Conchas A Mexican Treat

 The French may have the croissant but the Mexican have the concha. This delightful roll is m every bakery and a treat to eat. It's also an easy bake to make for a weekend brunch.

Pati Jinich a regular contributor , cookbook author and the host of the PBS series Pati's Mexican Table wrote about this classic in yesterday's new York Times Food section,. A concha is simply a bun with a crisp tender top, many peaked like that of a seashell, hence the name. They're sold in Mexican bakeries or panderias and they're an integral part of everyday life and celebrations. They're so beloved that there are even pillows and slippers in their shape.Like croissants or rolls, they can be eaten for breakfast with  milk, coffee or hot chocolate and turned into a sandwich for lunch or even dinner. However most of  them have a stale bread base and tasteless toppings. Yet many still want them. In Mexico City they are immensely popular, Bakers strive for affordable prices at a cost.Butter is reduced in the recipe and cheaper vegetable shortening is added. Water is subbed in for milk and sometimes eggs are entirely skipped.It makes  for a spongy concha that needs to be dunked in hot coffee according to Francisco Migoya , a Mexican chef and author of Modernist Bread.

Conchas can be easily baked at home You will need a concha mold which you can buy a silicone mold or cutter on Amazon though to create that seashell shape..Keep in mind there should be a right amount of fat, whether it be lard, butter or shortening. Lard is used  in traditional kitchens however the conchas will stay flat and be dense. Butter is your best bet because it doesn;t weigh down the rise  and gives the buns a pillowy puff and delicate taste.The dough needs to be needed a lot. It will seen wet at first but then gets stickier with each push and pull. Follow Chef Migoya's stretch and fold way for a tender texture. The topping is just as important as the body. Make sure there are ridges . These hold the concha together during the first bite (a flat one would shatter to pieces)Ms. Jinich's recipe is forty percent topping as opposed to just ten per cent.There are cocoa, dulce de leche and vanilla. These are made sort of like icing  with a certain thickness to them. You will also have to dip the mold in flour before using them. Once made they do have to be proofed for  anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours.Its then baking them for  twenty minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

Conchas are the perfect bite whether for breakfast or a snack. Homemade ones are the absolute treat. Bake them and taste this traditional Mexican treat.

When Salad Makes A Statement

 Rarely does a food writer  change the world. Yet one  did just that with her newsletter  as she tweets against ageism. Emily Nunn's newsletter shed light on this while giving readers and fans some great salad recipes.

Regular contributor,Kim Severson, wrote about Ms. Nunn in today's New York Times Food section.Ms. NUnn already had an illustrious career as a food writer. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker  and she created their famed column 'Tables For Two" along with reporting for The Chicago Tribune, creating a blog , contributing to the website Food 52  and publishing a book The Comfort Food Diaries in 2017. She started her Department Of Salad newsletter due in part because she couldn't find a writing gig. A fellow food writer suggested on Twitter that she start a newsletter.It was her own tweets, sometimes cranky ,always funny and political kept her in the public eye. They focused on ageism, something she still experiences at the age of sixty-one. She was also good at creating salads, thanks to her living in North Carolina. Southern summers are lush and hot, perfect for yielding tomatoes and cucumber. The actor J.Smith-Cameron of the HBO hit "Succession"  tweeted that she would read a newsletter that featured Ms Nunn's sharpness and culinary creativity. By October 2020 she had created one.It does come with a price of $50 a year or $5.50 a month. Soledad O'Brian is already a fan as is British food writer Diana Henry.

