Fruit or Vegetable?

     We've plowed this garden ground before with the question of whether a plant is a fruit or vegetable.  As previously mentioned a tomato, often considered a veggie, is actually a fruit.  Today we consider the status of the crimson stalks of the rhubarb plant.  While traditionally prepared as a fruit, it is in reality a vegetable of the family Polygonaceae.  Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial with fleshy edible stalks called petioles that are crisp like celery with a strong, tart taste.

     Rhubarb can be found right now in many of the area farmers' markets.  It is one of the first foods harvested in the Spring.  And in the Northwest there are actually 2 harvests in Spring and then again in the Fall.  The color of the stalks can vary from the easily recognizable crimson red, to speckled light pink, to light green.


     Native to Europe and Asia, it was introduced to the New World and first appeared in Maine just prior to the 19th Century.  By 1822 it was sold in produce markets throughout New England.  Historically it is most commonly prepared by cooking with sugar and other early fruits, like strawberries and is used in pies and other desserts.  Rhubarb festivals are held around the world to celebrate this fruity vegetable.  So pack up your taste buds and take in the festivities in places like Nova Scotia, Queensland, Australia, Camden, Maine, Conrad, Montana or Wakefield, England.

     The Chinese have considered it a valuable medicinal product as far back as 2700 BC.  They use it for a variety of ailments including constipation and other digestive problems.  They also claim it is an effective method to enhance appetite, promote blood circulation, inhibit intestinal infection and topically to treat burns.

     But beware!  The leaves are poisonous!  They contain oxalic acid a lethal corrosive substance.

Cultured Culture

     As I've been mentioning this week, yogurt is a healthy fermented food, full of probiotics.  It's made from active cultures that react with milk to provide thick creamy curds that can be enjoyed on their own or combined with a variety of other ingredients.

     An additional step in the yogurt making process is to strain it to create a thicker version that removes some of the lactose, resulting in a higher concentration of lactic acid and a lower amount of sugar.  

     And depending on your ethnic background you have created either Greek Yogurt or Labneh.  Both are common foods in the Middle East, one being primarily of Greek origin while the other Arabic.  

     Blogger David Lebovitz says, "Lebneh (sic) is made by draining full-fat yogurt for a few hours, or overnight, where it thickens and gets extra-tangy."

     There are some minor distinctions, however.  Purists would claim that labneh is strained longer than traditional Greek yogurt and the final product is more the consistency of cream cheese.  And in some culinary circles it is called just that, a cheese, rather than yogurt.  And as such it can last a really long time without getting moldy or otherwise spoiling.  It can stay fresh for weeks.

All the Whey

     As a post script to the article on DIY Yogurt in fine cooking magazine there is a small instructional insert that describes the by-product of the process, whey.

     "When you add yogurt cultures to milk, it separates into thick, creamy curds and whey, the liquid that sits on top.  For regular yogurt,  you just stir the whey in with the curds, but if you are straining the curds to make Greek yogurt or labneh, save that whey!  It makes an ideal substitute for buttermilk in pancakes or waffles and works beautifully as the liquid in your favorite smoothie.  it's calcium-rich and filled with probiotics.  You can also flavor it (with honey, ginger, lime juice, or maple, for example) and top it off with some sparkling water for a unique thirst quencher."

Tomorrow: Labneh defined

Making Yogurt by the Numbers

     fine cooking magazine offers these 6 simple steps for making your own yogurt:

Ingredients

1/2 gallon milk,preferable not ultra-pasteurized
3 Tbsp homemade or store bought plain yogurt with active cultures, at room temperature

Directions

1.  Affix a probe or instant read thermometer to the side of a heavy-duty 6 to 7 quart pot.  Pour in the milk, and heat over medium-high heat, without stirring, to 180F.  Adjust the heat to maintain that temperature for 5 minutes. 

2. Turn off the heat, and use a spoon to lift off and discard any skin that has formed on its surface.  This is a normal occurrence when you heat milk, but you don't want that skin in your yogurt.

3.  Allow the milk to cool to 115F before adding the yogurt starter so that the active cultures don't die, frequently stirring gently and checking the temperature, 25 to 30 minutes.  Occasional stirring can help speed this process and will remind you to keep an eye on the temperature.  If the milk drops below 115F, rewarm it.

4.  Put the yogurt in a medium bowl and whisk in 1 cup of the milk to temper it. Gently stir the mixture back into the pot, remove the thermometer, and cover it with a lid.  Transfer to the oven and drape a kitchen towel over the pot.  Turn on the oven light and let sit, undisturbed, until thick with a slight wobble when you jiggle the pot, 8 to 16 hours.  A layer of cloudy whey on top is perfectly normal.  

