On My Plate

I'm Back + My Birthdy Meal At The Horse Brass

2012-02-20T17:57:00.003-08:00

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Before anything else, I want to say, it really feels good to be blogging again, after so many listless weeks. Those who read my last blog, know I began the year on a weight loss diet, while simultaneously trying to maintain my low sodium regimen, in order to reduce my mid-life ponch. It didn't work.   Well OK, I MAY have lost a pound, but my energy level pretty much bottomed out. I spent days playing online SCRABBLE and drawing fictional characters, but my "giddy up" certainly didn't have enough "go" for me to write, or be productive in any meaningful way.

My friend recommended a B12 supplement to put some hitch in my get-along. While it may have contributed to my recovery, I didn't really begin to snap to 'til I got a double cheeseburger & fries into my belly a few weeks ago. The diet I was on is based on hard science, so I'm not going to claim the burger delivered key nutrients, I'd been denied, or anything like that. Such a claim would be scientifically unsupportable, and I don't want to sway anyone from following the advice of their doctor/dietician/personal trainer.

Diets and eating plans may be similar to religions, in a way. Each carries with it its own wisdom and set of good ideas, but what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else. All I know for sure is that over the last two weeks, as I've weened myself from the diet, I've had more energy and I finally feel productive again. I'M BACK!

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Now for the fun stuff.

In addition to being a food enthusiast, I'm a huge mystery buff.   Last year I came across Pie In The Sky, a British mystery series chronicling the exploits of a Detective Inspector who moonlights as the Executive Chef of his own restaurant, which features traditional English cuisine. Of course, loving what I love, I had to check out the series, and have been watching it on Netflix ever since.

The protagonist's specialty is *Steak & Kidney Pie, which is a savory pie filled principally with a mixture of diced beef, diced kidney (often of ox, lamb, or pork), fried onion, and brown gravy. Having never had the dish, my curiosity finally got the best of me, so I decided to spend my birthday at a British Pub I'd wanted to try, called The Horse Brass.

The Horse Brass is a traditional English-style pub, located along SE Belmont St., in Portland. The old-world style window front rests in the middle of a red brick wall, shaded by a row of sidewalk dwelling trees. The interior of the pub is kept dimly lit, except for the dartboard area near the back. An array of British memorabilia, from pictures of royalty to football (soccer) posters, adorn the wooden brown-umber walls and ceiling. Tables displaying bottles of HP Brown Sauce, the popular English condiment, add the final touch to the British pub-like atmosphere, and the pleasant absence of loud music makes it comfortable for patrons to sit, drink, and converse comfortably.

I began my meal with a *Scotch Egg, which consists of a hard-boiled egg (with its shell removed) wrapped in a sausage meat mixture, coated in breadcrumbs or rolled oats, and then deep-fried.   This one is served with a sweet-hot homemade pub mustard for dipping, a carrot stick, a slice of dill pickle, and "chips" (which I'll return to later). Never having had one before, I was expecting a golden fried two bite starter, roughly the size of an Easter Egg. I had the golden fried part right, but once the sausage and fry coating are added, the final multiple bite product is roughly the size of a softball, and is served sliced in a way which is reminiscent of Terry's Chocolate Orange. The egg was salty and savory with a mild spiciness from the sausage, without being greasy. While the sweet-hot homemade pub mustard was perfectly tasty in its own right, I preferred the straight undipped flavor of the egg itself.

Then I had the *Sausage Roll, again served with the same sweet-hot homemade pub mustard, carrot stick, slice of dill pickle, and "chips." The English sausage wrapped in a homemade pastry shell was flaky on the outside with a scrumptiously tasting sausage in the center.   As with the egg, you can dip it if you want, but it just doesn't need it.

Finally, it was time to devour the reason for my visit, the Steak & Kidney Pie, pieces of steak and kidney baked in a homemade pie shell, served w/ chips and pickle. Unlike store purchased pot pies, the pie shell completely encased the densely packed portion of savorous meats. In fact, the pleasingly high meat to gravy ratio was enough to keep the content of the pie moist without being overly runny and messy. For those who have never had kidneys, they have a rich flavor & texture much like chicken livers, and are delicious in a pie such as this.

I washed everything down with a draught pint of Young's Double Chocolate Stout from Bedford, England. The dark, practically black, beer has very creamy texture.   Although "Chocolate" is in the name, it delivers more the flavor of dark roast coffee with a slight hint of bitter-sweet chocolate on the finish.

Lastly, my two cents about the "chips." Being at a English-style pub, when I saw, "served with chips," on the menu, I assumed chips meant fries.   I was surprised to find it referred to kettle-style potato chips. They were crispy, salty, and warm out of the oven, and it was only my expectations which lead to my surprise. It said "chips" and I got chips.

All things being considered; food, beer, and atmosphere; I enjoyed my time at The Horse Brass, and I give it a 97 out of 100.

*= link to recipe, not written by me, for a particular dish

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Good Food, Great Medicine

2012-01-16T15:25:00.000-08:00

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Those who've read my butter blog know that I have a ponch, and have been "strongly encouraged" to go on a diet. After a good deal of dragging my feet, and defending the merits of; a little round belly, that shakes when I laugh, like a bowl full of jelly; I finally capitulated. On New Years Day, I began a diet based on the spiral bound book Good Food, Great Medicine: A HOMEMADE COOKBOOK by Mea Hassell & Miles Hassell M.D.. On the cover, the book is described as, "An evidence based guide to using the Mediterranean diet and your kitchen in the pursuit of optimal health."

