Cooking in the New Year

     All around the globe people prepare a special meal to welcome in the New Year with the hopes of well being and prosperity.  In Asian countries long noodles are eaten as a sign of good luck, as long as the strand is unbroken until all of it is in the diner's mouth.  In Italy lentils are cooked for the first meal with the thought that they resemble coins and will bring fortune to all at the table.  In Turkey and other countries that ring the Mediterranean pomegranates are prepared as they are associated with abundance and fertility.  In Germany, Ireland and parts of the United States the meal includes cabbage, and since it is green and the leaves are folded over each other, is a hopeful portent of luck and wealth.  And in different parts of the globe the meal consists of an entree made with fish, since fish swim forward it is a positive way to move forward into the New Year. In Spain revelers at midnight consume 12 grapes, one for each stroke of the clock

     There is an old adage in the southern United States that says: "Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold."  Black eyed peas are always served in a dish like Hoppin' John as it is considered to represent prosperity, especially when served with collard greens.

     In our region it is customary to serve pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day, and much to my wife's dismay that will be served at our small table, along with some smashed red  skinned potatoes and  some roasted root vegetables.  Pork symbolizes progress since the pig always roots forward.  It is said that pork is also rich in fat content which denotes wealth and prosperity.  That meal is part of the rich Pennsylvania German heritage brought to the New World by the immigrants who settled in our area.  Pork is also eaten in places like Cuba, Portugal, Hungary and Austria.

     There are also some foods to avoid on New Year's Day as they are considered bad luck.  Never serve lobster for instance.  They move backward, symbolizing setbacks for the year ahead.  That goes for chicken as well since they scratch the ground in a backward motion which is said to bring regret and is also a sign of dwelling in the past.  In fact, it is bad luck to serve any winged foul on January 1st because good fortune could easily fly away.

     Here's wishing you a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.  And may your calories be just enough to delight both your taste buds and your stomach!

Vinny

A Christmas Feast

     Once again our family is hosting the annual family Christmas feast.  I have set forth a menu with something (I hope) for all in attendance.  Here it is:

A FAMILY CHRISTMAS DINNER
2012

Appetizer

Potato & Beef Canape

Assorted Cheese Plate

Vegetable Crudite

 

Salad

Arugula & Spinach

with

Dried Cranberries & Toasted Pine Nuts

 

Sides

Cranberry-Orange Relish

Lancaster County Pepper Cabbage

Mashed and Baked Potatoes

Creamed Spinach & Parsnips

Steamed Green Beans Almondine

Freshly Baked Bread with Herbed Butter

 

Entree

Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin with

Mustard Horseradish Sauce

 

Dessert

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

with

Raspberry Enlightenment

Flavored Coffees

Tea

Tums

Alka-Seltzer

 

To all my readers around the globe:

 

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year!

                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                    Vinny

 

 

 



Stellar Stollen

     There are some interesting food traditions surrounding Christmas.  I'm sure your family has a special item or meal that is served each year around your table.  Among the Pennsylvania German families in our area the stollen is something that young and old alike eagerly await to consume during the Advent season.

     Stollen has been described as "a buttery, fruit-filled, sugar coated loaf" that originated in Germany.  But it wasn't always such a delicious  treat.  First baked in Saxony in the 14th Century it was a rather dry loaf of bread baked with oats and wheat without any milk or butter.  That was due to the restriction of those items by the Catholic Church which forbade them in bakeries during Advent, a time of fasting.  But in a "butterbrief" letter to the Pope the nobility petitioned His Holiness for their inclusion.  They had to wait for 40 years and 5 Popes for a response which came in the "butter letter of 1490" and granted the use of butter in the stollen, but only for the royal household.  All other subjects had to pay a butter tax to Rome if they wanted to include it in any baked items.  It was only when Saxony became a Protestant province that the ban on butter was permanently removed.

     Today stollen, sometimes referred to as "Christstollen" during the Christmas season is a sweet bread filled with dried fruit, sometimes containing a core of marzipan in the center, and covered with a sugary icing or coating of powdered sugar.  First baked in Dresden, where it is still popular, it is supposed to symbolize the Infant Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths.

     If you choose not to follow the long and involved process to bake one yourself, be sure to seek out a local bakery that has one with your name on it!



Snow What?

     I've been having a lot of fun reading excerpts from Ken Jennings' book Because I Said So.  One final warning that I'll comment on today is the one we have all heard as we were growing up:

"Don't eat snow -- It'll make you sick!"

 

     Findings published in Science in 2008 revealed that some snowflakes form around a "seed" of bacteria such as Pseudomonas syringae -- which led to "Why snow might be killing your kid" teasers in newscasts.  But Pseudomonas syringae causes a fatal disease in beans and tomatoes, not people.  And the human stomach is acidic enough to kill bacteria in snow.

 

     However, there are worse things in the air -- such as sulfates, nitrates, even lead --and snow might contain any of them.  Catching flakes on your tongue is no big deal, but any kid putting away buckets of the white stuff may want to ease up.

 

     Whew!  I was worried there for a minute that catching those snowflakes on my tongue as a kid was going to do me in half a century later.

 







Under Water

     Another issue that Ken Jennings addresses in his book Because I Said So is the 8x8 rule.  This came primarily from those well meaning junior high teachers in health class.  It went something like this:

"Drink 8 Eight ounce glasses of water a day."

 

And that carried with it another rule:  not milk, not juice, it had to be water.  In 2002, a kidney specialist named Heinz Valtin, M.D., concluded that this rule was an accident.  Back in the 1940s, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended "one milliliter of water for each calorie of food."  Thus, a 1,900 calorie diet would indeed work out to about 64 ounces of water daily.  But everyone seems to have forgotten the next sentence:  "Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods."

 

     That's right.  Most of our water gets to us in non-water form.  In fact, a National Institutes of Health doctor tole the Los Angeles Times that a healthy adult in a temperate climate could replace his or her body's daily water loss with food alone.

 

     So now what do I do with all those nalgene water containers I have at home?

