Datasets:

blester125

/

foodista-dolma

like 0

Homemade Chai Tea By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 4, 2008 There's something about the cooler months that seem to make spices smell more fragrant. At least to me. Here in Seattle the winter air is crisp and clean. While standing at a street corner waiting for the light to change I catch a whiff of the chai tea I cup in my cold hands. Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves all find their way up to tickle my nose with their sweet aroma. Mmmmm... I was fortunate to recently be the recipient of a little baggie of chai tea spices made by the Indian mother of a friend of a friend. I wanted the recipe but because this woman was too many degrees away from me I didn't want to be a bother by asking. So I asked my friend Kailash, who also kindly told me how they brew it in India. Whether I can do it properly is another thing, but I certainly will try as I'm sure it's loads better than my mass-produced teabag version. Chai Tea 7 cups water 1 tbsp fennel seeds 6 green cardamom pods 12 cloves 1 cinnamon stick 2 tbsp loose leaf Orange Pekoe tea 6 plus tsp sugar 1 cup of milk (you may substitute soymilk) With a mortar and pestle, slightly grind spices; just enough to pop them open to release their flavor and fragrance. Add six teaspoons of sugar to the spices, combine with water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, then bring to a boil again. Reduce heat once more, then simmer until the mixture becomes saffron colored. Add tea leaves to the water and bring to a boil again. Lower and reduce twice as you did in the first step. Add milk and bring to a boil again. Strain into cups and serve. Add more sugar to taste if necessary. Makes about 8 cups. Comments: Greg Bulmash December 4, 2008 I have a loose-leaf black clove-flavored tea (can't remember where I got it) that is great for this. I make a sweet mixture of warm milk, honey, and ground cinnamon, then brew up a pot of the clove-flavored tea and mix them at 2:1 (tea to milk) ratio. It doesn't bring the cardamom and fennel to the party, but it makes a very nice beverage that is close enough to chai for my wife and I. eddy very nice blog Jescel this sounds so good... i actually tried brewing one myself, but my recipe doesn't call for the orange pekoe tea, but has pepper in it... guess they do it differently too. Thumbbook Im gonna give this a try, this is perfect for my stuffy nose :) Sean Mmmm ... I loves me some chai. Just perfect for chilly winter days. Brie I LOVE chai tea!!!!! It is my favoritest drink ever!!! www.fortheloveofcookingpeople.com Ruby OH YUM-OH YO<3 I just made it and OH MY GARSH YUMMY NUMMY IN MY TUMMY<3 I used raw honey, organic raw milk, & organic vanilla extract@ the end <3 SO GOOD^^

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Pork Cracklins By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 5, 2008 Come a little closer because this is something I feel better about whispering... I love pork rinds. Or cracklins, chicharrones, or whatever you want to call them. I know they aren't the healthiest thing to eat, not even close, but a little diversity in one's diet never hurts, right? And, frankly, they're darn tasty. Then, while waiting in line at our local supermarket, I saw this fine example of marketing not at its best: "Fried out pork fat with attached skin." Sorry guys, but no woman came up with that description. Comments: Thumbbook December 5, 2008 oh my I still indulge in this occasionally, i love them as well (dipped in vinaigrette).

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Foodista Flickr Group Over 1,000 Members By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 6, 2008 In September we started a Flickr Group and it has grown to over 1,000 members! Check out some of the beautiful photographs our members are taking, and if you're not part of the group feel free to join here! We'd love to see your food photography. www.flickr.com More in Foodista pool Comments: maryann December 6, 2008 Very nice, indeed :)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Tips For Great Food Photography By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 6, 2008 'Tis the season to take photographs of all that beautiful food you're cooking up! Cookies, pies, legs of lamb, that Christmas goose, Grandma's cranberry chutney. You don't have to be a food writer, food stylist, a blogger, or even an Annie Leibovitz to take fabulous photos. If you know some simple tricks you can take gorgeous crowd-pleasing photos. 1. Use a digital camera. It doesn't have to be a fancy DSLR (digital single lens reflex), in fact a lot of my photography is shot with an old 6 megapixel Canon Elph, but at least 3 mp is best. 2. Don't use a flash. I never use a flash. Unless you're a professional (in which case you won't be reading this) it's just too hard to avoid glare and a yellowish hue. I do all my photography in natural light or I'll use a work light (about $10 from Home Depot) and diffuse that light from a wall. Even then it's tricky, so try to stick with natural daylight. 3. Get up close. Set your camera to the macro setting (the little flower) and get right up in there. If you press the focus button halfway down most point-and-shoot cameras will show a little square. That indicates what the main focus is on. Play around. Find that "sweet spot" to focus on. Like that lovely bit of chocolate just starting to drip from the side of your ice cream. Or the little tiny "hairs" on the stem of a tiny tomato. 4. Take a lots of shots. Just click, click, click away! That's the beauty of digital, you don't have to worry about using up all your film. All too many times, when I think I got the perfect shot on the first try, I find that when enlarged it's too grainy or blurry. Your shots always look different on your camera than when made bigger, so take a lot. 5. Style the food. Get a paper towel or rag and wipe the edges of the plate, smudges from a glass, or any splatter, drip or drop. The littlest things you may not have notice, like a thumbprint, have an uncanny way of showing up in your photos. Also, prop up some of the ingredients to show what's in your food. If you're shooting a beautiful bouillabaisse arrange some of the fish and shellfish on top, but make sure it still looks natural. 6. Be aware of your background. Sometimes we get so focused on the food that we end up finding things we would not necessarily call "desirable" in our shots. When I look through the lens to frame the shot I check out all the things that are in that little rectangle. A not-so-pretty crack in the table? Do you see your own shadow? Adjust. 7. Have a steady hand. If you don't have a calm hand then rest your camera on something, like the base of a tea cup, or use a small tripod. If your lighting is not ideal (like in a dimly lit bar), rest your camera on a table and set the timer. 8. Blow that steam off! As good as it looks to have piping hot steam coming off your food it's pretty difficult to capture since it fogs up the lens. So, I always gently blow (or have someone else) on steamy dishes as I photograph. You can also use a small fan, but this only makes the problem of eating cold food worse! 9. Take time to set up your shot. Using colorful, antique, or just plain white dishes makes your photographs beautiful. Consider placing a napkin under or near your dish. Have an interesting utensil? Throw that in the shot. Think of how interesting shots are styled in those beautiful cookbooks. Most likely you have all you need in your cabinets to make your photography fun. 10. Look at others' food photography. When I was little my tennis instructor always told us students, "If you want to become a better tennis player, play with someone better than you." I always check out sites that I admire to learn from them: how they place a dish on a table, how they style the food, the lighting they use, etc..Many of them say what camera(s) they use and their own tips and tricks. 11. What looks good and what doesn't. You'll also learn what foods just don't photograph well, regardless how good it tastes. On a trip to Mexico I took countless photos of a delicious pumpkin seed mole Barnaby had made. It looked beautiful! But every single one of my pictures looked no different than something you'd find in a newborn's diaper. Lesson learned.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Smoked Pork Chops in Cuba By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 8, 2008 Photo: WordRidden In 2002 Barnaby and I flew to Mexico City, then hopped another plane bound for the beautiful land of Cuba. (Knock, knock, knock. Excuse me, I think that must be the Department of Treasury at my door). Barnaby was there legally as part of the Havana Film Festival. I, on the other hand, was the renegade American. I smiled a big I'm-so-happy-to-be-here grin at the Customs agent who looked at my passport and handed it back to me unstamped. "Welcome to Cuba," he said, sporting an even bigger grin. I felt naughty being there. And I liked it. Havana is like a beautiful aging actress whose lipstick bleeds and foundation is cakey. You see signs of her former glory, her sexiness, her mystique, but the luster has left long ago. All she needs is a face lift and a good shot of Botox. On our first night venturing out for food we were approached by a jinetero, which literally translates to "jockey" but more loosely to hustler, who escorted us to a paladar. Paladares are small, unadvertised family owned and operated restaurants. In exchange for high taxes the government allows families to operate these restaurants, but they must seat no more than 12 people at a time and serve only local food: pork, seafood (if you're lucky) black beans and rice (Moors and Christians) and simple salads. The nice thing about paladares is you get good quality home-cooked food while experiencing Cuban culture. Being unadvertised we didn't mind the aid of the jinetero. In fact, each night we welcomed the help of jineteros. Being fluent in Spanish it was easy for Barnaby to ask about the paladar to which we were being taken. One such place specialized in smoked pork chops. We'd had a lot of pork so we welcomed the new cooking method and told the jinetero we'd love to go. His friend ran ahead to tell owners we were coming. Apparently not many Americans visited this mostly locals only place so I'm sure the finder's fee was good. Down one quaint run-down street after another we went until we found ourselves in front of a once grand old home. We rang the bell and the door opened. Up the narrow staircase we climbed to another gated door. We were greeted cheerfully by a flamboyant transvestite who owned the "not so legal" paladar with his lover. We invited our two new jinetero friends to join us for lunch and the four of us embarked on the meal of a lifetime. For us, sitting in an unknown, impossible to find gem of a restaurant in a forbidden country; for them, eating a meal they couldn't afford. The lovers gave us a tour of their sparkling kitchen that was part cooking lesson, part La Cage aux Folles. I loved it. They brought out heaps of flavorful beans and rice, salad, ice cold beers, and the pièce de résistance: their smoked pork chops. To this day I have yet to have a more succulent, tender and juicy piece of smoked pork. Delicious ones indeed I have found at Latino markets in the U.S., but none that quite compare. They were that good. They were ebargo-ending good. Comments: Peter December 9, 2008 So glad you got a chance to visit Cuba, warm and hospitable people despite their "rustic" lifestyle. I believe one can also go to Cuba via Bahamas and surely through Canada. Luke Moores & Christians, classic! Great entry.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Happy Blogiversary Foodista By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 9, 2008 Happy Birthday to us! It's our one year blogiversary today! Countless photos and 309 posts later we've had tens of thousands of visitors. We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have! We look forward to many more blogiversaries. Check back on December 17 when our new site launches! Comments: britt December 9, 2008 Very cool, and congrats! Keep up the great work. Seth Knight They grow up so fast...(tear) Alisa Congratulations Foodista! Thank you for the fun and easy recipes, and for making me look good in the kitchen. The best things are yet to come! Where's the bubbly? ;) Carla Well Happy Blogiversary to you! (I just wanted to try that great word.) I can't wait to see what you guys dream up next. Congratulations on a job well done. Mandy Evans Happy Anniversary and many more! Love, Mandy/Mom Cherie What a lovely day for an anniversary! Congratulations and I can say I enjoyed all 309 posts! Here's to many, many more! Tracy Sarich Yummy! Nate Happy bloggerversary! You have a great site.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Panforte di Siena By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 10, 2008 Photo: James.Whisker Every day as we walked to school in Siena, Italy we passed the big panforte factory. We could smell the delicious confection baking and it was intoxicating. Back then I didn't appreciate this dense and chewy cake but it's now something I look forward to during the holidays. Panforte dates back to at least the Middle Ages, some believe back even further, and originated in Siena (or at least Tuscany). It literally translates to "strong bread," referring to its piquant flavor. Being so densely packed with dried fruit, nuts, spices, and honey I'm sure the Crusaders referred to it as their energy bar. Many regard Siena as the panforte capital of Italy. While there are various recipes for panforte most Senese believe it should contain seventeen ingredients to represent the seventeen contrade (subdivisions) of the walled city (my beloved contrada was the Istrice, or the crested porcupine!). If you're making panforte follow the traditional Italian way by baking it in small 4-inch disks. Wrap it in wax paper, then brown butcher paper. Tie it with string and, if you want to get really fancy, seal it with red embossed wax. Che bella! A little slice is perfect in the morning with a cup of cappuccino, or after a meal with a nice glass of vin santo. Panforte Adapted from Chef Gina DePalma Nonstick cooking spray, for pan 3 cups whole blanched almonds 1 3/4 cups whole hazelnuts, skinned or unskinned 2 cups diced candied orange peel 6 ounces dried apricots, diced 5 ounces dried figs, diced 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1 3/4 cups honey 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan Confectioners' sugar, for dusting Preheat oven to 325 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven. Generously spray a 9-by-2-inch heavy-bottomed, nonstick round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper circle, spray parchment paper circle with cooking spray. Coat bottom and sides of pan with flour, tapping out excess. Using a sharp knife, roughly chop almonds and hazelnuts and place in a large, wide bowl, along with orange peel, apricots, and figs; toss to combine. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper. Add to bowl of nuts and fruit and toss until well combined. Place sugar, honey, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture until it reaches 217 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat and quickly pour sugar mixture into nut mixture. Using a heatproof spatula, stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to prepared cake pan, smoothing surface with a spatula. Transfer cake pan to oven and bake until entire surface is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool completely. Wrap well with parchment paper, and then again with plastic wrap. Store in a cool, dry place up to 3 weeks. To serve, dust the panforte with confectioners' sugar and cut into thin wedges with a sharp knife. For more on the history of panforte check out Siena's Panforte: A Christmas Delight. Comments: Kasey December 10, 2008 I know exactly the place you're talking about. I, too, studied in Siena and indulged in this delectable treat. I liked Istrice, too, but also loved Giraffa and my home-away-from-home, Leocorno. :) Sean Ooh ... I've had the light and dark panfortes but never seen it with marzipan. Yum-o! Cherie Delicioso! And I have the cracked tooth from long ago as a delightful memory. Auntie in Sarajevo So, I will be in Siena a few days before Christmas-a side trip from our Florence Christmas vacation. I will definitely try out this sweet, amongst other goodies. Any special haunts in Siena to get it? Miss you. Auntie B Peter This is my first time reading/seeing a Panaforte de Siena...incredible photo and wonderful dessert. praturk I loved your blog and this recipe. Squisito!!!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Cazuelas By: Betsy Dorfman Published: December 11, 2008 Derived from the Arabic word meaning “bowl”, Cazuelas are traditional Spanish terra cotta dishes and cookware. Like many classics, the dishes are minimalist, made of earth fired clay, but have thoroughly modern attributes as well. They can go from stove top to microwave to oven to table with equal aplomb. The glaze is lead free and the pans are suitable for a wide range of cooking and serving applications. The dishes must be soaked prior to first use but thereafter are simple to clean and maintain. A true multipurpose item, in our kitchen we like these so much we call them "super pans"! There are some weeks, particularly in casserole season, when I barely reach for anything else. The pans also hold their heat for ages, ideal for keeping food hot during serving and at the table. Also very forgiving when the "side" dish is ready ahead of the main, not that this ever happens to us except when it does. Cazuelas can be found online at The Spanish Table, and La Tienda and also at many gourmet retailers and restaurant supply stores. We get ours locally in Los Angeles at Surfas in Culver City, however the selection is better at the Spanish specialty sellers for sure. Comments: Sean December 14, 2008 I actually schlepped a set of these back from Barcelona in 2002. They rock.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Foodista is Growing on Twitter By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 12, 2008 Foodista continues to grow on Twitter! Just a few months ago we signed up and are now connected to over 500 people who are passionate about food and cooking. For those of you not familiar with Twitter it's a real-time short messaging service that works over various devices and networks. What does that mean? That means you can get notified of breaking news from the sources you are most interested in, from friends and family to world news. Or, from Foodista! We look forward to discovering, learning, and connecting with more of you out there! If you want to follow us on Twitter click here. Comments: Hélène December 12, 2008 Congratulations! Alisa Woohoo! Way to go Foodista! Alison We normally make this with a couple of tablespoons of fresh ginger, finely sliced and thrown into the pan with the apple. Clears the nose and balances the squash sweetness nicely. Warren Bobrow I'm UBER-proud to write for Foodista!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Curried Butternut Squash Soup By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 14, 2008 We just may have a white Christmas after all here in Seattle. It snowed last night and the streets are covered in a beautiful thin blanket of white. It probably won't last so we're enjoying it while it's here. After frolicking in the snow at least one thing is required: something hot. If it's late enough in the day I prefer a hot mug of Chambord spiked cocoa, but it's still a bit early so a nice bowl of soup satisfies and takes the chill off. One of my all-time favorite soups is this recipe for Curried Butternut Squash, adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook. Curried Butternut Squash Soup 4 tablespoons sweet butter 2 cups yellow onions, finely chopped 4 teaspoons curry powder 3 pounds butternut squash 2 apples; peeled, cored, and chopped 3 cups chicken stock 1 cup apple juice Salt and pepper Optional: crème fraîche for topping Melt the butter in saucepan. Add chopped onions and curry powder. Cook covered over low heat until onions are tender (about 25 minutes). Meanwhile, peel the squash ( a regular vegetable peeler works best). Scrape out the seeds and chop. When onions are tender pour in the stock, add squash and apples, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash and apples are very tender (about 25 minutes). Puree soup in the pot with a stick (hand) blender or transfer to a food processor and blend. Add apple juice. Also, add additional stock, if needed, until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add a dollop of crème fraîche. 4-6 portions Comments: howtoeatacupcake December 14, 2008 Squash soup! Yum! :D Sean A classic. When we were in Scotland a few years ago a friend made us a curried parsnip soup that was to. die. for. Cherie Delish! I have been doing a rif off of this for many of our events and it is devoured. I follow basically the same recipe, but I roast the squash, apples and onions in the oven for about 45 minutes. It is molto facile with Trader J's cubed butternut squash, too. maris I love butternut squash soup! I typically make a sweeter version with apple or carmelized onions but this version sounds delicious! I'll have to give it a try. gammypie Oh my! This looks tasty! Thanks for the recipe! Aimee This soup sounds delicious. I also make a sweeter version with mango (check out http://thefreshdish.com/), but this sounds so cozy and delicious. Jim T, Alexandr... I make this soup on most years - it's usually a special request. This year, I am getting some recipe request so I am forwarding a link to your blog. Also, when you are hard pressed, you can find butternut squash puree at Williams Sonoma...'spensive, but saves loads of time.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Beef Pot Roast By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 16, 2008 We're all busy this time of year. On top of the craziness of the season some of us are plagued by colds and longer commutes due to icy roads, are frantically wrapping up the 4th quarter at work, or working long hours launching a new business (hey, that's us!). Few of us have the luxury of a private chef. Or a even butler named Hobson to take your coat and offer you a hot toddy when you return home. How nice would that be! Sigh... Pull out that crockpot, fill it with a few choice ingredients, and when you come home from work you can pretend that Hobson spent all day whipping up a perfect hot meal for you. After a long hard day there's nothing like coming home to the aromas of a hearty home-cooked meal. Just lift the lid and serve. Beef Pot Roast Large cut of beef pot roast 2 cups red wine 2 cups water Yellow potatoes, quartered Onions, quartered Carrots, roughly chopped 1 Bay leaf 1 sprig rosemary 2 cloves garlic Salt and pepper Marinate the meat overnight in the red wine, keeping liquid after marination. Sear both sides of the roast then place in the crockpot. Add all other ingredients, including the red wine marinade, cover and set crockpot to manufacturers recommended setting. Comments: Peter December 17, 2008 Sherri, the deep brown colour of this roast is "comfort"...wonderful! John The Science of Pot Roast. There are two critical parts of what makes pot roast a pot roast. The first is the browning or char of the meat. This creates a delicious taste that also gets mixed into the liquid that you are braising the meat in. Many recipes also recommend flowering the meat before charing. The major purpose of this, is that it both thickens the stock, and more readily passes the charred flavor to the liquid. The second, and most important part. The connective tissue. The standard pot roast is the chuck roast. Other roasts will simply not stand up to a long braising, and because of their lack of connective tissue, can become, ironically, dry. Connective tissue, at a temperature slightly below boiling (208 degrees I believe), for about 3-4 hours, will convert from a long extremely difficult to cut fiber (its what keeps us together while we are alive) into gelatin. Yes, that Cosby'esque bit of juicy wiggliness. Two things will let you know this has happened. First is that the meat just falls apart. That is because the connective tissue, is no longer connecting. The second thing, is that it is packed with "juice" this is the gelatin expressing itself into the meat. This is why you cook in a liquid. If you didn't the magic wouldn't happen. Once the magic has happened, you want to stop "cooking" the food as you do not want the gelatin to escape from the roast into the liquid. You can plate and serve at anytime. If the dish has gone cold, simply reheat. As a matter of fact, reheated pot roast is even extra-delicious because the gelatin is usually just melted and slightly coagulated, which is really tasty. MMMM.... Leftover pot roast! This is NOT the same kind of moisture that comes from melted fat, which makes your prime meats and grilled steaks so good. The gelatin is NOT fat, is instead a nice delicious protein. Enjoy your holiday pot roast! Tim SInce ther previous poster brought up left over pot roast, I'll have to chime in. One of my all time favorite Breakfasts is Pot Roast Hash! Heres the trick; you want to brown and carmelize your veggies and meat so your need to separate the vegetables and meat from the liquid to start. Coarsly chop and then brown up your Hash in a little bit of olive oil. When it get's a nice crispy exterior top with a couple of poached eggs and a little reduced jus from the pot roast. If you wanted some extra richness and calories a topping of bernaise sauce wouldn't hurt this dish. That is a true comfort brunch. Richard W Mockler We just had pot roast last night! MMMMM, good. A few other notes for folks to consider: You can expand your range of flavors to keep it interesting without taking away its old school charm. For years, my baseline liquid for cooking has been a greek-i-fied version using red wine, water, bay leaf, a couple tablespoons of tomato paste (brown it first for more flavor), oregano, and a touch of cinnamon. A huge hit every time presented. Last night we took it a different direction, because I only had enough red wine for my drinking needs: white wine (a Kakheti from Georgia) and water, four big cloves of garlic (whole), bay leaf, the browned tomato paste, and a liven-it-up spice mix of cumin, hot Spanish paprika, cardamon, and a few juniper berries. This sounds really weird as I write it, but the conservative palates at my house ate it up. No potatoes -- shredded it and put it on pasta, after reducing the liquid by about half. Keep things light, and try it. maris This photo is amazing! You can see the detail on the meat so well.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Foodista Launches By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 17, 2008 After a long but fun year of planning, designing, dreaming and building we are finally proud to present the fruits of our labor! Foodista.com - The Online Cooking Encyclopedia Everyone Can Edit. Foodista is a place where it's easy to learn and share about cooking. We've organized cooking information into four basic elements that all interlink: Food, Recipes, Kitchen Tools, and Cooking Techniques. We also emphasize the beauty of cooking with big, beautiful photos of food from Flickr Creative Commons, as well as from our users. We believe in quality over quantity, so we created a place for people who are excited about food to share their knowledge with the world. Our system lets anyone edit the site to make it better and it instantly publishes, like Wikipedia.org. Two heads are better than one - and 500 is even better! That's the beauty of collaborative editing. For you food bloggers we've developed innovative technology for connecting cooking information across websites. These links help you build traffic to your blog and improve search engine rankings. Future widgets will allow you to include whole recipes from the Foodista database for free. How do you like them apples! On the more technical side, we leverage open source software, cloud computing resources, and the wisdom of the crowds to rapidly develop cooking software and content. It's important to us to be as open as possible and to share with the world what we are building. So we hope you enjoy the site! There's a lot more that's still cooking, and we look forward to sharing it all with you. Comments: Tracy December 17, 2008 Lookin' good, baby! Cynthia Lair Congrats! Heard about you from A.P. Is there a way to add videos to the site? I'm the host of the Seattle-based web cooking show, Cookus Interruptus (www.cookusinterruptus.com). We'd love to add videos or have you review our site on your blog. Thanks. Cynthia Mandy Evans Yeah Foodista! Yeah Barnaby, Sheri and Colin. Wishing you great success and happiness. Jack Herrick Congrats Barnaby - Fantastic to see a CC-BY licensed food site. It looks great! Britt Congrats! And nice article in today's Seattle P-I. craig v. threlkeld Congratulations! Never enough food sites (can't be. I still find time to sleep). I'll enjoy following the evolution. Remember, eating out isn't a luxury, it's your duty! Ken Wetherell Bravo! Bravo! I love that you have taken the open source path in creating not just a great website, but a community, including valuable features for other food blogs/sites. That's the spirit. Viva Foodista! Kathy Roduner Congratulations on your fabulous endeavor. You did it, and what a special day! Good luck, from your biggest fan. Sheri Wetherell Thanks, Cynthia! Video is definitely in the works. We will announce the feature once it goes live. Date TBD. Jordan Behan Vancouver loves Foodista.com! Congrats Barnaby and Sheri on the launch.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Thanks Bloggers By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 18, 2008 I was going to write about food today, being a food blog and all, but since our launch yesterday we've been getting amazing response and coverage from our fellow food bloggers! I thought it appropriate to give a shout-out of thanks to some of those blogger who wrote about us: Cornichon.org Scrumptious Seattle Thumbbook Cascade Harvest Coalition bub.blicio.us And thanks to the many others who continue to mention us and congratulate us on the launch. It means a lot. I promise tomorrow I will be back on the food writing bandwagon!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Vietnamese Seven Course Beef By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 19, 2008 I'm usually at a loss when ordering in an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. Other than pho or salad rolls I'm just not well-versed in this delicious cuisine, but I'm quickly learning. Usually I end up tactfully pointing with my head at whatever the nearest table ordered. Fresh basil, mint, and lettuce piled high alongside wedges of lime, julienned carrots and crisp bean sprouts. Sheets of rice paper. Ground shrimp wrapped around sugar cane, then grilled. Little bowls of spicy looking sauces I don't know what to call. That's what I want. We recently discovered a wonderful little place at the edge of Seattle's International District called The Bamboo Grill. Last time we were there we just pointed at noodle platters on the menu, not quite sure what we'd get (of course, we loved both). On our way out the owner, Kim Tran, a charming little firecracker of a woman, said to us, "Next time you come I'll tell you what you should order." We just missed her this last time when we order, but it turns out we did right. We ordered the Bò 7 Món, or 7 Course Beef - a mere $21.95 for two people, but it easily could have fed three. It starts with salad with thinly sliced tender beef, a small fondue, beef wrapped in Lót leaves, in bacon, in lemongrass, a tender beef cake (like an oblong meatball), and a rice and beef porridge. Just as we were finishing Kim emerged from the kitchen and came over to our table. She explained that the 7 Course Beef menu was created at the famous Ahn Hong restaurant in Phu Nhuan, Vietnam (locations also in the US) and consists of various preparations of marinated beef. Kim learned how to make the distinctive marinades for the courses from her friend who worked at the original restaurant back in Vietnam. This special menu, something that is generally only served to the upper-class in Vietnam, is commonly found at restaurants here in the U.S. We've had it at other restaurants before, but I can honestly say, Kim's takes the prize. Comments: Jan Seeley December 19, 2008 my mouth is watering just looking at the picture...thanks for the article... Kathy Roduner I don't know this dish but will definitely try it next time at our favorite Portland Vietnamese restaurant. Sounds fabulous! Pat Kitano In San Francisco, Pagolac does the 7 course beef dish best. Claim is that Pagolac in Saigon is renowned for the dish. Warren Bobrow PAGOLAC rocks the house! I had their seven courses of beef when I attended the Ministry of Rum competition last August. It runs circles around NYC Chinatown offerings. http://www.foodista.com/blog/author/wbobrow

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Cinco de Mayo By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 20, 2008 Happy Cinco de Mayo! Do you really know why we celebrate this day? Most Americans do not. Here's why: because it gives Americans just one more day to get their drink on. Or so it appears that way. Actually it's a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. But, I bet if you interview people on the street and ask them why we celebrate this day they'll probably look and you and exclaim, "So we can drink margaritas!" Or, they will say it the Mexican version of Fourth of July. But, Cinco de Mayo is not, as most people think, Mexican Independence Day. In fact, it's a regional holiday celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla to commemorate the Mexican victory led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on, you guessed it, May 5, 1862. But it gives us an excuse to indulge on Mexican cuisine and beverages, so arrrrrrrriiiiiiibbbbbaaaa! Here's one of my favorite Mexican beverages: the michelada, which is essentially lime beer. Micheladas are refreshing, light and don't fill you up like sweet/salty margaritas. Nor do they leave you with a nasty tequila hangover the next morning. Michelada Salt the rim of a tall glass and fill it with ice Squeeze in the juice of half to a whole large lime (I prefer mine very limey so I add a lot) Pour in your beer of choice, preferably Mexican...it is Cinco de Mayo afterall!   Enjoy and be safe! Comments: Dolores Dolan May 5, 2008 Thanks for the bit of history...who would have guessed! Hey, where is the state of Puebla? D. Rosebud Love those micheladas!! You can even add more lime than you mentioned for a more refreshing version. Andrew @Dolores: Puebla (city and state) is adjacent Mexico City (D.F.) and Mexico state, to the east/southeast, rumped up against the country's smallest yet culinarily blessed state of Tlaxcala. A true culinary corazon of Mexico, amazing street food, an a hearty drinking culture, of course. ¡Buen provecho! Dad Is it all right if I enjoy a Margarita instead?