When I told my friends I'd begun The Mediterranean Diet, more than one of the asked if it had been hard to give up dairy? The question confused me, since I hadn't given up dairy. In fact, one reason I agreed to do THIS diet was the fact I wouldn't have to sacrifice cheese. I decided to do what I always do when I'm confused, I looked things up online.

"Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics, and you'll get ten different answers..." While J. Michael Straczynski's quote didn't originally apply to the field of eating plans, it very easily could have. As I surfed the web, I found almost as many variations of The Mediterranean Diet as there are interpretations of The Bible. OK, maybe not quite that many, but you get my point. After a good bit of research, I realized my friends had been referring to The Paleo-Mediterranean Diet. According to http://drkayeshealthandwellness.typepad.com/k4health/2011/05/the-paleo-mediterranean-diet.html, The Paleo-Mediterranean Diet makes the following bulleted recommendations.

"Eat all the lean, wild, organic meat, fish, and seafood you desire if eaten according to the recommended schedule and quantities. Whey protein or egg protein powders and soy or pea protein are good choices when you don’t have time or access to meat protein.

Eat all the in-season, non-starchy vegetables you want: cooked or raw; not peeled, juiced, or processed. Chopped up is OK. Blending in smoothies is OK. You need the fiber!

Avoid excess fruit:no more than 1 piece per day and it should be whole fruit, with the peel. If diabetic or prediabetic, no fruit at all. Sugar is sugar.

Avoid eating cereals or grains or white potatoes, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Particularly avoid any grain with gluten (wheat, barley, rye). If at your ideal body weight and composition, you could have up to 1/2 serving per day of a non-gluten-containing grain such as quinoa or wild rice.

Avoid artificial sweeteners. Xylitol and stevia and small quantities of raw honey, agave, or real organic maple syrup are acceptable natural sweeteners in very small quantities. But, again, eating none of this category is best, particularly if you are prediabetic or have type 2 diabetes.

Moderate legumes (beans, lentils, soybeans, peas, peanuts) and nuts. OK for 1 serving per day, but too many calories for regular eating at meals. Legumes have been shown to help stabilize blood sugar in diabetics if used instead of grains/refined carbohydrates.

Avoid dairy products.

Use only cold pressed olive and canola oils for salads or cooking; Ghee (clarified butter) is OK as well. Avoid margarine, shortening or any Trans-fats or vegetable/corn/safflower oil. Take 2 tablespoons of fish or cod-liver oil daily or take an EPA/DHA/GLA supplement. Flax oil is a good omega-3 oil, but it is not a substitute for fish oil.

Don’t eat processed foods; stay out of the middle aisles in the grocery store! Processed means anything that was done to a food to alter it (ground, smoked, colored, mixed up, cooked, chemically adulterated). Most processed foods are in boxes, jars, or containers and have multiple, often unpronounceable ingredients."

Like the Paleo version, the Hassell's diet is about excluding enriched white flour and prepared foods, and focuses on eating mainly; fresh fruits & veggies, seeds & nuts, whole grains, good oils, and lean proteins. Yet, by contrast, the Hassells allow dairy products in their version off The Mediterranean Diet, most notably; cheese, yogurt & kefir (a drink with similar flavor & health benefits to yogurt), butter, and eggs. The authors describe the health benefits of each of these traditionally forbidden foods, but offer strict guidelines for the inclusion of each food into ones diet.

For example they state, "Although high in saturated fat and cholesterol, it (butter) also has many valuable nutrients. This is in sharp contrast to margarine, a chemically manipulated food which I view as nutritionally worthless, or worse." Yet, they go on to recommend the use of extra-virgin olive oil, in place of butter, whenever possible.

Similarly, they claim that, "Arguably the healthiest people in the world live in Southern Europe and eat generous amounts of cheese." Because hard aged cheeses; sharp Cheddar, authentic Italian Parmesan, and alike; fill people faster, on fewer calories, than soft cheese they recommend mostly eating the hard cheeses and saving the Brie, and other soft cheese, for special occasions.

While sugary, and diet, soft drinks are strictly forbidden by the Hassell's plan, they do allow for the inclusion of alcohol, especially red wine. Page 19 explains that moderate amounts seem to, "substantially lower the risk of dying (by up to 50 percent) from heart disease, and are associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and dementia."

Although reasonable amounts of; yogurt, butter, eggs, cheese, wine, and beer; are allowed, making the plan doable, at least for me, there will still be a few things I'll miss. Cured/processed meats are out, so I must wave good bye to; salami, pastrami, corned beef, ham, bacon, pancetta, capocollo, prosciutto, liverwurst, and hot dogs. Organ meats such as chicken liver are out too. Plus, excluding enriched white flour marks the departure of bagels and big soft pretzels from my diet.

Fortunately, the Hassells acknowledge the necessity of splurging on occasion, in order to maintain one's sanity. I foresee myself splurging around the time of my birthday, next month, on a *Scotch Egg and *Steak & Kidney Pie at a British Pub I want to try, called The Horse Brass. This meal, and one other possible birthday generated bar trip, will serve as rewards for having stuck with the Hassell's plan the rest of the time.