Motherly Mandates

     Ken Jennings (remember him from Jeopardy?) has written a book entitled, "Because I Said So."  In it he lists many of the things our mother (and father, too) warned us as we were growing up.  They are a sort of parental proclamations akin to urban legends.  Some are true, others are not.  In his listing of these mandates are some that are food related and I found them interesting.  Here is one we have all heard, especially at this time of the year:

     "Stay away from the poinsettia!  The leaves are poisonous." 

 

The truth is, says Jennings, it's probably safer to eat an entire potted poinsettia then Grandma's fruitcake.  Unlike other plants in its genus, the poinsettia isn't dangerously toxic.  Poison control centers say you'll have to gorge on 600 leaves to get a meaningful dose of irritating compounds, and even then the symptoms would be no worse than a bellyache. (Probably not much different from the bellyache you'd get by eating 600 leaves of anything.)

 

 



Orzo What?

     Recently I found a recipe for a chicken soup that called for orzo to be toasted and included in the broth.  Having none on hand, I went to the local grocery store to purchase some.  But I wasn't sure what I was looking for, or even worse, where to find it.  What exactly is orzo?  Is it a grain, like rice or quinoa?  Would it be in the health food section, or over with the other shapes of pasta.  When I asked the young employee, she was very kind but also had no idea what we were looking for.  Eventually I did locate a small bag of DaVinci brand imported Italian orzo and happily brought it home so I could make the soup on a chilly December day.

     Once back in the kitchen I took some time to read the package and discovered that orzo is comprised of durum wheat semolina.  So it's pasta!  Turns out it's a pasta made in the shape of a grain of rice, thus the source of my confusion.  Even more confusing is that the Italian word orzo translates in English as barley.  And if that weren't confusing enough, this versatile little pasta is also known by a variety of different names: kritharaka, manestra, rosa marina, reiskornpasta, pasta gallo pion and risoni, depending on the country where it is cooked.  It is very popular in Greece and is also a chef's favorite in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern nations.  As I soon discovered it is a welcome addition in soups but is not limited to just that.  It can be served alone as are other pastas and it readily takes on supportive flavors combined with it.  It can also be an integral part of a salad or pilaf and can be baked into a casserole.  Orzo's only limitation is the creativity of the person preparing it.



Dancing Sugarplums

    

     Remember the line about "sugarplums dancing in their heads" from The Night Before Christmas?  What exactly is a sugarplum?  Well, Kitchen Kapers has provided us the answer to that question.

     Popular in the Victorian era, sugarplums were a sweet delicacy of dried fruits, nuts, and spices.  Sort of a mini version of the ever present fruit cake that gets sent to unwitting recipients.  Finely chopped, the ingredients form a stiff paste, perfect for rolling and molding into tiny plum-like shapes.  A coating in sanding sugar adds a touch of holiday glitter and a whole clove "stem" completes the charming little morsels.  They are low in fat and contain no wheat products, much to the delight of those who are gluten intolerant.

     To read the recipe, click on this link:  http://www.acornadvisors.com/2012_KNews/11-29-12_Gifts/Recipes_Gifts/KK_Plums.html

Taking Stock

     Under the catagory of "Right Stuff" the Nutrition Action Healthletter wrote recently of a commercially produced cooking stock that did not contain all the usual additives, like sodium and MSG. 

     "Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock relies on the same ingredients you'd use to make homemade stock, and it has no added salt, and it's the best tasting unsalted cooking stock out there"  so they claim.  The same company also makes vegetable and beef versions, too.  The label reveals an interesting amalgam of ingredients, from chicken stock and flavor, to vegetable stock from carrot, onion, mushroom and celery.  Also on the list are honey, bay, thyme and pepper.  But the star of the show is, as it should be, the chicken.  So much so that each cup of stock contains 5 grams of protein.

     It's not sodium free, however, due to the fact that celery and chicken both contain naturally occurring sodium.  But at 150 milligrams per cup it has a fraction of the competition.  Progresso Chicken Broth, for example, has a whopping 850 mg of sodium per cup, not to mention chicken powder, chicken fat, autolyzed yeast extract and other extraneous ingredients to pump up the flavor.

     I've always been an advocate of low sodium brands and was pleased to read about this.  But there are also others on the store shelf that can make the same claim and with less added salt.  One of my favorites is Pacific Natural Foods Low Sodium.  It claims on the label to be "All Natural" and "organic" (whatever that really means.  But that's a story for another VinnyPost.)  The nutrition facts chart states only 80 mg of sodium per cup.  And recently I purchased a case lot of the Whole Food 365 Low Sodium Chicken Broth at an attractive discounted price.  It listed some ingredients unfamiliar to me, like gum arabic, but with a caveat that it was less than 2% of the total.  The sodium level per cup is 140 mg.

     There are healthy food products available.  But it still remains "buyer beware!"  Read the labels, including the fine print, carefully.

Broth or Stock?

      I've never been quite sure about the difference between broth and stock.  I often use the terms interchangeably.  But the two are not the same.  After some investigation I discovered that you can use stock to make broth, but not the other way around.  They differ both culturally  and in colloquial terminology.

     Stock is the thin liquid that is produced by simmering raw ingredients, then removing the solids.  This leaves a thin, highly flavored and concentrated liquid.  There are several classic stocks made from beef, veal, chicken, fish and vegetables, like mirepoix, a combination of onions, carrots and celery.

     Broth, on the other hand, is more of a soup where solid pieces of the flavoring meat, or fish, or vegetables remain in the simmering liquid.

     According to Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking:  The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, the word stock as it's applied in the kitchen reflects the professional cook's approach to sauce making.  It derives from an old Germanic root meaning "tree trunk," and has more than 60 related meanings revolving around the idea of basic materials, sources, and supplies.  It's thus the culinary application of a very general term, and was first used in the 18th Century.  Much more specific and ancient is broth, which goes back to 1000 CE and a Germanic root bru meaning "to prepare by boiling" and the material so prepared, both it and the boiling liquid.

