Friday, July 31, 2015
Pyro Chef Video
It's only 21 seconds long but provides a good look at the showmanship of the Pyro Chefs at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. It's very impressive. Take a look:
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Showtime!
The Gilroy Garlic Festival had something for everyone. It was culinary entertainment par excellence! There was a gigantic cook off stage, home to the annual Garlic Bowl competition. Also on stage Daphne Oz from the TV show "The Chew" stopped by for a personal appearance. On the other side of Christmas Hill Park where the festival was held was a smaller demo stage where hourly cooking shows took place with local celebrities like Gene Sakahara and Sam Bozzo, known to the Gilroy community as "SakaBozzo, twins separated at birth."
There were also 3 music stages where people could be entertained after purchasing items at the Garlic Mercantile or perusing the wares at the 61 vendor booths. If your feet needed a rest you could sit and enjoy some great food under one of the five shade tents. To cool off you could walk through either one of the two rain rooms. For the young there was a Children's Stage, a Teen Zone and a Children's area.
But for me the best entertainment was watching the famed Pyro Chefs at the open end of Gourmet Alley. Living dangerously, these volunteers took turns hoisting giant 45 pound skillets over gas grills to prepare scampi in dramatic (and dangerous) fashion. Their "flame-ups" are legendary.
The kitchen fire principle of not attempting to extinguish an oil fire with water is at work as the skillets are inverted on the grill and super-heated, quickly flipped over and given a generous pour of olive oil until the oil is smoking hot. Then cautiously the watery "fish" is dumped into the pan creating lots of flames that are exacerbated when the skillet is shaken over the heat. The resulting effect, the "flame-up"
puts on quite a show for the crowd as the flames leap and dance high overhead as additional ingredients are added and cooked. Garlic, pesto, tomato sauce, oregano, parsley and lemon juice are then stirred into the mix. And in less than 3 minutes it is ready to serve to eager customers.
And P. T. Barnum thought he had sole claim to The Greatest Show on Earth."
There were also 3 music stages where people could be entertained after purchasing items at the Garlic Mercantile or perusing the wares at the 61 vendor booths. If your feet needed a rest you could sit and enjoy some great food under one of the five shade tents. To cool off you could walk through either one of the two rain rooms. For the young there was a Children's Stage, a Teen Zone and a Children's area.
But for me the best entertainment was watching the famed Pyro Chefs at the open end of Gourmet Alley. Living dangerously, these volunteers took turns hoisting giant 45 pound skillets over gas grills to prepare scampi in dramatic (and dangerous) fashion. Their "flame-ups" are legendary.
The kitchen fire principle of not attempting to extinguish an oil fire with water is at work as the skillets are inverted on the grill and super-heated, quickly flipped over and given a generous pour of olive oil until the oil is smoking hot. Then cautiously the watery "fish" is dumped into the pan creating lots of flames that are exacerbated when the skillet is shaken over the heat. The resulting effect, the "flame-up"
puts on quite a show for the crowd as the flames leap and dance high overhead as additional ingredients are added and cooked. Garlic, pesto, tomato sauce, oregano, parsley and lemon juice are then stirred into the mix. And in less than 3 minutes it is ready to serve to eager customers.
And P. T. Barnum thought he had sole claim to The Greatest Show on Earth."
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Feeling very healthy
Having consumed more than my share of garlic in the 3 days of the Gilroy Garlic Festival I am feeling very, very healthy. Allium sativum, related to the onion, leek, shallot and chives is full of beneficial antioxidants, helping to not only fight infection but also supporting strong bones, too. It has been used over the centuries an antiseptic, applied to wounds.
The health benefits of garlic are legendary and historic. It has been regarded as both a food and a medicine for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians revered it and athletes in the first Olympic games in Greece used it to enhance their performance in competition. And on the Indian sub-continent it was considered a powerful aphrodisiac. 18th Century gravediggers in France drank crushed garlic believing that it would protect them from The Plague. In both World Wars soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene.
Medical science has recently acknowledged the curative powers of the antioxidants in garlic that counteract the harmful effects caused by free radicals in the body that build up as we age. Regular consumption of garlic can reduce the chances of contracting age related conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
Garlic is most often mentioned as an herb for heart disease and atherosclerosis. Some studies suggest that garlic may help prevent heart disease and can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. There is also evidence that it acts as a natural blood thinner, helping to reduce the chance of heart attack and stroke. In a recent study those who took garlic had fewer colds and if they did happen to catch a cold their symptoms went away quicker than those who did not.
