Home Cooking - We should all know how to do this.

I'm a big fan of Mark Bittman and his mission to promote home cooking and "real" food.  It is easier than you might think to cook healthy, tasty food that is also nutritious.  There is a short video and article in the following link.

Bestselling food writer Mark Bittman makes the case that eating at home is good for your health, good for your family—and, with the right approach, far easier than you think.  Link

Butternut Squash Soup - First Published Recipe

Greetings and Salutations! Happy New Year! 2014 is upon us.

2013 was a wonderful year, with many fine feasts for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Gwenn Friss, of the Cape Cod Times, published one of my recipes.

Check out this delicious recipe for Butternut Squash Soup.

Enjoy the new year.  Many happy returns to my family, friends and fellow food-lovers.

A New Year Just Begun

It is hard to believe that it is the eve of 2012. There have been many feasts this holiday season. One of my resolutions is to resume writing this food blog. Another is to write about dishes that are quick and easy to prepare and that are delicious and healthy, too.

We spent Christmas in Connecticut this year and I smoke roasted an 8-pound pork roast. The recipe will follow soon, but it was a cider-brined, apple-wood smoked pork loin roast. It was a success and worthy of sharing.

Well, here's to a new year. May it be a healthy and happy one for you, your family and your friends.

I Love My Rice Cooker

There are so many kitchen appliances to choose from these days. My rice cooker is my new favorite.

Let's start with some of the simple, useful features. There is a delay timer. Add rice and water in the morning, set the timer, and voila! Steamed rice after a long day at work.

Cleanup is easy with a non-stick surface. Wipe it down, clean the lid and it's ready for another round.

There are separate buttons for white and brown rice. Brown rice takes much longer. (I plan on measuring the actual time, but it seems longer than 2 hours.)  Rice cookers take the guesswork out of preparation. They use "fuzzy" logic to determine when the rice is perfectly cooked.

There are many varieties of rice. I plan on sharing a few of my favorite mixes in the near future, along with some of my own recipes. If you like rice and you don't have a rice cooker, it is easy to prepare it on the stove. Having a rice cooker will take some of the work out of meal preparation & we could all use time-saving techniques.

Lately, red and brown rice have been my favorites. If you enjoy barley, no problem, just use the brown rice setting.

Add any combination of raw or sauted onions, fruit (apples or pears) or nuts (hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts) for added texture and flavor.

If you already have a rice cooker, but don't use it, let this act as an inspiration.  If you don't have one yet, consider this as your next kitchen appliance.  You won't be disappointed.  Cheers!

Back with a Kick

I have a recommendation that will add kick to your food. Several years ago, I had a layover in Dallas. Always on the lookout for specialty food items and local favorites, I discovered Jardine's salsas and hot sauce in an airport gift shop! There were no free samples, so I had to wait until I got home to sample my purchases. I was not disappointed.

If you like hot sauces, you will enjoy Jardine's Texas Champagne. Just look at this bottle:

Texas Champagne and Tabasco are very similar. Both are made from aged cayenne peppers, vinegar and salt. Texas Champagne lists "timely aged cayenne peppers" first and vinegar second, while Tabasco has more vinegar than peppers. This is my go-to hot sauce.

Use this fiery concoction to spice up eggs, add extra kick to a mild salsa, or add heat to your favorite dip. I like to dip artichokes in a mixture of mayonnaise, Worchester Sauce and Texas
Champagne. This dip has a moderate kick.

You can order Jardine's products online and many specialty stores and some local grocery stores sell their projects. These products make excellent gifts. Check out the website for more information & ideas.  Until next time, spice it up!

Tea Lover

Anyone who knows me knows I love tea.  What is better than a good cup of tea in the morning?  Coffee, you say?  I like coffee, but I LOVE tea.  I’m enjoying a cup right now.  For the longest time, I called myself 'an aspiring tea snob'.  But, let’s face it: I am a tea snob (in the best sense).  However, all of this snobbery may be reduced to a few select choices that I want to share with you .

