Thanksgiving Dinner Repurposed

                     

     Our Thanksgiving meal was delicious!  Creamy mashed potatoes (the real deal, not from a box), a creative green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce and homemade pumpkin muffins, and of course an immense turkey intentionally super-sized to provide for leftovers.



     There are seemingly endless possibilities for ways to repurpose the turkey.  Here are just a few I found on-line this morning.  Click onto the highlighted words for the recipes:

Turkey Stromboli

Baked Turkey Croquettes

Turkey Holiday Hash

Cranberry Hazelnut Turkey Wellington

Turkey Melt with Caramelized Onions

     Not interested in going to all that intricate and intensive culinary exercise?  How about just carving a slice of turkey and making a sandwich with some cranberry sauce?  There's nothing better the day after!

Good and Good for You

     Call it filling, stuffing or dressing, it is an essential side dish that cannot be denied at the Thanksgiving table.  But nutritionists warn that with a 3,000 calorie consumption of the meal certain precautions need to be considered.  So consider the following healthy ingredients to that favorite side:

1. Apples-Diced apples are good for the heart and can lower blood sugar.

2. Pecans-While being high in calories they are also loaded with dietary fiber and can actually
      lower bad cholesterol.

3. Celery-Low in calories, celery is full of antioxidants and are good for heart and digestive
      health.

4. Cranberries-It is a known fact that cranberries can prevent certain cancers and support 
      the body's immune system.

Happy Thanksgiving!            



You say tomato...

The controversy over one traditional Thanksgiving side dish is probably as old as the observance itself.  Is it stuffing, dressing or filling?  Here is one take on the issue provided by History.com:

    

 " When it comes to Thanksgiving, some dishes are required eating. Anything other than turkey is anathema, gravy is a must and cranberries get their one chance to shine. And don’t forget the stuffing! But that’s where things get interesting, because it seems no two families can agree on the proper way to prepare stuffing. Even the name differs from place to place: Northerners call it “stuffing,” Southerners eat “dressing” and a few Pennsylvanians enjoy “filling” on their Turkey Day tables. Let’s take a closer look at the regional differences between stuffings and find out how this dish represents the true melting pot of American cuisine.

     "There’s no way of knowing whether the Pilgrims actually served stuffing at their original harvest feat. But given the abundance of both wild game and rice, it’s likely that the first Thanksgiving dinner featured some kind of bird with a wild rice dish alongside it. New Englanders continued to take cues from their environment when it came to stuffing, and chestnuts became a popular addition. Boston cookbooks gave recipes for oyster-based stuffings, with and without breadcrumbs. Thrifty Mennonite mothers, meanwhile, used up mountains of leftover mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, creating filling. Perhaps the least known of all stuffing varieties, filling contains both mashed potatoes and stale bread, along with plenty of butter, to create a dish often served as a casserole alongside the bird.

     "This talk of “stuffing” and “filling” would be sacrilegious to Southern cooks, who insist that “dressing” be served—and that this dressing be cornbread-based. The name of the dish first appeared when Victorian sensibilities took offense at the blunter term “stuffing” in the 1850s. (It was around the same time that “dark meat” became a synonym for indelicate chicken legs and thighs.) The moniker stuck in the South, where the dish made use of a staple of traditional tables: cornbread. Pork was often added, either in bacon form or, more commonly, as salt pork. Since many Southern cooks had plenty of stale biscuits to spare, a biscuit-based dressing became standard in parts of the Deep South.

     "In the American West, cooks developed their own stuffing recipes, blending traditions from the South and North to create new delicious dishes. San Franciscans took advantage of all their leftover sourdough, creating a bread base that added a tang to the turkey. Cooks in the Pacific Northwest used seafood in stuffing, adding not just oysters but clams and mussels too. The recipe below is an updated look at a traditional San Franciscan one, complete with sourdough and a double apple punch in the form of chicken apple sausage and diced Granny Smiths."

SAN FRANCISCO STUFFING

Start to finish: 2 hours
Servings: 16

1 large loaf sourdough bread, cut into small cubes (about 13 cups cubes)
8 links chicken apple sausage
2 large white onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
6 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast until golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooled cubes to a large bowl.

