Parsing Through Fall Spices

Autumn brings a plethora of warm, rich flavors, thanks to spices. They enhance rich and hearty dishes, from savory to sweet. Yet what exactly are they? Are they just pumpkin pie flavoring or a host of complex grindings that can be used on their own?

Everyone associates this time of year with pumpkin pie spice. Our doughnuts and coffee, ice cream and, of course , pumpkin pie . what is it exactly?It's equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, allpsice and ginger. Any of the spices would be goon on their own, flavoring both savory and sweet dishes. Cinnamon is derived from the inner bark of  the Cinnamomun  tree. Cinnamon is  usually used in rolls and breads, but can also be used in lunch and dinner dishes too. The Greeks often use it i eggplant dishes and moussaka.It's big on tagine dishes where it's mixed with coriander and cumin. A dash of it is good in mashed sweet potatoes too. Sweet cinnamon dishes are great for ending a meal Apple cooked in cinnamon are always tasty as are baked apples.Nutmeg is another fall spice that's versatile.It comes from the ground seed of the tree of the same name.It's been used for centuries in both savory and sweet dishes, especially in Colonial America. Try it in a butternut squash soup or spiced kabobs. It;s also tasty in Swiss chard dishes, bringing out the veggie's earthy sweetness. Nutmeg can add a festive sweetness to vanilla ice cream and pudding.
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Allspice is another versatile spice that can liven up both a dinner and dessert.It is a Caribbean spice coming from the  pimenta dioca tree.It is the primary ingredient in jerk  and gives Cincinnati  chili its'zing. Meats such as lamb, chicken, and beef can be marinade in a it along with cumin,garlic and freshly squeezed  orange juice.It can also be used in Arabic recipes such as a veggie tangine.Use this zesty spice in a cake rich with walnuts, raisins and brown sugar.A teaspoon of it to hot cocoa   takes it up a notch.Ginger is another autumnal spice tat can be used in both savory and sweet recipes.Ginger is a big component in Chinese cooking.Fresh ginger gives everything from fish to veggie's bite and fire.Add to lobster along with scallions for a zingy Cantonese seafood dinner.Ginger chicken is a nice week night  meal.Of course the  root has been used for centuries in cookies and cakes.A true sign of the upcoming holidays is gingerbread.Bake some for a lovely end to a Sunday dinner or make gingerbread cupcakes for a fun Halloween party.
Make gingerbread cookie baskets and fill with vanilla ice cream for a different kind of dessert.

Autumn is spice season.Break free of the traditional pumpkin spice ones and try them individually.They add a warm fire to any savory or sweet recipe.

island Delights

The Caribbean has given us so many delicious foods and drinks. From jerk to rum, we've experienced some of the best the islands have to offer. They are a mix of indigenous ingredients and European influence. It makes for a tasty cuisine of savory, spicy and sweet.

The dishes from the islands are the first fusion recipes. African, Creole, Cajun, and Amerindian have played an important role. The European influence is felt strongly as well. Spain, England, and France were the first major impacts, along with Portuguese and Irish. Surpsingly, but not surprisingly, there is also a Chinese, Javanese, Indonesian, Arab and South Indian input.Most of the islands share the same ingredients such as rice, beans cassava,a  kind of yam, along with cilantro or coriander. Bell peppers figure heavily into it, along with chickpeas, tomatoes,sweet potatoes and coconut. Some ingredients such as  ackee and saltfish, a type of fruit and salted cod are only cooked and eaten in Jamaica. Many bigger islands such as Jamaica have influence over the smaller ones or are so close such as Trinidad and Tobago that they influence each other. Some of them such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Domenican Republic have variations of the same dishes, slightly varying the amount of spicings.

What are the standout dishes of the islands? Puerto Rico and Cuba have the most known and the most popular.The Puerto Ricans make arroz con gandules y lechon - pork cooked with  yellow rice and pigeon peas.There's also pork belly or chicharrones which is crispy and salty like pork rinds. There's the crunchy  tostones, fried plantains, flavored with garlic powder and salt. Cubans have the delicious rice and beans, arroz y frijoles , cooked together. There's also the wildly delicious ropa viejo or old clothes.. This is shredded beef simmered in a tomato based criollo or garlic sauce. Arroz con pollo is another flavorful and famed dish along with the well known Cuban sandwich. This last is a tasty marriage of ham and pork loin with Swiss cheese and dill pickles on a cianbatta or hero bread. Mayo and mustard  round it out.Jamaican food is also striking. Jerk is made with a variety of different meats, from chicken to goat!.It's similar to our beef jerky here in the States. The Rastafarians have contributed vegetarian salt free cuisine to the island. This is called Ital and has such dishes as curried tofu chunks and vegetable stew.

