Spins On Squid

Squid or calamari is one of those foods that people either love or hate.The way it's cooked is probably the cause of this polarization.Yet if done right the meat can be rich in a briny sense and also tender.Most calamari recipes recipes call for overcooking.It's time to change that way of thinking and cooking. David Tanis explored this in his A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.He gives hints as well as recipes for this sustainable seafood.The best squid to buy are ones that have pinkish purple skin that's agleam to it.Also the eyes should be bright.You can buy it already cleaned and ready to cook. This means the fish has been gutted ,scraped and rinsed and divided into bodies or tubes and tentacles.What is great about it is that it can hold up to any seasoning or spicing.It can be good mildly seasoned or doused with a myriad of flavorings.Mr Tanis gives the recipe for a Chinese style crisp fried squid with five spices.This is a more sophisticated version of calamari with a batter liberally laced with the five spice mix.You can make this at home using,fennel seeds, star anise, cinnamon and Szechuan pepper.After fringe in just vegetable oil for two minutes, sprinkle cilantro and diced Serrano chiles over them.Serve with lime . Mr Tanis also recommend roasting them.Squid retains it's tenderness when cooked quickly and this another good way to do it.His recipe is Spanish style ,fired with chorizo and pimenton.Roast ,not on a grill, but in hot oven.It and the fragrant gravy that the combination makes is good spooned over baby spinach and Yukon Gold potatoes.Another way of cooking the seafood is braising.However it has to be cooked for an entire hourvto return to that soft ,slightly chewy tenderness.This would be a better winter dish with tomatoes and leeks.However you could try a spin on bouillabaisse by adding the braised squid.The best bet for the warm weather is a quick method.Another idea, not mentioned is out door grilling and then serving the squid with a lemon butter sauce. squid done well is heaven.The key is a short cooking time for a tender, tasty fish.Your opinion of it being gummy, tough calamari will change upon trying it these three ways.

Green Eating Parisian Style

France has long held the tradition of being the arbiter of fine dining and new trends.Could it be that it could also be going semi vegan too? A Parisian standby ,L'Arpege is eschewing animal based dishes and going green.More and more vegetables are showing up , prepared in interesting new methods. New York Times food critic, the great Pete Wells, explored the restaurant and wrote about it in his Critic On The Road column in today's Wednesday 's Dining section.L'Arpege's chef,Alain Passard has created a unique , but probably soon to be copied, green tasting menu.Since this is France, there was nothing Spartan about the way the veggies were served.Turnips came out, quartered and buttered, accompanied by rhubarb. Vol au vents , usually filled with mashed chicken or pastry creme, now hold vivid carrots and peas surrounded by a milky white onion sauce.The taste is fresh and a jolt ,it seems, to the taste buds. There was a green garlic soup decorated with ham infused clouds of whipped cream.Ravioli is served too, but not the dense meaty kind in opaque pasta sacs.Instead translucent wrappers held a medley of Chef Passard's own grown veggies in a clear vegetable consomme.Mesclun and radishes were drizzled with a hazelnut infused vinaigrette for a nuttier, earthier taste. Is cooking green the start of a trend?It could be that Chef Passard is perhaps becoming bored with cooking his signature quartered meat and fish dishes.L'Arpege had been known for serving both lamb and lobster expertly cut into manageable pieces.These are successful.It could be that he is embracing another aspect of nouvelle cuisine.Another chef, Dan Barber, who has researched the other chef's career for his book about Passard"entitled "The Third Plate"suggests this.He's bucking from the unexpected ,giving him an enviable freedom that fellow cook masters would love to have.Another theory is that he is trying to bring people's attention s to a greener way of eating.Melissa Clark has a tasty bowl dish in her section today as well .It is filled with nothing but quinoa and spring vegetables,sic as artichokes,onions and peas.It makes for healthier eating and a weaning away of meat centered dishes.It could also be that vegetable dishes have been ignored for so long with no interesting and palate blowing recipes. Even the best restaurants, here and abroad ,have simply turned them into uninspired sides. Chef Alain Passard is creating a new trend with turning ordinary vegetables Bles in works of culinary art.Let's hope it inspires other chefs pick up on it.Green eating is healthy eating .Serving it in fancy and innovAtive ways will bring more diners and home chefs into healthier living.