5.  After 8 hours, taste a spoonful of the yogurt for consistency and tanginess, being very careful not to agitate the rest.  Then quickly cover it and close the oven door if it's not done.  Bear in mind that the yogurt will get a little thicker and more tart when it cools.

6.  Set aside 1/4 cup of the yogurt to culture future batches, if you like; cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months (thaw in the refrigerator before using).  Transfer the rest of the yogurt to a large container or divide among small containers, cover, and refrigerate until cool and set.  Whisk to break up any curds before serving.  If small lumps remain, add an ice cube and gently whisk for 20 to 30 seconds more, then discard the ice cube.  The yogurt can be refrigerated for 7 to 10 days.

DIY Yogurt

     Have you noticed recently how many options there are for yogurt in the dairy case at the local supermarket?  So many choices!  Knowing which one tastes best and which one is the healthiest can be daunting.  Non-fat, low-fat, flavored, plain...the variety seems endless.

     

     But if you want to be sure you are getting the best taste and the most bang for your buck you should consider making your own.  That way you can control what goes into it (and what doesn't), and you can customize it just the way you like it.  Flavor, tartness and thickness are all yours to decide.  "In addition to tasting incredible, homemade yogurt is cost effective," says Cheryl Sternman Rule writing for fine cooking magazine.  She goes on to provide this economic fact: "A gallon of milk (about $4) yields 14 cups of yogurt (about $14, if you were to buy it by the quart).  And she adds that making yogurt is a straightforward, largely hands-off process.  All it involves is heating milk, cooling it, culturing it, keeping it warm for several hours, then chilling it.

     Once it's cold, you can eat your yogurt as is, strain it to make it thicker still (like Greek yogurt or Middle Eastern labneh) or cook with it.

Tomorrow:  How to make your own yogurt.

     

A Cool Idea

     In the most recent issue of FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE there was a very brief article entitled "Pop to It."  It was only 3 sentences long but gave an interesting new spin on an American summertime favorite.  Here's what they said:

     Putting ice cubes in beer is a definite no-no --- but an ice pop in beer isn't.  This summer, try a lime ice pop in a Corona or an orange pop in a Blue Moon.  It will keep the beer cold and add flavor at the same time.


     I'll drink to that!

Flap Steak Recipe

     In the June/July issue of fine cooking magazine there is a recipe for a Mushroom Steak Melt where flap meat is used to create a knife and fork open faced sandwich.  Here it is:

Mushroom Steak Melt

Ingredients

1/2 cup dark lager or pale ale                                  2 tsp canola or other vegetable oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                   8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce                                      1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp balsamic vinegar                                              1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

12 oz flap meat                                                           4-3/4" thick slices peasant style bread

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper          8 slices provolone cheese (about 5 oz)

Directions

Position a rack about 6" from the broiler and heat the broiler on high.  In a small bowl, combine the beer, mustard, Worcestershire and vinegar; set aside.

Heat a 10" to 11" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the flap meat into pieces to fit into the skillet, if necessary, and season generously with salt and pepper.  Turn on your exhaust fan.  Add the oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat. Add the meat and cook, turning about every 2 minutes until 135F, 5 to 10 minutes total.  Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the mushrooms, onion, and rosemary.  Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are starting to stick to the skillet, 6 to 8 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.

Return the skillet to medium heat, add the beer mixture, and cook, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spatula until reduced to a thin glazy consistency, 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the mushrooms and onion.  Thinly slice the meat across the grain and toss with the mushroom mixture.

Toast the bread on both sides directly on the rack under the broiler, about 1 minute per side.  Transfer to a small baking sheet.  Distribute the steak mixture among the slices of toast, and top with the cheese.  Broil until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes.  Serve.

Serves 4

The Heat's On!

     Flap meat, while not sounding particularly appealing, can be very good, provided that it is cooked properly.  Grilled, broiled or pan-seared it should be cooked using high, dry heat.  That makes for better browning and insures crisp, charred edges.

     And while most people prefer their steak medium rare, it is best to leave the flap steak on a bit longer until there is just a hint of pink, more at medium.  Served more on the rare side it can be unpleasantly chewy.  And while having said that, cooking it too much will cause it to become tough and dry.  The goal is to have the internal temperature right at 140F for a tender and juicy cut.  Be sure to insert your digital instant read thermometer at an angle for a more accurate read.

     Cooked flap meat should always be thinly sliced across the grain to make those coarse meat fibers short and easier to chew.