The Caribbean has given the world a variety of tasty dishes. They are spicy and  sweet, savory and crunchy. Try them for an unusual spin on eating.

Lou And His Special Diet

Kids today are beset with a plethora of allergies.They suffer from everything from gluten to nut allergies. Many along with their parents r don't know what to do or how to refuse. Luckily, there's a brand new book out there to help along. A smart boy, named Lou can help them.

The children's book, Lou Knows What To Do; Special Diet "Boystown Press 2017) was co-written by Kimberly Tice,MS CCC-SLP and Venita Livack MA, CCC-SLP who have encountered children who have had allergies. It is a plague of the modern world, with more and more children (along with adults) being diagnosed with severe food hypersensitivity. This book is a gentle tale about a young boy , named Lou who has to deal with the double onus of a peanut and gluten allergies. This wide eyed boy, expertly drawn by Andre Kerry ,discovers he has to change his diet. His magic bubble wand (and what kid - or adult for that matter wouldn't want this) shows him the type of foods that he can't have. There is a bubble depicting a table full of doughnuts, cereal, bread and cake along with a bubble showing Lou looking fretfully at a jar of peanut butter.There are also pictures of him checking out boxes with his mom in the their local supermarket. Another shows hin at a restaurant, scanning over a menu along with thanking a chef for creating a "safe" meal for him. More illustrations show Lou  at school , with him saying no to trading questionable snacks,. There's also him with his teacher and the explanation of how to use an epi pen.

This is the must have book for both parents and teachers. What I like about it is that every page starts with the red ink highlighted Lou knows. Ms. Tice and Ms. Livack also know not to talk down to kids, and explain everything in simple, uncomplicated terms. They  have written other "Lou" books" that features the hero at the supermarket and at a party.Another plus is that they stress the seriousness yet liveability of severe allergies without also showing the sometimes dire consequences. This book is definitely a learning tool, allowing for a dialogue to take place between teachers and students. There is even a page of tips for educators.It can also open a conversation  for healthy eating and what foods are good or bad.There's also a quiz at the back too to see if the kids really understood the story and if they retained anything.A nice bonus would have been a section on recipes that feature gluten and nut free dishes and snacks. Hopefully the authors will consider this in this future and include recipes for sunflower seed butter as well as for gluten pizzas and cupcakes.

Lou Knows What To Do, Special Diet, is a great book for kids with allergy. It is smartly and sensitively written by two authors who have a keen insight into children. This is a must have for any young person's library.,

Can You Rival A Great Baker?

One of the best aspects of The Great British Baking Show is that it introduces American home bakers to a plethora of British  and European treats. It would be the ultimate project to create an elaborate baked good. Can it be done?

American bakers - including myself - have a tendency to rely on boxed mixes. These can be varied to create new cakes and desserts yet there's limited creativity. True bakers will nix the Pilsbury and Duncan Hines (as if we lesser ones  would) and use flour and baking soda, eggs and butter along with milk and molasses.The Great British Baking Show and its' American spin offs have challenges that require old fashioned ingredients and creative thinking. Anyone can recreate the recipes.There's an entire franchise of "Great British Baking Show" cookbooks out there along with recipe books from former judge Mary Berry and current Paul Hollywood. There are even specialized ones that focuses only on breads, sweet buns and trifles in separate books. These are perfect for home bakers wanting to break the mold. These are more labor intensive than some of our ones. Spices have to be ground. Sometimes there's proofing  in a low temperature oven. Elaborate cookies require handmade molds.It's not for the faint hearted.

