Happy Birthday!

   

     Yesterday the Tasty Baking Company of Philadelphia celebrated its 100th birthday.  It was on February 25, 1914 that Philip Bauer and Herbert Morris began baking and selling their products to locals.  But it was in 1927 that they experimented with a small sponge cake topped with butterscotch icing.  Originally baked in the shape of a small rectangle it frequently broke apart when removed from the mold.  A solution was found to crimp the sides of the metal mold thus making it easier to remove the cake and in so doing creating small indentations in the baked goods.  And of course we know them today by that iconic shape, and the name that was derived from the process, Krimpets!

Vinny note:  To warm up a bit after this very cold and snowy winter I will be headed to the Fiery Foods Festival this weekend in Albuquerque.  Stay tuned for a full report when I return!

An Old Date

     Dates have been around for a long, long time.  It is commonly believed that they were first cultivated in Iraq around 4,000 BCE and are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible.  But fossil records indicate that the date palm tree has existed for at least 50 million years.  While native to the Middle East and the Indus Valley, they were spread by traders into southwest Asia, northern Africa, Spain and Italy.  Eventually they were introduced into the New World in the 18th Century and are still grown in Mexico and California.  Egypt is the largest producer of the fruit worldwide.

     The name "date" comes from the Greek word daktulos, meaning "finger" which the small fruit resembles.  They range in color from bright red to bright yellow when ripe.  They are very versatile and can be eaten out of hand, pitted and stuffed, or chopped and used in any number of sweet and savory dishes.  One popular use is in the holiday favorite date nut bread.  Dates can also be dehydrated, ground and mixed with grain, used as stock feed for camels.  And in Pakistan a thick syrup is made from the ripe fruit and is used on leather goods as a coating and also applied to pipes to prevent leaks.

     There are 3 main types of dates: soft, semi-dry, and dry and are a good source of both iron and potassium.  They also contain a healthy amount of dietary fiber with a sugar content of 80%.  In 2008 an interesting medical study was conducted that discovered that women who consumed 6 dates a day in their final 4 weeks of pregnancy had less difficulty delivering their child.

     Fifty varieties of dates have been cultivated over the centuries in the Middle East and North Africa.  All have names dating (no pun intended) back into antiquity.  But ironically the largest and sweetest of them all, came to be known as the Medjool, Arabic for "unknown."

     So if you want to have a good time with an old date, consider a meal with Medjool.

Too Late

     I was first introduced to Poutine, the traditional Quebecois dish, or at least a form of it, at the Minnesota State Fair back in 2012 (read VinnyPost "Canada Invades Minnesota").  It is the plat nationale of our neighbors to the north.  The name is derived from Acadian slang for "mushy mess" but prepared properly is anything but that.

     Simply put, poutine (pronounced like the name of the Russian president) is fries, cheese curds and gravy.  But there are certain strict qualifications.  The fries must be from red potatoes, hand-cut and double fried for crispness and tenderness.  The cheese curds must be fresh and squeaky when bitten into, and the gravy is a combination of both chicken and beef stock that is thick enough to make a spoon stand up.  Anything less is an poor imitation.

     Over the weekend I received from my daughter out on the edge of the Prairie, an e-mail informing me that I missed La Poutine Week.  I was crushed to learn that for the first week in February restaurants in Montreal were rising to the challenge of creating their own spin and pushing the boundaries of the Canadian classic.  It was indeed an intense time for poutine lovers.

     As I read the descriptions of various offerings I was amazed.  Consider the following:

 

Poutine au Phoque-gnocchi, seal merguez (sausage), Brussels sprouts, cheese & jus

La Royale-pulled pork, red cabbage, green apple coleslaw
Donuts & Coffee-potato donuts, red eye gravy, smoked ham & cheese
Jewish-Matzo ball 
Moroccan-sweet potato, squash, zucchini, chick peas, tomatoes, spices & feta
La Nordique-duck confit, blue Benedictine cheese infused sauce, pickled red onions, arugula
Watership-braised rabbit, grainy mustard & honey gravy
Pookie Tang-rosemary fries, sorblege & maple sauce, bacon slices, fried cheese curds
The Lobster Monster-fries, lobster, squeaky cheese, bechamel sauce & shallots
Posh-roasted cipollini onions, bacon brisket, smoked pork, beef juice, peppers and Scotch ale gravy over fries

     One restaurant, La Banquise, cuts a ton of spuds daily to serve in their 28 different versions of poutine.  And for the week they served up a Poutine Reggae made with fries, cheese curds, Banquise gravy, ground beef, cubed tomatoes, guacamole and spicy peppers.