Breaks and rewards aside though, the more I think about; cooking fresh vegetables in EVOO, using whole grains, eating lean meats & fish, snacking on fruit & nuts, and enjoying cheese with a glass of wine or beer; the more the Hassell's plan makes sense to me.

*= link to recipe, not written by me, for a particular dish

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Weingut Ackermann 2010 Riesling - Micro Blog

2012-01-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

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This wine, from Mosel, Germany, was another of my Christmas gifts. I opened it this weekend to find a lemony amber liquid with a slightly green tint. I drank the Riesling along side a salad of; fresh spinach, avocado, crisp pea pods, red onion, and baby cucumber; topped with a sweet Vidalia onion vinaigrette and shredded medium Cheddar cheese. The fresh greens made the wine taste crisp and light with subtle flavors of peach and apple.

Now it should be noted that other people, who've reviewed this Riesling, have reported tasting notes of cinnamon and sweet, buttery brioche. Yet, they were drinking it alongside red meat and wild game, which may have brought those flavors to the surface in a way my protein light salad didn't. If so, such pairing possibilities would make Weingut Ackermann 2010 Riesling a wonderfully diverse white wine.

In any case, Weingut Ackermann 2010 Riesling is a delicious white, which can be found for around $13 a bottle. I give it 3.9 out of 5 stars.
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Quince Paste (Dulce de Membrillo) - Micro Blog

2012-01-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

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Each year, my family does a gift exchange drawing. This year, my sister-in-law, Celeste, drew my name and put together a nice selection of cheese and wine for me. Along with the other goodies, was a two inch long semi-translucent red block of Quince Paste. Made from; coarsely chopped quince, water, sugar, and sometimes lemon zest or juice; Quince Paste, also known as Quince Cheese, or Dulce de Membrillo in Spanish, is basically a cross between a jelly and a "gummi" candy-like substance.

Quince Paste can be best classified as a rich sticky sweet gelée, which tastes like a sugary applesauce, in a good way. Thin slices are traditionally shaved from the block and are eaten with a thin slice of Manchego. Manchego is essentially Parmigiano-Reggiano's slightly sweeter, less salty, Spanish cousin. Even though the two elements are each sweet in their own right, they do compliment each other, and make a well balanced bite. Even though the combination seems like an appetizer to Caucasians like myself, it's typically served as a dessert in Spanish households, especially at Christmas time.

Overall, I'd have to say I like Quince Paste as one element of a cheese tray or canape array. As sweet as it is though, a little goes a long way. Thus, it's a treat which is best enjoyed in small doses.
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Special Announcement:
I've been maintaining a page of food recalls, on this blog. However, the number of recalls has steadily multiplied from five or six a week to almost as many each day, making it hard to keep the page current. I don't want someone to eat something, thinking it's safe, because I posted a warning a day late. Therefore, I'm discontinuing the page, but I'm putting the following link at the very bottom of the blog, next to the recipe disclaimer.

"You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free."

Is Serving Prosecco "Slumming It?"

2011-12-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

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My friend, Jenny Johnson, puts creative spins on classic desserts on her monthly blog, Vintage Sugarcube. This month, in her entry, Too Poor for Couture, she asks readers if they have, "Champagne taste on a Prosecco budget?"

The question took me back a bit. On the one hand, Prosecco DOES cost less than Champagne. A good Prosecco can be found for around $15 to $20 (Mionetto Il Proseco, Le Colture Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut, Le Colture Prosecco di Valdobbiadene NV, etc...), whereas it's easy to drop $50 on a bottle of Champagne Fleury Fleur de L'Europe Brut NV, or $80 on a single bottle of Vouette & Sorbee Fidele 2008. Therefore, the question as stated, is based on a fiscal reality.

Beneath that reality though, lies the supposition that Champagne is a superior wine variety to Prosecco. I'm not positive such a premise can be accepted as fact across the board. While it may be true that, before the 1960s, Proseccos had earned a reputation for being sweet wines which lacked complexity, most of today's offerings fall into the; Dry, Extra Dry, or Brut; categories.

Perhaps, the tight definition of Champagne has added to its air of exclusivity. In order to be labeled Champagne, a wine must be a sparkling white wine made from a blend of grapes, especially Chardonnay and Pinot, via the Méthode Champenoise, produced in the Champagne region of France. Meanwhile, Prosecco has historically been a sparkling white wine made from the Prosecco grape via the Charmat Method, produced anywhere in the world.

That changed on August 1st of 2009, when the EU renamed the Prosecco grape as the Glera grape and strictly redefined Prosecco wine as, "a sparkling white wine from the Veneto region of NE Italy, made from the Glera grape via the Charmat Method." Producers making sparkling wine, from the Glera grape, outside of the Veneto region, now have to use the alternative name for the grape, Glera, on their label instead of Prosecco.

With its label being as tightly regulated as Champagne's, and the boost in quality over the last 50 years, one has to wonder why the disparity in price, and perceived quality, still persists? Granted, the Méthode Champenoise is more labor intensive than the Charmat Method, which explains a portion of the difference. Yet, demand tends to dictate price more than production costs do, these days. This leads me to think the answer has to do with tradition, more than other factors.

