From Fire To Freezer

All big meals have leftovers. The first place they belong is in the fridge waiting to be tomorrow's lunch or  dinner. Yet many home chefs only guess at how to store their leftovers. Luckily there is advice to follow.

New contributor and author of  Genius Recipes + Genius Desserts Kristin Migliore,gave solid advice in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section.It is a conundrum for any home chef to put away leftovers. The first question is how long a wait before putting any food in the fridge? Most would say wait until the food cools down but that's an old wives tale. Food should go into the refrigerator as soon as the meal is finished and up to two hours after a meal . However that window shrinks to one hours when the ambient temperature goes above ninety degrees FRareheit. Those whole idea of not placing hot food in the fridge came about during the ice box eras of the last two centuries.Ice boxes required expensive blocks of ice. The ice  melted into puddles when hot food was put above it in the iced box's interior. Hot food can still  be taxing on a fridge so the key is to store the food in smaller portions. Divide wholes toast and turkey.. Divide casseroles, soups and stews into halves. make sure thee's only two inches of the leftovers in the containers. Cover loosely to let any stems escape. Also clean out your fridge before any big feat or party.

What should home chefs use for leftovers. Foil works for any odd shaped leftovers like a chunk of roast beef. However glass containers are the best according to Dr. Kantha Shelke, a senior lecturer of food safety at Johns Hopkins University. Buy tempered glass containers because they won;t absorb orders or stains. They're safe for reheating in both ovens and microwaves. You could use silicone bags however they come with their own problems. They're trickier to clean and have to be pampered to do away with stubborn smells. Two pluses though  they are lighter and not fragile. Dr Shelke also advises do not put hot food into plastic containers.These can leach harmful chemicals into the food such as BPAs, and potentially PFAS>  Keep in mind that plastic degrades over time, especially when it comes in contact with acidic and oily foods Also as tempting as they are to keep and reuse do not use take out containers. They;re not designed for heat exposure or repeated use. All containers should be labeled freezer safe.

There is a way to keep leftovers. be care with how to store them and how to keep them. The second time around will ensure even better food.

The Joy Of Nowruz Cooking

 Spring is here and with it Nowruz, Persian New Year.It's a time to celebrate the coming of new life .wat better than to enjoy it with a feast of bright ,sunny foods.

Cookbook author , chef and first time contributor Andy Baraghani gives his family recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Each dish and each ingredient symbolize something greater. Herbs symbolize rebirth,fish prosperity, and sweet sticky confections mean a year of joy.His recipes are family ones yet tweaked to symbolize the future. He has the traditional a - or thick Iranian soup, full of lemtils and chickpeas.Swiss chard ,dill and parsley give it the Springy greenness.it also requires reshteh a thick flat noodle used in Persian cooking but if you can;t linguine works nicely too.It's topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt mixed with fresh lemon juice .You could also usekashk,  an Iranian yogurt sour cream hybrid.The cuisine relies heavily on rice so there is sabzi polo, a saffron infused one that;s flavored with parsley, dill and cilantro along with scallions.A scattering of rose petals give it color and a pretty scent.

One of the highlights of any Nowruz table is egg dishes.Like Easter eggs, they symbolize rebirth and new life. Chef Baraghani gives his version of Kuku Sabzi'an herb and scallion frittata. These are five large eggs cooked with a mix of chopped cilantro,parsley dill and scallions. There is also turmeric and fenugreek added for color and flavor.It's cooked in oil in a covered skillet. The final dish should have a dark green or brown color.It's the put into the broiler for four minutes or until the top is set.It's served with flatbread,Torshi or Persian pickles or Mast-o-khar a yogurt and cucumber dish. There is also a recipe for this.It's three Persian cucumber blended with Greek yogurt. Sizzled or fried mint leaves are added a long with garlic, pistachios and lemon juice.For a main course there is fish bathed in saffron. Fish symbolizes prosperity and abundance. Chef Baraghani suggests using cod halibut or salmon.It;s slow cooked,He cooks it with leeks sauteed in a lemon and garlic  blend, The fish is put over this and then warm saffron water (water with crushed saffron in it) is poured over all of this The fish is then baked in a 350 degree Farenheit oven for twenty five to thirty minutes.It would be good served with any of the rice dishes.

