Fruit with Appeal

     Yesterday I mentioned using avocados in summer recipes.  They are a welcome addition to so many hot weather meals, from salads to soups and sides.  What's a picnic without guacamole dip?

 



     But before you can include them in to a dish they need first to be peeled.  And the rusty trusty vegetable peeler in the kitchen drawer is not the tool for the job.  After you have determined that the avocado is ripe, take your chef's knife and circumscribe the fruit longitudinally through the skin and all the way down to the pit.  After removing the large pit in the center you have two options for removing the flesh carefully.  And I say carefully because the most nutritious part of the avocado lies just beneath the skin in a darkened layer.  You don't want to inadvertently throw that out.

     The first option is to take a paring knife and make a grid of the flesh and then with a spoon scoop it out with attention to getting as close to the skin as possible.  The cubed avocado can then be incorporated into your recipe.

     If you want slices or wedges, however, then carefully peel away the skin using your fingers to preserve the shape of the avocado half.  With the skin removed the half can then be cut as your recipe recommends.

  So enjoy this fruit of the Aztecs!  Here is a recipe for guacamole you might consider for your next outdoor summer party.  It's from 101 Cookbooks-a recipe journal.

Alligator Pear

     As I've been paging through summer recipes I have noticed that a great number of them include one common ingredient, avocado.  While it is a popular fruit it is one that I am not really that familiar with and am reluctant to use.  How do you know when they are ripe, and how to you peel one?  These questions have kept me from enjoying them.



     Avocados have been cultivated since 8,000 BC and originated in Mexico and Central America.  They are related to some familiar spice plants: cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel.  They can be egg shaped, pear shaped or spherical and are green skinned with a fleshy body.  One interesting note about them is that they will not ripen on the tree, only after being picked.  So how do you know when they are ripe?  Ripening is achieved when the skin darkens and the fruit has a little give to it, softening slightly.  Never put them in the refrigerator to ripen, because the cool temperature will prevent the process. But they can be stored in the chill chest once you have determined that they are indeed ripe and they will keep there for up to a week.

     And talk about healthy! Avocados are full of good things like lycopene, beta-carotene, and Omega 3 fatty acids.  It is that high fat content (71-88% of total calories) that makes them heart healthy, just like salmon.  They contribute to cardiovascular health, regulate blood sugar, and are strong anti-inflammatory agents.

     Now a principle crop in the U.S. 95% of the avocados, also known as Alligator Pear, is of the Hass variety.

     Here's an interesting summer salad to try:  Combine sliced avocados, orange sections, fennel and fresh mint.  Enjoy!

Souper Soup

     A few weeks ago I mentioned receiving a new cook book.  It's all about eating healthy with realistic recipes that are quick and easy to prepare.  So I paged through and found one that looked good.  And as a added plus when going down the list of ingredients I realized that I had all of them on hand.  It was titled, Happy as a Clam Chowder.  Now I did make one substitution with the author's permission.  Debbie Walker indicated that in place of canned clams canned salmon was satisfactory.  And since my mail order of canned smoked salmon from Edible Canada had arrived I used it.  The result was exquisite!  Here's the recipe for you to try:

                                           Happy As a Clam Chowder

Chop:

     1 large onion                              2 carrots

     1 cup of celery                           6 medium potatoes

Brown onion.  Add all other vegetables and 1 cup of water.  Steam with lid on for 20 minutes, stirring 3-4 times.

When vegetables are tender add:

     8 cups 1% milk                          4 Tbsp parsley

     2 tsp sea salt                              2 tsp paprika

     1-2 cans clams and/or salmon

Simmer 10 minutes or until hot clear through.

Mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup water.  Add to chowder mix.  Stir until thickened -- 5 minutes.

Serve with cornbread.



  

Salt City

         You may have noticed that the 4th of July menu I posted last week included something called "Syracuse Salt Potatoes."  Not familiar with the cuisine of upstate New York I didn't realize that they are a regional delicacy.           
       Another thing I was not aware of is that Syracuse is known as Salt City.  The area surrounding the city has a long history of salt production emanating from salt springs and free flowing brine.  It was the Irish salt miners who saw an opportunity to use that brine to boil the small, unpeeled substandard potatoes that they would bring to work for lunch each day.  



     The young potatoes (Size B US Grade #2) would cook in the salty water which would then form a crust on the skin and seal the spuds so they didn't become waterlogged like ordinary boiled potatoes. 



      Salt potatoes have a unique texture, like fluffy baked potatoes only creamier.  That is due to the higher boiling temperature of the boiling water cooking the starch in the potatoes more thoroughly.


