Holidays In The Time Of Hardship

With April comes holidays along with the foods and traditions that shape them. Yet how can we celebrate together when we're so far apart? That's a good question with several answers.

Priya Krishna wrote extensively about this in today's New York Times Food section, Luckily we have Zoom and Skype so there can be virtual Seders, and Easter dinners along with Persian New Year and Ramadam. Rabbi Doug Kahn,a Reform rabbi in San Francisco is doing a virtual Seder this Passover with his wife Ellen. The group has been asked to email each other their favorite holiday recipes so they're all on the same page . The hardest part, however, is the afikoman , the piece of matzo that's usually hidden in the house for children to find.Rabbi Kahn will carry his computer through his house, going through each room. People have to guess where the piece is hidden. The same can be done for Easter, Families can have virtual brunches or dinners together. They can even make candy together as Marley Griggey of Cincinnati , Ohio is doing with her family members. This is a family tradition this graduate student will pass down to her own young children. Her husband, Phill, who works overnight at Target, also helps in getting the traditional ham and eggs both hard to get right now both for cooking and dying.

The Persian New Year  or Nowruz is also very big. It is a time when there ceremonial dishes to be cooked and shared. It's in full swing right now , starting on March 19th. It's a thirteen day celebration where people throw parties and set up haft-sins. This is a collection of seven items like garlic and vinegar that symbolize hope for the new year along with dishes such as sabzi polo ba mahi, fish with herbed rice. Katayoun Kishi, an Iranian living in Atlanta had to pare down her festivities. Her haft sin had to be cut down because of shortages and there were no sweets because the bakeries were shut down. As for Ramadam, many of the dinners have been cancelled. Hassan Chami, a Detroit pharmacist  and owner of the restaurant Terry Melt,usually runs the Ramadam Food Festival, an event where there are forty vendors including himself. It's where the city's sizable Muslim population communally breaks their fast. The vent has to be cancelled but the money he donated is going to local hospitals to buy much needed supplies. along with giving free food away to hospital workers.

This year follow these examples to make the best of your holidays and holy days. It will be different but still celebratory. Make it a tasty one , still full of good memories.

Missing Your Restaurant Favorites

Everyone is missing their favorite fast foods and restaurants right now. It is tough because we're all sheltered in place . Yet we can make the most of a situation by recreating some of our favorite take outs at home.

One of the most missed is a hamburger. If you can get patties (try shopping early in the morning when the stores first open and supplies are in) then turn them into Whoppers and Big Macs. Add double the amount of meat along with lettuce and tomatoes along with pickles and sliced onions. As for the special sauce, it;s just a mix of mayo , ketchup , horseradish and mustard. Take a half cup of mayo and blend with a third of a cup of ketchup. It's then adding one fourth cup horseradish, and one fourth cup mustard. Also mix in one tablespoon white sugar or honey and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Keep in mind you can use this sauce for leftover cold meat loaf too. As for the fries, many stores have already sold out but you can make your own fries. Try to get Russet potatoes because they're the best and the meatiest. It's first cutting them into one quarter inch discs and then into one quarter inch sticks. Fry them in canola or vegetable oil. If you're using  an air fryer , then soak the uncooked fries in water for a whole hour. Dry them toss them in oil and salt and then put them in a 400 degree F air fryer for twenty minutes.

Of course everyone is missing their tacos and burritos right now. It's so easy to recreate a Taco Bell burrito. The filling is an easy mix of beans, tomato paste and chopped onions cooked together. What gives the filling its' zing is a tablespoon or two of red wine vinegar. Chopped cheddar cheese is added to the mix along with cumin and chili powder. Tacos are an easy make and you can fill them with a variety of different add ins. Use beans or chicken or any leftover meat or fish. Cook these fillings up with some sliced jalapenos and chili powder, top with homemade guacamole or sour cream along with sliced cherry tomatoes and shredded lettuce. You can even make a healthy one with such veggies as broccoli and cauliflower mixed with sliced carrots and green beans. Many love teriyaki and the sauce is easy to make. The base is soy sauce with a variety of different ingredients blended in. There's water , honey and brown sugar beaten into the soy sauce along with rice vinegar , sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Cornstarch is also added for thickening. Keep in mind any meat or veggie can be cooked with this flavorful sauce. Try tofu one night and salmon on another. serve with scallion rice which is an easy mix of chopped scallions cooked with rice boiled in either chicken or vegetable broth.

Everyone is missing their favorite restaurant and take out dishes right now. Try to recreate them with tasty replicas from your kitchen. You may just make them as regular dishes in the future.

Cooking Lessons

With parents acting as teacher these days, it's a good time to teach the little ones about the aspects of cooking. Being in the kitchen can show the little ones everything from match to foreign languages to history. 