Think about it. We didn't grow up seeing James Bond and Maurice Chevalier popping corks on bottles of Prosecco. Randall Jarrell's poem, entitled "Losses" didn't talk about, "A toast to her in Prosecco from her slipper." To my knowledge, Fred Astaire never used a Prosecco bucket & stand as a dance partner. No, it was all Champagne, Champagne, Champagne.

As, Champagne became our mental template for sparkling wine, Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava, German Sekt, and the semi-sparkling Moscato D'Asti became thought of as "not Champagne." "Not Champagne," came to mean "less than Champagne" in our collective unconscious, which kept demand, and thus prices, low. Since decreased demand for Prosecco and increased demand for Champagne are the results of popular perception, price can no longer be seen as a lone indicator of quality.

Toasting 2012 with a Prosecco won't mean you're slumming it. It'll simply show you're savvy enough to take advantage of market conditions by enjoyong a quality sparkling wine for a fraction of the price of many Champagnes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!
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Bonus:
No matter which sparkling wine you toast the New Year with, Jenny Meier's piece, Five Cheeses to Pair With Sparkling Wine, will help you choose a nice cheese to accompany your beverage.
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A Chef's Christmas by Anthony Bourdain: Review

2011-12-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

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The crew at Restaurant Saint Germain find themselves miserable on Christmas Eve. Once a culinary hot spot, which could easily afford to let the bartender skim a hundred dollars from the till each night, the restaurant now sits as a lonely reminder of past glory. Even Executive Chef Rob Holland (the world's sexiest chef), has been a stranger lately to his own kitchen. This December 24th, the empty dining room of Restaurant Saint Germain serves as a constant reminder that the crew will soon be hunting for new jobs.

However, every good Christmas story features, at least the possibility of, a Christmas miracle. Just as things look their bleakest, will a feverishly made tasting menu consisting of; a torchon of foie gras, cornmeal blinis with shavings of homemade gravlax and Beluga caviar, lobster ravioli with white truffles and a morel sauce, sweetbreads crisped in duck fat, and other truly inspired dishes; made by Chef Rob Holland, be enough to save the dying eatery, or will it be Restaurant Saint Germain's proverbial last supper?

Originally published as a thirty page bonus story within Anthony Bourdain's 2006 book, "The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones," "A Chef's Christmas" is available, by itself, as an hour long unabridged audiobook, read by the author. While this work of fiction is a rare departure from Bourdain's culinary non-fiction genre; the only other work of fiction, to my knowledge, being the murder mystery "Bone in the Throat;" "A Chef's Christmas" contains elements one would expect find within one of his books.

Filled with accounts of back kitchen shenanigans and vivid descriptions of world-class gourmet cuisine, "A Chef's Christmas" is unapologetically told through the mastered use of a colorfully raw vocabulary, which would embarrass many seasoned sailors and Teamsters. Anthony Bourdain's hardcore fans have come to accept, and even look forward to his brazenly crass writing style, possibly because it comes across as uncensored and therefor honest. Plus, referring to a Christmas tree salesman as an "inbred mother*&$%er" humorously sets the story apart from other works of the Christmas miracle genre, such as; "A Christmas Carol," "It's A Wonderful Life." or "Miracle On 34th Street."

Basically, if you're a reader/listener who can be excited by depictions of top-notch epicurean delights, and you can accept a certain degree of vulgarity without being offended, then "A Chef's Christmas" by Anthony Bourdain may be a welcome addition to your Christmas library. Personally, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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*Described dishes are linked to recipes for similar fare, and listed gourmet ingredients; gravlax, Beluga caviar, and white truffles; are linked to definitions and further information. Recipes may not reflect the way Anthony Bourdain would prepare the dish in question.
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Enjoy Ye Butter While Ye May

2011-12-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

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I was dozing to the news last night, when I saw a story on the current Norwegian butter shortage. Apparently, the people of Norway have been on such an extreme low carb kick, that the demand for the creamy condiment has skyrocketed. The increase in demand, coupled with a weather related decrease in dairy production, has lead to a notable absence of butter on Norwegian grocery shelves.

The absence of butter is being felt especially hard right now, because butter is the key ingredient in their traditional Christmas Pudding.

NORWEGIAN CHRISTMAS PUDDING
Servings 6

1lb Butter
2 cups Water
6 tbsp Flour + 1 1/4 cups Flour
6 cups Milk
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Beaten egg
2 tsp Sugar
Cinnamon to taste

Melt butter & water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, add 6 tablespoons flour, stir in with a whisk. Wait a few minutes & remove the fat that comes out (this is used later). Add 1 1/4 cups flour & stir again, add milk which has been heated, use electric mixer to keep it from getting lumpy. while beating, add salt, egg & sugar. Put in crock pot to keep warm with the skimmed fat poured over pudding & add sugar & cinnamon.

The public's clamoring for butter has created a black market for the dairy based spread. Anyone in Norway can buy a pound of butter for $32.00, six times the normal price, provided they have no qualms about dealing with elements of organized crime.

Although I'm a food enthusiast, I probably would have forgotten this story, once I fell asleep, if I hadn't already been wrestling a buttery issue of my own. As shocking as it seems, at the ripe age of 41, I have a ponch around my middle. Parish the thought.