     I've already marked the event on my 2015 calendar and will be in attendance to see and taste this Canadian culinary treasure for myself!

     

Dinner at Supper

     I was very fortunate to receive a special gift card for a dinner for two at Supper, a restaurant on iconic South Street in Philadelphia.  Last night I was there with my gourmand companion to take advantage of their chef's tasting menu.  It's not a large place, but with two floors can seat about 75 people comfortably in their countrified setting.  We had the classic "table for two by the window" as we looked over our menu options.

     I began my four course meal with miniature stuffed pastries stuffed with a spicy pimento filling, served with a slice of dill pickle.  Smooth and creamy with just a hint of heat they were exceptionally good.  That was soon followed by a velvety sweet potato soup caressed with marshmallow and accented with a fried sage leaf.  

     It wasn't long before the entree appeared, a healthy portion of seared halibut in a pool of oyster sauce and a raft of kale with two spools of rye bread.  The fish was tender and moist and flaked nicely when touched by my fork.  It was perhaps the best seafood I've ever tasted.

     And as a fitting conclusion to the meal, the pie of the week was a tantalizing baked pear drizzled with chocolate sauce, accompanied with a tiny dollop of butterscotch ice cream.

     It was indeed an evening well spent!  And as parting gift I was presented with a jar of their own homemade tomato jam.  Can't wait to try it on some scrapple.

PB

     We all know what PB stands for in the classic kids lunch of PB & J.  But peanut butter is far more than just a sandwich filling.  Here are two suggestions for you to try that includes the old stand-by in new ways:

Green Peanut Butter Smoothie

Blend 1 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup torn kale, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 cup ice in a blender until smooth.

Salted Peanut Butter & Jelly Blondies

Whisk together 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp kosher salt.  Whisk together 2 large eggs, 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Scrape batter into a buttered 8x8" baking pan.  Dollop with 2 Tbsp strawberry jam and top with 1 Tbsp chopped honey roasted peanuts.  Bake at 350F until a tester comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Old is New

     Despite arugula's trendy position atop pizza and under goat cheese disks, it did not just burst onto the American scene.   Sometimes known as rocket, particularly on the west coast, arugula was found in colonial gardens and has been a familiar entity in both the culinary and medicinal lexicon.  In fact, it was even mentioned in the Bible, as oroth.  It is well known as a spice, a food and a medicine.  Arugula was used as a treatment for eye infections, an aphrodisiac, a deodorant, a protection against dog bites, a digestive aid, a garden pest deterrent, and a salad green.  But what is new and noteworthy is its presence on the shelves in markets throughout the United States due to the increased interest in Mediterranean cuisine.

     The tender, mustard-sharp, bitter green is  standard fare as a seasoning leaf.  A relative of the radish, arugula is related to water cress and is more intense than most leafy greens.  It transforms any mild melange of salad greens into a tantalizing mesclun salad.  It balances sweet, sharp, salty, rich, and acid.

     Available year round, arugula varies markedly in size, tenderness, and bite.  It varies in heat and size with the season and climate.  Hot weather makes for hot leaves.  Usually sold in bunches, avoid those that are bruised, waterlogged, or yellowed.  The leaves hide sand no matter how clean they appear.  Swirl the leaves in plenty of water, then allow to stand for a moment and gradually lift them out of the bowl so that the sand is left in the bottom.  Spin dry the leaves and wrap in toweling and chill until ready to use.

Not just for breakfast

     It was officially Bacon Week at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City last week.  And as you might expect, bacon was on the menu for breakfast lunch and dinner.  On the extensive menu there were the usual items, like bacon blueberry pancakes and a BLT made with a full half pound of bacon.  And not surprisingly things like maple bacon apple fritters, bacon burger sliders, bacon wrapped fillets, bacon jalapenos corn bread and fried bacon wrapped jalapeno shrimp.

     But some restaurateurs got creative with things like chicken bacon cheesesteak tacos, bacon chocolate lava cake, bacon milkshakes and sundaes, and even a BLT pizza.  It went even further with a bacon banana sub and bacon wrapped bangers.  And also available were things like bacon candy, toothpaste, floss, and mints, not to mention all manner of bacon libations.

     If your taste buds needed a break you could shop for bacon images on clothing, bacon band-aids, bacon air-freshener, and even a bouquet of bacon covered bacon roses for Valentine's Day.

      The Tropicana was offering a special Bacon Week hotel package that included admission for 2 to their health club.  After consuming all that pork fat you would need to stay on the tread mill for quite awhile!

