Bringing Back Breads From The Past

 Bread almost always defines a culture whether it's French baguette or a German rye.The same is true  with Latino and indigenous loaves and recipes.There is a movement to get away from the more European traditions and into the ancient breads of the New World.

John Birdsall a food writer and former cook wrote about Latinx and indigenous bakers rediscovering their culinary roots in yesterday's New York Times Food section. He focused on don Guerra , a leader of Tucson Arizona's local grain movement. He was an entrepreneur from the age of eight when he had his shoeshine business in his father Bennie's barber shop.By sixteen he was managing a diner.His love of baking kicked in after that. His mom, Denise, who also has Irish roots baked breads,cookies and pies to supplement the family income while his Mexican grandmother created tortillas. He started his first bakery , The Village Baker in 1996 in flagstaff. He opened a second branch a few years later in Ashland Oregon.It was too much. He got hi BA in primary school education and left the food industry. Yet the lure of baking was too strong. Mr. Guerra turned his two car garage into a bakery in 2009.It was named CSB (for community supported bakery). It was busy with people craving Mexican influenced breads. He now has Barrio Charro which features pan azteca sandwiches and a variety of Mexican foods' from tortillas and sopas or soups along with  one that has whole grains produced by Hayden FLour Mills.

Mr. Guerra should be known for just his amazing dishes and breads but he is also becoming famous for bringing the indigenous grains back to Arizona. He wants to import heritage organic wheat from across the border in Nogales. He has reached out to small farm owners like Jose Luis Lambarri in the Sonora state, near the town of Ciudad Obregon. four hundred miles south of Tuscon . The grain is the much desired Yaqui-50 , a soft wheat that has a sweet and nutty flavor. His passion is a source of inspiration for other Latinx bakers. Long Beach California;'s Gusto bread's owner Arturo Enciso favors Spanish terms for his creations. He calls his sourdough starter masa madre or mother dough. baguettes are huesos or bones. he bakes the delicious dark California bread is made with state grown wheat a direct nod to Barrio's heritage loaf.Bryan Ford , author of New World Sourdough that looks at craft baking through the lens of Latin America has noticed a shifts in the beginnings of the movement. He is Afro-Honduran and finds it refreshing that the grains of Mexico, along with Central and South American are now being highlighted.

Don Guerra is leading the country in returning to its' indigenous baking roots. The result is delicious bread  loved by previous generations. Now the current generation is enjoying the sweet yeasty goodness of traditional loaves.

The Joy Of Midtown Meals

 Ask New Yorkers where to eat in Manhattan, they'll either say downtown or uptown. True, Harlem , Soho and Tribeca do have their share of good eateries yet there is one area they're forgetting. Midtown. The center of the city actually has some interesting and diverse places to eat.

Regular Critic's Notebook writer, Pete Wells wrote about this  sometimes forgotten, sometimes scoffed at section of Manhattan for today's New York Times Food section. He writes that tourists know that that midtown has some gems hidden  among the grind and the glamour. The Thirties , Forties and Fifties were really the heyday for these blocks when Soho was  known for Beatniks and Tribeca was known for warehouses. There is one midtown eatery that is classic, Patsy's so beloved by Frank Sinatra and vice versa that the restaurant gave him his own entrance.It is expensive but it does have some of the best Southern Italian cooking. The dishes are made the way the restaurant opened in 1944, fresh and homemade without the short cuts and watering down that many Southern Italian restaurants have done since then.Mr. Wells also likes Pietro's on East 45th street. The following goes through the generations. There is even a wall with the height markings of regulars' kids. The chief dish is shells a la Nat,a gratineed pasta in bone marrow sauce.