Garlic may also strengthen the immune system, helping the body fight potentially fatal diseases such as cancer. People who eat garlic, either raw or cooked, are less likely to get colon, stomach or cancer of the esophagus.
Just 1 ounce of garlic contains 23% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Manganese, 17% of Vitamin B-6, 15% of Vitamin C and 6% of Selenium. And it contains only 42 calories. I think I had that much in my first helping of garlic fries!
The health benefits of garlic are legendary and historic. It has been regarded as both a food and a medicine for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians revered it and athletes in the first Olympic games in Greece used it to enhance their performance in competition. And on the Indian sub-continent it was considered a powerful aphrodisiac. 18th Century gravediggers in France drank crushed garlic believing that it would protect them from The Plague. In both World Wars soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene.
Medical science has recently acknowledged the curative powers of the antioxidants in garlic that counteract the harmful effects caused by free radicals in the body that build up as we age. Regular consumption of garlic can reduce the chances of contracting age related conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
Garlic is most often mentioned as an herb for heart disease and atherosclerosis. Some studies suggest that garlic may help prevent heart disease and can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. There is also evidence that it acts as a natural blood thinner, helping to reduce the chance of heart attack and stroke. In a recent study those who took garlic had fewer colds and if they did happen to catch a cold their symptoms went away quicker than those who did not.
Garlic may also strengthen the immune system, helping the body fight potentially fatal diseases such as cancer. People who eat garlic, either raw or cooked, are less likely to get colon, stomach or cancer of the esophagus.
Just 1 ounce of garlic contains 23% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Manganese, 17% of Vitamin B-6, 15% of Vitamin C and 6% of Selenium. And it contains only 42 calories. I think I had that much in my first helping of garlic fries!
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Some Impressive Numbers
I've just returned from the Gilroy Garlic Festival. And at their 37th "Ultimate Summer Food Fair" they have posted some impressive numbers. During the 3 day event they served 10 tons of beef, 4 tons of pasta, 4 tons of calamari, 2 tons of shrimp scampi and accompanied it all with 2 tons of fresh garlic.
But I found the most impressive number to be the total of volunteers working together to make it all happen. There were 4,100 people pitching in to make the festival a success. And here's another number that caught my eye...Since the inception of the festival back in 1979 over $10.6 million dollars have been raised and has all been donated to charity.
But I found the most impressive number to be the total of volunteers working together to make it all happen. There were 4,100 people pitching in to make the festival a success. And here's another number that caught my eye...Since the inception of the festival back in 1979 over $10.6 million dollars have been raised and has all been donated to charity.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Garlic Capital of the World
In the name of culinary research I will be traveling once again. This trip will take me across our great nation to the Garlic Capital of the World, Gilroy, California. For 3 days the town will be host to a festival honoring one of the great spices of life, sometimes called "The Stinking Rose."
Stay tuned for a full report of the event when I return next week!
Stay tuned for a full report of the event when I return next week!
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
ZCF
We live in a world of acronyms. There are thousands, if not millions of them. Many are related to the medical field, others to business and still more associated with the military. But when it comes to our daily health and well being there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest: ZCF.
That acronym stands for Zero Calorie Foods. Put quite simply they are foods that burn more calories than they contain. So whether you are attempting to lose weight or if you just want to enjoy a healthy lifestyle ZCF should be a integral part of your daily diet. Now for those of you who can recall the science class way back in high school that defined what a calorie exactly is, you remember that it is a unit of heat invented by Nicolas Clement in 1824 that is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of water by 1 degree Centigrade. The daily recommended calorie intake for men is 2,500 and for women it is slightly less at 2,000. 3,500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound of body fat.
For years nutritionists have advised us to steer clear of empty calories, that is, calories from solid fats and /or added sugars. Those kinds of calories have few or no nutritional value. Solid fats are just that, fats that are solid at room temperature: butter, beef fat and shortening. And while some are found naturally in foods, others are added to foods when they are processed or prepared, like the added sugars and syrups added to foods and beverages to increase flavor. We all know that they are in abundance in many sodas and chips (and those wonderful beef fat fries!)
ZCF are things like fruits and vegetables, the foods that we are supposed to eat 4 to 5 times a day. They help us to feel fuller and healthier because they lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and they also reduce the risk of heart disease and ease joint pain.