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Hot Pepper Honey By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: December 20, 2008 Spice is an important part of a good relationship. That's doubly true for our close friends John and Tracy. This is because John has a serious addiction to spicy food...I think he was Aztec Royalty in a prior life. John has no scoville limit, he's constantly seeking heat and adds it to everything. This has turned into a bit of a quest for his wife Tracy, she's constantly looking for the next chili, the next hot sauce...even grew a variety of hot peppers last summer. The latest: Hot Pepper Honey. This is a really interesting flavor combination, that goes well with both sweet and savory dishes. They swear it's good on vanilla ice cream, I can tell you it is great on cheese and crackers. Interested? Click the Foodista logo below for a recipe: Comments: Greg Bulmash December 20, 2008 Try a brown sugar, cinnamon, and chipotle applesauce. Mmmmmm. It hurts so good. Kathy Roduner Great idea, and what a beautiful picture, Mr. B James I liked the picture....but where is the recipe ? Barnaby Dorfman Click the small Foodista logo above... Sean I fell in love with this stuff when I lived in Santa Fe, NM. You can buy red chile honey all over there. I know it sounds crazy but it's AWESOME on hot dogs. :)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Boneless Turkey By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: December 21, 2008 This is a trick I started performing at about the age of 12. I'm not sure where I first read about it, but I loved the idea of removing the bones from a turkey, sewing it up, and then stuffing it to look like a normal turkey. Granted not many pre-teens are interested in tackling this sort of project, but my mother was supportive, bought me all the ingredients and let me try it out. Keep in mind, this was in the 1970s, long before Turducken hit the mainstream media. Amazingly, it came out great and I have repeated the feat over the years on everything from small cornish game hens up to 20 pound Turkeys...from New York to Spain and now in Seattle. Why would one do this you might be asking!?! Well here are a few reasons: Without the bones, you can fit about twice as much stuffing inside the bird. Since stuffing is my favorite part, I love this. I guess you can tell what side of the cook inside vs. outside debate I'm on. This is just a theory, but I think the bones hold the meat up and cause the juices to drain out. As my theory goes, having the meat down on the stuffing keeps it more moist. You can roast the bones and make a great stock for gravy in advance. It makes for a very cool presentation! So how does this work? Well the basic technique can be found clicking our logo: I prepared a boneless bird this past Thanksgiving for a good sized crowd..all of whom seemed pleased. Maybe you should try if for your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus bird! Comments: Peter December 22, 2008 Nice little tutorial...I'll keep this in mind the next turkey I dispatch. Heather I saw no directions here. How do you get the wings out? The legs? Does this cut down on the cooking time? Barnaby Dorfman Click on the small Foodista logo in the post above for more on the technique. I leave the drumstick and wings in. Overall cooking time is about the same as regular Turkey. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temp gets to 170 degrees. Glenna Nice trick! I'm going to give this a try with a chicken first.... Mandy Evans Here's how it really went! I was not supportive. No, I'd say reluctant and worried. You know, all those people coming and the newbie chef on turkey! It's not like you can just whip up another batch if it goes horribly wrong. But the kid was determined and I gave in. Yeah, Barnaby! It was great! The best way to cook the bird ever -- delicious conversation piece, easy to carve, a beautiful presentation. Bar Man Sounds great except for one thing. Every time you turn around you are warned about cooking the stuffing inside the bird. The reason given is that when you cook the bird a lot of the juices are absorbed by the dressing. However, the temperature at which the bird is done is not sufficient to heat the dressing to the point where it will kill the bacteria in the juices. Granted, people have been cooking the stuffing in side the bird for years so I am not how big a concern this should be. I thought I would pass it on though. Jim Morrison OK, I know this may sound a bit odd, but hang in there for a minute. First of all, washing the completely boned out bird under cold running water in the sink will remove most of the bacteria. Secondly, (here's the odd part) you could effectively kill virtually all the surface bacteria by adding a cap full or old fashioned Listerine antiseptic mouthwash to a large mixing bowl of water and soaking the bird for 5 minutes. Rinse again under running water to remove any of the "Listerine water". In effect, you now have a "sterile" bird, and you no longer have to worry about not heating the stuffing to 180F to kill bacteria. There have been news stories about how poultry plants are now testing the active antiseptic ingredient in mouthwash which is harmless to humans, to sterilize poultry prior to packaging it. I invite you to do a bit of research to confirm what I've said. Jim Morrison Dentists Dayton... Wow, that looks like an awesome dinner. Thanks for sharing this to us.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Homemade Spanish Chorizo By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 22, 2008 There's an old cliché that says, "People who like politics and sausage shouldn't watch either being made."  I watched Barnaby make the latter yesterday and I can attest that the cliché stands true. But the result is mighty fine, and actually quite lovely looking (and tasting!). Having always wanted to make sausage we purchased a food grinder with sausage maker attachment for our KitchenAid mixer. The grinder produced perfect mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, not the glutinous masses that can easily result from over mashing, and was the easiest 8-pound batch of mashed potatoes I've ever made. Let me add, even much better and easier than a ricer. So we embarked on sausage making, or I should say, Barnaby embarked on sausage making. We started at Uwajimaya where we found natural casings. I quickly learned that the ugliness of sausage making occurs before the actual sausage making begins. To be blunt, the casings look much like the first cousin of tapeworms.  I have photos but decided they just weren't something your kind eyes needed to see. Let not this ugly part deter you! Be strong, sometimes good food requires you to push through a bit of grossness in order to arrive at divinity. Barnaby, having studied in Spain, decided to go with a chorizo recipe for his test batch. He first ran the fresh pork and spices through the grinder in order to remove as much of the connective tissue as possible. Then, he cut about a 4-foot length of casing and slid it on to the stuffing tube. With a flip of the "On" switch we were in sausage making business! What we weren't expecting was the pockets of air that began to form in the tube. Think forced meat meets balloon making machine. We simply poked holes with a toothpick where necessary, per the manufacturer's instructions, and all was well. After about 5 or so inches of meat filling he gave it a few twists, then started filling again. Fun times! Let me tell you, homemade chorizo, with its fresh ground pork and succulent spices, sure does taste gooooood! Although, I have to say,  I am a bit concerned as to how the ones hanging in our basement will age. Between you and me, I'll let Barnaby taste the fruits of his labor first! Chorizo Adapted from Craig Claiborne's New York Times Cookbook 2 pounds lean pork 3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 small hot red peppers, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes 1/4 cup vinegar 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1 yard sausage casing Grind the pork, using the coarse blade of the meat grinder. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Using about 1-2 yards at a time, work all but a few inches of casing onto the sausage stuffer, then tie a know at the end. Feed the meat through the grinder and into the casing. Twist into links about 5 inches or so. If desired, hang the links in a cool place to dry. The dried sausage will keep for several weeks, or cook as you would fresh sausage. Makes approximately 2 pounds. For another Chorizo recipe click here. Comments: joy December 23, 2008 Hi Alisa! Love your passion for food. I like sausages myself, but only if it's veggie :D Thanks for visiting <a href="http://pinay.me.uk" rel="nofollow">A Pinay In England</a> . Happy holidays! joy <a href="http://www.norwichdailyphoto.com" rel="nofollow">Norwich Daily Photo</a> <a href="http://www.yourlovecoach.co.uk" rel="nofollow">Your Love Coach</a> <a href="http://iwoman.me.uk" rel="nofollow">I, Woman</a> Peter I love sausages and making your own is a true craft, shows one cares. James Thanks, this is useful as I plan to have a commemorative sausage made for my wedding day gaga WOw, that's impressive. I always buy my sausages but would love to to make my own one day. [eatingclub] va... A whole world of goodies open up with such lovely homemade chorizos. . .can't wait! BILLY BOY LOOKING FORWARD TO AMKING THIS CHORIZO. STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE IN A RIB EYE STEAK, OR AS A CHILI BURGER TOPPING. BILLY BOY LOOKING FORWARD TO AMKING THIS CHORIZO. STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE IN A RIB EYE STEAK, OR AS A CHILI BURGER TOPPING. BILLY BOY LOOKING FORWARD TO AMKING THIS CHORIZO. STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE IN A RIB EYE STEAK, OR AS A CHILI BURGER TOPPING. BILLY BOY LOOKING FORWARD TO AMKING THIS CHORIZO. STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE IN A RIB EYE STEAK, OR AS A CHILI BURGER TOPPING. BILLY BOY have you made it yet?

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Averna Limoni di Sicilia By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 23, 2008 I discovered limoncello years ago in Italy and have been hooked ever since. But I'd never heard of Limoni di Sicilia, a lemon liqueur made by Averna, an old well-known Italian brand. The kind folks at Averna recently sent me a box of their wonderful libations and I've been sipping Limoni's lovely nectar almost nightly. At first I thought Limoni was just limoncello rebranded. But, no, there are differences, especially in the distillation. Limoni is distilled from the juice of Sicilian lemons, making it a more pure lemon digestivo. Limoncello, on the other hand, is made from the peels of lemons that are infused in grain alcohol. Limoncello is often a bright lemony yellow, whereas Limoni has a softer paler shade. It's as if the former is the outgoing one at the party, while the latter smiles demurely and speaks with a sultry whisper. Both are sweet, citrusy and delicious over ice. The thing I love about Limoni, however, are its beautiful floral notes and pure, clean lemon flavor. It goes down a little too easily... Comments: Greg Bulmash December 23, 2008 Twenty-six years ago, my father took us on a trip to Europe (Paris, Nice, Venice, Rome, and Athens, then to Netanya and Jerusalem in Israel). In Rome, my dad bought 4 bottles of Averna (the original stuff) and dragged it with us through Greece and two stops in Israel to get it home to the U.S. Ben I've never heard of this, great tip. I tried making limoncello with lemon juice once and it was a train wreck. I'm intrigued now... Bar Man I too love Limoncello but will now have to try Limoni. Instead of using lemon juice, try adding lemon zest to a decent vodka and letting it steep for several days. Then add simple syrup (a 50/50 mixture of water and sugar that is boiled until the sugar is completely dissolved) to taste. You may also want to cut it with water to bring down the alcohol level. Although Limoncello seems to be the most popular, you can do something similar with lime or orange zest or even try combining several. Keep a couple of bottles in the freezer. These are delicious and deadly when served ice cold.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Crab Cioppino By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 25, 2008 For as long as I can remember we've always had crab cioppino on Christmas Eve. It was a tradition started by my Grandma Ida, and one that I have vowed to continue in my own home since she passed away last year. I'm working on perfecting the recipe, though I know it will never be quite like hers. It's not a difficult recipe, by any means, and ours last night was beyond delicious, but there are some things that will just always taste better when prepared by a loved one. Especially a grandma. Grandma Ida lived in a hilly town on the peninsula just south of San Francisco. Being a traditional San Franciscan dish I'm fairly certain we're not the only family that eats crab cioppino during the holidays. It's also known as San Francisco Cioppino, California Cioppino, or just plain Cioppino. If you're a native (or a transplant who's been there long enough) and you hear "cioppino" you'll know exactly what seafood is in it: Dungeness crab, scallops, shrimp, clams, and some type of white fish. All simmered in a tomato sauce flavored with garlic, onions, white wine, and fresh herbs. Because you use your fingers (as well as a spoon) to eat this Grandma Ida always supplied us with flour sack bibs and finger bowls with warm water and lemon. Big slices of toasty garlic bread always helped sop up the delicious soup too. Crab Cioppino Serves 8 4 pounds freshly cooked Dungeness crabs (approximately 2 lbs each) 2 dozen clams, well scrubbed 3 cups dry white wine 1/3 cup olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 3 large cloves garlic, minced 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped 3 ounces tomato paste 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped 1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped 2 pounds fresh white fish, such as cod or halibut, cut into 2-inch pieces 3/4 pound scallops 3/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined Chopped fresh parsley Remove the legs and claws from the crabs and break the body in half, reserving as much of the "crab butter" as possible (the yellow-colored center). Set crab pieces aside and force the crab butter through a sieve into a small bowl. Set aside. Place the clams in a pan, add 1 cup of wine, and steam, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until clams open. Remove clams and discard any that do not open. Strain the stock through a cheesecloth and reserve. In an 8-quart saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until soft, but not browned. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and remaining 2 cups of wine, pepper, herbs, and clam stock. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the fish, scallops, shrimp, crab, and crab butter. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until all seafood is cooked; do not stir or the fish will break apart. Add the clams and heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately from the pot. Comments: Melissa December 26, 2008 Oh my goodness, I love seafood. I would be in heaven eating this, It so looks delish! Peter Bread was created for dishes like Cioppino. Sean We made cioppino last weekend, a preemptive way to get our seven fishes out since we were not doing Christmas Eve proper. My aunt said it was cheating. Whatever, it tasted great! gaga Wow, that looks so yummy!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Eggplant With Pesto By: Betsy Dorfman Published: December 27, 2008 My first attempts to cook eggplant years ago revolved around sautéed versions. These typically began modestly enough with a few tablespoons of olive oil but then, inexorably, required more and more oil to be added to prevent burning. By the time the eggplant was soft, the slices or cubes had sucked up vast reserves of oil which they relinquished if reheated (as in eggplant parmigiana) -- not pretty, or tasty. The calorie count was inestimable. And often the eggplant had a bitter aftertaste. To cure the bitterness, various mavens recommended slicing the eggplant into strips or rounds, salting heavily, placing in a colander to drain for an hour or so, then rinsing off, patting dry, and proceeding to the above oil rig stage. This put cooking a simple vegetable into the Sunday afternoon project category. I continued to buy and wrestle with eggplants, but I became deeply suspicious of their resume. Until the microwave. The microwave "gets" eggplant. You almost can't go wrong, and just a bit of oil or a small amount of cooking liquid is required. The results are much healthier, the pre-salting stage is eliminated, and the cooking time is reduced to minutes. Here is one of our all time favorites, using the blessed microwave shortcut for the eggplant: Pesto ingredients 1/2 cup good quality olive oil 2 cups fresh basil leaves 1 -2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, preferably reggiano, grated 2 T pine nuts (optional) Salt to taste Technique Whiz the basil leaves in a blender or food processor until chopped fine Add the garlic, salt and oil and blend until well incorporated Pour into a bowl and beat in the parmesan cheese by hand for best texture Add the pine nuts and stir NOTE: the entire process can be done in the blender to save time EGGPLANT with Pesto Preheat oven to 375 Wash, cut the ends and stem off a medium to large eggplant, slice lengthwise into pieces of similar width Place into a microwave and oven safe dish, brush very lightly with pesto Cover with lid or plastic wrap and microwave on high 3-4 minutes or until eggplant is softening but not mushy Drain accumulated liquid from dish Brush eggplant slices again with pesto, using more than previously and covering all surfaces Bake uncovered at 375 to heat through and slightly brown the top, approximately ten minutes Comments: Ari (Baking and... December 29, 2008 What a unique way to eat eggplant! I completely hear you on oil adding way too many calories. I often bake eggplant on its own before assembling it into an eggplant parmesan, for just that reason. maryann Your pesto looks great :) Julia Just tried this and it was great! I used an artichoke pesto that I already had and it was a quick and easy recipe for good eggplant that impressed my roommates. Thanks! Charmaine Potash Please visit my <a href="http://www.projectrendezvous.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=20637" rel="nofollow">site,</a> <a href="http://www.elitemate.com/eliteblog/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=70090" rel="nofollow">site1,</a> <a href="http://fendicksfisherynorfolk.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=79147" rel="nofollow">site 2,</a> <a href="http://agustin-arguello.com/foro/index.php?action=profile;u=18980" rel="nofollow">site 3,</a> <a href="http://ismforums.com/index.php?action=profile;u=86201" rel="nofollow">site 4,</a> <a href="http://users.boardnation.com/~movonarvic/index.php?action=viewprofile;user=Norman+Steinhorst" rel="nofollow">site 5.</a> Regards Vedembomb comment_body[und][0][value]

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Hasselback Potatoes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 29, 2008 Hasselback potatoes are a Swedish creation, named after the Stockholm restaurant - Restaurant Hasselbacken - that served them back in the 1700s. They are made from whole potatoes that are peeled and sliced, almost through, creating a lovely fan. The tops are dotted with butter, sprinkled with fine bread crumbs (and sometimes Parmesan), and baked, then broiled for added crispness. When done properly they are creamy on the inside and beautifully crisp on the outside, making for a lovely presentation. No more boring potatoes! Hasselback Potatoes 4 medium baking potatoes, peeled 1/3 cup butter, melted and divided 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon unseasoned fine dry breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 425°. Slice each potato crosswise at 1/8-inch intervals, cutting to within 1/4 inch of the bottom. Arrange potatoes, fan side up, in a buttered 10-inch pie dish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons melted butter evenly over potatoes, and sprinkle with salt. Bake potatoes at 425° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over potatoes, drizzle with remaining melted butter, and bake 20 more minutes. Sprinkle cheese over potatoes, baste with butter in pan, and bake 5 more minutes or until potatoes are golden. Click here for more on Hasselback potatoes. Comments: Andy McGinnis December 29, 2008 YUM! Thanks for sharing. Thumbbook Delicious! You can never have enough potatoes :) maris Potatoes? Butter? Cheese? Aren't those the 3 main food groups? :o) David in San Antonio I learned about these potatoes from the Time-Life Cooking of Scandinavia volume in that excellent series published in the late '60s. I had a problem with occasionally cutting all the way through the potato, but finally learned to take a thin slice off the bottom so it would stay steady on the cutting board, then place wooden chop sticks on either side to prevent cutting too deeply. No more problems! Michele It's funny that you posted this because I watched Sunny Anderson make them on the food network this past weekend and I also marked it off as a recipe to try in an issue of Cuisine at Home Magazine. They looks so elegant! I saw Dave's chop stick suggestion and I'd like to mention the tip that I learned. You can put the potato on top of a wooden spoon and slice down. It won't cut all the way to the bottom and is also a little steadier than the chopsticks. Can't wait to try it! Lois I remember that Time Life series. It was my first introduction to cooking that was not straight out of the New York Times Cookbook or -- uh oh -- the Settlement Cookbook. The Time Life series was beautiful, with gorgeous illustrations and recipes that were sure-fire. One of the books was Carribean (I think) and it had a recipe for Jamaican fried chicken with lime that I have been searching for for years. Is it available anywhere? Hillary Yummy - I first saw these potatoes on Orangette's blog. Great recipe. Madriel These are just lovely. I really enjoy how the slicing adds the crisp texture throughout the potato. Ended up baking them for an extra twenty minutes but I believe my oven is more to blame than anything else. Thank you for the post, I look forward to more. gaga Oooh, that looks amazing! I definitely need to give these a try! Mexican Recipes Huummm its looks yummy i should try this one thanks for sharing the recipe.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Rendering Goose Fat By: Sheri Wetherell Published: December 30, 2008 Admittedly, these photos are not the most enticing or even remotely appetizing. But before you ask why, pray tell, is she showing me a massive unappealing chunk of fat in a pot, bear with me. It's for this reason, and this reason only: duck confit. Two words that when spoken together create a sound so magical it can only come from the heavens. And when tasted it's as if the angels themselves have spoon fed you. The fat content of a goose is so copious it's, to say the least, astounding. Once boiled down, solids removed, and the liquid is cooled, you'll be left with quite a sufficient amount of rendered fat for making your heavenly confit (stay tuned!). Rendering Goose Fat In a saucepan, melt the fat over low heat. Filter through a chinois or fine sieve. Press with the back of a ladle the rest of the meat, in order to extract the last of the fat. Refrigerate until ready to make the confit. Comments: vengroff December 31, 2008 Try a conical pestle instead of the back of a ladle, and you will never go back. http://www.cookware.com/Rosle-95238-RSL1578.html

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Herb and Spiced Goat Cheese By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 2, 2009 You know those beautiful little artisan goat cheeses you see in fancy food stores? The ones that are about the size of a smashed golf ball and cost about $8? They're so pretty with their dainty nasturtium flower on top, or the ones ever so lightly dusted "artisan-like" with peppercorns. Let me let you in on a little secret: it's a racket those goat cheeses! Now, unless the cheese itself was milked from the teat of the artisan's own goat (which some of them are, so don't yell at me, but some of them are not), they take about two seconds to make. Well, maybe two minutes. Don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the craft and the beauty of those little jewels, but who has $8 to spend these days on a tiny piece of cheese that wasn't flown in from some moldy cave in France? We had guests coming over to wish us a Happy New Year and I hadn't yet been out to replenish "the larder." Heck, it was noon and I still hadn't even made it into the shower! Fortunately I had one of those long logs of goat cheese that I got at either Costco or Trader Joe's during my holiday provisioning. Perfectly decent goat cheese for under $6. I cut the log into quarters I made half with some ground Turkish sweet chili peppers and the other with a blend of Italian herbs, red pepper flakes, and ground pepper. Beautiful and tasty. Make your own blend of herbs that you already have in your spice cabinet (maybe some herbes de Provence and a little lavender or some smoked paprika), roll your petite cuts of goat cheese in it - and voilà - you're a cheese artisan! Comments: maris January 3, 2009 This is really a fabulous idea...I love being scrappy and using what's at your disposal to put together something yummy! (and artisanal-ish) zaaki I do this all the time too! I process toasted hazelnuts and dried apricots for the crust and then drizzle a little honey over the top. Des These are so simple, I don't know why people buy them! Very Yummy! corrinne This looks so good! I just 'Stumbled this Recipe' and i love the added spice. I see a lot of the logged goat cheese rolled in fresh herbs which is just lovely but that spice adds something special. I work with Chavrie, the pyramid shaped goat cheese and we are quite reasonably priced as well. Thanks for a great recipe! amish baby crib I like all the herbs that are there. I don't use them normally but it is really something I like to try.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Japanese Nabe By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 2, 2009 On cold winter nights in Tokyo I loved nothing more than sliding my legs under the warm kotatsu table and enjoying a big pot of nabe. Nabemono (or simply nabe) is a  Japanese dish that is also known as "one pot" food. It can consist of a variety of ingredients: fish, meat, chicken, tofu, vegetables, noodles, or a combination of all. Probably the most well-known types of nabe here in the U.S. are sukiyaki and shabu shabu. For a teacher on a meager salary in blindingly expensive Japan this was a fairly economical meal to prepare, yet it seemed so expensive and exotic. I'd go into the basement of the Sogo department store (where all the foods were) and pick a bit of vegetable here, a little tofu there, some thinly sliced beef, noodles, and whatever else looked good. All got thrown into the pot with either a dashi or soy sauce-based broth. Perfect with hot sake or an icey cold Kirin beer. With a houseful of family here for the holidays we decided to put together a nabe meal, something everyone could enjoy cooking together at the table. In the center we placed our little portable stove with our nabe pot, and put out platters of paper thin pork, brisket, and beef short rib; mizuna (Japanese mustard greens), fish cake, eggplant, and sliced shiitake mushrooms; vegetable tofu and little tied bundles of konnyaku noodles (a yam-based noodle); tender scallops and shrimp. I know everyone is happy when their hashi (chopsticks) are click-clicking away and their sake cups are frequently in need of refilling. Comments: Thumbbook January 2, 2009 Oh my, that is what we need in this weather! I'm craving for some Sukiyaki right now :) Great pictures! Evets Nitfol Absolutely one of my favorite meals! My problem is that our 4 x 3 table will barely hold all I want to put in the pot! Add the rice bowls, grill and sake, and it's time to unfold the additional table!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Grappa Cranberry Jelly By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 3, 2009 I'm not a big grappa fan. I've tried to like it, just as I've tried to like Scotch, vodka martinis and other "high octane" beverages. I simply cannot seem to acquire the taste. I was always told, "It's an acquired taste. Someday you'll like it." Well, I'm 40, so I'm fairly certain it's not going to happen, this so-called taste acquirement that all my friends seem to have obtained so easily in their middle age. Sigh. Then, for Thanksgiving Tracy brought over a beautiful cranberry jelly. She exclaimed proudly, "It's made with grappa!" Uh oh. I grabbed a spoonful and waited for the grappa assault, the kind that makes my face screw up in weird contortions. But...wait...no...could it be?? Oh yes. Crazy good. I took another, bigger, spoonful. The flavor of the grappa perfectly intertwined with the cranberry. Neither taste dominating the other, yet both standing out spectacularly. And I enjoyed the grappa! Immensely even! That was over a month ago and I am still thinking of that wonderful jelly. So I grabbed our bottle of Averna grappa before Barnaby could finish it off (having acquired the taste long ago) and made a small batch. While I still cannot seem to sip a glass of this elixir without wincing, it sure tops the list when combined with cranberries. Grappa Cranberry Jelly Adapted from a recipe found on Epicurious.com 1 1/4 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries (4 1/2 cups) 1 3/4 cups sugar 1 3/4 cups cold water, divided 1 cup grappa, divided 4.5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes) Bring cranberries, sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, and 3/4 cup grappa to a boil in a heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Simmer partially covered until most of berries have burst and mixture is thickened, approximately 15 to 20 minutes: stir occasionally. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard then discard the solids. (You will need 2 1/2 cups liquid.) Stir together gelatin and remaining 1/4 cup water and let stand 1 minute to soften. Bring 1 cup drained cranberry liquid to a simmer in a small saucepan, then add gelatin mixture and stir until just dissolved.  Add gelatin mixture and remaining 1/4 cup grappa to remaining 1 1/2 cups cranberry liquid and stir well. Pour cranberry sauce into lightly oiled non-reactive mold. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firmly set, at least 12 hours. To unmold, dip mold in a large bowl of warm water (water should reach halfway up mold) for 5 seconds, then run tip of a thin knife around edge of mold. Tilt mold sideways and tap side against a counter, turning it, to evenly break seal and loosen jelly. Keeping mold tilted, put a plate over mold, then invert jelly onto a plate.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Homemade Kimchi By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 4, 2009 Barnaby loves himself a good kimchi. The stinkier and more sour, the better. I must say, I'm right there with him. After living in Japan and traveling in Korea I, too, developed a fondness for this spicy fermented cabbage dish. We'd never made it ourselves though and decided to begin the "stinky cabbage" quest. We supplied ourselves with Napa cabbage, green onions, salt, sugar, ginger, garlic, and the pièce de résistance: Korean red pepper powder. The sweet flavor of this chili beautifully comes through without being overly spicy. We're now so hooked on this blend of red peppers that we're moistening it into a paste with a touch of cider vinegar and putting it on about everything from scrambled eggs to roast chicken. We chopped the vegetables, mixed all the ingredients into a beautifully vibrant red concoction, and put it in an earthenware pot to "brew and bubble." The longer it sits, the better, as the acids begin to break down and soften the vegetables, but after about a 24 hour period we tasted it and it was spectacular! The majority of it went back down to the basement for further "aging." For the complete recipe go to Foodista: Note: We purchased Wang's Red Pepper Powder at our local Uwajimaya. Check your local Asian market this product. Comments: Evets Nitfol January 10, 2009 If you like Kimchi, you will love Gye Muchim: marinated raw blue crab. Try this link: http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/0922.html After 24 hours it's good, 48 best and still improving. In fact, I just talked myself into making some today if I can find some nice live crab. Sheri Wetherell Thanks, Evets! I never knew what those crabs were called! They were a favorite of ours at a Korean BBQ place in the Bay Area, but haven't had them since moving back to Seattle. Now I have a name and a recipe, thanks to you! Cheers! Pharmacy Reviews Written at the begining of the year yet still very relevant, you should add your twitter link, ill follow for sure :)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Carrot Rutabaga Mash By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 5, 2009 My mom always taught me the importance of colorful food. She never would have served potatoes with, say, cauliflower. As a result, I find myself adding or subtracting dishes from my menu based on hue alone. This Carrot Rutabaga Mash would make Mom proud. Colorful...check. Healthy...check. Easy...check, check! Simply peel and rough chop the vegetables, steam them until soft, then mash them with a fork. We drizzled ours with a touch of white truffle oil making it extra scrumptious. Comments: The Duo Dishes January 5, 2009 This would make a nice cannable, gourmet baby food. :) Kathy Roduner This does, indeed, make me proud! It is beautiful. XO

