Foods Of Peace And Palestine

Palestine is  and always has been an area fraught with tension and hate. The one thing that relieves the  constant fighting and afterwards fragile truces. is the food. It is a cuisine full of fire and sweetness, full of ancient recipes and flavors. Now there's a new cookbook celebrating it.

Regular contributor , Mayukh Sen, wrote about Yasmin Khan' latest book,Zaitoun :Recipes From The Palestinian Kitchen (W.W. Norton and Company Publishers 2019) in today's New York Times  Food section. The book almost never happened. Ms. Khan developed a block. Images of the Israeli military checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza kept haunting her. Thankfully Anthony Bourdain's daring attitude towards food inspired and impelled her to soldier through. She gave herself pep talks too, self advising to not make it pretty or sanitize. See the area for what it is. It helped her and reinforced her love for this strife riddled land. Ms. Khan fell in love with the food when she found herself there a decade ago, working on human rights with the group, War On Wants, a British charity focused on an anti poverty initiative. The days there were distressing, due to the constant presence of armed military . Food soothed the anxiety. Fresh made hummus and baklava   eaten in little cafes at sunset helped to alleviate those frenzied feelings. The work burned her out and three years ago turned to food . Her first cookbook, The Saffron Tales, featuring recipes from her mother's Iranian background was published.

The new book reflects all the different aspects of Palestinian cooking. It's divided into three different categories.There is the bread and meat based cooking of the West Bank which includes East Jerusalem and extends to the River Jordan. There is also the food of Galilee and Nazareth that resembles Levantine cuisine with its' tabbouleh salad and  spiced ground kibbeh. Then there is the cooking of the Gaza Strip, a dense patch bordering Egypt.It is largely fish based and fiery. One of that area's most treasured dishes is zibdiyit gambari , a tomato stew rife with jalapenos and shrimp , cooked in a clay pot. That recipe and others are included in  the article. Cauliflower is popular  there, so there is a roasted cauliflower soup, spiked with cumin and cauliflower along with turmeric.Chicken is also big in Palestinian cooking and there is a recipe for it ,mussakhan, cooked with sumac and onions, Again, spices figure prominently in it as well,namely cumin caraway and the surprising allspice.

Palestinian food is comfort food to many. It was to Yasmin Khan  who created a cookbook to celebrate her love for it. It is a lovely tribute to a land where food means everything amidst the strife.

The Pet Parent Diet Challenge

Today's New York Times Science Times had an eye opening article. Regular contributor Jane Brody  wrote about the dark side of pet  treats. Like us ,with our cookies and chips , our fur babies crave them. Like our cookies and chips, they create a wide range of health problems if eaten too much.

What can we do? Join our furry babies on  diets towards better health. As Ms. Brody points out , our cats and dogs don't open the treat jar or bag themselves. We do it.We see it as an act of love and affection. Pet parents - including myself - don't think about the calories involved in giving a handful of snacks. We just want to make them happy. Dr. Deborah Linder, who head the Tufts Obesity clinic for Animals Nutrition Service suggests other ways of showing them how much they mean to us. (and this idea can also apply to friends and family too). Getting them to move and lavishing them with attention instead of with goodies is the best way to a weight healthy cat or dog. Cats love to play - so have plenty of toys  for them. Those lattice rolly balls -  keep them engaged for hours . I always have a lot for my lot since they wind up underfoot  - not unlike Legos - and get crushed. Straws are fun toys as are aluminum foil balls. Dogs also love play .Go outside , Both of you can get some fresh air as you play fetch or tug of war. Both pet parent and fur baby can lose the fat running around. Belly rubs and snuggles also are great sub ins for treats.

It's usually the overweight pet parents that have the overweight cats and dogs. Here's a challenge. Can both lose weight  by eating healthy and being active?We too need to get rid of those fat rich foods and pare down what we ingest. The unusually cold weather has made most of us cook calorie rich meals, roasts surrounded by gravy and potatoes along with icing rich cakes . We stay in , we have our hot chocolate with a shot of whipped cream as we read or play with our tablets. It's too frigid to go out - wait til the warmer weather. Yet that also means less activity  - less chance of burning off all those calories we've consumed.It can be hard. Sometimes humans, dogs and cats have the same eating habits. Dogs over eat.So do we. Cats graze all day. So do we. With dogs it's better to practice portion control. Feed at the lower end of feeding recommendations that are printed on every can and bag of dog food. It also helps to limit table scraps too. As for cats, they are grazers which means they eat whenever they feel like it. That means three or four bowls are left out for them to taste and eat.They can be fed with a timed feeder although most cat parents will tell you when a cat wants something, they will go to great lengths to get it. The best bet is ask your vet for a prescription for a low calorie food and limit the treats to once in a very great while. Divert them with snuggles and playtime also helps too.
Can you and your fur baby lose the weight? Let's see if you can. Write or better yet send pictures of you and yours before the weight loss and after.

