It's a blog for foodies around the world. Here you can read about recipes , new ideas and old techniques. You don't have to be a gourmet, just someone who really LOVES food and drink!!!!
Here's the question of the week Can a pizza be a pizza without the cheese on top? Recently the Wednesday New York Times food section featured an article about tomato pies.It's sometimes called an old fashioned or nonna pie in the pizzarias. Technically it is a pizza. Or is it?
What do you think? And do you like your pizza with or without cheese?
That ubiquitous breakfast treat and all day snack Pop Tarts hits Its' sixtieth birthday is coming up and the treat;s popularity is as strong as ever.It all started with a box of tester pastries.
New contributor and founder and host of The Box Sessions. Laura M. Holson wrote about her family's experinece with the treat in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Her family were the first to try them in 1964 during th e pastry's debut. How did they get this exciting job? Ms Holson has a theory that her mother saw an opportunity to feed eight hungry kids free dessert. They tried a variety of different flavors , frosted and unfrosted.It was a novelty for them because this was their first taste at processed foods. Ms. Holson;s family gew up in a small agrifultural commiunity in the Santa Cruz mountains. They only knew fresh fruit and vegetables.It was cheaper for their mothe r to bake dozens of cookies on a Sunday for a week ahead than to buy packaged bake goods and sweets. This was something that required no prep time except for putting it into a toaster or toaster oven. There were even two well sized one in a packet.
The Holsons were ahead of their neighbors. They recieved flavors that had yet to hit store shelves making them special in the eyes of their neighbors and friends,.They tried frosted strawberry and brown sugar cinnamon whcih are now the popular retro flavors everyone gets. The family ate POpTarts for dessert. They were too hot on the tongue to eat straight out of th e toaster and they were used to eating oatmeal to start the day. Once eaten, the Holsons filled out forms , grading the pastries for form and texture. Some just sniffed and nibbled while others toook big bites. Not all the Holson kids were enamored by them They preferred their Czexh born great-grandmothers strudels and homemade apricot kolache, a kind of mini danish laden with fruit and cream cheese. Nowadays the family doesn't even want them. Surprisignly enohg a big Pop Tart fan, Jerry Seinfeld is making a movie about them,. (he likes brown sugar cinnamon with a glass of milk)
The Holsons got to try a new idea and their opinion it seems still matters sixty years onward. Are the pastries that good? It seems they are, in all their sweetness.
Roti is the type of flatbread that can be used in traditional and non traditional dishes. It cna be sweet or savory, served with lamb or jaggery sugar. The one thing it is is tasty and can be made in any home chef's kitchen.
Regular contributor and cookbook author Priya Krishna wrote about this basic yet versatile bread in today New York Times Wednesday Food section. Roti is a staple at many Indian restaurants but thnaks to both forced and voluntary migrations is alsoa staple in such diverse cuisines as Caribbean, Malaysian and Guyanese. The name itse;f derives from Northern Indian according to Professor Krish Ray who teaches food stiduies at NYU. However the basic recipe was common. Early people made rounds of unleavend bread cooked over open fires and either eaten plain or with somekind of meat and /or veggies. You can make it at home or even buy it at any grovery store. Caribbean chef Peter Prime gets the rounds at his local Caribbean mart in Mary;and. He does create his own too - theTrinidadian buss up shut which has butter giving the bread a smoother texture. Keep in mind that it can also be made much easier wirh the help of the Rotimatic which sells for $1299 .
However Ms Krishna also includes a recipe for it. it calls for ghee, the clarified melted butter but you can use melted unslated butter too. There is flour, usually refined white will do along with baking powder for rise. A tablespoon of light brown sugar imparts a sweet taste making it perfect for dessert recipes too.The ingredients are added to the flour and baking powder by the well method. The dough at first will be shaggy looking but as tablespoons of water are added , it should evolve into a smooth ball. when this happens cover it with either plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest for anywhere between one to four hours. In the meantime combine the ghee or melted butter with coconut oil. When the dough has rested them roll it out on a floured surface. Formronds, and cut a slit in the middle Add the butter coconut oil mixture, then roll the dough onto itself, It should form cone. Sealt the ends , return to a buttered pan and allow it to rest for thirty more minutes. The dough is cooked in al large skillet with the butter mix to fry it. Keep brushing it with butter and shredding it with two spatulas. Repeat until allk the pieces are cooked . Serve with curry or a sweet filling.
Roti is a delcious bread that can be served with a variety of fillings. Have it sweet or savory.It''s a delicious treat either way.
The air is getting nippy.It's definitely sweater weather. Ther'es aneed for a warm meal - a hug of a warn meal that 's comforting and delicious. This is where stew comes in.
Stew sometimes get a bad rap yet it's an easy cook and as comforting as meat loaf and gravy. You can stick to basic recipes but there are also fancier ones that as good too. Basic protein usually is beef , chicken and lamb.yet you cna also use pork and seafood, especially shrimp. What about tofu? Yes, there's an interesting Korean stew that fullof spice and tofu. Another plus is that you can use your crockpot or Instapot for making a good warm one while you;re at work. if you're going for a beef one select two pound of stew meat to firs tbrown You cna use vegetable oil for this but olive oil givesthe meat more flavor. Add a can of tomato sauce or whole tomatoes along with such spices as marjoram and thyme. A clove fo garlic wouldn't go amiss for more flavor. Of course add your favorite veggies.Onions, potatoes, carrots and peas are the ones that work best with a simpl e beef stew. Keep in mind that these cna be added to chicken and pork stews tooA fish stew should hve either a chicken stock or clam juice as its' base. You can add tomatoes along with green ro black olives for more flavor along with new potatoes.