There is no shortage of ZCF available to us so there is no excuse not to enjoy an apple or peach instead of reaching for the canister of Pringles. Here's a partial list of ZCF for you to consider including in your daily diet:
Apple Chili Peppers Mango
Apricot Cranberries Mushroom
Asparagus Cress Onion
Aubergine (eggplant) Cucumber Papaya
Beet Endive Peach
Blackberries Garlic Pineapple
Blueberries Grapefruit Radish
Broccoli Green Beans Raspberries
Butternut Squash Honeydew Spinach
Cabbage Kelp Strawberries
Cantaloupe Lemon Tangerine
Carrot Lettuce Tomato
Cauliflower Lime Turnip
Celery Watermelon
That acronym stands for Zero Calorie Foods. Put quite simply they are foods that burn more calories than they contain. So whether you are attempting to lose weight or if you just want to enjoy a healthy lifestyle ZCF should be a integral part of your daily diet. Now for those of you who can recall the science class way back in high school that defined what a calorie exactly is, you remember that it is a unit of heat invented by Nicolas Clement in 1824 that is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of water by 1 degree Centigrade. The daily recommended calorie intake for men is 2,500 and for women it is slightly less at 2,000. 3,500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound of body fat.
For years nutritionists have advised us to steer clear of empty calories, that is, calories from solid fats and /or added sugars. Those kinds of calories have few or no nutritional value. Solid fats are just that, fats that are solid at room temperature: butter, beef fat and shortening. And while some are found naturally in foods, others are added to foods when they are processed or prepared, like the added sugars and syrups added to foods and beverages to increase flavor. We all know that they are in abundance in many sodas and chips (and those wonderful beef fat fries!)
ZCF are things like fruits and vegetables, the foods that we are supposed to eat 4 to 5 times a day. They help us to feel fuller and healthier because they lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and they also reduce the risk of heart disease and ease joint pain.
There is no shortage of ZCF available to us so there is no excuse not to enjoy an apple or peach instead of reaching for the canister of Pringles. Here's a partial list of ZCF for you to consider including in your daily diet:
Apple Chili Peppers Mango
Apricot Cranberries Mushroom
Asparagus Cress Onion
Aubergine (eggplant) Cucumber Papaya
Beet Endive Peach
Blackberries Garlic Pineapple
Blueberries Grapefruit Radish
Broccoli Green Beans Raspberries
Butternut Squash Honeydew Spinach
Cabbage Kelp Strawberries
Cantaloupe Lemon Tangerine
Carrot Lettuce Tomato
Cauliflower Lime Turnip
Celery Watermelon
Monday, July 20, 2015
Creepy-Crawly Party Crashers
With Summer upon us we are currently in high gear for picnic season. When it applies to outdoor activities, the old adage "the more, the merrier" seems to be the catch phrase for get-togethers. Except when it comes to insects. According to the website BrightNest, you can avoid those uninvited creepy crawlers with these simple tips:
Use Marigold Centerpieces. Not only are marigolds an attractive accessory, they're also natural insect repellents. Placing a pot of them on the table will keep bees and other bugs from milling around your sumptuous spread.
Place cucumbers on the ground. To keep ants from scaling the table, place slices of cucumbers (which ants hate) on the ground surrounding its legs. Tip: to avoid odd looks from guests, grate the cucumber into shreads and camouflage it in the grass.
Be garden smart. Purchase the following bug-repelling plants in pots and place them strategically around the yard: lavender, citronella, spearmint, and chrysanthemum. Bonus: Your backyard bash will smell divine.
Grill with herbs. Sage and rosemary smell dreamy to us, but they're a bug's worst nightmare. Placing these herbs directly on the coals of the grill when barbecuing will have your human guest gathering around and insect fleeing to neighboring yards.
Use Marigold Centerpieces. Not only are marigolds an attractive accessory, they're also natural insect repellents. Placing a pot of them on the table will keep bees and other bugs from milling around your sumptuous spread.
Place cucumbers on the ground. To keep ants from scaling the table, place slices of cucumbers (which ants hate) on the ground surrounding its legs. Tip: to avoid odd looks from guests, grate the cucumber into shreads and camouflage it in the grass.
Grill with herbs. Sage and rosemary smell dreamy to us, but they're a bug's worst nightmare. Placing these herbs directly on the coals of the grill when barbecuing will have your human guest gathering around and insect fleeing to neighboring yards.
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