Cut open the sausage links, remove casings and finely chop meat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to heavy skillet, heat over medium heat and add sausage. Sauté until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and add to bread.

In the same pan, sauté onions and celery until translucent. Add to bread mixture.

Put remaining butter in the same skillet and sauté the apples until soft, about 10 minutes. Add apples to bread mixture, along with sage, savory, thyme, pepper and salt.

Gradually add liquid until the bread has absorbed it all and the bread cubes have no crunch. Butter a 15x10x2-inch baking dish, add stuffing, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until top is golden brown and crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

PA Culinary Firsts

     Recently it was brought to my attention that the Keystone State has a number of significant food firsts.  Here are the facts:

1. The state where the pretzel was created has more pretzel bakeries than anywhere else in the nation.

2. Pennsylvania leads the country in sausage production.

3. D. G. Yuengling & Son of Pottsville is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States.  On the day that Prohibition was repealed in 1933 the company delivered a special celebratory shipment of their beer.  That immediately caused suspicion since the brewing process takes 3 weeks to complete.



4. Pennsylvania is home to no less than 6 regional potato chip companies:  Herr's, Utz, Martin's, Bon Ton, Bickel's and Snyders.

5. Peeps are manufactured in Bethlehem, PA at the Just Born Candy Factory.  Each New Year's Eve in that town a giant Peep is lowered from a crane at the stroke of midnight.



6. Kennett Square is the undisputed Mushroom Capital of the world that the town can attest since it maintains a year round aroma of the fungus.

7.  And with a sweeter aroma in mind, Hershey, PA is the Chocolate Capital of the U.S. where the street lamps are shaped in the form of Hershey kisses, first produced there in 1907.



On the Menu

Senate Bean Soup

Bean soup is on the menu in the Senate's restaurant every day. There are several stories about the origin of that mandate, but none has been corroborated.  

According to one story, the Senate’s bean soup tradition began early in the 20th-century at the request of Senator Fred Dubois of Idaho.  Another story attributes the request to Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota, who expressed his fondness for the soup in 1903.

The recipe attributed to Dubois includes mashed potatoes and makes a 5-gallon batch.  The recipe served in the Senate today does not include mashed potatoes, but does include a braised onion.  Both Senate recipes are below.

The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup Recipe

2 pounds dried navy beans

four quarts hot water

1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper to taste

Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened. Place beans into pot with hot water. Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Lightly brown the onion in butter. Add to soup. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.

Bean Soup Recipe (for five gallons)

3 pounds dried navy beans

2 pounds of ham and a ham bone

1 quart mashed potatoes

5 onions, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

four cloves garlic, chopped

half a bunch of parsley, chopped

Clean the beans, then cook them dry.  Add ham, bone and water and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and mix thoroughly.  Add chopped vegetables and bring to a boil.  Simmer for one hour before serving.

VPN

     There are probably hundreds of thousands of pizza joints scattered over the globe.  And some are no doubt better than others, offering an endless variety of styles and toppings on all different thicknesses of crust.  Some are very good, and others...well, not so much.

     So how do you know that the pizza you ordered will be memorable in a positive way?  There is no absolute guarantee, but there is one indication that the pizza on your plate is the real deal.  Look for the letters "VPN" to be displayed in the establishment.  The logo might appear on the front door, by the cash register or on the menu.



   VPN stands for Associazione Verace (or sometimes Vera) Pizza Napoletana.  Recognized by the Italian government denomination of control (DOC) it is an organization that was instituted in Naples in 1984 "to promote and protect the true Neapolitan pizza."  Along with companion organizations, VPN Americas in the US and Canada and VPN Giappone in Japan, they monitor strict requirements that respect the tradition of the art of Neapolitan pizza making.

     Those requirements include the following:

1. Use of a wood burning oven that can heat to 800 degrees F.

2. Use of only fresh, all natural, non-processed ingredients like "00" flour, San Marzano tomatoes, Fior-di-latte or Bufala mozzarella, fresh basil, salt and yeast.

3. The must be kneaded either by hand or with a low-speed mixer.  No mechanical dough shaping is permitted.  The pizza baking time is not to exceed 90 seconds.