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Home Smoked Mangalitsa Bacon By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 6, 2009 I'm ashamed to say that my gifts to Barnaby this year were a bit self-serving: a fancy waffle iron and an outdoor electric smoker. So far he's like a kid in a candy store. Smoking trout, salmon, oysters, turkey breast, beef brisket, but the best so far - and by far - is the Mangalitsa bacon. We'd written before about this Hungarian heirloom pig (also called Wooly Pig due to its curly hair), but it's so delicious it warrants another article. Once the preferred pig in Hungary (known there as Mangalica) for its fatty and flavorful meat the breed died down to only a couple of hundred due to farmers who were raising leaner and larger litter-producing pigs. Who wants a skinny pig? Isn't that an oxymoron? Fortunately, in the early 90's they started to make a comeback and their numbers are now well in the tens of thousands. We all know fat equals flavor, sad for the thighs and arteries, but true. That's what makes Mangalitsa so special. Because fat is a vehicle for flavor it takes on smoke and seasonings like none other, making for some of the best, most flavorful sausages, cured hams, lardo, and as we found out first hand...home smoked bacon. Last summer we sought out Heath Putnam, owner of Wooly Pig, the only company in the Western Hemisphere with Mangalitsa breeding stock (1-13-12 update:.Health Putnam Farms is now owned by Mosefund Farms). From him we purchased various cuts to try, including a heavily marbled belly from a Mangalitsa cross-breed, thinking we'd use it to flavor dishes such as a hearty split pea soup. Then the smoker entered our lives and our bacon eating ways reached a whole new level. Creamy and intensely flavored this is beyond any bacon you've ever tasted.   More on Mangalitsa: Comments: Greg Bulmash January 6, 2009 One word: Drool Paul Ollinger aww man, that's good stuff...sounds like the Mangalitsa actually died down due to its deliciousness. what kind of wood did you use? Thumbbook Wow! That smoker is something! Ooooh...bacooon! Sheri Wetherell We used hickory chips. Yuummmm... pigpigscorner Ooo...that looks yummilicious! eyeroll Mangalica is pronounced "mangalitsa" in Hungarian. C = TS. So it's not known there as something different, you've just got an anglicized spelling of the same word. mike That looks really fantastic! Homemade bacon is the best.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

New Year’s Day Southern Style By: Chris Barber Published: January 7, 2009 We're happy to welcome Chris Barber, LA-based artist and food lover, as one of our new guest bloggers. New Year’s Day means one thing at my place – good luck black-eyed peas. (I skipped ‘em last year and paid the consequences.) It’s the one day of the year besides Thanksgiving that I fully indulge my cravings for a traditional family meal. In this case I had to forget the country ham since I didn’t give myself 36 hours to soak sufficient salt out of the meat. I just grabbed a ½ ham glazed with brown sugar and focused on the side dishes. Three hours in the oven warmed the precooked ham fully while leaving it moist. If you add some fried okra, stuffing, 7-day pickles, rhubarb pie and iced tea in tall cold metal glasses to the dishes described here you might have Granny Barber’s typical Sunday lunch. But humble as this one is, every dish is a plate-licker. The black-eyed peas were soaked overnight – I avoid quick soaking for this. I fried four thick strips of bacon in the bottom of a cast iron Dutch oven and added ¾ of a chopped onion to the grease. Then I added the peas, slow cooking and adding salt and pepper to taste. The bacon breaks up with stirring, and should be gladly taken with the peas as it comes. You can add chopped celery too, or anything else you like for an accent. A little paprika was enough for me, along with my favorite bottled hot sauce on the table. Good black-eyed peas have layers of smoky taste that take their sweet time opening up in your mouth. For the greens I crammed all of the mustards and collards I could fit into a 5 quart pan after browning a couple tablespoons of butter. Once they wilted I added all of the softer Texas mustard greens that would fit. With the Texas greens wilted I threw in a 12 ounce brick of salt pork and a generous splash of rice wine vinegar, and let it simmer covered until tender. Trouble not about the darkening color - you're in the south now. Try to steam this and you’ll get what you deserve. I wanted these to have a bright taste, but warming the pan with a coating of bacon grease instead of butter is a nice earthy alternative, or simply starting with the salt pork until it greases the pan. Candied “yams” don’t actually involve yams at all but sweet potatoes – the kind with the coppery skin and deep orange meat. I boiled 4 large sweets until soft, sliced them into ½- inch thick pieces and lined the bottom of a buttered casserole dish with them. Scallops are traditional, but I cut them lengthwise to make them slightly more firm due to the direction of the grain. I sprinkled them with salt and paprika, then dolloped them with a syrup of dark brown sugar, ground ginger, lemon juice and a dash of lemon zest. A smidge of butter on each slice and they were ready for a 20 minute bake. They should come out with form and color intact and looking almost unseasoned. My personal favorite is the cracklin’ cornbread. For this I went whole hog and made cracklin’ – which is what it’s all about. Cracklin’ Cornbread 4-6 oz. fresh, uncured fatty pork scraps ¾ cup white cornmeal ¾ cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cane sugar (optional) 2 large eggs 1 ½ cups buttermilk Preheat oven to 475. Freeze the pork scraps for 30 or 40 minutes and then dice into ¼” pieces. It should be mostly fat, with a pitiful showing of meat. Mix the powder ingredients well in a large bowl. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until frothy and whisk in the buttermilk. Blend the liquid into the dry mix and set aside. Drop the diced pork scraps into a greased 10” cast iron skillet and render the fat completely on the stove over medium heat until the pearls are golden-brown and crispy. Fold the cracklin’ and all but about 1 tbsp of the rendering into the cornbread mix. Increase the heat under the grease remaining in the skillet until it smokes, then quickly pour the mix into it. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. I like it soft, moist and cakey in the center and crispy on top; but an almost pudding center is perfectly acceptable for a more pone-like quality. Either way, it’s juicy enough to forget all about the iced tea. Pop that thing right out of your skillet with a flick of the wrist and see if it doesn’t disappear on its way to the plate. Comments: The Duo Dishes January 7, 2009 We're from the south, so we know ALL about the foods that are supposed to be on your plate for New Years day. Those black eyed peas never steer you wrong! Thumbbook Mmmm, I didn't know they were that easy to make. A friend once shared this to me, and it was sooo delicious! They used bacon I think. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Grilled Salmon Sandwiches At Pike Place Market By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 9, 2009 Nestled in a little cubby hole-sized piece of Pike Place Market is the Market Grill, one of our favorite stops for fresh-out-of-the-water salmon sandwiches. Grilled to perfection, the salmon (or halibut or shrimp) is generously packed into a toasted baguette along with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and a tasty rosemary mayo. These sandwiches are so good locals will even brave the cruise ship crowds to get one! br Comments: Morgan January 9, 2009 This sandwich sounds wonderful! I have a great recipe that I use at home to get that same amazing taste without traveling all the way to Pikes Place Market! Enjoy! Dill-iscious Salmon Sandwich: Ingredients: - 4 sandwich rolls - 1lb. grilled salmon, cut into four pieces - Santa Barbara Bay® Garden Dill Dip - Sliced red onion - Lettuce - 1 tomato, sliced - 1/4-cup capers Directions: 1. Open each roll and spread a generous amount of dill dip on each half. 2. Place lettuce on each bottom half and cover with onions and tomatoes. 3. Lay piece of salmon on each sandwich and garnish with capers. Enjoy! Thumbbook Sounds like a great sandwich Morgan, hope you could add it up in Foodista's recipes too! This post really made me hungry! Kristen Can't wait to get to PPM again! Maybe we will have to make the trek as soon as the mountain passes are open :) This sandwich looks divine! Tenina OH fishy heaven! I was just in Seattle (and the markets) last July and missed this little gem...YUM! nancy Oh how I miss the PPM. My ex used to go to school at UW and I spend many hours at the market while he was in class! Sammie looks great! http://testkitchenette.wordpress.com The Duo Dishes Grilled salmon and rosemary mayo! Can we have one please? britt I love this place! Been coming here for over 12 years and I still consider it my little secret (although of course it's not). I am always amazed when I suggest this place to Seattle natives who've never been. Make sure to get the grilled onions! Barnaby Dorfman Also a personal favorite! I used to work near the market and got a fish sandwich at this place at least once a week!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Silkie Black Chicken By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: January 11, 2009 I love trying new foods and get very excited when I discover one in a supermarket. When I travel to a new country, I often spend hours wandering the aisles of local markets. And, I'm an ambitious eater, however, every once in awhile I find something that gives me pause, silkie black chicken is one of those items. I've been seeing them in the freezers of Asian markets for years...small, black, vacuum packed, and mysterious. So I did some research and really couldn't find much information on how they taste or how to cook them. I did find a pretty good article about silkies in the New York Times from a couple years ago. Apparently they are prized in Chinese cooking for medicinal properties, specifically for women. Being half-Jewish, I'm a firm believer in the curative powers of chickens and the more I learned about these things the more interested I became....not only do they have black skin, but the bones are black and the meat is gray! So we bought one, and not finding many recipes, I decided to prepare it in an Italian dish call Pollo al Mattone, which I love. Unfortunately, the result was less than appetizing. The meat was tough and the flavor was gamey....with an visual odd aesthetic making the whole thing hard to eat. Overall an interesting, if failed experiment. At some point I will get up the courage to buy another one, but this time I'll follow a more traditional soup recipe. Comments: _ts of [eatingc... January 11, 2009 This is the only way we make sikies at home: by braising it in a ginger, soy sauce and sesame liquid. http://www.eatingclubvancouver.com/2008/10/mamas-silkie-chicken-dyong-kwe.html Thumbbook Looking at that chicken, others may think it was marinated in some ink or color, Silkies with their furry feathers on, are cute! although I never thought about eating them myself. Goodluck to you when you try to make them again! Hope you get a great recipe for this one! Betsy Dorfman I can't remember (must have repressed it) what recipe we used, but we had essentially a repeat of your experience with the silkie. Purchased one with great interest in LA's chinatown, gave it every culinary advantage...Only to find that the grey meat was both unappetizing to look at and a dud to eat. And we basically never met a fowl we didn't like, until then. Ours started out alive, in the live poultry market, so freshness was not the issue. They are adorable when alive, so perhaps that is the best way to interact with them! The Duo Dishes This is the second time we've come across a newbie's attempt to master the silkie. How brave! We've not sure we're up to that challenge yet. We did notice the other person went with a traditional chicken soup, and according to them, it was great. Maybe you'll give it another try soon! BHestir Just came home from Chinatown with a Silkie in the bag. Thought I would look for recipes and ran across this discussion. No recipe follows, but perhaps this will guide the adventurous. And let me encourage you to not give up on this lovely little delight. Soup IS the way to go. Slow-cooked until the meat falls off the bone. Garlic, ginger, root vegies, greens. Use your imagination. The chicken soup that someone's gramma used to give them for a cold was almost certainly the whole chicken, because the nutrients found in feet, beaks, and other cartilaginous areas actually do help cure what ails you. When handled in the way the silkie imparts a wonderful rich flavor to the broth and after that you can hardly go wrong. The meat? Well it is grey, and can be stringy. But to my taste, after you have captured the essence in your stew it is a secondary issue. Barnaby Dorfman Sounds wonderful! Please share you successes with us and add your recipes to Foodista: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/new Stephanie I have to agree with BHestir. I live in Beijing where the silkies are available in every grocery, and they are used here almost exclusively for soups.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Easy Crowd Pleaser Pâté By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 12, 2009 I love hosting cocktail parties, and the best advice I was given from a catering master for hosting such parties was this: make half of your hors d'oeuvres and buy half. Brilliant! All too often we get caught up in elaborate menus and are exhausted by the time the guests arrive. One of the things I love to make (but guests always think it's from a fine delicatessen) is a creamy, delicious pâté. This easy chicken liver pâté recipe is definitely a crowd pleaser! Best of all, it is inexpensive to make and takes just a few minutes. Easy Crowd Pleaser Pâté 1 pound chicken livers 1 small yellow onion, sliced Olive oil 1/4 cup brandy 1/4 cup heavy cream Sel gris (grey salt) for garnish Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and cook onions until soft. Add chicken livers and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add brandy and simmer until alcohol has cooked off. Toss into a blender and blend on high. Periodically stop the blender and push down larger pieces with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Add cream and continue to blend until smooth. Place a mesh sieve over a bowl. Transfer mixture to the sieve and press through with a silicone spatula to remove any unsmooth pieces. Spoon pâté into one serving bowl or a few small ones, and smooth out the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of sel gris or other fine salt. Excellent served with cornichon, Dijon mustard and a grainy mustard on the side.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chunky Banana Bread By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 13, 2009 Nothing fills your hungry belly quite like a delicious slice of banana bread hot out of the oven. To me, the more moist and chunkier, the better. Have a warm wedge in the morning with your coffee or after dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This recipe is so scrumptiously packed with bananas you may just find yourself screeching wildly and swinging from your chandeliers jungle style. Knock yourself out, my little monkey friend. Been there. Depending on the size bananas you use and how much you put in (I actually added a bit more) you may need to increase the baking time. Just insert a knife until it comes clean. Chunky Banana Bread 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas 1 small banana, cut into small pieces Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Fold in banana chunks. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Comments: Desiree January 13, 2009 You are so right, there is nothing like fresh hot banana bread. Your recipe looks like it will be nice and moist. Thumbbook Ahhh...the smell of freshly baked banana bread always brings back fond memories of mom baking and me singing the banana boat song: Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana...Daylight come and me wan’ go home Michele This totally reminds me of home. Looks wonderful! Sam Agree. Our recipe has quite a bit of yogurt in it. I'll have to compare with this funky chunky one. Getting the moist factor right is key. Had it this AM! Looking forward to trying your recipe. Nate Nice. I wonder if there's a way to keep the banana chunks from settling to the bottom of the bread. Thanks for adding us as a friend on Foodbuzz. We welcome you to come visit our site! lisa (dandysugar) Your banana bread looks so moist! It's the best when it's still warm from the oven. Looks delicious!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chanterelle And Smoked Bacon Linguine By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 14, 2009 Don't you love when you cook something for the first time and find, upon taste testing, that it needs no tweaking? You just get it perfect, right from the get-go. That's what we experienced with this dish. Add a little of this, a little of that - and phwwm! - all the flavors join together in one big happy dance, needing nothing further from you. That's when you step back from the stove and join in the dance. This dish will make you happy. The kind of happy that makes you take your shoes off and wiggle your toes. Of course, when working with Chanterelle mushrooms and smoked Mangalitsa bacon it's hard to go wrong, so prepare for shoe removal. Chanterelle And Smoked Bacon Linguine 4 strips of good quality bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 pound Chanterelle mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup white wine 2 tablespoons heavy cream Approximately 1 pound linguine 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped Parmesan cheese Kosher salt In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook until tender. In a saucepan, sauté bacon until browned. Add mushrooms and cook until soft. Pour in wine and simmer until the alcohol has cooked off. Add the cream and season to taste with salt. Drain pasta. Toss pasta with mushroom bacon mixture and chopped parsley. Plate and serve with grated Parmesan on top. Comments: The Duo Dishes January 14, 2009 Oh wouldn't we like to be the reaper of this big benefit. Nice job getting it 100% on the first go around! Makes each bite even better. Peter This looks way to good to pass up! Thumbbook Ooooh...i have bacon envy! That looks sooo good! Deseree This looks heavenly! Kevin That looks and sounds so good! Great way to enjoy some chanterelle and good bacon. Sharona May Looks wonderful. I would love to have your pasta dish for dinner. Sharona May Dee This pasta dish looks wonderful. I must locate some chanterelles here soon! pigpigscorner oo this sounds really simple and delicious! I will definitely try this out!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Malfatti: Easy Ricotta Gnocchi By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 14, 2009 For such an amazingly good dish it has such a pessimistic name: malfatti. In Italian, malfatti translates to "bad made." That doesn't sound very promising, does it? Kind of like the outstanding hazelnut meringue cookies we had the other night at Spinasse called "Brutti ma Buoni" (ugly but good). Contrary to their name, these little malfatti were about the prettiest little things ever - so much so that I think we should rename them belfatti (pretty made). Unlike gnocchi, their dumpling cousin, malfatti are more "roughly" made: hand-rolled, then crudely cut without much thought to uniformity or perfection. But that's precisely what makes them so lovely - their provincial form and handmade taste. Because they're made mostly with ricotta and contain no flour (other than the flour used to roll them in) they result in light and airy pillows, a feat not so easily achieved in gnocchi making. In fact, if you've ever made gnocchi you'll find that more times than not they turn out more dense than you'd like, and you have to concentrate fiercely on the task at hand, making sure to not overwork the dough. Malfatti, on the other hand, are easy to make and hard to ruin. You can actually do other things as you gingerly roll and cut, like sing along to the opera piping out of your Bose and take sips of your Super Tuscan. Malfatti 1 cup cooked, well-drained, chopped spinach 1 ½ cups Ricotta cheese 1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs or panko 2 eggs, beaten ¼ cup Parmesan cheese ¼ cup minced green onions 1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed ½ teaspoon salt Flour 4 tablespoons butter Approximately 10 sage leaves Drain cooked spinach and squeeze out extra liquid until very dry. Combine with all ingredients, except flour. Refrigerate 1 hour. Bring pot half full of salted water to a simmer. Drop spinach cheese mixture by tablespoons into flour and roll each lightly into long logs. Cut into 1.5 inch dumplings. Drop dumplings into the gently simmering water. When they rise to the top, remove with a slotted spoon (approximately 3 to 5 minutes). In a saucepan, heat butter and sage leaves until both are browned and sage leaves are crisp.  Spoon butter over malfatti and top with the crisp sage leaves. If preferred, top with more Parmesan cheese. Comments: Thumbbook January 15, 2009 They look delicious and easy to make! Im definitely going to try this one :) Michele Those sound like gnudi which is something I watched Giada De Laurentiis make. She said they are like nude ravioli. Just the filling without the shell. Do you think this is the same thing? They looks lovely and not ugly at all! The Duo Dishes These look great! colloquial cook Well done! I was going to mention the brutti ma buoni but you beat me to it! They rate high on my cookie-love scale. pigpigscorner Looks really delicious! helen I'm going to call them 'rustic'. They look absolutely toothsome! ashley Wow, those look amazing, and Delicious too!! maryann I think I'm in heaven :) Lee Interesting little things. I have flopped gnocchi several times so when I stumbled on this yesterday I gave it a try. The first few just disolved when they hit the water - what a murky mess! then what I did was take each little log and roll into a small meatball like ball in my hands and they worked much better that way. I really toasted them up in the saute of butter and sage. Later when my potates were roasting I added a few to the cookie sheet with the potatoes for the last 10 or so minutes and they came out steaming hot and crispy. Snuck the little devils to BF as a "side of vegi" - he ate them! mcheria These look great. I tried them at the Bocca di Lupo restaurant in London last week and they were amazing. So thank you for the recipe - I'm really impressed that they're that straight forward to make.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Jerusalem Artichokes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 16, 2009 Photo: Laurel Fan They're funny looking, but ever so delicious! Jerusalem artichokes, also called sunchokes, look a bit like ginger, but oval, and taste like a cross between a fingerling potato and the heart of an artichoke. Two foods that top my list. I've found roasting to be the simplest preparation, as steaming or boiling can result in a mushy mess. I cut them into quarters, toss them in a bit of olive oil, sprinkle them with a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, and slow roast them until tender. That's it. They're so delicately flavorful they don't need much more than that. More on Jerusalem Artichokes: Comments: Deseree January 16, 2009 I have never had these, but fingerling potatoes and artichokes are two of my favorite things. They sound really easy to prepare,but where can you find them? I have heard of them before but I don't remember seeing them at the grocery store. Jan Seeley Thanks for posting this. I've always wondered how to cook these buggers. They look delicious. I will search for some and try them out. Maybe Met Market? Michele I'll just say ditto to everything Deseree wrote. I have heard of them but never saw them and had no idea that's what they tasted like. Now I have got to find them!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Grainy Stout Mustard By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 17, 2009 About 25 years ago my family went on a glorious ski trip to the Italian Alps, our hotel room nestled at the base of the stunningly spectacular Matterhorn. We heard you could ski across the border into Switzerland, so my brother and I, being the daring teens that we were, took the various lifts and gondole up to the top of the mountain and swooshed our way, miles and miles down the other side, into the charming little town of Zermatt. We plunked our skies into the snow and entered a cozy little tavern where the wooden floors were dented from years of ski boot traffic and the tables and benches were smooth and shiny. Being under 21 we enjoyed the freedom of sipping fine European beer and nibbling on bratwursts in a quaint Alpine beer haus. Needless to say, many trees were visited on the trip back up and over the mountains. There's a new German-style tavern in our West Seattle neighborhood called Prost! that reminded me of that little pub visited years ago in the Alps. In addition to Prost!'s fabulous beers (Franziskaner being my favorite) they have a selection of "brats and wursts" that are, in a word, outstanding. We sampled the Landjager, a German dry and smoked sausage, that was served with both a spicy and a grainy mustard. I don't know which I liked better: the sausage or the mustard! Reminiscing over that memorable trip and consuming the good beer and sausage at Prost! prompted me to make my own mustard at home. Grainy Stout Mustard Adapted from a recipe found in Saveur, January 2009 12 ounces stout beer 1 ½ cups brown mustard seeds 1 cup red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground allspice Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours. Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Process until seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture becomes thick. Ready for use immediately or store refrigerated in jars for up to 6 months. More on Grainy Stout Mustard: Comments: Eve Fox January 17, 2009 I love this! Must give it a try. Thanks for the recipe. jsalvati I live in Seattle, so I love it when you mention good restaurants I can try. Lindsay Wow this is great! I'm going to have to try this my hubby and are mustard lovers and this looks great Ceres I have made homemade whole grain mustard before with tarragon vinegar and it was really good. However, compared to your version with the stout, mine may pale in comparison. I am printing this out and will try your recipe this week. Thanks! DS Considering you're a creative commons reference at the bottom of your blog, don't you think it would have been better to cite where the source of this recipe, e.g. this month's issue of Saveur magazine? Seems a bit hypocritical to put it out there as your own... Sheri Wetherell DS - You're correct. I was reminded by Saveur (January 09) of this great recipe and was in remiss in giving credit. Thank you for pointing my error out.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chicken Tagine With Couscous By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 18, 2009 Normally tagines are long-simmered dishes, but when your hungry belly can't wait, or you simply don't have the time, you can make them relatively fast. We threw this tagine together with leftover chicken and ingredients we already had on hand. The wonderful thing about this Moroccan dish are the many fragrant spices used, creating layers of delicious flavor. We were missing dried fruits so we opted roasted red pepper for added sweetness, and threw in some mild green olives (not the martini kind), which gave it another element of color. Chicken Tagine With Coucous 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 whole chicken, skin removed and cut into chunks 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup mild green olives, sliced 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1 roasted red pepper 2 small dried red chilies 2 small preserved lemons, sliced 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 5 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, plus 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves 1 1/2 cups couscous 1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest For the complete recipe and instructions click below: Chicken Tagine With Couscous Comments: Seth Knight January 19, 2009 very tasty The Duo Dishes Two yums up! Sophie This dish looks so delicious!! Yum Yum:)!!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Grapefruit Supremes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 19, 2009 I love grapefruit. I love it from in the morning to in my salad at night. Throw some fresh squeezed juice in there somewhere and I'm even happier.  But, unlike oranges, I don't like to eat them peeled in sections. The pith is horribly bitter and they just don't taste as sweet. On weekends, when we lazily wake up and have time to prepare breakfast, I like to cut them into sections. It takes time and patience, but is well worth the effort! I recently learned the name when citrus is cut into sections with the pith and membranes neatly removed: supremes. To do this, cut the top and bottom off of your grapefruit. Slice the peel from the fruit, top to bottom, getting as close to the flesh as possible. Once the peel is removed slice any remaining pieces of pith from the fruit so no white remains. Then, slice closely along the sides of each membrane to neatly remove the sections in between. And there you have it! Perfectly beautiful and sweet grapefruit supremes. Enjoy the supremes on their own or place them in a mixed green salad lightly tossed with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar. Comments: Maria January 20, 2009 I am a huge fan of grapefruit!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Filtering For Good By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 21, 2009 We Americans have an unhealthy relationship with water. Bottled water, that is. We think we're being healthy and sporty by carrying our fancy little bottles of mountain-spring-flown-in-from-France water around, but in actuality we're harming our planet. Bottle by bottle. While at the Sundance Film Festival we stumbled upon a fun little watering hole. Nope, not a bar (although we did hit those too!), but one sponsored by Brita and Nalgene. The two companies have teamed up to create the FilterForGood campaign: a pledge we can all take to reduce our bottled water waste. How much are we contributing to our landfill waste in plastic bottles alone? According to FilterForGood, "Enough to travel from Earth to the Moon and back 10 times if laid end to end." And, folks, that's just us Americans! We can do better. If you still need more reason to give up the bottle, watch the documentary Flow. Bet you'll no longer leave the water running while you brush your teeth. Take the pledge today to refill your reusable bottle! We did... After taking the pledge, conscientious consumers fill up their complimentary Nalgene bottles at the Brita water bar.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Cat Cora Dishes At Sundance By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 22, 2009 Food and film go hand in hand. "Date Night" for many usually means dinner and a movie. This last week at the Sundance Film Festival we saw a lot of movies (14!) and managed to squeak in a few good dinners. While wandering around Main Street between films we stumbled upon the Bon Appetit Supper Club. I gasped! How did I miss this culinary event!? I'd never heard about it before in my seven years of attending Sundance. Wanting to get in the loop I walked over to the building and found that the event was being hosted by Bon Appetit magazine's executive chef Cat Cora, who was there to feed the celebrities attending the Festival. Didn't Bon Appetit know that celebs don't eat? They nibble. It's us foodies who eat! And take the time to write about it and share it all with you, dear reader. Maybe next year I'll have something more to give you. In the meantime, my new friend Jane Clark from Reuters was lucky enough to sit down with the Iron Chef and dish about some of her favorite things; like how this Greek-bred, Southern raised chef cooks at home. Read her article here.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chefdance and Bethenny Frankel By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 23, 2009 While at the Sundance Film Festival I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bethenny Frankel, celebrity chef and co-host of Chefdance, the culinary "Alt Dance" of the Festival. But she doesn't stop there. In addition to being a natural food chef she's also taken the time to pen her new book Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself From a Lifetime of Dieting (on shelves in March 10) and launch both her low-cal cocktail line SkinnyGirl Margarita (coming soon) as well as her low fat, wheat, dairy, and egg-free line of baked goods BethennyBakes. She also happens to star in Bravo's reality T.V. show The Real Housewives of New York City and was a contestant on Martha Stewart's The Apprentice. Phew! Did you catch all that? This woman is not only charismatic and smart, but obviously possesses the energy and metabolism of a hummingbird; she's so petite I could fit her in my pocket. Bethenny started to co-host Chefdance (along with Kenny Griswold, Founder and President) five years ago, selecting the chefs, lending a hand in planning the four-course menus and attracting the celebs. The normally 10-night event (this year is was five nights due to her hectic book tour schedule) features 10 celebrity chefs and a cast of celebrity dinners. This year the likes of Mike Tyson, Hugh Dancy, Amy Irving and Brittany Snow were amongst the guest list. Before the event began that evening we sipped our Chardonnays and talked about her new book. The premise of Naturally Thin is so simple it will make you question why you never ate like this before. As she puts it, "Check yourself before you wreck yourself" or "Taste everything but eat nothing." To me that makes perfect sense: don't overload at the hors d'oeuvres table, but enjoy a bit of each offering. She says that food isn't our enemy and that we should view our daily intake as a bank account. If we only have, say, 1500 calories for that day and we snarf down a cheeseburger at lunch, then we need to deduct those calories from our "account" and eat something healthy for dinner, like a salad. It's not new science, by any means, but I like the way she encourages us to not beat ourselves up for what I previously referred to as "falling off the wagon." I also appreciate the fact that I can eat whatever I'd like as long as I keep track of it and keep it in check. No one likes to diet, and weight loss is achieved more easily if we just learn to balance. Her goal is to democratize health, meaning she believes everyone deserves to live a healthy and balanced life. We all can't afford private chefs or even organic foods, and some of us simply lack the education, but she wants to inform people on how they can stock their fridge, live a green life and maximize their health in quick and easy ways. I tell you, it's great motivation to get dietary advice from a tiny celebrity in a cute little knit dress. I enjoyed my Chefdance meal immensely and followed her rules to the letter. And you know what? It felt darn good. Stay tuned as I'll be writing more on Bethenny's new book on March 1o - there's a lot more you'll want to know and learn! Comments: Alison Reynolds January 28, 2009 I just saw your ad for Chefdance in the LA Times this morning. You have many pictures but the one I will point out is the one at top center left. You name Shawn White and Erin Reece but the other two in the picture are misnamed. The blonde guy is Matt Sorum from Velvet Revolver (I know him) and Dusty Rhodes from ZZ Top ( I have worked with ZZ Top). Just thought you should know. Sheri Wetherell The LA Times ad was actually placed by Chefdance, not Foodista. We just attended the event and wrote about it here :)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

