

Dolmades A Tasty Treat

 The best mezzo or snack is dolmades or dolmas. These are grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat. These are a great way to be introduced to Greek and Middle eastern food.

YOu can easily make or buy them.I've found Eradanous brand grape ;eaves at my local Lidl. They also make vine leaves (Basically dolmades) stuffed with rice and pomegranate syrup.

This was a tasty snack but with a salad could make for a good, refreshing dinner.

Dolmades ca be made at home. Most stores do sell them but they also can be bought on Amazon too.A simple stuffing is rice but you can add leftover minced lamb or ground beef. Chopped onions are  another ingredient that will add more flavor to them. Uncooked rice and the other ingredients are placed atop whole grape leaves ,then rolled into little parcels. They're steamed in water for thirty to forty five minutes. They  can be eaten hot but they  r'e also good chilled , marinated in olive oil.

Dolmades are the perfect snack,appetizer or dinner. They 're bursting with flavor . Make them for a different kind of meal.

Mug Treats

 Mugs are usually used for that steaming cup of coffee or hot cocoa.Yet they can be used for making quick meals for one or an easy to make treat. It's surprising what a mug can hold.

If people are using mugs for meals, the first thing would be for soups. This is true. A mug of soup is a great lunch but it can be used for so many other dishes.Mug chili is a fun and easy hot  lunch or  Sunday supper. keep in mind that this only takes a fraction of the ingredients used to make a pot of chili.Its' three tablespoons each of corn , red kidney beans, finely chopped carrots Mix in one tablespoon of chopped onion or a small pinch of onion powder. You only need six tablespoons of tomato sauce along with one half tea spoons of cumin and chili powder. You can blend in a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes if you want, You can cook it that day or put it in the fridge for later use.It'll will hold up for two to three days.It's just a few minutes in the microwave and you have a hot, satisfying meal. Add corn chips along with avocado slices. You could even have a cornbread square with it . You can even make pizza in a mug!!! Take a slice of bread_ I'd go with Italian for a nice crusty bite - and cut it into cubes. Then mix  one teaspoon melted butter, with one tablespoon of pizza sauce  Also add a teaspoon of oregano and small cubes of mozzarella. Add a tiny bit of olive soil and then microwave for ninety seconds or until the cheese melts.

Of course mugs can be used for making a variety of sweet treats too. Ali Slagle came up with a mug version of sticky toffee pudding for the Wednesday New York Times Food section.This is making a cake like pudding in a mug and then dousing it with a homemade caramel sauce. it should be made in a bowl but you can make it in a large mug too.The actual cake has a quarter cup of flour and a quarter cup  baking powder like a full size cake along with chopped dates along with three tablespoons of heavy cream. It only takes a minute to make it. You can even spoon on jarred caramel sauce like Smuckers on top. Another sweet mug treat is a cinnamon roll in one. You do have to grease the mug with either, butter, margarine or a cooking spray. Its then taking a two or three tablespoons of pancake mix and a quarter teaspoon of baking powder and mixing them with  milk and maple syrup. Melted butter is added int give the cake moistness>its then swirling brown sugar and cinnamon on top for that classic cinnamon roll look. Microwave for about a minute.

Mugs are not just for coffee or hot cocoa. YOu can make quick amazing meals and desserts in them. Try a savory or sweet mug treat for a quick bite.

Hearty And Healthy

 Can a dish be both hearty and healthy? Yes! Many dishes can be both rib sticking and good for you.It's just getting a good mix of veggies and protein to create a dish thar's perfect for these frosty days. It doesn't have to be loaded with fat and grease to keep you satisfied.

Pasta is always a good filling meal. Many would go with a rich Alfredo sauce , rich with cream, butter and Parmesan cheese. Opt for a just as flavorful portobella mushrooms. and spinach. This blends is sauteed ina mix of olive oil and plant based butter. Minced or grated garlic is added for flavor. This is good with any kind of pasta.It's also up to you on how to create it.Mushroom lovers can put three or four chopped Bella's and just half a cup of spinach while spinach lovers can add two cups (it cooks down quickly) and two chopped Bella's or half a cup of sliced baby Bella's.Another idea is a simple chicken cacciatore which has chicken breasts or plant based chicken strips in a simple tomato sauce enhanced with red wine and a bit if anchovy for unami. The flavors are rich and also perfect with the lean cuts of chicken.A lemon sauce, usually made with olive oil and garlic as well also is a tangy and satisfying. Add chicken strips ,or seared salmon to make it heartier.

Stuffed veggies can be both hearty and healthy too.Everyone loves a warming dish of stuffed peppers. Two can make for a hearty healthy week day or Saturday night dinner. You can fill them with lean ground beef or turkey along with rice , chopped onions and tomatoes. Plant based beef crumbles are also a good healthy filling too. If you want some crunch, just add a light sprinkling of bread crumbs on top. Skip the cheese.Stuffed onions, popular in Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and France are another hearty yet healthy stuffed veggie.every home chef in Piedmonte has their own recipe for this. A simple yet healthy stuffy is the onion's middle minced with lean ground beef or turkey. A bit of garlic and oregano round out the flavor along with tomato paste.  Stuffed squashes are always a tasty treat and perfect for a dinner. Try the fun named carnival squash and stuff with rice and chopped pecans or walnuts along with minced bell peppers and onions. Quinoa also works well as a stuffing and it can be used don't only in squash but also in peppers and onions too.

A hearty dish doesn't have to be loaded with rich ingredients and calories. You can make a hearty and healthy meal that'[s rib sticking and tasty. It's just subbing in the bad ingredients with good ones.