Keep in mind, I'm far from what any objective person would call obese, I simply have some tummy flab. OK, my most recent blood work came back with my Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels a few points higher than the accepted ideal. In response, my doctor sent my a list of foods to avoid, including;

Untrimmed fatty red meats,

Goose & duck meats,

Bacon,

Organ meats,

Processed meats,

Eggs,

Butter and lard,

Foods with tropical oils (such as coconut, palm, or palm kernel),

Whole milk,

Whole milk yogurt,

Cheeses,

and Ice cream.

With this, and the ponch, in mind, my mother is "encouraging" me to join her on The Mediterranean Diet after the New Year. And yes, even at 41 years of age one's mother can still wield quite a bit of encouragement in one direction or another.

The Mediterranean Diet focuses on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, seafood, yogurt, olive oil, and small amounts of wine. I've weighed the options; keeping in mind my current low salt regimen, which has already lowered my blood pressure; and I've decided to be careful, but not to cut out any foods.

My doctor's plan allows me healthy processed cereals but no eggs, whereas The Mediterranean Diet allows eggs but no processed cereals. That basically leaves me with oatmeal for breakfast, which I couldn't choke down if Joe Rogan was standing over me with a million dollars in prize money.

No, I'm convinced moderation is the key to health. While eating and drinking anything to excess is stupidly unhealthy, I'm convinced low-salt butter, cheese, eggs, salami, steak, etc... can be elements of a healthy eating plan. Does that mean I can have; eggs, bacon, sausage, and brie on toast; for breakfast, a burger & fries for lunch, and a steak for dinner each day? OF COURSE NOT! However, I can have Special K & fruit for breakfast, and reasonable lunches a dinners 5 or 6 days a week, splurge a bit on the weekends, and be reasonably healthy. As far as that goes, when I have dinners with my mother, I can totally eat her Mediterranean meals, I like fish.

Will I lose my ponch doing it my way? No, but I most likely won't lose it anyway, it's simply a sign of age for many men. Since, I'll NEVER be mistaken for Charles Atlas under any eating plan, I choose to partake of reasonable delicious foods, including butter while I can. After all, just like the Norwegians, we may wake up one day and discover it's too late to enjoy our favorites.

Carpe Diem my friends! :-)

Recipe prints as one page by itself (page 2).
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Cucina Fresca Caramelized Pear and Gorgonzola Ravioli - Micro Blog

2011-12-05T19:32:00.001-08:00

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I was at New Season's the other day when I came across a package of Cucina Fresca Caramelized Pear and Gorgonzola Ravioli.
I like blue cheese.
I like pears.
I like Ravioli.
Thus, I picked up a package and was looking forward to having them alongside a steak. Unfortunately, all but a few completely opened as they cooked. What was inside was a brownish mushroomy looking glob. Of course, it did say the pears were "caramelized," which would account for the brownish color. However, the few that were salvaged delivered NO taste of pear, Gorgonzola, or cheese of any kind, blue or otherwise. It was simply flavorless.

Next time I'll leave the Cucina Fresca Caramelized Pear and Gorgonzola Ravioli on the shelf.
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Seven Daughters Moscato NV - Micro Blog

2011-12-04T15:57:00.001-08:00

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Seven Daughters Moscato NV is a delectably sweet white wine made from 100% Moscato grapes sourced from northeastern Italy. With faint aromas of peaches and honey, it delivers flavors of sweet apple & cinnamon to the palate, reminding the drinker of apple pie.

While many drinkers will treat this exclusively as a dessert wine, I paired it with Porcini Stuffed Ravioli with caramelized onions in a Marsala Cream Sauce, which was sweet and savory, and the wine held up nicely. While the restaurant charged $10.00 a glass for Seven Daughters Moscato NV you can easily find it for around $10.00 a bottle online.

NV = Non Vintage
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Anthony Bourdain's The Layover: Review

2011-11-25T13:34:00.001-08:00

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This week saw the debut of Anthony Bourdain's new show, The Layover. Promos advertise the program will show viewers the best ways to kill time between flights in major cities around the world. Being a huge fan of No Reservations, as well as his books on the culinary industry, I was curious about this new offering.

The series kicks off with a thirty hour layover in Singapore, beginning with a rundown of hotel options and a breakdown of transportation times from the airport, whether a traveler takes a cab, bus, or train. Once checked in to the Presidential Suite he was surprisingly upgraded to, Bourdain takes viewers on a whirl wind tour of the city. The tour includes a variety of sites, including the Mustafa Center, a massive indoor market with everything; the Singapore Flyer, a 165 meter high Ferris Wheel; and the Sands SkyPark, an adult playground, resting across the roofs of three skyscrapers, complete with a swimming pool and night club.

The hotel options, transportation tips, and list of tourist traps are interesting and useful bits of information. However, fans of Anthony Bourdain watch him for his descriptions of exotic cuisine, superbly prepared street food, and culinary staples from different regions and cultures. As the camera vividly captures what he eats, and he describes the flavors of these foods, we fans enjoy living vicariously through him. In this regard, The Layover doesn't disappoint.

He begins with a breakfast of steamed rice cakes with fried pickles at one of the city's Hawker Centers, which are quality controlled centers for street food vendors. As he enjoys that breakfast, cameras whisk viewers across the city to show us the Peanut Pancake option for breakfast. As the clock ticks down, he visits the Colonial District for a meal of Chicken Rice and Curry Fish Heads; Samy's Curry for Chicken Masala, Papa Dahl, Naan Bread, Prawns, and a host of other Indian delicacies; the Gaylang District for Claypot Rice (which comes with a variety of meats), Fried Crab, Lobster, and Green Beans with Dried Fish Powder; and Arab Street for Pulled Tea. Scenes featuring these, and other local eats, were more than adequate to satisfy any food loving viewer.