     Still confused?  So am I.

A Sweet Solution

     Most people toss cut apples and other fruits prone to browning in lemon juice.  But here's another way:  Toss them in honey water.  According to the folks at Cook's Illustrated, you can dilute 2 tablespoons of honey with 1 cup of water.  An apple slice soaked in the solution kept bright for more than 24 hours as compared to an untreated slice which began to brown within a few minutes.

     This is because browning is caused by the action of an enzyme known as polyphenol oxidase, and a peptide compound found in honey deactivates it just as the acid in lemon juice does.  Even better: they found that the fruit needed only a 30 second dunk in the solution to inhibit browning for a solid 8 hours.  Incidently, honey seems to work just as well at stopping browning in vegetables, such as potatoes.

     Now you know.

Soda Wars

     Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, writes in a recent editorial in the Nutrition Action newsletter that his organization has declared war on sugary drinks.  They have done so in the form of a music video entitled "The Real Bears", a parody of the cute polar bears featured in soda commercials.

     The story line is conveyed by a song written by Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz and describes the fate of a polar bear family that consumes too much soda and ends up with obesity, diabetes, tooth decay and erectile dysfunction. 

     As you might imagine the message was not well received by the soft drink industry.  But the truth is that sugary beverages are nutritionally worthless and a major source of obesity, which in turn contributes to higher rates of diabetes, heart attack, stroke and other related illnesses.

     But the word is getting out.  Since a CSPI report on "Liquid Candy" was first published in 1998 the per capita consumption of sugary drinks has declined by 25% and obesity rates are beginning to level off.

     Watch the video and judge for yourself its message:  www.therealbears.org

Meat & Potatoes

     It's common knowledge that men at the dinner table do not like to be distracted by superfluous side courses.  For them it's a meat and potato world, just the basics. 

     So I was pleased to come across a recipe for appetizers in the most recent Food Network Magazine that would be appealing for such a gathering.  Now admittedly it does contain a few other items but the foundation is composed of a slice of new potato and some roast beef.  Can't get anymore fundamental that that.

     Recently I made up about 3 dozen of these "manly" appetizers and took them along to a get together to see how they would be received.  I should have also taken along a stop watch to time how quickly they were consumed.  They were enjoyed not only by the men in the group, but also by the ladies as well.  They were so popular that I plan to make them up again for another end of the year celebration this weekend.

     Here is the recipe:

POTATO-BEEF CANAPES

 

1 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin (I substituted sliced deli roast beef, freshly cut.)

 

2 Tbsp EVOO                                               1 small shallot, minced

5 small red potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick         1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2/3 cup jarred roasted red peppers,             1 tsp capers, chopped

      drained, rinsed and diced                        1/4 tsp finely chopped garlic

kosher salt & freshly ground pepper            1/4 tsp finely chopped rosemary

                                             large pinch of sugar

 

   Preheat the oven to 350.  Season the meat with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the beef and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.  Transfer the skillet to the oven; roast until a thermometer inserted into the meat registers 125F, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board; let rest 15 minutes.

 

   Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water and add salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until just tender, up to 5 minutes. Drain and let cool.

 

   Mix the roasted peppers, shallot, vinegar, the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, the capers, garlic, rosemary, sugar and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.  Thinly slice the beef and arrange on the potato rounds; top with the pepper salsa.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Moroccan Delight

     About a month ago I mentioned in the Post "A Bygone Era" that I had prepared Chamoula Lamb Chops.  Since that reference to the Moroccan style meal I have received requests for the recipe.  Here it is:

CHAMOULA LAMB CHOPS

 

1/2 cup EVOO                                             3 Tbsp sweet smoked paprika

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice                         1 Tbsp Hungarian paprika

1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro                  1 Tbsp ground coriander

1/4 cup packed fresh mint                       1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley                  1 tsp ground fennel

3 medium garlic cloves                             1/2 tsp cayenne

Kosher salt                                                   12  4 oz lamb rib chops

 

Put the oil, lemon juice, cilantro, mint, parsley, garlic, both paprikas, coriander, cumin, fennel, cayenne and 2 tsp salt in a blender with 1/4 cup water and blend until smooth.

 

Pat the lamb dry.  Wrap aluminum foil around the exposed bones, leaving the meat uncovered.  Arrange the chops on a large rimmed baking sheet and brush on all sides with the marinade.  Let the chops marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

 

Position a rack 4 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler on high.  Season the chops on all sides with sale.  Broil, flipping once, until an instant read thermometer registers 130 F for medium rare, about 7 minutes total.  Remove the foil.  Let the chops rest loosely covered with foil for 5 minutes, then serve.

 

 

 

Serves 6

 

Fine Cooking,  December2012/January 2013, p. 55

What to Eat Now

     Recently TIME magazine featured a story by Dr. Mehmet Oz.  It was sub-titled "The Anti Food-Snob Diet" and was controversial in that it contradicted the popular belief advocated by foodies and gourmands. Dr. Oz claims that some of the tastiest and healthiest food to be had is also the least expensive and most ordinary.  The frozen block of spinach that is sold in the franchise grocery store under a generic label is just as nutritious as the fresh leafy organic variety sold at a much higher price at a boutique farmers' market.  With the advent of flash freezing all the vitamins and freshness is preserved and there is little difference between the two, other than the fact that the frozen spinach is quicker and easier to prepare.

     And the same holds true for canning, too.  As with frozen vegetables, fiber and nutrient content usually stay high in canned foods.  And the cost per serving numbers of some canned foods show them to be much more of a bargain than their fresh counterparts.  This holds true for meats as well.  The protein content of canned meats are not diminished making such foods as tuna, salmon and chicken excellent sources of nutrition.  Dr. Oz cites the tuna sandwich as a prime example.  He says that the tuna salad sandwich is to lunch what the '57 Chevy is to cars--basic and brilliant.  Tuna is loaded with niacin, selenium, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids, all things that are good for us.