One of the best lessons comes with baking.It's an exact science that requires measuring. Even the little ones can be shown the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon. They can learn how to measure out flour and sugar along with learning how to calculate how much milk, water or oil goes into a recipe. Baking teaches them that adding too much or too little of an ingredient can alter a baked good's flavor and texture. Cookie dough can  show them how divvy it up to and how much to use to get the recommended two dozen. This can also apply to cooking although most recipes are looser with exact amounts.  Fruits and veggies can also be helpful in teaching kindergartners up to second graders addition and subtraction. The same can be said of cookies and candies, but the other choice is healthier. Also you can create flashcards based on measurement charts. It's a great way of teaching them how to double up or decrease a recipe.

Cooking teaches us about languages too. Start with something they know like pizza which is Italian for pie, Work your way to the different pastas which are usually named for the objects they resemble. For example orrechiete is shaped like little ears. From there you can learn about the face knowing that the big drinking straw pasta bucatini is from mouth or boca and that the flat spaghetti linguine comes from the word for tongue - lingua. If your tweens and high schoolers are into French , then let them create some recettes francaise.It's easy to make homemade pomme frites or French fries in the air fryer along with those delicious croque monsieur. Get creative  with this ham sandwich that also has Gruyere cheese as a layer. Add a creamy bechamel sauce or turn it into a Mornay with the addition of shredded Gruyere. This can also be applied to other cuisines like Chinese, Thai and Indian. History  can also be used in the kitchen. Delve into the back stories of such dinner favorites as pot pie or roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Explore the meanings of such classic American foods like cookies and grits  - where did they're names come from and how long they've been around.

The kitchen is a great classroom. Kids can learn math , languages and history just from one cooking lesson. Create cooking classes today for lifelong knowledge.

A Fun Meal In Guacamole With A Twist

These are the days when a fun meal is needed. There's nothing like a guacamole and chips for dinner. It's a simple mix that's easy to make and tasty to eat. That's what we need right now. That's where my version of this Mexican classic came in. There's a a twist to it though.

It starts with avocados. I was able to get some really nice ones at my local Acme.

I used four and mashed them (save the pits for growing indoor avocado trees).

Most times I usually use regular tomatoes however I'm kind of leery now about using any exposed produce. I bought  packaged grape tomatoes instead and was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness they added.

Add as much as you want. I used eight cut in half.

Then olive oil for smoothness. I always recommend this.

 Sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Of course onion powder which is less potent than onions themselves You can use the real deal if you like their texture and bite.

Everything was mashed down with a potato masher which gave the guacamole a nice texture between silky and chunky.

I had mine with chips but you can put this with tacos or on burgers if you want. I added more tomatoes to my serving and just ate it plain.

This is just one fun meal to keep up our spirits right now. It's comfort food that 's also makes for enjoyable eating. Make a bowl for the family, and bring out the chips.

The State Of Shopping Today

The way we shop has changed overnight. It's become a foraging expedition to be sure. Yet you can be savvy about what to buy. It's just knowing how to do it in without spending too much time in the store.

Know your store inside and out .It helps to map out your plan before you go (and hopefully you're only making shopping trips one or twice a week with a three day distance between). This will get you through quicker and out to your car faster. Figure out what you'll be making for four to five days in advance. If it's chili, then get plenty of red beans and tomato paste and stewed tomatoes. You should have pasta already  but if you don't get that and the ingredients to make sauce. Also include more staples such as milk, cheese , juice, and cold cuts along with frozen dinners too. Of course stock on the other essentials that make life somewhat easier. Get everything in one fell shop. Don't feel so bad if you have to buy some products in multiples. This reduces any additional trips back. It may seem hoggish but not so much if  you buy say two or three packs of teabags or three boxes of spaghetti. If you see it , basically buy it. Of course always have a pair of latex gloves ready to put on, and a mask if you feel more comfortable.

Keep in mind that there will be shortages for the basics. Chicken and beef have been going fast and it's almost impossible for the stores to keep up with the demand. Go for the vegan kind instead. Gardein has some very good chicken strips and tenders that the kids will love. The last is good with barbecue sauce and tastes like the real thing. Beyond Burgers does have great burgers and they can be turned into Whopper and Big Mac look and taste alikes. Don't fret if there's no more pizza. There seems to always be Green Giant's Cauliflower crust pizzas. I usually buy the plain ones and then load them up with favorite toppings.The crusts are a bit labor intensive. meaning you have to bake them for sixteen to eighteen minutes before you put the toppings on. The end result is good though. A tasty pizza with a super thin crust. Oatmeal is another item that seems to be scooped up in a second. Don't be alarmed if your favorite brand isn't there Sub in with the store brands or those little cups which do the trick quite nicely. Also get steel cut oats which can be used in such recipes as oat bread and oatmeal cookies.

The grocery store now is a lesson in quick foraging. Know what you want , buy enough to last a few weeks and leave. It's an aggressive kind of shopping for a new era.

A Tomato Test

A can of tomatoes is our kitchen's best friend right now. It can be used for sauces, stews and soups during our duration inside. Which is the best as far as taste and texture? Let the experts tell you.

