It's Octoberfest Time!

Every fall Germany and Germans around the world go crazy. Why?It's Oktoberfest! It's a time to enjoy the best Deutchland has to offer and it offers a whole cornucopia of yummy foods and drinks. It'sa perfect time to celebrate , with clear autumn skies and endless steins of beer!

Oktoberfest has its' origins in a wedding celebration that took place 200 years ago.Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.It actually started as horse race and then  eventually evolved into an actual festival. Small beer stands were set up to quench  thirsts back then, because it was more of a fair.  Now Germans around the celebrate it  , from parades and in German clubs to restaurants and even casinos. The foods are always delicious . Every kind of wurst is sold, from frankfurters to bratwurst and with it every and any kind of beer from weisse bier to  the darker, earthier brews.There are also spaetzle, the little flour dumpling that are excellent with a rich brown gravy.

The Germans are crack experts at baking and that reflects heavily at any Oktoberfest. Nothing beats a freshly made pretzel(or two or three) along with the many fantastic cakes.There is the heavenly Black Forest cake, a mix if dark chocolate cake, cherries and whipped cream. Sometimes shaved dark chocolate is sprinkled on it for added decadence.There's also the fruit cakes, such as plum and apple.These are more like tarts with a pie crust bottoms ,laden with fruit slices. Another treat is beesting cake or beinenstich, tasty mix of a honey butter cream, crunchy glazed almond topping and a fluffy spring cake.

If you haven't been to one yet, go to an Octoberfest.It's a great way to experience all that wonderful German food. Enjoy a wurst and beef followed by pretzels and cake.It's the best eating experience in the world!

Piedmonte''s Fall Feast

One of the best places to be in autumn is Piedmonte in the northwestern corner of Italy. This is where fall comes to life, with bright colors and bountiful harvests.It''s also a time for the dishes of the season , both hearty and delicate.

Truffles usher in the change of season and they are abundant in the specifically designated forest lands.These fungi , the diamonds of the food world, are used in pasta dishes as well as in flavoring oil and make a fine meal on a crisp October Sunday. Another cool weather favorite is bagna calda,literally hot bathin both the French influnced dialect and Italian.This is a savory and addictive blend of anchovies , butter and olive oil. cooked with garlic to create a bubbling sauce. Various veggies form mushrooms to Savoy cabbage are dipped into it and cooked. London Broil or any steak can also be cut up and the pieces cooked in it. The highlight however is soaking chunks of Italian bread in the sauce and then devouring them.

Fall desserts in the Turino and surrounding countryside are also wonderful. The Piedmontese are fond of fritters an make them using apples or even chestnut flour.Zabaglione or sabayon, a rich egg yolk custard made with Marsala wine often finishes a meal. The best dessert, though, is bonet, literally bonnet, a tasty treat harking back to the Renaissance,This is a slow baked creme caramel, made with crushed amaretto cookies , along with rum and cocoa powder.It can be made without the chocolate powder to emulate the original 15th Century recipe. The name means "hat' and could refer to the dessert's shape or that fact that like a hat it's the last thing considered. Either way it's a lovely dessert , served with espresso.

Piedmonte is beautiful in the fall. It is full of colors, flavors and aromas of good food. This is the season to enjoy it and its rich, culinary history.

Oodles Of Orzo

Orzo is one of of the most versatile and probably the most fun pastas out there. You can do so much with it from creating a tangy salad to a traditional pasta dish.It's also a perfect side subbing in for rice too.There are a dozens of good hot and cold recipes for this centuries old treat.

Orzo's name comes from the Latin word for barley, hordeum, , named such for its' small grain like shape. Primarliy used in Italy , it is also seen in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisines.It is cooked more or less for nine or ten minutes in boiling salted water, cooked similar to any pasta. Orzo is most versatile in soup and you can easily sub it in for any shells used in minestrone or pasta e fagiole. A different spin on it is Greek chicken soup made with a squirt of lemon. Also a good sick day soup is any broth, whether beef,chicken or even vegetable  with orzo and butter thrown in. As a pasta dish serve with any sauce  although rich pomodoro or tomato tastes the best with it.

