California Eating

 California is on everyone's radar, thanks to one of its' most famous inhabitants Vice President Kamala Harris. Everyone outside the Golden State is curious not only about her but also the cuisine this state has. Like the East Coast, California has been not only on top of the foods trends but creating them as well.

There are really two Californias, since the state is so big.Its' top two cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles have been known for their restaurants for decades. San Francisco , where Madame Vice President hales from, has Fisherman's Wharf where locals and tourists can sample a variety of different seafood and fish. Los Angeles has the celebrity studded Spago and Musso's and Frank. Of course San Francisco has given the works one of its' greatest inventions sourdough bread.This came about during the famed Gold Rush of 1849, although variations of ti have been around since ancient Egypt. Yet the city embraced it and by 1853 there was a whopping fifty-three bakeries selling the tasty bread. The most famed bakery is Boudin's , founded in 1849 by Isidore Boudin of Burgundy France.So Cal has the equally famed In N Out Burger. This well loved chain was created in 1948, in Baldwin Park, a Los Angeles suburb. Founders Esther and Harry Snyder created one of the first drive throughs in the country. Nowadays diners, like then, can chow down on the three kinds of burger, such as the Double Double, two patties and two slices of cheese on a bun along with the famed Neopolitan shake.

Californian cuisine is also influenced by the variety of different cultures that have been there for centuries. The south has been heavily influenced by Mexican cuisine. Burritos and tacos were part of the diet long before  they reached other parts of the US, This gave way to the fast food chains, Del Taco and Taco Bell. Baja California, cuisine, inspired from the Baja Peninsula, directly south of the state, also is a big influence. It emphasizes fresh ingredients cooked into tacos and tortilla. California also has a big Central American population and there are pupuserias, serving the crepe like roll made from corn meal or  rice flour. Asians, from Chinese to Vietnamese , Japanese to Filipino are also contributors to the state's diverse cookbook. Sushi is big all over California even giving birth to the famed California roll. This is also part of the state's fusion cuisine. Chef Wolfgang Puck, owner and founder of Spago's is the father of this. He popularized such dishes as Chinese chicken salad and influenced younger chefs to come up with such dishes as taco pizza. Of course there is a fresh food movement too, created by famed Napa Valley chef  Alice Waters. She emphasized  just picked produce in everything from appetizers to desserts.

We have our first dynamic female vice president from a dynamic  food rich state. California has a cornucopia of various flavors to serve us and the world. It's truly a golden state to foodies and gourmets alike.

Birthday Feasts At Home

 There are still birthdays. There are still reasons to have fancy foods and cake. The best part is that you don't have to cook or bake any of it. There are restaurants that can handle everything for you. Que Pasta in Saddle Brook New Jersey is one eatery to take care of birthday feasts.

The restaurant has been known for their delicious pastas and sauce for twenty-five years. They've also been catering fantastic parties, full of all sorts of Italian classics for that long too.. We had a party , thanks to them - at home.

                                      We ordered their Megapack which has one baked dish, salad, bruschetta, garlic bread and brownies. 

It was baked penne which went in a heartbeat along with the included garlic bread , also devoured in a second.

With this came bruschetta and an ample house salad with balsamic vinegar. These were heavenly too, perfect with the cheesy, saucy penne, Dessert was bite sized brownies.

These were the perfect ending. The best part was that this entire feast was only $39.95 for four people. It can be stretched to five.They have a Monsterpack for ten dollars more with a chicken dish  such as francese , Foresto ,(with artichoke and spinach) Marsala or Parmesan Other restaurants are offering party packs, Take advantage of these. They're a great way of celebrating at home. Some even offer delivery.

Birthdays will still happen. Celebrate the way we used to in our favorite restaurants. Order the party packs and enjoy a festive feast.

A Leashed New Orleans

 New Orleans has always been a city perfect for hedonists. There was always an abundance of food and drink. Revelers went wild during the city's peak time _Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Thanks to the pandemic that's all changed. The city is subdued.

 Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this change in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Last year's Mardi Gras 2020 was the last gasp of normalcy and fun . it was also an accelerant of the virus' spread, in the early days of the pandemic. Now that's all changed. The parties are cancelled as are the famed parades.Luckily there are still places to go to. The bar scene has been brought to their knees, which not even Hurricane Katrina could do.  Activity has been moved primarily outdoors, especially for bars that also serve food. It doesn't work for those whose only serve cocktails, beer and wine. Bars with food permits can serve indoors but only at a twenty-five per cent capacity.The town is known for tourists and locals walking around with a large cocktail or bag of beignets  Mayor LaToya Cantrel will allow everyone to stroll the streets but they have to follow pandemic rules, namely social distancing and mask wearing. There is also the eleven PM closing time, jarring for a city that parties well into the early morning. 