A Crunchy Healthy Cauliflower

One of my favorite recipes is my Mom's fried cauliflower. This was always a treat because of the earthy sweet taste of the florets and that delectable fried crunch, thanks to the breadcrumbs. Unfortunately all that frying and the veggie's gas inducing qualities usually made for a pretty wild ride afterwards. I decided to try the air fry method  with my new favorite appliance - my Power Air Fryer.

I found a recipe on line that I adapted to what I had in the kitchen, I used a medium sized cauliflower from Stop & Shop's organic Nature's Way. You don;t have to parboil it but it does help in creating a tender middle in the florets. It also makes it easier to pull apart.

Parboiling just takes five minutes .Boil water and put stripped cauliflower in the water.

After, to stop it from overcooking, plunge into an ice bath.

I added  two ice trays worth of ice cubes to "shock" the cauliflower. This stops it from cooking more from the residual heat.

Now it's onto breading. I used a recipe from The Foodie Eats site./It's half a cup of water,1/2 cup of almond milk and 1/3 cup flour. I added two and a half teaspoons of Pereg's savory halwaij spice mix. 

This is a traditional Yemeni spice that will be competing with the already trendy za'atar spice mix.

The floret looked a bit anemic so I decided to do a double dip. First a dip in the wet batter then dredging in a mix of halaij, flour , salt and pepper.

 

As you can see, it's a messy,messy job. Be prepared to get your fingers batter dipped too.

Now for air frying.

Set it at 350 F

For fifteen minutes.

This is the finished product. It's not as good with as my Mom's breaded and fried version. Thanks to the halaij it had an Indian curry vibe . The spice contains turmeric which gave the florets that nice golden glow. It had the sufficient crunch. I would make it a bit differently - possibly with onion powder and definitely more salt and pepper. The next time will be with panko crumbs.The most noticeable change is that I didn't have any stomach problems afterwards. 

If you want a healthier fried cauliflower, this is the  recipe for you. You can add a dipping sauce or just eat the florets plain.It's a different spin on my family's classic.

A Trio Of New Spices

Trying new spices are always fun. One of my favorite spice companies Pereg has come out with a trio of new ones. They're interesting and can be used in a variety of ways.

One of my favorites is their Everything But The  Bagel mix of sesame and poppy seeds, onions garlic , salt and pepper.Imagine if you can just eat the top of the everything bagel. I actually put a few sprinkles on a pretzel bagel .

It was like eating an everything bagel. I plan on making rolls with the tops dipped in it sometime mid week. (which will be posted with step by step instructions).

The next two spices are variations of hawaij ,a Yemeni  spice that has two variations.One is savory and made with cumin, tumeric,coriander, black pepper, cardamon and cloves. it can be used in soups and  rubs. I decided to go a different route - I used it to spice up my batter for cauliflower.

It is a regular vegan batter-made with just almond milk, water and flour. I add two and a half teaspoons full of the savory hawaij. 

This is the finished product. They were double dipped between dredgings to produce and cooked in my air fryer (there will be a whole how to on Monday) at 350 F for fifteen minutes. The taste had an Indian vibe thanks to the turmeric . They were tasty and I plan on using the savory hawaij in minestrones and maybe on potatoes and onion too.

Then there is the sweet hawaij.

This is a blend of ginger,cinnamon, cloves and cardamon. I mixed it with Kava coffee , sugar (a lot) and milk. 

I also sprinkled it on the top of the whipped cream for a coffee bar touch. It was interesting and reminded me of the pastries I've had at a Palestinian bakery in Paterson NJ

. It's supposed to be used for pancakes and meatballs but I may try it in meringue  batter  to spike it or again with coffee.

Pereg has outdone themselves again with three new spice blends. They're great for revving up something as simple as bagels and cauliflower or as complex as a coffee blend. Try them for a unique flavor experience.

FoodCubby A Fun Way To Eat Neat

There are many kids - and adults who hate when their food touches each other. It can be a pain scraping a side off to the side of the dish, making sure there's no sauce or gravy on it. Forget spreading foods like creamed spinach or beans. Not to dispair. Food cubbies are here.

These smile shaped separators are made of BPA Free food grade silicone. That means they're safe for your picky little and probably pickier big eaters. They also have a second function - .they help in pushing food onto utensils. The separators act as walls that make it easier for those with arthritis or hand injuries to get the food onto a fork or spoon. They're only $14.99 for the two - and they will last for years.

I liked using them. I'm not overly fond of my veggies touching the main course, so I decided to give it a try.

The creamed, buttered spinach stayed in place and it didn't spread over to the ranch sauce. (Ick if it had).What was another plus was that the Gardein chicken tenders didn't have any spinach on them . Trust me, the flavors change - and not for the better  - when they're mixed. The chicken and the sauce went untouched as did the spinach. Both kept their distinctive flavors . Another plus is that it's easy to affix the separator on the plate. Wash  and stick - that's it. They also clean up well too. Just wash with regular dish soap like Dawn and let dry.