Nowruz is a time of feasting and welcoming the New Year. Celebrate with symbolic and tasty foods. They represent a year full of brightness and abundance.

Sundaes Rethought

 What makes a sundae so special?It's not the ice cream itself - although that helps. It's what is put on it. Usually there;s a drenching pool of chocolate syrup or caramel sauceIt doesn't;t have to be this way. Sundaes can be tethought.

I found this in creating a simple yet elegant looking tasty dessert. I bought Brownie bites from Stop and Shop. These would be good with ice cream.

What would be a better accompaniment that Otaly vegan ice cream. Of course it did need another something special 

I love Alesto's Dried Berry Medley, from Lidl.It;s has a mixed of cranberries ,cherries and blueberries. This worked beautfully with the chocolate and vanilla.These could've ven work with chocolate ice cream too. A sundae doesn't;t always have to have sauce.It could have  crushed hazelnuts or walnuts. It could lie on a bed of chocolate chip cookies or a brownie bite. It doesn;t need whipped cream. Keep it simple and let the flavors shine though.

A sundae can be anything you throw together. Unfortunately many layer ice cream with tons of syrup and sauce and have blobs of whipped cream on it. Make a simplistic sundae instead.It'll be more memorable and tastier.

Best Of The Irish

Ireland is known for it';s beautiful cliffs and country side, it's pubs and parishes. Yet it's also it's food that makes this Celtic gem stand out. Thanks to the amount of natural resources an Irish diet is full of rich, flavorful food.

One of the best Irish imports is butter. Home chefs and bakers alike rave about Kerrygold, an Irish but from grass fed cows.It is higher in butter fat than American butter, eighty-two per cent to the American eighty.The cows graze on beta carotene rich grasses which affects the butter's flavor.It also has a smoother ,creamier texture too which makes it perfect for spreading on any hot slice of toast or muffin. Aldi also sells an Irish based butter Countryside. NO matter which you wind up with  use in in sauteed or just to top veggies.Irish cream (not the whiskey of the same name) is very good as well. Whip the cream and use it as a special side to any plain cake.Do the Irish have good cheeses thanks to all these rich dairy? Yes! Most of the counties do produce good qualities of various kinds. Cheddar is big but there is also the Gouda like Wicklows Farmer's Cheese.Cashel Blue is another popular cheese, similar to Blue cheese with its' veins of mold.

Any breakfast lover knows that Irish steel cut oats make the best hot breakfast. They're made from whole oats groats which are the cats with the kernels intact. They make the oats more nutritious.They're coarsely chopped into pieces  resulting in a more chewier texture and a nutty flavor.They do cook longer than  the regular kind but are great with lush ingredients added to them. Add whole cream and stir in brown sugar or maple syrup.Yes you can bake with them. The final products will be a denser chewier product. Think using them in chocolate chip cookies. They'll pair well with the brown sugar and dark chocolate chips. Ireland has another home grown product - not of the land but of the sea.Irish sea weed is becoming a culinary must. It is used in everything from recipes to cold remedies and beauty products. There are three types, dulse, which is the most popular along with  carrageen moss, bladderwrack sea spaghetti and sugar kelp.They can be cooked, into side dishes , salads and baked into different products.

Ireland has the best products and produces the best foods. From their butter to their seaweed there's a range of flavors. Try them to experience Celtic goodness.

Celtic Libations

 Saint Patrick;s Day brings a host of traditional Irish  foods and drink. People do know and love lamb stew and boxty yet Irish stouts and ales. flummox them. What's the best to drink? How is stout different from ale? There are so many aspects to decipher.

St Patrick's Day is a day to try a big pint of stout - namely  Guinness . This iconic ale was first created in 1759 by Arthur Guinness in Dublin. He had a 9,000 (!!!!!) year old lease on Saint James Brewery. It first produced many beers but then concentrated on a dark one first called porter then stout. Now there is a difference between the two. Porters use malted barley while the other uses just barley. This give stout  a roasted coffee like, almost bitter flavor. The taste does make it excellent for baking. Many use it ,combined with chocolate to create rich cakes and cupcakes.Porter's taste is also good, with a chocolate-y caramel or even a light coffee taste.Many porter cakes usually have brown sugar to balance this out as well as complementing the flavor. Keep in mind if you;re on a pub crawl on Monday, go easy on the stout.It has a higher alcohol content than porter. You can simply nurse one for an evening. You could also go for a pint of porter which is lighter and won;t leave you with a hangover on Tuesday morning.