What's the Flap?

     The next time you are in the meat section of your favorite market peruse the beef section.  Among the expensive cuts of steak you just might find a label reading "Flap Meat."  And while it doesn't sound particularly tasty, it is as flavorful as it is seasonably priced.

     Flap meat (or flap steak) is a thin, relatively lean, coarse-grained steak that comes from the belly of the steer, near the same area as flank steak.  Technically, flap meat is part of the bottom sirloin butt, through that's not really important to know when you're shopping for it.  What is important to know is that flap meat goes by other names and may be cut in different ways, depending on where you live.  Here in the Northeast we might know it better as "sirloin tip" and purchase it cut into cubes for kebabs.  But in other parts of our great nation it can be sold as a whole steak.  High end purveyors might even sell it under its French moniker, bavette d'aloyau.

The other thing to know is that it should be one of the more inexpensive steaks in the meat case.  Jennifer Armentrout, writing for finecooking magazine says,

      "Flap meat's coarse grain make it a champ at holding on to the flavors of a marinade, which can easily penetrate the loose structure of the meat.  And if your marinade has something like minced garlic, or ginger in it, those little bits can snuggle between the meat fibers, where they have less chance of burning."

     But flap meat has plenty of rich, beefy flavor on its own so marinade isn't always necessary.  Simple can be best with just a pinch of Kosher salt and a grind of pepper before throwing it on the grill, followed up with some good old fashioned steak sauce.

Tomorrow:  How to properly cook flap steak.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

     Last week Katie Walsh wrote an interesting piece for hellawella concerning yogurt-covered foods.  Here's a portion of what she had to say:

"It's one of the oldest tricks in marketing --- slap a healthy-sounding name on something that isn't really all that healthy and then wait for shoppers to eat it up.  Yogurt-covered foods...fall into that category.  These snacks aren't half as healthy as they sound.

Yogurt-covered foods, such as pretzels, raisins and cranberries, are often sold in the bulk section of grocery stores, where everything from M&Ms to pecans can be purchased in whatever quantity you like.  Other stores carry these foods in pre-packaged plastic containers that are often devoid of any sort of labeling, save for the food's name, weight and price.  As a result, consumers often don't have a clue what ingredients went into these snacks or what their nutritional content is.

After snacking on some yogurt-covered pretzels from a neighborhood grocery store, we recently thought it would be a nice idea to find a recipe and make our own at home.  Imagine our surprise, however, upon discovering one such recipe that calls for one bag of pretzels, two cups of yogurt and five --- yes, five --- cups of confectioners' sugar.

Upon further investigation, we discovered the nutritional damage extends to yogurt-covered fruits as well.  One serving of yogurt-covered raisins from Sunmaid contains the same amount of sugar as a serving of Milk duds, that favorite candy of moviegoers everywhere.  That amount, 19 grams, equals close to five teaspoons of sugar per serving --- almost the maximum amount of sugar the World Health Organization recommends an adult consume on a daily basis.

Sugar, which is added to everything from pasta sauces to cookies to frozen pizza, continues to play a major role in the American diet.  Sugary drinks like soda and vitamin water fill consumers up with empty calories --- calories that have virtually no nutritional value whatsoever.  Eating too much sugar has been linked to a host of health problems, from the formation of cavities to an increased risk of heart disease, and consumers often don't even realize how much sugar they are actually ingesting.

While yogurt-covered foods are loaded with sugar, they do have some redeeming nutritional value.  Fruits in this category are a good snack in moderation, as they often contain iron, potassium, calcium and Vitamin C.  Even in small amounts, some vitamins and minerals are better than none."

Food Truck Frenzy

     I enjoy traveling our great nation in search of culinary events.  But occasionally there are fun foodie happenings right in my own back yard.  Such was the case on Saturday.  In neighboring Valley Forge the casino there hosted a food truck competition that was sponsored by a local sports radio station.

     There were 7 finalists from among the dozens of Philly food trucks on the street.  They ringed the pool and faux beach on the casino property and were prepared to provide free samples of their cooking.  And it was an interesting variety of food.  Asian chicken wings, Italian meatballs, Brazilian steak, donuts, fried dough dessert pies, fish tacos and pulled pork were all on the menu.

     As the crowd lined up and patiently waited for their sample a system developed.  Once you received the sample you walked right over to the next line and tasted the last one as you patiently waited for the next one.  And just about the time you were finished the last one you got the next one.  It took me about an hour to complete the circuit.  Along the way I met some very nice folks and enjoyed the time spent in conversation.

