Calm Yourself With Risotto

Kitchen work is soothing work to some. There's something zen about stirring polenta or grating chocolate. The same is true with risotto. The constant stirring, usually in a figure eight  is both calming and comforting.It's one of the most relaxing tasks for a home chef.

Melissa Clark wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Her A Good Appetite column was devoted to it and the woman who inspired the piece.  Ruth Rogers, chef and owner of the River Cafe in London loves to stir her rice.The motions and rhythms soothe anxiety - and Ms Clark was anxious about creating Chef Rogers' recipe for nettles risotto. The recipe is part of a brand new cookbook River Cafe London which salutes the restaurant's thirtieth anniversary. It also celebrates the eatery's classic recipes updated for a new generation of home chefs.The nettles risotto is one of the trickiest to make. nettles are those sharp stingers that hurt when touched with bare hands. Dealing with them in a home kitchen means the rubber gloves have to come out. Luckily spinach can be subbed in  They have a rich mineral taste  like the other and taste wise they can easily be interchanged. No one will know the difference.

Ms. Clark's accompanying recipe reflects this change. There are eight packed cups of spinach involved. These are stemless because it could make the risotto stringy.Another reason why she wanted to make the rice dish is the taleggio. This is a creamy, sharp cheese from the Alpine region of Lombardy that's added last to the dish. Like most arborio dishes this one is also labor intensive. The spinach has to be placed in a colander and has to have boiling hot water poured over it to wilt the leaves.Then the water has to be squeezed out with a dishtowel before the leaves are being transferred to a food processor.There is also celery , onion and garlic that need to be cooked too.The rice is added to this as is three quarters of a cup of dry white wine and either vegetable or chicken stock.It will take fifteen to twenty minutes for it to be ready. The spinach puree and taleggio chunks are them added and stirred into it.If you want it a bit simpler then cut out the cheese and serve it with a sprinkling of Parmesan.Just remember to keep stirring or the rice will stick.

If you're looking for good food and relaxation then go for spinach risotto with taleggio. It's a soothing dish to make if you;re stressed. Even if you'e not , it's still a great dish to make on a cool Spring night.

Recipes From A Potato's Birthplace

We tend to think of potato recipes as being North American,cooked with a European influence.There's fries and scalloped style, mashed and latkes. yet there were recipes for them long before , in the tuber's birthplace - Peru. These have been around forever and are still an integral part of the area's cuisine.

It was a fascinating article along with recipes in today's New York Times Food section, Madhur Jaffrey, an award winning actress for her part in Shakespeare Wallah, and now a food writer wrote this after visiting Peru and observing the different potatoes grown there. They come in every color and texture, from reds, blues, and purples to yellows and pinks. What is really interesting is that the interior textures can change just by putting them out in the sun. This turns them softer and silkier. Their shapes vary, they're not those elongated , lumpy ovals. Some are shaped like a puma
's paw while other are in the form of an alpaca's nose or a cat's claw. There are new varieties being discovered all the time. There are even potato banks, that store seeds for 1,300 (!) varieties .Peruvian chefs are always on the hunt to find new strains , the more to experiment with along with new ,indigenous herbs and plants to cook them into. The potatoes are not the bland tasting ones we're used to. They even have their own aromas, smelling sometimes like funky bean curds or cheese.

Ms. Jaffrey got to try the potatoes in a variety of dishes. At the Sumaq Hotel in the quaint southern Peruvian town of Aguas Calientes where Machu Pichu is she samples a potato cake The  spuds are cut mandoline thin and layered with bacon and cheese. There is also Papa a la Huancaina, which many consider the country's national dish  Potatoes are boiled, sliced and put with sliced, hard boiled eggs on lettuce leaves . Olives spike up the dish and then dressed with a Huancaina sauce. This last has the native long pepper , aji amarillo. Huancaina sauce can easily be made here too, if you go to a South American grocery store. It contains the pepper along with garlic and onion blended with mozzarella and hard boiled eggs.. Ms. Jaffrey also includes a recipe for a Peruvian cheesy potato soup that has two kinds of potatoes, chufos , the dried variety and russets.if you can't find chufos, just add more of the other These's also celery , carrots and squash along with feta cheese.it's served with a dollop of uchucuta sauce which is a kind of salsa verde. Peanut butter and  more feta give it a smooth, creamy texture ,perfect for blending into individual bowls of soup.

