Would it surprise anyone that famed Mexican chef, Patti Jinich , has never been to a Taco Bell, She hasn't - and with good reason. Why settle for mediocre fast food when you can create the authentic , tastier version at home.Yet, as the intrepid food authority she is , she went
Kim Severson wrote about Ms. Jinich's first trip ever to the Taco Bell near her home in Chevy Chase,Maryland.It did not go well. She, Ms. Severson and two of her three sons made a visit to this staple of American fast food.Like Chinese- American and Italian -American dishes, Taco Bell's offering are a pale version of what is actually cooked in Mexico.It's kind of like how we overly celebrate Cinco de Mayo,which is just a small holiday there. Ms. Jinich ordered nineteen (!) items to try,all suggestions from her fans. The first was a ground beef taco in a soft tortilla.Maybe it needed salsa. She tried all four of Taco Bell's salsas on it and that didn't help.Then there was the chicken chalupa which Ms Jinich declared to be only marginally better. She could see being super hungry and eating it then. The one that finally got her approval was the Dorito Locos Taco Supreme. You have to wonder if she got the Mexican pizza sauce and red strips - the last questionable. (it could be dyed red taco strips). She briefly wondered why is it would called supreme which is nothing more than an upgrade of sour cream and chopped tomatoes. In the end , her youngest son, Julian or Juju got sick from the food.
It's no wonder. As he told Ms. Severson. he has the best Mexican food at home. Why should he go to Taco Bell. He is right. His mom was beneficial in bringing , true Mexican food from the many different regions to American kitchens. Cooking is in her blood, thanks to her family, especially from her father who ran two restaurants in Mexico City. It did take her a while to grow into it, being a serious and studious child who grew up to receive her master's in Latin American studies at Georgetown University. She wrote policy papers for Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. From there she realized she was more interested in food research than policies.Ms. Jinich enrolled at night school the L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda Maryland and new career opened up for her.After creating a culinary program on Mexican cuisine at the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington DC. After conquering crippling stage fright it was onto TV. She went first to the Food Channel, which was not for her and switched over to the more serious PBS station. There she could not only introduce Americans to true Mexican cuisine but also the history of such classics as flan and dulce de leche. Her cookbooks, a must for any cooking enthusiast, show the real side. rich with chorizo and native chiles.It is certainly not the garishly colored, intensely flavored Taco Bell offerings.
Ms. Jinich hopes Americans discover real Mexican cooking. It is one flled with ancho chiles and mole sauce. It's not one loaded with cheese and strange ingredients.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Hot Fruit
As much as we love to take a bite out of an apple or pear, there's something about cooked fruit that's lush and satisfying. Heat brings out the flavors, caramelizes the inherent sugars and creates a custardy texture. It turns an ordinary drupe, pone or berry into something special.
Apples are big right now. Many feel the best way to cook them is baked into a pie.It's a delicious way to have them, especially when the pie is warmed up and served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. However if you're not a big fan of crusts, there are two suggestions. One is a galette,a more rustic , yet surprisingly elegant tart. It's an open pie ,with the crust folded only an inch in, showing off apple slices usually arranged in a swirl pattern. The crust is the same as any lard based one and the filling's ingredients are the same as an apple pie's - cinnamon. sometimes' that's omitted so the cooked apple taste shines though. Sometimes the entire galette is brushed with apricot jam to give it a beautiful shine. The second idea is just make the filling - kind of like a chunky apple sauce in your slow cooker or crockpot. It can not only be served as dessert, but omit the cinnamon and serve it as a side to pork roast or pork chops.Of course baked apples are always a lovely fall dessert. You can bake them with brown sugar , cinnamon and butter but for a more sophisticated spin try them Piedmontese style with a filling of Marsala , butter and a pinch of sugar for each apple. For a fun Halloween party, think baked apples stuffed with caramel and chopped walnuts.