Her salads are interesting and she also collects interesting recipes from other writers and chefs. Her newsletters are a cornucopia of advice, recipes and an interview with someone with a point of view about salads. Ms. Severson includes two of Ms. Nunn's recipes. One is an herby rice salad with peas and prosciutto. This can be a side or a main meal with more meat added. It's combining cooked long grained white rice with peas, a sliced onion and slices of prosciutto. Lemon and a host of herbs such as chives, basil, mint and parsley flavor it while red pepper flakes give it zing. You could also add a dollop of ricotta to it too.The second salad recipe is a nod to the past with a combo of oranges and radishes. This is taking a mix of Cara Cara and navel oranges that have been peeled , de-pithed and cut into rounds. They also have to be deseeded and chilled too. The radishes also have to be chilled after they've been cut into thin matchstick pieces. The dressing is simply lemon juice, sugar and salt, shaken in a jar until the salt and sugar dissolve (although I would add a scant amount of olive oil) and then chilled. The orange slices are arranged first and then the matchsticks are scattered on top followed by the dressing and orange zest.

Emily Nunn is changing the world with her wit, candidness and salads. All are needed today, especially the salads. It can definitely brighten a meal and a day.

A Simple Spring Salad

 Spring comes and our thoughts turn to all things fresh and green. There's nothing that exemplifies this more than a new kind of salad bursting with flavor. It's a chickpea , scallion and celery mix  that's good as a main dish or as the perfect side.

I found this recipe in one of the emails from one of the many food sites follow. I made it completely vegan by switching out the recommended sour cream and using Hellman's Vegan mayo as part of the dressing.

I cut the scallions into bit size pieces , getting rid of the tips which can be tough to chew.

As for the chickpeas, i used Goya 's for a change . Only drain half the  brine. The remaining half will be part of the dressing.

Then it was cutting up the celery . Use about five to six stalks, including the heart.

                                                         This is without the dressing

The dressing was five tablespoons of the vegan mayo mixed with about two tablespoons of olive oil and apple cider vinegar. A tiny dash of salt  and a grind of fresh black pepper rounded it out.

This is a chunky salad to mix so I'd recommend using a wooden spoon to completely coat the pieces. You can add salt and a little freshly ground pepper for bite. I like this salad a lot. The flavor mix is a combination of bite from the scallions and mild from the chickpeas and celery. I know it's going to be made a lot this summer as a perfect side to burgers and dogs. You could add green olives for more flavor and color but don't go overboard with them. 

This is  different kind of salad but it's sure to be a classic. Make it for any Spring meal or party. It is fresh and green, bursting with flavor.

Tarentella's Going Home To Classics

 Everyone has that one favorite restaurant. It's the kind that's been there forever and has never really changed its' menu. Tarentella's Ristorante of Clark is one such place that has been offering homemade Southern Italian classics for three decades now. It offers everything that's as comforting as a nonna's hug .

This is the restaurant for me.I was first introduced to it by coworkers twenty some odd years ago.It's always been on the radar of people living in Union and Middlesex counties here in New Jersey.It's kind of reminiscent of a Jersey shore restaurant with its' big waiting room and long bar(which is always crowded by locals).I was in the area yesterday and knew I had to stop in for one thing :

This is what was left of their individual eleven inch pizza.Tarentella's is one of the few restaurants  in the Garden State that make anchovy pie and I had to have it . At that moment. with extra sauce too.It was sheer heaven!!! The pizza crust itself was papery crisp, again perfect and the sauce and anchovies were plentiful. This is how pizza should be.I also loved the fact that there was half a loaf of an Italian boule bread a crunchy crusted round loaf with an sweet, chewy inside , perfect with butter or olive oil. The bread alone is worth visiting this place.

I plan on returning - and soon. I was always a big fan of their minestrone which was more of a veggie stew than soup.It was always thick with tomatoes and cauliflower along with green beans. Their chicken Cesar salad was a standout too, with large pieces of  grilled chicken breast in a huge bowl overflowing with Romaine leaves and Cesar dressing along with large, shatter in your mouth croutons. Tarentella's also has a good selection of hot and cold subs along with wraps and panini, perfect for a filling lunch or early Sunday supper. Try their hybrid wrapaninni which is a warmed wrap filled with everything from a vegetarian mix of veggies to ones filled, with turkey , chicken or Italian cold cuts.  Calzones and stromboli are also served and it;s worth trying the Italian hot dogs. Tarentella's also has an extensive array of  meat and seafood dishes for a casual dinner out. You can choose anything from Chicken Marsala to rack of lamb to New York strip steak. Seafood lovers will go mad for their shrimp scampi or filet of sole francaise along with their char broiled salmon and the different sole dishes, one featuring chopped clams. Yes, get the desserts!!!Their capuccino was always my favorite way to end a meal there.Of course they have cannoli and zeppoli but also an Oreo pie, Mississippi mud pie and a caramel apple (!!!) too.