4. The facility must have a proper work surface, preferable a marble slab table.

5. The size of the pizza cannot be larger than 14 inches and must have a raised edge crust and a thin (0.11") center.  The slice should be soft and elastic and easily foldable, not hard or brittle.

Upon inspection, if these criteria are met the ownership can apply for membership and submit a $2,000 certification fee and then pay $250 annual dues to maintain their status.

When I perused the menu at Punch I took notice that the V.P.N. logo appeared in the lower left corner above the words, "Punch is one of a few pizzerias outside Naples, Italy to be a member of Vera Pizza Napoletana, an organization dedicated to regulating the authenticity of Neapolitan pizza."

So the next time you're hungry for a pizza, be sure you get the real deal!  Make it a VPN.



Taking a Punch

     Perhaps there is no better place to experience true Minnesota pizza bliss than at Punch in St. Paul.  Their menu offerings have been described as Michael Jordan playing in the 6th grade basketball finals.  There's no competition!  The owner, John Sorrano, grew up in Milan and learned first hand from local pizzaiolis how to craft an authentic Italian Neapolitan pizza. He was able to translate that experience when he opened his first restaurant in the Twin Cities.

   So I had to try one of the best and visited there last August.  They are a certified VPN restaurant (more about that in a subsequent VinnyPost) and the first thing I noticed was their huge wood burning oven that dominated the space.  It heats up to a blistering 800 degrees F and cooks a pizza in 90 seconds.  Using only fresh ingredients the menu lists 17 classic style pies with names like Napoli, Borgata and Vesuvio.  For those who like their pizza sans tomatoes there are 5 blanco pies to choose from.  And if none of those nearly two dozen possibilities are to your liking you can craft your own with a mind dizzying 28 different toppings.  The combinations are endless!!!  So I combined sausage, arugula and feta on my personal pie and in less than 2 minutes it was ready and I carried it to my family style table.  Magnifico!  The ingredients were all fresh and enhanced by the tangy sweet tomato sauce and the secret recipe dough that was soft and pliable, not burnt and stiff.  Punch is definitely in a league of its own.

     But just on the outside chance that I wasn't satisfied with my meal there was a line at the bottom of the menu that read:

SECOND CHANCE FOR PIZZA ROMANCE?

Don't like your pizza?  Tell us - no matter how busy we are!

Come up to the pick-up counter and we'll remake it in 90 seconds.

Now that's customer satisfaction!



Pizza Geography

     Naples, Italy is the undisputed birthplace of pizza.  It was there that local pizzaiolis began topping dough with tomatoes and cheese and hand firing it.  Gennaro Lombardi is credited with creating the first New York style thin crust pie in his grocery store on Spring Street in the Big Apple in 1905.  Rudy Malnati first baked a deep dish pizza in Chicago in the early 1940s.  And in 1979 Rose Totino ushered in the age of frozen pizza when she and her family teamed up with the folks at Pillsbury to patent the dough for it in Minnesota.

     Minnesota?  A pizza mecca?  We are all familiar with both the New York and Chicago style of pizza.  But is there a Minnesota style?  Apparently so.  It has been described as having a thin crust and it is cut in squares, not pie cut.  And as an August '14 article in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine states, "You really need to be from here to understand it."



     There just may be a Minnesota style pizza and the Twin Cities probably should be considered as a pizza lovers destination.  Move over Big Apple and Windy City and make room at the table for another contender for the best pie in America.

     The article, aptly titled, "PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!" described no less than 3 dozen locales within the MSP metro area that are producing world class (and unique) pies.  Take for example Carbone's Pizza, called by some a Minnstitution with 32 locations in the state.  They define the category with a thin crust, sweet and tangy sauce and a mantle of cheese.  Broadway Pizza includes sauerkraut and two kinds of bacon (regular and Canadian) on one of their offerings.  Fireside has a Pepper Special that is topped with pickled banana peppers, green and red bell peppers and pepperoni, while Leaning Tower Pizza has a Hot Tower special that tantalizes the tongue with a hot and spicy sauce, crushed red pepper, pepperoni, jalapenos and pepper jack cheese.  Perhaps the most unique pie is produced at Pizzeria Lola where the Sunnyside Pizza is topped with 2 eggs sunny-side up and was featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."  And for a local Scandinavian twist, Pig Ate My Pizza serves up a pie with smoked salmon gravlax and fried capers, salt and vinegar potato chips and spicy nasturtium flowers.