Pears are another fruit that are delicious when cooked. One of the most popular recipes is poached. Usually red wine is added along with orange peel in the cooking to impart more flavor. White wine can also be used. The fruit can also be baked in a galette, Try it with a buttery tart crust instead of a pie crust. Grocery stores are still selling peaches right now. Go for them, to get the last taste of summer. One of the most delicious is pesche ripiene Piedmontese. This is a big dessert in all of Piedmonte. It's stuffing sliced pitted peaches with crushed amaretti cookies with the chopped peach stones and butter. They're then baked with peach liqueur such as Schnappes . They're so delicious that you don't have to serve them with whipped cream although some home and professional chefs add a dab of marscapone cheese next to them. Peaches can also be baked as well with cinnamon and some kind of nut. This makes a great side to butter pecan or vanilla ice cream. Cranberries are the quintessential fall berry. Yes you can cook them into a sauce that goes well with turkey but they also can star in a sweet trifle recipe. Layer them with buttery pound cake slices and a cream cheese/whipped cream filling. This would even make a great holiday dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cooked or baked fruits are more sophisticated way to serve fall's bounty. They become more complex and flavorful, thanks to baking or slow cooking. They go beyond being apples and pears, peaches and cranberries and transform into memorable tastes.
Apples are big right now. Many feel the best way to cook them is baked into a pie.It's a delicious way to have them, especially when the pie is warmed up and served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. However if you're not a big fan of crusts, there are two suggestions. One is a galette,a more rustic , yet surprisingly elegant tart. It's an open pie ,with the crust folded only an inch in, showing off apple slices usually arranged in a swirl pattern. The crust is the same as any lard based one and the filling's ingredients are the same as an apple pie's - cinnamon. sometimes' that's omitted so the cooked apple taste shines though. Sometimes the entire galette is brushed with apricot jam to give it a beautiful shine. The second idea is just make the filling - kind of like a chunky apple sauce in your slow cooker or crockpot. It can not only be served as dessert, but omit the cinnamon and serve it as a side to pork roast or pork chops.Of course baked apples are always a lovely fall dessert. You can bake them with brown sugar , cinnamon and butter but for a more sophisticated spin try them Piedmontese style with a filling of Marsala , butter and a pinch of sugar for each apple. For a fun Halloween party, think baked apples stuffed with caramel and chopped walnuts.
Pears are another fruit that are delicious when cooked. One of the most popular recipes is poached. Usually red wine is added along with orange peel in the cooking to impart more flavor. White wine can also be used. The fruit can also be baked in a galette, Try it with a buttery tart crust instead of a pie crust. Grocery stores are still selling peaches right now. Go for them, to get the last taste of summer. One of the most delicious is pesche ripiene Piedmontese. This is a big dessert in all of Piedmonte. It's stuffing sliced pitted peaches with crushed amaretti cookies with the chopped peach stones and butter. They're then baked with peach liqueur such as Schnappes . They're so delicious that you don't have to serve them with whipped cream although some home and professional chefs add a dab of marscapone cheese next to them. Peaches can also be baked as well with cinnamon and some kind of nut. This makes a great side to butter pecan or vanilla ice cream. Cranberries are the quintessential fall berry. Yes you can cook them into a sauce that goes well with turkey but they also can star in a sweet trifle recipe. Layer them with buttery pound cake slices and a cream cheese/whipped cream filling. This would even make a great holiday dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cooked or baked fruits are more sophisticated way to serve fall's bounty. They become more complex and flavorful, thanks to baking or slow cooking. They go beyond being apples and pears, peaches and cranberries and transform into memorable tastes.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Squash For Dessert
Now is the time for all things squash.It's can be sauteed with garlic , baked with butter, and stuffed with breadcrumbs. It can also be the basis of cakes and sauce too. Now you can have it with a cup of coffee or tea for a sweet snack or dessert.