A Meal Fit for a King

     Nutritionists have long advocated that to be your best all day long you need to begin the day with a healthy meal that fuels both body and mind.  An easy way to remember mealtime intake is to "eat like a king at breakfast, like a prince at lunch and like a pauper at dinner."  Breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day.  But unfortunately for many of us it is the meal most likely to be skipped, or short changed by a quick cup of coffee and some sort of energy bar.

     Recently my fellow gourmand and culinary traveling companion e-mailed me a fantastic breakfast recipe to fire up the engines and get your motor running right out of the chute in the morning.  It's for homemade baked oatmeal.  Oatmeal you say?   Boring!  But not this recipe.  It provides for some options that gives a routine bowl of oatmeal some personality and pizazz. 

     It does take some time to prepare and cook but it can be mixed together the night before and refrigerated in a covered bowl.  Then once your oven reaches 325F it can cook while you jump in and out of the shower and pick out your wardrobe for the day and put it on.  The following recipe claims it will make 4 servings, but yesterday I cut the quantities in half and still had more than enough for 2.

Kingly Baked Oatmeal

2 cups oatmeal (old fashioned)                   2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp baking powder                             1/2 cup applesauce or apple butter

1/2 tsp salt                                                    1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup whole milk                                           1 cup vanilla yogurt, for topping

Now here's the fun part:  add whatever you find interesting into the mix.  Raisins, nuts, dried cranberries, blueberries, cut up strawberries, and/or sliced bananas.  Nothing's off limits!

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In a large bowl combine the oatmeal, baking powder and salt.

3. Mix in milk, eggs, applesauce (I used apple butter), and brown sugar.

4. Pour into a greased casserole dish.

5. Bake for 45 minutes.

6. Serve hot, topped with the yogurt. 

Start your day off with a regal meal!

Herbal Alternative

     After posting yesterday's soup recipe for a winter's day I realized that one of the ingredients might have been impracticable given the season of the year.  Unless you had a 4 wheel drive vehicle and some extra cash in your pocket you probably were not going to venture out to get some fresh cilantro.

     It is not feasible nor is it economical to include fresh herbs into dishes when you cannot grow and pick them yourself from your own garden plot or herb pot as I do.  Dried herbs are a worthy substitute but with some caveats.  It is important to realize that herbs change in flavor when dried due to the evaporation of essential oils.  But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Dried herbs are then much stronger than their fresh counterparts.  So in that case, less is more.  The general rule of thumb is to substitute dried herbs for fresh herbs at the rate of 3 to 1.  That is, when a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, you need to add only 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.

     But before you reach into your pantry for that little red and white tin that's been sitting there for the last decade you need to consider shelf life and viability.  Dried herbs do get old and lose their flavor.  So when you open that jar or tin give it a good sniff.  If you can't detect any aroma, then it's time to replace it.  Another method is to crush a small portion of the dried herb in your hand and check to see if there is any smell.  Generally speaking the woody herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary last longer when dried than do the soft herbs like basil and chives.

     And one final note...if you are going to use dried herbs when cooking, add them early in the process so they can release their flavor and infuse the whole dish.  Adding them too late and they will just taste dusty.  Want to combine fresh and dried herbs together?  Add the dried early for full flavor and then sprinkle the fresh just at the end of the cooking process to brighten your meal with both color and flavor.

Soup on a Snowy Day

     Here along the east coast it is snowing once again.  And it's supposed to continue snowing into Friday.  On a day like this with blowing snow and chilly temperatures there is little to do but wait.  And while waiting what better way to spend the time but to cook up some soup?

     I leafed through my collection of soup recipes and found one that seemed appropriate for just such a winter's day.  Tomato Chipotle Soup warms both body and soul and will be a great reward after clearing the driveway one more time.  Here's how to make it:

Tomato Chipotle Soup

4 Tbsp unsalted butter                                  2 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups chopped onion                                     2 cans diced tomatoes 

2 Tbsp minced garlic                                      1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp minced chipotles                                salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbsp adobo sauce                                        tortilla chips           sour cream

2 Tbsp all purpose flour                                 guacamole              cilantro leaves

     Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook 3 minutes.  Stir in garlic, chipotles, and adobo sauce; cook 1-2 minuets.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.

     Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soup for 30 minutes.  Remove soup from heat and puree with a blender until smooth.

     Stir in chopped cilantro and season soup with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with tortilla chips, sour cream or guacamole, and cilantro.

recipe from Cuisine at home, Issue 101, October 2013, p. 17.

