A Cut Below

     When you think about it, booking passage on a cruise ship is an economical way to travel.  For one price you receive lodging, meals and entertainment, usually all for under $100 a day.  There are, however, certain additional costs that are not included in the base cost.


     Such is the case when you choose to dine in one of the upscale restaurants onboard.  While you can get 3 meals a day plus snacks and room service 24/7, there are options for fine dining, for a price.  One evening my traveling companion and I made reservations at The Pinnacle Restaurant, a steakhouse on the top level of the ship.  For that privilege we each paid an additional $35.  Prime rib, petit filet and strip steaks were all on the menu as were lamb chops and even chicken for the timid.


     And while it all sounds very enticing, I found the experience to be underwhelming and frankly disappointing.  I'm sure it it a promotion for the young wait staff to work there but for me it was nearly impossible to understand what my waiter was saying.  His heavy Eastern European accent made most of his explanations indistinguishable.  I could only hope that I was ordering correctly according to his descriptions of the meals and accompaniments.   Then when my selections arrived I had to get out my magnifying glass to find them.  Take for example this Caesar salad:

     But the crushing blow was the New York strip steak.  It had all the tenderness of an old saddle, and the flavor to match.  I couldn't decide whether I had a very dull knife or a very tough steak. 

 Fortunately my dining partner shared with me some of his lamb chops that were easier to enjoy (and digest!).

     I have found that for the most part the old adage You get what you pay for rings true.  But, unfortunately, not in this case.

Editor's Note:  Vinny will be off on Friday in search of soft shells.  Look for his next post on Monday.

High Speed Controversy

     This weekend begins another season in the NASCAR circuit.  The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 states.  The sport has millions of followers and is second in popularity behind only professional football.


     But few people realize that it had its origins in the southern states as drivers would customize small, fast vehicles to deliver bootleg whiskey during Prohibition, running 'shine and evading revenuers.  By the 1940's the races were run for pride and profit and became a popular entertainment in the rural South.


     The 2016 season's Sprint Cup Series commences with the STP 500 on the shortest and oldest track in the country at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.  And there is quite a controversy brewing there this year.  No, it's not about the track surface or the kind of tires that are permitted on the vehicles.  It has nothing to do with the blend of fuel or the pit crew's safety gear.  The contentious debate in Henry County centers on the speedway's decision to change the supplier of the nearly fluorescent red, almost sweet tasting hot dogs that are sold in wax paper and served slathered in chili, onions and slaw.

     It seems that the speedway owners have to decided to switch from hot dog maker Jesse Jones who has provided the tube steaks for nearly 70 years.  The new dogs in town will come from Valleydale Foods, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods.   This is not an insignificant move.  The Martinsville hot dog is one of the most iconic concession items in all of racing.  Consider this...more than 50,000 are sold each weekend.  Some crew members have been known to eat 40 to 50 of them in a single weekend.  They consume them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  And while the competition between race cars is fierce, it's even more competitive in the pits as running totals of hot dogs consumed is kept on garage stall walls.

     And may the best man, er...dog...win!  Gentlemen, start your appetites! 

Home made or store produced?

     Last night I spent 2 hours preparing dinner.  Everything was homemade from scratch using ingredients I had on hand.  It was a very healthy meal, low in calories, sodium and sugar.  And it tasted good, too.

     But not everyone is able to spend that kind of time in the kitchen each night.  The convenient option is to stop by the supermarket on the way home and pick up a meal already prepared and ready for the table.  But the convenient alternative isn't always the healthiest one.  That is according to the findings of a recent European study that examined prepackaged and frozen meals.  According to a report from the online journal BMJ Open, more than half of all calories and almost 90% of all added sugar intake in the US diet come "ultra-processed" foods.

     Ultra-processed foods are those which include - as well as added salt, sugar, oils and fats - any number of non-nutritional additives such as dyes, flavorings, emulsifiers and other products designed to imitate the "sensorial qualities" of "real" food.  Falling into that category are foods like fruit beverages and milk based drinks, soft drinks, cakes, cookies, pies, salty snacks, frozen and shelf-stable plates as well as pizza and breakfast cereals.

     
     To get a better grasp of the issue of how much added sugar is actually in the US diet, researchers examined data collected from more than 9,000 people in a study conducted over a 2 year period from 2009 to 2010.  They compared the amount of added sugars in the average diet and discovered that ultra-processed foods were responsible for more than half of the total calorie intake.  The total was just under 60%.  In the average ultra-processed food product added sugars accounted for 1 in every 5 calories.  