What can you do with this curcurbita? Surprisingly you can roast it in sections and serve with ice cream or even spiced whipped cream. It's just cutting them into sections and de-seeding them so that they resemble cantaloupe, ,baste them with melted butter or coconut oil and then sprinkle on either pumpkin pie spice blend or cinnamon .Roast in a 400 degree oven for forty-five minutes to an hour. Serve warm with spiced whipped or butter pecan ice cream (or both!)Mash it and it can become an ice cream topping - squash sundae anyone? This requires a cup of brown sugar along with orange juice and a tiny pinch of salt, cooked with the veggie and then mashed into a thick compote.Squash bites are another sweet treat.These are Middle Eastern inspired , spiked with saffron and turmeric and mixed with a dough of mashed almonds and pitted medjool dates. The butternut squash has to be zoodled or spiralized which creates fun orange stripes running through the bites. Ground cardamom seeds are also used for more flavor. It can be put in a dehydrator however if you don;t have one , try a low oven at 125 degrees F for about half hour to forty-five minutes.
Of course you can bake squash into bars and cookies. A great recipe for bars is one topped with streusel, in a kind of marriage between coffee cake and pumpkin pie , It's a cake bottom with a pumpkin pie like filling, thanks to the cinnamon, nutmeg , and ground ginger. The streusel is a yummy mix of butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and pecans. A fun way to get the kids to eat relatively healthy is to make squash cookies.The butternut squash is cooked and mashed, again spiked with ginger and cinnamon. The gourd can be a star ingredient in many different kind of cakes too. A fall dinner party can end with an elegant layer cake , highlighted with only maple and filled and frosted with a brown sugar Swiss. meringue. A great snacking cake is the butternut coffee cake. It's a spiced up pecan loaded version of the regular kind which would be fun at a brunch or weekend picnic. Another fun version is a butternut sponge roll filled with a fluffy light cream cheese frosting. Again maple and walnut give the cake added flavor. A different birthday party treat is butternut squash cupcakes with caramel cream cheese frosting.It's basically the same as the other cakes but in cupcake form with caramel sauce added.I'd use Smucker's salted caramel to give it a savory kick.
Squash is primarily a side or a vegetarian main dish. Yet it can be made into a tasty dessert using fall flavors. Try it as an ice cream sauce, cake, cupcake or cookie, Get to know its' sweet side.
Squash is primarily a side or a vegetarian main dish. Yet it can be made into a tasty dessert using fall flavors. Try it as an ice cream sauce, cake, cupcake or cookie, Get to know its' sweet side.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
The Three Pronged Meal
It's always challenging to come up with a good dinner and/or supper seven days a week. What do you make as the main dish?What would make good sides?Will they go with whatever meat you cook? The best way to create a tasty balanced meal is to take the three pronged approach.This is a great way for novice home chefs to learn about putting together a meal.
What is the three pronged approach? Pick out a main.It could be meat or tofu.Then choose veggie and grain side dishes to go with it.It's the classic dinner ,some kind of roast surrounded by sides. The main dish .doesn't have to be a grand roast - chicken or turkey breasts will do just fine, especially after a busy , tiring work day.Even hamburgers or hot dogs work.For a fancier or special meal, think filet mignon or a juicy T-bone steak.Of course you could also pan fry skirt steaks, with some chimichurri or salsa verde - green sauce .Fish and seafood are another choice. Both tilapia and shrimp are amenable to spices and herbs and you can create a filling yet low calorie meal with both. For a Sunday dinner at home, think a nice roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon or even Cornish game hens. The star of the dinner table doesn't have to be a roast It can also be a tangine -rich with lamb. What's good about it is that it includes the second and third prongs veggies and grains. This Moroccan and Algerian classic is rife with fruits, olives, carrots and rice.Another choice is good old fashioned stew, full of potatoes , carrots and onions. Vegans and vegetarians also have some good main dish choices.Morningstar Farms and Gardein have excellent meat substitutes. Try Gardein's beef tips in a stew or just with rice or veggies as a hearty supper.Morningstar Farms has chicken strips that are tasty in fajitas, and tacos.