In a nutshell, The Layover is essentially No Reservations with a slight twist. While No Reservations can explore cultures anywhere, The Layover focuses on a tighter radius around a transportation hub. Food dominates both productions though, making the culinary segments virtually interchangeable between titles.

Airing Mondays at 9pm on The Travel Channel, The Layover is entertaining TV for any No Reservations fan.
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Turkey Day Cometh

2011-11-17T14:18:00.001-08:00

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2011 seems to have rushed by at break-neck speed. I feel like I was anticipating summer just last week, now here we are a week from Thanksgiving. Some people claim that, over the years Thanksgiving has morphed from being a time to give thanks into a day of gluttonous feasting. Yet, as is true with many of our customs; first dates, wedding receptions, wakes, birthdays, etc...; I'd argue that the food is merely the excuse people use to come together and enjoy one another, which is something to be thankful for.

Since, families are made up of individuals, everyone has their own favorite part of the meal. Some folks salivate at the thought of the juicy turkey meat encased within a crispy salty layer of golden skin. Creamy mashed potatoes drenched in gravy, saucy green beans surrounded by crispy fried onions, and tart cranberry sauce can also lure family members to the table. Others are all about the sweet pie, whether it's; pumpkin, mincemeat, or apple; in its flaky crust, served with a dollop of whipped cream and a hot cup of coffee.

In my case, while I love all stuffings/dressings, my all time favorite is Oyster Dressing. The umami-esc tang of the oysters combines with the salty Pecorino Romano cheese, onions, celery, garlic, and other ingredients to deliver a rich and complex taste experience.

Oyster Dressing

4 ounces butter
2 cups onions, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1-1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
4 dozen oysters, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
3 cups coarse unseasoned bread crumbs

Melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery, green onions and garlic until tender, stirring frequently. Gradually add the chopped oysters. Cook about 4 minutes, constantly stirring. Add the parsley; stir. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cheese and pepper; stir. Remove from the heat and begin stirring in the bread crumbs a little at a time. Add oyster liquor (the juice inside the oyster) and stir. Cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes. Salt to taste.

The dressing can be stuffed into the fowl of your choice, or it can be served as a side dish. To serve as a casserole, spoon the dressing into a buttered casserole dish, sprinkle the top with unseasoned bread crumbs, dot with butter and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Yield: 2 quarts, about 8 servings.

Proper pairings are crucial to the success of a Thanksgiving meal though, and this year my family decided on smoked turkey as the main course. Because the salty smokiness of the smoked turkey is such a dominant flavor, I find it competes too much with the taste of the Oyster Dressing. Thus, we'll be sticking with a Traditional Sage Stuffing this year.

Traditional Sage Stuffing

6 cups cubed bread
3 tsp. chicken bouillon granules, or 3 cubes
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1/2 cup dried minced celery
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350*F. Bake bread cubes for 8 to 10 minutes or until dry. In a large bowl, toss bread with remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Combine with a ratio of 2 cups stuffing to 1/2 cup water and 2 Tbsp melted butter. Yields about 7 cups.

Before mixing your dry stuffing with the water & butter, you can store it in airtight container and it will keep for 1 to 4 months in the cupboard, or for up to 12 months in the freezer.

If you think the result looks like a homemade version of Stove Top Stuffing, you're right. There are advantages to making it at home though. First, people on low-sodium diets can cut the amount of salt, or replace the salt with their favorite salt substitute. If you do use a salt substitute, you want to use a full tsp. since, in my opinion, they don't carry the flavorful POP salt does, when used in equal amounts.

Additionally, making it fresh allows you to experiment with different kinds of bread. Personally, I wouldn't use a sweet bread. You don't want a bread on the moist side either, such as a Hawaiian Egg Bread, or you'll decrease its shelf life. However; white breads, oat breads, sourdough breads, rye breads, wheat breads, and other savory breads; will each provide a different flavor, and should work fine.

Of course, the dressing will be done in a casserole dish, otherwise the dressing's bread will adopt a funky flavor from the smoked flesh of the bird.
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Bonus Wine Tip:

As I said above, "proper pairings are crucial to the success of a Thanksgiving meal," which goes for the wine as well as the sides. First, I'd recommend a Prosecco or Champagne, since most sparkling wines will go well with most dishes across the board. My personal favorite with turkey though, is Gewurztraminer. Hints of spice, and occasionally nutmeg, make it an ideal white wine for turkey & dressing. If you need to go the red route, which I personally wouldn't, a robust low-tannin Pinot Noir may be your best bet.
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What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner? Feel free to answer in comments below.