So of course when I was visiting in the Twin Cities last summer I had to see (and taste) for myself the local take on the quintessential American Pie.  More on that tomorrow.

Italian Cousins

     Italy is home to some wonderful food.  Probably one of the first things that comes to mind when you think Italian cuisine is the pizza.  Two close cousins to that marvelous pie are the Calzone and the Stromboli.



     Originating in Naples, the calzone has been best described as a folded pizza.  Translated as "pants leg" it is a favorite street food that can be eaten on the go.  It is made with bread dough that is coated with marinara sauce layered with browned, crumbled sausage and topped with mozzarella, then folded over into a half moon and baked in a hot oven.  It is a one person pizza conveniently made portable.

     



Typically the stromboli is made without sauce and has a distinctly different shape.  The bread dough is rolled out in a large rectangle, topped with cheese, meats and veggies, then rolled into a log shape before being baked in the oven.  And according to Bill Daily of the Chicago Tribune, the stromboli originated in Essington, PA just south of Philadelphia International Airport.  It was back in 1950 that Nazzareno "Nat" Romano developed the concept and made some samples for neighbors of his pizza shop.  But he couldn't come up with a suitable title for his new creation.  It was a friend, soon to become a relative, that blurted out "Stromboli!" recalling the stir that the movie of the same name starring Ingrid Bergman had caused when she and her producer had a child while both being married to someone else.  But if you prefer a more sedate explanation, Stromboli is also a volcanic island off the coast of Sicily.





Fall Classic

     Two Fall favorites combine to make a classic dessert.  Apples and pomegranates are the main ingredients in this tasty crisp.  After you harvest the arils underwater you can try out this recipe:

Brenda's Apple & Pomegranate Crisp

 

4 medium apples, cored peeled and sliced                1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 pomegranate, skin & membrane removed         1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar                                                      1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon                                              1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Butter a 9x12" baking dish.

In a large bowl, toss together the apples, pomegranate seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Spread evenly into the prepared pan.  In the same bowl, stir together the oats, flour and sugar.  Rub in the butter between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over the top of the fruit.

Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the apples are soft.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Accessing the Arils

     Most of us just call them seeds.  But the tiny ruby orbs inside the pomegranate are actually called arils.  The Huffington Post rightly states that "...the pomegranate is one of the trickiest, yet tastiest fruits...they bear marvelously sweet arils."

     But getting the Jewel of Autumn to release those tiny arils is another story entirely.



     Several theories predominate in culinary wisdom, from whacking the halved fruit with a large wooden spoon, to spanking it with a spatula or mallet.  One source I consulted recommends rolling the fruit first as you would a lemon or lime.  Then there's another method that I have nicknamed the Magellan Mapping approach that advocates a primary circumnavigation of the pomegranate before scoring it from pole to pole into quarter sections.

     But most seasoned pomegranate de-seeders employ what I call the Jacques Cousteau method, that is, underwater.  It goes like this:

1. Cut the crown (protruding blossom end) off the pomegranate, removing with it some of the pale-yellow pith.  Take care not to pierce the seeds within.

2. Lightly score the skin in quarters from stem to crown end.

3. Immerse the scored fruit in a large bowl of cool water and soak for 5 minutes.  Holding the fruit under water, break sections apart with your fingers, separating the seeds from membrane.  The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

4. Discard skin and membrane.  Drain the seeds and dry on paper towels.

     But before you attempt the following, one word of caution.  Pomegranate juice stains!  It will leave red stains on both hands and apparel.  So as the saying goes, "Wear old clothes."  And goggles and snorkel are optional.

The Jewel of Autumn

     Long cherished for its exquisite beauty, flavor, color and health benefits, the pomegranate has been termed "royalty among fruit."  Over 8,000 years ago it was one of the first cultivated fruits, originating in Persia.  There is even speculation that it was the forbidden fruit that Eve offered to Adam in the Garden of Eden.  Its name is derived from Middle French pomme garnete, meaning seeded apple and it is sometimes referred to as a Chinese apple that grows on a deciduous shrub or small tree.