Of course the most ubiquitous Midtown restaurant is the steakhouse and there are several. The most famous are the Germanic influenced Wolfgang's and Smith &  Wollensky's. Wolfgang's was opened by Peter Luger's top waiter Wolfgang Zweiner, and has locations all over the world.It is expensive with aged cuts of beef at astonishingly high prices. Smith & Wollensky's is no different. The chops are astronomically high in price as are the sides. A less expensive alternative is Wollensky's Grill which has indoor and outdoor dining.The cuts are good here as is the chicken and seafood.Japanese food has always been a Midtown staple.Aburiya Kinosuke is so exclusive it doesn't even publish its' menu on line. Nippon which has been around since 1963 and have a range of different  dishes from classic teriyaki to the more recent udon noodle. Other Japanese restaurants include Hide-Chan, Katsu-Hana . For a taste of curry and heat try  Kosher Bukhara.There's also the chain Benihana which has such tourist faves as hibachi chicken and teriyaki steak grilled at a communal table. French restaurants used to be a staple of the area. Not anymore. There is Le Bonne Soupe which will satisfy any Francophile with their confits and bouef Bourguignon. Many tourists head to the Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant at Grand Central Terminal. Mr. wells suggests a stew  or pan roast, the perfect marriage of butter , clam juice and seafood.

Midtown Manhattan should be a dining destinations for locals as well as tourists. There are several good and classic eateries that will satisfy any craving. They 're not corny, more elegant like the city itself.

Healthy And Delicious Instant Pot Recipes

 The Instant Pot has become a large part of a home chef's arsenal. There's a million recipes you can make with it. Now there's a new cookbook that features the healthy side of Instant Pot cooking, America's Test Kitchen Healthy And Delicious Instant Pot Inspired Meals With A World Of Flavor.(Penguin Random House 2021)

America's Test KItchen, PBS's highly informative cooking show has come out with another of their cookbooks, this time featuring healthy recipes cooked in this wonderful device.What is great about this compilation of recipes is that combined with the Instant Pot , you have healthier recipes made easier. The machine will brown and simmer. It also cuts the long cooking times of such food as black beans to a fraction of the  hour needed. There's also less clean up time too. The book also has tips for using older models as well as what other tools to use.  The authors point out that older Instant models have what's known as a moat at the pot's bottom. any oil used has a tendency to draw away from the center and get stuck in the sides. They recommend stirring to get a well blended sauce or gravy. They also explain the differences in release techniques and why it's important to adhere to the recipes.There are also pages demystifying the Instant Pot for beginners and a troubleshooting page.There are pages featuring how to create a tasty bowl from the base to the crunchy toppings.There are also tips for cooking proteins and how to present them, Home chefs should definitely follow the suggestions for adding flavor to the braising liquids and browning.

These recipes are great for eating healthy. The book starts off with healthy salad dressings and sauces with such recipes as pomegranate vinaigrette, pesto and harissa. There are also recipes for crunchy toppings like an everything bagel blend to quick pickled vegetables. The main recipes are not your typical healthy food fare. They are divided into the different meats and fish along with an extensive vegetarian section. There are shredded beef tacos made with chuck and spiced with ancho peppers and lager. It's served with a jicama slaw, Chicken lovers will enjoy soy sauce chicken cooked with Shaoxing wine and star anise. For a different change up try abgoosht , the Persian rustic stew of lamb and chickpeas. It also has the Persian add ins of Persian limes and tamarind. The only hard part is brining the chickpeas for eight hours. This is the perfect dish on a chilly fall day, as its' rife with a variety of flavors from saffron to turmeric.  The Instant Pot fish dishes are tasty as well. Mussels with red curry would be the perfect Saturday night meal while Salad Nicoise would make a nice Sunday lunch. Vegetarians will appreciate the braised tofu and lentils zinged up with Thai curry paste and the Korean influenced sweet potato glass noodles with portabellos and spinach, There's also a fiery chana masala too. The book ends with nutritional values for every recipe.

America's Test Kitchen Healthy And Delicious Instant Pot Inspired With a World Of Flavor

Brownie Basics

 It's baking season. It's a good time for brownies , those chewy squares of chocolate=y goodness. They are one of the basics of home cooking - easy to make and easy to eat. Many have had box brownies for years but they can be made from scratch too.