     But there is a caveat.  He advises us to read the labels first.  Plenty of products include flavor enhancers such as sugar, salt and MSG.  And there are foods on the store shelves that are loaded with nitrites and sodium that are culinary land mines.  A good example of a bad example is found in brand name, mainstream, non-gourmet peanut butter.  It can be both quality nutrition and/or indulgent junk.  While peanut butter does contain saturated fat, 80% of its total fat is unsaturated, just as healthy as the finest olive oil.  It's also high in fiber and potassium.  But it can also be loaded with salt and sweeteners, so read carefully the fine print on the nutrition label.

     Dr. Oz goes on to cite other "primitive" foods that are good for us, like pickles.  While salty, they are also high in vitamin K and low in calories, and the vinegar in them can improve insulin sensitivity.  And baked beans not prepared with bacon or excessive sweeteners are great sources of fiber and protein.  Other healthy commonplace foods include mustard, extremely low in calories and high in selenium, and popcorn, as long as it is air popped and not covered in oils and artificial butter flavoring.  Even dark chocolate has a redeeming quality, delivering the antioxidant benefits of the flavonols in it.

     The final word, however, is portion control.  A little bit of chocolate is good, but that doesn't mean that a lot is better.  As Americans we tend to over eat because we put too much food on our plates.  It is best to follow the admonition of our grandmothers, "Everything in moderation."

Chiming Inn

     As I have been writing about my most recent stay in The Crescent City for the annual Po'boy Festival I have made numerous references to my lodging at The Chimes.  It is an amazing B & B located in a quiet residential neighborhood Uptown and not far from the Garden District.  The location is perfect for quick transit to Downtown and the French Quarter by either the fabled St. Charles Avenue streetcar line or the modern bus system that runs along Magazine Street.  It is only 15 minutes from all the action but is a world away from the raucous din of Bourbon Street.

     Jill, with the support of her husband, Charles, have about a half dozen rooms set around a enclosed courtyard that creates a small community setting for guests to congregate and share stories of the day's events.  Another meeting place is around the long breakfast table where beginning at 8am each day a morning meal is served and plans are made to explore the sights, sounds and tastes of New Orleans.  It is also there that Jill enthusiastically listens and offers advice on what to see and do and also what to avoid. 

     Though not a native, she has learned from her time in The Big Easy what works and  conversely what does not.  And she can let the listener in on the idiosyncrasies of life and politics there, like for instance, the rule that her Bed & Breakfast establishment cannot serve a cooked breakfast since she does not have a commercially licensed kitchen.  No matter.  Each morning she drives to a neighborhood French bakery (sometimes going the wrong way up a one way street!) and selects an assortment of fresh breads and pastries to serve along with sliced fresh fruits, cheeses and granola with yogurt.  Add to that a cup of coffee or freshly brewed tea and the meal is perfect to provide a jump start on the day without being too heavy or filling.

     Each room has its own personality and charm with unique items that Jill has found along the way.  My corner room had twelve foot tall ceilings and in the bathroom hung an imported Italian chandelier that was carefully reconstructed after suffering "water issues" from Katrina.  Everything about both my stays there was thoughtfully prepared, from the choice of bath soaps and shampoo to the spring water in glass containers to the personally created and annotated restaurant guide.

     Want a pleasant home away from home when in New Orleans?  Give Jill a call.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

     Having lunch at 3 pm is a dangerous thing.  But that's what I did the Monday I was in New Orleans.  The meal at Mother's restaurant was nothing short of wonderful but I knew it would not hold me over till breakfast the next day.  So I devised a plan to assuage what I knew would be my late night hunger pangs.  I boarded the #11 bus that would take me back to The Chimes along Magazine Street.  But before my usual stop at Constantinople Street I departed at Third and paid the folks at Tracey's a visit.

     The Irish pub/restaurant has a storied past dating back to 1949 and has been a neighborhood hangout uptown for over six decades.  They also have an amazing menu of regional fare, including over a dozen types of po'boys.  Also among their offerings is the muffaletta, a monstrous sandwich made famous by the Central Grocery. 
 (see VinnyPost  June 21 )

     One muffaletta could alone feed a small family, being the size of a hubcap.  It is a huge roll stuffed full of lunch meats, cheese and topped by the signature chopped olive salad.  So I ordered a half sandwich to go and asked that the kitchen cut it in half.  While I waited for it to be prepared and wrapped I also enjoyed another regional delicacy, boudin balls.

     Happily on my way, after an interesting adventure in the dark to the cavernous second floor under renovation to view the plans for a banquet hall, I once again boarded the #11 bus for the few blocks back to my stop and walked back to my oasis at The Chimes.  Sure enough by 9 pm I was hungry and I devoured half of the half of that Sicilian sandwich.  By that time the olive oil had begun to seep into the roll making the sandwich even more flavorful.

     One advantage to the muffaletta is that it does not need refrigeration.  That is why it was the lunch meal of choice for the day laborers at the port of New Orleans during the beastly summer months.  So I kept the other half of my evening repast and after passing through the TSA security check at the airport, enjoyed it for my own lunch before boarding my flight home the next day.  It was all I needed and was a wonderful last meal in the Big Easy.

Mother (in the) Hood

     After a long morning riding in a tour van looking at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina I was hungry.  After all it was past 2 pm and I had to forgo breakfast at The Chimes in order to get downtown in time for the guided tour.  I had heard some of the other folks in the van mention a place called Mother's that supposedly served up a good meal so I thought I'd give it a try.

