The Illustrated Kitchen Bible Your Bible

Every home chef should have a cookbook that not only has recipes for every meal and holiday but also chapters about methods and techniques. It should be more than a book, but a bible of sorts that can be marked up and used for reference. Luckily there is a great , epic cookbook that fits that need.

The Illustrated Kitchen Bible:1,000 Family Recipes From Around The World  (DK Publishing) is the must have book that should be in every kitchen library. Author Victoria Blashford-Snell, a Cordon Bleu trained caterer and cooking instructor has compiled a cookbook to rival the classic Fannie Farmer.It is a huge soft cover book with over five hundred pages of all sorts of recipes and detailed ,illustrated how tos. This is the perfect bridal shower gift for any couple staring their own kitchen or for the newly graduated moving onto that first job and first apartment. Home chefs should also have this as well. What I love about it is the vast array of recipes from all over the world. It seems every country under the sun is represented and it's a great way of introducing variety to family and friends. Ms. Blashford-Snell tells readers how to plan and shop, the crucial ingredients in any meal.Another plus are the how tos at the back of the cookbook.There is everything from the simple how to hard boil an egg to the more elaborate butterflying a leg of lamb. Every method is carefully explained so even novices can successfully carve a chicken or shuck oysters, peel and poach fruit or prepare vegetables like an experienced professional chef. There are even pages  on how to grill, bake and make homemade jelly and jam.

The recipes are so amazing. The chapters run from Starters and Light Bites to Desserts and are well illustrated with drool worthy pictures.There are decadent dishes and healthy ones. The starters are perfect for any summer party from the chicken satays to the shrimp cocktail Mexican style. There are the elegant mushroom vol-au-vents for evening cocktails and zucchini sticks for that Sunday afternoon  pool party. The section on bread is one of my favorites. It's not just a recipe for a loaf of white bread, there are ones for English muffins,, rye, croissants (!) and the Italian breadsticks, grissini.It's followed by sandwiches including the classic BLT. Pizza and the Provencale version, the anchovy rich pissaladiere are also represented. Home chefs with families will appreciate the section on kitchen staple dishes such as.arroz con pollo and macaroni with three cheeses. There are endless chicken recipes , from fried to tandoori style as well as recipes on the red meats,from steak and ale pie to roast rib of beef.Seafood is represented in simple baked porgy to the more elaborate salmon in puff pastry. Desserts are a sweet tooth's dream along with being a salute to the EU. There is German Black Forest Gateau to the French madeleines to the Italian panforte..US desserts such as cupcakes with buttercream frosting and muffins grace the pages as do the British treacle tart and Irish Barm Bracks. Pie and cookie recipes round out the dessert chapter.

The Illustrated Kitchen Bible, 1,000 Family Recipes From Around The World is the must have book for every kitchen. It's like having a cooking school and endless recipe file all in one book. Get this book today.It's as important as the stove or the fridge .

Mooning Over Mezzelune

Mezzalune are ravioli's more elegant cousins. These delicate, stuffed pastas are just as delicious as their heartier cousins and are just easy to make.It's a great change of pace from the usual pastas and a chance for home chefs to get creative.

David Tanis knows this and wrote about them in his A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Both ravioli and mezzalune are easy to make, especially if casings and fillings are made a few hours ahead. Home chefs don't need a fancy pasta machine to make it (although there are some who swear by the more elaborate machines). Mr. Tanis recommends a simple hand cranked one which is even easier than doing the original way - with a rolling pin.The dough is a basic egg based one, made golden with two large eggs plus two extra yolks. Home chefs could try it with a whole wheat version but the dough's texture  may be too dense,Making the dough ahead of time actually benefits it.Afterwards it should be well wrapped and kept at room temperature.Doing this  helps it to hydrate properly and allows it to be stretched more easily into a silky, tender consistency..Another plus is that once the mezzelune have been assembled they can be refrigerated for up to three hours before cooking.This gives home chefs plenty of time to make a dessert or salad. The pasta can be cooked up in only a few minutes , another boon for a busy home chef.