The World Without Fish By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 24, 2009 Photo by: Stewart I'm an omnivore, but I do have certain rules around what I consume. For example, I'll never eat anything I've ever had as a pet (although twice I inadvertently ate horse in France and Japan), I won't eat primates or any endangered species, and I prefer not to eat threatened species (but will if necessary to avoid an awkward moment at a dinner party). Or bugs, I won't eat those either. I always thought I was doing pretty good following this code, but admittedly never really taking the time to research the fish I consume. Until I saw The End of the Line. The End of the Line, the first major documentary about the catastrophic effect of overfishing our oceans, premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival. Filmed over two years, the film follows investigative reported Charles Clover, who penned a book with the same title, as he comes face-to-face with celebrity restaurateurs and politicians who dismiss the havoc they are doing to our oceans. Yeah! to Jamie Oliver who has removed all reference to bluefin tuna from his books after being told of the devastating effect. Boo! to Nobu, who refuses to remove Chilean sea bass and bluefin tuna from his menus even after repeated requests to do so. According to an international group of ecologists and economists, "If we continue fishing as we are now, we will see the end of most seafood by 2048." Hi-tech fishing vessels leave it impossible for fish to escape, and the demand for cod in the early 1990's led not only to the decimation of that species off the coast of Newfoundland, but the fishing industry as well. "Overfishing is the great environmental disaster that people haven't heard about," said film producer George Duffield. "Just last week, a global conference about bluefin tuna stocks saw almost no media coverage in the U.S. We hope this film really sounds the alarm. We can fix this problem starting right now." Who is responsible? Consumers who continue to buy endangered fish, politicians who blatantly ignore the repeated requests of scientists, fisherman who continuously fish well beyond the set quotas, and the global fishing industry that is dragging its feet in response to an approaching catastrophe. But this doesn't mean that we need to stop eating fish and frequenting our favorite sushi restaurants. It means that we need to be well-informed and ask questions: where does this fish come from and how was it caught? Make sure the fish is from sustainable fisheries. We also need to reach out to our politicians and let them know how we feel. Let them know we need to reduce and control the number of fishing vessels across the world, protect large areas of the ocean and stop using destructive nets that destroy the ocean floor and its inhabitants. After viewing the film (tears literally streaming down my face in parts) I vowed to only eat sustainable seafood. We can no longer hunt our fish into extinction. Ask before you buy: only eat sustainable seafood. Tell politicians: respect the science, cut the fishing fleet. Join the campaign: for marine protected areas and responsible fishing. Lay claim to your piece of the ocean (2 hectares each!) Fish Facts: 1 billion people rely on fish as an important source of protein. (www.panda.org) According to the UNFAO, about 70% of our global fisheries are now being fished close to, already at, or beyond their capacity. As many as 90% of all the oceans' large fish have been fished out. (www.panda.org) Government subsidies of over $15 billionn a year play a major role in creating the world's fishing fleets. (www.panda.org) A Greenpeace report states that 40% of the world's oceans should be placed in natural reserves. (www.msnbc.com) Japan has caught $6 billion worth of illegal Southern Bluefin tuna over the past 20 years. (www.abc.net.au/) In 200 tuna long liners set set 1.2 billion hooks catching untold numbers of turtles, seabirds and sharks. (www.ejfoundation.org/page270.html) 15 species of sharks have seen their numbers drop by 50% in the last 20 years. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/) Illegal fishing is worth up to $9 billion a year. (www.illegal-fishing.info) 52% of fish stocks are fully exploited. (www.msc.org) Comments: Carla Saunders January 24, 2009 Hi Sheri While swimming to the buoy in La Jolla Cove sometimes, a few times a year, I would swim with a school of sea bass. They were so beautiful. I promised those guys I would never eat them. Thanks for reminding me of my promise. Thumbbook I can't imagine a world without fish...I didnt imagine it was this bad, but I feel hopeful that we could still turn this around. echo "I won’t eat primates or any endangered species, and I prefer not to eat threatened species (but will if necessary to avoid an awkward moment at a dinner party)." That's just sad. I'm so glad you'd be willing to bow down to public opinion if your ego was at stake. Sally Rowles Hi Sheri, Nina told me about your site &amp; I have been a big fan ever since. I have been meaning to post a comment to let you know what a great job I think you are doing. I love reading your blogs &amp; think you have a wonderful writing style. But I am also especially proud of you when you take on these very important issues. Sheri Wetherell Echo - I was trying to inject a little humor into a serious and complex issue. I'm sorry you failed to grasp that. The very definition of "threatened" when it comes to seafood can be hard to define. For example, Seafoodwatch.org lists the threatened Chilean Sea Bass as both one to avoid AND available from sustainable fisheries. I choose to avoid. Sharon O'Malley Hi Sheri, Thanks for the post. I am a fan of the blog. CleanFish, the company I work for, is a sustainable seafood company trying to save the oceans by selling eco-friendly seafood. We search the world for fishermen &amp; fish farmers committed to best practices and bring their fish to market. I feel very passionately that we are indeed in a crisis, but we can all be a part of the solution by eating sustainably caught and farmed fish. Thanks again for the post. Looking forward to checking out The End of the Line! durdor <a href="http://governor-of-poker-free.1147195302.info" rel="nofollow">governor of poker free</a> R I don't understand why people can't just give up eating fish. If you care, stop eating them. No brainer.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Cold Smoked Tuna By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 26, 2009 I've started smoking. No, not cigarettes, but food. I wrote before about the electric smoker I gave Barnaby for his birthday in December and we've been going crazy throwing down various meats and fish on the grill: mangalitsa pork, trout, skirt steak, shrimp, scallops. Next on the list is cheese: provolone, mozzarella and cheddar. Last night we tried a new preparation: cold smoking. Traditional cold smoking requires cooling the smoke before applying it to food, however, that's both difficult to achieve and requires special equipment. Our version of cold smoking is much easier: toss a piece of frozen meat on the grill and let the smokin' begin. Starting with frozen fish minimizes the amount of cooking so the result is a delicious smokey flavor and ever so minimally cooked - perfect for sashimi! We used a 1.2 pound sashimi-grade albacore tuna loin and smoked it over alder pellets for about an hour and a half. If you're looking for a more fully cooked preparation, or you are smoking meat, then you can sear it afterward. Our meal was Japanese-style; the tuna drizzled with a bit of ponzu sauce and served with rice, seaweed salad and yaki imo (grilled sweet potato). The smoked tuna would also be delicious in a salad, such as niçoise. Comments: Amy Pennington January 26, 2009 As a dinner participant, can I just say YUM? I gotta admit - that whole smoking-a-frozen-protein was questionable, but the end result was super good &amp; tasty. Now, I'm craving sushi today. Thanks, B! mike That tuna looks great! We do a lot of smoking (in fact we did cold smoked cheddar and salmon this morning, and have a duck going right now!), but I've never thought to try starting with frozen protein. Was this a technique you guys came up with, or did you read about it somewhere? Sheri Wetherell Hi Mike, Ooo, smoked duck, yum! Barnaby came up with the idea of smoking the fish frozen. As he likes to say, "Necessity is the mother of invention." We were stuck with a frozen loin and didn't have time to thaw it out, so we threw it in the smoker and held our breath! Fortunately it turned out perfect!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Green Curry Chicken Salad By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 27, 2009 This is a fun twist on the classic curried chicken salad. It's brighter and lighter with the apples and lime juice, and more flavorful with the lemongrass in the curry. The chilies in the curry also adds a nice kick! Increase or decrease the amount of curry to adjust the spice. This salad can also be served in sandwiches. Try substituting tuna for a "pescatarian" version. Green Curry Chicken Salad ½ roasted chicken 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Thai Green Curry Paste 1 Lime, Juiced 1 tablespoon fish sauce ¼ cup green onion, chopped 1 head Romaine lettuce Remove skin from chicken and then meat from bones. Shred meat, discarding skin and bones. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, green curry paste, lime juice, and fish sauce. Mix in shredded chicken, chopped apple and green onion. Chill and serve on a bed of Romaine or Bib lettuce. Comments: Desiree January 28, 2009 I like this recipe. Nice twist!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

The Flavor Bible By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 28, 2009 When I heard the UPS truck outside this morning I knew what it was delivering: my new copy of The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide To Culinary Creativity, Based On The Wisdom Of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. I ran downstairs from my office to the front door and there it was... I'd heard from many of my food-loving friends and bloggers about this fabulous book, but had no idea how good it really is. So good that I just had to share it with you. As someone who writes about food I often struggle to come up with something clever and delicious. This book has solved that problem! Thank you Karen and Andrew for what must have been an exhausting exercise. Comprised of an impressive and extensive list of foods and cuisines, the book includes synonyms, seasons, functions, cooking techniques, flavor affinities/matching, and more. Brilliant! For example, if you have a bunch of chestnuts and don't know what to do with them it suggests ingredients from Armagnac to sweet Marsala, but recommends avoiding berries. Flavor affinities for chestnuts include bacon and fennel or orange and pear, to name just a couple. Call- outs are also given to famous chefs and how they use that particular ingredient. Such as Gina DePalma, pastry chef at Babbo, who created a Chestnut Spice Cake With Mascarpone Cream. Simply put, The Flavor Bible is an inspiring must-have for your kitchen! Even if you don't write about food. Comments: Tracy January 28, 2009 oooo....Sheri...... This looks great!!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Foodista on the Radio By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: January 29, 2009 Last Saturday we had the pleasure of being invited to join Chef's Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau on their weekly cooking radio show In the Kitchen. For those not familiar with this duo, they are a couple of very accomplished chef/restaurateurs/authors (Tom's also an Iron Chef Winner) who love food so much, they spend every Saturday evening in a radio studio talking about it. We had a fun and wide ranging conversation about everything from boneless turkey to recipe intellectual property law (more on that to come). Click here to download the show. Comments: Alisa January 29, 2009 Yay for Foodista! The Limoncello recipe's one of my favorite too. And I think Barnaby was pretty cool. Seth I heard! Your life partner is so smart, and I love his goatee. Tracy Great job kids - can't wait to hear round-two of the great turkey debate!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Secret Recipes By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: January 29, 2009 Years ago there was a Friends episode where Monica was guarding a secret family chocolate chip cookie recipe...handed down from grandma on a yellowed note card. But it turned out that it was the one on the back of the bag for Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies! Even though “secret recipes” are as old as time, at Foodista, we believe there is great value in openness and sharing. Since we encourage our users to contribute recipes, below are some simple information resources to help you understand some of the legal doctrines regarding recipes and intellectual property. Copyright Can a recipe be copyrighted? In short, no. Recognizing this is a common question, the U.S. Government created a special page on the Copyight Office Website . Here’s an excerpt: “Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds, or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. However, when a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection. Protection under the copyright law (title 17 of the United States Code , section 102 ) extends only to ‘original works of authorship’ that are fixed in a tangible form (a copy). ‘Original’ means merely that the author produced the work by his own intellectual effort, as distinguished from copying an existing work. Copyright protection may extend to a description, explanation, or illustration, assuming that the requirements of the copyright law are met.” (Visited January 29, 2009) So the basic components of a recipe, ingredients and the preparation method, cannot be copyrighted. Furthermore, the “substantial literary expression” and “original works of authorship” standard is hard to meet for many recipes since they tend to describe commonly understood cooking techniques. Read more about Copyright at Wikipedia. Patents On the surface, it seems most appropriate form of intellectual property protection for recipes would be a patent, but proving you invented a recipe would be difficult given how long people have been putting foods together and cooking them! Read more about Patents at Wikipedia. Trade Secrets Another way to protect intellectual property is through Trade Secrets. Rather than publishing an invention or creation, individuals keep them a secret and get anyone they share with to agree to keep it a secret by contract. Some of the most famous examples of trade secrets are the recipes for Coca-Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “Eleven Herbs and Spices.” So it would be illegal for some who has been given access by those companies, under a non-disclosure agreement to share them, but if you figured out the ingredients and process independently in a lab, you would be free to share. Read more about Trade Secrets at Wikipedia. Other interesting areas of law related to the use, modification, and publication of recipes are (links go to related Wikipedia pages): Fair Use Copyleft Public Domain Digital Millennium Copyright At Foodista, we have adopted a Creative Commons License that gives everyone free and broad rights to reuse content from Foodista. We also encourage everyone to give credit where credit is due. Above all, we do not condone the violation of anyone’s rights. NOTE: I am not a lawyer, the above analysis is my own understanding of these issues after a lot of reading, but should not be considered professional legal advice. Comments: guitars February 5, 2011 Keep focusing on your blog. I love how we can all express our feelings. This is an extremely great blog here

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Panko Crusted Cod By: Sheri Wetherell Published: January 30, 2009 I love my job. I get to talk and write about food all day. I can spend hours chopping, slicing, dicing, stirring, then carefully plating, styling, photographing my creations. But sometimes, like many of us, I get home and simply lack the energy to create a delicious meal, despite my earlier-in-the-afternoon daydream about the fabulous meal I would whip up once I was back in my kitchen. Last night was one of those nights. And to top it off I knew any cooking would then require cleaning - something I just wasn't up to.  The perfect solution? Oven-baked fish. Healthier than pan-fried, no grease splatter on your stove and only one dish to wash. We took out our fresh Pacific cod, grabbed some panko and mixed in a little seasoning from a new-to-me company Amazing Taste. The various seasonings, which also happen to be Amazingly Inexpensive, can be used as marinades or rubs and we chose the rub direction. We decided on the Malibu blend of black pepper, onion, garlic and paprika; a nice combination for our fish. We coated the top of the fish with the seasoned panko and threw the pan in the oven. With the quick addition of some lemon zest and a big green salad on the side we had ourselves a meal! Easy and delicious. Just what I needed after a long day (I even managed to clean the pan). Comments: Donna in VA February 6, 2009 Awh, thanks for stopping by my site. This baked cod sounds fabulous. And I'm ALL about some quick and easy after a long day. The one pan to clean got my attention too. Doing dishes is the only downside to cooking.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Raw Asparagus Salad By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 1, 2009 It's Super Bowl Sunday! Which usually means a gluttonous dose of spicy chicken wings, greasy BBQ meatballs, and cheesy nachos. If you're looking for some healthier options this year, or just want to add some fresh vegetables to the mix, this asparagus salad is sure to score a touchdown. I know raw asparagus doesn't fall in the conventional football food category, but give this underdog a chance. If you like asparagus cooked, you'll love it raw! It's sweet, delicate and crisp - and best of all it won't give you heartburn like those chicken wings. Simply julienne the spears (or slice them in ribbons with a vegetable peeler), toss them in a light vinaigrette, and pile high on a plate. If nothing else people will try it out of sheer curiosity. I bet they'll like it too. For the recipe go to Foodista. Comments: Rosebud February 1, 2009 Sounds delicious, and great photo, Mr. B. Abby @ mangerlaville I love the idea of a fresh almost shaved asparagus salad. You could do a citrus vinaigrette or a bacon one (I guess that would add in all the fat you tried to eliminate for super bowl). I think superbowl just means "food day" plain and simple. The Wind Attack I just bought a whole bunch of asparagus on a whim... now I will need to try this. Great picture! Liz What a great idea!! :) Fat Free Dressing Sounds awesome! Can't wait to try it. M\ This looks delicious! I’m not a raw vegan, but I’m trying to incorporate more raw veggies into my diet. I’m also a bit of a hummus addict, so this seems like it could help with that a little! Thanks for sharing. I’m adding this to my raw veggie recipe link party: http://hideousdreadfulstinky.blogspot.com/2010/07/rawking-raw.html If you (or anyone who reads this) have any more links to share, please feel free to do so Marigold Gah! Sorry about the last post-I am trying to tell several people that I've posted their recipes to y blog while holding a kicking 2-year-old and I published this before I revised my cut-n-paste comment :( Anyway, what I *wanted* to say is that I love asparagus, but have never tried it raw. This looks so simple and delicious. I have posted it to my raw veggie link party: http://hideousdreadfulstinky.blogspot.com/2010/07/rawking-raw.html Found you via foodgawker :) Bonos de Poker ... buenos su blog es muy bueno, buen espacio hay gustad mucho!:) Adios excusa mi mal espanol!Sólo te falta una herramienta de traducción el resto tudo ok!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

The School of Essential Ingredients By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 2, 2009 Put down what you were doing, grab a glass of wine or cup of tea, take a cleansing deep breath, and have a seat. Are you with me? Good. We all need to slow it down a bit more now and then, don't we? Now let me tell you about a wonderful book I just finished, then I want you to read it too. You'll thank me for telling you about it.  It's one of those books that you just don't want to end. The kind that makes you want to slowly relish in the flavor of a perfectly ripe and beautiful tomato or stand at the stove and lovingly stir a pot of polenta. That book is The School of Essential Ingredients, written by Seattle author Erica Bauermeister. The story is about Lillian, a 30ish chef and restaurateur who teaches a series of evening cooking classes. Her desire is to inspire in her students a love and respect for both food and life. We follow the lives of eight students who, for various reasons, come to take Lillian's class. Soon you'll find yourself  hoping the smells of her kitchen will waft through your book or wishing you could hold the hand of a heartbroken husband. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to sit with Erica and talk about her wonderful book, food and cooking, the joy of preparing and sharing a good meal with those we love, and life in Italy - a place where both of us have lived. What I learned from her is this: time is the essential ingredient, something we should savor, love and respect. As Lillian says, "...every meal you eat, you eat time - the weeks it takes to ripen a tomato, the years it takes to grow a fig tree. And every meal you cook is time out of your day..." I'll certainly be relishing in my food from now on! Erica shares with us a recipe from one of Lillian's students, Tom, who learned from her how the simple making of a pasta sauce from scratch can heal the heart. Tom's Pasta Sauce 2 T olive oil 1/2 chicken bouillon cube (Knorr - the large, soft kind)) 1 cup onion, chopped 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1 lb ground Italian sausage 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup red wine 28 oz can whole tomatoes (drained) 1 cup tomato sauce (more if you want) salt pepper grated parmesan cheese (optional) penne pasta (for eight servings) In a large saute pan, heat olive oil on low heat until bubbles form.  Crush the half bouillon cube into the oil and mix thoroughly, then saute onion for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute until translucent.  Add ground sausage and cook under medium heat until meat is no longer pink.  Add milk and simmer until absorbed.  (Don’t worry if it looks strange at first; it will mellow the wine and make for a wonderful, lush sauce.)  Add wine, simmer under low heat until absorbed.   Drain can of whole tomatoes, then crush in a Cuisinart or chop finely by hand.  Add tomatoes and tomato sauce to meat.  Salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low heat for 1-3 hours, covered if you want a rich, but slightly thinner sauce,  uncovered if you want a thicker sauce and the smell to roam through your house. Place penne pasta in large pot of boiling water.  Cook until al dente.  Drain and place in large serving bowl.   Ladle sauce over pasta; top with grated parmesan cheese if desired. Yield: 8 servings NOTE: if you're lucky enough to be in the Seattle area you can find Erica at the following book signing event. I highly recommend it! WIDE WORLD BOOKS Tuesday, February 3 7:00 PM 4411 Wallingford Avenue North #A Seattle, WA 98103 Talk, Q&A and Signing Comments: sanofi brand ac... Well-mannered position! Tot up to favorite