Brownies have been around for a long time on the American table. They were created in 1893 by prominent socialite Bertha Palmer, wife of the owner of Chicago's famed Parker House Hotel. She needed a cake like confection suitable for ladies visiting Chicago's World Columbian Exposition. The results was a Parker House brownie with walnuts and an apricot glaze.It went through a series of changes thanks to a housewife in Bangor Maine who added a square of extra chocolate and extra eggs for a richier , fudgier treat. There was also a mention of them in the Machias cookbook created by another home baker Marie Kelley of Whitewater Wisconsin in 1899. No matter what their origin is, scratch ones are delicious. The basic brownie recipe is an alchemy of cocoa powder or unsweetened baker's chocolate , sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla.Many home bakers and bloggers strongly recommend using cocoa powder instead of using a mix of melted butter and chocolate. This ensures a soft moist middle and a  shiny , almost candy like top. You can add a small amount of chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips. To get that perfect crinkly top, melt the butter with the cocoa and sugar in a saucepan over a stovetop. Doing this allows the sugar to rise to the top in baking, creaking that perfect crackly crust.

What about vegan brownie?. Yes you can make them from scratch. All the ingredients are the same save for omitting the eggs and butter. You can use ground flax seeds for binding  along with mashed pumpkin or bananas or applesauce. I've used Vegg Uncaged Mix and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter when I've baked regular brownies. No one could tell the difference between the vegan and the regular ones. Can you bake them with whole wheat flour? Yes,and it;s to the brownie's benefit. The flour leaves the texture extra chewy and richly textured. What's the best pan to bake brownies in? Always stick with metal. Don't use a glass or ceramic one. Metal will allow them to bake evenly,prevent over browning and yield straight edges. Remember to always grease the tin with either butter, margarine or cooking spray to prevent sticking. I always use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and generously grease the pan's bottom and corners for an extra buttery flavor. Can you vary the recipe? Yes , Cinnamon can be added for a Mexican hot chocolate vibe. It just takes a pinch to give them that zing. Coconut is another fun change up , giving the brownies a Mounds Bar flavor. You can even make them Rocky Road m with teaspoons of mini marshmallows , peanuts and chocolate chips.

Scratch brownies are the perfect fall baking project. You can make them tradional or vegan, plain or loaded with extras. Ant way, they're a bite of chocolate-y goodness.

AN Elegant Halloween Party

 Halloween parties are not just for kids.Adults can have fun with elegant dishes and drinks to make the night more bewitching. It can be a fun night , full of delicious recipes with a sophisticated spin.

What would make a Halloween party worthy of Gomez and Morticia Addams?Think a Brie wrapped up in puff pastry ala mummy style. Use puff pastry to create the bandages and drape them over the top of the cheese.It's an egg wash first then baking them for twenty minutes until the puff pastry is golden. Add pepperoni and green olive eyes for some spooky decoration. The best part of this is smearing the cheese on the puff pastry for an added treat. Mostly serve with crackers or toasted French bread slices. For a sit down dinner think a pasta dish with eyeball meatballs.The meatballs are baked with flattened ciligiene  - small rounds of mozzarella on top in their last two minutes f baking. Sliced olives are used as irises.Smaller meatballs would make excellent hors d'ouvres too.Pumpkin patch deviled eggs are also a fun starter. Round out the filling more and then lightly press the surface with a fork to resemble the pumpkins' indentations. Add a tiny bit of scallion on the top for the pumpkin stem and liberally sprinkle with paprika for the bright orange color. You can also serve finger sandwiches , preferably roast beef that squish blood gravy when bitten into.