     The only directions I had was that the restaurant was on the corner of Poydras & Tchoupitoulas Streets.  When I turned the corner, there it was, a decidedly non-descrip edifice with not much in the way of signage to convince me that I was indeed at the correct location.  So with some timidity I entered and was handed a menu to ponder.  It was not a quick read as there were lots of choices for either breakfast, lunch or dinner.  With an idea as to what I wanted for a mid afternoon meal I got in the cafeteria style line and waited to place my order with the cashier.  She took my order, rang me up and cheerfully informed me that I could take a seat anywhere and someone would bring my meal to me.  I'm not sure how they keep everyone straight with each order, but it didn't take long for my fried oyster platter to arrive with a side of red beans and rice and fries.  I had chosen those two sides from among a list that also included turnip greens, cabbage, and grits.  The pile of oysters was immense and they were both juicy on the inside and crisp and golden on the outside, just the way they should be.  Finally I had found some good New Orleans cooking without all the pretension of my previous meals.  I knew it was the real deal when at my table the only condiments were Tabasco, Crystal hot sauce, and Heinz ketchup.

     Mother's has an interesting history.  Founded in 1938 by Simon and Mary (Mother) Landry the working class eatery opens at 7 am each day and serves meals to longshoremen and attorneys alike from the neighboring waterfront and courthouse.  It is a uniquely NOLA institution, one of only a precious few that remain.  Originally their menu emphasized po'boys, red beans and rice and jambalaya.  But now under the ownership of Jerry and John Amato the menu has expanded, still serving up old favorites in addition to newer bold flavors.

     The quality of the food is excellent, relying on only the freshest ingredients.  But the quantity of the food is mind bending.  Consider that in 1 year they serve up 175,000 pounds of ham and roast beef, three quarter of a million biscuits, 90,000 pounds of jambalaya, 25,000 soft shell crabs and a full ton of hot sauce.

     And the walls are covered with a plethora of autographed photos of patrons, both the famous and the infamous.  All are served with the same prompt, friendly manner.  Perhaps their motto best captures their culinary style.  "Everyone gets fed, everyone comes back."  Mother's will be on my short list the next time I'm in town.

The Line on the Upperline

     The French Quarter isn't the only place to get a good meal in New Orleans.  Sunday evening I walked the tree lined streets of the uptown section and sat down for dinner at The Upperline.  The restaurant is owned and operated by a grandmotherly figure, JoAnn Clevenger who patroled the rambling 1877 townhouse insuring that her patrons had all their expectations met. 

     It was a bit surprising to me that when I entered the Art Deco bar/dining room only 2 other tables were occupied, even though I was encouraged to make a reservation when I called an hour earlier.  Another surprise was the profusion of regional art that was on display.  In random order in every possible nook all manner of paintings, drawings, pottery, sculpture, posters and objects d'art festooned the dining room.  The artists were purportedly well known locally, but I must confess the names meant little to me.

     Likewise the menu also had a local touch, being touted as "inventive Creole cuisine."  I chose one of the evening highlights, mahi-mahi swimming in a spicy bouillabaisse broth.  Unfortunately, it was high on price and low on quantity.  While the fish was unmistakenly present, other seafood was noticeably absent.  The "French fisherman's chowder" was not what I expected, or hoped it would be.  I also did not expect to be watched so intently by the wait staff as I ate my meal.  They all stood by just feet away from my table in a line by the bar.  At one point I thought they might burst into applause when I downed my last bite.  And JoAnne also came by to make small talk about her sister who lived "just outside Philadelphia" in Kutztown.  She might know New Orleans, but she certainly wasn't familiar with Pennsylvania.

     Feeling like I needed something more than the demure entree I decided to order dessert, something I rarely do.  But the warm Louisiana pecan pie sounded appealing and was enhanced by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  That was the highlight of my dining experience.  I walked off  those additional calories along the uneven sidewalks of Prytania Street as I made my way back to my comfortable sanctuary at "The Chimes" to ponder my eclectic dining experience.

    

A Pearl of a Restaurant

     One of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans is Drago's in the Hilton hotel.  It is owned by Drago and Klara Cvitanovich who opened it in 1969.  They decided to specialize in serving seafood and by all accounts have done a successful job at it over the last half decade.  Their signature dish is char broiled oysters prepared on the grill.  Drizzled with butter and lemon juice they are cooked on the half shell and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and pepper and are amazing.  Over 900 dozen of these succulent bivalves are served daily.

     But on my most recent visit to The Big Easy I must admit that I was a little disappointed.  First, since I was dining solo, I was placed at a small table, pushed off to the side of the dining room up against a wall with no view or ambiance.  My fossilized waitress gave me the printed menu and pointed out all the most expensive items on the list, attempting to steer me toward them in hopes of a larger tip.  But I steadfastly ordered the oysters and a salad, to her dismay.

     When they arrived I looked down at them in amazement.  They were minuscule, barely larger than marbles, unlike the behemoth bivalves I had consumed 6 months earlier.  I wondered if they could differ in size so greatly from one season to another.  I had ordered a half dozen but could have easily downed twice that, given their size.  The only thing large about my order was the price.

     I'm beginning to wonder if Drago's reputation is beginning to outdistance their menu.

Roll Playing

     Almost every Po'boy assembled at the recent Po'boy Festival in New Orleans was made with a Leidenheimer loaf of bread.  The bakery worked overtime to produce an extra 6,000 of their signature 36 inch long rolls for the event.  And they had more on stand-by in delivery trucks at the scene just in case any of the vendors happened to run low.

     It all began back in 1896 when German immigrant George Leidenheimer opened a bakery in The Crescent City.  Now, over a century later, the bakery on Simon Bolivar Boulevard still proudly supplies bread and rolls both locally and throughout the Gulf Coast region.  Their most successful product continues to be the Po'boy loaf that, unlike other french rolls, has blunt ends to ensure that every inch of the sandwich receives the same portion of meat and cheese, or whatever interesting interior is in the iconic sandwich.

     The bakery is still owned and operated by the Leidenheimer family.  Not long ago they commissioned local artist, Bunny Matthews, to create cartoon characters Vic and Nat'ly Broussard, the mythical owners of a NOLA po'boy shop located deep in "Da Nint' Ward."  Their images are festooned on each and every one of the delivery trucks and they have become the unofficial spokes persons for the bakery advising the public to "Sink ya teeth into a piece of New Orleans cultcha-a Leidenheimer po'boy."  Check out their gastronomic glossary of terms at:  www.leidenheimer.com/glossary.htm 

Vinny note:  Are you missing the images that usually accompany my articles?  So am I.  Sadly I recently discovered that somehow there was a limit to the storage space for the images I have posted on-line and I had reached capacity.  I am currently attempting to expand my allotted storage and once again illustrate my daily posts.