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Misdiagnosed Food Allergies In Kids By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 3, 2009 Photo: EuroMagic I was getting ready this morning and half listening to the Today Show when I heard the discussion of misdiagnosed food allergies in children. My niece and nephews (as well as their parents!) have been put through the food allergy wringer, so I put my mascara down and listened. I've always wondered why so many children these days seem to have a litany of allergies. The Center for Disease Control says food allergies in children has increased 18% in the last decade. So what is going on? Part of the blame is on misdiagnosis, which doctors now say is on the rise. According to New York Times online article Telling Food Allergies From False Alarms, "the culprit appears to be the widespread use of simple blood tests for antibodies that could signal a reaction to food. The tests have emerged as a quick, convenient alternative to uncomfortable skin testing and time-consuming “food challenge” tests, which measure a child’s reaction to eating certain foods under a doctor’s supervision." And, while blood tests can point out potentially risky foods they can often result in false positives, and the body's immune response can be both over- and underestimated. Blood tests can also be unreliable because they can't distinguish between similar food proteins. For example, if a child is allergic to peanuts they may also get a positive result for beans such as soy, green beans, kidney beans and peas. Likewise for a milk allergy - they may have a positive result to beef. In fact, according to a study by Pediatrics in 2003 a "positive result on a blood allergy test correlated with a real-world food allergy in fewer than half the cases." Dr. David Fleischer, an assistant professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health says a crucial question to ask when diagnosing food allergies is whether the child has tolerated the food in the past, and that “The only true test of whether you’re allergic to a food or not is whether you can eat it and not react to it.” Many serious allergies are obvious, but according to the article, "parents given a positive blood test result should seek advice from an experienced allergist who performs medically supervised food challenge testing. Even when a food allergy has been confirmed, parents should have children retested, because many allergies are outgrown, particularly in the cases of milk, eggs, soy and wheat." I say that's good food for thought. Comments: Greg Bulmash February 3, 2009 We discovered our son's egg allergy when he reacted to a flu shot as a baby. The virus for flu vaccines is incubated in eggs and there was egg protein in the vaccine. This was confirmed by scratch test with an allergist. The allergist said he *could* grow out of it by 3, more likely by 5. He turns 4 this month. We retested him at 3. Not sure if we'll retest this year or wait until 5. We'll probably wait. We were told that the less exposure the child has to an allergen, the more likely they are to outgrow the allergy. Sheri Wetherell Greg, I hope he does outgrow it! As a child I was allergic to cow's milk but fortunately outgrew that, so you never know. My friend's kid also outgrew her wheat allergy, which was fairly severe. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! :) maris Very scary stuff. Knock on wood, I don't have any food allergies but I can't imagine how it would change my life if I did. Thumbbook I can remember growing up thinking allergies were only caused by pollens, or dust.My son at 2yo was diagnosed as allergic to peanuts. He's now 9, and fortunately he outgrew it. His love for peanutbutter was greater than his allergies. barb Isn't it interesting that the eggs in vaccines topic comes up if your child already has an egg allergy. But the egg protein in the vaccine can be the initial exposure to egg protein that causes the food allergy! The rise in food allergies can be explained. It increased when the recommended number of vaccines was increased about 5-6 years ago. Children received: 1960 – 1-2 vaccines 1980 - 8-9 vaccines 1990 - 10 vaccines 2000 - 33 vaccinations 2007 - 48 doses of 14 vaccines by age 6 Vaccines contain an adjuvant that increases the body’s immune response to the protein in the vaccine. Something that the public and most physicians don’t realize is that the adjuvant can contain a trace of food protein. This is a protected trade secret and does not have to appear on the package insert. Soy, sesame, peanut, wheat germ, corn, shellfish, and fish oils are listed as ingredients in the patents. It has been known since 1839 that injections can cause food allergies. Lisa Caran I have been reading up on Genetically Modified (GM) and genetically engineered (GE) foods. Lab tests disclose that eating genetically engineered foods causes many different allergic responses, mostly in children. And this is just the tip of the ice berg. The bad health effects from eating GE and GM foods will not be traceable because the range of symptoms is, well, everything, and 60 to 70 percent of the foods in the stores are GM. Therefore, since the sypltoms will not be traceable to the food supply, this food is VERY dangerous! IF it is not traceable, we will never be able to correct the situation. The labeling standards have been non-existant for GM foods and there is plenty of corruption between big-biotech and the USDA and the FDA.Please read up on the books by Jefferey Smith and visit organicconsumers-dot-org and get in touch with your elected officials and call upon them to strengthen organic labling standards, support organinc farms and reign-in these bio-tech companies who want to own and patent all of life! They are: Monsanto, Sygenta, Bayer Crop Sceince, Cargill and others. Switch to organic NOW before your intestines start producing pesticides! Sheri Wetherell Thanks, Lisa. I absolutely agree! Go organic - it tastes better too :) Dawna Roberts I heard about this from a friend. My Daughter 14 has a lot of anxiety about her fish allergies. Going out to eat is a challenge and travel is too. I really hope her tests are false positive!! I will ask about the challenges, with my allergist. She out grew the shellfish ( go figure, more common) but still high on salmon and trout. So maybe and maybe she just isnt allergic???? to any of it, which would have caused lots of worry and $ for not.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Beef Up Your Cooking Skills on TeachStreet By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 4, 2009 No matter how good we are in the kitchen there are always new things we can learn, right? Perhaps you want to explore Southern Indian or Provincial Italian cooking, or how about the art of cheese making? Mario Batali's father, after retiring from Boeing, went to Italy to study sausage making. How fabulous would that be? People now queue up for his amazing links at Salumi. After reading The School of Essential Ingredients, a wonderful book set in the kitchen of a restaurant, I've been noodling over the idea of taking a cooking class. So I went on TeachStreet to find some classes in my area. Teachstreet is a great site that helps you find cool things you want to learn like Snowboarding, Pilates, Voice Lessons, Adobe, even Citizenship! For us food lovers maybe a course in Wine Appreciation, Knife Skills, or a series in Thai Cuisine. Take a Bartending course and awe your guests with your keen mixology skills!  Or, improve your "food porn" skills by taking a Digital Photography course. On the flip side perhaps you're one of those people who possesses a great skill. You can teach too! Here's how you can share your wealth of knowledge on Teachstreet. Check out courses in your area or simply browse what's being offered. You never know what may spark an interest! Comments: Dave Schappell February 4, 2009 Oh how we love you, Team Foodista! Looking forward to figuring out ways to collaborate -- should make for a tasty combination :-)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Daregal Fresh Frozen Herbs By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 5, 2009 I am constantly buying fresh herbs in those expensive plastic clam shell packs, especially in the winter. And, unfortunately, I usually end up throwing most of them away because I don't use them quickly enough. At $2.50 - $4.00 or more a pack that's a huge waste of money! Then, I was recently introduced to Daregal, a French company that has specialized in herbs since 1887.  What's special about their herbs is that they are all-natural - no preservatives or salt - and frozen fresh within 3 hours of picking. Since herbs lose 75% of their flavor within 24 hours, then sit on the supermarket shelves losing even more flavor, it's great to have a fresh-from-the-garden option. Fresh Frozen From France - say that ten times fast! We have a selection of both Greens and Blends and have loved them all, tasting and smelling as if I just picked them from my yard. The herbs come in convenient shakers that fit perfectly two-deep in your freezer door. Thawing isn't necessary, you just toss (or shake) the already washed and stemmed chopped bits into your dishes. They are ever-so-lightly (you can't even tell) coated with vegetable oil to preserve freshness and so the leaves won't stick together. We've used them all: the basil and oregano in countless Italian dishes, the parsley sprinkled in soups, the cilantro in Vietnamese salad rolls (even frozen, as it quickly thaws!), and I mix the Blends with yogurt to make delicious herb dips and sauces (delicious on chicken or meats!). Leave it to the French to come up with an awesome culinary idea! Since my herb garden failed miserably last year here in Seattle I'm making sure my freezer is well stocked year-round with these herbs. They certainly have saved me money, too! No more tossing out those wilted, slimy store bought ones. I haven't found them in any stores here in Seattle, but you can order them online. Comments: Michele February 5, 2009 That's very interesting. I know trader joe's sends some frozen herbs as well but I haven't tried them yet. Actually, i was just telling someone that i have a ton of frozen parsley in the freezer. My boyfriends mom had a huge plant and it just kept on growing. I wish I would have dried some of it because I don't know what to do with all this parsley. I usually use parsley fresh. Any ideas? jsalvati Please tell us if you ever find it in Seattle. Barnaby Dorfman Chimichurri! By far the best thing I know to do with parsley: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/6FWHXHG4/chimichurriThe Daregel herbs are different than the ones from Trader Joe's in that they are chopped and frozen separately vs. the little cubes of minced and frozen herbs at TJ's. Britt Super useful post. Thanks! Charles Ravndal This is really informative since my herb plants usually die during winter and yes since I usually forget to take them inside the house. Cynthia Thanks for the tip on frozen herbs! I have that same problem with buying those expensive herbs in the clamshell packs. I live in an apartment and don' t have a garden, and I haven't been able to successfully plant herbs on my balcony or windowsill either. These frozen herbs will save me tons of money, thank you so much! carla So do you just use a little then pop the rest back into the freezer before it has time to thaw? Liz I so often find that I need "that special herb" but don't have it, so plan to stock up on these. I hope they offer lemon thyme, one of my faves with lamb. And Carla, I expect the vegetable oil will help the unused ones stay frozen. Miss Shell You can use parsley as a substitute for basil and make a "winter" pesto - it's kind of refresshing

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Eat Colors! By: Betsy Dorfman Published: February 6, 2009 (Another fabulous post from contributor Betsy Dorfman!) "Eat colors!" is just plain good advice. Most meats, starches and carbs are not colorful; chances are if your plate holds an array of bright colors you are eating vegetables and fruits, always a good thing. We're talking natural colors here, not jello or frankenfoods. This mélange of vegetables was the preamble to a vegetarian meal served over rice. Our mix included Bermuda onion, green pepper, eggplant, and both orange and yellow carrots, the latter courtesy of Trader Joe's. I like to julienne the carrots and leave the onion and green pepper strips rather long as they make a nice presentation draped over the rice, and they stay crisper than if chopped fine. The dish would have been more colorful but I held the eggplant too long in the crisper (which we call the rotter) and the purple skin became mottled brown and so was pared away. The eggplant was first precooked in the microwave and was added, as was a can of black beans and two chopped Roma tomatoes, at a later stage. A recipe for the finished dish follows. The amounts of vegetables are arbitrary, depending upon how many mouths you have to feed. Any other vegetable can be added, to your liking. The quantities below fed three adults with lunch portions left over for the next day. Eat Colors mélange: INGREDIENTS 2-3 carrots, peeled and julienned 2 green peppers, pared, seeded, and cut into thin strips 1 large bermuda or other sweet onion (2 if small), peeled and sliced 1 eggplant, cubed and peeled if the skin is tough or bruised 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or put through a grater 1  12 oz can of black beans, unsalted if possible, drained with liquid preserved 2  roma tomatoes, pared and rough chopped. Peel if skins are thick and/or waxed 1/2 half cup of cashew nuts, chopped fine for topping 2 TB olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 2 tsps Ras-al-hanout seasoning, or to your taste. Tandoori seasoning is also a fine option. plain nonfat yogurt for topping 3-4 cups cooked white or brown rice TECHNIQUE Place the cubed eggplant in a microwave safe dish, mix with the minced garlic cloves, cover tightly and microwave on high until softened but not fully cooked, approximately 5-7 minutes. Sauté carrots, peppers, and onion in 2 TB olive oil over medium heat until onion is becoming translucent and the carrots are softening but still al dente. The vegetables should not brown. Add the eggplant and garlic, together with any cooking liquid left in the microwave pan. Add the drained black beans and the chopped tomato and stir to distribute. Stir the ras-al-hanout into 1/2 of the reserved black bean liquid. When blended, add to pan. Cook 3-6 minutes until heated through. If too thick add remaining bean liquid or other liquid. Taste and add salt and pepper, adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over or aside rice with a dollop of yogurt and chopped cashew nuts as topping. Also good served with chutney. Healthy, delicious, and satisfies all the senses!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Homesmoked Steelhead Lox By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: February 7, 2009 I was raised on the Upper Westside of Manhattan and my all time favorite breakfast has always been bagels with lox and cream cheese. Since childhood, favorites purveyors have included Zabar's, Russ and Daughters, and Murray the Sturgeon King. Each had large display cases filled with many types of smoked fish and huge sides of smoked salmon from all over the world. There was Nova, Scotch, Irish, Gaspe, Atlantic, Pacific, and Belly Lox to name a few. This was in the days before mechanical slicing, so the oily bright orange fish was all hand sliced onto wax paper. Not sure what kind you wanted? You would say "I'm looking for a nice piece of fish" and the counter staff, a mix of young Puerto Ricans and older Eastern Jewish immigrants would interview you on your tastes..."you vant salty or not so much?" Then they would slice off paper thin bits for you to taste and decide. Along with picking up bagels (I still prefer H&H Bagels, but won't get into that debate here), cheeses, and specialty teas...this was the Sunday morning religious observation of my youth. Photo: Nate Steiner Now that I live in Seattle, Salmon is plentiful, but lox are scarce. Lox were originally just cured in salt and possibly sugar, though today we think of Lox as being synonymous with "Smoked Salmon." The cold smoking was added later according to the New York Times article: So Pink, So New York. Here in Seattle, by contrast, most of the smoked salmon is hot smoked...which though good, is drier and less delicate in flavor. The other issue I have with much of the available lox is that it comes from farmed Atlantic salmon, which has a host of associated environmental problems. So, what's a nice half-Jewish boy from NY to do? Well, I figured out how to make my own! I decided to start with Farmed Steelhead, which is cultivated in freshwater closed systems preventing damage to the wild stocks. Though a bit smaller, the taste and consistency is very similar to salmon. And, I've been making gravlax for years, which involves a simple cure of salt and sugar combined with dill and onions for additional flavoring. The curing turns the raw flesh from a light opaque orange color with a flaky consistency into the firm translucent and deeper colored meat familiar to lox eaters everywhere. OK, so I knew how to get the texture right, but how to cold smoke was my next challenge. As we all know, where there's smoke, there's fire! I have an electric smoker, which doesn't get as hot as some smoking methods, but it would still cook the fish before it got smoked. To overcome that, I decided to first cure the fish and then freeze it prior to smoking. Though the edges of the fillet did get cooked a bit, once trimmed away, I was left with a side of delicious, buttery, home-smoked lox very much like the fish I remember so well! While the process takes a few days, it's really very easy. Check out my recipe to make your own. Note: In researching this post, I was saddened to come accross the obituary of Murray Bernstein, the West Side Sturgeon King, who passed in 2000. Though I can't say I really knew Murray, his small store will always be special to me. Comments: sean August 28, 2010 I usually always smoke my steelhead that I catch. Very good that way. Great Post, keep it up!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Italian Breadsticks By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 9, 2009 When we were starving college students in Italy (starving because we spent all our money on weekend get-a-ways and clothes at Benetton) my friends and I would sit for hours in one of the little restaurants in the Piazza del Campo and sip caffè lattes and nibble on grissini. In America this would be like going to a coffee shop, ordering the cheapest drink on the menu and eating all the packages of crackers on the table. But in Italy the free "crackers" are better. Much better. The most common type - grissini stirato (straight) - are long, crisp, pinky-finger-width breadsticks that are often found on tabletops in tall glasses.  Grissini were the brain-child of Don Baldo Pecchio who created them for Vittorio Amedeo II, the Duke of Savoy. As a small child the Duke suffered from food poisoning, ironically caused by bread, which at the time was under-baked and thus prone to pathogens. Remembering the small, thin breads his mother made him as a child when he ailed from similar intestinal disfunctions, Don Baldo ordered the Court's master baker to create thin twice-baked sticks. Keeping them thin and twice baking the bread killed any micro-organism, thus making them clean and safe to eat. It's said that these hygienic "miracle" breadsticks cured the Duke, who then grew to become the first Savoy King. Grissini Adapted from a recipe found in Cooking Light, January 2003 1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) 1  cup warm water (100° to 110°) 3  cups bread flour, divided 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt Cooking spray 1  teaspoon water 1  large egg white, lightly beaten 1/2  cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional) 1  tablespoon cracked black pepper 2  teaspoons cornmeal, divided Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky). Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Combine 1 teaspoon water and egg white, stirring with a whisk; brush evenly over dough. Sprinkle dough with cheese and pepper. Lightly coat dough with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Gently press toppings into dough; remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle each of 2 baking sheets with 1 teaspoon cornmeal. Cut dough in half lengthwise to form 2 (12 x 4-inch) rectangles. Cut each of the rectangles crosswise into 12 (1-inch) strips. Working with 1 strip at a time (cover remaining strips to prevent drying), gently roll each strip into a log. Holding ends of log between forefinger and thumb of each hand, gently pull log into a 14-inch rope, slightly shaking it up and down while pulling. (You can also roll each strip into a 14-inch rope on a lightly floured surface.) Place the rope on a prepared pan, curving into a series of shapes so that the rope fits on pan. Repeat procedure with remaining strips, placing 12 on each pan. Lightly coat ropes with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 450°. Comments: Tracy February 10, 2009 va bene - i can see myself at these tables, nibbling, dreaming, flirting with Italian boys..... i'll try to make these this weekend! V-Dog I have made these on the fly (or when I don't want to spend the time making dough) by just rolling out the pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's. The garlic herb one in particular is my favorite! Sara Great looking breadsticks! I love the story behind them, too.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

The French 44 By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 10, 2009 I'd written before about The 44 after being inspired by a March 2008 article about the drink in Saveur. But soon after we packed it up and moved back to Seattle, so I never actually completed the process and thus, had nothing to share with you. Shortly after Christmas - and after our liquor cabinet was depleted from the holiday festivities - I decided to embark on the rum-infusing journey once more and stocked up on the required ingredients. Let's take a little trip down "cordial" lane... The 44 is a popular rum-infused beverage originally made in Madagascar. It gets its name from the process in which its made as well as the number of days it "brews." In the Madagascan version an orange is pierced forty-four times to allow the juices to release, then forty-four coffee beans are shoved into the slits. The orange is then placed in white rum and set to rest for, you got it, forty-four days. I decided to make the French version of this drink, called the Quarante Quatre, which calls for forty-four whole cloves in place of the coffee beans. Within days the color of the rum began to darken and the orange and cloves became more fragrant. We left the jar out on the counter to enjoy the changes in coloration and to every-now-and-then open the lid to smell the sweet aromas. After patiently waiting for forty-four long days we opened the jar and poured ourselves a small cordial. The Quarante Quatre This recipe is so good I recommend doubling it, like we did. 1 liter white rum 1 Navel orange 44 whole cloves 44 teaspoons of sugar (optional) Deeply pierce the orange with a paring knife 44 times. Stuff the cloves into the slits and skin of the orange. Place the orange in a large widemouthed jar (that has a tight seal) and add one liter of white rum. Add 44 teaspoons of sugar, seal and store in a cool dark place for 44 days. Note: we opted for a non-sugar version and it is still very tasty! Comments: Greg Bulmash February 10, 2009 Thinking along these lines, doing limes and vanilla beans in some golden tequila might be really nice. Thumbbook Will it turn bad if it is stored for more than 44 days? Did you remove the orange after? :) Sheri Wetherell I haven't removed the oranges yet because they look so pretty, but I'm going to soon. I doubt leaving them in longer than the 44 days will hurt - I'm assuming the alcohol will just preserve them - however the cloves are falling apart a bit so that may create too much sediment. Greg, I'm going to do the vanilla beans! I also want to experiment with some Asian flavors: star anise, cardamom, etc. Jim Irving Sheri, just finished anxiously awaiting the 44 LONG DAYS for this to infuse. I made the coffee bean version and it was SO tasty. Just started the version with cloves. My question to you, does it need to be stored in the freezer? I currently have mine there and it is freezing up. Not solid, but very icy and slushing. Can it be saved in the refrigerator instead? Thank you for your wonderful post and recipe! Sheri Wetherell Hi Jim! Congrats on your first batch! It's so tasty, isn't it? I don't think you even need to refrigerate it. We never have. We just store it in the liquor cabinet. Let me know how the orange version ends up! Cheers and enjoy!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Mushroom And Rice Soup By: Betsy Dorfman Published: February 11, 2009 The genesis of this soup was a trip to Costco, our first in a long time, resulting in wide eyes and a cart full of mega packages of delicious things to be used up...somehow. Even with three adults on the eating roster, that pound and a half container of lovely Italian brown mushrooms was going to last awhile. Then suddenly it was a rainy Sunday -- soup weather! I came up with this recipe after cobbling together ideas from several cookbooks. I am not a big fan of over thickened floury "cream" soups or those testing the arterial limits with scads of butter and cream. So for shortening I used a combination of non-hydrogenated margarine and grapeseed oil. Where traditional recipes called for thickening with cream or with a true butter based béchamel, I used a microwaved white sauce with a base of skim milk. The huge volume of flavorful mushrooms is what made this all work. INGREDIENTS 1 lb fresh Italian brown or other mushrooms, washed, stems removed, chopped medium fine 1/2 cup white or yellow onion, chopped fine 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine 4 Tbs tbs non-hydrogenated unsalted margarine (or substitute butter) 3 Tbs mild cooking oil such as grapeseed, olive oil not recommended 1 C skim milk 2 tbs white flour 4 cups chicken stock, unsalted or low salt 1 C cooked brown rice salt and pepper TECHNIQUE Heat 3 Tbs of margarine and 3 Tbs of oil in large heavy saucepan or stock pot Add garlic, onions and mushrooms Sauté for 15 minutes adjusting heat as needed to keep contents from browning Sprinkle with 1 Tb flour, stir in, then add 4 cups of stock Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer for 20 minutes Make 1 cup of thin white sauce in microwave as follows: melt 1 Tb margarine in microwave safe bowl Stir in 1 Tb flour and mix to a paste Heat 30-60 seconds in microwave until the mixture looks grainy - do not let this brown! Add 1 C skim milk and whisk until incorporated Heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes, stopping to stir occasionally, the sauce should come to a boil as this helps cook and remove the "floury" taste NOTE: you could skip this step and instead use cream or half and half Add white sauce to soup pot, stir, and heat through Stir in the cup of brown rice (optional, but adds nice body) and heat to just below simmer Taste and add salt and pepper as needed Serve and get ready to receive compliments! Comments: Thumbbook February 11, 2009 Hi! I noticed in this recipe that you recommend using grapeseed oil. What is the difference of using grapeseed from olive oil? My friends and I are curious about the different oils in the supermarket, but we are too scared to try something we dont know more about. Great recipe! Betsy Dorfman Really any bland vegetable oil would be fine. I happened to have grapeseed on hand. The olive oil I generally use is a pretty fruity type so I recommended against it. But using it would not ruin the recipe. If you are going to start experimenting with oils I suggest you skip the supermarket as many of the more exotic oils may have been on the shelf for awhile. Many specialty and gourmet shops allow you to taste before you buy -- great fun and definitely takes the scary out of the process! Thanks for commenting. Seth Check out Grapeseed oil on the main site. Ahh, Foodista. Tracy Hmmmmm.... This sounds Delish!!! I will try this over the cold weekend! t Anonymous Okay - I'm making this on Saturday! Thanks for the post, Betsy! Anne grete rasmussen super

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Culinary Legend James Beard By: Seth Knight Published: February 13, 2009 (Editor's note: We're thrilled to welcome New York-based food lover, Seth Knight, as a contributing editor to Foodista.) If you have ever watched the Food Network, added herbs to a whole chicken, used olive oil, or hell, eaten out in the last 50 years, you must take a moment to give thanks to James Beard, the father and patron saint of American cooking. Beard understood the American palate preferred something familiar but also yearned for new and exciting all at the same time. Recently, I attended a symposium in New York City hosted by The New School celebrating the life of this food industry giant (literally, he was 6’4), and I found myself longing be a part of the club; whose members were taught by and touch by “Jim.” James Beard was born in 1903 in Portland, Oregon and was raised by his mother who ran a boardinghouse.  Beard was a sickly young child and it was then that he was able to experience the joy of food though his mother and their Chinese cook. He was often fed chicken jelly, a mixture of chicken broth, with the whites of an egg and its shell mixed, chilled and strained into gelatinous globs. James would later reminisce that “The Chinese have the perfect palate.” Beard indeed remembered every meal he ate with extreme detail and clarity, which spurred his ability to create in the kitchen. After failed attempts to become an Opera singer and Broadway actor, James opened a catering business Hors D’Oeuvre Inc in 1937. It was then he also wrote his first book Hors D’Oeuvres and Canapés. His book went against America’s growing addiction to “fast, easy and cheap.” Science had replaced fresh picked berries with JELL-O and homemade bread took a backseat to Bisquick. Beard’s books were the first to cross from a list of ambiguous instructions to a narrative. Betty Fussell, author of The Story of Corn recalled, “He was the middle man. Jim bridged my eighth grade home economics class and the select gourmets of the world. His books were “straight-talk” and were written the way Americans spoke.  And they were personal, as if to say, If I could do it, so can you…And now we’ll do it together.” She continued, “He was also from the west, a cowboy…so he cooked with that adventurous spirit.” According to Cinema Studies Professor Dana Polan, James Beard also sought to extend the pleasure of cooking beyond the housewife. As the host of the first stand-alone cooking show “I Love to Eat,” his primetime segment would encourage “man duties” such as stuffing a raw chicken or grilling. He even suggested that men be in charge for garnishing dishes, for they are the best decorators (we’ll get to that later). James Beard was a born teacher and loved having people around.  Judith Jones, who worked with everyone from Langston Hughes to Julia Child remembered, “Jim loved to get together with aspiring cooks and get close and instruct them. He would run to the telephone and field calls from women in Iowa, and instruct them on how to calibrate their ovens. And if anyone ever questioned the direction he was talking the recipe, he’d say, “We’re Americans, we can do as we please.” The always outspoken food writer extraordinaire Barbra Kafka, summed-up James Beard the best, saying, “Jim was gay! A lot of people fail to mention that. He was uncompromisingly gay, as was everything he did. His books were uncompromising, his life was honest, and his cooking was real.” Comments: Greg Bulmash February 13, 2009 What a weird note to end on. If you were writing about Emeril, would the last paragraph emphasize that he was straight? Not saying his homosexuality had no place in the bio. It's part of who he was. But *ending* on that note takes away from all his other accomplishments and leaves "gay" and "uncompromising" as they key words someone takes away. It just sets the wrong ending tone for the article and made it quite possibly one of the worst-written pieces of journalism I've encountered in quite some time. Mandy Evans Nice article, Seth. Thanks. Sheri Wetherell Greg, I think you missed Seth's point and feel he did a wonderful job in honoring a great man and his life. I think being "uncompromisingly gay" is fabulous! In fact, I love him more for it! :) I'd call it a fine way to end an article. Maggie_L SceneAdvisor.com has a story about the James Beard Award nominations (or semi-finalists?) for 2009. Not the best round-up or piece of journalism known to man, but at least they're trying... I'm surprised the author of this post didn't mention the awards. I'm not saying that Mr. Beard wasn't a great guy who accomplished a lot, I'm just saying, these awards are a huge part of his legacy.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

His and Hers Molten Chocolate Cakes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 14, 2009 What is sexier than yummy gooey chocolate? I've always loved molten chocolate cake - partly because of the oh-my-this-is-so-flippin'-good factor, as well as its neat little individual size.  I got this Molten Chocolate Cake recipe from Marco Barisione's Weblog and decided to jazz it up a bit with a little something special. I want Grand Marnier added to mine and Barnaby wants Scotch. Since they're made in little ramekins it's easy to customize, thus making your honey happy on Valentine's Day! All you do is pour the batter into the ramekins, add 1-2 tablespoons of the liquor of your choice (depending on the size of the ramekin and according to your personal taste), give it a little stir and bake as instructed. If this dessert doesn't make you feel sassy, I don't know what will! Happy Valentine's Day! Click here for the  recipe. Comments: maris February 15, 2009 These look soo good! I love that they're customizable, makes them so unique. carla This reminds me do you have a place for us to put our favorite recipes? This would be one of mine. Sheri Wetherell Hi Carla! We're working on that feature. We'll let you know when it's live :) Sophie This cake looks so lovely &amp; divine! MMMMMMmmmmm...