Mr. Tanis fills his mezzalune with, seasoned ricotta which  is always the base of the stuffed pasta .Nutmeg and lemon zest flavor it, along with blanched chopped spinach for taste and color.Some mezzalune fillings include chopped chicken if home chefs want something a bit heartier.Once the filling is made then its time to concentrate on making the pasta rounds. Use a sharp cookie cutter to punch out three inch rounds. There should be enough for thirty-six ravioli, -figure six servings of six mezzalune each. Dust the rounds with a light coating of semolina and keep covered with a damp towel to prevent drying. Once they 're all cut out then, put a tablespoon of filling on top of each round. Using a pastry brush or even a finger sparingly moisten the edge with water and fold over to create a half moon. The mezzalune will resemble mini  empenadas. Continue until all the rounds have been filled and place them on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment and dusted with more semolina. He uses fresh spring peas and shiitake mushrooms in a butter olive oil blend for the sauce. A more traditional version is a butter and sage sauce. Home chefs can also sub in morels or porcini mushrooms for the shiitake.

Mezzalune are a light,delcate alternative to ravioli, Make them with the produce of the season for a wonderful airy meal on a warm, Spring night, They are a lovely , elegant change of pace.

The Whole Enchilada

Everyone has their own spin on enchiladas. There are opinions about what fillings to use or what sauces to make for it. Then there are the cheeses?American or authentic Mexican? What makes a good Tex-Mex one?

Sam Sifton had these questions as he wrote about and tasted variations of them for his column in today's New York Times Food section.He flew to Houston where he visited about seven eateries to try the best version for adaptation in his kitchen. South Texas has three basic varieties .Local Houston restaurants such as El Real Tex-Mex has ten while Sylvia's has nineteen.Mr. Sifton just stuck with the three: cheese enchiladas served in a red hued chili gravy or sauce, chicken enchiladas served with a tomatillo sauce and enchiladas stuffed and topped with chili con carne. All are served with cheese and that's when the debate kicks in. The chicken version is served with the Mexican queso fresco,a freshly made mild cheese that can even be created at home.The other two however is made with processed Cheddar. Many blanch at the idea of using American cheese.Home chefs can use real cheddar but there is a caveat.It congeals very quickly and can leave the dish a gunky mess. Go for the in between choice - processed cheddar. Robb Walsh,proprietor of Houston restaurant El Real recommends it because.it provides stability and when mixed with other cheeses takes on their flavors.

That's not the only problem home chefs have with making enchiladas whose name comes from the Spanish enchildar to enrobe.. Making the tortilla soft is a labor intensive job. firm, Fresh corn tortillas have to be dipped into hot oil to make them soft and pliable. Only one or two at a time can be dipped however once home chefs get the hang of them , then it becomes a snap. Use tongs to make the process easier as well as safer.Chef Walsh offers this advice ."dip the tortillas,then roll them around, what ever you're cooking.The seam should be placed down on the pan or skillet.Sauce the middle so the edges get brown and crunchy. Don't smother them in sauce. They'll become gloopy. As for the sauces themselves,they 're quite simple. Mr. Sifton makes a chili gravy for the cheese enchiladas. It's a simple roux amped up with chili powder. The sauce for the chicken version is almost like a primavera sauce with fresh tomatillos cooked with onions and serrano chilis Garlic and cilantro round it out. They're pureed together for a fine blend that amps up the chicken's mild flavor.Any of the recipes can be topped with a fried egg. Rice and red beans are a must for sides.

What makes the perfect enchilada? A combination of both American and Mexican ingredients that create a wonderful, cheesy casserole , chock full of spice. It's a great marriage of flavors and cultures.

Zoodle-licious!

Cooking vegetables is not always easy. Try as all we home chefs might , it's hard to make the most mundane exciting. Not anymore. I just got  a spiralizer and it's a whole new and fun world out there.

Mostly influenced by a cookbook about spiralized vegetables that I just reviewed for this blog, I decided to get a spiralizer in the hope of making dishes with new twists to them. I bought Veggetti from Kohls on line.