Potatoes in their original dishes are not only a taste of history but a treat. Get away from the European influences and try them in a variety of Peruvian dishes. it's a great way to bring out their mild flavor and silky texture.

Super Greens,Super Recipes

Kale, spinach and anything leafy green has been both literally and figuratively shoved down our throats for the last decade or more. The problem is many have not been offered tasty recipes with them. It's just been the usually smoothie or juice . That's about to change.

Kale is good in juices and smoothies.It adds vitamins and nutrients to them. Yet wouldn't it be nice to mix it up with  good pasta instead of coconut water or apple juice? Surprisingly those leaves can be turned into a delicious pesto, perfect with any kind of short or long noodle.It 's simply taking two cups of kale and that pesto staple, basil,  ground together along with pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan cheese.It can be also made with all kale .Just increase the amount used to two and a half cups. This is from the Kristine's Kitchen blog. I would add a dash of pepperocino flakes for some bite too.Anther idea is cooking roasted tomatoes with chopped kale along with garlic and the hot pepper flakes. Shallots and garlic are also added for more flavor. It's supposed to be served with rigatoni but a long pasta like spaghetti or fettucine would work well with it. Kale is a great base for salads too.It's wonderful paired with any fruit such as strawberries or dried cranberries. Like any green, it can benefit from a joining with sliced tomatoes , along with olives for more flavor and a simple vinaigrette. You can also add some more super foods such as broccoli and sliced peppers for more flavor and crunch.

That other super green, spinach, is also delicious in hot and cold dishes. One of the best is when it's stuffed inside crepes. This elegant meal is mostly labor intensive on the crepe part. After all the batter has to be made the night before and then literally brushed on a hot oiled or buttered pan. The spinach itself is usually cooked in a roux with some extras such as mushrooms and bacon. This can also be the filling of Julia Child's famed spinach pie which is kind of a spin on Beef Wellington. One of the most delicious marriages is eggs and spinach. Nothing beats a true French spinach omelet. This involves rich , maybe not so good for you add ins such as shredded Swiss cheese butter and milk. Of course you can just add spinach to the eggs. Made another way with garlic and you have a tasty spinach frittata for lunch or dinner. One of the best  salads is with spinach,, hard boiled eggs and bacon, topped off with a creamy blue cheese dressing. I make mine healthier by using the soy version of the bacon and the blue cheese also soy. It's a tasty blend that works as a main meal or a side dish.

Think of those super greens as super ingredients. Kale and spinach work well in hot and cold dishes, adding the same dose of nutrition. They're far better in these than in juices and smoothies.

Etsy's Sweet Side

Many know Etsy as that cool place to buy cool artesanal jewelry and hand crafted home design ware and clothing. Others (such as myself) use it for handmade mineral cosmetics and lotions. Yet many - incluing me -didn't know that you cn buy all sorts of home made treats. Yup, Etsy is also the coolest treat store too.

I first stumbled upon Etsy's sweet side while probably looking for homemade fudge. The food and beverage section is hard to find.It's not obvious as it is on other web sits such as Amazon or Target You have to first go to Home and then the Food And Drink . There are all sorts of categories, from soups, to herbs, spices and seasonings to baked goods to candies. There's even a section on recipes. The last can be a money maker for any home chef.A Scottish home chef is charging  almost three dollars a recipe for a kind of vanilla fudge called tablet (and as we all know we can get this free on any candy making or Scottish heritage website). Someone else  is charging for vintage cherry and strawberry recipes as well.I'd rather get the actual item than the actual recipe. Home chefs can buy ingredients such as ground capiscum and vanilla beans  along with all kinds of salts and garam masala. Here you can even find the ingredients for making gin.