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Flickr Creative Commons By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: February 15, 2009 When we launched Foodista last December we included thousands of photos from the Flickr Creative Commons image matched to our Food, Cooking Technique, Kitchen Tool, and Recipe pages. As part of our commitment to open and shared intellectual property, we have also been contributing under the Attribution License since we started blogging and taking our own food photos. To extend that commitment, we are now posting back all user uploaded images to the Creative Commons. Each picture you upload will  automatically be added to Flickr, linked to the page where you uploaded it and tagged with your Foodista user name. We have a big list of features in development, check it out here and let us know if we are missing something you would really like to see. Here are some of the latest photos we have passed along: www.flickr.com

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Noodles With Prawns And Snow Peas By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 16, 2009 What kind of food lover am I?! I completely missed Chinese New Year this year!  Next year I swear I'll do better (and it's on Valentine's Day, so I know I won't miss it). I had these wonderfully grandiose plans to create an exotic multi-course meal, each dish symbolic and auspicious and all that good stuff. But alas, we'd just returned from the Sundance Film Festival with nasty colds and, unable to taste nary a thing, we wanted nothing but chicken soup for days. So in order to pay homage to any deities that I may have scorned during the celebrations I thought I would whip up some semblance of a respectful noodle dish. Let me preface by saying I know nothing-nada-niente about Chinese cooking. I am, as the expression goes, whiter than white on rice. I will unabashedly admit that for a layman I am somewhat brilliant when it comes to Japanese fare, but Chinese - nope, not at all. So if you're Chinese please keep that in mind and forgive my feeble attempts at your lovely cuisine. Let's call it Fusion Chinese or something to save face. Jaden from Steamy Kitchen (one of my most fave blogs) inspired me to make noodles, a symbol of long life, with her Garlic Scallion Noodles dish. I grabbed what I had on hand in my fridge and threw together this tasty dish.  I sauteed a bunch of crushed garlic and ginger, then tossed in the vegetable noodles. I added a bit of oyster and hoisin sauce and a splash of toasted sesame oil. In a separate skillet I sauteed the snow peas, then the prawns. I made a little nest of the noodles, lined it with the snow peas and laid the prawns on top. I garnished the dish with a bit of black sesame seeds and we were ready to eat! Comments: Michelle February 18, 2009 That looks delicious! Tan Beautiful pic posted and sound delicious! Brenda's Barbec... This looks like a great recipe. I can't wait to try it. I look forward to more of your recipes.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Personal Recipes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 17, 2009 Photo: Charkesw We've got our noses to the grindstone working hard to make things even more fun for you at Foodista! Our newest feature is the ability to make a recipe Personal - meaning no one but you can edit it or make changes. We still believe it's valuable for a recipe to be editable - and, honestly, we've found that most changes are simply to correct spelling or make other minor adjustments that don't fundamentally change the recipe -  but if you want to add your Grandma's super-special pie recipe or you created a blow-your-socks-off casserole and don't ever want it to change, make it Personal! Here's how to do it: when you add a recipe simply select "Personal Recipe - Only I can Edit" before you click "Save". Only you will be able to make edits (except for Foodista editors), however, once you make a recipe Personal, there's no turning back, so make sure you really want to do it! Pretty nifty, huh? Comments: carla saunders February 18, 2009 Yea!!!!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Grilled Vegetables By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 18, 2009 Our poor barbecues. During the warmer months they barely have a chance to cool down before we're firing them up again. Then, before you know it the weather changes and the grill sits cold and lonely outside wondering where the love was lost (I have a strange habit of giving inanimate things feelings). Many of us don't think to barbecue in Winter - because, really, who likes to freeze their butt off while flipping steaks in the snow? - but grilling vegetables is quick, easy and requires only a couple of fast trips outside to check on their progress. And it's so worth having beautifully colorful and delicious grilled veggies in February! We sliced up a few zucchini lengthwise and quartered, top to bottom, some sweet onions. We tossed the onions with a bit of olive oil and placed them in a grilling basket. Then, we brushed both sides of the zucchini with olive oil and placed them in a row on the grill. Beside them we laid a few red and yellow peppers, closed the lid and let the trio do their thing. After a couple of minutes we tossed the onions in their basket, flipped the zukes, and rotated the peppers. Once the zucchini and onions

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Irish Soda Bread By: Betsy Dorfman Published: February 20, 2009 We asked our daughter to bring us back just ONE food item from New York City on a recent visit: Irish soda bread from Zabar's deli on the upper west side of Manhattan. The soda bread isn't even on their bread menu, but they keep some under the counter for those in the know. If the nice elderly Jewish ladies with the sharp elbows and pile driver handbags allow you to approach the counter at all. In this case they did, and she brought us a treasured loaf. Heaven. Lightly toasted with a schmear of whatever your cholesterol count is allowing you to have on your bread these days: even better. But is it traditional? According to the Society for Preservation of Irish Soda Bread - the answer is a definitive no. Not only does the Zabar's version have raisins, but it also appears to our taste buds to be made with at least some rye flour and has a definite rye/caraway Jewish NYC vibe. Not that we're complaining. In our family the favored versions have always had raisins, so we will likely continue our heathen ways and add such contraband to our loaves. As for the Irish whisky, orange zest, jalapenos and other "mix ins" the Society finds so disturbing, we'll ingest those separately, beginning with the whisky. Comments: Navita February 21, 2009 Soda bread...sounds yum! will try tht. Brenda's Barbec... Sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for the tip on asking for it even though it's not on the menu.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Seaweed Caviar By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 21, 2009 I was perusing the seafood section at Uwajimaya the other day when I spied the sample table. I edged closer and saw that it was caviar. Caviar! Now that's the kind of sample table I can hang around! Barnaby handed me a cracker piled high with jet black goodness and I tasted. Delicious! But wait, it's not quite caviar. What is it? It definitely had the taste of the sea, but not as briny as I was expecting with caviar. That's because it wasn't caviar. At least not in the traditional sense. It was seaweed caviar! It's called Cavi-Art, and it's the brilliant result of molecular gastronomy, which basically means scientifically transforming an ingredient. In this case (and this is purely my guess as I'm not trained in molecular gastronomy), liquid seaweed that has been transformed into tiny pods - a.k.a. caviar. Cool!! Whether you're vegan, want to try something new, or just don't want to drop the coin on caviar, this is the perfect alternative. It also has a long shelf-life, doesn't need to be refrigerated and can be used in hot and cold dishes. Best of all, it's healthy (low-fat, low-salt and cholesterol free) and environmentally sustainable, as it doesn't contribute to the depletion of fish stocks and only a small percent of the seaweed growth is harvested each year. We purchased the black lumpfish Cavi-Art, but it also comes in red and yellow lumpfish as well as salmon Cavi-Art. Check out their website for some delicious sounding recipes. So far we've just been piling it on crackers with a bit of crème fraîche. Comments: Navita February 22, 2009 Cavi Art...need to try it!! Greg Bulmash Contacted Cavi-Art to see where they were for sale near me, here in the wilds of Mukilteo/Everett. They said the Food Emporium at the start of the Mukilteo Speedway carried their stuff, but the only kind I could find there was the red kind. Does anyone know if the different colors have different flavor profiles to make them more like the real caviar they're supposed to resemble or if they're all the same flavor with different pretty colors? Sheri Wetherell We only tried the black lumpfish caviar, but I've heard that the other colors are made to resemble the "real thing." caviar I guess we've got to put some sort of use to all that seaweed, right? This sounds really interesting. Does it taste...seaweedish? Mica I have been searching for that in the Netherlands! This looks sooo delicious and make great gourmet gifts for Christmas! Aston you can buy seaweed caviar from http://www.seaweedcaviar.fr and it is vegetarian and without preservatives. Russian Cuisine Buy russian caviar online, wholesale or retail, from the supplier in Russia. Here, you can find the best russian types of caviar and the quality is guaranteed Russian Cuisine Buy russian caviar online, wholesale or retail, from the supplier in Russia. Here, you can find the best russian types of caviar and the quality is guaranteed, www.russian-cuisine.com

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chicken Tagine With Preserved Lemons And Olives By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 22, 2009 Chicken is one of those foods I like to refer to as "blank slate" foods. It takes on a multitude of flavors wonderfully, as in this dish, and is equally delicious simply roasted with lemon and salt. Best of all, chicken isn't a bank-breaker, is easily stretched into multiple meals (make chicken stock for soup!), and most of us like it - so I'd call that a win-win. One of my favorite ways to prepare chicken is a Moroccan-style tagine. With a melange of spices - from saffron to cinnamon - coupled with the salty sourness of preserved lemons and olives, this dish is pure comfort food at its best! Serve it up with saffron rice or cous cous with toasted pine nuts. Chicken Tagine With Preserved Lemons And Olives 1 whole large chicken, cut into 8 pieces 5 tablespoons olive oil 1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon saffron Kosher salt ½ pound onions, chopped 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon turmeric ¼ cup Mediterranean-style olives, pitted 3 small preserved lemons Click here for the full recipe. Comments: Sara February 22, 2009 This looks amazing! I love preserved lemons, they add so much flavor to dishes.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Italian Panini By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 23, 2009 Photo: pink_fish13 I return home from work (hungry), check the mailbox and find my newest issue of Gourmet magazine. There on the cover is a delicious grilled sandwich bulging with juicy ham, its bread toasted to crisp perfection. When I flip through the pages (which, by the way, reading a food mag is never a good idea to do when you are hungry) I am reminded of the sandwiches we used to get in Siena, Italy. After school my girlfriends and I would head to Bar Centrali for panini and cokes (okay, sometimes wine). When I first arrived in Italy I could barely speak a lick of Italian, but I quickly mastered the art of ordering my "panino." "Prosciutto crudo, fontini é fungi con salsa rosa é salsa verde, per favore!" Raw cured ham, fontina cheese, mushrooms with red and green sauce grilled to perfection on a big fancy panini grill. I'm still not really sure what the red and green sauces were (tomato- and pesto-esque), but they were divine in their mystery. Best of all, I felt oh so Italian when I placed the order! I ate that same sandwich almost daily for six months straight. Whether I ate the same version because I was so in love with it (completely) or just scared to learn a new string of ingredients (probably) I'll never quite know (or admit). Oh, so young, so naive! If I were there again I'd be ordering a different panino each day. Choosing from amongst the cured meats and cheeses that hung over the bar. I've never been able to reproduce that same panino, and I don't think I actually want to, as the memory of that one great panino would somehow be sullied. I will always miss that sandwich, though not nearly as much as I miss the time spent with my wonderful girlfriends. Nothing comes close to either. Comments: Nina February 24, 2009 It is true you really can't recreate that Panino and I've tried many times (minus the fungi). But I totally agree I'm not sure I would want to and risk disrupting those memories of Bar Centrali, wonderful girlfriends, Baiyles on the rocks and cute Italian Boys. Oh to be 20 again! Stefano Gostei muito do blog. Excelente!!!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Ceviche de Pulpo By: Sheri Wetherell Published: February 26, 2009 We don't eat much octopus in the U.S., which frankly is a darn shame. My guess is that we shy away from it because of its large tentacles, something that can be daunting. But fear not! The way I look at it is this: if you can cut up a whole chicken, you can cook a small octopus! Just think of it as yet another culinary adventure! When octopus is prepared properly it is tender, delicate and delicious - though, admittedly, when not, it's like chewing on erasers. The trick is to cook it slowly for a long period of time until the flesh is tender and succulent. One of my favorite dishes is ceviche de pulpo. Once the octopus (pulpo in Spanish) has been thoroughly cooked it is then marinated for a few hours (or overnight) in citrus juices and salt. When mixed with diced red onions, cilantro and a bit of avocado it is pure delight! The best thing about any ceviche is it lasts a few days in the fridge - only getting better and better as it marinates in the limey juices. Perfect for a warm weather al fresco dinner or a lovely lunch in the sun. Click here for the recipe and more on Ceviche de Pulpo: Comments: Navita February 27, 2009 avocados are my fav...moreso bcoz i love their color...lovely click :) mkegirl isn't this more of an escovitch than a ceviche since the octopus is cooked first? Barnaby Dorfman My sense is that "Escovitch" and "Ceviche" are both derivatives of "Escabeche," which is popular in Spain and usually involves fish that has been marinated in vinegar...though it's usually cooked in advance and includes other vegetables. Where I think of Ceviche differing is in the substitution of lime juice for vinegar. I've found "Ceviche de Pulpo" on menus in restaurants on both coasts of Mexico and the preparation has been basically the same as the recipe listed here. Once I got a mixed ceviche with some raw octopus in that was almost inedible...the lime juice seemed to do nothing to it. Even the Japanese cook most octopus before eating in sushi! B.C.Green I am doing my Spanish project on this!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chilaquiles By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 1, 2009 I don't quite remember where or when I discovered chilaquiles, but it was many years ago in Mexico and I remember thinking (or more likely exclaiming out loud), "Tortilla chips for breakfast? I love this country!" Chilaquiles is a typical Mexican dish served at breakfast or brunch. It's known as the "poor man's breakfast" because it's made from leftovers, namely tortilla chips. Chips or strips (or totopos) of corn tortillas are layered in a dish and smothered in sauce, typically either green (made with tomatillos) or red, and simmered until the chips are soft. It is then topped with grated cotija cheese (similar to feta or ricotta salata but less salty) and crema (like sour cream), and is sometimes served with chicken, refried beans and/or eggs. For an easy Chilaquiles recipe click here. Comments: maris March 1, 2009 Tortilla chips for breakfast? All you need is guacamole and you've got my new favorite meal :) TikiPundit There's a place about 3/4 mile from my house, that does this incredible green chile sauce on top of chilaquiles. I've got to meet the cook. This is one seriously refined sauce, like the cook mixed CIA training with growing up in Chihuahua. Seth My roommate and I just made this..but the poor college student version of course: El pato, tortillas, whatever cheese was mold-free, and some unclaimed eggs.. Que Delicioso! Kevin Those look really tasty!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Red Onion Salsa By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 2, 2009 I used to be nearly "spicy intolerant" - meaning, I could barely look at a jalapeno pepper without my eyes watering. Now I crave spicy foods and dump chipotle salsa in copious quantities on my food. There's a Mexican expression, "Si no pica, no es comida," which translates to "If it doesn't burn, it isn't food."  We're in Mexico and we always ask for the "salsa picante" because the stuff they usually put out for tourists is mild at best. This time, in front of us was placed a salsa I'd never had before - one made entirely of red onion and no tomatoes. And lots of habanero! We're talking lips-melt-off-your-face hot! But it was refreshingly good in all its spicy bad assness. I've not been able to find a recipe, but have done my best to deconstruct it. The onions were slightly pickled by lime juice, which married well with the spiciness of the habanero. If you want a little less heat substitute jalapenos instead. Click here for the recipe.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chocolate Dipped Palmiers By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 3, 2009 Oh how I love palmiers! Their delicate and flaky layers, their bits of caramelized sugar...and to make them even more naughtily delicious, dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts! Mon dieu. So many French pastries, so little time. Best of all, these little "palm leaves" are a snap to make (if you're not making your puff pastry from scratch). In less than one hour you can bring a little bit of Paris to your guests in the form of these petite sweets. Go to Foodista for the easy recipe. Comments: Nina March 4, 2009 wow! You actually make these? I thought I was doing well when I brought home the girl scout cookies. I have to say the caramel delites are my favorite. Speaking of which I better open another box. Ok maybe next time I will try to make my own puff pastry. Rosebud They are so delicious! We ate them all the time in Zihua. Not chocolate dipped, however. They would even be better. Donna Saw this on photograzing.. Just had to tell yuo how Gorgeous these are!! They look so pretty and I bet they are delicious!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Cocoa Nibs By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 5, 2009 In the far corner of my grandma's kitchen, below the telephone and in the bottom drawer, is where my grandma stored all her old aprons. Most of them were the ones that tied around the waist, some of them the kind you wouldn't really cook in they were so nice (like the sheer and frilly organza one), some I think were made by my great-grandmother. Whenever I was at my grandma's house I'd make a beeline for that drawer and spend hours tying all the aprons around my waist to make a big poufy skirt. I'd twirl and twirl and twirl. Sometimes my grandma would tell me to choose one apron and come help her in the kitchen. I'd sit on the shiny red vinyl stool at the big wooden island and wait patiently for instructions. I remember one such day when we were about to bake. She'd go in and out of her pantry and place what seemed to me countless ingredients on the island: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Then, the biggest bar of chocolate I'd ever seen. Mind you, I must have been around four or five years old and at that moment my grandma seemed like Willy Wonka. She saw the look in my eyes (she raised five daughters, she knew the look) and said to me,"That's baking chocolate, honey, it's not sweet." I didn't listen and the next time she turned her back for another pantry trip I bent down and scraped my little teeth on the big bar of chocolate. "Eeeeeeew!" "I told you, dear," my grandma said sweetly, giggling a bit. Oh how I loved those days. But apparently I didn't learn much. On a trip to Mexico I found a bag of cocoa nibs at a sweets shop and bought them. Cocoa nibs are chocolate in their purest form. They're roasted cocoa beans that haven't been crushed and transformed into unsweetened chocolate. In a nutshell (or nib), they are definitely not sweet. Barnaby said to me, just like my grandma all those years ago, "They're not sweet, you know." I knew (even though I'd never tasted one), but I popped one defiantly in my mouth anyway. It wasn't the "Eeeeew!" I experienced in my grandma's kitchen, but it wasn't necessarily "yuuuum!" either, at least at first. After chewing it a bit I was able to get past the bitter taste and enjoy the lovely natural cocoa flavors. Best of all, it made me remember that day spent baking with my grandma and the first time I snuck a taste of baking chocolate. Comments: vincent March 5, 2009 Hello, We bumped into your blog and we really liked it - great recipes YUM!!! YUM!!!. We would like to add it to the Petitchef.com. We would be delighted if you could add your blog to Petitchef so that our users can, as us, enjoy your recipes. Petitchef is a french based Cooking recipes Portal. Several hundred Blogs are already members and benefit from their exposure on Petitchef.com. To add your site to the Petitchef family you can use http://en.petitchef.com/?obj=front&amp;action=site_ajout_form or just go to Petitchef.com and click on "Add your site" Best regards, Vincent petitchef.com Aunt Mimi Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I dearly remember you twirling in all your organza apron glory, in that favorite of all kitchens. And, yes, I am sure all Grandma's five daughters learned not to nibble on baking chocolate as her granddaughter did. Your own cousins did not believe me either !

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Vegetarian Goulash Soup With Tofu By: Betsy Dorfman Published: March 6, 2009 Long ago when we were part of a (very low budget) film crew shooting in Germany and Austria I discovered the pleasures of goulash and goulash soup. The difference between the two being essentially a matter of the liquid proportions. Cheap, hearty, and invariably warming in the depths of a European winter, this is a meal worth sopping up with bread (externally) and of course, beer (internally). These days we are eating mostly vegetarian so I made this version sans beef. Using an intermediate amount of liquid and with no flour thickener, the result was midway between stew and soup: perfect for serving with rice. The key to authentic taste is the Hungarian paprika; get the real stuff, and avoid the tasteless brick dust sold under many domestic labels. INGREDIENTS: 1 lg white or yellow onion, chopped 2 leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped, including a bit of the green top 4 ribs celery, chopped 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 1-2 red or green peppers, seeded, pared and chopped 3-4 med potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine 1 12 oz can diced tomatoes together with their juice 2 tsp caraway seeds 6-8 tbs sweet Hungarian paprika - or adjust to your taste 3 tbs canola or other mild vegetable oil 4 cups vegetable or other stock, or water Salt and pepper to taste optional: 1 cup firm tofu cut into 1/2" cubes TECHNIQUE: In a non stick or other stockpot: Heat the vegetable oil until hot Add and sauté the onion, leeks, and celery until soft and the onions are translucent Stir in the paprika, caraway and garlic, and heat through 1-3 minutes Add the carrots, green peppers, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and their juice Add 4 cups stock or water Bring to the simmer and heat at a low simmer for 45 minutes. If using tofu add in the final 15 minutes of cooking. The goulash is ready to eat when the vegetables are tender. Longer cooking will improve taste: add extra stock or water as needed or leave as is to reduce for a thicker version Taste and adjust seasoning Serve with rice or rye bread. Rye croutons would be aces with this dish. Click here for a printable version of the recipe. Comments: JennDZ_The Left... March 9, 2009 Hello! I just wanted to let you know that you received a free magazine subscription through The Foodie Blogroll!!! We tried contacting you via email, but haven't heard back from you. To claim your prize, please email us at: support(at)foodieblogroll.com reornebus Didn't you know about new flu revelations? It's something strange for me, but it seems to be quiet these days. But anyway, we have the best fle vaccine - enter <b> http://www.trainingpeaks.com/bbs-forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=52420&amp;posts=1 </b> GOOGLE says many interesting things about it! MuscaLaw Interlock Industries Does anyone settle any circumstance with ripoffreport.com? It's basically a non-edited database of consumer complaints. Anyone can sort a "communicate" and chance virtually anything far you regardless of the realize or validity of the identify (bountiful companies be tribulation with things posted like "The CEO is a pedophile"). The fire is then posted and for the duration of uncountable companies instantly shows up on juncture 1. Gyp off Information purposefulness not liquidate the report. They own you to dispatch a rebuttal - or on a compensation, the "writer" whim delivery something next to the proclamation stating that it is false. What is professedly a established usefulness to consumers is basically nothing more than an extortion scheme. I am wondering what the most road to get something like this ludicrous the head of state christen through despite of google results. It seems like solitary would get to away measures such as releasing steam releases and other documents and multiply the amount of in-bound links in ukase to whack the be torn distant detonation too quit in the SERP. I'm pure wondering if anyone else has any sagacity with this website. acknowledgement you ! There can be benefits from having a unresponsive consider or two into the public there, as thickset as what they're saying isn't artlessly mortification (i.e. "the CEO is a pedophile"). If the cancelling report is an concentrated customer sustentation comedones, resolving the site and posting a complete, acceptable return detailing what you did to bargain it can exactly be a positive . But assuming for the treatment of whatever perspicacity that's not an substitute, the tactics you're looking in regard to would drop into the heading of "online notorious management." Here are links to Andy Beal's "beginner's light" after position handling, and his 10 Ways to Rectify a Google Stature Handling Nightmare. Maybe there settle upon be some ideas of application repayment as a replacement for you in there. It's not a slam-dunk -- you can't guarantee any of these things wishes responsibility to sufficiently "badger down" the offending way in to make b assemble it miasmic the noteworthy epoch -- but the affectionate of steps Andy outlines are possibly your most suitable quiver if that's your aim. It's not surely a occurren ce of day one correction rights - what this person is doing is protected supervised the aegis the Communications Decency Turn, which basically says that you can be au courant of miasmic contentedness online, do nothing random it, and calm not be denounce recompense it. Since he is not the anybody literally circulars the text - he can't be held libel. The intrude playfulness at who started the locate has been dodging court cases seeking years - there is an article hither him here : Comparatively manic fundamentals - but it looks like some SEO's are directing their deal toward companies who encourage been listed on the beat touched in the ceo bang - there are PPC ads that come up when you search "away shoplift oner give an account of" and their are undamaged companies who are selling SEO services to "eliminate" or basically overwhelm the listing in the SERP. It is amicable of like what Scott said - people feel to be using the interchangeable tactics to emphasize them down - and of spread, there are people into worldwide notice there who are using the all the same tactics to upon scam the already scammed. I accede to that having substandard publicity is not as rotten as it may sound. As they bring about to fluorescence: healthier bad publicity than not anyone knows if you an ens at all. We own our cut of po-faced publicity instigated next to some morons because our editors rejected their “sweepings” dupe sites or because they were too lifeless to pledge our Deference Guidelines in the uncomplicated place. Whole thing you attired in b be committed to to dedicate that all negativity in most cases viewed as rants as follows they had entirely diminutive credibility if at all but as eternally there word of honour be some people who disappear tolerate what they are reading and commitment made their minds anent your new zealand or after but then again they take it that skies are falling too . Here's a thought... What happens when you be disposed of there as a purchaser and collection a rip-off party on their own (coterie) tactics and what they onwards to ($$$) in the interest of you to study and unsoiled it up and still it is high no circumstances removed? Expose a SCAM in behalf of the scam that it is . Consistent if they bleep or transfer away it, then it goes to your Reporting Article (on your website) that they drive not list inform Pilfering Reports there themselves? Full could in all likelihood prepared up a powerful paginate take that house and punt past way of their rules... Conclusively on the in front call for of Google (your advice on them), I'll play they would be happy to talk, amazingly if they took the done rights they cd inferior to and did not tolerate you to swell someone in on against them (removed theirs, but tote guidelines fitting to the inside info that everybody else who can't do the same). Dodgy to brilliance the least, huh? Oh!, and when they DO call? Want your terms on appendum load or get of ammending all layed out cold throughout them... with a dividend $$ before reason of all YOUR trouble . I like it!!! But then again, I am unendingly a scant skewed in some of my thoughts. (But some of them need been completely booming) Untruthful edged sword, this Internet can be... (adoY) I on up with that would be more the case if it was on a fix in place with a more unaffiliated monicker - e.g. "Field Reviews". In addition to what amberto described hugely well, a earliest puzzle is that it's on a send up d consume called "ripoff reports" to fairly commence with. Whether completely or not, unheeding or unyielding, the confident allusion here is that every assemblage mentioned on this website is a "ripoff". In other words, most if not all businesses would sooner judge no name on the unearthing than specific comments. Finished and civilized replies are a secure aim, but that's a double-edged sword because it ethical helps the position and the theatre class higher . No disbelieve there are inclined to reasonable complaints on there, but how to definitely racetrack it out? Anyone can lawful show up on there and trumpet back anything they can of of (with no answerability) because a debouchment wouldn't suffer them to return a product after the stated proceeds period . The holder "Ed" pulls in a plight of affluence from donations (businesslike albeit it's not a non-profit), extorting businesses, and advertising revenue. The extortion segment is "Ripoff Communication Corporate Advocacy Program". I don't be familiar with each other with how it's explained on the locate, but businesses one's hands on been charged $50,000 and more with a view this "overhaul". It's from a to z a substantial scam actually . Furthermore , anyone who posts there is not knowledgeable break a surmount their own grumble removed or edited . The ripoffreport.com purlieus isn't what it seems, so ironically ripoffreport.com is a ripoff. It's a ingenious scam, but it's undoubtedly a scam . There are some ways in which the milieu games/has gamed the search engines (specifically Google), to superiority as kindly as they do, so optimistically they'll wake up to that. This work out be less of an issuing when Google stops giving them so much droves in the search results . Near the forward relocation, I leaf through where people did experiments and tried to relate "reports" on the plat savagely ripoffreport.com, Google, or sponsors at ripoffreport.com, and the reports were not till the cows come home approved . Roy87 Apparently, it never occurred to Bacher to ask why Iran and North Korea would attack the West, since it would mean their immediate annihilation, nor inquire into what possible motivation either country could have to lob missiles at the West. ,

