Stocking Like A Chef

Cooking and shopping these days are vastly different than what they were. Now home chefs have to think like the pros. That includes food shopping like a restaurant owner. It may not be what we're used to but it's actually the best way.

Pete Wells and Jennifer Steinhauser , both New York Times Food section veterans wrote about this new aspect of home cooking in yesterday's Food section. As home chefs have to plan for two weeks of cooking they have to shop for that amount too. It makes sense in a way to then shop at a restaurant supplier. Not only can you get large quantities of produce and meat but also items you wouldn't see in your local grocery store.Jessica Kramer found this out when she ordered from the poultry supplier D'Artagnan in her native Newport, Rhode Island. Her kitchen was filled with freshly slaughtered Rohan duck breasts squabs and baby poussins or chicks.  She has made notes for other purveyors that visit her house, much like that of a chef.Many other families are going to suppliers and buying such foodstuffs as wild morels, trays of sea urchins, along with bunches of foraged ramps. Restaurants are also cashing in on this. Several are also selling their most popular dishes like Shouk, an Israeli fast food place in Washington. Customers can buy the much loved hummus along with falafel kits. The owner, Ran Nussbacher, says that making falafel, especially grinding the chickpeas are hard. It needs to be down with an industrial one to get the right silky texture.

Farms are also following suit. Nat and Alison Bjerke-Harvey usually sell their microgreens and garden veggies to their Manhattan, Kansas to restaurants and farmers' markets. The Corona virus shut that down and now the couple sell directly to homes. Their Piccalilli Farms are now making up to two hundred deliveries with their sunflower and pea shoots being the most ordered. They have also delivered their French breakfast radishes, beets and green onions. On Tuesday mornings they watch their veggies sell out.Some restaurants are joining in as Dan Barber , chef at both Blue Hill and Blue Hills at Pocantico Hills, New York. To keep cash circulating to farmers, foragers and fishing crews, Mr. barber began to sell boxes of fish, meat and seasonal vegetables for curbside pickup. Customers get a grab bag of ingredients that are both well known as greenhouse cucumbers and lesser such as Purple sword celtuce stalks. Tucked into the boxes are recipes and backgrounds of the crops include beetle bitten brassicas, veggies that are loved by flea beetles. This expands home chefs knowledge and introduces them to new ingredients and recipes.

This may be the way to go if you're bored with what's in your grocery store.  It's a neat way to excite the home kitchen. It's also a great way to get fresh meats and veggies .

Cooks And Non Cooks

These past few months have been challenging for home chefs and non chefs alike. It's been harder for the second. Don't fret. You're not alone. Many out there have issues with food from cooking to baking.

This was the subject of regular contributor Priya Krishna's piece in today's New York Times Food section. Cooking and baking do not come easy to many. Ms. Krishna interviewed several baptized by fire home chefs about their experiences (it was accompanied by clever drawing s from celebrated artist Jessica Olien). Some home cooks even have problems with frozen foods as did Melissa Hodges in College Station, Texas. She noticed her classmates at the Texas A&M University posting glossy pictures of spaghetti carbonara and citrus scones on Instagram. it inspired her.  She tried to heat a frozen pizza but forgot two vital things. She forgot to read the instructions and put it in some kind of pan. The dough fell through the cracks in her oven and the flavors? Think doughy and charred. She tried again with pasta and wound up with another mess.It crunched when she bit into it. Ms. Hodges is now resigned to eating breakfast cereal and other easy dishes. She could have chronicled her failures like another non-cook , Kyler Callahan of Seattle, Washington. The computer engineer cooked a chicken breast but incinerated it when he turned up the heat, when a meat thermometer declared the meat undercooked. This was the case also with Eric Philips who joking tweeted he alphabetically arranged his five spices.It did upset some home chefs.

Do cookbooks help? Many haven't been cracked open since they were given as wedding and shower gifts.This was the case with Kim Baldwin who works at the independent bookstore, Parnassus Books in Nashville. She also hasn't used the appliances she received for wedding gifts either. She has made curried lentils with the legumes from her pantry. It worked save for one problem - the lentils were eight years old. According to her they were "chewy and weird'. Then she tried making barbecued chicken with boneless chicken breasts and barbecue sauce. Everything was thrown into a slow cooker and turned basically into a soup. That convinced her husband to a steady diet of ramen. She did have a victory with lemon pie even though almost every ingredient had to be substituted due to shortages. Some of the simplest recipes like whipped daglona coffee, a popular drink made with just instant coffee, sugar, water and milk has been met with problems. Jennifer Tallman of Brooklyn tried it with an immesion blender , only to be bathed in it. Her shrimp and pasta also bombed.

