An Easy Taste Of Piedmont

 Years ago it was hard to make a good pot of polenta and then fry it up into tasty buttery rounds. It was equally hard to make a good salsa de zucca or squash sauce. Now these ingredients are easy to find and a snap to make.

Polenta e saucisse is a fall dish loved by everyone in Piedmonte. My school's  womens' volleyball team consist of such  alon with a few f=girls from the Veneto province.I wanted to make them something to alleviate their homesickness - What better than this . Polenta e saucisse  with squash sauce. There is a catch .This is vegan.

The polenta is from Melissa's Organci C polenta. The sausage Is from Violife and the sauce is Lidl's squash.
The polentas was the hardest to cook.

There had to be about thirty or forty rounds, cut with all different widths (polenta logs can be tricky to work with). 

I frried them in typical Piedmontese style - inna mix of butter and olive oil. Polenta rounds are a quick fry up. Seven minutes on both sides. That's it.

I wanted the sausage to be ultra crispy so I cooked them for about seventeen to eighteen minutes at 390 degrees Farenheit in my ir fryer.  Air fry them first for eight minutes , turn over then finish the frying. The extra minutes gives them a nice bite and I think brings out the mix of plant based meat and spices nicely.

The sauce is from Lidl. I tasted it and fell in love. This has a mix of peppers and tomato paste in it to lessen that sometimes sweet ,squash-y taste.I am actually making this tomorrow with my own polenta  rounds.I put a tablespoon of vegan I Can't Believe It's Not Butter in to give the texture a smoother consistency.It  can be left plain too.

I'm hoping our volleyball team tastes this and is reminded of Northern Italy in the fall. There is a richness to this easy to make dish. It's the perfect meal for anyone,. 

GO KNIGHTS!!!!🏆🏆🏆

Autumn Barbecues? Yay or Nay?

 Do you still fire up the grill despite the falling leaves?Are charred burgers or hot dogs more appealing than a Sunday roast with mashed potatoes.? Some people love a good fall cook out. Others do not.

Here;s the question then - do you still barbecue despite the sometimes falling temps (here in New Jersey, the weather keeps bouncing between the fifties and eighties).Or are you more let's make that chicken in the oven? I kind of waver between the two. I love a good barbecue, but an indoor meal has its' appeal to.

Let us know during this beautiful October weekend.

Stephen Starr The Man Behind The Restaurants

 A good restauranteur is hard to find. A very good one is a unicorn. Yet Stephen Starr is that culinary unicorn. He is the man who brought back the classic eatery Pastis and turned Philadelphia into a foodie must stop. He is the driving force behind where and what America eats.

New contributor Christine Speer Lejeune wrote about this amazing force in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Stephen Star is responsible for some of the best and most popular eateries, in New York City, his home town of Philly and Nashville. He is reviving the scandal stained Babbo in Manhattan, a restaurant that was once Mario Battali's before Battali's sex scandal ruined his career and business.He has  done some wonders with reviving the legendary place Pastis and is now expanding to to Nashville. In one year alone he has amassed around four hundred million in revenues,a pretty amazing feat in this depressed economy however he is responsible for a whopping forty-three restaurants.He has a true instinct for what diners want and he attracts a huge array of fans. The Bidens were just at his Philadelphia trattoria Borrmini,, Mick Jagger and Oprah were fans of his Asian fusion eatery Buddakan. He has worked with such chefs as Kevin McNally to name a few.

Surprisingly enough Mr.  Starr didn't start out in the food or hospitality business.He started spinning records for local radions in his native Philadelphia. (in fact he runs his eateries like record companies and often used musical and album restaurants along with dressing laid back record producer in his black tee shirt and jeans) . At twenty-one he changed course when a former girlfriend dumped him for being broke. He resolved not to be broke again and started a succession of  show business ventures in the Philadelphia area. However  a lightbulb went off when he visited New York City's Global 33 a martini bar. He loved the feel and the crowd, a bar filled of sexy, young good looking people. He could brink that to Philly. He opened up the Continemtal Martini Bar in 1996 around the time when the martini culture movie "Swingers came out." The place was an instant hit. It was the jolt that set the foodie scene there afire. He opened up the pricey yet successful Buddakan which brought celebrities toa city mostly known for scrapple and cheese steaks along with Colonial history. Even Robert Di Niro visited. Now Starr is all over his city  and Manhattan.

Stephen Star is bringing fun dining and good food to two of the East Coast's most important cities. He has brought Asian  at Buddakan food to the forefront and revived classic restaurants. It's will be amazing when he expands to other cities like Nashville.