Orzo is a great salad base and can go with any mix of vegetables and spices.An easy one is combining orzo with grape tomatoes and feta cheese crumbles. Season with oregano for added zing. Another saladis combing cucumbers,, vine ripe tomatoes  along with garbanzo beans and shredded basil. For a fun tailgate party treat make an orzo salad with crab meat along with Roma tomatoes,  two kind s of bell peppers and the zing of hot pepper. You can also  just make a simple chicken and orzo salad with just an easy red wine vinaigrette mixed in. This would be a  perfect Sunday brunch dish, served with pita bread.

Orzo is one of the most versatile pastas out there. You can have it in soul satisfying soup or pasta after a hard day at work.It can be a fun side at any fall party. It's easy to use and fun for creating different and tasty dishes.

Too Much Pumpkin?

Every October we tend to see a plethora of pumpkin inspired foods. The problem is by Halloween we're pretty much gourded out, literally, by eating and drinking everything spicy and orange-y. The problem is real pumpkin is actually quite delicious and very very healthy for us.

Pumpkin on it's own is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world.It is extremely high in fiber and low in calories.It is one of the biggest  and best sources of betacarotene . A side of pureed pumpkin can reduce not only a variety of cancers such as breast ,colon and lung, it can also aid in creating lower heart disease.It can also decrease the risk of the eye disease macular degeneration and cataracts. Pumpkin soup Piedmontese style is pure heaven. It's a great way of not only getting a super dose of vitamins but getting a burst of pure pumpkin flavor. You could even have mashed pumpkin, drizzled with some butter on top.It's a great side for any roast chicken or turkey.

The problem is tha,t  like with gingerbread at Christmastime, pumpkin becomes , well flavor of the month.. To be honest it;s not the actual pumpkin, it;s the spices, Everyone loves the taste of pumpkin pie. Why? It's a heady mix of allspice,clove cinnamon and nutmeg. These are what are in your coffees, muffins and cookies, not pumpkin itself. Of course on their own these spices go well with coffee and even a creamy chai tea. They add bounce to any spice cake or cookie. Marketed this way they still would be best sellers. Chains from Starbucks to Mc Donald's should consider this , calling the blend Fall Medley or Autumn Mix. We shouldn't spend a whole month eating foodstuffs with fake orange coloring ,laden with too much spice.

This is the month for pumpkins. Yet try the real thing for a nutrient dense treat. Don't fall for those other muffins lattes, cupcakes cookies, smoothies or whatever that claim to be pumpkin. They're just spiced treats with fake orange coloring. Nothing natural there.Really.

A Twist On Dulce De Leche

Dulce de leche is one of those desserts that can be a bit sweet. It is a decadent dessert  however it can be a bit too intense. Luckily anything that super sweet can be tempered with a bit of sea  salt.It gives any sugary treat a  much needed blast of savory.

Melissa Clark explorted this in her column, AGood Appetite in yesterday's taco issue of the New York Times Dining section.. Since the entire section was dedicated to tacos and other Mexican dishes, it stands to reason that Ms. Clark would add an appropriate dessert that would offset and cool the palate after a fiery meal. Dulce de leche is a usually sweet caramel pudding usually made with condensed milk. She varies this by subbing in the less intense condensed milk with a blend of coconut milk and brown sugar (the last is added to give the pudding its' traditional golden glow).it';s pretty easy to make , usually simmer in a saucepan for hours until cooked. The original method calls for boiling a can of evaporated milk until it almost explodes, however as Ms. Clark dryly notes, this should be avoided at all costs.

