Norwegian Wood

Scandanavian cuisine has always taken some getting used to as well as some ribbing over the years.Yet this ancient way of cooking and spicing is taken on a new form.Call it Nouveau Nordic .It's creating a stir in New York and getting palates excited again for this northernmost of European foods. Jeff Gordonier explored this as well as experimented with it in his column in today's New York Times Dining section.New Nordic, as it's known, has been around since the early part of this century.It sparked with the famed Marcus Samuelsson bringing a fusion of Ethiopean and Swedish cuisine to Harlem. Rene Redzepi came out of Denmark, bursting with new spins and old ideas such as curing ,foraging pickling and plating. Now, more than a handful of chefs from all over the Scandanavian arc are opening up restaurants throughout the city and its' boroughs.Most eateries are relying on the strong flavors of sea and land.As with Viking cuisine of a millennia ago, the flavors center around twigs, berries,roots, weeds, bark ,hay, grass along with kelp, fish soil and a kind of barrel fermented funk. That said , these add to the dishes ,making them customer favorites. What are these imported chefs creating? At Brooklyn based Luksus,Daniel Burns (who is really not Scandanavian,and has also cut his culinary teeth at The Fat Pig in London,England) gives us aebleskiver, a fritter made with duck confit and mushroom.Another chef, Swedish born Fredrik Berselius relied on his upbringing of foraging to influence his style.His most famous dish is a milk sorbet ,with a forest medley of spruce, yarrow and wild berries. another popular dish, known and loved by all Scandanavians is blood pudding.This is a sausage made with dried blood and filler, such rye and oats and then flavored with onions and molasses.It's a hard sell be cause it's not as popular here as it is in most of Europe.Skal offers a more friendlier charred broccoli, easily made at home too.This is breaded florets ,charred and then brushed with aoili sauce. NouvelleNordic is gaining its fair share of foodie fans.It is reflects the old with new ideas.Together it brings a new form of Scandanavian cuisine to New York Palates.

Dr. Bialik's Vegan Diet

Turning vegan is not always easy.For one thing some of our favorite foods are made with meat, dairy and eggs.Another headache is that sometimes it just isn't flavorful or appealing.Luckily Dr. Mayim Bialik has come out with a new cookbook with a huge variety of all sorts of vegan dishes and advice. This is a great book( and I'm not writing this because I'm a huge Big Bang Theory fan and love her character Amy Farrah Fowler). .What really stands out is the advice given by Dr.Bialik and her coauthor ,Dr.Jay Gordon. I like what Dr. Gordon has to say about going from cow's to soy ,almond or rice milk. add it to regular milk until you develop a taste for it.Other good points are breakdowns of dairy and eggs and why we should never eat them.Luckily the recipes have good sub INS . The cookbook also has an excellent list of what ingredients , and tools to have. having these makes for an easier transition into vegan cooking. It is published by Da Capo Press and can be bought on Amazon. Dr Bialik breaks the recipes down into different sections,from breakfast to sides to main meals.She also has a section on breads ,unusual for a vegan cookbook.She also has classic dishes like a true dairy less baked Mac and cheese made with Daiya cheese and even pasta salads.I am definitely trying her Thai pasta which reminds me of a lo mien along with dilled chick pea burger.The book also has my favorite snacks ,kale and Brussels sprout chips .These are super easy to make and are perfect for novices .Dr Bialik includes desserts too and these are great.There are cookies from oatmeal to a dense chocolate kind along with a have to make chocolate peanut butter pie.Dr. Bialik also includes recipes reflecting her Eastern European Jewish background with latkes and tzimmes. Veganism is not an easy lifestyle , especially after a lifetime of eating bad.The first step towards it is buying Dr ?Bialik's book.It's a step in the right direction.

Presidential Tastes

Our presidents are no different than us when it comes to food. After all they're just ordinary men who enjoy a good snack.From Washington to Obama or chiefs of staff have their raves and sometimes food quirks. Most presidents have been big beef eaters. mostly our guys like Ron Reagan love anything with red meat including hamburger soup, red flannel hash and a well grilled steak. Eisenhower was the same , enjoying pretty much the same along with foods that reflected his German heritage.Some First Eaters were products of their environment. Richard Nixon likes foods indicative of his California ubringing such as fresh fruit . John F. Kennedy preferred his New England favorites such as fish and New England baked beans. our current guy President Obama love chili, protein bars and chili. He has a sweet tooth for salted caramels dipped in milk chocolate ( although Im sure First Lady Michelle makes sure he has plenty of fresh fruit and veg) . Our earlier presidents had tastes that reflected their times. George Washington loves the simple gingerbreads and cakes Martha made. he was also big on game and home made beer. sophisticated Thomas Jefferson brought his foreign tastes with him. he had a fondness for baked Mac and waffles. his was a more sophisticated palate than most. Prsidential diets reflected the man's upbringing. Abe Lincoln preferred just coffee, bacon and Johnny cakes, probably because his early diet was sparse. Our presidents create the moods for what we do. they also create the food moods too.