Black Tea
In the category of black teas, my hands-down favorite is Twinings' Ceylon, part of their 'Origins' series.  My tea journey began as a consummate Lipton drinker.  I'm still a fan, and you can find Lipton just about anywhere.  But Twinings’ Ceylon is heaven.  It is smooth and rich and everything I want in a cup of tea.  If you want the best cup of black tea that money can buy, this is it.  I have converted several friends and relatives to this brand and they blame (yes, that is the word they use), they blame me for getting them hooked on it.  If you like black tea, give it a try: I promise you won’t be disappointed.  I generally drink my tea black, with a little sugar or honey.  Sometimes I add milk or lemon.  This tea may be found at many grocery stores or ordered online.

Jasmine Green Tea

Having grown up drinking black tea, green tea always seemed odd and bitter to me.  That has all changed, in my pursuit of tea nirvana.  I have come to appreciate many fine green teas.  The jasmine tea served at Chinese restaurants has always been a favorite, and that is probably why I love Twinings' Jasmine Green Tea so much.  They recently added a 100% Organic, Fair-Trade Certified version, which I have yet to try.

There are some loose green teas that I also love.  One is called Dragon Pearl Jasmine.  It is somewhat of a novelty, as the tea is rolled in beautiful, pearl-sized balls of tea mixed with jasmine petals.  Mighty Leaf Tea Company offers an excellent choice called Jasmine Downy Pearls.

I once visited a tea house in Zurich, where I was introduced to another favorite, Sencha with Lemon, a Japanese green tea.  I have not been able to find a comparable tea, but I’ve made up for it by adding my own lemon zest to Sencha leaves.  Mighty Leaf offers excellent Sencha .

Whether you're already a fan of green tea or not, give these suggestions a try.  You might discover a new favorite.

Herbal Teas – Mint Medley

My wife and I have both tried many mint teas, and we both agree that Bigelow Mint Medley is the best.  It is a blend of peppermint leaves, spearmint leaves, rose hips, lemon peel, and hibiscus.  I had no idea about the last three ingredients until writing this blog.  This is a comforting, caffeine-free, herbal tea.

Herbal Teas – I Love Lemon

I think it is good to find a truly tasty herbal, caffeine-free tea. Besides mint, my other favorite is Bigelow I Love Lemon.  There are many herbal citrus blends out there, and this one has a bright, lemony flavor, without other distractions.  It offers the best overall, lemony taste.  Drink it sweetened or unsweetened.

So there you have it, some of my favorites.  Give them a try.  Enjoy a good cup of tea!  It’s time for me to put the pot on again.

The Best Corn Chips in the World

Recently, I hosted a party at my home for friends who married this year.  A featured appetizer was chips and salsa.  I roasted tomatillos for salsa and served them with some new corn chips.  The chips just happened to be the best I've ever had in my life -- and my guests were in full agreement!  (The salsa was a hit too.)

They are called XOCHiTL - Totopos de Maiz (corn chips).  The company name is pronounced so' cheel.

The bag describes them as thin and crispy and they lived up to this claim.  These chips are the thinnest, crispiest, tastiest, corn chips I've ever tasted.  Try them!  I think you will agree they are the best.  They even won a "Best in the Nation" award.

The website includes a map showing where you can buy XOCHiTL products.  In our area, they are available at Whole Foods and Wild Oats markets.  Our local specialty food store, Idylwilde Farms, also sells them.

If you love chips and salsa, chips and guacamole, or corn chips in general, you have to try these.  You will love them!

Fresh Corn Fritters

 












For a recent anniversary celebration, we decided to have “breakfast” for dinner, including bacon and eggs cooked on a griddle on my new Weber grill.  For something extra special, I prepared fresh corn fritters, which provided a perfect complement to cherry smoked bacon and farm fresh eggs cooked over medium.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons masa or all-purpose flour

1 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1/2 cup shredded onion

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

corn oil

Preparation

Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and egg in small bowl to blend. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, then stir in corn kernels, onion, bell pepper, zucchini and cheese (do not over-mix). Texture should be a thick batter when complete.  Add more buttermilk if needed.