Now that the main prong has been chosen, it's onto the sides.Rice or noodles are always good and they're popular with kids. Zatarain and Goya have delicious rice dishes that can be combined with any meat or seafood.Zatarian's red beans and rice are great with beef, the real deal or Gardein's beef tips.It's spicy and full, with an extra kick of protein thanks to the beans. They also have a Caribbean rice mix along with rice mixes that will go well with chicken and shrimp.Goya also has excellent sides such as yellow rice and rice primavera. Buy their paella Valenciana , add some shrimp and create a fun Saturday night or Sunday supper.Noodles are always a great foil to poultry and pork. Make them from scratch or buy a package of that kitchen classic - Mueller's. What about the third prong? The veggies. Sometimes just plain steamed ones are the best.. A fresh ,bright flavor is like a palate cleanser, especially if the main or grain is heavily spiced or sauced. Since the stove top or oven will be used for the meat or seafood and rice or noodles., use the microwave for the veggies. Stop and Shop's in house steamers are great for this. Their peas are perfect with a just from the garden taste. The same goes for their green beans, and broccoli. In the summer replace these with fresh picked tomatoes and/or corn.
The three pronged meal is the best way to plan a satisfying and nutritious dinner. Use it for a week night. Try a fun one for the weekend. It will help tremendously in planning a week - a month - even a year of meals.
What is the three pronged approach? Pick out a main.It could be meat or tofu.Then choose veggie and grain side dishes to go with it.It's the classic dinner ,some kind of roast surrounded by sides. The main dish .doesn't have to be a grand roast - chicken or turkey breasts will do just fine, especially after a busy , tiring work day.Even hamburgers or hot dogs work.For a fancier or special meal, think filet mignon or a juicy T-bone steak.Of course you could also pan fry skirt steaks, with some chimichurri or salsa verde - green sauce .Fish and seafood are another choice. Both tilapia and shrimp are amenable to spices and herbs and you can create a filling yet low calorie meal with both. For a Sunday dinner at home, think a nice roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon or even Cornish game hens. The star of the dinner table doesn't have to be a roast It can also be a tangine -rich with lamb. What's good about it is that it includes the second and third prongs veggies and grains. This Moroccan and Algerian classic is rife with fruits, olives, carrots and rice.Another choice is good old fashioned stew, full of potatoes , carrots and onions. Vegans and vegetarians also have some good main dish choices.Morningstar Farms and Gardein have excellent meat substitutes. Try Gardein's beef tips in a stew or just with rice or veggies as a hearty supper.Morningstar Farms has chicken strips that are tasty in fajitas, and tacos.
Now that the main prong has been chosen, it's onto the sides.Rice or noodles are always good and they're popular with kids. Zatarain and Goya have delicious rice dishes that can be combined with any meat or seafood.Zatarian's red beans and rice are great with beef, the real deal or Gardein's beef tips.It's spicy and full, with an extra kick of protein thanks to the beans. They also have a Caribbean rice mix along with rice mixes that will go well with chicken and shrimp.Goya also has excellent sides such as yellow rice and rice primavera. Buy their paella Valenciana , add some shrimp and create a fun Saturday night or Sunday supper.Noodles are always a great foil to poultry and pork. Make them from scratch or buy a package of that kitchen classic - Mueller's. What about the third prong? The veggies. Sometimes just plain steamed ones are the best.. A fresh ,bright flavor is like a palate cleanser, especially if the main or grain is heavily spiced or sauced. Since the stove top or oven will be used for the meat or seafood and rice or noodles., use the microwave for the veggies. Stop and Shop's in house steamers are great for this. Their peas are perfect with a just from the garden taste. The same goes for their green beans, and broccoli. In the summer replace these with fresh picked tomatoes and/or corn.
The three pronged meal is the best way to plan a satisfying and nutritious dinner. Use it for a week night. Try a fun one for the weekend. It will help tremendously in planning a week - a month - even a year of meals.
Friday, October 5, 2018
The Vegan Chicken Franchese
Julia Moskin's chicken franchese recipe in last week's New York Time's Food section intrigued me. I wanted to try the vegan version not hers - which could be vegan patties or cauliflower - but mine.
Since I couldn't use chicken stock,I subbed in veggie instead. I used three of HerbOx's vegetable bouillon cubes.
Since I couldn't use chicken stock,I subbed in veggie instead. I used three of HerbOx's vegetable bouillon cubes.
I microwaved it with two cups of water as directed. Then it was onto the base of the franchese sauce. , dry white wine, the juice of one whole lemon and six tablespoons of butter.
