A Taste Of Chinese

 With the Chinese New Year and the Beijing Olympics it's time to celebrate Chinese food. It's easy to make at home along with being a fun dinner. It's time to ring in the Year of The Tiger.

Some home chefs think a wok is necessary to make the best Chinese food. Not true. You can easily use a saute or fry pan so long as it's flat and close to the flame. If you do want to buy one then consider a carbon steel or cast iron one. The original woks were made out of cast iron and the tradition continues. Look for one with a wood handle because wood is the best material to diffuse the heat. Stir fries are easy and can be tailored to your family's tastes. Vegetarians will love one that's purely plant. Crunchy water chestnuts and baby corn give it color and crunch while broccoli, carrots and corn a boost it with vitamins and flavor.Make sure sugar snap beans along with green and red bell pepper slices are also added. For heartier and meatier fare add chicken.Shrimp or pork is a nice change up too. Soy sauce or homemade ginger sauce  can be drizzled into the stir. fry. Ginger sauce is made with light soy sauce,rice wine ginger, brown sugar and spring onions or scallions. These can also be used as a dipping sauce for dumplings too.

Dumplings or pot stickers are another dish that can be made at home. You can buy the wrappers that encase the filling or make them yourself. The wrappers can also be used to make egg rolls too. Home made ones are nothing more than a dough of flour, eggs, water and a pinch of salt. They're rolled out in cornstarch instead of more flour for a crisper , crunchier bite. Any Asian grocery store has them  though, usually under the name gyoza.  As for filling, you can try any kind of minced meat. You can try only beef or pork or combining them.  For a really luxurious filling think lobster spiked with ginger. They're a great treat , especially with a ginger sauce.  Of course there are the noodle dishes, Lo mein is a good dish for the family.It can be made like spaghetti and all sorts of veggies and protein can be added to it. Chicken or beef  lo mein is a good week day dinner., You can also throw in snow peas and mushrooms  along with bean sprouts and ginger slivers. It can also be a veggie one with more mushrooms and tofu added.

It's the Lunar New Year and the Beijing Olympics. Celebrate with great homemade Chinese food. It's a tasty way to honor this country and its' people.

A Hearty Vegan Colcannon

Colcannon is a great weekend meal, using up leftovers from the week. They're transformed into a tasty Saturday night dish, hearty and  perfect for a chilly night.

Butter is always used to "fry" the mash. For a vegan version I used my new favorite half a stick of Melt plant based butter.

It takes just a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes along with spinach to form the base. Usually cabbage is used along with leeks and onions for more flavor. I wanted to keep my version mild so I used baby spinach from Aldi. Two cups did it.

Typical colcannon has some kind of bacon or ham. Since this is vegan I used Lightlife' 's Smart deli ham.

I julienned four slices which was the right amount. You could use vegan bacon bits if you want just a whisper of a taste or more slices if you want a heartier mix.

                                                         Garlic also gives it flavor.

 One fat clove should do it but you can add two for more taste. Mince it into the potatoes. Big hunks may not be to everyone's liking

It was then constant stirring until the spinach was completely cooked, usually about ten minutes over a medium heat. You can add extra butter if you want along with salt and pepper.

                                                      It was a flavorful delicious scoop.

 it was a bit soupy but that could be from the water from the just washed spinach leaves. Add more potatoes if that's the case. It was a good meal on it's own but you could also serve it with a ham if you're not a vegan. You can also used leftover homemade mashed potatoes too.

Vegan colcannon is a great Saturday or Sunday night supper. It's flavorful and hearty.It's the perfect meal on a frosty February night.

Pretty Dishes And Bowls

 Just like wine glasses dishes and bowls can make dining at home a wondrous affair. It;s just picking out the right pattern along with a good sturdy make. These can be the heirloom pieces that long and well treasured.

The big question is do you buy matching bowls and plates? Or go for a kind of mishmash  restaurant vibe of mismatched crockery?Personally  I like the mismatched effect.

This is one of  the china bowls I bought from Target >it doesn't really go with my plates also from Target. The plates are gray with a spattering of gray dots. They work together because they do share one thing in common : their square shape. You can get those that match , from Wedgewood , one of the most classic companies that's been in business since 1759.  There are some unadorned plates and bowls that you set together for a cool, elegant look. Keep in mind that this is the creme de la creme and one plate can range between $35 to $65 dollars while one bowl can range from $27 to $60. The craftsmanship on these is impeccable and they would be perfect for holidays and special occasions. 