There is a sense of exhilaration and triumph however when a bake is done. Imagine creating Series 7 winner  Candice Brown's Tudor showstopper, a marzipan peacock.It was an elaborately decorated cake , with the surprise of fresh blueberries in the middle. Or creating Mary 's technical challenge of a Victoria sponge , a lovely end to a Sunday brunch. How much more fun would the holidays be with Paul's Tudor technical challenge of  elaborately knotted Jumbles , zinged up with freshly ground mace and aniseed, along with caraway seeds. If these may be too much start off with some of the contestant's recipes. These are still complicated, but a bit easier to make. There is a tasty pina Colada rolled cake, which is laden with coconut mascarpone ,pineapples and coconut rum. For a savory spin, and perfect weekend lunch , try baking the croque Monsieur kites. This is intense, because the puff pastry has to be hand made (no Pepperidge Farm here) and stuffed with  cheeses such as Gruyere and Emmenthal as well as pancetta and mushrooms.It's also creating your own porcini powder with  grinding the mushroom .it also requires a dough mixer with a hook and creating a scratch Bechamel sauce.

The Great British Bake Show is an entertaining foray into intense  baking. American home bakers can break free of their cookie cutter bakes and try some of the elaborate sweet and savory recipes. It'll expand the repertoire along with filling the kitchen with yummy treats.

Wines For A Week Night

Wine is an important component of any meal. It's especially important on a weeknight, where it helps to unwind after a stressful day. What to serve? That depends on what's cooking. Just don't be too serious about it. Save that for the meal.

Eric Asimov wrote an entire column about it in yesterday's New York Times Weeknight Cooking issue.  As he writes weeknight wines should be like easygoing comedies as opposed to Ingmar Bergman films. They should be delicious and refreshing without requiring rapt attention. Also the price shouldn't break the budget. Figure around ten dollars is fine. Most of what he recommends come from Italy, Germany, and France, but you could easily get ones from Spain,Portugal, Greece and California.it's just that there are more varieties and tastes coming from the first two.There are some that are close to twenty dollars and these are included in his list.One of the first and the best recommended is from Piemonte.It's  De Forville Langhe Nebbiolo.It's perfect with any kind of risotto or gnocchi,thanks to its' notes of sour cherry and roses.It's also hardy enough to pair well with grilled fennel laced sausages.Another wine, perfect with pasta or even just meatballs is Contra Soarda Veneto Rosso Gaggion 2012.This is made in northeastern Italy , It's made from the marzemino grape , a relatively unknown variety here in the States, but used for centuries in the Trentino, Lombardy and Veneto regions.

For those who would like a French wine then think Chateau Gravile-Lacoste Graves 2016. It's one of the less expensive wines.that is a combination of semillon,a golden yellow grape  ,sauvignon blanc and muscadelle.Serve it with seafood, such as steamed salmon or a light lemony shrimp scampi.Its also a good dessert wine too. German wines are always a nice addition to any meal wanting them.Try  a Knebel Mosel Reisling 2015,is dry, stony and pure. Its' minerality goes well with any kind of chicken dish, think an easy roasted one along with ham. It's perfect with shellfish, so think of serving it with any crab or lobster dish. Mr. Asimov also throws in a Portuguese wine, Tiago Teles Bairrada Maria da Graca 2015.It is  a ninety per cent blend of red- alfochiero and ten per cent white bical. It's fruity and flowery . Pair it with spicy stews or even peppery seafood gumbos. Grilled lamb kabobs and lamb chops are always a part of weeknight dining. Drink a truly Greek wine, Gal's Retinitis
Nobilis NV 2015.It's made with the more refreshing roditis instead of the usual dull savatiano.

There is a huge choice of wines to go with any weeknight dinner. Pick the one that pairs the best with what you're serving and go with it. It'll make for a relaxing drink after a hectic weekday.

The Weeknight Cooking Issue

It is hard to come up with a decent meal five days a week. Add to that a busy work schedule, plus after school activities and overtime. There's also the dilemma of making every night exciting , filled with the prospect of a fresh, tasty meal. Not to worry. The New York Times comes to the rescue.

Their Weeknight Cooking issue today has a slew of ideas and recipe to get any home chef, whether novice or old pro through the week. As Sam Sifton puts it, anyone and everyone can have a tasty meal without resorting to take out. It can just be as simple as making rice in a multicooker,  flavoring it with butter and soy and serving it with a fried egg under a sprinkle of ginger. Voila, a whole meal with protein. Everyone contributes, from Julia Moskin to newcomer Tejal Rao.One appliance home chefs must have is a multicooker. This is a godsend because it can do so much. It's different than a slow cooker because it has so much more. I'ts also an electric pressure cooker, a rice steamer and a rice cooker. Some of the better brands, according to Melissa Clark, author of the weekly column, A Good Appetite, recommends Instant Pot, but there is also Breville and Fagor. She had originally bought hers for the sake of research for a article but became so attached to it, wrote an entire cookbook, "Dinner In An Instant" (Clarkson Potter Publishing). What is great about the Instant Pot is that it can cook food in minutes instead of hours.Ribs only take twenty minutes to cook as do beets and potatoes. Lentils and split peas also cook up in no time too in the electric cooker.