The city will endure as it has for the last 340 years. Bars such as d.b.a. ,a music club in the Faubourg Marigny section of the city, is allowing its' musicians to play to audiences on the street. Tom Thayer, the owner says its' future depends on the rate of infection.  Yet they still plot and plan. Some are luckier than others. Cure, founded by Neal Bodenheimer   is successful. His is a bar that straddles the line between  eatery and restaurant and it and his other ventures,a taqueria and another bar, Val, have ample outdoor space for customers. He even has the luxury of hiring more employees, and makes sure that they get a twenty per cent from all patrons.  Yet, they too are vulnerable and most bar owners worry about their own health.Chris Hannah, owner of the famed Jewel of The South and one of the most respected  cocktail makers in the city, became increasingly worry about his well being. Gone was his nightly glass of spirits when reading. It was replaced by echinacea tea. He also started to eat raw garlic to boost his immunity and became obsessive about yoga.

New Orleans is a city that lets the good times roll. The good times may slow down but they  will never die.That's what makes the city what it is, full of good food and tasty drinks.

The Stretchable Pantry

 One thing the pandemic has taught us is that our pantries are expandable. We can make do with a little if need be. We can be creative with a can of beans or a box of pasta. There's no need for long , elaborate lists.

 Famed chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi wrote about this in today's New York Times Food section. He too has changed his shopping and cooking habits thanks to the shutdowns in his hometown of London. His philosophy is  it's OK to use what you have on hand. it doesn't matter if you have the wrong herbs. Use something similar.  Don't despair if you don't have certain kind of pasta needed for a recipe. Rifle through your pantry and see if there's a similar fit. As options become more limited, then become more resourceful and creative. With this , Chef Ottolenghi gives a tasty recipe for fried tagliatelle with chickpeas and smoky tomatoes. Home chefs don't have to follow this to a tee. You can use other "nested" pastas like fettucini or pappardelle. The sauce is a smoky tomato oil. Play around with it. Add different chilis and spices instead of the ones he recommends.Try cumin instead of sweet paprika, Do't worry if there's no parsley. The dish will taste just as good without it.

His recipe is a good one, perfect for now or months from now when hopefully we go to a new normal. The star of the recipe is the smoky oil sauce. This is datterini or cherry tomatoes charred and then cooked with olive oil and tomato paste. Chipotle chili flakes and sweet paprika bring the fire and heat. It's all cooked for fifteen minutes and then the tagliatelle nests are added. These are basically fried on both sides until golden, namely about two to two and a half minutes.. It's then setting them aside and rinsing out the pan (save the oil). Boil the  soaked chickpeas in a mix of water and baking soda, skimming the scum off the surface as needed. Cook them for fifteen more minutes on a medium low heat after boiling. Cover them.  They should be sift in texture yet retaining their shape. It's then nestling in garlic and the tagliatelli nests. Cook until the pasta is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. Squeeze juice from freshly squeezed lemons over this and then spoon the oil. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Panties and how we cook is changing thanks to the pandemic. It's more of using what's in the pantry instead of what's not. Be creative. Be resourceful and you can still come up with delicious dishes.

Vegan Taco Tuesday

 Vegan products have improved greatly in the last few years. One of the companies joining this is Urban Accents.It has a whole new line of plant based ground beef mixes that feature the trendiest flavors. There's Street Taco, Korean BBQ and Sloppy Joe.. I decided to give their Street Taco mix a whirl, serving it over rice.

It's an easy mix to create , easier than Morningstar farms and Gardein's.Two packets are perfect, especially if you want leftovers. It was just soaking the already  meat crumbles in water for five minutes.

 Then chopping up quarter of an onion and one green pepper.

These were sauteed in six tablespoons of olive oil and then the meat was added.

Then the meat and a little more oil to moisten the meat.  I didn't want it too dry.

it took only ten minutes to cook up. I decided to have it with rice.

I'm glad I had it with the rice instead of a taco shell. The flavor is very intense and fiery and it works well with white rice. You could sub in massa or polenta with this too.

This was an interesting mix to try and I will be trying the other two flavors from Urban Accents. This plant based meat blend is a great way to enjoy meaty Mexican food without the guilt. Try it and see.

Delights Of Delaware

 Hopefully President Biden  will bring some of his state's foods with  him when he heads to Washington, Delaware may be a little state but it has some big flavors. There's a combination of seafood and produce, Philly influence and in state classics. It's a fun cornucopia of different tastes that will appeal to everyone.