The pudding can be super sweet. Even the non dairy version can be a bit cloying.It does need to be offset by something salty. Ms,. Clark  adds a topping of flaky sea salt which will accentuate the flavor while provide some respite . She also tops it with broiled and caramelized pineapple and coconut shavings. These are a perfect foil but you could also use grapes or even citrus such as caramelized oranges , lemons or limes.I would prefer the last because the flavors would also add to the pudding's flavor You could also do a swirl of bitter chocolate on top too to decrease the dulce de leche's sugariness.Another idea is adding a dusting of ground nuts as well on top along with the sea salt flakes.

Dulce de leche, no matter how it's made is a tasty end to any meal./ However it can be intense and needs a jolt of something to overcome that. Try it with sea salt caramel, or even bitter chocolate to give it a bit more bounce.It goes from wonderful to sublime, thanks to this.

The Times Taco Issue

Once the staple of migrant workers  tacos and other Mexican  foods are now part of the American diet. Every section of the country along with ethnic groups has put their spin on this simple dish. It is best served the way it was when it was made in smaller and family kitchens, a simple wrap with a variety of ingredients.

The New York Times Dining section celebrated it with almost every article (save for Melissa Clark's dulce de leche article - more on that tomorrow): Everyone from regulars Pete Wells,Julia Moskin and David Tanis to new contributors such as Manny Hernandez and Ligaya Mishan. Even The Pour section has dedicated this week's column to drinks that would go well with the dish. What is interesting is the dish's history.Manny Hernandez while  exploring his grandparents' connection to tacos and tortilla also gives us the tortilla's history . Its' name comes from them resembling the dynamite sticks that the Mexican silver miners used. These too are a great dish to try and easy to make.

Another bonus of this issue is that there are several different recipes for tacos. David Tanis offers one with poblanos and black beans in his A City Kitchen column. These are enhanced with true Mexican ingredients such as crema Mexicana, a south of the border creme fraiche and Oaxacan string cheese,a form of the Italian mozzarella. The poblano chiles are roasted , giving the tacos a nice smokey flavor and there is also a healthy tomato and onion salsa to go with it.Julia Moskin offers a variation, more from Columbia than Mexico and it is Colombian corn and cheese arepas.These can be served sstuffed with different fillings if you want or just eaten like a cheesy corn muffin.

Mexican food is one of the healthiest cuisines out there. It also gives us the tastiest dishes like tacos and tortilla, These may be easy to make but oh so complex in flavor and texture.

Simple Sandwich Suppers

Sometimes you don't feel like making a hot dinner. Let's face it, many of us have busy lives and demanding jobs. Sometimes the family eats at different times from each other, thanks to sports or school activities or a late class.Then it's time to make sandwiches.

A sandwich can be just as nutritious as a regular full meal. There's nothing wrong with either getting or making heroes. for your family. These are not only loaded with tasty meats and cheeses, there are also the benefit of lettuce , tomatoes and other veggies such as peppers and onions. These last is chocked full of vitamins and nutrients.Add heart healthy olive oil along with healthy herbs such as rosemary and oregano for more boost.Even using a whole wheat bread or roll can be beneficial too.Stick to  low sodium cold cuts or better yet, leftovers such as chicken, turkey or roast beef. You can also create the French Provencale pan bagne, which is a yummy mix of tuna and tomatoes or just plain tomatoes sandwiches on baguettes.

If you or your family do want a hot meal but need something quick, then think about a hot open faced sandwich. There's nothing like slices of roast beef or London Broil on toasted wheat bread, smothered in gravy. The same can be said of a hot turkey sandwich which is a whole meal within itself.Many people (and kids) love a good grilled cheese.These are the simplest hot sandwich to make.Just take any cheese, preferably cheddar , and grill on any slice of bread.You can add bacon or tomato to it for more flavor and to create that diner fave The Happy Waitress.Of course if you want fancier then try the French croque monsieur. This is quick fried in butter grilled cheese, usually made with Swiss or Gruyere cheese with a slice of ham added.

Having just a sandwich for breakfast is not a sin. You can create or even take out a healthy hero or make a hot open one.It's just an easy way of having dinner after a hard day or during a busy schedule.