Take Two Gingers And Call Me In The Morning

It happens to even the best of foodies - overindulgence. We spend one night gorging on favorite foods and snacks, the next morning we're doubled over with a stomach ache - or much much worse. The best bet is to actually use the hair of the dog to settle that over used tummy. Surprisingly the right foods can help and even cure us. One of the best cure alls for any upset stomach, whether it be from a virus or just an overdose of chicken wings is ginger. You can take ginger ale to help however the strongest and most effective is the actual ginger root. You can buy whole ones in your grocery's vegetable section. Try to find a root with a lot of spindly extensions. This makes cutting it up easier. Slice or chunk up enough of it to fill half a cup or mug.Boil water, as you would for tea and then when boiled pour over the ginger pieces. Steep the root chunks or slices for a good fifteen minutes and add honey if you want. Leave the pieces in as you drink it to absorb the full potency . You can use the pieces again for a a second immediate cup (which I recommend). The phytochemicals in the ginger will alliviate the nausea and get rid of any gas.By the second cup you'll be feeling better. You can also use COke or Pepsi over crushed ice. Both calm a roiling stomach along with just making you feel refreshed. ONce you feel up to even a litle morsel of food think soup. There's nothing like a clear broth, so always have either beef, chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes in your pantry. Have a cup of it with just a couple of simple Saltines.These also squelch nausea and and the most friendliest to eat. They're dry and bland. A simple soup, like chicken helps. Generations of my family have relied on that Piedmontese classic pan piest or breadcrumb soup to get them through everything from stomach flus to bad colds. Make the broth first, usually four cups water to four bouillon cubes. Add two well beaten eggs when the broth starts to boil. As the soups starts to look like Chinese egg drop soup, slowly pour and whisk in one to two cups of plain breadcrumbs. Stir with a wooden spoon until is everything is well blended.The consistency should be like a thick porridge. You can also make yourself rice cooked in broth and when you're feeling a bit more hungrier. have plain spaghetti or egg noodles with butter. If you crave sweet, limit yourself to half a banana or shortbread cookies. Bland is better in this scenario. Upset stomachs are part of a foodie's life. Combat them with healing foods. They 're calming and nutritous and with being on the path to feeling better again.

The Food Of Love

If music is the food of love then what is food itself? Is it just sustenance or the surest way to a man's heart? and what about chocolate?Is a good box of it better than any diamond? Actually all those answers are a resounding YES! Food ,its flavors, textures and even our memories of it play an important part of romance. Certain foods have been considered aphrodisiacs for millennia.Oysters have always been considered the food of love. Casanova, that great Italian lover of the 1700's started his day with fifty of them ( surprisingly he never got hives or seafood poisoning from them)It turns out those little bivalves contain rare amino acids that trigger sex hormones.You could eat them raw however a better choice is oysters Rockafellar ,a steamed and baked dish that combines oysters,spinach and bacon.If that doesn't get you charged up, then try other foods such as bananas and asparagus, both deemed the food of love.The phyto chemicals in them help churn out the hormones,needed for romance Then there's chocolate.It's crammed full of phenyletthylamine ,another natural chemical which brings about a feeling of well being and happiness.Nothing beats a box of luscious cremes or caramels. However the way to anyone's heart is through his or her stomach.Happiness is when the one you love cooks your favorite meal.Sometimes a big pot of spaghetti with home made sauce is more of a turn on than lobster tails and steak.Even hamburgers ,homemade with fresh ground meat , is the perfect Valentine's Day meal.Better yet, a meal of comfort food could reel in that special someone. It may sound trite and vastly old fashioned , but if a girl can cook like her beloved's mother ,then she has him ,hook,line and sinker.Nothing says love like a home made meat loaf ,complete with homemade mashed potatoes and brown gravy.Another dish ,sure to win him or her over is baked Mac and cheese.Nothing beats a hoe made one covered with crispy breadcrumbs and layered with bacon.Also learning to cook the dishes of your beloved's ancestry is a big plus.If you can,try to get family recipes from moms, grannies and siblings. There is such a thing as the food of love.It could be something that has "aphrodisiac " properties or a beloved dish from childhood. Whatever it is,if it brings on feelings of romance, then eat it.