Etsy also has a wide variety of ready made treats.You can try a huge flavor assortment of cupcakes at the Mississippi based The Dessert Cafe. They also have brownies , from plain to mint to a wide range of oatmeal cookies. I stumbled not on fudge- but on handmade flavored marshmallows from Sweet Jumbles in Jersey City.

These are the strawberry. I also bought the coffee as well as the peppermint (which looks like bloodied gauze) I thought about popping them all in hot cocoa bit they're huge, pillowy types.I have bought chocolate graham crackers which I may make  fancy s'mores with soon.

Etsy is the place for finding all sorts of gourmet goodies. Yes, you can get one of a kind Spanish leather bracelets and lotions that smell like spun sugar. You can also real spun sugar too.

The Vegan's Garden

Spring and summer are the best time to be vegan. This is when gardens are bursting with all sorts of veggies and fruits. It’s also the time to think about growing the needed proteins a meatless diet demands. A vegan garden should have every and any kind of harvest to satisfy even the strictest herbivore.

A true vegan garden starts with the very beginning. Decide what you want, and when you want to harvest it. Of course, you’ll have to grow beans for the protein but which ones. Kidney beans are versatile, being used in everything from chili to bean burgers however they do pose a problem. Their harvest is in early autumn. The same goes for fava beans. They do not thrive in very hot climates , preferring a Mediterranean one with mild temps with occasional rain. They also take four to five months to harvest, so again, they’d be ready in the fall. The best beans are the pole beans, namely string beans, which work very  well in salads and as a side. They are quick growers, only taking two months to mature. What about chick peas, those vegan workhorses? Well, for starters, they're not peas or beans but legumes and cool weather growers. Luckily they are frost resistant so you could plant them in late September and expect a December harvest. You may want to try lima beans instead. Just as nutritious , they're easy to plant and tend. They do take three months so plant now for an August harvest.

Many vegans go for the super greens such as kale and spinach. Kale  can be planted from early Spring to early summer. The seedlings need to be thinned after two to three weeks of growth because the plants grow to a mammoth size. The average kale plant is anywhere from two to three feet with a two to three foot spread. They do require  a lot of land.Most vegans usually eat a lot of it so growing an abundance is not such a big deal. The other , spinach, can be planted right now. It's surprisingly a cool weather plant but can grow well in late Spring or early summer. They're versatile in the sense that the seedlings can be planted in either full sunlight or partial shade. They do thrive in sandy soil and need to be watered once a week. One of the pluses is they're the first for harvest so you can have a salad within weeks of planting . Of course vegans should think about tomatoes, Like beans, they're crucial to a vegetarian diet and lend variety to the diet. Before planting , study the different types. If you're more into sauces, then grow plum tomatoes. Enjoy a sandwich or focaccio with the aptly named beefsteak. If you enjoy them as a snack then think about growing cherry ones. You also have to decide whether to grow them from seeds or pots with young plants too.

A vegan garden may take work but  the harvest is worth it. They'll add to the diet and create a variety of different dishes. Plan today for a summer full of veggies.

Dainty Bites

With shower and outdoor tea season  in full swing , it's time to think about dainty bites, those sweet little two bite cakes that are perfect with tea or punch. Surprisingly, they're just as easy to make as they are to eat.

Petit fours are the classic dainty bites.Many home bakers are put off ,one by their small size, and two, French name, One of the simplest recipes, from All Recipes just requires a sponge cake base. It's basically two of everything, from egg yolks to cups of flour to two teaspoons of baking powder.If this is too daunting , then use a cake mix. The frosting can be a buttercream or melted white chocolate similar to  the little cakes that Swiss Colony sells. The last is more elaborate because it needs corn syrup for gloss and body  Fillings are usually some kind of jam , lemon curd or orange marmalade. Remember the cake does have to be sliced so that there's three layers. Some home bakers shave off the cake's top layer for a more even surface. Another idea is soaking the layers. This is simply using a pastry brush to brush liqueur over them to give a boozy zing. That's up to you. Some more experienced bakers do tiny buttercream roses on top. If you're not that adept, then use real violet buds or any kind of sprinkle . Candy confetti will do just fine. Clear a place in the fridge to set the icing and keep the petit fours cool.If you're serving them outside, try to set the table in a shady spot so the icing doesn't melt and slide off.

