A Warming Stew

 This is the time of year when a good stew is needed. It should go right to the heart and warm everything after a chilly day. One is a simple veggie stew with the addition of Berbere spice . It may be exotic but there's something homey and comforting about it's earthy deep taste.

I used it when I made a large vegetable stew the other night. I wanted something exotic and delicious- something different than the usual garlic and oregano mix.. I mixed with with onion and garlic powders

I used about three heaping tablespoons of it compared to a teaspoon each of the other.The base of the stew is olive oil and Country Crock plant butter.

As for the liquid a whole container of Acme's Organics vegetable broth does it otherwise the veggies can be too intense.

Shallots were first added sauteed in the oil and butter 

As for the veggies. Everything was thrown in the pot. I have an excellent fresh market in my neighborhood. Japanese eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes ,orange bell peppers and  cubed boiled potatoes were first sauteed and then bathed in the broth.It did need protein.

Red beans and their water were added to it.

The veggies went from this to this:

It took maybe half an hour of cooking to thoroughly cook the veggies and gravy. You could add some peanuts to it for a more African vibe.

It was an excellent bowl of warming goodness. The Berbere spice adds a whole new layer to the various vegetable flavors. I would recommend using it in a dry rub for chicken too. The stew was the perfect dish on a cold December night.,

A warming stew with exotic  spice is the perfect antidote for a chilly evening. Make it and enjoy a delicious spoonful of heat and flavor. It's perfect for this season.

That Other Holiday Bread Pandoro

 Everyone knows that seasonal favorite panettone.It's that large Northern Italian based sweet bread. People either love it or hate it's slices dotted with raisins and orange peels bits. Most pick those out. However there is bread's simpler version  - pandoro or "golden bread". This elegant  bread is simply heaven on earth thanks to the amount of butter used in it.

Fashion designer and New contributor Christopher Petkanas wrote about this leavenly bread in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. Pandoro is  a favorite treat  during the holidays (there is an Easter version 'Colomba Pasquale a dove shaped bread filled with creme Anglaise.)Ot is a tall star shaped bread that is meant to be sliced horizontally and dusted with the powdered sugar that comes with each b read.It's more like a giant brioche, both in crumb and flavor.Few bakeries bake it .There is  Settipane's that has branches in Brooklyn, one in Harlem and Bruno's in Freehold ,New Jersey . They create pandoro as well as panettone, however they only bake about one hundred of one while they mass produce about four thousand loaves of panettone this season.Pandoro is not as known as its' cousin,.The company's chief baker, Bilena Settipane wishes more people would come to appreciate it. She suggests serving ti with marmalade, nociola, pistachio spreads vin Santo and even gelato. To be honest pan doro is just good sliced as a luxurious breakfast or snack,

.Can it be made at home? Yes , but it is is difficult according to Roy Schvartzapel whose company From Roys' supplies panettone in California and will be introducing pandoro shortly. It shouldn't even be a recipe because it has no leavening. The delicate enriched dough uses a starter or biga , a mix if yeast and flour that has to be mixed with a few drops of water. The second dough or the bulk of the bread is made from flour granulated sugar,honey egg yolk and lemon zest. Vanilla and salt are also added   . After this is mixed  half cup of melted butter is slowly added to the dough and mixed in.The special pan also has to be buttered and then the bread has to be proofed two times There is also factoring in the right ambient temperature and humidity.this could result in a gummy texture and an informed crust. It takes seven to nine hours in total but two days  or more is more traditional according to Iginio Massari, the universally known high priest of panettone. Home bakers also don;t have access to vanillan, one for the preservatives that can lengthen pandoro's shelf life.

Pandoro is best when  bought and it still can be during this time of year. Buy it for its' truly heavenly taste. It is a different, more buttery spin on panettone.

Return To The Gilded Age

 It was bound to happen. Blame it on the popular HBO series "The Gilded Age" or Trump's tarting out the White House to resemble a gaudy Newport summer home. What is this trend?Restaurants offering glitzy and lush dishes in a time when most are struggling.

Regular contributor and chef ,herself, Julia Moskin wrote about this in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.Despite the economic downturn and food struggles of a very large portion of Americans,Manhattan eateries are featuring recipes that would be very in place in Julian Fellowes HBO series about the real life Astors s and Vanderbilts and the fictional Van Rhijn family. Silver paplates across the city are suddenly discovering the lush and sometimes delicate flavors of foie gras, Dover sole and seafood towers, the last chock full of the Gilded Age favorite  - oysters,flanked by shrimp and lobster. There are also towers featuring hipper tastes like crudo)seafood drenched with olive oil and citrus juice like ceviche)toro fatty bluefin and the best cut of the fish and uni - sea urchins. The restaurant Le Grande Boucherie is offering a suckling costing $600 (!!!!). The Waldorf Astoria's refurbished restaurant Lex is offering a sixty-eight dollar lobster covered with caviar and truffles.

There have always been rich people spending exorbitant amounts of cash on food yet today that spending is reaching dizzying heights.Expensive places to eat just aren't in Manhattan anymore. Travel to  Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami and Aspen and order truffles or  Wagyu beef. Parc in Aspen offers celebrities and millionaires offers the last at $120 a plate while a simple dish of polenta with oyster mushrooms and afarm egg(??) is twenty-eight dollars.It seems lesser prices restaurants are jumping on this trend too.Some are pairing caviar with potato chips or even chicken nuggets at Cocodaq, an innovative Korean restaurant in Manhattan's Flatiron district.  This last sold the combo for one hundred bucks a box!!! last summer at the US Open. It's no secret that most of the country can barely afford groceries let alone expensive nuggets. EConomists are calling it "K shaped economy with two tren likes diverging in opposite directions. Income and net worth have risen rapidly for the one percent, namely those working in the tech business. The less affluent are the victims of a stagnant economy and inflation. Yet offering high priced meals with extravagant ingredients are the only way to stay afloat according to pastry chef and partial owner of Manhattan restaurant Contra, Fabian Von Hauske Valtiera.