Adult parties call for adult drinks.Start everyone off with Midnight Jello shots which is vodka and grape  Jello cooked together with black food coloring. Set in the fridge for two to three hours before serving.No one would say no to a candy corn martini. This is a layering of grenadine, vodka and orange juice with a topping of whipped cream. For a stronger quaff think a poison apple cocktail. This is taking sour apple Schnappes and mixing it with Crown Royal apple flavored whiskey and cranberry juice. A shot of grenadine gives it a dose of sweetness.Of course the best Halloween cocktail is ---- the Bloody Mary!. This mix of tomato juice, vodka and Worcester sauce is the ultimate drink, especially if you're hosting a Halloween brunch party. You can even set up a Bloody Mary bar where guests can choose between Clamato juice or regular tomato, along with hot sauce and different add ins from celery to olives. What about dessert? You could have caramel apples but add miso to a homemade caramel. Roll the dipped apples in ground pistachios or walnuts. A blood soaked cake may not sound too good. but imagine a devil's food cake that squishes out a raspberry coulis when cut. It's simply  lightly hollowing out the first layer , pour the coulis into that and then top with the second layer. Frost with a fudgy chocolate butter cream.. Stick a large steak knife in it for an extra scary effect.

Yes, adults can have fun and elegant Halloween parties too. Think Brie as a tasty mummy washed down with a  spicy Bloody Mary. Or a dessert with a candy apple ripe with umani. Have an fun and elegant All Hallows party.

The Birthplace Of Olive OIl

 Many think that the best and the birthplace of olive oil is Greece. Yet the Palestinian town of Rameh,Israel has also pressed olives for the last 5,000 years. The end result is a smooth sweet oil  that can go in either savory or sweet dishes.

Reem Kassis, a Palestinian food and culture writer wrote about this famed oil in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. she visited this  Northern Israeli town, located halfway between the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee. It is high up in the hills where the olive tress abound and have been long before Jesus Christ. It has long held the reputation of being the area's best olive oil. Its' color is a bright liquid gold with an aroma reminiscent of wild grasses and dandelion leaves that grow around the trees.Users describe it as rich and smooth  with a mouth feel of ghee or clarified butter. This area has long produced this oil, being the main producer of the ancient world.Now Spain and Southern Italy are the now the main producer's of the world's olive oils. Rameh still has an amazing two thousand acres of trees surrounding this hill town. Th eolifes and trees have long been praised in newspapers articles, books and even poetry. The village declares itself as the "queen of Palestinian oil".

Why is Rameh's oil so delicious? It has to do with harvesting.The trees are harvested later in the season than  the other olive trees in the region.This is due partly to the olive fruit fry that comes in from the coast. It works inland which means the more western regions have to harvest unripe olives. This happens much later in Rameh where it takes a while for the infestation to hit along with being much higher up. The olives are allowed to ripen to their full maturity which directly affects the color and flavor of the oil. According to local MAzen Ali, this makes for a "pleasant bitterness but is still delicious and fruit." There's also the favorable climate along with being grown in a nutrient rich soil.It's tilled by livestock and not treated with commercial fertilizers. There's also meticulous  care and pruning. which produces green olives with purple spots.Unfortunately the groves were restricted and untended during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.Also closing the borders of Lebanon and Syria during this time helped too. Ms. Kassis also included  recipes for homemade pita and olive oil soaked za'atar and bugar majadura.a mix of lemtils and fried onions.

The world needs to know about Rameh's treasured olive oil. It would be perfect in cooking and even  baking. This is the epitome of oil, sweet, smooth and silky.

A Birthday Full Of Clotted Cream And Scones.

 Today is Samuel Taylor Colerdge's birthday. His birthday dinner would have been a table laden with delicious dishes from his native Devon. He would have feasted on apple dumplings and an apple crumb cake (imagine a crumb cake loaded with apples) along with cider chicken. a tasty dish with the bird cooked with not only cider  from Devon but its' delicious clotted cream. Coleridge might have had  potted crab too, the 18th century still known for serving as many diverse recipes that the cooks can make. He would have washed it down with Devon hard cider or perry a kind of pear cider.

Celebrate Samuel Taylor Coleridge's birthday with his poems and also the foods  and quaffs of his beloved Devon. Like his works the recipes are amazing. Try them for a taste of the South English coast.