Party Salads ? Why Not?

 Party and salad may not go together. One tends to pair a festive gathering with more appropriate foods, such as charcuterie or roasts. Yet a salad , done right can make a gathering interesting and delicious. It's not just a bowl of greens mixed together with bottled dressing. It's something more.

Chef and regular contributor Hetty Liu McKinnon wrote about this and gave recipes from her newest book Linger: Salads, Sweets And Stories To Savor (Knopf 2025) in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. She recommends thinking outside the bowl. Try smoky roasted veggies or pantry friendly legumes. Add comforting noodles along with homemade chunky dips and great homemade salad dressings. One way of having a phenomenal salad is choosing make ahead dishes that only get better over time. Her example for this is a take on the classic British Coronationsalad. Usually made with chicken and left to marinate , Chef Liu McKinnon subs in chickpeas. A day in the fridge makes the flavors bolder along with bolder and more exciting. Along with chickpeas, cauliflower adds more crunch especially when the two are roasted with a sprinkling of cumin on top. The dressing is a mix of Greek yogurt, apricots (as in the original recipe(, celery and red onion that';s been steeped in water to mellow out the onion-y flavor.

Chef Liu McKinnon also includes a great dip and a salad version of the classic Dan Dan dish. For the dip she takes sliced turnips and fries them in a combo of oil butter ,garlic and miso. The dip is a combination of feta and pistachios blended together with  garlic, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and a splash of water. Put this and salad leaves on a  large plate, then top with the turnips. Other veggies can also be used as well as crips pita or French bread. The second is a riff on the classic Dana Dan  dish, There is no meat in this one however. Ramen noodles combine with bock choi and canned corn. Toasted sesame seeds and cilantro give it more color and flavor. The dressing is a blend of pantry essentials. Chinese sesame paste or tahini is mixed with Chile oi or Chile crisp along with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.Two to three tablespoons of non dairy milk like almond, oat or soy is used for creaminess . For all of these everything can be made the day before and assembled the day of , considerably cutting prep time. Just let the salads sit for thirty minutes before serving.

Salads can be the stars of  any party. Make all three or save them for different gatherings. They're sure to be hits.

A Heady Glass Of Fall

 That nip in the air means a refreshing cocktail or mocktail to welcome in fall. It's time to use the flavors of the season in tasty sips that are great on their own or with hors d'ouevres. They're easy to make and perfect for those beginners throwing parties.Pears

Apples are the main fruit and flavor of this season.Of course there is cider both hard and soft.Both make the perfect base for a layered concoction, full of zest and spice. Get a few bottles of hard cider. A chilled bottle on its'  own is refreshing but add a splash of bourbon and ginger beer. Add some lemon juice for a refreshing zing. You can also create the classic Old Fashioned.It;s cider missed with bourbon and Angostura bitters. A dash of maple syrup sweetens it up. Cider mocktails are also refreshing and have a kick of their own. Mix up a sparkling one with blending in cranberry juice, ginger ale and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Everyone thinks that cocktails and mocktails should be served cold. Not true. They can be warmed, perfect for a chilly night around the fire pit. A hot cider mocktail should be served in a  mug to contain the heat.  It's making a simple ginger syrup using ginger and brown sugar. The cider and syrup are mixed and microwaved for a minute. A squeeze of fresh orange juice  gives it a citrus-y freshness.

Pears are another fall fruit that can be used I both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Try  a fresh pear cocktail for something delightful and different. The base is a citrus infused vodka (easily made by letting vodka sit with sliced lemons in a jar for two days). there is a tablespoon of agave syrup and three tablespoons hard apple cider. Lime juice gives it brightness and either sliced or shredded pear gives it that mild, sweetly woody taste. This can be made into a mocktail by using a mix of apple juice and plain seltzer.. You don;t want to use the flavor powerful apple cider for this  because it will smother the pear taste. A more sophisticated sip is a pear martini.Use pear flavored vodka, Le Poire along with four ounces of pear juice. (if you have a juicer then make the juice fresh). Add a splash of plain sparkling water and a splash of lemon. Serve in a sugar rimmed cocktail glass. A pumpkin martini is also a wonderful fall cocktail.It's mixing pumpkin puree,vanilla and vodka. Maple syrup or a simple one gives it sweetness while pumpkin pie spice provides color and flavor.

This is the time for fun and fancy drinks. Celebrate fall with these cocktails and mocktails. Enjoy them on a nippy night.