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

The Herbfarm By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 7, 2009 Nestled amongst the wineries in Woodinville, Washington is The Herbfarm, a charming restaurant that dishes up local food and wine in an exceptional nine-course themed meal. I’d always wanted to dine at The Herbfarm, a place known for its exquisite seasonal cuisine, and I was like a kid at Christmas when we arrived at the quaint cottage-like restaurant. We entered the foyer and gazed around the elegant and eclectic surroundings. Oh, the evening was sure to delight! Since we arrived early we snuck upstairs to the impressively stocked Chef's Library that overlooks the dining room, and watched as owners Ron Zimmerman and Carrie Van Dyck, along with their amazing staff, prepared for their guests. It was like watching a culinary ballet: plates delicately laid out neatly in rows awaiting the edible art that would soon be placed upon them, glassware lined up to perfection, candles lit, tables checked and double checked. More guests arrived and we gathered near the fireplace, a stunning hundred-year old tiled marvel, grabbed a glass of wine and followed Carrie out to the garden. The garden was clearly in its winter hibernation, but it was obvious that in productive months it’s certainly something to behold. Carrie held a small basket in her arm and told us about the various herbs they grow much of the year and use in the kitchen, she then passed around small clippings, such as winter savory and scented geranium, for us to smell. We moved on to the “recycling center” – a tidy little pigpen (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?) that’s home to Basil and Borage, two adorable Vietnamese potbellied pigs that are part of the kitchen cleanup crew. We returned to the restaurant for our eagerly anticipated meal. We had chosen European-style seating, a communal table of four couples, as opposed to a single table. Our thoughts being that a spectacular lengthy meal should be shared with others who are equally as passionate about food. We chose wisely. At our table were three delightful couples, two of which had flown in from other parts of the country for The Herbfarm culinary experience. The attention to detail is, in a word, extraordinary: tiny individual picture frames containing the names of the guests, crystal and silver goblets (six in all for each!), flatware meticulously placed, beautifully printed menus to whet the appetite. Once we were seated, Ron welcomed his guests and introduced the staff, which was wonderful as it created a connection between diners and hosts, something you rarely experience in a restaurant. But then The Herbfarm is no ordinary restaurant. Our hunger grew as Chef Keith Luce and Sommelier Lisa Longren walked us through the menu and wine pairings. I can barely contain myself. Does life get any better? Our themed meal, "A Menu for Two Hearts" (it was Valentine’s weekend), started with an aphrodisiacal herbal champagne cocktail - in case we weren’t already in the mood. The gentleman got a “Greek” verbena hastata, the ladies a “Mayan” turmera aphrodisiaca – both of which were house-brewed herbal extracts poured from a tiny glass vial into Brut champagne. Divine! It was paired with our first course: "A Nibble for a Valentine," a beautiful trio that consisted of that morning’s egg and sunchoke custard with smoked steelhead caviar and chives, a Kumamoto oyster with white sturgeon caviar and salsify cream, and a salt herring and potato terrine with radish and English thyme. Simply beautiful and delicious. Next, we were given a scrumptious dish "White King and Black Truffles," a marriage of line-caught Alaskan Ivory King salmon with truffled leeks and brown butter froth, paired with a 2007 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Blanc (Oregon). For our third course we delighted in "A Sausage Sans Suggestion." The "sausage", similar to a country-style pâté, was made of Mangalitsa ham, fois gras and Stokesberry Farm chicken accompanied by Puy lentils, beets and red cabbage with cracked mustard, and served with a 2006 Pierre Noir Gerwurztraminer from Washington's Columbia Gorge. Giddy with food-induced pleasure we moved on to course four, "The Wild Roll," a roll of pasta and wild Yellowfoot and Hedgehog mushrooms with root vegetables and King Boletus broth, pleasingly washed down with a 1999 King Estate Pinot Noir from Croft Vineyard in the Willamette Valley (Oregon). We were so blissfully content we dug in before photographing, but this should give you a taste.. Course five brought us "For the Love of Lamb," or as this dish made me exclaim, For the love of all things Holy! A gorgeously prepared potato-and-savory-crusted lamb rib-eye with Zataar-spiced carrot purée and a lamb bacon. And to further tantalize our tongues, a 2006 Betz Family Winery Meritage "Clos de Betz" from Washington's Columbia Valley. Next came the cheese course, or as the clever chefs named it, "Oh, You Cheese." River's Edge Full Moon goat from Oregon's Coast Range with a house-made pancetta-garlic flatbread and dried fruit compote. To round out the evening's fare, and to prep our bellies for sweet things to come, we were served Cupid's Ice Cream Cone. A wonderful yogurt ice cream scented with rose geranium (we rubbed this between our fingers in the garden. Something you must grow in your garden - spectacular!) scooped into a little cone. The perfect palate cleanser. Last but not least came "Of Things to Love." Oh, yes, indeed. A bittersweet chocolate separation cake with rosemary ice cream, a caramel crêpe with salted butter and winter fruit marmalade, and a Sekel pear-walnut tart with candied wild cranberries and créme fraîche. Lord have mercy. After a lovely coffee and tea service, "A Selection of Small Treats" arrived just in case our bellies weren't completely full (there's always room for a chocolate truffle or two!). All paired with a 2006 Sineann late harvest Syrah called "Old Ball and Chain" - a clever selection indeed for a lovers evening! It was a magical night. The Herbfarm presents cuisine beyond food, it's art and poetry that inspires all of one's senses. Truly an event to experience. For more on The Herbfarm, and to discover the week's current menu click here. Comments: Susie March 18, 2009 I'm so glad you wrote this as for some reason I thought the Herbfarm no longer existed, maybe after their fire years ago. That lamb looks to die for. I've been meaning to go here since the early 90s (doh!) so now I really will make the voyage! Susie

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Cochon 555 By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 9, 2009 Last night we happily dined on wine and swine at Cochon 555, a culinary event that features 5 chefs, 5 winemakers, and 5 heritage pigs. Presented by the Taste Network, the six-city event is a friendly competition of local chefs created to benefit The Endangered Hog Foundation and raise awareness for the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance and the Good Farmers Fund.  The Endangered Hog Foundation is helping to preserve nine critically endangered hog breeds in the US. through breeding protocols, genetic research, placing pigs on family farms and developing a market for heritage pork. To put it bluntly: we porked out! All 5 chefs did such a fabulous job it was difficult to decide who knocked it out the park. I'll give you highlights of some of what I thought were the evening's "wow" dishes, but first let me introduce the breeds of pigs featured: Berkshire-Duroc from Whistling Train Farm. The Berkshire breed, originally from the English county of Berkshire, is said to be "Britain's oldest pig breed." The Berkshire-Duroc cross-breed is rich and creamy with a slight nutty flavor. Duroc from Good Farm. The breed originated from two strains of hogs from New Jersey and New York in 1830. The Duroc is a purebred with fatty flecks in its muscles making it tender, juicy and mild. Red Wattle from Holthaus Farm. Because its meat is colorful and tender the Red Wattle is often referred to as a cross between beef and pork. (Two pigs in the competition were Red Wattles). Berkshire from Newman Farms. The Berkshire has brightly colored meat that is heavily marbled. Like the cross-breed above, it is rich and creamy with nutty hints. When we arrived we were greeted with glasses of sparkling wine from Elk Cove Vineyards then, I spied a big bowl of chicharrones from 4505 Chicharrones. It's no wonder my liver is screaming at me today as I'm quite certain I ate a whole pig's worth (regardless, I'm tempted to order these in bulk). Ever so light and crisp and dusted with a bit of spice these nibbles were absolutely divine. We also noshed on potato chips with creme fraiche and caviar (shown above). Out of this world! Both were the perfect treat to start the event. The crowd was in full force in the main tasting hall, so I didn't get details on every dish, but I'll do my best to describe what the chefs prepared. Our first taste was bologna sandwiches from The Corson Building's Matt Dillon. Beautifully crafted pistachio studded mortadella folded into soft white bread. We also tried a lovely pork soup with kale and a country-style pâté with marmalade. We moved on to the station of John Sundstrom from Lark where we had an amazingly juicy and oh so yummy smoked pork served with a delicious demi glace and hush puppies. Had i not been saving myself for the other features I would have hung out for seconds...even thirds. Tamara Murphy from Brasa had tasty (and darling!) pig-shaped cookies made super-duper flaky from pig lard - move over Crisco! We also sampled a lovely trio of pâté. Mmmm.. Anthony Hubbard of CHOW Foods - this is where we really, well, chowed down. Not only did Anthony have a huge "swine shrine" but he prepared about 5 beyond delectable dishes. His passion and hard work clearly paid off as he was the winner of the evening. First, we had a Chilled Pork Belly Consommé With Brain Mousse. Now, I know what you're thinking, and I was hesitant at first (having never tried brain), but it was out of this world. Not only was it the most unique and clever (I was going to say "brainy") thing served that night, but it was perfection in a tiny cup. The brain was a cloud of light and creamy mousse, something I never would have guessed was brain. I feel so much smarter now! Another CHOW favorite of mine was a Milk Braised Pork Loin With Gorgonzola Mousse. I absolutely love anything braised in milk as it comes out utterly moist and tender. I think I heard angels singing when I ate this dish. What surprised me the most was that I fell in love with the Bourbon and Bacon Ice Cream served in a bacon cone and sprinkled with bacon bits. Seriously, folks, bacon is the reason I have never suceeded at being a vegetarian. This little dessert was one of those foods where the devil on your shoulder clearly drowns out the angel: "Do it, eat it! Eat more!" Madness, pure delicious madness. Last on our pig-out tour was a visit to Jason Wilson from Crush. Unfortunately for us he was so popular he ran out of what we heard was roasted pork (?). But what we did have was pork sausage rolled in a bacon tapioca powder. Holy cow, I mean, pig! Simply fantastic! The Washington wines that we tasted throughout the evening were K Vintners (one of my favorite Walla Walla wineries), McCrea Cellars, Fidelitas, Cadence Winery, and Buty. All were pouring liquid dreams. It was a lovely evening of porking out and I would definitely attend again. Although I have to say, I'm  going vegetarian for a solid two weeks after that culinary debauchery. There are more Cochon 555s coming your way: next stop is Boston, but check their schedule for a city nearest you. Fun times and for a great cause! Comments: mike March 10, 2009 Man, that all looks really good - especially the pork roast!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Naturally Thin From Bethenny Frankel By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 11, 2009 I don't know if you remember me telling you about Bethenny Frankel before, but I first met her at ChefDance in Park City in January. Her new book, Naturally Thin, is fresh off the press and I wanted to tell you more about it. First, let me start by saying that I hate diets. Who doesn't? But as a food writer and founder of a company that is all about food you could say I'm a bit obsessed with eating, and as such, would like to shed a few pounds before summer. Naturally Thin is a book about how to free ourselves from dieting, so Naturally Thin isn't a diet, it's a way of life. Better yet, Bethenny tells us that we don't have to give up the foods we love. We simply need to moderate our intake. As a natural foods chef (among many other things) her goal is to "democratize" health. That is, she wants health to be accessible to everyone, not just stars on the red carpet who can afford personal chefs and trainers to keep their bellies flat. Everyone deserves to eat well, be healthy and feel good. Amen. She bases her no-diet tricks on 10 easy, no brainer rules. I'll share some of my favorites with you: 1. Your diet is your bank account Just like a bank account you need to manage how much you spend and save. It's simply being aware of what you're putting in your body; balancing not only the amount you eat, but also food "categories" (carbs, proteins, dairy, veggies, etc..) If you eat a hamburger for lunch, then it's salad for dinner. Easy. No counting calories or points or any of that; just being cognizant of what you eat. 2. Get Real This is one of my favorites because I grew up eating what I like to call "hippie food." My mom always piled our plates high with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and her own soups. We all get busy, but I will fall off the wagon if a diet tells me I can't have something. Bethenny doesn't say no to processed foods, but says to limit them and choose foods as close to their natural state as possible. And, as most of us know, raw foods are high in fiber so they fill us up more. 3. Taste everything, eat nothing I know that sounds strange, but how many times have you been to a cocktail party with a lovely spread of food and you chow down a bit too much on the pâté and brie? Both Bethenny and I have spent a significant amount of time in Italy where we learned the expression mangia poco ma bene. Meaning "Eat little, but well."  Bethenny says we don't have to avoid the food table, in fact have it all, but only a taste of each. I like that, because again, if I know I can't have it I'll eat the whole darn thing. One of her other rules, which helps to moderate us in the "taste everything, eat nothing" rule, is to spoil our appetite with something healthy before we go to a party, that way we aren't pigging out. What happens when we overdo it? Bethenny says, "Don't focus on your guilt - focus on healing."  She has recovery recipes - light and easily digestible foods - to naturally flush our system and get us back on track. We just returned from Mexico (lots of chips and guacamole, beans, pork - you get the picture) and my jeans were a bit tighter than they were when I left. I've been eating her Pureed Zucchini Soup and I already feel better (and can zip up my jeans!). It's darn good too, even if you don't need the recovery! Pureed Zucchini Soup 1 medium red onion, evenly chopped 6 cups chicken stock or broth 6 medium sized zucchini, evenly chopped Salt and pepper to taste 12 oz. frozen butternut squash, defrosted 1 cup plain soy milk Juice of 1/2 a lemon Sauté the onions in a large pot using nonstick pray, until lightly soft. Add the chicken stock, zucchini, salt, and pepper. Cook until zucchini are soft. Using a hand immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Add the defrosted butternut squash. Turn off the heat and add the soy milk and lemon juice. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste. At the end of the day I like to relax with a little glass of wine or a cocktail - who doesn't! Bethenny has a line of cocktails coming soon called SkinnyGirl. Her SkinnyGirl Margarita, in stores in May, is a low-sugar, low-cal version that she says is "the one to trust" since it's free of all that heavy syrup you get in restaurant margaritas. She even asks bartenders to make it for her, which I now do too! SkinnyGirl Margarita 2 ounces clear tequila (100% pure agave) Large splash of lime juice, or 4 lime wedges Tiny splash of orange or citrus liqueur Optional: a splash of club soda to lighten it up. If you're tired of dieting, but want to look and feel good by summer, then I recommend this as a read (and no, I wasn't paid to tell you that). Bethenny also has a cookbook coming out next year, but check out her website for more about her and other delicious recipes. Comments: JR April 7, 2009 Love Bethenny &amp; the book-must mention though f Spike's (the seasoning) 2nd. 2 ingredients do have msg or compounds that when processed turn into msg it could be a huge obstacle to weight loss asoom Bethenny was always my favorite housewife of all of the casts. I just picked this book up yesterday and will be starting it today. Thanks for the review! Sarah Ikegami I LOVE this book! A friend has read it and raved about it so I picked it up and could not put it down. Bethenny makes eating all things in moderation sound simple and exciting! I apply her principals to my eating all the time and know they help me make balanced decisions and help me maintain my weight. I recently met her at a book signing in LA, she's a riot, love her! rebecca I am a huge fan of Bethenny and just got this book as a Christmas gift! YAY! I really want to make the Pureed Zucchini Soup, but am confused about a part of the directions. It says to "puree the mixture until smooth. Add the defrosted butternut squash. Turn off the heat and add the soy milk and lemon juice." So, am I not suppose to also puree the butternut squash? In other words, is the soup suppose to have chunks of butternut squash in it or is it suppoe to be completely pureed? Any advice from anyone who's made it is appreciated :) Michele Palermo JR - SPIKE! Seasoning DOES NOT CONTAIN MSG. Created by pioneer nutritionist and author, Gayelord Hauser - SPIKE!! has been used as part of the healthiest diets around the world -for over half a century.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Golden Beet Chips By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 12, 2009 I had one lovely Golden beet in my hand and I wondered what to do with it. I decided to slice it up with my mandoline and make beet chips - something I'd never done before. I turned the oven on to about 325 F and laid them on a Silpat mat. I sprayed the slices lightly with olive oil and gave them a sprinkling of sea salt. It only took a few minutes (with an eagle eye on them in case they burned, which they quickly do) and the result were crisp, sweet beet chips. The perfect healthy snack! Comments: chez aurora March 12, 2009 great idea and they look like they turned out great! chez aurora What a great idea and they look like they turned out great! jaden Wow, love the color! Alisa Oooh...lovely! Numnums! Hadley What a great idea! Would this work with red beets as well? [eatingclub] va... I'm not a big fan of beets because I never know what to do with them. Beet chips I've got to try. Thanks! Kristin These look pretty tasty. Will definitely be making these sometime soon!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Mexican Truffles By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 13, 2009 On a recent trip to Mexico we found "Huitlacoche Quesadillas" on the menu. Barnaby, being well-versed in Mexican cuisine, exclaimed, "Oooh! Corn smut!" What the !? Huitlacoche (pronounced wheat-la-co-chay) is a disease of corn caused by a fungus that infects the kernels creating mushroom-like tumors. The name huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl (Aztecs) word reportedly meaning raven's exrement. Hmm, it has "smut" in the name (something I generally only call my trashy magazines or some nasty thing that comes out of a drain), it's a disease, it has tumors, and the Aztecs called it bird crap. Is your mouth watering yet? No? Mine wasn't either. Farmers in most countries regard corn smut as a blight and spend great amounts of money to destroy it, but in Mexico it's considered a delicacy. I want to know who the brave soul was that ate it first. I decided to buck up and give it a try. It has an earthy mushroom-like flavor and is at once sweet and savory. It was divine. Look for it in Latin markets or buy it on Amazon.com.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Kale Chips By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 14, 2009 I was reading my friend Keren's blog, Frantic Foodie, the other day and she talked about kale chips (which she had read about in Edible Seattle). Kale chips! She inspired me to embark on making my own assortment of veggie chips. The other day it was Golden beet chips and today it was kale. I'd never thought to roast any green leafy vegetable into a "chip state" - frankly, I didn't think it could be done - but the result made me giggle with delight. So delicate (too much so to package up) and light they are almost like fine glass ornaments. That is, iff glass were edible. And they didn't take nearly as long as I thought they would to become crisp. If you need a mega vitamin boost to your diet or you're simply looking for an uber-healthy snack, roast up a bunch of kale. I could easily have eaten a whole head myself if I didn't need to share with Barnaby. Click here for the Kale Chips recipe. Comments: Seth March 17, 2009 I LOVE kale! I often pit in the the oven after cooking to crisp-it-up. Hadley I love kale chips! They're perfect to take to work for a mid-afternoon snack or to nosh on while watching a DVD at home! Rachel Kale chips are an excellent substitute for normal chips. I like to bake mine at a low heat (about 90 degrees) to maintain their enzyme content and keep the healthy vitamins and minerals in tact. Then, I'll toss them in a mix of raw apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, ground pine or walnuts, sea salt and sometimes I'll add spices if I'm feeing extra spicy! Alexis How long do you bake your kale chips at 90 degrees? And--they don't get mushy when you toss them in the vinegar mix? Thanks!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Smoked Trout With Chive Cream Cheese By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 16, 2009 Even though we had  (all in one day, mind you) snow, sleet, rain, clouds/fog, beautiful blue skies, then more snow again, our group of friends felt the urge to fire up the  barbecues and smokers and have ourselves a cook-off. We are more than ready for spring here in Seattle! The categories were the standard trio: meat, sauces, and sides. I made Barnaby's famous potato salad, which is easy as pie and always a winner - even though I felt a bit like a slacker - but I felt it best to steer clear of the serious grillers. Plus, I was the photographer and the unofficial Official Wine Taster (even though that wasn't a category, nor were we doing any wine tasting). Still, I looked official seated on the leather barstool. With all the meat being smoked and grilled (tri-tip, pork ribs, flank steak) I felt we needed to add some fish to the "red meat mix." Especially after last week's pork gluttony at Cochon. I vaguely remember swearing off meat for a month, didn't I? That obviously didn't last long. Barnaby threw four whole trout in the smoker and let them swim in alder smoke for about an hour. The pellets we use are all-natural wood pellets from BBQr's Delight, by far the best we've found. We mixed fresh finely chopped chives with whipped cream cheese, smeared a bit on water crackers, and placed a lovely tender hunk of trout on each. Then our friend's five-year old son, Sammy, topped them off with more fresh chives. As he put it, "My dad was a sous chef, I know how to do it." Ahh, the child of my dreams! Stay tuned for the rest of the menu...

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Grilled Flank Steak With Chimichurri By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 17, 2009 I know it's Saint Patrick's Day and I should be writing about corned beef and cabbage, but I'm behind schedule and just put my brisket in the slow cooker this morning. So you'll have to make do with grilled flank steak, which I think is a perfectly fine substitute (even though a bit blasphemous on St. Paddy's day). Hopefully the green of the chimichurri sauce will help make it more festive! Chimichurri is a classic Argentine sauce, predominantly made with aji molido (a mild chili). It is wonderful on grilled meats, but also makes a lovely dipping sauce for bread. With garlic, olive oil, vinegar and freshly chopped parsley, this sauce is sure to make you rethink the traditional Saint Patrick's Day dinner. Ouch, I think a leprechaun just bit me! Comments: Joie de vivre March 17, 2009 I'd much rather have this than corned beef any day. ann Thank you for this reminder of how rustic and delicious and satisfying flank steak can be. Hadley The sauce looks lovely!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Irish Boiled Red Potatoes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 19, 2009 Photo: Marybeth on Foodista This was exactly what I was going for: a simple, delicious red potato dish to accompany our Saint Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner. Easy, right? I've done it before many times - blind folded and with one arm tied behind my back. I mean, I'm part Irish, for shamrock's sake! Who can screw this dish up? Me. How you ask? Well, in defense of myself, here are my reasons: The searing pain in my sinuses woke me at 2:30 am  - darn cold. While waiting for the drugs to kick in I laid awake thinking of all the things I needed to do at work. Which kept me up until 7 am. Due to lack of sleep (I'm an 8-9 hour a night girl) and stress, my sinus headache turned migraine. My migraine medicine makes me a bit loopy So, when my friend brought over his new girlfriend I set the potatoes in the steamer, placed them in the pot with a bit of water, and turned the stove on. And forgot to set a timer. We cracked open the fabulous bottle of Ridge, filled our glasses (much needed after the day I'd had!) and got to know one another. Around 30 minutes later - far too long for a pot to go on medium-high with an inch of water in it - I smelled smoked. Craaaaaaaaaaap!!! I ran to the kitchen, opened the lid and my hair flew back from the blast of smoke that burst forth. "My Le Creuset!" I cried. My friend opened the windows, my cat scurried to smoke-free safety upstairs, and Allison (the new girlfriend) grinned. "You're going to do an exposé on the Foodista writer, aren't you?" I whimpered, tail between my legs. So I'm outing myself. I'm not perfect. Now you know. At least the corned beef was good. Note: That was total fiction. Well, at least the part about Allison grinning at me. She was, in fact, completely sympathetic and the perfect guest. All the rest, unfortunately, remains shamefully true. Marybeth shows us how it's done here: Comments: MaryBeth D March 18, 2009 Thank you very much for using our Picture and enjoying it and the recipe. Maybe better luck next time, Crap happens even to the best of us. Feel free to stop by our site any time...http://dunkincookingthesemi-homemadeway.blogspot.com/ Thanks again, MaryBeth Carla sounds like someone we know...

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Machaca con Huevos By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: March 19, 2009 My favorite Mexican breakfast dish is Chilaquiles, but Machaca con Huevos is a close second. Part of why I love this dish so much is the incredible memory I have of the first time I had it. When I was 18 years old I walked across the border into Mexico with a backpack and Acapulco as my destination. Over the following week I made my way overland more than 1,500 miles to the beach resort. Much of my trip was made by train, largely in American Pullman cars from the early twentieth century. Some of these were in bad need of repair, but others had been preserved and/or restored to their original glory. I spent just a few extra dollars on the route from Guadalajara to Mexico City to travel in first class with my own sleeper compartment and dining service. The dining car was amazing! Mahogany paneled walls, etched glass table dividers, white table linens, and waiters clad in jackets and bow-ties. Lucky for me the first class section was fairly empty, so I was able to sit in the dining car, watch the scenery and chat with the staff for much of the 30 hour trip. Always interested in cooking, I asked for a tour of the small galley kitchen. Though the chef was surprised that an American teenage backpacker would ask such a thing, he granted me entry and explained all of his equipment with great pride. The stove, cooktop and cooler were all clad in bright stainless steel, which was immaculate and lovingly maintained. Cooking was done on a flattop griddle heated with wood carcoal...not brickets, but logs that had been burned down to pure carbon and still retained their original shape. Refrigeration was achieved with blocks of ice. One item that stood out was a hunk of dark brown beef hanging from a shelf. It was hard as leather and completely dry and at first I wasn't sure it was food, but thought maybe it was some sort of Santeria talisman. When I asked about it the rail chef explained that this was "machaca," and that they cooked it with eggs in the morning for breakfast. He also showed me how it was prepared by cutting off a strip going with the grain and the pulling apart the fibers, which he placed into a molcajete. He then started to pound the dried meat with the mortar of the molcajete until it softened and became almost like cotton or wool in consistency. He allowed me to taste some and it was a bit like beef jerky, but beefier with less salt and no sweetness. The next morning I eagerly made my way to the dining car and ordered "Machaca con Huevos." I ate and fell in love with this simple dish as the train threaded it's way south going through low-shrub desert and up into the greener mountains on the way to Mexico's capital city. Originally made of wild game, such as deer, by Aztecs and other indigenous peoples, machaca can now be purchased pre-pounded and packaged. Look for it in your local latin markets. I picked some up in Mexico recently and made it with eggs at home. Not as picturesque an experience as that first machaca I had over 20 years ago, but you can click the widget below to try my recipe. Finally, below are scans of the packaged machaca I brought back from Mexico. Comments: Greg Bulmash March 19, 2009 Love the nutritional information. Per 100 grams, you get 2.0 grams of sodium and 14 grams of carbs. So it's basically 2% salt or about 16% more salt than in 100 grams of Oberto Beef Jerky. I'd compare carbs, but FDA rules on carbs are so screwy you can't get apples to apples when trying to extrapolate from a 11 gram pack of beef jerky. Jim McArthur Great story about the Machaca con Huevos, and it is a great dish for breakfast or late night. I too found machaca in the desert of Mexico and never forgot the wonderful experience of seeing an elderly Mexican lady cook it in her restaurant with a dirt floor on a side road from LaPaz to San Jose del Cabo. All I remember of the "restaurant" was the "Pepsi" sign, the two hand made tables, rough lumber counter and the old wood stove she used; but the food was excellent and the Pepsi cold.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Steel Cut Oatmeal By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 21, 2009 What better way to start the morning than with a hearty bowl of steel cut oatmeal? Especially if you're heading up to the mountain for a day of skiing.  We had this lovely bowl of oatmeal at Sunriver Lodge and it was a scrumptious stick-to-your-ribs-breakfast-of-champions. Topped with a healthy dose of cinnamon, diced apple, golden raisins and the wonderfully unexpected bit of orange zest. We should be able to tackle the slopes for sure with this meal!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Chicken Pesto Focaccia Sandwich By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 22, 2009 This chicken sandwich combines so many ingredients that I adore. It tastes like a bite of Italy with its fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and pesto - all crammed in a buttery rosemary focaccia just lightly toasted. With a creamy pesto mayonnaise and tender grilled chicken breast this sandwich makes the perfect weekend lunch or easy dinner. Chicken Pesto Focaccia Sandwich One chicken breast Small tomato, sliced Red onion, sliced Fresh basil, or organic salad greens Fresh mozzarella, sliced Low-fat mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Pesto Focaccia bread, sliced half Grill chicken breast, then set aside to cool. Mix about 1/4 cup of low fat mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon pesto (homemade or store bought), or to desired taste. Slice focaccia lengthwise and toast lightly. Spread pesto mayonnaise on both sides of bread. Place chicken breast on bottom slice and add sliced onion, tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil or salad greens. Top with the last piece of bread. Makes one large sandwich. Comments: Debby March 22, 2009 I just made pesto, so what a great idea for today's lunch! Looks yummy. The Food Hunter Oh, that sandwich looks yummy!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Braised Artichoke Hearts By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 25, 2009 I think of these artichoke hearts as a sad story with a happy ending. It all started recently at Sosio's Produce in Pike Place Market where we purchased three glorious artichokes. They were amazing, truly something to behold. Perfectly shaped globes with nary a bruise. I could eat nothing but an artichoke for dinner and be completely satisfied. Dipping the leaves one by one in lemon aioli then scooping out the tender heart. But what did we do? We put them in the fridge and went skiing for five days. We meant to take them with us, but alas, we forgot. When we returned the leaves, obviously saddened by our neglect, had turned brown and their shape was less than perky. So we trimmed them of their leaves and tenderly (guiltily) carved the hearts. We placed them in the oven with some white wine and let them braise until tender on the inside and subtly crisp on the outside. Delicious with a lemon smoked paprika aioli. So good the artichokes themselves forgave us. Comments: paul redman March 24, 2009 those look phenomenally good and are making me really hungry!!!!! Rosebud Now that is one gorgeous picture. It also sounds delicious, so we will definitely try it. Tracy Mmmmmmmmmmmm these make my mouth water. Great picture - even better story. Cheers!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Goat Cheese And Scrambled Eggs Crepes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 25, 2009 I love a leisurely breakfast on a Sunday morning. With the Sunday edition of the New York Times and a hot cup of Joe I'm good to go for a few hours. Both sweet and savory breakfast eaters will enjoy this dish. The crepes are slightly sweet and filled with fluffy scrambled eggs and goat cheese, then topped with fresh chopped chives. What an easy brunch menu item! Especially if you purchase premade crepes. Who's gonna know? Take some time to nurture yourself this weekend. I know I am.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Asparagus Panna Cotta By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 27, 2009 We tasted this creamy little delight the other evening at the Rising Stars event and I can't seem to get it out of my head. It was prepared by McCaw Hall's restaurant SAVOR, which wasn't even part of the awards, but to me this dish was a winner. Asparagus Panna Cotta. It was served with fresh asparagus ribbons that were lightly dressed with a champagne, shallot and Dijon vinaigrette; an interesting flavorful hollandaise and tapioca maltodextrin powder; then topped with a crisp delicious square of housemade Guanciale bacon. Mmm, mmm! Kelly Gaddis, Executive Chef at SAVOR and creator of this divine dish, was kind enough to send me the recipe, which I am sharing with you all. You will love it! What a lovely thing to serve for a spring brunch. Click here for the recipe: A traditional Panna Cotta recipe: Comments: kelly gaddis March 30, 2009 Do you want the recipe?

