The Gurdwara And Help

The Sikhs have been coming to the rescue for centuries with their practice of feeding those in needs. It has never been more so with the pandemic and protesting.It's part of their religion. It's also part of their great contribution to this time.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna, author of the Indian cookbook, Indian-ish, wrote about this peace loving religion in yesterday's New York Times Food section. The Sikhs follow the teachings of Guru Nanek, a Fifteenth Century teacher who believed in a practical life of truthfulness, fidelity, self control and purity.An essential part of Sikhism is langar, the practice of preparing and serving a free meal to promote the Sikh tenet of seva or selfless service.Anyone, can visit the gurdwara and participate in langar. You don''t need to follow the religion. Their doors are open to everyone. The biggest one, in Amritsar, India serves more than 100,000 people a day. Since Covid 19's arrival, all religious ceremonies have stopped yet the gurdwara has been open non-stop. The Sikh Center in Queens Village, New York, right outside Manhattan, is now feeding protesters . Last week volunteers served five hundred portions of matar paneer, a creamy coconut milk and tomato stew along with rice and rajima, another creamy comforting dish of red beans stewed with tomatoes. There was also dessert, kheer, a sweetened rice pudding.

There are eighty gurdwaras  all over the US.  They too have been stepping up , feeding those who need it. The Gurdwara Sahib of Fremont, California set up a grocery delivery service just after suspending religious services in March. There's also a meal drive through pick up service too. Cooks wear gloves and masks and the kitchen is big enough for workers to stand six feet apart from each other. As with other gurdwaras, the menus change daily and are always vegetarian, in respect to the Sikhs being vegetarian. The sect is also heading to the protests to feed the protesters, although they, themselves, have been the targets of prejudice and suspicion. In Los Angeles, they handed out seven hundred containers of pasta with a garlic and onion laden tomato sauce and five hundred bottles of water. They even set up a tent in Pan Pacific Park,in the western part of the city. In Norwich, Connecticut , two hundred bottles were handed out to protesters along with rajima. According to Gurjiv Kaur of the LA temple and a graduating senior at the University of California "Langar ,at its' core is a revolution - against inequality and the caste system". She and Kirin Singh asked volunteers to prepare meals to take to the protesters. The Sikhs stand peacefully with all who protest for a fairer world and better treatment from authorities.

The Sikhs have become  heroes of what's going on. They provide food and support to those who need it.  It is their langar which is now a part of our lives.

A Different Kind Of Juneteenth

Juneteenth has always been a special day for the African-American community. It is a day full  of celebration and thought, in a way like the Fourth of July.Now with the pandemic and the George Floyd protests, it takes on a deeper, more profound meaning. The good food and cheer is still around but there are new layers there to add to the day's history.

Nicole Taylor, author of The Up South Cookbook: Chasing Dixie In A Brooklyn Kitchen wrote this interesting article in today's New York Times Food section. The holiday started on June 19th 1865 when enslaved workers in Galveston, Texas learned from Union soldiers that they were free. This was two years after Abraham Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation. The day is full of good memories and good food. People shared ruby hued  drinks to symbolize the kola nuts and hibiscus which made their way to  America from Africa. For years kids made red Kool-Aid or served red Hawaiian Punch along with red hued foods such as fiery sausages, watermelon scented shaved ice, stone fruit cobblers and barbecue. Covid-19 has put a huge damper on the festivities along with the uprisings and protests. Yet people are and should lean into the holiday. Juneteenth is about resistance and that's obvious in the growing number of black chefs becoming known and successful.It also allows celebrants some happiness, and as Ms. Taylor states , that's the best resistance.

There are recipes from different African-American chefs and restaurants along with the chef's various stories. Families can make Juneteenth Red Punch, a recipe from Chef Edouardo Jordan, a James beard award winning cook . It's a mix if a homemade strawberry syrup added to a mix of Cognac,pineapple, pomegranate and lime juices. Ginger beer is added for fizz along with sparkling wine, Fresh cut fruit or crystallized ginger decorates the glasses.  Then there is  sweet potato pikliz from Chef Greg Collier of Leah & Louise. This is pickled sweet potato mixed with red onions, hakurei turnips and radishes. The pickling juice is a combination of garlic, Serrano chilies, cider and lime juice. There's honey added for sweetness and kosher salt for the pickling process. It's then chilled for a day before serving. The main course is the ribs and the recipe again comes from Chef Collier. These are Memphis style kind with sweet and fiery rub made from dark brown sugar and hot paprika. There is also onion and garlic powders mixed in along with ground black pepper, cumin seed and dried mustard. The meat should be bone in country pork rib rack. Chef Collier adds crushed peanuts as a garnish. You can also sub in black oyster mushrooms for a vegan spin.