The Battle of New Orleans

     Having returned from my most recent culinary research I am still recovering from the crowded street scene on Oak Street in New Orleans during the Po'boy Festival held there.  It has been touted as the "Best Food Festival" in the entire state of Louisiana, and for good reason.  Over thirty vendors set up shop along the mile long stretch of Oak Street to vie for bragging rights for their own version of the iconic sandwich made famous by the Martin brothers.  (see VinnyPost June 6 "What's in a Name?")

     I rode the St. Charles Avenue street car out to Carrolton Avenue and fortunately arrived just before the start of the event at 11 am.  I was then able to survey all the many variations on a theme and thus map out my strategy for judging which po'boy deserved my vote as best in category.  It was a daunting challenge to contrast and compare with such a wide variety of ingredients to choose from.  There were poultry, seafood, beef,  pork and vegetarian po'boys on sale, along with various sides like Cajun fries, potato salad and of course red beans and rice.

     Only learning about the French Canadian delicacy, Poutine, a few weeks earlier at the Minnesota State Fair, I first tried a po'boy made with the familiar ingredients of fries cooked in duck fat, cheese curds, gravy and shredded beef.  I could tell that I was a long way from Quebec after one bite.  But apparently few of the 50,000+ fair goers knew the difference and voted it a favorite.

     Next I tried a barbecued shrimp po'boy and enjoyed the bite of the remoulade that lined the Leidenheimer roll.  It gave me the impetus to move on and chow down on a sesame oyster po'boy next, which was just OK, but nothing memorable.  Finally as the crowd swelled to epic proportion I waited in line for a fried soft shell crab po'boy.  It was worth the trip!

     There were many others I did not try, either for lack of creativity or length of line to wait for such exotic offerings as the fried lobster po'boy.  That line went down the block and around the corner for a $9 sandwich.  When it became impossible to walk along the street vendors without bumping into another fair goer, I decided to get back on the street car and return to my little sanctuary at "The Chimes" in the Garden District.

     In the coming days I will report on more of my culinary research in The Crescent City.

Tweaking Tradition

     Of all the home cooked meals prepared and served, none is more predictable than the annual meal on Thanksgiving.  Virtually every home chef roasts a turkey, mashes potatoes (white and/or sweet), serves some form of cranberry relish and prepares gravy.  Then after the main course has been devoured a chorus of pies are served, with or without ice cream or the artificially manufactured cool whip.  Again, the choice of pies is fairly predictable: pecan or pumpkin.  It's not a good thing to fool around with tradition, especially when it focuses on food.

     But this year I tweaked our holiday tradition with a new twist on a favored dessert.  I decided to add a new flavor to the venerable pumpkin pie and combined two stalwarts of the palate.  In addition to the pumpkin I infused some chocolate.  Yes, folks, it was a chocolate pumpkin pie.

     The reviews around the table were generally positive.  The two flavors seemed to somehow strangely intermingle while at the same time maintaining their own distinct personality.  Perhaps some medical professional specializing in taste sensations could explain how that occurs, but suffice it to say that is was a new taste encapsulated in an old favorite.

     Here is the recipe.  Copy it down and put it away until next Thanksgiving:

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN PIE

 

1 cup heavy cream                                                   1 tsp dry ginger

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate bits                             1/2 tsp ground cloves

15 oz can pumpkin puree                                      1/2 tsp ground all spice

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar                       1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt                                                                2 eggs

 

     In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the cream until just bubbling.  Remove from the heat and add the chocolate bits.  Stir until completely melted and smooth.

 

     In a medium bowl whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, all spice, nutmeg, salt and chocolate cream mixture.  Add the eggs, whisking until everything is thoroughly combined.

 

     Fit a pie crust into a 9" deep pie pan.  Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the center is set and no longer jiggles.



Being Thankful

Every Sunday morning St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church serves breakfast.  It's not a fancy meal, just scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash browns and a biscuit with juice and coffee and canned pears.  But for the nearly 100 homeless folks who arrive at 8am and walk down the steps to the basement social hall it could well be the only hot meal they receive that week.

    

 

I was invited to be a part of the volunteer Faith in Action ministry team from Grace Baptist Church in Blue Bell that prepared and served one of those Sunday meals in October.  We arrived at 7am, served breakfast at 8 until 9 and then quickly cleaned up and were on our way in less than an hour after the last meal was put on the table.  We did very little, actually, other than spend a couple hours early on a Sunday morning.

But I was struck at the gratefulness of our guests at the table.  Virtually every one of them before leaving to be on their way stopped by the kitchen door to say "Thank you!" to us, many making a point to shake our hands in gratitude.  Too often we who have so much in life tend to focus on what we lack, rather than what is already ours.  Yet the people who seemingly had so very little chose to be filled with thankfulness for what they had received.

So spend a moment on our national day of Thanksgiving to be grateful.  And then each day following live in gratitude for the many blessings of life that are yours.  

Culinary Research

     Home, Home on the Range: Musings from my kitchen will be off line for a few days while I am involved in more culinary research.  Please check back before  you enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!

Vinny Garette

Thank You Berry Much!

     Recently I received some important information from a loyal reader.  The topic was how to prevent mold from growing on the fresh fruit we bring home from the market.  It reads as follows:

We eat fresh fruit every day and because we eat a little of each (Banana, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Grapes, Cantaloups, Pineapple and Watermelon) every day the berries start to go bad quickly and end up in the garbage.  Not anymore thanks to this great tip.

Berries are delicious, but they're also kind of delicate.  Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market.  There's nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides. 
     Here's a tip on how to prevent them from getting there in the first place:

Wash them with vinegar.

When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider) and ten parts water.  Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around.  Drain, rinse if you want, and pop in the fridge.  The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila!  Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft.