Home chefs, don't despair. Stick with the simple and then work up to the more complicated dishes. Learning how to cook takes time. That's the secret ingredient.

Food Unifies Us

It cannot be said often enough about how food is a great uniter. Breaking bread allows us to see each other in a different, less confrontational light. We need to have more  socially distanced community dinners and picnics. Coming together over a plate of something is better than having that plate thrown at us.

Of course there should be more discourse however for now we should think of having town or block funded barbecues where law enforcement is invited.If cops  got to see how neighborhoods are , maybe there wouldn't be so much fear - yes fear - and prejudice on their part. Inviting them over for burgers and dogs isn't such a bad idea. They can get ideas about how to patrol and what they're looking at if they know the people. This is also a good concept for churches to follow too. Now that the weather is warmer , gatherings can be held outside to allow for social distancing. Imagine it like a big pot luck where people bring main dishes and sides along with desserts. Other congregations can also be invited. They too can bring different foods, reflecting religious and ethnic backgrounds. Not only is it a chance to come together but try recipes that are out of their comfort zone. Baked mac can be served alongside kugel and falafel. Kids can snack on cotton candy or baklava.  Individual barbecues can be set up for s'mores and toasted marshmallows.

Since cops are also our first responders, we need to remember the efforts and sacrifices they make during this ongoing pandemic. It's nothing to whip up a batch of cupcakes and homemade icing for your town's finest. Make an ice box cake if the weather is too hot. Another idea is sending pizza and prepared meals from your local pizzerias and restaurants. You'll be helping eateries in the area as well as providing a hot lunch or dinner for the force. If you have a neighbor who works on the force, treat them and their families to something, whether a cake or extra spaghetti and sauce.  They'll appreciate the gesture and the fact that you're behind them. As social gathering restrictions get lifted invite them over for a backyard meal. It's a great time to talk and find out about who they are and what's going on in your area. It's also the perfect time to suggest starting mentoring multiracial youth groups and having a police backed baseball or football team. Also tell them what you've seen in town and if there is a need for improvement.

Food will always unite us. If we start a dialogue, then it needs to be over a hamburger or a slice of cake. Eating brings us together - which is what we need right now.

Well It Tastes Like Sushi

If you think sushi is easy to make think again. I was excited about making my first vegan California rolls. I bought the mat, the seaweed, and the precooked Japanese rice. I watched the videos , studying the exact way to slice up an avocado. Did it work out? Well, the end result did taste like a California roll.

It does start with the rice and seaweed sheets. I used Shirakiku precooked rice straight from the container. Big mistake there.I should have microwaved it first. Then there was the seaweed, Hagoromo's split sheets of nori. I think this was my second mistake.It should have been a solid sheet. This was not easy to roll up on the new sushi mat

This is the mat drying now.

I was proud of the avocado slicing along with the cucumber peeling

I bought shredded baby carrots.

These are the three essential ingredients in a vegan California roll. It's a matter of flattening the rice with the sushi mat and then flipping it. There has to be knack to it. I did manage to roll the veggies into the rice and nori.

However ......

It looked like Godzilla stomped on it  Yet it did taste like the Cali roll I get at Sarku.It just needed a little soy sauce and it was a delicious treat.  I now know to use whole sheets of nori and microwave the precooked rice for more malleability. I won't give up. 

The perfect California roll is out there.It's just going to take more practice along with the right ingredients to make the ones I love. From there, it's on to other tastier sushi rolls.

Mitsuwa Market - A Fun Shopping Trip

Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone. This includes going to a completely different grocery than usual. For me it was Mitsuwa market in Edgewater New Jersey, directly across the river from Manhattan., It was fascinating and fun.

The market is full of interesting foods and produce. The Japanese love cute and there is a lot of Hello Kitty around. I found these cute gummy candies along with elegantly wrapped but still adorable

 Confetti checkerboard cookies. The gummy candies were in the shape of little paws and were orange berry flavors.

I am definitely buying these again. Then there are the Melty Blends chocolate mint squares that just melt in your mouth. They remind me of those much beloved Frango mints.

Of course what I really wanted was a sushi mat. The prospect of making  vegan California rolls has been my Holy Grail and so I needed a sushi mat and the right ingredients.

I bought the mat along with the precooked rice and seaweed. I am so excited to create them, and I'm watching all the sushi how to on You Tube.Mine are going to be carrots, avocado and cucumber for a refreshing, summery mix.