There are other  top quality brands like Spode which is known for its' Christmas china and Royal Doulton.  Spode ware comes as a set with bowls, dessert plates and cups. Like Wedgewood, Spode has been around since the 18th Century as has Royal Doulton. A plus is that Spode is a lot less in price than the other with a twelve piece set coming in at $199. Royal Doulton is another sturdy brand with a much more modern look. The plates and bowls have bold geometric patterns as opposed to the usual Oriental, floral or nature patterns. Again they can cost anywhere from $175 to $225 a set. Not surprisingly Target and Kohl's also have reasonably priced crockery. Target has the brand Gibson Elite  which features  two sets of bowls along with dinner plates. An entire set costs only $82. They also have very luxe brands with a set costing close to $1,000. Kohls has Mikasa with a sixteen piece set costing only $119.

The plates you choose should be sturdy but also beautiful. Pick which is right for your decor and needs. It will be an heirloom, no matter what the choice.

Pretty Glasses For Pretty Drinks

 What we drink affects us. where we drink it from also has an effect on us as well. A sophisticated wine deserves a glass of the same order. Yet which is the best? what works with our bottles of  Merlots and Shirazes.

Eric Asimov asked these questions in his weekly column  The Pour in yesterday's New York Times Food section. He has chosen the best of the best, namely lead free ones that cost anywhere from sixty to ninety dollars a glass (you can get much cheaper if you don't care how the glass affects the wine's flavor and notes). They should be esthetically appealing although again it depends on your tastes and if you wish to compliment them to your dishes . According to Mr. Asimov choosing one is like choosing the right car. The better it is , the smoother the ride. Luckily his choices are all dishwasher safe and durable. His one choice is the Zalto Universal designed by Kurt Josef Zalto a decade ago. It's sort of a hybrid between a champagne flute and a wine glass.It doesn't have a curved bell bowl (bottom) but one that is slim tapering upwards. A wines flavors and clarity are best presented, They are a luxury with a set of six costing $408. Mr. Asimov has also tried the Gabriel-Glas and the Janci . the Janci is very similar to the Zalto save for a shorter stem. and a more gently rounded bowl. The Gabriel-Glas was wider at the base of the bowl. He preferred the Janci which is $112 for a set of four.

There is also the Sensory glass designed by Roberto Conturno,proprietor of the  Barolo producer Giacomo Conterno.It's perfect for champagne and sparkling wines.It goes against the usual ideology that serving champagne in smaller goblets channel the bubbles and aromas upwards. Instead it was full flavored, forceful and intense,. With wines the flavors had more clarity,intensity and precision.  Again it is pricey with two costing $85 .it is different looking and an eye catcher, perfect with fine china like Wedgewood and Scully and Scully.There is also the Josephine which again resembles the Zalto with a major difference. The bowl slightly bulged around the lowest part of its' circumference as if it had a circular love handle before beginning to taper to the rim. This creates a gentle arc instead of Zalto's straight line. The reason for this unusual shape is because when the wine is agitated in the glass the kink breaks the movement and allows the wine to flow back into the belly in a spiral motion.In doing thus it absorbs additional oxygen. This is another Zalro creation costing $68  a glass.

What makes for the best glasses. Namely shape. These five are perfect for savoring the best vintages. They may be pricey bit worth it for tasting a good wine's flavor.

Climate Change And The Cajun Coast

Climate change is affecting all areas of the food chain. One is the seafood industry, especially in Loiusiana. Rising tides and pollution threaten people who have been fishing the waters for generations. Is there any hope for them?

 Regular contributor Brett Severson alerted us to this in today's New York Times food section. Louisiana's Cajun Coast is facing one of the most dire situations in its' history.  The coastline is vanishing thanks to ravaging super hurricanes like Ida and Katrina. The water is changing due to fossil fuel pollution is eradicating some species and forcing others to look for cleaner habitats. There is also off shore oil exploration, another damaging factor which is causing for sea levels to rise. These are chipping away at the wetlands , home both to marine and land life. everything will disappear according to Melissa Martin owner of the Mosquito Supper Club and cookbook author. Her book title says it all : Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes From A Vanishing Bayou. Not only is the climate challenged, but culture is also in question too. Residents are moving to higher ground , taking their family's histories  and recipes with them.

This is another point that is affecting the shrimping and fishing industries. The storms have destroyed boats  along with the waters. in 2019 heavy rain and snow runoff flowed down the Mississippi River from the Midwest inundating the coast and flooding the area with fresh water. It killed off millions of oysters ,a vital ingredient in Louisiana cooking. Land loss and flood control have also altered the salinity of coastal lakes, forcing fishermen to look at other areas. Between this and families going bankrupt and being more concerned for their own homes, there is little chance for fishing fleets to trawl the waters. Then there's what's known as the graying of the fleet where younger generations are either moving away or just not going into their father's and grandfather's business. There is some hope. Louisiana is  still second in the nation to Alaska in producing the country's seafood along with newcomers like Scott Maurer. Mr. Maurer fell in love with the oysters and area when he came to build homes after Hurricane Katrina. He created the Louisiana Oyster Company and is sticking with it no matter what.

