More Lessons To Learn

 One solid New Yer's resolution is either improving one's cooking skills or finally learning how to cook. either won;t disappoint in the long run. The skills gleaned now will last a lifetime, meaning tasty meals and easier ways to deal with prep and cooking.

Regular contributor , chef and restauranteur Sohla El-Wahlly has written about and gives readers easy recipes to try in today's New York Times Food section. She has also teamed up with te Times to create videos on You Tube geared for novice home chefs.(they're at youtube.com@NYTCooking) Most are half and hour long and Chef El-Wahlly guides you through first selecting the best ingredients and then the different cooking methods. (there are much shorter Tikotk videos from adventurous home chefs who have tried and executed  the NY Times recipes ,Also check those out) There is already a video on eggs and the many different ways to cook them, from a simple scrambled to sunny side up. There will also be videos on crispy salmon without any stovestop platter, a rice pilaf, perfect onits' own or as a buttery side and a perfectly cooked and crisped spatchcocked chicken. There will also be recipes for  broiled broccoli even kids will love, a one skillet steak dinner and Chef El=Wahlly's mom's spaghetti dinner.

Even if you don't watch the NY TImes video, there's Chef El-Wahlly's advice to consider. As with any project start with the right tools. Buy a big cutting board. Smaller ones are perfect for cutting proteins and then easy to wip down. For all other buy the biggest one you can. This will be perfect for cutting up veggies and herbs one right after the other and leaving them into little piles. It makes for an easy , effortless  throwing everything intoa pot or skillet too. Another must is a knife you can sharpen.Chef El-Wahlly recommends steer clear of any celebrity endorsed ones. Buy yourself an inexpensive one along with a small whetstone for sharpening.Big bowls for mixing and a heavy skillets are also musts. Another iteme very kitchen should have is a sheet pan. This should not just be forroasting veggies an meats.. Use this as an all purpose cookie sheet and to dry brine meats in the fridge. There is also advice on tasting the food you cook along the way to make sure it tastes OK, swapping in one ingredient for another and learn how to read a recipe. Another bit of advice be kind to yourself. Mistakes will happen . Let them.

Watch the videos to learn how to cook. You'll definitely pick up tips and tricks for making a better meal. Cooking is not hard. It's easy if you know what you're doing.

Are You Storm Ready

 This is January and that means storms - all sorts of them Are you ready for them? What about your food supplies? Ehat can you cook with if you lose power? Be prepared and be ready,

It used to be that the month just brough blizzards and monster snowstorms.Thanks to global warming we're getting more and more hurricane like storms in a warming winter. The same advice I gave in September during that season I'll give now.Have plenty of canned food along with plenty of bagged and canned food for your animal companions. Winter flooding is getting bad here in the States. It may be hard to get to a store , especially if it's in a low lying flood zone. Make sure both people, and animals have enough of their special foods for special diets too. Keep in mind that your power may go out so that's a problem for fridges and freezers. Those frozen dinners will have to be cooked quickly, namely in a gas oven. No electricity means no air fryers or  microwaves.If you can and the weather breaks then get out your barbecue. Use charcoal and any relatively dry wood as fuel and cook up any meats and even vegetables. Frozen dinners will have to be deconstructed and cook what you can from them.

What should you buy? Usually most go for bread, milk and eggs. You can easily make French toast with these . Also think easy to store cheese slices. You can make everything from grilled cheese to stuffed tortillas with the slices. They can also go into salads too for extra protein. Cold cuts also work and they can also be used in salads for more protein. Some grocery stores will be flooded or will be powerless. A few will have generators and most industrial freezers can keep food overnight at the longest. Stay away from the creamy stuff like frozen dinner with sauces. Fresh meats and seafood can easily spoil. Avoid these. Stick with cereals for breakfast for the kids. Buy boxed milk , both plant and dairy for them and for your coffee. Again canned food will come in handy .Beans and tuna fish can be eaten cold right out of the can. Figure on bean salad and tuna mixed with vegan mayo (this is safer for you because there are no eggs in it that can go bad). Get fresh fruits and vrggies to eat too. Again these can be eaten raw and a good source of nutrients. Buy bagged snacks and cookies along with candy just to have as comfort food.

January is getting a bad reputation  as a stormy month these days. Be  prepared. be careful. You can weather any storm with the right food choices.

It's Crockpot Season

 It's January and that means one thing :time to get out  the crockpot or start using the one you received for Christmas. There's so much you cna make using it. Be rady for , easy, ribsticking meals  that warm you from yoru head to your toes.

I got mine out after a few seasons of not using it.I love it, from Classic which I bought at Target six years ago./ The handle is broken and it's seen better days after six years but it still works beautifully.