We all have that favorite restaurant that's a huge part of our culinary memories. Tarentella's is mine. Its' food is homemade goodness , perfect and delicious.

Tarentella's  1199 Raritan Road , Clark New Jersey 07660. It's right off the Garden State Parkway exit 135, the first left after the light.

Choux pastry For Saint Joseph's Day

 Saint Jospeph's Day is celebrated with lovely rich pasties. that can be bought at any Italian bakery. Yet it can also be made at home too and stuffed with a variety of traditional and not so traditional fillings.Creating it and  treats can be pretty easy.

Today's feast day features zeppoli but not the confectioner's sugar coated deep fried dough pillows we see at Italian feasts. The base is different, being made from choux pastry. Many home bakers balk at the idea of making choux pastry. It can be tricky and finicky yet it's a simple recipe. Unlike other pastry doughs , the butter and eggs are cooked with the liquids such as milk and water first. Sugar is added to this  as is the flour. It's the eggs, however, that give the dough that rich golden color when baked. It is also the airiest and crispest dough when baked, creating little puffs or cabbages - choux in French. The centers are hollow which are then filled with the San Guiseppe Day filling. The dough is first piped into a circle and then baked until golden and puffy for about thirty minutes. Cool them for ten minutes. The filling is crema pasticcera made with milk, egg yolks potato starch, sugar, salt, and vanilla. You can sub in corn starch for the potato one. The mixture is whisked over a low heat with the milk being heated  first. The heat is then reduced , thickening the filling. It's then piping the filling in and dusting with confectioner's sugar.  However you can add cocoa powder for a chocolate treat or even grated chocolate blended into the filling.

Making choux pastry is a great skill to have.Once mastered, you can try making all sorts of sweet and savory treats. Cream puffs are the most popular choice and you can try both savory and sweet fillings. Also they can come in large, medium and small sizes too.  For the smaller ones, use a scoop or a small spoon to place them on the baking sheet. The miniatures make great hors d'ouevres' for parties.  The savory ones are known as gourgeres. Think a ham and cheese one with a cream cheese base made creamy with a dash of mayo for smoothness. You can use freshly chopped ham or devlled for a silkier texture. Chicken salad is another great stuffing .Try this type of gougere for Spring wedding or baby showers for a different spin on finger sandwiches.. You could also filled them with chopped shrimp or lobster and serve with a small ramekin of shrimp sauce for a lush treat. Sweet cream puffs can be filled with any pudding from chocolate to vanilla to pistachio.Yet ones filled with ice cream and then drizzled with chocolate sauce make for a fun summer dessert at a soiree. You can also filled with a mix of chopped berries such as strawberry and blueberry and add a side puff of whipped cream.

Saint Joseph Day pastries are a treat. These and other choux pastries can easily be made at home. Try them for an delicious sweet or savory treat.

A Lenten Bonus For Your Diet

 If you're observing Lent then you're forgoing meats and some dairy until Easter. Doing such may be a nutritional bonus .The less red and fatty meats eaten, the less problems you have. Eating more fish and veggies can even lead to a pescatarian or vegetarian diet.

Salmon is usually the gateway fish for those fishless Fridays.It's an easy fish to cook and can be prepared in a variety of different ways. It is also a good source of protein and only two hundred calories.It's high in Vitamin B12 and potassium along with iron and vitamin D. One of the easiest ways to cook it is pan seared. Add melted plant butter like Melt along with salt, pepper and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Some recipes add a touch of honey however that can make it a bit sweet. Dill works best with the flavor but you could also use rosemary and oregano too. Think about making salmon croquettes if you want to get the kids on board. These are a mix of  canned salmon along with flour and panko bread crumbs for body. Bell peppers, garlic and salt give it flavor. Mayonnaise provides moisture as does eggs. You can add Worcestershire sauce and cilantro for zing and color.It's then cooking them in olive or avocado oil as you would hamburgers. You can also make these in an air fryer .You can also go with a favorite - cod too.It can be prepared as the other. It's the basis of fish and chips which is an easy make ,especially if you use an air fryer. They're also good shredded in tacos too.