     Excess sugar increases the risk of diabetes, obesity, cancer and tooth decay.  The researchers went on to state, "Foods higher in added sugars are often a source of empty calories with minimum essential nutrients or dietary fiber.  They displace more nutrient-dense foods and lead to simultaneously overfed and undernourished individuals."

     Quicker isn't always better.  Good things take time, just like last night's dinner.  So prepare your meals like your life depends on it, because it does.

No Menu Necessary

     The last stop on my Caribbean culinary cruise was Grand Turk, the island capital of the small nation of Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).  The islands are a part of the Lucayan Archipelago  and are officially a British Overseas Territory.  First discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1512 TCI has been under the authority of the Spanish, French and British.  But speaking to some of the local populace they indicate that most of the infrastructure is due to the presence of the US military who maintained a presence there until recently.

     
     The islands were once a popular hide out for pirate bands before a more legitimate enterprise invigorated the economy.  Processing sea salt predominated and became their major export until the end of the 20th Century.  But their claim to fame remains the reception they gave when they hosted the US astronaut John Glenn in 1962 when he was plucked out of the nearby ocean waters after orbiting the earth 3 times.


     It was a warm and sunny day when I strolled into downtown Cockburn Town.  I must admit that there wasn't a whole lot to see.  After touring the minuscule National Cultural Museum I went looking for a place to eat lunch.  That proved to be a challenge in the undeveloped island.

     Eventually I happened past a small shack with a sign outside that said, "Edith's Fish Fry."  There wasn't a printed menu, they didn't need one.  There was only one thing to order...you guessed it, fried fish.  But they did have free wifi (if you ordered a beer), so I parked myself on a wooden stool and sat at the plywood bar, waiting for my meal as I checked my e-mail.  Edith went to work in her kitchen and soon I had an immense fried filet and a side of fried plaintains handed to me on a paper plate.  It was delicious!  And a panoramic ocean view was just to my left, a pristine beach of white sand and azure blue water.

     The beer and the fish-$11
     The scenery-Priceless

Hidden Danger

   

  "Just because you don't reach for the salt shaker doesn't mean you aren't consuming too much sodium."  That is the opening statement in a recent on-line article published by the website hellawella.  It goes on to point out that more than 75% of the sodium we eat comes from packaged and restaurant foods.


     

        The American Heart Association offers these helpful tips to counter that trend:

When you go grocery shopping:

     Choose packaged and prepared foods carefully.  Compare labels and choose the product with the lowest amount of sodium (per serving).  Pick fresh and frozen poultry that hasn't been injected with a sodium solution.  Words on labeling like "broth," "saline," or "sodium solution" are code for increased sodium, so check the fine print.
     
     Choose condiments carefully.  For example, soy sauce, bottled salad dressings, dips, ketchup, jarred salsas, capers, mustard, pickles, olives and relish can be sky high in sodium.  Look for a reduced or lower sodium version.

     Choose canned vegetables labeled "no salt added" and frozen vegetables without salty sauces.  When you add these to a casserole, soup or other mixed dish, there will be so many other ingredients involved that you won't miss the salt.

     Look for products with the American Heart Association's Heart-Check mark to find foods that can be part of an overall healthy dietary pattern.

When you prepare food:

     Use onions, garlic, herbs, spices, citrus juices and vinegars in place of some or all of the salt to add flavor to foods.

     Drain and rinse canned beans and vegetables.  This can cut the sodium level by up to 40%.

     Combine lower-sodium versions of food with regular versions.  If you don't like the taste of lower-sodium foods right now, try combining them in equal parts with a regular version of the same food.  You'll get less salt and probably won't notice much difference in taste.

     Cook pasta, rice and hot cereal without salt.  You're likely going to add other flavorful ingredients to these foods, so you won't miss the salt.  Cook by grilling, braising, roasting, searing and sauteing to bring out the natural flavors in foods.  That will reduce the need to add salt.

     Incorporate foods with potassium, like sweet potatoes, potatoes, greens, tomatoes, white beans, kidney beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe.   Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure.

When you eat at a restaurant:

     Specify how you want your food prepared.  Ask for your dish to be made without extra salt.  Taste your food before adding table salt.  If you think it needs a boost of flavor, add freshly ground black pepper or a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice and test it again before adding salt.

     Watch out for foods described using the words pickled, brined, barbecued, cured, smoked, broth, au jus, soy sauce, miso or teriyaki sauce.  These tend to be high in sodium.  Foods that are steamed, baked, grilled, poached or roasted probably have less sodium in them.