Flan A Golden Treat

Flan is one of those desserts that when it turns out well, it is truly a masterpiece.It all depends how it comes out of it's mold.Like any upside down dessert , the best part is when you flip it and see a bronzy cap of caramel.It's what makes this traditional custard so special , the deliciously browned top . David Tanis wrote of his experiences making it in his City Kitchen column. In yesterday's New York Times Dining section.Flan is a traditionally Spanish dessert although the French have more or less the same dessert called creme caramel or creme renversee.On it's own, flan is an easily made custard, perfect for neophytes new to custard making.It is cooked blend of just milk sugar and eggs, left to set.Creating the caramel top is a little bit trickier.It has to be made before the custard and then first spooned into the mold.It should be a deep rich brown color and will continue cooking even after leaving the burner.Just remember,Mr.Tanis warns,that caramel can be very hot and can cause burns if it.s spilled.Be careful when spooning it into the individual molds.Make the flan hours later and then leave it in the fridge for two to three hours to firm up. Most flans have an eggy taste which is pleasant enough.Mr.Tanis amps it up by adding blood orange juice and zest.The fruit imparts a delicate ,exotic flavor ,reminiscent of Iberian orange groves.He also adds non traditional spices such as coriander, cardamon and fennel seeds.These aromatic herbs perfume it, perhaps a nod to the spice markets across the Straits of Gibralter in Morocco.You can do your own variations with either a drop of vanilla, or better yet,coffee or chocolate.Flan can also benefit from rosemary or even bay leaf. The Internet has some interesting flan recipes and ideas too.There are pumpkin,buterscotch and coconut laced flans. Just don't pick an ingredient that will overpower the caramel.It really is the star of the shoe. Flan is a delicious finish to a meal.There's something wonderful about the marriage of custard and topping.This blend is what makes this light egg custard deep and complex.

Chili Your Way

Nothing beats a big bowl of chili on a cold winter"s day.What's perfect is that you can tailor it to everyone's tastes as long as it has that touch of heat.It's an easy as well as fun dish to whip up.Everyone loves chili in any form. Jennifer Steinhauser explored both the dish and it's history in today'New York Times Dining issue.Chili really has an interesting past.It is sort of a combination of both the Old World and the New.Part of it stems from the balmy Canary Islands, off the coast of Spain.Islanders went from there to Spanish Colonial Texas of the 1700s.They made a cooked stew of beef seasoned with cumin and garlic.The indigenous tribes of the area also had a chili precursor in the form of bison meat stewed with wild onions.Add to that the Mexican chilis, a huge part of the Aztec diet for millennia before the European settlements came.Chili powder was used in the mix , subbing in at time for the cumin the Canary Islanders used liberally, a Berber influence from Arabic Spain. Americans got their first taste of it,in San Antonio where chili queens sold bowls in the town's plazas and then later at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.Chili powder then became mass produced around 1900' enabling home chefs of any nationality a chance to make this easy stew. Now chili has many variations and recipes.There are vegan ones,along with turkey and chicken ones.Ms Steinhauser uses dark turkey meat in hers ,giving it a gamier ,richer flavor.Most award winning chili recipes have beef in them ,staying true to the original chili con carne recipe.This is a mix of bacon and chuck although you can use bison or venison too.Ancho chilis are added for the perfect fire along with cumin.There are chili recipes that include beans such as red kidney beans and pinto beans.This gives any chili a creamier texture.Ms Steinhauser also includes The recipe for what's called "A Big Bowl of Red" , a Tigua Indian recipe.This has round steak cut into cubes mixed with masa harina, a Mexican version of polenta added to the chili while cooking.Also certain ethnic groups Like the Greeks add their spin with adding a dash of cinnamon and cloves creating Cincinnati style chili.Ms Steinhuaser adds both dark chocolate and coffee, creating an almost mole style of sauce. consistency depends on it's cook and the amount of liquid added.Some chili masters do fast boils too ,cooking it quickly to steam off the liquid while others prefer a slow cooked pot with less liquids. this last can take up to three hours.The best chili is a thick meaty kind that you can almost eat with a fork.What to serve with it.Some swear by Saltines and Oysterettes ,others love chili over a bed of corn chips,creating a Frito pie. To be honest the best bet is polenta ,followed by rice.Both allow the chili to shine while adding their own subtle flavors. Chili is the perfect antedote to a blast of winter. It is hearty and hot, no matter how it's made. it's a comforting bowl of spices ,and beans, meat and tomatoes, the right combo for a satisfying meal.