I spent a rainy , snowy Sunday making homemade vegan chili.It's my Mom';s recipe that I tweaked. It  has a cuo of both kidney and cannellini beans, a cup of vegan soy crumbles, crushed pepper infused tomatoes and tomato sauce. A mix of cumin, chili powder, along with onionand garlci powders were added. You can add real meat and just the tomato sauce. A bowl of it was perfect on a frosty, chilly day. You can jazz it up your own recipe by adding a layer of mixed Mexican cheeses, and sour cream or a dollop of guacamole.

Use your crockpot to make all sorts of warming dishes. My next big recipe with it will be homemade tomato sauce. This is bascially the chili recipe sans the cumin and chili powder. I can see  it on top of penne or spaghetti with vegan meatballs. I can also just serve meat balls and sauce over Italoan bread for a hot hearty, hero. Keep in mind that crockpots can also be used to make Swedish meatballs and a variety of homemade soups. Imagine a good leek and potato one being simmered in it. If you have apples, cut them up with some granulated sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon for a chunky applesauce. 

It's crockpot season. Use yours to make hot , tasty meals. It's such an easy cook that produces warming dishes for cold winter days and night.

A Coptic Christmas Feast

 Tomorrow is Christmas in the Coptic Orthodox as well as in the Serbian. Ethiopian and Russian orthodox to name a few. It's a day to feast on lush dishes as well as observe centuries old traditions. 

This sect of the Orthodox Church observe the Julian calendar which predates the Gregorian one that most Christians follow.It actually starts with a fast from November 25th to January 6th and regards all products from animals. This is called the Holy Nativity Fast and it shows not only devotion but self control.At the mass before Christmas Day tonight a bread marked with twelve dots representing the apostles is presented at the church.It's called the qurban. After the fast is broken usually with the fatta -a light soup served with roasted bread vegetables and meat.iI;s usally made with  a lamb stock which can be acidic and also garlicky. There are also hardboiled eggs and cheese to eat too. This prepares families for he big feast on Christmas Day. This consists of roasted turkey or chicken and macaroni in a bechamel or white sauce There is a sesame cookie called kahk made with pistachios and honey alng with ghee or melted butter to give them a rich flavor.

Other Eastern Orthodox countries also observe January 7th Christmas. Serbians also have their take on the Christmas feast. They serve roast pork with either dried cherries or apricots or pecenica served with  sarma fermented cabbage rolls stuffed with  ground meat, rice, eggs and  old bread. They're cooled for twelve hours in a regular pot on the stove top or oven cooked in a clay pot .A fstive mimosa salad is also added to the table. This is kind of live a saovry trifle serve in a glass container so all can see its' layers.The first layer is usually a pickled fish  followed by a tier of cooked and chopped potatoes. Carrots and sliced green onions add another punch of flavor and color. It's topped with a thick layer of grated cheese and mayo. How is the meal finished? With platters of small cakes.  Serbian home bakers will make madarica or Hungarian Maids small layered cakes consisting of biscotti and caramel, They're topped with a rich layer of dark chocolate. Kids and adults alike will love peaches or breskvices  sandwich cookies that look exactly like the fruit. They're baked first, then hollowed out and filled with peach or apricot jam. The coloring comes from first dipping th ewhole cookie in diluted yellow food colring and then dipping the tops in diluted red food coloring. After they're rolled in granuated sugar.     

For those celebrating the Otthodox Christmas     , enjoy the feasts. Enjoy the foods and sweets with family and friends. RCoptic Orthodoxeflect on the day and what it means.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Rouxing The Day

 One of the bases of  a good thick soup is roux. This is a mix of flour cooked into a kind fo sauce with butter.It may sound fancy but it's pretty easy to make.

I wanted it as the base for my celery soup.It's cold weather here and a good thick, soup is just the thing for a frosty  day. I used half a cup or eight tablespoons of Acme's Signature all  purpose flour.

It was cooked with eight tablespoons of Melt plant based butter.

It was lumpy at first and I had to add another tablespoon of Melt. After several figure eight stirs it became a nut brown sauce. It was time to add the veggie broth and mix of celery and potatoes.I also sliced up a clove of garlic and added salt and pepper to enhance the soup's flavor.

It took three cups of celery and a can (around sixteen ounces or about two cups) of sliced potatoes.I also added half a cup of almond milk.

Keep in mind you can also use cow's milk or even cream for a richer flavor along with using real butter.

 

It was simmered over a medium flame until the celery turned a bright, vibrant green. This took about twenty to thirty minutes.

The soup was thick and creamy although you don't really need roux to make it thick.It  did add a lovely flavor to the bowl and I may use it in making a vegan chicken bisque.

Roux is a great way of adding body and flavor to any soup. Try it when you want tomake a thick potage for a cold day.It makes for a wonderful and easy to create base.