Pizza Capital of the World

     

     Old Forge, PA has been called the pizza capital of the world.  It's a small borough just outside Scranton nestled in the saddle between two mountains with a scenic view of Montage Ski Resort.  It is a town of about ten thousand composed mostly of older clapboard houses built close to the curb where the snow begins to accumulate soon after Thanksgiving and stays til almost Easter.  In my research I learned that they have a decidedly different take on pizza so I decided to go and sample some for myself.

     As I cruised down the Main Street I saw about a half dozen Italian restaurants.  They all had signs out front advertising that pizza was indeed on the menu and that they were, indeed, the "Pizza Capital of the World."

     But upon closer inspection, I noticed that several of them were closed, maybe for the winter and perhaps permanently.

     Others indicated that their pizzas were "New York Style" or "Sicilian" and not the iconic Old Forge variety.  There was even a Domino's franchise in a small strip mall, not far from the lone "Chinese Star" restaurant in town.  

 

So after about an hour of surveillance I decided to have lunch at Arcaro & Genell and see what the Old Forge pizza was all about.  The menu indicated several kinds: Red, Thin style, White, single and double crust, and Peasant style.  And I quickly learned that they are not called pies, but trays since they are not round but rectangular, baked on a sheet pan.  And a single serving isn't a slice, it's a cut.  I ordered up a cut of sausage pizza and inquired why it is so special, different from all other pizzas in the world.  The waitress informed me that everything is freshly made.  In the kitchen the staff prepares the dough, the sauce and the blend of cheeses fresh every day.  And the cheese blend is a close kept secret.  "If I told you, I'd have to kill you," was the answer to how it is made.

 



     Soon my order was delivered to the table and I sampled my first Old Forge Pizza.  The sauce was sweet and the cheese sparse.  The crust was neither thick nor thin and had a toothy character to it, browned on the underside due to the olive oil coating applied before being placed on the pan.  It was just OK.  But I'm not sure it was worth the 90 mile trip.  I had hoped to sample other cuts before leaving, but I seemed to find the only game in town as other places were either closed or empty.

     I did, however, find an open diner on Main Street with an Italian sounding name, Mischello's.  So before leaving Old Forge I had the daily special, Polish stuffed cabbage!

Plenty of Snow

     It's been quite a winter here along the east coast.  And now there is talk of yet another storm (our 9th to be exact) headed our way.  But in New England snow is an important component for a late winter treat.  During maple sugaring season, which should begin in about a month or so, warm syrup is drizzled on freshly fallen snow where it hardens and forms a chewy-crisp candy.  Most people call it simply what it is, Sugar on Snow.  But some locals refer to it as frogs or leather aprons.

     It can't be found in any store or restaurant and is one of those old farmhouse traditions maintained by residents who celebrate the end of a long Winter and the arrival of Spring with  something simple and sweet.  About now that sounds like a really, really good idea.

A Cut Above?

     Most consumers are probably not aware of it, but some of the meat they purchase has been passed through a machine that punctures it with small, sharp blades.  The blades break up the connective tissue and muscle fibers to make cheaper (and tougher) cuts of meat more palatable.  it also makes tender cuts even more so.  The process is known as "mechanically tenderized" or "blade tenderized" meat, sometimes referred to as needled meat in business vernacular.

     But because the blades can potentially transfer illness-causing bacteria such as E. Coli from the surface of the meat into the interior, meat processed this way should be cooked to 160 degrees F, which is well-done, to insure that any potential bacteria is no longer viable.  Unfortunately, blade tenderized meat can be difficult to identify because the punctures are nearly invisible to the naked eye.

     Our government through the Department of Agriculture is on top of this and has published guidelines suggesting that all mechanically tenderized meat be labled as such with an accompanying reminder to cook the meat to 160 degrees.  But unfortunately in government fashion, these regulations do not become mandatory until January 2016.  Some retailers, however, are currently voluntarily labeling their tenderized beef.  But to be certain, ask your butcher if your purchase has been processed in such a fashion.

     The staff of Cook's Illustrated tested the effectiveness of blade tenderizing and compared tenderized top sirloin steaks and rib-eye steaks from Costco with traditional steaks.  They found that the blade-tenderized steaks were indeed more tender when all the steaks were cooked to a temperature safe 160 degrees.  But they realized that not everyone  cares to eat their steaks well-done.  So for those who prefer medium-rare meat on their plate they recommend avoiding cooking "needled meat" and sticking to the traditionally prepared cuts of beef.

Cool Beans!