Delaware is part of the Delmarva Peninsula, consisting of it , along with parts of  the Maryland and Virginia coastlines. Seafood plays an important part for this state that not only has the Atlantic Ocean but also the Delaware Bay. Blue crabs abound in the last. Delaware's coastal areas have a variety of different seafood eateries that feature everything from steamed to crab cakes. Another popular dish is crab dip served with Ritz crackers. The dip is a mix of the seafood mixed with Miracle Whip and sour cream zinged up with white wine and onions. Almonds are put on the finished dip for decoration. Peaches are another Delaware product, grown in the northern part of the state. Peach pie and cobbler are two desserts prized by Delawarians as well as the fruit itself when in season. Apples are another fruit grown by The Diamond State so there are plenty of pies and apple cider donuts come fall. Delaware also has a thriving corn farm industry as well. The state has a whopping 3500 acres set aside for growing ears and what goes better  with steamed crab than corn on the cob.

Of course there are two other strong influences in the Delawarian diet. The first is Philadelphia  which is only half an hour north of Wilmington. It's not surprising then that cheesesteak, that delicious meld of thinly sliced  steak , melted cheddar cheese and sometimes onions have made their ways into the hearts of everyone from the cities to the shore area.  There's even a hybrid that has crab meat topped with cheddar on a hoagie roll. Another Philly favorite is the breakfast meat scrapple. This is a mix of corn grits and pig offal however  it's heaven when fried and served with eggs. Soft Philly pretzels have also made their way to Joe Biden's state ( as he did. He was born in Scranton and moved to Delaware as a kid). Some seaside restaurants serve them with either cheddar or crab meat. Another great influence is the Rehoboth Boardwalk where there's all sorts of goodies to munch on. Many love Sno-Cones, those mounds of pebbly ice soaked in different syrups along with frozen custard, a yummy scoop of rich flavor and texture. There's also the Nico-Boli from the beach's' famed Nicolo Pizza. This is a stromboli filled with sauce, cheese and a wide variety of different fillings like chicken and anchovies.

Delaware is in the spotlight now. Take time to discover the amazing and varied cuisine of the state when it's safe to travel.  It's a wonderful array of land and sea, Philly and Boardwalk, all perfect for White House cuisine.

Read Those Labels

 One of the worst crimes you can commit in a vegan household is buying a product with animal products in it.That happened to me recently and I was left with a large uneaten pot of soup. I should have read the label but didn't .It does pay to read every aspect of the product you're buying

What should you look for if you are cooking for any kind of diet? Everything that's on that diet and everything that's not. Don't take it for granted that a meatless product is just that. Soups usually have a beef or chicken stock in their base. Check . A soup like Alessi's porcini mushroom soup may seem vegan enough but it has dehydrated chicken added to it. To be honest most of their soup mixes are vegan , with the emphasis more on beans and tomatoes. It can fool you especially if you regularly buy their products.If you're in this situation, the best bet is to stick with well known vegan brands like Morningstar Farms and Gardein. They are famed for their fake meats and instant dinners. Gardein keeps adding different products to their line. They now have soups made with soy meats and vegan stock. It's easy to open up a can of their  chicken noodle or gumbo. Another aspect is in the cookie aisle. Many like Tates' or Walkers use real butter in their cookies and shortbread.  The best bet again is scouring the labels. Some companies like Nabisco have had vegan cookies for years. There are no and never have been animal products in Oreos and Lorna Doones.

Allergies play another important part in label reading. US manufacturers have to explicitly put on their labels that their baked goods are gluten free. Yet there's a caveat. They're not required to test their products to label cookies or crackers without it. The labels are still pretty much spelled out. Yet what about those products from a grocery store's bakery? Some , like Stop & Shop will put a gluten free labels on their cakes, cookies and cupcakes. The best bet is don't buy if you're still doubtful. Buy the already established brands that you know are safe to eat.Other allergies like egg ones are a bit trickier. Many products , especially cookies and cakes are made with eggs. Labels have to be read carefully, especially if the sufferer has problems with stomach cramps, vomiting and /or breathing. Research the product on line before buying. See what the ingredients are and even write to the company. Most will gladly tell you the percentage of eggs along with the other ingredients used. The same goes for those with soy and fermentation allergies. Many are allergic to soy sauce and a pre made Asian meal may have some in it. The same goes for frozen dinners that feature a balsamic vinegar glaze. Find out how much is in the dinner.

It's important that you read the labels , whether on line or in the store. Don't assume. It could lead to food not being eaten or people becoming sick.