As you can see it 's an hourglass shaped grater that has two sets of grates located on  opposite ends of the device. They're marked thick or thin for the width.

. I opted for the last which I felt would be good for what I was making. As you can see I used smallish zucchini to make the zoodles or zucchini noodles.It's an easy to do, and in a way much safer than using the scarier looking mandolin. The squash goes in the wide cone  shaped ends and all you do is twist. What comes  out is long pasta like strands of squash.There is a gripper that you insert in the squash's end  as it whittles down to a cone. The cone which is basically a nub can be sliced and added to the noodles. The spiralizer's interior produced these curly fry looking spirals that can also be cooking with the zoodles.

How did I make the zoodles and spirals? 

In a simple saute with olive oil, margarine and garlic

What you'll need:

4 smallish green zucchini, washed and dried,

2 cloves minced garlic,

A good slug of extra light olive oil

(Bertolli brand is the best for this)

margarine or butter

salt 

pepper

Spiralize the squash and put to the side..Mince two cloves of garlic  and set aside.Pour a good slug (figure three to four tablespoons ) of olive oil in a skillet and set over a medium flame. Added about a tablespoon of margarine or butter. Stir the margarine or butter around in the oil until melted. Add the garlic and then carefully pour in the  zoodles. You will have a lot but they will cook  down . Constantly stir until all the zoodles have been coated. Ten minutes into cooking you can put a glass lid over the skillet.If you want, add another tablespoon of margarine or butter for more flavor. You can also season right now with salt and pepper (I used  sea salt and fresh ground pepper for it).Cook until the strands are a pale translucent color.(uncooked squash strands will have an opaque white color.)

If you want, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over them. I like my zoodles just as they  are!

Celebrating Our Service People

Today is Memorial Day, the day when we remember those who gave their lives for America. It's also important that we remember our living servicemen and women too.If they're in line with you at your favorite coffee shop or fast food joint, treat them to a free coffee or a free meal. Show them your appreciation for what they do.Deployment is not easy, They have to leave their spouses and children and go off into a hostile unknown, all to protect lives damaged and savaged by wars. The least we can do is treat them to a cup of joe or a hamburger.

Our elderly veterans also would appreciate from a dinner or an afternoon of coffee and war stories. They have so much to give us historically as they enlighten  and inspire our millennials with their experiences. Bake a cake or a pie, whip up a batch of brownies or cookies and bring them over to them.Organize a cookout to celebrate their victories. You may not  only have a fun time but gain a few new friends as well.

Never let our veterans be forgotten. Cherish them. Feed them not only with food and drink, but with reverence and gratitude, respect and love.

A Barbecue With Sauce

It's the start of the barbecue season and that means the usual fare - burgers- dogs  and salads. The problem is that they can be boring. It's time to liven up the Q and change up those traditional recipes. Replace the ho-hum with something exciting.

Hamburgers are standard grill fare. Most home chefs usually buy the premade patties then slap them on the grill to cook up. Instead a more interesting option is buying ground beef and adding to it. Try the classic hamburger recipe that mixes ground chuck with beaten egg, breadcrumbs and Worcester sauce. This not only makes for a more flavorful bite  but a thicker burger. Bacon  makes anything taste better so think about creating a burger with a bacon center (get the already cooked bacon for this or make your own). It's the same with cheese. You can make cheddar burgers with the surprise of the sharp Vermont kind or pizza burgers with a mozzarella center. Serve the last with tomato sauce. Jalapeno burgers are always a crowd pleaser too. Add four chopped and seeded peppers to a pound of ground meat. Homemade burgers usually made with chickpeas can get an exotic spicing up with everything from cumin to turmeric. Hot dogs are a little more difficult to change up yet they can be amped up with cheese or any kind of filling. Before cooking ,slit the hot dogs lengthwise so they'll cook up with a gash. Fill the gash with melted cheddar or better yet pulled pork.Vegetarians can have their soy dogs filled with ratatouille or a hot onion chutney.