This year Juneteenth takes on a deeper meaning. Yet it's also a time to celebrate and enjoy good food with family and friends. That's the best kind of protest - to thoroughly enjoy life.

Your Own Ice Cream Parlor

Your house is now the main place for staycation. There's probably a pool set up along with a badminton ser or shuffleboard court. Add to the fun by creating your own ice cream parlor. There's so many good frozen products out there , the kids can have a field day.

Ice cream parlors were known for their elaborate sundaes and sodas. Make sure you have a variety of different fixings to begin. Start with the ice cream. There's always chocolate or vanilla but coffee works as does strawberry and chocolate chip mint. If you're worried about having two much dairy , then go for soy, almond or cashew milk ice creams. Oat milk ice cream is big right now and with good reason. Planet Oat's oat milk one tastes just like the dairy kind, creamy and rich. They not only have the usual chocolate and vanilla but also blueberry oat crumble,cookies and cream , chocolate peanut butter swirl and coffee fudge swirl. These work in any sundae or soda. As for the toppings, there are homemade and store bought. Hot fudge sauce is easy to make. Start with cocoa powder and cook with sugar , heavy cream and butter over a stove top. You can serve it freshly made or store it in a glass container. It can be reheated in the microwave or stove top for a second use. Caramel is another great topping, especially over vanilla ice cream. Smuckers has a sea salt caramel that's phenomenal. Of course there's whipped cream but now you can get non dairy  coconut  or almond nut milk Reddi-Whip, Toss a handful of nuts, M&M's or sprinkles for extra fun.Sliced fruit also is a nice topping too.

Ice cream sodas are  cool, refreshing treats. Many just plop a scoop or two into a glass filled with Coke or Pepsi. This is good but a real ice cream soda does have a bit more flair. Start with a root bear float. Put two scoops in a mug of well chilled root beer. It's the perfect marriage of flavors topped off with a good head of froth. As far as a true ice cream soda, start off with a seltzer. You can used a flavored one like cherry or raspberry for added taste. As for the ice cream, try a chocolate or vanilla one. Add one or two  tablespoons of chocolate syrup like U-Bet or Hershey's. Top with a fancy swirl of whipped cream. Add multi- colored sprinkles for extra fun. If you're not into ice cream then try an egg cream. This is the perfect summer treat. This deli special is just a mouthwatering mix of cold milk, chocolate syrup, namely U-Bet and seltzer. It's then just vigorous beating with a fork until a foam forms on top.Sip and enjoy.For coffee lovers there is the coffee float. It's just taking cold coffee, whether caffeinated or decaf, adding ice cream - try chocolate for a mocchacino vibe to it. Top with a generous squiggle of whipped cream. You can add a drizzle of chocolate or caramel too.

An at-home ice parlor is just one of the great aspects for a stay at home summer. Go wild with sundaes and sodas. Enjoy them as you catch sun and fun in your back yard.

A Quick Sorbet

With the weather heating up, there's nothing like a cooling simple sorbet .Everyone thinks it's a hard make but a recipe in the Sunday Home section of the New York Times. I thought I'd try it. It's simple ,.Just freeze a can of fruit and then puree.

Well, it was simple in theory. I put a can of peaches in the fridge. The recipe calls for fruit in heavy syrup, but that would be too sweet and I had this.

I left the DelMonte peaches overnight. First thing, never freeze the fruit in the can that  it came in.

It was a block of fruity ice which was impossible to get out of the can. I put it under hot tap water to loosen it. That didn't work, so I got both my paring and slicing  Farberware knives out to break it into chunks.

Once it was all out it needs to be pureed.I used my immersion blender for it and voila - sorbet!!

It was creamy, cool and fruity, a lovely delicious end to dinner. I would definitely make this again, maybe with pears and fruit salad.I also would put the fruit into a container. first. It was a job hacking it to pieces in the can. 