Recipes print as one page by themselves (pages 2 & 3).
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The Dining Restaurant at Multnomah Falls Lodge: Review

2011-11-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

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First of all, it's nice to be back home and back online. Living in a motel, which reeked of tobacco smoke and Lord knows what else, as part of my house was being remodeled, was an exhausting experience. Returning home, after a week of; fast food take-out, nukable meals, mystery odors from Hell, limited TV, nausea, and no internet (I use a desktop PC); only to discover 1/3 of my computer's keys no longer functioned was positively disheartening. However a week and a half after the slay ride began, I'm pleased to say I have a new bathroom, complete with a heated floor; I'm adjusting to a new keyboard, I'm consistently holding food down, and I'm ready to write again.
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A week before work began on my house, Oregon experienced a few final days of clear skies and warmth. On the spur of the moment, my mother and I decided to enjoy the pleasant weather at Multnomah Falls Lodge. Spewing from natural underground springs that originate on Larch Mountain, white water rushes 620 feet down Multnomah Falls in two major steps, the upper fall plunging 542 feet to the lower 69 foot fall. Welcoming, tourists, photographers, and other onlookers is Multnomah Falls Lodge. Completed in 1925, the lodge provides visitors with an information center, gift shop, fast food snack bar, and a dining restaurant.

Located on the lodge's second floor, the restaurant consists of two high-ceilinged dining rooms. The first features a slanted ceiling and walls of glass which provide a clear view of the falls. The second room, done in dark stone walls and an espresso colored wood beam ceiling, offers diners the coziness of a wood burning fireplace. Given the grandeur of the rooms and the restaurant's promise of, "upscale Northwest style cuisine with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients," I figured we were in for a real treat.

Lunches are served with; Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, or French Fries; and a spear of dill pickle. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich & Fries for $12.50 and a Widmer Hefeweizen for $4.50, and she had the Reuben & Fries also for $12.50.

Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich - I live by a set of culinary rules. One such rule dictates that something called a "Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich" should, at least vaguely, taste like salmon, smoked or otherwise. What I got was an orange heap of mayonnaise based glop, a piece of Swiss Cheese, and some lettuce between two mayonnaise slathered pieces of bread. I wouldn't have minded the thickly applied "salad" oozing from the sandwich after every bite, if it had actually tasted like SOMETHING. While "cold' isn't generally thought of as a flavor, if pushed to describe the taste of the sandwich, cold and mushy are the only words that accurately describe what I ate.

Reuben - This sandwich fit the generally accepted definition of a Reuben Sandwich; corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, with a Russian dressing between slices of rye bread. Admittedly, the flavors were there. Yet, there was so much dressing and sauerkraut brine on the sandwich, that the bread became a soggy mess after the first few bites, forcing her to eat it with a knife and fork.

Sides - The fries were a typical shoestring cut, but somewhat under seasoned. The dill pickle was even on the bland side and was fairly soft to the bite.

Granted, The Dining Restaurant at Multnomah Falls Lodge is known for its dinners, and we were there for lunch. I have to say though, if they have trouble delivering a decent sandwich, I'm not about to risk twice the price on their Bacon Wrapped Ribeye or Herb Rubbed Prime Rib. I'll stick to the snack bar next time.
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My "American Cheese Month" So Far

2011-10-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

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Since October is American Cheese Month, I wanted to review a few American made morsels. From everything I've heard and read, I'd expected to go to a specialty cheese store, find a display promoting American/Pacific NW made cheese, and easily be able to select 3 or 4 gems. I have to say I was slightly disappointed by what I found.

I typically buy cheese at one of three places; Whole Foods, New Seasons (a local Whole Foods-esc chain), and Pasta Works (a small specialty food/wine chain of shops in Portland). None of these stores exhibited any signs of being aware of the nation wide observance. There were no displays, specials, or leaflets of any kind to promote American made cheeses. Whole Foods even had an entire display dedicated to Dutch made Gouda. I was shocked and a bit disheartened. Nevertheless, being the determined pleasure eater that I am, I persevered, dug through the; Mozzarellas, Swisses, Irish Cheddars, Huntsmans, Provolones, Stiltons, and Bries; and found three American cheeses which peaked my interest.

Rogue Creamery’s Smokey Blue Cheese - Reportedly the first blue ever smoked, it's a classic Roquefort style cheese,which is cold smoked for 16 hours over Oregon Hazelnut shells. The moment I returned home, I used this blue cheese to top a homemade jalapeno burger. As the knife slid through the cheese, I noticed the slice was slightly creamier, and held together better, than most blues, which tend to crumble when cut. The smoke gives the already bold blue cheese a nice saltiness which can be tasted even under the spiciness of the peppers.

Beecher's Flagship Cheese - I'd originally asked Pasta Works' monger for a cutting of NY Cheddar. Familiar with my tastes, she politely shook her head and told me, "the Beecher's has a far more interesting flavor." First available at Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market in November of 2003, Beecher's Flagship is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese which delivers an overall robust nutty flavor and a sharp tang on the very back of the tongue.

Big Ed's Cheese - This cheese, from Saxon Homestead Creamery in Cleveland, Wisconsin, is made from raw cow’s milk, formed into cooked pressed curds, and is then ripened for 120 days. The result is a buttery semi-soft cheese, roughly the texture of Havarti, with a mild nutty flavor. I ate it with some; olive oil, rosemary, and kosher salt; topped focaccia bread and a cold malted wheat beer. It made a pleasant addition to my evening snack without dominating the other components.

While I'm pleased with the American fare I found, I'm more than a bit surprised The First Annual American Cheese Month hasn't been made a bigger deal of in these parts. OK, I haven't visited Elephants Delicatessen, Zupan's, or Martinotti’s, but if anyone was observing the month, I'd expect my three usual haunts to be among the observers. Even if they ignored cheeses from the rest of the country, it would have been the perfect time to promote Oregon cheeses including, but hardly limited to, Classico Cheese, by Tumalo Farms; Up in Smoke, by Rivers Edge Chevre; Evalon, by LaClare Farms; and Caveman Blue, Rogue River Blue, Oregonzola, Chocolate Stout Cheddar, and the aforementioned Smokey Blue, all by Rogue Creamery.