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Spinach and Pork Wontons By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 29, 2009 I don't know any better way to say it than "my mom rocks." Really, she does. She has an amazing sense of style, is smart, beautiful, and at 5 feet and one half inch I can almost fit her in my pocket. But, like me, she rounds up and says she's 5'1" (I tower over her at 5 and three  quarters, I mean, 5'4"). The little lady can also whip up some serious magic in the kitchen. Her chicken mole is so good you'd think you were in Oaxaca. She can create Asian meals so delicious you'd swear the chef was native. And I mean any kind of Asian food: Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, you name it. She just has a knack. When I was in the 8th grade she spent what I remember as three solid days preparing what must have been considered an Imperial feast. I don't remember who she invited or what the celebration was, all I know is she went to China for three weeks with her sister and came back part Chinese. Actually, I think she was probably Chinese in a previous life and was connected with her long lost Chinese spirit while touring the Great Wall. At least that's what I tell her. Good thing, too, because she channels that spirit and cooks up some darn tasty morsels! I was talking to her the other night and she told me about these spinach and pork wontons she'd made for dinner. My cell phone almost shorted out from all my drooling. So I made her send me a picture so I could share it with you. "Oh, and I added the recipe to Foodista, too!" she exclaimed proudly. God I love that woman. Here's the recipe: Comments: michaela March 30, 2009 these look great, sheri! i'd like some right now.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Nordaq Fresh Water By: Sheri Wetherell Published: March 31, 2009 I grew up in a charming and picturesque resort nestled at the base of the beautiful Cascade mountain range in Central Oregon. The Deschutes river flows wide and calm through the resort, and nearby you'll find the Little Deschutes tagging along like a younger sibling. So you can see it was aptly named Sunriver. We moved there from the Bay Area when I was around five, my parents wanting a more wholesome place to raise their children. We frolicked in the lakes and rivers in summer and skied the powdery slopes of Mt. Bachelor in winter. Best of all, we drank crystal clear mountain water fresh and cold from the tap. Some people say you can't taste water, but after growing up with clean water I certainly can. Too often water tastes metallic, too "minerally," or like you're drinking a swimming pool. When your thirst needs to be quenched, that's fine I suppose, but outside of Sunriver I prefer my water well filtered. One thing I had never considered, until recently, is how the taste of water affects the flavors of food and wine. I don't know why this never occurred to me. I mean, if you brush your teeth you know that then drinking a glass of orange juice is going to taste horrible. So why would it not dawn on me that salt, minerals, and chemicals in water could alter the flavor of the wine I so carefully selected? I sat down with Chef Jason Wilson of Crush and Sam Giertz, CEO North America of Nordaq Fresh, for my first ever water tasting. Nordaq Fresh is a purification system that filters impurities and unwanted flavors from tap water while preserving the water's natural salts and minerals. Sam suggested that I cleanse my mouth first with the Fresh water, so I swirled it around a bit. The best way I can describe this water is simply "neutral" - just the way I remembered my Sunriver water, only much better. I took another sip, then I tasted the nice chilled Chardonnay that Jason had selected. Very nice. I did the same with the tap water, then tasted the wine again. Good, but not great. I mean, it was a lovely wine, of course it would taste great, right? But I could definitely taste the difference. We repeated this process again and the distinction was remarkable. The flavor of the wine had much more pronounced depth than I could taste with just plain tap water. It was like the water gave the wine Dolby surround sound. In 2007, Thomas Keller was invited to attend a culinary event in Stockholm where he was first introduced to the Nordaq system. Seeing the potential for its application in his own restaurants he had the system installed in The French Laundry, Per Se and Buchon. Now, more fine restaurants around the U.S. are following suit and having the system installed. But it goes beyond taste. Nordaq Fresh is  water with a conscious. Because the filtration system comes with water bottles (and beautiful sleek and sexy ones to boot) restaurants are significantly reducing the amount of glass they are recycling. Jason says he has saved roughly four thousand bottles per year (about five thousand pounds of glass) from recycling. Beyond that there's the elimination of the transportation of bottled water from production plant to restaurant to recycling center. To me, that alone makes everything taste better. Comments: Roberto April 7, 2009 Hi Sheri, I read your blog on Nordaq Fresh and agree its a cool concept. I know there are a few other companies that make this kind of product. You should look into Natura Water as well. Its kind of the same concept. I found it in Gotham Bar and Grill in NYC and also saw it at the 4 Seasons while staying there. Like you said about Nordaq, filtered/purified water is definitely good. JR Did you do the tasting blind or did you know which was tap and which was Nordaq? I don't doubt that the results would've been similar, but since the brain is the main organ of taste (see, for example, http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/shattered_myths) it's practically impossible not to be swayed by expectation. Sheri Wetherell I did a blind tasting. Thanks for sharing the article above. Very interesting!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Ratatouille By: Sheri Wetherell Published: April 2, 2009 The sun poked its orange face out for about 15 minutes the other day as if to remind us here in Seattle that it is, indeed, Spring. The pollinating trees, unfortunately, have already been doing a fine job of reminding many of us, as can be seen in our runny noses and red glazed-over eyes. But that brief little sunny moment (quickly followed by rain - ah, life in Seattle) inspired me to make a dish that brings color to a cloudy day. Ratatouille. Ratatouille is a French Provençal dish comprised mainly of tomatoes, but also includes eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, onions and herbs. It's not a quick-fix meal, as it needs to stew for at least two hours, but it is well worth the wait. This is a gorgeous veggie-packed dish that's excellent as a main course or as a side, and gets even better the next day! We sliced the vegetables thinly on a mandoline, but you can rough chop them for a more rustic version. I prefer to use Japanese eggplant, in lieu of the larger variety, as I find it less acidic. I also find that caramelizing the onions adds a wonderfully sweet flavor to the dish. See the recipe here:

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

International Food Blogger Conference By: Sheri Wetherell Published: April 4, 2009 We're excited to announce the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) happening here in Seattle, May 15-17. We have a fabulous line-up of speakers and sponsors who are going to make this weekend the "must-attend" food blogging event of the year! With the changes happening in traditional print media, the down-turn in the economy, and the loss of jobs, we've seen more and more people turning to blogging and/or turning their blogging into a business. We're not the only ones who think this is just the tip of the iceberg, and feel exciting things are on the horizon for the food blogging community. That's why we felt it important to organize an event to help us work together, learn new things, share ideas, and talk about issues surrounding food blogging. The focus is on three themes: Food, Technology, and Writing. The agenda is still a work-in-progress, but we've got some compelling speakers, topics and activities already on the schedule. Here's a taste of what's included: Ruth Reichl from Gourmet will talk about her new memoir Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way - you'll get a signed copy of her book too! Renee Behnke, President Emeritus of Sur la Table will talk about her life in food and present her new book Memorable Recipes: To Share with Family and Friends Molly Wizenberg, creator of the award winning blog Orangette, writer for Bon Appétit, and new author of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table will be here to talk about her life and experiences in writing. Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen will talk about blogging as a business, food photography, and more. Publishers will be here to talk about what they are looking for in food writers, how to write proposals, etc.. (Yes, they are looking and want to connect!) We'll talk about everything from Food Porn (tools, tips, techniques) to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Top local chefs will fill you up on fabulous gourmet food We'll send you home with a goody bag so fantastic you'll think it's Christmas in May And we'll have prizes raffled throughout the day. This is one-of-a-kind networking, tasting, and learning event. Because space is limited and expected to sell out quickly, early registration is closed to the general public. Email us at [email protected] for an invitation. OPEN REGISTRATION STARTS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009. Comments: Carla April 5, 2009 WOW! You guys are unbelievably awesome! RecipeGirl Looking forward to it! Kristen This has got to be the coolest thing ever! What an all-star cast! maris This sounds so wonderful, I wish I was able to make it that weekend! veron what a fabulous conference. Have fun! Carol, Simply..... This sounds fabulous! I have to go. Trying to email you but am in China right now and the email is hit and miss. I would hate to miss this. Stephanie I'm so emailing you! Diana Don't know if you got my e-mail, but I'd love to go as well as help in any way you need! Nooschi Sounds like an awesome event...I wish I lived remotely close so that I could attend!! Nancy How cool is this to be focused on international travel for Asian food and wine and get to participate in an International Food Bloggers Conference without leaving my backyard

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Bella Siena By: Sheri Wetherell Published: April 6, 2009 Photo by: PhillipC I poured my morning cup of coffee, grabbed my stack of food magazines, and went to sit in my Springy sun-filled (finally) sun room.  Before I could put my coffee down, my May 2009 issue of La Cucina Italiana slipped off the top of the pile and landed wide open to a beautiful spread of Il Palio in Siena, Italy. My heart leapt. Siena is the beautiful town where I spent the best six months of my life. And Il Palio is the glorious horse race that has occurred twice each summer for more than 350 years in the Piazza del Campo. Il Palio is a dangerous race where jockeys ride bareback, where 90 degree corners must be turned, and where horse - not man - is winner. In fact, a horse can win even if the rider falls off. Unfortunately, I've never been to either race because at the time I felt sunning myself in in the Greek isles was more fun (it was fun, but I should have scheduled in at least one race). Seeing the pictures of Siena and the Piazza del Campo brought back so many memories of friendship, food, love, and even politics: The fountain where darling Daniele professed his love me, only to have me turn him down. Poor guy. I was gentle, though. The corner of the square where my girlfriends and I, sitting on our coats studying, were trampled by a swarm of journalists. At the center of the swarm was the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Coats and homework were trampled, but at least we had an interesting excuse to give our professor! The little café where we'd sip aqua minerale con gas (sparkling water) and nibble on the free bread sticks. Long laughs over wine or sangria at Bar Centrale or Re Artu. The article also reminded me of the wonderful meals our friend Claudio would make us. Many of which I still cook to this day: Penne con Panna e Salciccia (penne with cream and sausage). He taught us the delectability of pasta drizzled simply with garlic infused olive oil, which seemed to be our standard meal at the end of the month when the money ran out. He also taught us that we were using far too little salt in our pasta water, and that, no, not all pasta is the same. Best of all, the article reminded me of the times I'd sit in the Piazzo del Campo thinking of all the laughs, the professed loves, the glasses of wine sipped, and friendships that had formed over the centuries in that same little spot where I sat. Comments: Cherie April 7, 2009 Oh! How I love this post! What a wonderful thing to see today. And great memories. Daniele! I think he loved you for your great taste in Bennetton suits with twilry skirts. And good thing we actually we able to move quickly enough, otherwise we would have easily been piazza kill under Sakarov's shoes. And I can still see the molto bello Claudio in the Via Petricchio kitchen making that exact dish the first time we met him. Ah, truly it was a divine time. Tanti baci da Bainbridge. Nina What wonderful memories! They were the best six months ever. I still make pasta with cream and sausage too. My kids love it. I always serve it with sauted zuccini. I miss you and wish we could have a 20 year reunion there this spring.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Feijoada By: Sheri Wetherell Published: April 7, 2009 I'm a bean kinda girl. Refried, stewed, pork and beans, I love 'em all. I had feijoada the other night, and I will shamefully admit it was only the second time I've eaten this bean-filled dish. I don't know why I've left feijoada out of my bean repertoire for all this time, but no longer! Feijoada is considered the national dish of Brazil, but it's also enjoyed in Portugal. It's a delicious and hearty stew of black beans, beef and various salted pork pieces, such as sausages, bacon and trimmings. It's typically served in a clay pot along with rice, collard greens, cassava and sliced oranges, to name a few. The feijoada I had was filled with flavorful chunks of beef and pork and two types of delicious pork sausage. It was served with rice and perfectly sauteed collard greens. If you're up for a taste of Brazil, whip up some feijoada and wash it down with a sweet caipirinha! Comments: Anjuli Ayer April 9, 2009 No recipe? Sheri Wetherell Hi! If you click the Feijoada widget below the blog post it'll take you to the recipe page on Foodista :)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Thriving On Raw Food By: Sheri Wetherell Published: April 8, 2009 I had a brief stint writing for the Seattle edition of Conscious Choice Magazine, but unfortunately, like many other print publications they met their demise recently and closed their doors. I thought I would share my last article with you about a fabulous raw restaurant here in Seattle: Thrive. And here it is... I grew up eating what my brother and I used to refer to as “hippy food.” My mother made her own whole grain breads; fresh vegetable soups, which we’d begrudgingly eat for breakfast; dried fruit and roll-ups from her dehydrator; juices of every ilk from her juicer. We drank so much carrot juice we literally started to turn orange. Our snack-packs were an assortment of raw nuts, seeds, raisins and carob chips, what she called “fancy GORP” (good old raisin peanut). When all my friends were eating pot roast and potatoes my mom was piling our plates with a rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables. Back then I didn’t appreciate the good foods she made us, all I wanted was Wonder Bread and American cheese sandwiches, but now I thank my mom for instilling in us such healthy eating habits. Today, I seek out those fresh nourishing ingredients. In my quest for health and vitality (and the desire to look decent in a bikini this summer) I discovered Thrive, Seattle’s newest organic, vegan and raw foods restaurant. I’d always been curious about a raw food diet. I knew it was more than just nibbling on carrot sticks, but not much beyond that. So I ventured out to have a bite with chef and owner Monika Kinsman and learn more about the raw foodist way of life. Monika started 5 years ago when her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. To focus on healing, she attended the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, where she was given an enzyme-rich raw food diet. During a visit with her mother (now in remission and a raw foodist herself), Monika learned the health benefits of a raw diet and vowed to adopt the lifestyle. However, upon returning to Seattle she found little in the way of resources and education and soon forgot her pledge. Two years later, when her weight increased and her cholesterol skyrocketed to over 300 she said she had a wake-up call. “I asked myself, ‘What would 50 year-old Monika tell 25 year-old Monika?’” That’s when she started The Raw Network of Washington (www.rawwashington.org) to provide education, support and resources to both those interested in living a raw lifestyle and to raw foodists. Then she went a step further and, in mid-December, opened the doors to Thrive. When I arrived two women were waiting for her to open and the 15 tables quickly filled. I sat myself down at the counter and, not knowing what to expect, told her I was in her hands. “It’s the new spa food!” she exclaimed proudly. She started me off with two smoothies: the “Chocolate Coconutty” ($4/$6) a delicious concoction of fresh young coconut, cashews, agave, and cacao; and the “Shine” ($5.50/$7.50) a Piña Colada-tasting blend of coconut butter, coconut water, pineapple and agave. Heaven! I slurped on both, back and forth, unable to choose a favorite. Next, I tried the “Hummy in my Tummy” ($8), a house-made hummus made with tahini, zucchini, and spices served with sliced veggies for dipping; and the “Crack-a-lackin’ ($7), a duo of ricotta dips -one spicy cashew and the other almond- with the best darn flax seed crackers I’ve ever tasted. I moved on to one of their non-raw dishes and sampled the “Awaken” ($7/$11), a hearty and comforting bowl of Bhutanese red rice and quinoa topped with kale, avocado, cucumber, nori, green onions, and herbs with a delicious sesame-ginger dressing drizzled on top.  Next stop, the “Oh Pastadoro!” ($12), a sauce of sweet organic tomatoes blended with herbs and spices spooned over long strands of zucchini “pasta” and topped with a flavorful almond ricotta. Simply divine! Finally, dessert. And that’s when the skeptic in me reared its ugly head. “How do you do vegan raw dessert?” I asked. She smiled and placed in front of me two beauties. First, the customer favorite “Mocha Latte Yumminess” ($7), which was so dense with chocolatey goodness I was at a loss for words. Then came the new-on-the-menu “Tiramisù” ($7.50). Now, I lived in Italy and have had plenty of fabulous tiramisù and this was downright spectacolo! After my feast I concurred with Monika - raw food is indeed the “new spa food.” Though I quickly learned it’s not just delicious food they are serving up, but also a loving community-oriented environment. Our moms taught us well. Comments: RawFoodNation April 8, 2009 Kudos to you for posting this article! I enjoyed every word and I am so happy you had the opportunity to experience such delicious raw foods! RawFoodNation Kudos to you for posting this article! I enjoyed every word and I am so happy you had the opportunity to experience such delicious raw foods! Sorry, should have added good post! Waiting on your next post! RawFoodNation Kudos to you for posting this article! I enjoyed every word and I am so happy you had the opportunity to experience such delicious raw foods! Sorry, should have added good post! Waiting on your next post! OH! You're my new favorite blogger fyi Nathalie Lussier Wow! Not only are the pictures mouth watering, but I really enjoyed reading about your experience at Thrive. I will be checking it out the next time I'm in Seattle! I also wanted to commend you for giving raw foods a shot. It's not everyone who just goes for it with such an open mind. I think your mom did good by you, and it's awesome how we can be thankful and appreciative of our moms today! Way to go. :) Sheri Wetherell Thanks! That means a lot to me :) Definitely check out Thrive when you're next in Seattle. Monika and her team are wonderful and their food is delightful!! Ellen Thanks for sharing this great article! I've been mostly raw (sometimes a little cooked item) about 5-6 weeks and it's excellent! I feel great, lots of energy and lost 14 lbs. If you want to go to the greatest 'raw food spa' on the planet, check out Hippocrates Health Institute! They are supreme! Health That Hummy in my Tummy looks so devine! I can almost taste it! Thanks for the post! Lorie oh if only everyone on the planet knew just how nutrional this food is, thank you for sharing. :-) KIKO only interested in raw/vegan/vegetarian dining experiences/foods. Charlot I personally love raw foods and wanna share what I've learned from a respective editor James Reno for <a href="http://www.Raw-Food-Repair.com" rel="nofollow">Raw-Food-Repair.com</a> Feel free to visit the site!

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

The Bohemian By: Sheri Wetherell Published: April 9, 2009 As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I had the privilege of writing for the Seattle edition of Conscious Choice Magazine, and it was sad to see them close up shop a few weeks ago. I wanted to share my first article with you about a fabulous restaurant, The Bohemian, in my neighborhood of West Seattle. Le Bohemian Awaken your inner poet with provincial bites and vintage cocktails Inspiration for The Bohemian, West Seattle’s new neighborhood restaurant, began years ago in France where Jason Rice, owner and chef, was taken by the uncomplicated Provincial foods, at once simple and well produced, yet impressive and culinarily advanced. As he puts it, “food that doesn’t need messing with.” Rice married that approach to a European café culture, specifically that of the Bohemian era of nineteenth century France where artists, musicians and poets led unconventional and alternative lifestyles. The Bohemian is aptly named with its rustic cuisine, Art Nouveau décor, and friendly unpretentious staff. We sat down at the long bar and asked Eirik, master elixir-mixer and brother of Jason, to guide us through his inventive drink menu. I ordered the Lavender Lemon Drop ($8), a beautiful concoction complete with a house made lavender-infused honey swirled inside the glass. Had I not been in public I would have shamelessly licked out the honey, but I refrained and instead nibbled my way around the lavender sugared rim. Other beverages range from vintage cocktails, such as The Sazerac ($6), to Eirik’s Purple Passion ($9), a house-infused blueberry vanilla vodka. This chef-owner is committed to providing foods that are seasonal, local and organic and blending them with world flavors that creates an eclectic, yet approachable menu. Specializing in small plates to share we ordered up an assortment. We started with his take on baña calda. Reflecting his rustic theme, this dish of whole roasted garlic cloves atop sun-dried tomatoes ($6) and served with a selection of artisan bread was beyond comfort on a cold evening. A Spanish white anchovy version is also offered (or $8 for both). To me, there is nothing better than smearing golden roasted garlic over a good piece of bread. Jason was determined to restore or recycle as much of the original structure as possible during renovations on the charming brick building. If you order the delicious raclette (ranging from $10-$18 depending on size) you’ll find the scrumptious melted cheeses bubbling in a fire-hot cast iron Lodge dish resting upon a wood plank. That plank is a section of the original floorboards salvaged to incorporate into the dinner service. The Bohemian’s twist on the standard American mac and cheese is a delicious eyes-roll-to-the-back-of-your-head smoked bleu, from Oregon’s Rogue Creamery, melted together with whole wheat pasta, spinach, caramelized shallots, smoked bacon and topped with a Pacific Northwest favorite of mine: hazelnuts, toasted and crushed. For dessert, try a sorbet martini “du jour” with a splash of either champagne or navan vanilla cognac ($5-8) or one of his “candy shop treats” such as a farro biscotti ($1.25 each) or a dark chocolate trufflette (.25 each). Looking to cleanse your palate with something more savory, order up the chef’s selection of artisan cheeses served with fig compote, quince membrillo, fresh fruit and breads ($9). Jason credits everything he learned about sustainability to Suzanne Cameron of Cameron Catering in Ballard where he worked as a chef. As a result, he is passionate about leaving as little footprint on our dear planet as possible. All cup and paper products for their to-go tea, coffee, and pastry service are corn-based, and all in-house paper products and food waste are composted. In fact, for a busy restaurant they take out only a few small bags of garbage a week, slightly more than the average family, and at week’s end the recycling bins are overflowing. Within 60 days, Cedar Grove, the company that handles his organic waste has converted the restaurant’s waste into useful compost. Their kitchen oil is also trucked away by Standard Biodiesel. My bet is that The Bohemian will become a weekly destination for many West Seattleites, not just a place folks go once a month for a splendid meal, but the neighborhood place. Comments: MyLastBite April 9, 2009 The Bohemian sounds wonderful and I love that they used the old floorboards as serving planks! maris I SO wish I lived in Seattle right now! I love trying restaurants in new cities and this sounds like a great one.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Mamen's Recipes By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: April 11, 2009 Note: I'll be talking about Mamen's Recipes on "In the Kitchen" tonight at 5:00pm PT  on Seattle radio station KIRO 97.3 FM. The podcast will be available here after the show. My grandmother was born Mary Vinson Bouic on May 19, 1918 in Rockville, Maryland. She was the daughter of a third generation country lawyer and quite a character. Possessed of  an amazing wanderlust for a woman of her generation, adventures included a freighter trip to a rubber plantation in Liberia at the age of eighteen in 1936 and a 10,000 mile girls-only road trip from Rockville to Mexico City in the 1950s...can you imagine!??!  As often comes with travel, Mamen (the grandmotherly name she made up for herself) developed a love of world food, which later blossomed into an obsession when she married my step-grandfather, Clyde Sargent. Clyde was a noted scholar on Chinese culture and had lived in China for many years before the Cultural Revolution. In the 1960's the couple moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where they restored a pre-revolutionary home. Everything was true to the late 18th century, but the kitchen, which  was very modern and featured an 8 burner Vulcan industrial stove long before it became the chic thing to do! This was Mamen's kitchen and where much of my passion for cooking began. Once established, "the Sargents" threw elaborate Chinese banquets and began teaching Chinese cooking at a local college. In those days few people cooked Chinese food at home in the United States. Ingredients were hard to come by and my grandmother frequently made her own tofu from scratch. Over the years, the couple did a lot of experimenting in the kitchen with cuisines from all over the world, often featuring the bountiful seafood of Rhode Island. Trained as a legal secretary, Mamen carefully documented their pioneering culinary explorations in a recipe diary that spanned thirty years. Shortly before her death, Mamen gave that diary to me and I have kept it for nearly 20 years as one of my prized possessions. With the launch of Foodista, I have recently started to explore its pages again and am amazed at the variety of contents and how early Mamen was experimenting with foods I have only recently discovered. One of the very first recipes, which seems appropriate to share for Easter, is a "Lamb and Oyster Casserole," which apparently was invented by Clyde in 1960. Though I have yet to try it, I did add the recipe to our database: In this modern world of food blogs and highly produced cookbooks, I love the stained looseleaf pages and eclectic mix of formats. Some contain clippings from newspapers, others handwritten notes and recipe cards from friends. Here's a sample list of preparations that share a page: Beverly Kingsley's Frozen Strawberry Jam, 1973 & Johnny Seybold's Favorite Nassi Goring, date unknown Rihana Ahmed's Carrot Halva 1969,  & Ratatouille de Provence, from Ma Gastronomie, by Ferand Point, 1978 Scrapple from Gourmet, 1956 & Peanut Satay Sauce from the Providence Journal, 1988 Below are few pages from the collection, which I plan to scan in its entirety over time. Happy Easter!!! Comments: TikiPundit April 11, 2009 I think the scans would be just great. Some people like to look in medicine cabinets; I like to look in annotated cookbooks and at hand-made recipes. I'd heard of vanity publishers for years, and knew of the around-campus bookbinders who published theses, but here's something new that you might be interested in: http://magcloud.com/ It's a new concept in small-volume magazine publishing. I'm not associated and stumbled on it in a Mac site's RSS feed -- and I ordered a copy of a random magazine to check out the printing quality. I was quite impressed; I think they get 133dpi and colors look good. Text is sharp and bleeds are there. Cutting and saddlestich binding were just fine. You can order as many or as few copies as you want. The new kitty chewed on the magazine, so I assume it's quite tasty as well. Anyway, it's opened up a whole new world of possibilities to me, so thought I'd pass it along as a possible way for you to capture (and maybe distribute) this great piece of your family's history. Again, I'm not associated in any way with the company or the concept (though I wish I'd thought of it), but I've got plans for work and home with it. Mandy Evans The secret rewards of being a mother! It's so much fun to see your chid thrive and flourish in his own unique way. This brings back so many childhood memories of trips and recipes. Thanks, Barnaby with love from your mom Terri Just heard you on Tom and Thierry's show. Wonderful! I am finding all kinds of recipes here that I would like to try. However, there is no recipe even when I click on them. What's up with that? Maybe you can point me in the right direction? Barnaby Dorfman Hi, if you are clicking on the scans of my Grandmother's recipes, I haven't linked them, I just wanted to give folk a feel for what they look like. The only one I've typed in so far is for "Lamb and Oyster Casserole," which you can find here: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/S3H3SFNM/lamb-and-oyster-casserole Happy Easter! Barnaby Dorfman Thanks Mom!!! Love you too!!! Betsy Sherrow I especially love to see the hand written recipes that you have scanned. They lend just the right "authenticity" and charm in today's world of "just printing everything out." It is wonderful and personal, thank you for sharing. Foodista is a new and fantastic find. all the best to you. Betsy Lynn Sherrow

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809