This quick fruit sorbet is the perfect cure for a hot steamy summer's day. Try it  with one kind of frozen fruit or two for a treat. It's a light alternative to ice cream.

A Feast For A Few

June has traditionally been a time for weddings and grad parties, showers and engagements. We can still have these celebrations but now for much smaller groups. We can still have our feasts and fetes but with a much smaller menu.

Mostly this is the time for weddings and they're usually big, lavish affairs held at wedding palaces. However an old fashioned reception of twenty  or thirty is also a very nice idea. You can even cater it yourself. Years ago, a reception might have only offered sandwiches, something to drink and a slice of the wedding cake. It may seem sparse by today's standards yet it works. No one really wants to fill up on slabs of beef and Hasselback potatoes along with an all you can eat shrimp or sushi bar. Delicate finger sandwiches filled with olive cream cheese and shrimp salad will work just fine. Add roast beef, turkey and ham  for the heartier eaters. If you want salads, then have a chef salad, filled with cold cuts and different veggies and cheeses. As for the cake , you can make one yourself. Amazon sells the Wilton five tier pan set.  The Internet has dozens of recipes for that special cake along with frosting recipes  (try the Two Sisters blog. They have the best flavored frosting recipes). As for decorating , check You Tube or just go with  simple mixed berries or flowers cascading down the side. Bridal showers can also be  in this vein. Simple sandwiches, followed by a cake or better yet  - fancily decorated cupcakes.

Graduation and even engagement parties don't have to be as formal as a wedding. Both can benefit from a table set up with a charcuterie board. This may cause concern for some because of the sharing. The solution is simple. Hand out latex or plastic gloves as guest arrive or put them on the table, next to the plates and utensils.As for the board, arrange slices of prosciutto, Genoa salame and ham. Offer cheeses such as Provolone, Swiss Asiago and Brie with slices of Italian or French bread. Make sure there are extras such as green and black olives along with sun dried tomatoes, marinated peppers and giadiniria, the tart Italian salad. As for dessert, a simple homemade sheet cake would work along with bowls of fresh fruit. You could also go for a barbecue .  Again have a variety of different choices , from beef to veggie. If you have trouble finding beef burgers or your grocery set a limit on how much you can buy, switch to turkey and Beyond Burgers. They taste just like the real deal, especially if they have all the fixings. As for sides, keep it simple, Don't have salads. Think sliced tomatoes and pickle spears instead. You can also grill veggies such as eggplant , zucchini and even tomatoes and serve with a balsamic vinaigrette. As for the dessert, again go for cupcakes, They can be decorated with little 2020 toppers and for the engaged couple, ice their initials into the cupcake's frosting.

There can be feasting and celebrating again, even if it's on a smaller scale. Think simple. It can be a feast but a pared down one.

Bee Konscous A Different Kind Of Honey

One of the healthiest sweeteners you can have is natural honey.There is a new brand  out there, Bee K'Onscious Raw Honey. It's a different, more artisanal spin on this classic.

I am a big fan of honey in cooking. I use the dark meadow foam kind in my Mom's recipes of tomato sauce and chili. It adds depth and removes the tomato sauce's metallic tang. I was not a fan of the light golden until I tried Bee K'Onscious Sage Honey.

It's perfect for flavoring teas , especially the all natural kind. I like the sage flavor because it has an herbaceous taste which gels perfectly with the all natural teas. There is also raw Montana clover which should be interesting along with the Brazilian Cipu Uva made from Brazilian Rain Forest flowers. There is also Marmeleiro honey made from flowers from northern Brazil.. Bee K'Onscious doesn't pasteurize its' honey so it's not uncommon to see pollen or other bits in it. This is honey in its' purest form and it's a light golden color.It's also good in salad dressings too

Another plus is that you can track where your honey is from, from the beekeeper to where it was harvested. It's a great way of being connected to the product. The company is from Denver ,Colorado and was started by the environmentally conscious Matt Kollmorgen.

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Bee K'onscious is the tastiest way to enjoy the benefits of raw honey. Try it and see the difference from other honeys. It's a definite must have in any kitchen.

Sage Honey Dressing

1 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Bee K'Onscious Sage honey

1 teaspoon apple cider 

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

Mix all together and use for any light salad.It's especially good over grilled chicken salad.

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 .