     This week I cooked up a big batch of chili.  On a cold winter's day there's nothing like a bowlful to fortify and warm a body.  And for variety I threw in  2 different kinds of beans: kidney and black.  They're rich in fiber, protein, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, and folate.  And they are low in saturated fat, sugar and sodium, too.

     Well, at least they start out low in sodium.  But unfortunately most canned beans contain anywhere from 250 to 500 milligrams of sodium.  But even if you purchase unsalted canned beans there is the risk of ingesting the controversial compound BPA which is found in the epoxy resin used to create the clear plastic protective can liner.

     So what is an aspiring kitchen chef to do?  One option is to soak and cook your own dried beans, if you have the time.  But that requires a lot of prep time, usually overnight, just to get the beans "stove ready."  There is another option I've discovered.  The Whole Foods franchise markets their 365 brand of organic no salt added black, cannellini, garbanzo and kidney beans in a carton instead of a can.  And unlike most of the items in their store, they're inexpensive, $1.49 for a 13.4 oz carton, which holds 3 half-cup servings.  That's about half the price of the nearest canned competition, Eden Organic No Salt Added beans (which comes in a BPA free can).

   As we all attempt to reduce our sodium intake, this is just one more way to eat healthy without feeling short changed on taste or flavor.

One Plant, Two Names

     What we know of as cilantro and coriander are in fact both from the same plant.  Related to parsley, coriander, the proper name of the entire plant, is native to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and southwest Asia.  Both the leaves and the seeds are used widely throughout the world, each in their own way.

     Cilantro, sometimes known as Chinese parsley, is recognized by its dark green, lacy leaves.  They are actually from the coriander plant and provide a pungent flavor that contributes to the highly spiced foods of Indian, Asian, Caribbean and Latin American cuisines.

     Coriander seeds, the dried, ripe fruit of the plant, have a fragrant aroma that is a combination of lemon, sage, and caraway.  Whole seeds are used in pickling and for drinks like mulled wine.  Ground seeds are added to baked goods, curry blends and soups.

   It's like getting  a 2fur out of a single plant!

Bacon's Italian Cousins

     Bacon, Pancetta, Prosciutto.  They all look alike, taste similar and are often substituted for each other.  But each one has a distinctive characteristic.  Here's how to differentiate the three:

Bacon-Is made from pork belly, the underside of a pig.  The meat is cured with salt and the raw meat is cold smoked using a variety of woods like apple, maple or hickory.  It is then cooked and used as a breakfast meat or to flavor other dishes.

Pancetta-Like bacon, pancetta is also made from pork belly and is also cured with salt.  But spices can also be included to give it a certain flavor.  It isn't smoked and is considered raw meat that, like bacon, needs to be cooked before being consumed.

Prosciutto-Made from the hind leg (ham) of the pig, it is cured in a different fashion.  It is rubbed with salt and spices to draw out the moisture and concentrate the flavor while the ham slowly air dries anywhere from a few months to several years.  Once cured it is then thinly sliced and eaten uncooked.

A Taste of Morocco

     While strolling through EPCOT in mid-December I enjoyed a late lunch at the Moroccan pavilion.  The meal was memorable, not just because there was an attractive belly dancer providing entertainment, but due to the rich flavors of the meal.  A traditional North African sauce enhances a wide variety of foods, from fish and seafood, to chicken, lamb and salads, charmoula ( also spelled chermoula) is a lemony mixture of spices, garlic and fresh herbs.

     The recipe is one of those that can vary quite a bit, from region to region, and even from family to family.  Some of the more common ingredients are parsley, cilantro, paprika, cumin, garlic, coriander and lemon juice.  But it is not uncommon to find included in the list things like cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, allspice and saffron, even anchovies and capers!  And there are also variants with regard to a dry rub versus a sauce, too.

     Any way you make charmoula, it will definitely spice up your meals, and your life!

Fresh Charmoula

10 saffron threads                                                    2 medium cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro                    1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley      1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cup EVOO                                                          1 tsp sweet paprika

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice                                         1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 Tbsp preserved lemon (optional)                       1/4 tsp cayenne

Stir the saffron into 3 Tbsp hot water in a medium bowl and let stand 10 minutes.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Serve as a sauce, or marinate fish, shrimp, or chicken in the mixture for an hour before grilling or broiling.  

Charmoula Spice Blend

2 Tbsp ground cumin                                             1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground coriander                                       3/4 tsp ground allspice

1 1/2 tsp chili powder                                            3/4 ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika                                         1/2 tsp cayenne

                                              1/2 tsp turmeric

Combine all of the ingredients.  Store in an airtight container away from the light for up to 1 year.

recipes courtesy of fine Cooking magazine.