There will always be be the rich. They need to eat too. Yet they do it in disregard to what is happening around them.It seems eateries are for them these days.not the hardworking American.

A Good Christmas Meal

 For all my readers around the world here's hoping your day was as delicious as mine. There's nothing like Lidl risotto with fresh ly sauteed baby Bella's.

It's a yummy mix of mushroom and truffle risotto 

Easily sauteed baby Bella's.Yum!

it was a tasty holiday marriage

Enjoy your Christmas plates of joy and tastiness!!!

A Food Filled Christmas Eve

 This night is full of celebration and food. ENjoy the Feast Of the Seven Fishes. Enjoy stollen while putting up the tree. Nibble on candy canes and chocolate.

Enjoy this wonder filled night ,full of joys and sweets, treats and snacks!

The Kid's Table

 THey're often related to  a separate table in the kitchen. Theyr'e forced t eat food they really don;t want to eat. Wh9o are they> Kids at a holiday table. Be kind this Christmas and let them just have ajust for fun meal.

Kids are notoriously ignored  - but in a good way - during holiday dinners. It's basically they have to sit there and endure adult talk. Why not make it  a fun dimmer. Do what the restaurants do - have plain paper and small boxes of crayons for them to draw. This keeps them busy and avoids  squabbling. As for drinks, yes they can have soda however but why not a kid friendly punch to make them feel special.Make them a Grinch colored one that has a mix of Sprite , lime Hawaiian Punch and lime sherbet.  You can also create a fun blend using Sprite or flavored seltzer and a blend of cranberry and orange juices. As for the meal itself kids love sandwiches so why not create a hot sandwich for them. Turkey can easily be put on a split roll and covered with gravy.Ham can be sliced thinly and served in a kid friendly roll up. The little ones should eat their veggies but some of the more sophisticated vegetable dishes may upset delicate stomachs. Serve them plain. Steam spinach and broccoli. Roast yams and sweet potatoes. Serve them in smaller portions and with a kid favorite butter.If they can't have the real thing then, get I Can't Believe It's Not Butter/

End the kid meal with a spectacular dessert. Kids are not going to go for boozy trifle. They're probably fed up with cookies right now. WHy not have a peppermint sundae? It may be chilly and snowy outside but the young ones love an ice cream concoction. Add chocolate syrup and layer it between the scoops. Whipped cream is a must as are red and green sprinkles on top. Let the kids create their own. You could also have chocolate ice cream for them as well. Have soda and seltzer handy too for making fun ice cream sodas. The whipped cream and sprinkles can be used dhere as well. Cupcakes are a must. A fun idea is serving plain ones with just icing on top . Arrange a small table with bowls of red and green M & Ms , sprinkles, along with candy eyes and broken pretzel pieces  for antlers. Also have marshmallows to make snowmen. Another fun idea is a Christmas candy charcuterie board. Have trays full of chocolate Santas and bells , along with coins, and a variety of different flavors of Hershey Kisses, Hershey's has put out a new snickerdoodle flavor that 's sure to be a big hit.Scatter mini candy canes throughout the table.

Christmas is supposed to be for kids. Yet the main meal and dessert  are often geared for adults. Change it up and let the kids enjoy both savory and sweet like their older counterparts.

Are You Christnas Ready?

 Christmas is coming faster than a snowflake in a blizzard. For all thosehome chefs out there worldwide, are you ready? Do you have the major ingredients? Do you have the minor ones? are you ready for both Christmas Eve and Christmas? Take a deep breath and think.

Of course you have the main course - whether it be ham, turkey or crown rib. Do you have all the extras that make these meats tasty? Brown sugar is used for baking but t's also the key ingredient in ham glaze. Usually one ham requires two cups of brown sugar. You have enough time (really until Thursday until four to six PM depending upon your local store's hours)If you find your self short on Christmas use more honey or even white granulated sugar for the glaze.You could also add a splash of orange or apple juice instead of the sugar for less sweetness and more flavor. As for the turkey is there enough butter to rub under the skin for a flavorful meat.This usually requires a stick of butter but you can use a scant half cup of olive oil. Luckily crown rib doesn't;t require any prep but you may need string to tie it twine would be a better choice because of its' sturdiness. however if you don;t have this then use double cords of strings to mold  the meat into the classic crown shape.

What about the sides and desserts? Do you have enough potatoes for mashed or scalloped.If you're going old school and making them from scratch make sure you also have plenty of milk and butter.If you;re low on both then use olive oil.It provides a lighter , dairy free kind of mash that's still perfect for gravy. Do you have enough sweet potatoes or yams? Keep in mind that one yam or sweet potato is adequate for one person. Little ones could probably split them with the other smaller guests.If you're inviting ten people then have ten yams. if there are four kids  also then just buy two extra sweet potatoes or yams.What about the greens Do you have enough sprouts or green beans.If you're making the famed green bean casserole do you have the other ingredients like the cream of mushroom soup and the crunchy onion rings for the topping? There's also milk in this  so make sure you have enough for it. As for the desserts, Yes,C Christmas is cookie time and by now you should have a few trays of different types. However Christmas dinner deserves a spectacular ending. Do you have all the ingredients for Death By Chocolate or tiramisu? what about enough brandy for a boozy trifle? Or ice cream and syrup for  a fabulous Christmas sundae for the kids?

Christmas is coming. Take a deep breath and embrace it. Make sure you and your kitchen are ready for it. Then enjoy the day and the flavors of the season.