Of course there's no avoiding a good dream of Irish whiskey on St Patrick's day. Yet which one is the best along with should you of with Irish or Scottish whisky.The different spellings can tell you something. whiskey with an e is the drink being distilled  three times while the one without an e is distilled only twice. The triple distilling give the finished product a lighter flavor. It can also be produced with both unmalted and malted barley.Malted just means the grains are allowed to ferment in water until sprouts appear.They're then dried and this process gives the sugars needed for fermentation. There are many Celtic themed cocktails to make with whiskey, namely the famed Irish coffee. This is coming a good whiskey such as Bailey's with hot coffee and sugar.A  thick layer of cream is put on top of the cup and you sip through that.THis can end a wonderful evening meal of lamb stew or a roast leg of lamb. There is also Irish cider a  blend of whiskey and hard cider for an extra kick.if you;re a light drinker than stick with a whiskey sour, a mix of whiskey, lemon or lime juice and simple or maple syrup. You can tell the bartender to go light on the whiskey so it kind of resembles a shandy.

Monday is a day for having fun and drinking. Just pick the drink that bests suit you.It could be a gorgeous dark stout or a light whiskey cocktail. Either way celebrate with a toast and Slainte

It's Pi Day!

Today is 3-14  Pi day here in the States. everyone is going crazy over the different pies out there from pizza to the dessert kind. It's also , fittingly Einstein;s birthday as well.

Here;s the question what kind of pie excites you? Is it pizza , loaded with all sorts of topping and extra cheese?Is it a dessert one with a side of fluffy whipped cream or scoops of vanilla ice cream? My favorite pizza is anchovy (what can I say , it's the Piedmontese blood) with extra sauce, sop extra that's its drippy. My favorite sweet pie  - pecan(again why can I say, it's my Southern and Midwestern roots) . either one makes me want to celebrate. Let's see what your faves and why. 

The US Truffle Capital

 Mention truffle capitol and most people will automatically think of Torino where truffles are found along the city'ss outskirts and neighboring woods. Yet the US has its own truffle capital- Eugene Oregon. Will America truffles catch on? Possibly.

Regular  contributor and restaurant critic Pete Wells stepped out of his comfort zone to head to Oregon and write about these gems in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section.It seems the woodlands outside Eugene make for excellent truffle grounds however truffles have been found as north as Vancouver Island in British Columbia and as south as Port Reyes, California just north of San Francisco. There are two varieties that grown here - white and black. The ideam land is former grassland now planted with Douglas first. A truffle hunter like Charles Lefebrve knows this land although it does help to use Google Earth to track down exact locations. He also used two trained dogs, Dante and Luca. Their breed is Lagooto Romagnolos ,a breed particularly raised to sniff out truffles, originating in the PO Valley. However other dogs throughout the Eugene area can be trained to hunt for truffles, no matter the breed. 

What are the truffles used for? Pacific Northwest ones seem to be used only by chefs in the region. East Coast chefs have rarely heard of them (although that could be about to changes thanks to this article). They are not the same as their Northern Italian cousins however. This proved to be the case for Elias Cairo, owner of Olympia Provisions in Portland,.He found they have their own flavor profile that represents "this really cool forest" in the United States. Luckily there is the Oregon Truffle Festival.It;s focused on helping chefs understand the fungi. Mr Cairo cures salame next to the white truffles so the meat can soak up the aroma, usually a aromatic blend of nutmeg, allspice and cloves. They also emit a gamy musk that reminds him of wild boar. Chef Deb Meyer of Choux Pastries has infused that aroma into goat cheese filling for her macarons. The blacks themselves are usually milder except when they are at the smelliest. They can still turn heads. However unlike the European variety they can be used in desserts. A chocolatier  in Eugene makes a truffle truffle, glossy domes of white chocolate filled with truffle infused creme fraiche. There;'s also n ice cream infused with black truffles too.

Piedmontese truffles are the creme de la creme of eating. Yet the Oregonian ones are gaining in strength and popularity. It may be that Oregon may beat Northern Italy as the world's truffle capital-.