So, go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes to eat them.

Talking Turkey, Part III

    

 

     Today is the final installment in the 3 part series on successful tips for cooking the perfect turkey on Thanksgiving, published by Gourmet Live.

7.  Use the four-spot test for doneness.  When it's time to check your turkey for doneness, the old method of pricking the thigh and looking for clear juices is not reliable.  Between supermarket turkeys bred for buxom breasts and the inevitable hot spots in your oven, we urge you to take the temperature in at least four places:  both thighs, as well as the thickest part of the breast on each side.  Don't remove the turkey from the oven until all these places register a minimum of 165F.

8.  Let the turkey rest after roasting.  When the turkey comes out of the oven, it's hard to resist the urge to start carving, but resist you must.  While your turkey has been roasting, the juices have been working their way toward the outer part of the roast.  If you slice the turkey while it's still hot, those juices will keep up their momentum, moving right out of the bird and leaving the meat moist and dry as sawdust.  Let the bird rest on a platter for 30 minutes.  During that time, the juices will move back to where they belong, inside the meat.  Some people like to cover the turkey with foil while it's standing, but that's only going to turn the gorgeously crisp skin flabby.  Rest assured that even uncovered, the turkey will still be slightly warm after half an hour.

9.  Keep turkey leftovers foil-free.  When you clear the table before dessert, focus first on storing the leftovers.  A turkey carcass takes up nearly as much room as an uncooked bird, so break it down now.  Remove any remaining breast or thigh meat in the largest pieces possible and wrap the meat separately first in wax paper or parchment, then in plastic.  Whatever you do, don't wrap the turkey in foil.  The salt and iron in the bird can corrode the foil, leaving smears of aluminum on the meat.

Now that you're well armed with this essential information, relax with the confidence that you can handle this bird and enjoy the feast and festivities.

Talking Turkey, Part II

 

     This is the second of a three part series relaying the Gourmet Live hints for a successful Thanksgiving meal.  Today points 4 through 6:

4.  Your oven needs plenty of time to heat up.  Avoid surprises and help keep your cool by making sure your oven is as hot as it should be.  If you don't already have a good quality oven thermometer, now is the time to invest in one.  Oven temperatures can actually vary quite a bit, as much as 50 degrees from the number on the dial.  So you still need to to use an independent and reliable oven thermometer to verify the temp before you put in your turkey.

5.  Don't stuff the turkey.  An unstuffed turkey cooks more evenly, and faster, than a stuffed turkey, because there's air circulation within the cavity.  Stuffing the bird also poses  significant food-safety challenges.  The major problem is that the center of the turkey--where the stuffing is soaking up all the juices--is the last place to reach the food safe temperature of 165F.  That means the meat will be fully cooked before the stuffing's done, leaving the stuffing unsafe to eat, unless you roast your turkey until the center of the stuffing registers 165F, at which point the breast meat will be overdone and dry.

6.  Basting is worth the fuss.  Basting is the most contentious turkey topic.  There are just as many detractors as there are proponents.  Basting does make the skin glossy and crisp, but every time you open the oven door, the temperature drops.  But the overall benefits are worth it, and another plus:  Rotating the pan 180 degrees each time you baste will help the turkey cook evenly.  The practice of periodically spooning pan juices over the turkey has nothing to do with helping the breast meat stay juicy.  It's all about getting crisper skin.

Let's Talk Turkey

    

     With Thanksgiving only a few days away we need to talk turkey.  I mean, really...let's get to the truth about Thanksgiving turkey roasting.  Gourmet Live has put on-line nine myth-busting tips for us to enable those assigned the important job of cooking the most important meal of the year.  For the next several days I will highlight Kemp Minifie's report.  So today I begin with the first 3.  And they are:

1.  Consider deconstructing your turkey.  If presenting the traditional entire turkey on a platter is  part of your holiday ritual--and the meal is unthinkable without it--then keep on doing it.  But if moist breast meat and perfectly cooked dark meat is more important to you than that brief tabletop cameo of the whole bird, then roast your turkey in parts, the white meat separately from the  dark meat.  Buy just the parts you like.  Divide the white meat and dark parts into their own pans and roast on different racks.  This allows you to remove the breast meat when it's done and let the legs cook longer.  The breast meat is moist at 165F, but the dark meat is better when cooked to a minimum of 170F.

2.  Don't wash the turkey.  This directive will probably shock you.  And it holds true for chicken, too.  This advice comes from the super-cautious folks at the USDA.  And here's why:  The moment you run water on your poultry, you start spewing a mist of unwanted pathogens all over the sink and nearby items.  The easiest and most effective way to eliminate bacteria is to kill them in the heat of the oven.  Then, after the bird is in the roasting pan, dry it inside and out with paper towels.  And don't forget to wash every surface the turkey and its juices might have touched.  Use hot soapy water, and it doesn't hurt to follow up with disinfectant.

3.  Brining is strictly optional.   Brining the turkey was all the rage a while ago, and it still has a devoted following for those who have the space and a container large enough to immerse the turkey completely.  Another option is to inject the brine directly into the flesh.  Or, you might consider dry brining, which involves rubbing the turkey with liberal amounts of kosher salt and letting the bird air-dry in the refrigerator uncovered on a rack or shallow pan for at least eight hours and up to two days.  But if you want to enjoy the benefits of brining without any of the fuss, buy a kosher turkey.  It's been salted ahead of time as a part of the kosher process.

More tomorrow...

A Bygone Era

     Last night's meal was my first attempt at Moroccan cuisine.  With all modesty I have to admit that it was a huge success.  I'm ready to feed the next caravan out of Marrakesh!  But it was not without it's problems in preparation.  First I needed to allocate some lamb chops.  And that wasn't easy.  In those halcyon days of my youth there was at least one butcher shop in every town, even the small ones like North Wales.  In fact, at our humble abode the butcher actually came to us.  It was Herman Metz with his butcher shop on wheels.  Once a week he would stop at the curb in front of our house and deliver the freshest cuts of meat on the planet.  My mother would step into his truck with her written list and watch as the pork chops and steaks and roasts were cut to order.