     Control portion sizes.  When you cut calories, you usually cut the sodium, too.  Ask if smaller portions are available or share the meal with a friend.  If the restaurant permits, ask to order from the children's menu!  And there's no shame in taking part of the meal home in a doggie bag.

     Ask about the sodium content of items on the menu.  A new law required chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to provide nutrition, including sodium content, to customers upon request.

Notable Potable

     As I wandered the streets of Old San Juan I came across this plaque commemorating one of their many claims to fame.  Here it is:

     I'll drink to that!

San Juan Special

     Mofongo is uniquely Puerto Rican.  It is an integral part of the culture and national identity and is the unofficial national dish.  Crisp on the outside and dense on the inside it is made by mashing green unripe plantains with salt and water in a pilon, a wooden mortar and pestle, until it comes together and forms a spherical shape.


     The resulting tight ball of mashed plantains is then dressed with any number of sauces and condiments.  It is traditionally served with fried meats but variations include vegetables, shrimp, even octopus, all swimming in a broth laced with garlic and olive oil.


     Mofongo, while being Spanish in origin, has an African influence.  The slave trade brought with it food prepared by those transported across the Atlantic.  The culinary ancestor of mofongo is fufu, a common meal made from bananas or casava.  There can also be Creole flavors as well when mofongo is served with spices, sweet peppers, tomatoes and onions.

     First appearing in cook books as far back as 1849 there are still differing opinions as to what ingredients should be included in mofongo and no two dishes of it look or taste the same.  It can be served as a side dish or as an entree as I was served, topped with chicken.  Mofongo is to Puerto Rico what poutine is to Quebec or the po'boy is to New Orleans.  It is what you make it.  And it's all good.

Old San Juan

     One of our ports of call during my Caribbean culinary research cruise was San Juan on the island of Puerto Rico.  Founded in 1521 by Spanish colonists it is the 2nd oldest European established capital city in the Americas, second only to Santo Domingo on the neighboring island of Hispaniola.   The iconic garitas or sentry boxes of El Morro (officially El Castillo de San Felipe del Morro) have become symbolic of the historic city.

     After a customized bus tour of the city I was on my own to explore and to see the town for myself.  Some of the streets there are still paved with the original blue cobblestones placed there by the original settlers.  I was beginning to get hungry and so began to look for a place to sit down for lunch with my culinary compatriot as we walked through the old city.  The massive open doors of the El Convento Hotel intrigued me and I walked in to have a look around.  It was one of those classic places that might have been a scene from a movie.  I almost expected to find Humphrey Bogart standing in a darkened corner or perhaps find Ernest Hemingway sitting at the bar.

     We sat down in the sunlit atrium and contemplated what to order as our waiter brought some iced tea to the table.  I decided to have a local dish, chicken mofongo.  It was delicious!  What exactly is it, you ask?  I will pass along the recipe tomorrow.

Really?

     While grocery shopping on Friday I came across this:

Quick Cruise Recipe

     Yesterday I mentioned attending a rapid fire cooking class on board a cruise ship.  While it was an accelerated course time wise, it was also very tasteful.  Everything that the chefs prepared was delicious.  

     Today I'd like to pass along one of their recipes.  Here it is:

Mushroom Cappuccino

Ingredients

1 lb chopped assorted mushrooms

5 Tbsp onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 oz clarified butter

2 pints chicken or vegetable stock

1 pint cream

few drops truffle oil

1 tsp parsley, chopped

salt, to taste

ground white pepper, to taste

springs of thyme, to garnish

Method

Saute onions and garlic in butter, add assorted mushrooms.

Add stock and simmer.  Season with salt & pepper.

When mushrooms are cooked, blend in a blender and sieve through a chinois.

Return the puree to the pan and add cream and a few drops of truffle oil.

Adjust the seasoning and consistency.

Serve hot.

Serves Four

Who says cooking has to be complicated to taste good?

Sprint Cooking Class

     I've been to my share of cooking classes.  I've learned how to make tortellini in Florence and chicken cacciatore in Tuscany.  I've sliced and diced with the best of them home and abroad.  The format is pretty much the same in each case.  Most classes are hands on and run anywhere from a couple hours to an entire day.  But on the high seas the class offered by the cruise line was not a marathon of methodology but rather a high speed sprint medley.