     Interested in trying it at home?  Here is the ratio of salt and water to use:  1 pound of salt for every 4 pounds of potatoes, or roughly 1 cup of salt in 5 cups of water.

State Fair Chicken

     Tomorrow along with all the parades and fireworks celebrating our Independence Day there will be lots of cook-outs.  Grills will be burgeoning with things like steaks, hot dogs, hamburgers and Cornell chicken.  Wait!  What's that?  You mean you've never heard of Cornell Chicken, sometimes referred to as "State Fair Chicken"?

     Back in the 1940's there was a move afoot to entice the public to eat more chicken, thus improving the economic fortune of poultry producers.  A young professor of poultry and food science, Dr. Robert Baker, was given the task of creating a delicious way to grill smaller birds and developed a vinegar based marinate method for cooking chicken over a charcoal flame.  In 1946 Cornell Chicken (named after the upstate university where Dr. Baker served on the faculty) was first served at a dinner at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of the then governor of Pennsylvania.  It was an instant sensation and went on to become legendary at the New York State Fair.  Often referred to as "State Fair Chicken" it is still served by Dr. Baker's family at Baker's Chicken Shack at the annual event held in Syracuse.  Dr. Baker went on to patent other poultry favorites, too.  He is renown for developing turkey ham, chicken and turkey hot dogs, and the favorite of millions of children, the chicken nugget.

     Here is his simple recipe:

Cornell Chicken

1 egg                                                       3 Tbsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil                               1 Tbsp poultry seasoning

2 cups cider vinegar                            1 tsp ground black pepper

                      4 broiler chickens, halved

Crack the egg into a medium bowl and whisk until beaten.  Slowly whisk in the oil until fully blended.  Then whisk in the vinegar, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper.  Set some aside to use for basting while grilling.  Place chicken halves in a shallow baking dish and coat with the sauce.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  Pour off excess marinade and grill over open flame.  Serve with Syracuse salt potatoes and Waldorf slaw.

Shopping Upmarket

     One of my favorite ball caps is the one I purchased some years ago at the Piggly Wiggly supermarket in South Carolina.  It was one store in a chain of southern stores.  It seems that every region of our land has a familiar place to purchase groceries and household needs.  In Minnesota there are Cub stores.  Other places have names like Trader Joe's, Harris Teeter, Aldi, Whole Foods, Wegman's and Red Lion.  Each one seems to fill a niche, be it discount, boutique, or imported.



     I came to discover that in Vancouver, BC it is Urban Fare, a self described "fresh, healthful, supermarket-style, fine-food lover's haven dedicated to specialty foods."  Begun in 1999 the 5 market chain has 4 locations throughout Vancouver.  Their niche is apologetically "upmarket" providing high-end, gourmet, organic, and imported foods, including a florist, pharmacy, in-store restaurant, coffee bar, and a section dedicated to "grab 'n go" meals.



     As I wandered the labyrinthine aisles (to keep me in the store longer, perhaps?) I was attracted to the use of chrome and glass to display their products under soothing lighting to enhance their wares.  Our tour included a small sample of gourmet chocolate that is also for sale.  



     But I couldn't help but wonder if secretly they are attempting to compete with the "fair food" offered at the Minnesota State Fair.  Where else can you combine sugar, chocolate, salt and bacon?



City by the Bay, Northern Edition

     Vancouver, BC is a coastal seaport city, the most densely populated municipality in all of Canada with nearly 14 thousand people per square mile.  And those residents are among the most ethnically and linguistically diverse on the planet.  52% of the population has a first language other than English.

     With those facts in mind I decided it was a perfect place to find a incomparable meal.  And the cuisine of choice would obviously be seafood.  And it didn't take long for my dining companion and fellow gourmand to discover the Blue Water Cafe in the Yaletown section of the city.  The restaurant is housed in a converted brick and beam heritage warehouse, understated yet at the same time elegant.  They are recognized for sourcing wild, sustainable seafood and have consistently been named the best seafood restaurant in Vancouver and considered one of North America's finest for their selection and preparation of the "fruit of the sea."

     Those are pretty tall claims.  So we went in to take a look at the menu.  I must admit it was pretty impressive, and overwhelming.  If I chose one entree that meant that I could not enjoy one of the others.  Once I had made up my mind it was filled with indecision.  What to do?  Knowing that I would probably not return anytime soon, I opted for a sampler, a little of a lot.  The Shellfish Plateau was an amazing assortment of all things aquatic.  On one plate before me I could enjoy prawns, oysters, mussels, clams, scallops and yes, even jellyfish!

     The Blue Water Cafe not only lived up to my expectations, it surpassed them!  Even the jellyfish.