We have to treat our land and water with extra care. It's never more so with the Cajun coast. Is there hope? Yes, but with our help and concern.

Everything And The Kitchen Sink

 Kitchen sinks are often not thought of as being a vital part of a kitchen, yet they are. They're part of the prepping process along with being the key to clean up. They should not only be in sync with the surrounding decor but in good working order too.

Sinks have been around since our Neanderthal days. These early ones were simply a rock with a concave middle i n which rain water collected. Hopefully our ancestors knew to wash greens and veggies  plucked form the dirt or washing excess blood from animals before roasting them. Throughout history castles had some kind of sink and drainage in the kitchen.It wasn't until the 1800's that a proper kitchen sink was invented. They were first made of metal and were basically a sink within a sink. These metal troughs were built into cabinets and home chefs then used them for the same purposes we do now, washing and cleaning food, utensils and dishes along with pots and pans. Wealthy homes had copper or nickel silver ones. The last is an alloy made from a combination of zinc copper and nickel. Poorer homes probably had ones made from tin. Rich homeowners had what's known as a butler's sink, one that's inserted into a counter  where food prep happened. Other homes had what's known as farmer's sinks which has a sink on the edge of a counter ,making ti easier to do washing. By the 1920's homes had indoor plumbing and that meant sturdier sinks. They were usually made from manganese silicon and carbon. Porcelain was standard after the Second world War.

Now sinks can be any style and made from any material, There are a lot of choices to choose from if you are looking to replace. your old one Many homeowners have fallen in love with stainless steel sinks. These are low maintenance and require very little upkeep (unlike porcelain ones that have to be constantly scrubbed and bleached). However they do show water spots and scratches They have different thicknesses called gauges, yet it doesn;t really matter about the thickness.Granite sinks are also at the top of the popularity list. They are not only pretty but sturdy. Old school copper is another fine choice and thanks to its' consistency copper sinks are always hand wrought. it will come with a patina, or shiny finish which will brown over the years. This is normal due to being exposed to air and water. You can also choose another sturdy material - namely  stainless steel. These retain their beauty for decades if they have an enamel coating .Otherwise they will rust.Other materials used are fire clay, a type of ceramic fired to dry at high temps. You can also go for stone or enamel acrylic or solid surface sinks are less expensive than all of these however they have to be treated with kid gloves. They can easily scratch if scoured with steel wool pads.

Sinks are one of the most vital parts of a kitchen. They help in prep and washing up. Choose one that fits your needs.

Microwave Magic

 Another key appliance in any kitchen is the microwave. Yes it can help in reheating but it's also a great addition for cooking sides and melting ingredients. it's amazing what this kitchen must have can do.

Most people think that the microwave was in vented in the Seventies however it's been around for a century.It was in 1920 that substances including food could be heated by vacuum tube radio transmitters.At the 1933 Chicago's World's Fair food was being heated between two metal plates attached to a ten Kilowatt sixty mega hertz shortwave transmitter, Another attempt came during the Second World War when the cavity megatron was invented. This produced electromagnetic waves for radar installations.It was in 1945 when Percy Spencer accidentally discovered the power of the modern microwave. He was employed by Raytheon, the multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate who created the radar used in the war. Mr. Spencer had a chocolate bar in his pocket  melted from the microwaves from an active radio set. His second food cooked? Popcorn , of course, then he tried eggs. Raytheon built the first microwave in 1952 but it cost $5000, the price of a luxury home at the time. The seventies and eighties saw the birth of the microwave in the home as Old Tappan and GE made them more affordable to home owners. Soon every house had one as they could cook and reheat in a matter of minutes.

What's the best microwave for your kitchen? The first thing to do is consider the amount of counter space that it will take up and the depth of its cooking space. Keep in mind the smaller the machine the smaller the amount of food you'll be cooking. Of course a family of four or five will want a larger one where as one or two people will just need a smaller microwave. Price is also a factor. For one just for reheating ,then think the lower price range of between fifty and sixty dollars. However it you plan on making it part of your daily cooking spend a little more. A good long wearing one would be anywhere from $150 to $200. A mid range one that you can both cook and reheat in will cost you $100 . Which brands are the best? Magic Chef who used to produce ovens offers a small one that is sturdy and will last years.Panasonic and GE are also very good and reputable brands, The first has cyclonic heat that allows for fast all over cooking sort of like an air fryer, The second cooks with halogenic heat  which cooks food up to sixty percent faster than a regular microwave.

Microwaves have become a vital kitchen must have.  Pick one that suits your needs. It will be perfect for whatever you have in mind- whether cooking fresh or reheating.