Life Changing Recipes

 A new year means a new outlook especially in cooking and baking. You may want to cook vegan or even learn how to cook. You may want to try your hand at baking - finally. yet what recipes to use? Not to worry There are some good ones to give a whirl.

New contributor Tanya Sichynsky Times cooking editor wrote an informative how to with recipes for yesterday's New York Times Food section. She covers simple recipes for those noivce chefs who want tasty but easy along with vegan ones for newly turned herbivores. There's also a section iwth easy baking recipes for those who want to start or hone their baking skills. The recipes come fromthe Food sections' other contributors . Beginners should try Melissa Clark's foolproof fish which is skin on salmon cooked with mustard.The whole dish takes only fifteen minutes to create. There's also her crisp edged quesdadilla for a great weekend meal.Ot's just a fried tortilla stuffed with three kinds of cheeses. For a more Asian bent there is Eric Kim's gye ran bap or egg rice that also has the salty tang of seaweed added.New vegetarians can try Zainah Sha's sheet pan tikka that also has bell peppers and onions spiced and flavored with ghee. Again Melissa Clark offers her vegan red lemtil soup, perfect for January days and beyond. Serve it with Sohla El-Wayily's quinoa and broccoli spoons salad.

A new year means a new stab at baking. Here the recipes don;t fail, in their easiness or tastiness. Everyone will love Scott Loitch's Rice Krispie Treats with Brown Butter. Browned butter heightens the taste ofany baked good , from browmies to cake. Novices can try their hand with it in this simple recipe. They're elevated with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt and colored sprinkles. As home bakers progress they then cna move on to Genevieve Ko's flourless chocolate cake. This is more like a gooey mousse in a way , with a fudgy center, perfect to be served with ice cream ro whipped cream. Then there is Marti Buckley's Basque cheesecake , adapted from her "Basque Country Cookbook.It spares the water bath and is baked at a higher temp than the New York ones.it has a burnished look because of this and has a flavor reminiscent of a toasted marshmallow.It also has the look of a more sophisticated cake despite its'simplicity.

This is the year to try. it can be as simple as try to cook, ro try to bake.It can also be as complex as try to eat healthier . Whatever is decided these recipes are here to help.

Salty Knowledge

 Salt isn't just salt. it could be the granualr sugar like one or flakes of melt in your mouth flavors of the sea. what kind of slat you use is vital to making or breaking any recipe. What;s good to use? Luckily there's a guide.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about this fascinating seasoning in today's New York Times Food section. We use salt almost daily  and what we use has a prfound effect on our cooking. Using salt as seasoning has been around since Neolithic times when early humans went into eating meat. Humans need it to survive. Sodium chloride or NACl regulates our body fluids and is essential for nerve, muscle and digestive function. Let's face it too - a lot of foods would taste horribly bland and unexciting without a dash of salr. Salt was also used for preserving meats , veggies and cheeses , espcially when global transport started in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The ancient Egyptians used it eve to preserve mummies/. Before mass production in the 20th Century salt was either found in mines or taken from any nearby ocean ro sea. That all changed in the 1900's when iodized salt came into being. Iodized salt , which was mined from salt mines  is important for regulating the thyroid gland.Now  howvermany are ditching that for the tastier flakier salts.

Ms. Clark also a guide to the different salts out there along with a recipe. You can use iodized or table salt for cooking and seasoning.It does have extra chemicals  like dextrose and sodium bicarbonate added to prevent it from clumping.Sometimes it does have a very briny or metallic tang to it.There is also kosher salt which does not need a rabbinical blessing to be used. it;s defined  by its coarse large crystals. These draw out blood from meat, which desalinates the meat.It also makes for a good crust around the meat. Then there are the darlings of the culinary world ; the sea salts.  Home chefs can buy common sea salt which is industrially produced from sea water. Keep in mind thse have additives too, namely anti-caking ones. They can come in grains like table salts or cubes used for pasta water.It has a cleaner flavor than table salt and is used a lot in baking. A better bet is traditional sea salt like fleur de sel, sel gris or flaky sea salt.They're made by evaporating sea salt in hot climates. They don;t have a uniform crystal size or salinity. Most are used in decoarting dishes but also had layers of complexity when being added to any swet or savory recipe. Sea salt flakes are probably the best salt to use. Maldon Sea salt which comes form the town on Maldon England on the Blackwater Estuary gives food a bright snap. They have less minerality than the other sea salts.  There is also fleur de sel, which has salty and bitter notes along with sel gris.it's harvested from the clay bottom hence te name grey salt. You can also try Himalayan pink salt from Pakistain whic has a slightly spicy flavor,

Salt is essential to life. It's also essential in bringing any dish to life. Sea salt is the best bit other work too in making food tastier.