Why Can't Chips Be CHips

 Potato chips.It's simple - .A slice of deep fried potato flavored with salt. It's perfect.It;s what makes French fries taste like heaven. It should be the same for the basic chip. Yet it isn't. Now they come in a million flavors. The question is why.

This dawned on me when I made amy local  trip to the Acme yesterday and saw their brand Signature feature a stuffing flavor . I'm guessing it taste like sage and bread - possibly with hints of turkey and chicken broth, The problem with this is where would the potato flavor be? It's less of a chip than something else.Flavored chips are nothing new.They've been around for a whopping seventy-f9ve years first being made in Ireland(!!!!!!)  and not where everyone would guess - the US. it was Dublin based Joe Murphy who created the variant  - cheese and onion - along with the British favorite salt and vinegar. The last probably mimicked the taste of the French fries or chips themselves doused with salt and vinegar. He developed a way to season the chips during the production portion. His company Tayto gained worldwide recognition and soon copies followed. The United States quickly got on board and produced barbecue and sour cream and onion flavors. The last seemed a logical jump. Most Americans were dunking their chips into a sour cream based onion dip at parties.

However in those three quarters of a century , flavors seemed to have gotten out of hand. Lays alone has a large array of different ones and sponsor a  write in contest where fans can submit their sometimes wild suggestions. They even offer a chip that's layered with all the popular flavors - salt and vinegar, barbecue and sour cream. I'm not sure how the flavors would be mixed together , The original potato flavor would be smothered.Other snacks like Takis, the rolled tortilla chips snack has these Fuego or super spicy flavored crisps. Lays has taken a cue from them and produced a flaming hot chip . Other flavors reflect growing ethnic groups such as  Latinx. This gave birth to the flavor Chile limon which sort of is like a spicy margarita.  They laos have a Korean chicken flavor, as they cater to the growing Asian population. Here's is also on board with different  flavors too.There's an Old Bay one that is like  the famed crab leg dish along with ketchup and even steak. There is also a dill pickle flavors, ripe with dill for pickle lovers.

DO these flavors enhance the potato chip? Some fans might say yes. However they're missing the great tasty of fried potato with salt.

Fall Ingredients

 It;s time to rethink cooking and baking now that it's fall. It a chance to bring in mellower flavors along with heartier recipes. It's also time to use the season's bounty in a variety of ways.

This is pumpkin season. The versatile squash can be used in a variety of different recipes, both savory and sweet.Pumpkin soup is a hearty bowl of goodness. make it Piedmontese style by adding butter sauteed onions ,milk or cream and cooked rice. The base can either be chicken or vegetable stock. Keep in mind that this recipe  can also be made with acorn, Hokkaido and butternut squash too for a nice fall lunch or dinner. Pumpkin can also be turned into a rich pasta sauce. It's as easy to make as the tomato kind. The base is pureed pumpkin enhance with vinegar, oregano,basil and garlic. Milk is added to create a silly textured sauce.It CNA be poured on any kind of pasta but us especially good with gnocchi or as a sauce for Italian sausage or saucisse and polenta rounds.Of,c ourse, pumpkin makes for an excellent pie and there will be plenty of them baked this fall. Try something different like a crostata which has a freer form of crust. There are also breads too made from pureed pumpkin. Make sure you have that important of all spice to flavor these treats - cinnamon. It's also a  major ingredient in coffees and un savory sauces as well.

Cinnamon may be the big star of fall spices but there are others to consider and add too. Amp up your sage .It is used in mostly stuffings but can also be used for cooking chicken and in sauces gracing breasts and thighs. Nutmeg is another autumn must have .It's perfect for giving extra zing to lattes and chais but also good sprinkled ion egg custards for color and flavor. Nutmeg is  also perfect in simple cakes and cookies.It ccan be also used in frosting for spice cakes too. Never forget spiced fruit as a lovely end to a fall dinner. Take advantages of the newly burgeoning harvests right now. All sorts of apples are on the market and waiting to b picked in various orchards across  North America. Again these can be used in both sweet and savory recipes.Like pumpkin they are great in pies and crostatas but you ca also use them for maki ng tasty. apple cakes and muffins. They also good cooked with onions and gracing a hearty pork roast.The sweetness is the perfect foil for the meat's rich unami flavor. American Concord grapes are flourishing right now. Yes they're good on their own but you can use them in chicken stews and pork roasts.

Fall is here. Use its' harvests and spices to create richly flavored recipes. It's time for a delcious change.