     Not sure who was crowned the ultimate Food Truck Champion.  But it didn't matter!  They were all winners as far as I was concerned.

Hot Dog!

     

     Perhaps one of the most unique eateries in Nashville is perched on a little knoll on South 11th  Street.  In a tiny kitchen sandwiched in between the front and back of an old yellow Volkswagen bus the owner serves up hot dogs in a seemingly endless variety of ways.  She even has a special Sunday brunch menu at her self-described weenerie.  Among her specialties is the Greek Weenie slathered in a tapenade of sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta cheese and black olives.

     Our group enjoyed a sample as we sat down on the festively colored picnic tables nearby.  Each Rebel Yelp weenie was adorned with chow-chow and jalapeno slices.

Comfort Food Served Here

     Hal M. Holden-Bache isn't from Nashville.  He grew up in West Virginia and received a culinary arts degree from Shepherd  University there.  But on a visit to the Lockeland Springs neighborhood of Tennessee's capital he came to appreciate the community feel and decided to put down roots.

     The old H. G. Hills dry goods store was up for sale.  Dating back to the 1930s it was the perfect site for him to apply his talents.  He rehabbed the storefront building and in so doing created what has been described as a "warm and lovely culinary experience" using locally sourced ingredients.  With his knowledge and creativity he serves up comfort foods like duck drizzled in a smoked peach BBQ sauce and Nashville Hot crispy pig ears.

     Our tour group arrived before Lockeland Table opened for the day and enjoyed listening to his stories as we sampled some delicious octopus salad with smoked white beans.  It was memorable in a good way!

Business as Unusual

     While in Nashville I had the opportunity to go on several (actually 4) walking food tours, each in a different section of the city.  In doing so I was able to see and taste the wonders of The Gulch, East Nashville, Midtown and Germantown.  And I can report that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the capital of Tennessee.  In the next few posts I will highlight some of the more unique stops along the way.

     Yes, there was a Hard Rock Cafe in town.  But it was refreshing to find that for the most part there were very few, if any, franchise places around.  What I found instead were a lot of hard working, creative folks who have found their niche serving up a style of food that represents the independent nature of the Volunteer State.

     One example is the owner of Peg Leg Porker, Carey Bringle, who lost a leg to osteogenic sarcoma.  He turned his misfortune into a successful business, as the name implies.  Look carefully at the pig on the neon sign out front.  The left hind leg is a prosthesis.  Carey's restaurant in The Gulch draws quite a crowd each night as he serves up one of the best pulled pork & slaw sandwiches in town, in addition to some mighty fine ribs and chicken.

     And who couldn't resist stopping in to the tiny Walker Creek Confections candy store with this sign out front?

Vegetables 101

As promised, here is the chart that the lifestyle blog Fix has prepared to help us understand which vegetables are best eaten raw and which to cook first:

To Cook or not To Cook

     Recently I came across an interesting article on the HellaWella website.  It began by asking the question "What's the best way to eat vegetables?" Are they more nutritious when consumed raw or when cooked?  The premise being that vegetables boiled, steamed or roasted lose most, if not all, of their nutrients.  It turns out that not all vegetables are created equal, and raw isn't always better.

     Some vegetables offer certain health benefits when consumed raw and others when cooked.  Take broccoli, for example.  Recent studies have found that eating the cruciferous vegetable can help protect you against liver cancer.  The enzyme myrosinase, credited with cleansing the liver of carcinogens, is destroyed when broccoli is cooked.  So it makes sense to enjoy it raw.  But say you want to lower your bad cholesterol.  Some compounds in broccoli will help you accomplish this health goal, but only if you steam it first.

     The take away from all this is balance.  To keep your body healthy and in top form you need to include a smart mix of both raw and cooked veggies.  There are some foods that should never be eaten raw and others that do have a better nutritional profile when cooked.

     Tomorrow, a handy dandy chart prepared by the lifestyle blog Fix that will make it all perfectly clear and palatable.   

How It All Began

     The origins of Nashville's Hot Chicken could just be an urban legend or local mythology.  But Rachel Martin, a second generation Tennessean, swears that it is all true.  And as with many stories, this one is about a man and a woman.  Well, actually a man and several women.


     By all accounts Thornton Prince was "tall, handsome and good looking with beautiful wavy hair."  He was also known to have been a bit of a womanizer, a real ladies' man.  Ms. Martin goes on to say that  "...women handle cheating partners in all sorts of ways.  Some look the other way.  Others walk out.  A few get even."