Fairy cakes are primarily a British treat, being the star of many a child's party. Yet they can be a lovely accompaniment to the petit fours.They're a smaller version of a cupcake (think mini cupcake)usually made up of a sponge cake with an icing. The famed baker and Great British Baking Show judge, Mary Berry, has several excellent recipes for them. There is one that 's a basic sponge cake with a simple confectioner's sugar icing. A chocolate one  has the taste of a brownie and is topped with a sculpted swirl of dark cocoa buttercream icing. There are even   plain ones, sans, icing , flavored with only chopped apples or jam. These would be the perfect foil for those fancier frosted bites. because of their simplicity.Of course the most popular dainty bites are macarons. These, too, can be daunting for home bakers.The recipe is pretty simple though and you can make a vegan one using aquafaba or bean water, the liquid that chickpeas  come packed in. The consistency is similar to egg white and makes a very good and delicate treat. They do require a lower temp oven to bake than macarons made with egg white.. Macarons can be dyed in a variety of pretty colors and flavored with everything from lavender to chocolate to fruits, They also make cute favors for guest to bring home.

Dainty bites are the perfect sweets for an outdoor tea or brunch. They have the right amount of flavor without being overpowering. Serve them with iced teas or tea punches for the perfect Spring Sunday gathering.

The Perfect Mac and Cheese

It's the fantasy of every kid and foodie alike - the perfect baked macaroni and cheese. There's nothing like the melding of all the good stuff, pasta, and cheddar whisked with milk.Is it hard to get this culinary unicorn? Not at all.

Alison Roman, author of the new cookbook, Dining In wrote an informative guide on making the best version in yesterday's New York Times Food section.It may be a simple dish in some more experienced home chefs' eyes  but it does require a lot of thought and care. She gives detailed how tos on selecting the perfect ingredients. The noodles used should be any tubular ones from elbow macaroni to tubes such as ziti, penne, and rigatoni. She also suggests a better, new on the scene cavatappi, This is a curly , ribbed noodle that's longer than an elbow.It's perfect for stabbing with a fork and holds the sauce expertly.It's also thick which guarantees against mushiness.Spaghetti and fellow long noodles such as fettucene and linguine are frowned upon but there are recipes for them and using them might provide for an interesting change. Ms. Roman suggests boiling the pasta in water that's "salty as the sea."This ensures that the noodles will have flavor throughout. They also have to be cooked al dente because then they can cook in the oven. They'll still release starch that will thicken the sauce and also their flavor will deepen.

Choosing the right cheese is crucial too.Ms. Roman firmly recommends using cheddar, whether sharp, extra sharp, or sharp white.Can other cheeses be used? Home chefs can use Gruyere or fontina to bolster the flavor but only use half. Remember that Gruyere is richer and fattier than any of the cheddar and could easily break up the sauce. Definitely avoid ultra mild cheese such as Montery Jack or Colby. They are fine for melting but lack the salt or tang to make the dish interesting/ A cup of Parmesan or Pecorino wouldn't go amiss but only add a quarter of a cup.It will give the casserole a deeper flavor along with saltiness without the graininess of too much of it.Also nix the bags of shredded fromage. Buy a block and grate from it. Baked mac and cheese doesn't benefit from experimentation . Keep it true to the recipe or you could wind up with a broken sauce. This is when everything separates. The taste will still be delicious but not creamy as expected. As for the other dairy, whole milk is the best. Heavy cream and half and half are just too rich . Two per cent can be used but make sure it's not non fat. This will break the sauce and cause a grainy texture. Make sure that the thickener always use a homemade thickener namely bechamel sauce.

The perfect baked macaroni and cheese can be had. Use cheddar and chunky pasta along with whole milk.It's taking the right ingredients and creating an American classic that's beyond delicious.