If you're thinking about a tofu stew then think Eastern. Korean cooking gives us sundubi jjigae which is made with soft or uncurdled tofu. Korean chili oil is need for this You cna buy it or make this mix of Korean chili flakes, canola oil, ginger and garlic. Assorted veggies such as bok choy are added to the mix along with either pork belly or shrimp and clams. The meat are determined on what you want in it. Kimchi, fermed , shredded cabbage is also added to it.It's cooked for about thirty minutes and is usally served with rice Of course you can als try the warming Southern French cassoulet recipe.. This Languedoc has satisfied geenrations of French people looking for a hot delicious bowl after a cool fall day, It starts with chicken but also has pork and duck added too. The pork is two kinds , some kind of bacon like lardons or even pancetta and sausages.The there are thebeans and aromatics. This is one of those rare stews that omits all veggies, better to taste the delicious flavors of beans and meat cooked together. Use white cannelini beans for this, It's cookef for four hours in a 350 degree Farenheit oven.
Cold weather deserves a warm hug. That can definitely come in the form of a delicious hot stew. Make one to wars off the nippiness and embrace a comforting blend of flavors.
This is the season for apple cider. You could easily buy ot at your local farm or store yet you can also make ypur own. Homemade cider is pretty easy to make. Best of all you can customize it to suit your tastes.
It all starts with apples. The flavor depends on what you use and what you like , Gala or Fuji apples have a very sweet flavor so if you like a candy like drink use them.MCIntosh and Pink Lady impart a tarter flavor , perfect for those who want a true apple taste. You can also vary them too, with using five apples of one kind and five of another. You should be using ten apples in total. As for sweetening , use three quarters cup white sugar. There is also one tablespoon each of nutmeg and all spice to give it that autumnal spice flavor. Since this is a non- press cider it can be made in a stockpot or even a crockpot. If you use te last then figure a twelve hour simmering should do it. Remember that the cider will only last a week in the fridge. (although that probably won't happen). You can freeze it if you want. Just use a tightly covered pitcher or jar for this,Bad cider will have a froth or foam floating on top along with an acidy taste. If it's this it's on it's way to becoming vinegar,
One plus is that the apples don;tave to be peeled cored or sliced. They cna just be put in the pot as is. The skins will give the cider that rich reddish-amber color.Place the apples in a large stockpot and cover with water two inches above their tops. Add sugar and spices and boil unclovered for one hour. reduce heat to low after this cover and then simmer for two more hours. Strain the apple mixture throw a fine mesh sieve (you can use the flesh skins and cores for the composting). Drain cider a secon time using a fine cheesecloth to get rid of any little impurities. You can serve warm with a cinnamon stick or chilled for a lovely cool drink. Homemade cider can also be used in a variety of fun cocktails. It pairs best with rum and bourbon but you can easily make a caramel apple martini with it. This is combining the cider with butterscotch schnappes and vodka for a sweet fall sip.
Homemade apple cider is a real treat. Try this one for a tasty fall sip.It's a refreshing drink using the best fruit of the season.app
If you're looking forsomething new for your Halloween party, look to the British., They have a treat called a cookie slab,It's a giantcookie topped with all sorts of candy.It's the perfect treat for the upcoming holiday.
I found out about this when I received the usual email from Party Pieces , the company owned b y the Middletons, Catherine, Princess of Wales' family. They featured cookie slabs a sort of square sheet cookie topped wuth everything from chocolate covered pretzels to their version fo Heath Bars and Butterfingers. Smarties, the Brit version of M &M's are also strewn on top. There is also a white chocolate version too. The question here is there a recipe for US audiences? There are some , ranging form blogs such as Lindsay Cameron Wilson who gives a chocolate chip one. You can easily swap out the chocolate chips for M&Ms and Reeses Pieces. Keep in mind that the orginal recipe is the basic chocolate chip one with brown sugar being used for that mellow cookie flavor, The Meal Garden blog offers an oatmeal one. You could press dried cranberries and raisins into this one for a healthier spin.
You could try an American version which I think is a bit thicker in texture, The New York Times Food section has one for sugar cookie bars , adapted from an American Girl recipe. Theirs has cream cheese added in which makes for a chewier , moister bar. Cookie slabs shoudl have some kind of crispness to them. Another idea to create the perfect cookie slab is to buy Pillsbury, roll the dough out and then place on a small cookie sheet pan.Bake this and when the dough is stillhot from baking add candy.It's just gently pressing in different candies like candy corn, Mellowcreme pumpkins and anything you can think of. You can easily just put all M &Ms or small Reeses' peanut butter cups.Think soft melty candy as opposed to hard like Jolly Ranchers. Another idea is decoarating any of the cookie shaps with swirls of orange and black icing for Halloween. Think a chocolate slab cookie studded with broken candie canes and drizled with red and green icing for Christmas.
A slab cookie loaded with all sorts fo candies are a great holiday treat. This is the way to celebrate Halloween.It's as fun to make as it is to eat.
Here's another question, appropriate for this season - are we overinundated with eveyrthing PSL ? Should there be another flavor that can easily symbolize fall?
Your thoughts?
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