The pomegranate is a symbol of prosperity, hope and abundance in many cultures.  A Turkish tradition states that following the marriage ceremony the bride throws a pomegranate on the ground and the number of arils (seeds) that fall out indicates how many children she and her husband will have.

     


     While pomegranate juice is available year round, the Jewel of Autumn is available as a whole fruit only from September until January.  They are high in Vitamin C and potassium, a great source of fiber and low in calories.  The compound punicalagin is found only in pomegranates and is proven to benefit the heart and blood vessels.  It also lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and reduces harmful atheroscherotic plaque.  The juice is high in beneficial antioxidants which have been shown to protect against heart disease and various cancers.  It stimulates serotonin and estrogen receptors, improving symptoms of depression and increasing bone mass.

     Perhaps we should amend that old saying to "A Chinese apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Twice Baked

     Antonio Mattei is not a household name.   But his twice baked cookies are.  Antonio was a pastry chef in the small Tuscan town of Prato and in 1858 began selling his nut-studded Biscotti cookies to an enthusiastic public.

     His ingredients were simple...flour, sugar, eggs, and almonds or pine nuts that he purchased from nearby groves.  And according to Domenica Marchetti, he defined the biscotti baking method for future generations by shaping the soft dough into wide, flat loaves, then baked, sliced, and baked them again.  That's what "biscotti" means in Italian..."twice baked."  The double baking yielded dry, hard cookies that could be stored for long period of time and also traveled well.



     And today at the Biscottificio Antonio Mattei, you can still purchase his crisp, lightly sweet cookies.

     Grazie, Antonio!    

Slightly off the beaten track

     The tidewater town of Urbanna, Virginia has been described as being "slightly off the beaten track."  The 2010 census recorded only 476 residents within the half mile town limits.  That means there are more boats than folks there.  

     But for two days each year between 50-75,000 people congregate in "The City of Anne" to enjoy live music, arts & crafts, parades and of course to slurp up oysters and various other kinds of seafood at Virginia's official oyster festival.  For 57 years during the first weekend in November the town's main street is closed to vehicular traffic and local businesses and civic organizations host the Urbanna Oyster Festival.

 

     It's all about the bivalve: raw on the half shell, roasted, fried, in chowder and stew, in sandwiches and in fritters.  When I arrived Friday morning just before 10am there was already a crowd.  So I did my best to sample a little of everything and downed 22 oysters by mid-afternoon, not counting the ones swimming in the chowder.  But perhaps the most interesting representation of Virginia's culinary display was in something they call the H.O.B.  That's an acronym for 3 of their finest ingredients: Ham, Oysters, & Biscuits.  Salty, sweet and savory all at the same time.  It's something only a town slightly off the beaten track could create!

 



     

Curing Jet Lag

     Once again I will be on the road in search of culinary information to report to my vast worldwide readership.  This time my travels will be in a longitudinal direction rather than crossing time zones.  I will be heading to The Old Dominion to sample some of the world's finest bivalves at the Urbanna Oyster Festival in the tidewater of Virginia along the Rappahannock River.



     This trip will fortunately not cause any jet lag for me as I will remain in the Eastern Time Zone.  But for those travelers who do fly cross country or internationally, here's a tip I learned to prevent the feeling of being tired at the wrong time.  Eat carbohydrates.  They prompt the release of insulin which helps to reset the body's Circadian cycle.  Scientists suggest eating a carb heavy meal, like pasta, for dinner when flying eastbound.  When flying west load up on carbs at breakfast.





As Turkey Day Approaches...

     The highlight of November for those of us in the culinary arts is the Thanksgiving feast. Recently the folks at Food Network magazine did some research and reported that, according to the National Turkey Federation, the average American eats 16 pounds of turkey every year.  That makes the United States the top turkey consuming country in the world!

     They also conducted a survey regarding the way Americans finish that epic meal.  Here are the facts:

The favorite Thanksgiving pie is pumpkin, leading the pack with 41% of the respondents favoring it.  Pecan came in second with 35% and apple with 17%.  Other pies totaled only 7%. 