A Good Old Southern Picnic

Now that the weather is warmer, it's time to think about picnics. One of the best cuisines suited to this is Southern style cooking.There is so much that would go well in a picnic basket.The foods and drinks are rich in flavor and texture and are perfect for enjoying under a shady tree. expect to nap in the soft grass afterwards. Fried chicken is a Southern staple as well as a picnic one.You can make the coating with any kind of crumb or batter. An old fashioned buttermilk batter is always the best.Some cooks add paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper for bite.Panko crumbs, usually used in tempura, can also be used for a lighter, crunchier crust.Fresh roasted ham is another good meat to bring to a Southern style outing can be sliced into thick rounds and sandwiched between homemade biscuits.You could also make a ham salad by cubing it and adding mayo along with celery to it.Macaroni and potato salads make good sides.Forget the low calorie dressings.This is the South where calorie rich foods abound.You can make simple mayo dressing with the addition of oil and vinegar.Cole slaw can be made this way as well.If you're a tad more ambitious ,then try making bread and butter pickles as an extra treat.Another idea is deep fried pickles.Use the left over chicken batter for these as well as the oil or fat. What caps off a good Southern picnic?A good Southern dessert.Pecan pie is always good and it's easy to make.For an even easier sweet ending ,try an icebox cake.You can use Nabisco's Nilla wafers and vanilla pudding or mix it up with chocolate wafers and chocolate pudding. Another yummy treat is a strawberry or peach shortcAke.Use those buttermilk biscuits,split them in half and ladle on sliced fresh fruit.Finish with either Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream (which you can bring along in a cooler)Banana pudding is another nice bring along dessert and a cinch to make.What to drink on this jaunt? Sweet Southern tea.This is not the instant kind but one using actual tea bags.The best ones would be Orange Pekoe or Earl Grey.These are full bodied brews that would lose their taste when ice is added.For a true Dixie touch serve in mason jars. A true Southern picnic is.perfect for this time of year.Settle under your favorite tree with a plate of fried chicken and potato salad.Finish with a sweet treat and sweet tea.Lie back under the warm May sun and savor true Mason Dixon picnic flavors.

Foodiie Mom Gifts

What do you get a foodie mom? yummy.There's a wide cornucopia of foodstuffs and gadgets that would make great Mother's Day presents.You can get them online or at your favorite stores. Nothing beats a favorite food or a much longed for appliance.She'll not only appreciate it she"ll probably love your ,her little foodie ,more. Jams and conserves are always a nice treat.Bonne Maman which can be found in any grocery has an excellent choice of jams such as plum and red current along with the more unusual fig and apricot.Pair a couple of them a box of buttery ,crusty croissants from Au Bon Pain and you have a great breakfast treat.Foodie moms love the unusual and adventurous.Spices from around the world make a neat gift.There are several spice houses out there,from Penzey's to the Spice house that you can choose from.You can also visit Indian,Chinese and Caribbean grocery stores , not only to buy seasonings but get advice and recipes which feature the spices .A nice box of chocolates can never go amiss.Yes,there is Godiva and Perugina there are also some more artisanal brands out there.Think about cocoa with sea salt or ancho peppers added.Donna and Company, a New Jersey based company incorporates olive oil and blood orange along with balsamic vinegar in their treats. If Mom is more into creating then eating then think gadgets.These are fun and help to alleviate any prep headaches. Two of the best companies for gadgets are Sur La Table and Quirky. Sur La Table has interesting shaped dishes for making frittatas along with brightly colored garlic peelers.It also sells ceramic pot minders and a bamboo spreader.Sur la Table has excellent whisk and knife sets as well.Quirky is another great site that has gadgets invented by the average person.These tools were made to fill a need? One of the best is Stem.This is a spritzer that can be inserted onto any lemon or lime and fresh juice can be spritzes on salads or in dishes.Pluck is another neat gadget. This is a fun yolk and white separator along with the Venti a salad bowl with a colander under eat.Quirky"s gifts are all relatively in expensive.If Mom's blender or microwave is acting funky then Mother's Day is the perfect time for a new one.K Mart, Target and even Lowe's has good prices on all of these other appliances.Sears is another good choice for any large kitchen appliance. A foodie mom will appreciate any food or kitchen oriented gift.Whether it's a box of ancho spiked chocolates or a funky egg separator, she's sure to love it.Getting her a present that reflects her passions always mother approved.