One of the most predictable barbecue dishes is salad, namely macaroni. It's usually the elbow kind mixed with Hellman's, Sometimes celery is added for color but that's it. Try tricolore rotelli instead of the traditional.and for a healthier spin olive oil instead of the mayo. Sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts round it out. For a real eye opener make a spaghetti salad.It will create both memories and smiles. Add some chopped salami and ham, along with peppers and tomatoes in an Italian dressing to a bowl of cold pasta. Make a veggie salad fun by using a spiralizer. These are great gadgets that turn veggies into long strands or "noodles". Think of making a cucumber noodle salad with sour cream and fresh dill. Sub in Greek yogurt for a healthier dish. Chickpeas and their liquid can have double use at a cookout. Use the first along with parsley and chopped onions in a Mediterranean style salad with za'atar dressing. Za'atar is a mix of sumac , oregano, marjoram along with toasted sesame seeds and thyme. Sea salt rounds this easy to make spice. The accompanying liquid has the same composition as egg whites and can be transformed into a vegan mayonnaise, along with adding lemon juice, Worcester sauce, dry mustard and a pinch of sugar. This can also be used as a condiment too.

Don;t have a boring barbecue. Liven it up with unique homemade burgers and fancily filled dogs along with some wild salads. It'll be not only tasty but fun - exactly what a cook out should be.

Without Grain, Without Problems

Gluten is everywhere from the obvious baked goods to the not so obvious in salad dressings.Imagine, though a life totally free of it, and free from troubles and ills that come with it.Celiac sufferers can , thanks to a new cookbook, chock full of recipes and advice.

Hayley Barisa Rycezek has written an interesting and informative cookbook entitled Without Grain: 100 Delicious Recipes for Eating a Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free Diet (Fair Winds Press). This is a must buy for anyone or their family suffering from gluten allergies. Ms. Rycezek explains what it a gluten allergy and what it can do. What is interesting is the  extra list of non edible items such as stamps and shampoos certain medications and makeup that are also chock full of gluten .There are detailed explanations about the differences between good fat and bad fat along with which ones to avoid. One of the drawbacks to healthy eating is that it does cost more but not to worry. There are good tips too, to save money. For example  Ms. Rycezek recommends slow cooking a whole chicken and also using the drippings and bones along with buying in bulk. The book also tells readers what "flours" to  stock up on, namely almond flour, and arrowroot starch, She also issues a ninety day challenge for readers to get off grains. The book makes it easy thanks to the tasty array of recipes that are divided into chapters. There are the usual ones , breakfast, main meals, soups and desserts but there is also one featuring grain free basics and  kid approved ones. The last is appropriate since so many children suffer from celiac disease and miss out on all the fun stuff.

Taking Ms. Rycezek's challenge would be an easy one.  The recipes are fun and some are copies of store bought foods. The grain free basics cover everything from breading mix to pie crust to gravy made with potato and arrowroot starches.Breakfasts can consist of cinnamon square cereal made with almond flour and tapioca starch or cinnamon rolls with  that ooey gooey cream cheese frosting.Party givers will appreciate the chapter on appetizers which run the gamut from spinach and artichoke dip to meat filled egg rolls.There are also recipes for grain free Cheezits and crackers that will rival the store  bought versions.The chapter on soups and stews is an extensive one with such favorites as Italian wedding soup.and a hearty Hungarian goulash.The Main meals have such classics as stuffed peppers with cauliflower rice as opposed to the real thing.Cauliflower rice is an easy sub in for rice, with the veggie being pulsed into small rice like pieces in a food processor. Kids will love the kids approved recipes like  the no corn corn dog made with uncured hot dogs and almond flour They will go mad for the Parmesan crusted chicken tenders and the ham and cheese hot pockets. Desserts are amazing. Those missing sweets will love the Key Lime pie, chocolate chip cookies,and the grain free Oreos made a combo of various starches and potato flour. A birthday cake recipe is thrown in , complete with a butter cream icing.

Without Grain: 100 Delicious Recipes for Eating a Grain-Free,Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free Diet is the must have book for celiac sufferers and those wanting to improve their lives through eating. The advice is priceless. The recipes are out of the world. Going grainless is the way to go, especially with this cookbook as your guide.