And 61% of the folks around the table prefer a little slice of each as opposed to only 37% asking for just one slice of their favorite.  2% said no thank you to any pie for dessert.

Most home cooks prefer butter to make their pie crusts, 45%, as compared to 37% for shortening and 18% for lard.

An overwhelming 88% of people prefer to eat their pie with a fork, leaving only 12% who use a spoon.

And topping the pie, a clear 41% ask for ice cream as opposed to 21% who enjoy whipped cream.  22% have neither, and 16% have both!

61% of home chefs make their pie crust from scratch and 17% serve 4 or more pies after dinner.

                                  

It's not too early to begin composing your Turkey Day dinner menu!

Watercress is Best?

     Last week I reported on a study that declared watercress to be the most nutrient dense food known to humankind.  So immediately I went out and purchased a bunch of it to try some for myself.  I must admit that I only used it in salads, but with that introduction to the best of the best I have to say that I was underwhelmed.  Perhaps I got a bad bunch, or maybe it isn't a good year for watercress, I'm not sure.  But it did leave me wondering how such a lackluster cruciferous green could rate such acclaim.

     So I picked up my iPad and went to the Epicurious app to see what other ways watercress can be prepared for consumption.  Not surprisingly it is most often the primary partner in salads and sandwiches.  But one recipe caught my eye, that being Watercress Soup, not chilled as some other soups were described, but rather heated and served warm.  Could watercress be hearty and bold?  Here's the recipe, you decide.

WATERCRESS SOUP

2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter          4 bunches watercress, tough stems trimmed,

1 medium yellow onion, chopped                          chopped (about 20 cups)

2 qts low-salt chicken broth                     1 1/2 tsp (or more) fresh lemon juice

1 lb russet potatoes, peeled,                     Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

          cut into 1/2" cubes                          1/2 cup chilled heavy cream

                                    3 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh chives, divided

     Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5-6 minutes.  Add broth and potatoes; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

     Add watercress to pot; stir until leaves wilt. Let soup cool briefly.  Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth.  Return soup to same pot. Stir in 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired.

     Whisk cream with a pinch of salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form.  Fold in 1 1/2 Tbsp chives.

     Rewarm soup gently over low heat.  Divide soup among demitasse or small teacups and garnish each cup with a dollop of whipped cream.  Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp chives over.

Makes 10 servings

Recipe by Melissa Hamilton & Christopher Hirsheimer 

as it appeared in Bon Appetit  April 2012

A Berry Healthy Fruit

     Cranberries are now in season.  I picked up my first bag this week for use in my culinary creations.  The glossy, scarlet red very tart relative of the blueberry is now at it's peak.  It's just now hitting the store shelves after being harvested during their short season that runs from Labor Day to Halloween.  Typically they are grown in bogs and floated in water as a convenient method for farmers to harvest them.  But studies have shown that the water method also increases their potency in acting as both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory.

     It has long been believed that the cranberry, sometimes called the bounceberry (yes, ripe ones do bounce!) prevents urinary tract infections and scientific evidence has proven that to be true.  But they are also credited with inhibiting stomach ulcers and colon cancer.  They also support a healthy cardiovascular system and liver, lower harmful LDL, raise healthy HDL and aid in stroke recovery.  But a word of caution for those prone to kidney stones...consuming cranberries either whole on as juice can cause calcium formations to occur.

     Native Americans first harvested wild cranberries and cooked them, sweetening them with honey and maple syrup.  The First Americans also used them as a red dye and medicinally as a poultice for wounds.  No doubt cranberries were present on the table for that first Thanksgiving meal shared with their European guests.  By the 18th Century cranberries were being shipped to Europe.  And when a ship loaded with crates of the exports was destined for Holland wrecked and sank in the waters off the Dutch coast        some of the cranberries floated to shore along the island of Terschelling, took root and continue to produce fruit to this day.

     So now is the time to enjoy this seasonal berry in homemade relishes, sauces, as a welcome ingredient in granola and as a tart replacement for vinegar in salad dressing.

And here's a factoid for you...Wisconsin grows more cranberries than any other state with 60% of the annual national harvest.