Her recipe is a tasty one. She gives us pressure cooker tamarind baby back ribs, made exotic and different by the addition of tamarind paste or concentrate.Fresh orange juice and garlic cut the sweetness. The ribs are then broiled at the end to give them a charred, crunchy crust while the Instant Pot give them that chewy , moist interior. Chicken thighs can also be cooked this way, maybe with tomato sauce, coconut sauce and garam masala for an exotic spin. Tejal Rao contributes with the recipes from famed British cookbook author, Meera Sodha. She has a vegetarian touch of weeknight cooking. There is her red lentil dal with coconut and lime kale.It is fiery and spicy  along with being completely meatless. This is typical of where she is from in Goa where Gujarati cooking reigns.
Healthy Goa cooking traces its' history  back to the Third Century BC when the Emporer Ashoka banned the slaughter of animals. For a side or even a main dish there is also her roasted broccoli with almonds. It's coated with a mix of cream cheese and Greek yogurt spiced  with black pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. It's baked on a baking sheet for ten minutes. Dave Tanis contributes the classic sausage and peppers, zested up with onions and red wine vinegar. He suggests serving it with a sunnyside egg but I'd rather turn it into a filling sandwich , thanks to ciambatta or Italian bread slices.

Weeknight cooking needn't be as stressful as week day living, It can be tasty and filling , done in only twenty minutes..It's easy and fun - just like weekend cooking.

Hot Fall Days

Thanks to climate change , we tend to have summer well into fall. Gone are all those autumnal dreams of Sunday roasts and freshly picked apple treats. It's time to get back into that summer mode of easy cooking and easy eating.

Tomato season may be over in some parts of the country, yet there are some plants that are still producing. If you're sick of of tomato salad, then think about using them in a salsa crudo.  This is where tomatoes are chopped and then marinated in  fresh basil, olive oil, and chopped garlic. It's then left to stand for a half hour as any type of pasta is cooked. The heat of the pasta is what cooks the sauce. Serve it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and toasted and oiled Italian bread. You could also use that bumper crop of tomatoes in a cooling pan bagnat, the Southern French sandwich also consisting of tuna, anchovies, and  hard boiled eggs .Olives, peppers, and cucumbers are also added along with Dijon mustard and olive oil. Use a large round loaf of Italian bread for this. It's the perfect sandwich for an early fall day at the beach. Served with chilled cider .If the temps are still too unbearable, then go back to that hot weather fall back - salads. Create hearty chef salad ones for those busy weekends filled with soccer games and chores. Keep the barbecue out for those roasts.London Broil can easily be adapted for grilling. Slice and butter baste for a tasty spin on a Sunday roast . You can even grill new potatoes too, in foil packets.

What about all those apples you picked, anticipating cooler temps for baking? Use them. They make a nice snack , especially when you're trying to wean yourself and the kids off candy and cookies. They can also be baked in the microwave.I'ts just coring them , filling them with butter and red wine or caramel and baking them for three to four minutes. Serve with whipped cream or for a more refreshing vibe, vanilla ice cream. Another idea is just slicing them into wedges and serving them with an already made caramel dipping sauce such as the one from Marzetti. If you still are hungering for some kind of apple dessert, then think about the super easy microwave apple crisp. This only takes ten to twelve minutes  and there's no need to heat up an already hot kitchen with a hot oven.It's just sliced apples with a crisp topping of flour,melted  butter,  brown sugar and a combo of allspice and cinnamon. Again serve with vanilla ice cream for a cool treat.Apples can also be used in a salad. too. They are great with chopped celery and walnuts or with romaine lettuce, pecans and raisins. This is the perfect side for any early fall barbecue or tailgate party.

Don't let those hot fall days faze you. Adapt a summer mode of cooking and enjoy these balmy times. You'll feel better and eat better too.