     Come to think of it, that wasn't the only food delivery on our street.  Beside the milk and bread left between the doors in the pre-dawn hours, there was also fresh fruit and vegetables from Mickey Marchese and Frank Robison, and eggs fresh from the farm of Mr. Bechtel in Souderton.  It seemed like the world came to our door in those days.  My father's life insurance premium was also paid quarterly when the agent made his rounds and every other week Mr. Maag would stop by to collect for the home delivery of the newspaper.  The sheets and towels were cleaned and pressed and delivered from the laundry in Lansdale.  Even Dr. Anders came to the house to diagnosis my chicken pox.  No wonder my mother never bothered to get a driver's license.  She didn't need one.

     But somehow all that changed in the intervening years.  No longer could we enjoy home delivery of many of the necessities of life.  We then had to go to each specialty store to supply our needs.   Fortunately there were places like Frank Molettiere's small butcher shop in town, or the Tri-County Egg Producers Cooperative Association over in Center Point where a sweet young thing named Sandy answered the phone and waited on customers. There was also the tiny Bennett's Market just behind the Corner Hardware Store by the only traffic light in the borough where Bill and his son kept the shelves and cooler cases stocked.

     But back to my lament concerning the lamb chops...Last week I did notice that the cavernous Whole Foods store in Plymouth Meeting did carry them, at an exorbitant price of $19.99/lb.  So I sought a more attractive (and less costly) alternative.  There was still an outdated Yellow Pages phone directory upstairs so I looked up "Butchers" and to my dismay, found none.  So consulting the index discovered they were listed under "Meat-Retail"  and read down the very short list.  The first half dozen I tried to call met with a variety of defeats, from disconnected numbers, to automated answering machines, to "please leave a message" requests.  Finally in desperation I called one more name on the list, over in Plymouth Meeting about a mile from the Whole Foods mega mart.  Yes, they did have lamb chops!  "I'll be right over!" I responded with relief in my voice.  And at Carl Venezia's butcher shop on Germantown Pike I was able to purchase chops cut to order, just like in the days of yore, and at a reasonable price, too.

                                       

    
     So I drove home pleased with my success, but also asking myself, "So this is progress?"  Where has the sense of community gone?  It seems we are becoming more and more isolated as we become even more crowded together.  I fear we are losing our individual identity as we are more homogenized.  These are some really deep thoughts that a couple of lamb chops have provoked.

Still Not Getting It?

     The title of today's posting is the cover story from a recent Nutrition Action newsletter.  It lists 10 important messages that don't seem to stick.  There are several reasons why, according to author Bonnie Liebman.  She says that "maybe that's because we haven't heard them enough or because they're controversial...  Maybe it's because there's only so much you can think about when you're deciding what to have for lunch."

     Here are the 10 things that many of us have heard before, yet they just don't seem to sink in:

1.  Extra weight increases the risk of cancer.  "...the ideal thing is not to gain (weight) in the first place." so says Marjorie McCullough, strategic director of nutritional epidemiology at the American Cancer Society.  "But if you're already overweight, it's still worth trying to lose.  Even if you repeatedly lose and regain the weight, your risk of dying of cancer, heart disease, or other illness is no higher than that of someone who started at the same weight."

2.  Subtle cues can make you eat more (or less).  Brian Wansink of Cornell University found that all sorts of below-the-radar cues influence how much we eat.  For example, people tend to consume more from larger plates and bowls and when food is visible and within reach.

3.  We're eating too many grains.  Calories from grains (wheat, corn,oats, rice) has increased by 45% since 1970.  That's because we are eating more bread, pasta, tortillas, crackers, pizza crust, pretzels and pastries, mostly all containing refined flour which creates an imbalance in our diets.

4.  Animal protein can help, not hurt, bones.  It is true that consuming animal protein tends to leach calcium from the bones.  But with a higher protein intake there's also a higher absorption of calcium, thus strengthening bones.  The results of a year long study in Framingham, MA documented that the group receiving high protein meals lost less bone from the hip, spine and wrist, reducing the risk of fractures.

5.  Eating 3,500 fewer calories doesn't mean you'll lose a pound.  The general rule of thumb is that there are 3,500 calories in a pound.  So cutting out 500 calories a day from your diet should bring a 1 pound weight loss in a week.  But, in fact, the body starts burning fewer calories as the weight comes off.  As the body's metabolic rate drops it attempts to burn fewer calories. Weight loss will plateau as the body adjusts to being fed less with fewer calories.

6.  We don't eat enough  potassium.  The recommended daily allowance of potassium is 4,700 milligrams.  The average American gets roughly half that.  It is vital for healthy blood pressure levels and for more elasticity of the heart muscle and blood vessels.  And the best way to increase potassium intake is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

7.  Don't expect vitamins to prevent cancer.  A simple fact to keep in mind is this:  when you see claims that a vitamin "maintains a healthy prostate" or "supports breast health," what it really means is there's no good evidence that the vitamin lowers the risk of prostate or breast cancer.

8.  Omega-6 fats don't cause inflammation.  It can be confusing as to just what omega fats we should be consuming.  It has been stated that omega-6 is harmful while omega-3 is beneficial.  It is more important to include the omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon than it is to eliminate omega-6 foods contained in mixed vegetable oils.

9.  You need to cut calories as you get older.  Our bodies change with age in ways that reduce caloric needs.  Resting metabolism starts to drop appreciably during our 5th decade.  Muscle mass is replaced by fat, which burns fewer calories. 
 (read *big sigh* here from Vinny)

10.  Magnesium may lower your risk of diabetes.  Eating more magnesium-rich foods like leafy greens, beans, whole grains, nuts and wheat bran helps to avoid type 2 diabetes, in concert with daily exercise, weight loss and limiting sweets.  On average, our daily intake of this vital nutrient is woefully lacking.