If you want to keep your main and sides dishes pure in flavor then get a FoodCubby package. These are great in separating different foods on one plate. They also help in pushing food on a fork or spoon. Buy them for the picky eaters or your picky self.

Hearty And Hot Meals

This is the type of weather that requires calorie rich meals to keep you warm. There's something about a soup or pasta that's not only comforting but also fortifying . What's great is when they're homemade with familiar ingredients.

Melissa Clark , and Yotam Ottolenghi know this and made  soup and one pot pastas the theme of their columns in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Ms. Clark devoted her A Good Appetite to lentil soup. This is an easy cook, as most soups are.It's minimal and straightforward yet complex with addition of rosemary and garlic. Onions are  first cooked in olive oil in a medium pot. It's then taking any kind of stock, chicken, beef or vegetable along with the lentils and thyme to simmer. The fun part is pureeing it all with an immersion blender until the desired consistency. It can be thick and chunky or thin and satiny. Another fun part is topping it. Ms. Clark  suggests radicchio tossed with some olive oil and parsley.However if greens aren't your thing, then crumble bacon on top. A dollop or sour cream or Greek yogurt would work well. Into crunch? Then try toasted pumpkin seeds, dried seaweed or anything crisp. You can also have browned veggies such as browned leeks or onions. It can be good just left unadorned, with slices of toasty Italian bread and a small green salad on the side.

Another cold weather must eat is Yotam Ottolenghi's one pot wonder dishes. These are recipes that use a roasting pan in a whole new light. His may not be the easiest to make, Chef Ottolenghi wants to create flavor and texture bombs that add components in different stages.It's playing with temperatures, or scattering a garnish or a salsa at the end to liven it up. The recipe is a one pan pasta with harissa bolognese. This combines both North African and classic Italian. Harissa is a combination of tomato paste married to a variety of spices such as cumin, caraway, coriander and hot chiles, It will give the dish a more arrabiata vibe.Chef Ottolenghi adds more cumin and coriander for a really intense taste. Onion, tomatoes, and carrots are blitzed in a food processor and added to the meat , Pecorino Romano  and Parmesan cheeses harissa and tomato paste. The oven is first set at a scorching 475 degrees F for the meat and then it's dropped to 375 F after the first twenty-five minutes.It's then breaking the meat apart with a spoon and adding both chicken broth and heavy cream. The pasta is added. This is coarsely chopped manicotti or canneloni. Push as much pasta as you can under the surface and bake twenty five minutes more , until the pasta is tender. Stir in parsley and  more Parmesan and Pecorino Romano until the top is crisp about eight minutes more.

These frigid times demand hearty and hot dishes. Warm up with a fragrant lentil soup or a spicy harissa pasta bake. They are perfect for chasing away the effects of this polar vortex.

Super Bowl's Super Restaurants

Atlanta will be buzzing this weekend, thanks to the Super Bowl. The town will be filled with  not only Patriots and Rams fans but with fans of the city's sparkling dining scene. Down home Southern cooking will have its' own battle against Nouvelle Southern cuisine.

A Southerner herself, Kim Severson wrote about this vibrant city in today's New York Times Food section. Atlanta, she writes, has always been a city about money. It's a thriving metropolis, not a sleepy Southern town and it attracts all sorts of workers from around the globe. There are immigrants from Mexico, India, South Korea and Vietnam. The influx feeds a mix of cuisines many of them represented along a stretch of road, Buford Highway. Two favorites are Yet Tuh where diners can feast on homey Korean grandma food such as bubbling pork soup and Food Terminal where diners can have a wide variety of Malaysian soups and barbecues. Next to it are a Chinese barbecue joint and a Viet-Cajun seafood restaurant along with a tofu house So Kong Dong that features Korean soups and barbecues. Atlantans also go mad for the heavily Cuban influenced seafood heavy Watchman's

Many of the city's biggest names in food have a presence here, Hugh Acheson,a Canadian born chef who adapted well to Atlanta has Georgians hooked on his coffee and fat squares of toast slathered with fresh local cow's milk cheese and jam at his Spiller Park. There is Anne Quatrano who brought  the farm to table movement to Atlanta  twenty-five years ago who now is bringing Gulf seafood to the area thanks to her second eatery W.H. Stiles Fish Camp. Atlanta is also a big breakfast town. Ms. Quatrano will open Pancake Social sometime soon but there are also much loved Java Jive, Highland Bakery and Homegrown, the last serving the ever popular pancakes and chili cheese grits. There is also the classic Waffle House. The original has been turned into a museum in nearby Avondale Estates. There is still traditional Southern food.For those who crave barbecue there is B's Cracklin Barbecue where pit master Bryan Furman turns out whole hog barbecue using heirloom breed hogs. Traditionalists will like The Busy Bee Cafe which has been around since the 1947 and has every kind of down home dish from fried chicken to peach cobbler.

People will be heading to Atlanta for the big game this weekend. They should take a break ad discover the city's vibrant restaurant scene. The town is chock full of amazing restaurants from traditional to exotic  a sure victory with food and restaurant lovers.