Preparation Notes

Masa is a fine corn flour.  Use if available, otherwise substitute all-purpose flour.

Use a fine grater to prepare the onion and zucchini.  Grating the onion will create “onion water.”  Use both the grated onion and the onion water for this recipe.

Cooking

Spoon the batter onto an oiled griddle on medium heat.  Drop batter onto hot griddle so fritters are 3 to 4 inches round.  Cook 3-5 minutes per side, depending on griddle heat.  Each side should be golden brown when done.

I prepared these after cooking several bacon strips, so the bacon grease was put to good use as the oil.  For a healthier alternative, use corn or olive oil.  These were delicious.

Eating Fresh: Local Harvest

localharvest.org

Want to know what’s in season near you? Want to visit a farmer’s market or a local farm? Not sure where to go?

The Local Harvest website is your answer. This site makes it easy to find local farmer’s markets and farms in your area. Just enter your zip code, hit enter, and you’ll be on your way to discovering farm fresh produce.

I discovered this site last year and found three new farms and several farmer’s markets that I didn’t know existed. One of the farms offered a CSA (community supported agriculture) for vegetables and meat. Local Harvest can help you locate CSAs in your area.

CSAs are a way to support participating farms by providing money early in the season for seeds and supplies. In return, I will get a share of the harvest every week from June, until the end of the growing season. I joined in early spring and will pickup the first harvest this Friday. I am eagerly waiting to pickup the first harvest of the season.

By participating, I am buying local, in-season produce. The produce is “just picked,” in-season, and “vine ripened.” The farm I chose is organic and uses sustainable farming practices. So, I’m supporting a local, family-run farm. The food is free of pesticides and organic fertilizers. It is as fresh as if I’d grown it myself. And, it has not been shipped across the country or half-way around the world (like the New Zealand apples or Chilean cherries).

I am also participating in a meat CSA from the same farm. Every week I get 10 pounds of meat that is either: beef, pork, lamb or chicken. The beef is grass-fed. The animals are treated humanely and are raised without growth hormones.

The CSA has some risk, particularly the vegetable CSA. The customer accepts the risk of a “bad” year. I think the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Please give the website a try. Eat locally produced meat and vegetables. Enjoy the bounty of the season and support a local farm.

Dry Roasting Garlic

Garlic is one of those kitchen essentials.  While cooking with raw garlic is wonderful, roasting will mellow and sweeten the flavor.  There are many ways to roast garlic in the oven; however, I prefer to roast it on the stove top in a cast iron pan.  I learned this technique by watching Rick Bayless on his PBS show, Mexico, One Plate at a Time.

If you are cooking another dish that calls for garlic, like soup or a sauce, make this one of your first steps.  That way the garlic can roast while finishing preparation for the rest of the meal.

Remove the individual cloves from the head of garlic.  Leave them in their papery skin.  I prefer to roast garlic in a dry, cast iron skillet.  A stainless steel pan will work.  Avoid any pans that should not be heated dry.  Turn the heat on medium.  Once the pan is hot, turn it down to low, then add the cloves of garlic.  It will take about 20-30 minutes to cook them.  As the garlic begins to roast, the papery skin will brown and blacken.  If the cloves are large, try to make sure that each side is slightly blackened.  The cloves will soften as they cook (another way to tell if they are ready).  The key here is low, slow heat.  This will ensure that the whole clove is roasted.  Remove the individual cloves once they have been slightly blackened on each side.

Allow the garlic to cool, then remove the roasted garlic from the papery skin.  You may need to trim the root end of the clove.  Use roasted garlic to flavor your favorite pasta sauce, soup, or in any dish that calls for raw garlic.  Enjoy!