     Thornton's wife chose the last option, or so she thought.  After staying out all night he came home just before dawn and climbed into bed for a few winks, expecting his wife to cook him breakfast when he arose.  She was in the kitchen preparing his morning meal and it wasn't dry toast or gruel.  In fact, she made him his favorite meal, fried chicken.  That was when she emptied her spice cabinet into the breading.  There's no official record of all the ingredients she employed for that first hot chicken.  But she was sure that she had spiced it beyond edibility.


     As he took his first bite she braced herself for his reaction and to her amazement he didn't curse, or whimper or get angry.  Her plan backfired.  He loved it!  And when he took the rest of the fried chicken to his brothers to taste, they loved it, too.


     The marriage didn't survive, but the hot chicken concept did.  The Prince Brothers turned her retribution into a highly successful business venture - Prince's Hot Chicken, the originators of what is now a Nashville standard.

It's a matter of Degree

     Eager to begin my culinary research in Nashville it wasn't long before I had loaded up my Garmin GPS device with the address for Pepperfire.  It's small store front eatery that first opened its doors in 2010 by founder and owner Isaac Beard.  The place is known for the consistent and unique flavor of their hot chicken.

     While seemingly understated at the end of a small strip mall, Pepperfire has been the recipient of much acclaim.  They are locally ranked by Nashville Scene's "Best of Nashville" and were featured on Travel Channel's Chowdown Countdown.  Food Network's "Top 5 Restaurants" show hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian & Sunny Anderson also awarded their Tender Royale menu item as the #1 hot & spicy dish in America.  And they have been sanctioned by none other than the Hot Chicken Coalition.

     Brightly lit the walls are festooned with poster size prints depicting their famous and notorious varieties of Nashville's iconic meal.  Right beside the giant menu board hanging overhead was a listing of their degrees of heat.  From top to bottom it read:

Southernfied (no heat)

Light mild

Mild (noticeable heat)

Medium

Hot (painful for most)

X Hot!

XX Hot!

     
     I confessed to the counter person that I was a neophyte to all of this and inquired about the gradation of heat and where should I begin.  She candidly commented that their degrees of heat are about 2 levels above everyone else in the city, then offered to place some of the mild sauce on a slice of white bread for me to sample.  That sounded fair enough.  I asked for a smattering of the mild sauce which she kindly provided.  It was indeed warm, but not punishing.  That was until I had ordered a mild Tender Royale and sat down to wait for my meal number to be called.  The heat continued to grow inside my mouth until I needed a second drink, even prior to picking up my meal.

     Dinners are served with 2 sides of your choice with white bread and pickle slices.  That is, unless you order the Tender Royale.  In exchange for the white bread you receive a deep fried grilled pepperjack cheese sandwich beneath 3 huge chicken tenders.

     In addition to the 2 sides (baked beans and crinkle fries) I dug into the chicken tenders but was only able to down two of them.  Their heat warmed both my body and my spirit.  They were magnificent, juicy & moist with just the right amount of spices.  At the counter I returned after I had eaten my fill to pick up a take-out styrofoam container and loaded it up with the grilled cheese and the remaining tender.  They made a memorable midnight snack and vivid, virtually hallucinogenic dreams.

     

Nashville's Hot!

     What comes to mind when you think of Nashville?  Country Music?  Vanderbilt University?  Andrew Jackson's Hermitage?  The Grand Ole Opry?  Yes, all of those things and lots, lots more.

     To be sure, Nashville is known for it's music.  But's it's also a center for healthcare, publishing, banking, and brews.  Nicknamed the Music City, it is also the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame.  But that's not why it received that familiar moniker.  The term was first used in reference to Nashville way back in 1873 when the Fisk Jubilee Singers were performing before Queen Victoria as part of a world tour.  She was so impressed with their singing that she stated that they must be from "...the Music City of America."  and the nickname stuck.

     Settled by the Overmountain Men in 1779, Nashville is located in what is termed Middle Tennesee, along the meandering Cumberland River and was named for Francis Nash, a Revolutionary War hero.  Today Nashville continues to grow at an amazing rate.  With a concerted urban renewal effort that began in the 1990s property values continue to soar.  Once blighted neighborhoods like The Gulch, Germantown and Lockeland Springs are seeing a resurgence as 100 people a day are moving in.  Nashville is indeed hot!

     Nashville is also quite a popular destination from a culinary perspective, too.  It is a town where the tea is sweet, the chicken is hot and the biscuits are plentiful.  Perhaps nowhere else can you find Goo Goo Clusters and Meat & Three.  Places like Hattie B's and Martin's routinely have lines out the door as folks patiently wait for a local favorite.  It may be simple or ornate, but one thing for sure, it will be delicious!