You can also try your hand at bean dishes too for Lenten Friday suppers.Bean tacos can be a tasty change up. You can do a mix of black and kidney beans for a more flavorful filling. They can be good cold or warmed in the microwave. Top with Greek yogurt , lettuce tomatoes and homemade guacamole for a substantial meal. Beans also work in a burrito too. Anyone can copy Taco Bells' recipe for it. The filling is a mix of red kidney beans, finely chopped onions and tomato sauce. Garlic salt and cumin are added for flavor while shredded Cheddar or American cheese adds creaminess to the texture What gives it that tang? Two teaspoons of  red wine vinegar. It's then mashed and spooned into microwave warmed tortillas. You could added chopped tomato and avocado slices to imitate Taco Bell's Grande version. You can also use this for tacos too. Another idea is using vegan "beef"crumbles for this too. Plant based "meats' are the rage right now. You can easily make a meatloaf  using Beyond Beef , complete with a mushroom gravy. Gardein has a wide variety of plant based meats, including cod filets and crab cakes.

Lenten Friday may actually help you and your family in eating healthier. Try a meatless meal one day a week then ramp it up to two or three. You'll still eat delicious but also better.

Another Green Holiday Nowruz

 Today is Saint Patrick's Day , a holiday for green beer along with corned beef and cabbage. Yet another Spring holiday, older and more religious happens on Saturday  - Nowruz the Persian New Year.Its is a time of renewal to welcome in the season of Spring. The holiday brings all sorts of feasting and fun.

Naz Deravian , an actress who was in the CBS show "Jag" and author of the Persian cookbook Bottom of the Pot contributed Afghani recipes to yesterday's New York Times Food section.It is a New year celebrated not just by Iranians but countries in the Silk Road route.This also includes the ancient kingdom of Afghanistan.It is from the Zoroastrian tradition,  withe the religion being the oldest monotheisstic one in the world. Their beliefs have influenced Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Nowruz is Persian for "new day". The foods and even their preparations have meaning. Rinsing and soaking  fruit and nuts to be used in water symbolizes brightness and life. Sweets , of course, celebrate the sweetness of life while green ingredients like spinach mean new life . However the holiday will be subdued in cities like Kabul because of the Taliban takeover and the group does not like the Zoroastrians or their religion. Still there will be quiet celebrations where entire families will prep the food and the women will sing traditional songs.

Ms Deravian gives a variety of different recipes for a New Year's celebration. There is sabzi, a lamb and spinach stew that is spiked with chili and garlic. Two pounds of spinach is used  and it, the lamb and a large yellow onion are cooked. Cilantro and chives along with scallions are added to intensify the flavor and color of rebirth . It can be served with challaw , rice spiced with green cardamon pods and cumin seeds .(you can go to any Asian food store for the cardamon pods) The rice is first parboiled and then finished cooking with the pods and seeds for three minutes. It is then simmered for another twenty minutes. One of the most important dishes is haft mewa, seven fruits in Persian. Seven is a lucky number in the culture however more can be added to the recipe. This is a collection of walnuts,pistachios and almonds rinsed and soaked with golden raisins, apricots and black raisins,Oleaster or senjed , a type of olive with a sour tomato taste and dried sour apricot are the chief ingredients however they can only be found at Afghan or Iranian markets or online. Ms. Deravian suggests using figs and dried cherries instead.All the ingredients are soaked for  to days and served chilled.

Nowruz is another Spring holiday, ancient and sacred.It is also joyous celebrating a new year full of life and promise.Its' foods reflect this.