Derby Cuisine Kentucky's Best

Kentucky is known worldwide for it's derby which is being held today.However it's dishes also stand out as any thorough bred.They are rich in both flavor and tradition.The ingredients run from the tradition Kentucky brewed bourbon to seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. Kentucky cuisine is mix of German and Southern cooking.One section of it is across the Ohio River from the heavily Teutonic Cincinnati .There is goetta a kind of haggis that German immigrants brought to the frontier; it is a mix of oats and ground meat.Thyme along with bay leaf and Rosemary flavor it. Goetta is made in loaves and the slices are fried ,similar to the Pennsylvania scrapple.Syrups and jams are served with it however now most Kentuckians enjoy goetta burgers and dogs throughout the day.Sausage and beer are also family favorites.Southern cooking dominates the southern part of the state so dishes tendvto reflect mostly ham and biscuits.Cities such as Louisville and Lexington contributed some dishes like the famed Hot Brown and Benedictine sandwiches?The Hot Brown was invented at Louisville's famed Brown Hotel.This is a hot turkey sandwich with the addition of bacon and Mornay sauce.Benedictine is a cream cheese mixed with cucumber and served at another great Louisville hotel, the Benedict.It was probably used in tea sandwiches at the hotel teas at first but then became a state standard.Rolled oysters are another treat from this landlocked state.Developed by the Mazzoni family in their Louisville restaurant, it's three plump Gulf oysters dipped in batter and deepfied to golden perfection. A Kentucky is also known it's barbecue and other down home recipes. Most people like the open pit kind where. Chicken beef, and even mutton are roasted.Their barbecue sauces have a bite thanks to a heavy splash of vinegar.Barbecue is served with typical picnic fare such as onions, pickles cole slaw and potato salad. The state also was a frontier two hundred years ago and it's not uncommon to have a venison, possum or turtle dish.Burgoo, a variation of Brunswick stew is also made.This is a kind of thick potage made with any kind of meat ,from mutton to squirrel ,along with a melange of veggies such as corn,okra ,beans and potatoes.It is usually thickened with cornmeal or potato starch but sometimes wheat or oats arcaded.Any Kentucky meal should end in derby pie ,a walnut and chocolate confection laced with the state's signature liquer ,bourbon.This also figures in bourbon balls a scrumptious marriage of crushed cookies, Pecans and a good dose of their liquid gold.(or fire, depending upon your view). Celebrate Kentucky Derby Day with true Kentuck cuisine. Make a Hot Brown sandwich and follow up with a rich Derby pie. Enjoy a tangy mutton barbecue with a good swig of bourbon. this is the way Ketuckians party and party well.

Easy Peasy Spices

Spice really is the variety of life and also offers new spins on classic and traditional dishes.Blending different ones increases the variety and makes any lunch, dinner and even barbecue exciting.The best part is that you can use common ,available and affordable ones to create unique and exotic flavors. Mark Bittman wrote about this in his online column in The New York Dining section online.These are so easy to make and the only complicated step is toasting them in either a regular or toaster oven.They,represent the Middle East,China,the Caribbean,India, and even France. One ,za'aatar is becoming the mix of choice (as mentioned the other day in the Dining section and this blog). It's a mix of dried sumac berries, toasted cumin, and sesame seeds along with dried thyme and oregano.Dried sumac,unlike it's" American cousin is nonpoisonous and can be bought in Greek or Arab groceries.It has a tart, sour lemon taste but works well when mixed with other herbs.It can be used on kabobs and even lamb chops too. You can also use it in pilafs and on eggplant too.Another exotic blend is Ras El Hanous from North Africa. It is a mix of coriander and cumin seeds ,toasted and then added to cinnamon, Ginger, turmeric and pepper. Again, it is best on lamb but you can also add to rice or bulgur.For subtle spicing, try the Indian Garam Masala which is cardamon pods, cinnamon stick ground with whole cloves and nutmeg pieces. Cumin and fennel seeds arevalso added to . Caribbean spices or jerk are the most popular, most known and the most versatile for a fiery jerk rub.Its sweetness comes from ground allspice berries along with nutmeg.Thyme balances out the flavor.The fire and heat comes from equal pinches of cayenne and paprika along with Ginger, garlic and sugar tone it down somewhat.Jerk is wonderful on any meat from tilapia to beef to even goat.The French have quatre epices or four spices.This is a mix of black and white peppercorns, allspice berries and cloves.More spices are also thrown in.These are cloves,z Ginger and nutmeg.On the other side of the globe is China and Japan.Seaweed is added to the nori seaweed.These are sheets of seaweed that have been crumbled with salt and cayenne pepper.Remember for any of these blends you can use an old coffee grinder or for purists, buy a good mortar and pestle.Also keep in mind that ground spices are intense, use them in pinches when you start blending. Spice blends add zing and zest to any dish,whether it be just chicken breasts or pilaf.Make a fun blend to bring the flavors of the world to your table.Let their colors and tastes enliven any dish.