Sara Bonisteel a senior editor  and food writer at the Times, asked the same questions and gives us answers in yesterday's  Food section. Anything canned is your kitchen's best friend right now. There was a tasting long before the pandemic happened. Writers from the the papers' NYT Cooking section and its' subsidiary had an extensive taste test. Michael Sullivan , a kitchen writer at Wirecutter chose a dozen canned brands to sample. Keep in mind that even though these can usually be found at groceries and big box stores, now there are more shortages. Mr. Sullivan developed a ranking system that is based on color, flavor, sweetness, acidity, overall appearance and texture. They were first sampled raw from the can and as part of the famed chef Marcella Hazan's famously simple four ingredient sauce. Many cooks have prized the San Marzano kind grown in Italy as the ideal. There was only one kind with this, Most were San Marzano's grown in Italy. The panel included Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Bonisteel,Alexa Weibel, a recipe editor at NYT Cooking, Ligaya Mishan, the Hungry City columnist. Other panelists were from Wirecutter's Marguerite Preston, Marilyn Ong and Winnie Yang.

Which were the best? Surprisingly Target's Market Pantry made the best. Tasters found the taste to be pleasing with Ms. Weibel describing the flavor as "forward, bright and fresh". The two others were Bianco DiNapoli Organic Whole Peeled. It's the most balanced tomato as far as sweetness and acidity.Add basil and it's the best brand for any Italian recipe.Another top brand is San Merican SMT Whole Peeled. According to Ligaya Mishan the tomatoes were pleasantly firm without too much bite.  Then there were the Better Than Average. These were Cento Certified Peeled Tomatoes and Hunt's Whole Plum Tomatoes. The first had a delicate texture and the tasters found that the liquid, more than the solids had a more tomato-y taste. The second had a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. The brands that were voted just average were  Whole Foods 365 Organic Peeled Tomatoes and Rega Rega San Marzano Tomatoes. The least surprised me because one I use a lot and recommend was panned. This was Muir Glen Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes. The tasters found the tomatoes overly acidic and sour but I never had that problem with them. Other least favorites were Organico Bello Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Bella Terra Organic Whole Tomatoes and Contadina Whole Roma Tomatoes With Basil,  the last especially not good to extra panelist Julia Moskin.

These tomatoes represent the best and the least favorites of the panelists. It may be different for others, depending on their tastes. Try them and see. Any can of tomato sauce is worth testing these days.

Easy Comfort Food

This is the time for easy recipes from the pantry. Even if you're new to cooking there are some simple recipes you can whip up like a pro. They're tasty , relying on what you have stocked up. Another plus?   They're not labor intensive so you can spend time home schooling or working from home.

This was the subject of Melissa Clark's article in today's New York Times Food section. She also has some recipes on The Times live blog if you'd like to visit. The dishes, some are riffs on old favorites, keep perishables in mind. Some do ask for fresh ingredients but that's only if you have them handy. Subs are also welcome too.One recipe is pasta with canned tuna, anchovies and capers. Ms. Clark recommends using a twirly kind of pasta like spaghetti, linguini, or the thicker, chewier bucatini but any will do.It's then sauteing the anchovies with oil and garlic. Capers give it a salty tang but you can also use canned olives if you don't have the first or don't like them. Another dish revolves around that perpetual pantry staple. It's dried red beans. Use salted water with enough salt in it that it tastes like a mouthful of the ocean. Another flavoring is  garlic cloves , along with a celery stalk - but you can use celery salt too.  Throw in a Parmesan rind or a hunk of smoked meat. Bacon would be good here or do as Ms Clark does, throw in keilbasa. The base can any grain from rice to polenta. There is also a soup recipe.It uses the sturdy stock of root veggies such as rutabegas, turnips, carrots and even radishes. Toss in any fragrant allium like onions and throw in some herbal sprigs. Add bay leaves and a base of cold water Add some greens such as kale or spinach along with the cubed and peeled root veggies. It's then pureed and garnished with anything from a drizzle of olive oil to red pepper flakes.

Sweet recipes are also represented here. Ms. Clark gives us the ultimate comfort treat - coffee cake. It could be your snack after a work session or breakfast with a big mug of coffee. The topping is the best part and the first part made.It's melted butter, rolled oats and flour, each a quarter cup. Add in brown sugar and cinnamon. You can toss in other spices such as cardamon and allspice for some zing. The batter is a simple one , enhanced with some kinds of fermented dairy product. You can employ anything from sour cream to creme fraiche however there's also milk or non dairy yogurt acidified with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Fruit can be added to the batter such as pineapple or fresh blueberries. For a subtler flavor grate in some lemon or orange. Oatmeal also gets an upgrade. It's baked in a casserole dish with some peanut or almond butter and some cinnamon. Serve with cream and some maple syrup or just with bananas.  There's another pantry dessert, this time by another Food section contributor, Margeaux Laskey. It's a made in a pan chocolate cake that's made from scratch with cocoa powder. It's an easy bake  little chefs will love making in one bowl. Add some chocolate chips and dust with powdered sugar.

The pantry is your best friend these days. Use it to come up with satisfying meals and treats. It'll get you cooking and baking amazing recipes you and your family will love.