Of course I used Miyoko's vegan butter that I ordered from Vegan Essentials. The wine was Piot Grigio from DaVinci. These are cooked together in a medium saucepan until the liquid becomes syrupy.
It didn't. It just became bubbly and soupy even though I cooked it for the required four minutes over a medium flame. I added the broth which was guaranteed to also thicken it. Nope.
Then it was time to cook the chicken. I used Morningstar's chicken strips I couldn;t get Gardein's chicken cutlets).
They have to be steamed in two tablespoons of water.I used half a cup.
They would up being burned and sticking to the frying pan ( the burned bits were more delicious, especially with a sprinkling of sea salt.) I served it with angel hair pasta, a variation of Ms. Moskin's recommendation of pasta. I used Stop and Shop's angel hair.
I also added green beans however the finished product looked like something vaguely Asian.
It either looks like a hearty Rmen soup or a vegan version of pho, the Vietnamese eefsoup.
What I learned was after research, the vegan chicken franchese is a lot different than the original recipe.
One, I should have used tofu filets,
Two. I should have used cornstarch as a sauce thickener.
Oh well, next time I'll know better.
However the greater lesson is never be afraid to try.The recipe may turn out a disaster but you can learn from it as I did. Maybe that's the best thing about cooking this meal.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
The ABC of Za atar
Ever since reading and finally tasting za'atar ,I decided to make it. It's easy thanks to McCormick's spice mix which even has the sesame seeds included . It was then just adding fresh thyme and a good half cup of olive oil (I recommend Bertoli's).
I poured in about half a cup of olive oil to get it to the consistency that King's Falalfel had. It'll look like a dark green paste.Stir evenly so the oil coats all the mix. You can add more oil for a thinner paste or less for a thicker one. Here's the fun part. Za'atar goes with everything.
I spooned it on grape tomatoes. The blend bring's out the tomatoes' sweetness along with making them more interesting I used about three teaspoons. It's also good on pita. I couldn't find any so I bought the Indian naan bread, cut it into fourths and, drizzled olive oil on top of the pieces. They were them popped into a 350 degree F toaster oven for ten minutes to crisp up
Then .the za'atar was spooned with a big dollop of hummus onto a plate..
The bottle is 1.25 ounces and you will need the entire contents when making it (for a party use two or three bottles) along with an entire container of fresh thyme.
Use about .25 ounces or about fifteen sprigs. (use less if you're not big on the flavor, nut just remember thyme is an important part of the overall taste.)
Then it's tearing off the leaves using a paring knife.
Discard all the stems and add to the za'atar mix.
Mash the two together, dip and double dip for an amazing bite.
This is a great dip and spice blend. I plan on using it on Gardein's soy beef tips next, and possible, added to scrambled eggs.
If you want something delicious and new, try za'atar,It's an easy mix and tastes so good. Try it on fresh veggies or spooned over crisped pita or naan breads.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
The Cookbook Issue
The holidays will be here sooner than you think. One of the nicest gifts you can get any dedicated home chef is recipe book. Luckily, the New York Times Food section has just put out its' cookbook issue with dozens of choices.There may even be some you'd want as a birthday or Christmas gift.
Four writers were featured in this informative issue.One was Nik Sharma who has just come out with Season, Big Flavors, Beautiful Food. which tells of his journey from his birthplace of Indian to Oakland, California. Mayukh Sen, a James Beard winner of food writing, interviewed this creator of the food blog, A Brown Table. This is a must have for those who like the variety of different foods from all over India and celebrating his Goa and Utar Pradesh heritages. He also throws in other cuisines as we see in his Bombay frittata, a rich creation of eggs, creme fraiche turmeric and garem masala. Tejal Rao, a Food section regular contributor, interviewed one chef , one food website editor, and one cookbook writer, about cooking for one. Chef Anita Lo, author of Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a party of One, Erik Kim, editor at Food52 which should be classified as a cookbook and Klancy Miller,creator of Cooking Solo: The Fun Of Cooking For Yourself. Usually a cookbook for singles is chock full of sad recipes. All three have dishes full of lush ingredients such as duck confit and warmed almonds. Chef Lo's also recommends using only half the veggies and save the other halves for another recipe.Also leftovers can be used over in such exciting dishes as Chef Lo's cauliflower chaat, ripe with garlic and cilantro.