Of course I bought ramen too , Sapporo Ichiban which has a large array of different ready to make noodle dishes.

This is the miso flavor and there's five packages in a pack. I'm also looking forward to having one as a lunch or dinner soon.

Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone. Go to the different ethnic markets in your neighborhoods. THey'll make you excited about cooking again.

Freezer Bingo, Cooking Roulette

Our freezers have taken on a new aspect in the past few months. They've been vaults to all sorts of frozen foods. Boxes of frozen essentials have been crowding out those containers of homemade sauce and ice cube trays. It's time to use them with interesting combinations for meals.

Many overbought waffles . They are tasty and make for a satisfying and comforting breakfast . However as the weather turns warmer, the kids may want cold cereal to start the day. Not to worry. There's always chicken and waffles.  You can easily make fried chicken or even buy tenders along with fake chicken such as Gardein's. Serve with maple syrup or syrup with a kick of cayenne added like Ree Drummond's recipe. They're also great as the bread for breakfast sandwiches holding scrambled eggs and sliced ham. They are also good stuffed with bacon and cheddar cheese as a fun lunch.  You may have also bought Texas toast during one of your grocery foraging trips. It's very versatile. It makes the base for pizza if you just add sauce and mozzarella. Have the kids add chopped fresh peppers and onions along with pepperoni and olives for a fun dinner. Another idea is spooning sloppy Joe mixture on top for a different take on this classic sandwich.

Your freezer must look like a frozen vegetable garden right now. You may have overbought a ton of those easy to steam packets. Now the freezer is  bursting with them. Luckily many can be turned into salads. Frozen green beans can be turned into a salad just in time for barbecue season. Broccoli can be turned into a flavorful salad or as part of a cheesy bake. It , along with other frozen veggies like peas can be cooked with rice along with fresh cut onions and soy sauce for an interesting side dish. Peas have a versatility too. You can make the classic dish risi e bisi which is arborio rice cooked with frozen peas and garlic. It's a great weekday dinner that's a snap to whip up. You could also just cook them up Italian style with olive oil and garlic along with onions and chicken stock. Cauliflower can also be turned into a salad or a side. Try roasting it in your air fryer or oven after it's been spiced up with turmeric and garam masala, that great blend of Indian spices. You can also pan roast it for a crunchy side or even snack with a ranch dressing.

Forage your freezer. You'll be surprised at what you'll find to make interesting dishes. It's a fun way to create new dishes from all that over buying..

A Savory Babka

By now everyone should be an expert at bread making. Why not step it up a notch and try babka, a savory one that makes for a nice lunch or dinner with salad. It's a fun bake and a different kind of challenge.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark gave us this recipe in her  A Good Appetite Column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. This isn't the traditional cinnamon one or the trendy chocolate laced kind. This is a savory one, with a cheesy herbed filling that takes on a Mediterranean vibe with the addition of prosciutto, salami  or olives.It's the perfect quick meal and you can even bring it along on a picnic. Just remember that babka, like any bread, can be labor intensive. It has to be proofed twice. The first time should be in a cozy, warm place according to Ms. Clark. Think of it like a cat looking for a place to nap, she advises.A bowl of the proofing dough can be placed on top of the fridge, and even in the nook of your couch. It could even be wrapped in a blanket and placed on a sunny spot on the floor. Then there's the second proofing. This is done in the fridge overnight. The long fermentation develop's the bread's flavor however if you;'re strapped for time, then a four hour proof can do the trick.

As for the filling, Ms Clark gives a mixture of ricotta and Parmesan. However if you don't have it she recommends any creamy cheese such as goat, cottage or even cream cheese.It does have to be room temperature for better malleability If you want extra saltiness then add some olives and ham along with alliums such as chopped scallions and minced garlic.Herbs are important in the recipe too, however if you're partial to one or two, then just use your favorites. Try such finely chopped ones as basil mint , parsley thyme leaves or cilantro. Three tablespoons of them should do the trick in flavoring the whole loaf. The one problem with babka is shaping it. There are videos you can watch  but it's just a simple, roll and braid. Ms. Clark assures that the loaf is fine  if the filling is put into the dough, then rolled and baked. Her method is spreading the filling on the rolled out dough. Use an icing scraper for this. Roll it into a tightly coiled log,then bring one end to the other and twist. Baking time is 35 to 45 minutes   375 degree oven. The result is a fragrant , golden brown bread. Serve it warm as a meal with a nice salad.

A savory babka is a nice change up from the regular breads everyone has been making. This is a cheesy , herb rich slice that's perfect for lunch or dinner. Bake it today for a nice break.