     It began with a brief introduction from an English interpreter, in this case from England itself, a Londoner, with a very pronounced British accent.  With an economy of words he described what each of the chefs on board was creating as we looked on.  We met in the kitchen/dining area of the Pinnacle Grille, a high end additional cost steakhouse restaurant located on the ship's top deck.  In rapid fire succession we watched as a four course meal was prepared in under an hour and were given small tasting samples of each item.  It was like a listening to a 45 rpm record being played at 78.

     But I guess in this day and age with the 30 second commercial and the 2 second sound bite that is the pace of life we've become accustomed to.  And if Rachel Rae can serve an entire meal on TV in under half an hour, I guess a cruise ship can teach us how to high speed cook, too.

Mythical Towns

     After a "fun day at sea"  (those are the cruise line's words, not mine) we arrived at our first port of call in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove.  But you won't find it on any map of the country.  That's because it doesn't exist.  No one lives there.  In reality the closest town is Puerto Plata, about a 20 minute ride away.

     Amber Cove only appeared last October, the work of the cruise line to create a place for the ship to dock and for the passengers to be relieved of their currency at any number of gift shops, restaurants, beach fronts and bars.  Amber Cove, like all the other ports,  looks very upscale, clean and accommodating.  But realistically it is a closed community, walled off by a fence that surrounds the entire property.  The only way in or out is through a guarded gate. Entrance and egress is permissible only by producing a ship's card and a photo ID. And when the ship leaves port so do all the people who work there.

     We managed to negotiate a taxi ride into town for a look-see around and found a very different scene and way of life.  Our driver in broken English told us he would take us to see where the poor people and the rich people live, to see the beach and to walk around Parque Independencia next to the Iglesia Catolica, and of course to take a ride past the rum factory.

     After the personal guided tour I had some time on my hands and since it was just about noon I decided to look over the menu at the Coco Cana grill back in Amber Cove.  The Spanish speaking staff were all very friendly, and very young.  I ordered the coconut shrimp with fries and struck up a conversation with several of the folks working there.  The food was good and so was the conviviality.  I must admit, however, that their English was better than my Spanish.  I learned from them that the pay was marginal and the hours irregular.  But they had a job.  Many in Puerto Plata could not say the same.

Around the World, Down the Street

     My most recent culinary research took me to the eastern Caribbean.  I had planned to study the cuisine of several islands there and spent a week traveling and tasting the food of the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, and Grand Turk.  It was all a part of a late winter respite from the chilly homeland.  With my culinary traveling associate I happily booked passage on one of the many cruise ships that routinely ply the warm azure waters of the West Indies, where Columbus accidentally landed back in 1492.

     As is our custom we always arrive a day ahead of our sailing date to make sure we don't miss the boat.  That provided me with an opportunity to do some surveillance near the hotel where we would spend the evening.  Looking for a place to have dinner I was surprised to find 3 very different cuisines within the space of 2 blocks on the same road.  Bryson's Irish Pub looked to be a local watering hole and I expected to see things like corned beef and cabbage on the menu with St. Patty's Day just around the corner.  But with a blending of cultures instead I lunched on conch fritters.  

     Filled with incredulity I made my way to the next block and looked with skepticism at a storefront pizza shop.  The sign painted on the front window boldly announced, "A Little Bit of Philly" so I went in to see for myself it it was legit or just a wanna be.  I quizzed the owner about some local landmarks that only a Philadelphia native would be acquainted with.  Sure enough, he was the real deal!  He's an ex-pat who brought with him the best of Philly's style of pizza and cheesesteak and provided me with a free sample of each, just to prove his point.  It was just like being home!  We talked Phillies, Eagles, the Vet, Wing Bowl, and throwing snowballs at Santa, much to the amazement of the Florida patrons listening in. And his parents still live in neighboring East Norriton.

     But the real find was a small Peruvian restaurant just two doors down from the Philly experience.  Comer es translates into English as "eating is" and was the dining destination for our evening meal.  It certainly wasn't anything fancy, just a few chairs and tables and a small counter.  But the menu was extensive!  Three pages of choices that offered chicken, fish and red meat options.  It was overwhelming!  So we asked our bi-lingual waitress if she would have the chef/owner choose for us two entrees: one chicken and one seafood.  We figured that our meal would taste better if it was a favorite of the one preparing it.  Soon our meals came to the table along with the smiling senora who had lovingly cooked it just for us.  

Our waitress earned her pay that night as she also acted as translator since the chef spoke not a word of English.  The meals were amazing as was the medley of authentic desserts that followed.  

     We weren't exactly sure what we were enjoying and it was both a challenge and a treat to identify what we were tasting.  I'm guessing it was just as authentic to Lima as a cheesesteak is in Philly.