The other cookbooks are just as interesting and informative.There's a semi-vegetarian one called Almonds, Anchovies and Panchetta; A Vegetarian Cookbook Kind Of by Cal Peternell, chef of the famed Chez Panisse.It even has dad jokes and weed references along with such cool recipes as egg herb anchovy toasts and eggplant al mattone with scallions and spicy peanut sauce. The popular eatery, Los Angeles' Bestia has come out with a cookbook along with the Brooklyn hipster hangout, Emily. Middle Eastern cooking is red hot right now. For those wanting to learn about it consider buying, Najinieh Batmanglij's Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets which feature cooking with such ingredients as smoked rice and lemony barberries and Isreal Soul, Easy , Essential and Delicious by the highly successful Zahav authors, Michael Solomov and Steven Cook, There's even a five minute hummus made with canned chickpeas and a lot of tahini sauce. Craziness reigns in Joe Beef; Surviving The Apocalypse: Another Cookbook of Sorts. from Frederick Morin and David McMillan. The book is full of odd and brilliant recipes from their Montreal restaurant of the same name. Bakers will love Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit, by baker,Lisa Ludvinski which has such unique recipes as rhubarb blondies and peanut butter- smoked paprika cookies.
There are many cookbooks coming out right in time for gift giving. Look through the New York Times Food section for ideas. You many even see some for yourself.
Four writers were featured in this informative issue.One was Nik Sharma who has just come out with Season, Big Flavors, Beautiful Food. which tells of his journey from his birthplace of Indian to Oakland, California. Mayukh Sen, a James Beard winner of food writing, interviewed this creator of the food blog, A Brown Table. This is a must have for those who like the variety of different foods from all over India and celebrating his Goa and Utar Pradesh heritages. He also throws in other cuisines as we see in his Bombay frittata, a rich creation of eggs, creme fraiche turmeric and garem masala. Tejal Rao, a Food section regular contributor, interviewed one chef , one food website editor, and one cookbook writer, about cooking for one. Chef Anita Lo, author of Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a party of One, Erik Kim, editor at Food52 which should be classified as a cookbook and Klancy Miller,creator of Cooking Solo: The Fun Of Cooking For Yourself. Usually a cookbook for singles is chock full of sad recipes. All three have dishes full of lush ingredients such as duck confit and warmed almonds. Chef Lo's also recommends using only half the veggies and save the other halves for another recipe.Also leftovers can be used over in such exciting dishes as Chef Lo's cauliflower chaat, ripe with garlic and cilantro.
The other cookbooks are just as interesting and informative.There's a semi-vegetarian one called Almonds, Anchovies and Panchetta; A Vegetarian Cookbook Kind Of by Cal Peternell, chef of the famed Chez Panisse.It even has dad jokes and weed references along with such cool recipes as egg herb anchovy toasts and eggplant al mattone with scallions and spicy peanut sauce. The popular eatery, Los Angeles' Bestia has come out with a cookbook along with the Brooklyn hipster hangout, Emily. Middle Eastern cooking is red hot right now. For those wanting to learn about it consider buying, Najinieh Batmanglij's Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets which feature cooking with such ingredients as smoked rice and lemony barberries and Isreal Soul, Easy , Essential and Delicious by the highly successful Zahav authors, Michael Solomov and Steven Cook, There's even a five minute hummus made with canned chickpeas and a lot of tahini sauce. Craziness reigns in Joe Beef; Surviving The Apocalypse: Another Cookbook of Sorts. from Frederick Morin and David McMillan. The book is full of odd and brilliant recipes from their Montreal restaurant of the same name. Bakers will love Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit, by baker,Lisa Ludvinski which has such unique recipes as rhubarb blondies and peanut butter- smoked paprika cookies.
There are many cookbooks coming out right in time for gift giving. Look through the New York Times Food section for ideas. You many even see some for yourself.
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