I can't help but feel that a prime opportunity to promote American made, not to mention locally produced, goods was neglected by the local retail sector. True, I was only aware of the observance because I pay attention to a number of culinary blogs & podcasts. Still, in a day when the local economy sorely needs a boost, you'd think retailers would be acutely aware of such opportunities and would pounce on them, especially when some of the locally produced products in question have been recognized as being among the best cheeses in the world.
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Buffalo Bill's: America’s Original Pumpkin Ale - Micro Blog

2011-10-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

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Since this is the heart of autumn, I'd planned to compare a variety of pumpkin beers in one long blog. Unfortunately, I only found one I really like. Thus, I decided to take a page from The Wine Guys' playbook by talking up the good, without trashing the bad.

Buffalo Bill's: America’s Original Pumpkin Ale is an amber style ale, supposedly based on George Washington's original fall recipe. Brewed with fresh roasted pumpkins; malted barley, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; are added to flavor the ale.

Once poured, the brownish colored head dissipates rapidly, leaving a cloudy golden ochre colored liquid, mimicking the appearance of rich cider. The initial flavor is sweet but spiced, like a piece of pumpkin pie. However, it delivers a slightly bitter finish to remind drinkers they're drinking a beer.

Buffalo Bill's: America’s Original Pumpkin Ale is available from September thru November each year. At 5.20% ABV (alcohol by volume), I found it refreshing alongside a smoked blue cheese & jalapeno topped burger & a pile of fried potatoes.

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To Affinage Or Not To Affinage? That Is The Question? - Micro Blog

2011-10-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

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Since October is American Cheese Month, I'd already decided to focus on cheese in this month's blogs, when my friend, Jenny Meier Iarovici, of About Cheese alerted me to a NY Times article on affinage (cave aging of cheese). "Affinage," is a French term which refers to the process of storing cheese in caves and controlling temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors in order to impeccably mature and ripen cheese to its peak. According to the article, many people swear by affinage as a way of instilling flavor. “I like to think of our facility here as a day school for cheese,” Mr. McCalman said. “As soon as the obstetrician is O.K. with releasing the baby cheese into our care, then we’ll put it through day school here, and we’ll nurture the cheese until it’s ready to go out into the real world.”

Others have said it's a bunch of hype used to justify inflated prices. “This affinage thing is a total crock,” said Mr. Jenkins, the cheese monger at Fairway and the author of the pivotal 1996 book “Cheese Primer.” “All it does is drastically inflate the cost of cheeses that have benefited zero from this faux-alchemical nonsense.”

While I have no first hand knowledge as to the effectiveness, or lack there of, of affinage, the fact that Murray's in NY and Anne Saxelby both utilize the process, leads me to believe there's probably something to it. What do you think?
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October Is American Cheese Month

2011-10-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

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I blog about a variety of food topics these days. Restaurants, wine, beer, food quality & safety, recipes, food; shows, sites, and books; are all fair game on this blog. Those who've been reading my online offerings for any length of time though, know the epicurean portion of my heart belongs first and foremost to cheese. Whether it was the seemingly infinite number of cheese varieties, the vast number of uses for cheese, or it's presence through out history which first drew me to cheese, I'm not sure. Whatever the initial catalyst was, the fact remains, according to my friend Dani, that my fondness for the dairy based food is one of the defining characteristics of my personality.

When many people think of serious cheese, they think of French Brie & Camembert, Italian Parmesan Reggiano, English & Irish Cheddars & Bleu Cheeses, Dutch Gouda, Swiss Emmental, and a host of other European cheeses. Say the words, "American Cheese," and minds instantly conjure up images of orangish rubbery oil based squares of cheese-like food product. While this calcium infused childhood staple does have a few legitimate uses in the kitchen, it has no place on an aficionado's cheese plate, nor is it representative of what American artisan cheesemakers are producing.

To combat the common misunderstandings surrounding caseous American fare, The American Cheese Society has declared October of 2011 to be The 1st Annual American Cheese Month. Some of the American Cheeses participants will be encouraged to learn about, and sample, this month include Meadow Creek Appalachian, Vermont Shepherd, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Westfield Capri, Bellwether Pepato, Consider Bardwell Dorset, Roelli Dunbarton Blue, Marieke Gouda, Nettle Meadow Kunik, Nicasio Square, Sprout Creek Madeline, Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Co-op Dante, Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper, Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert, Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Spring Brook Reading Raclette, Blue Ledge Lake’s Edge, Rogue River Blue (one of my personal favorites), Salvatore Ricotta, Meadow Creek Grayson, Corner Field Frere Fumant, Vermont Creamery Cremont, and Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam. Plus, there are literally hundreds of other artisan quality American Cheeses just waiting to be discovered by mainstream eaters as well.

While, Colorado's Governor, John Hickenlooper, has so far been the only elected official to recognize the society's declaration, word of the observance has spread to makers, mongers, chefs, and eaters across the country. Stores in Seattle & New York are awarding shoppers, holding $10 month long passports, with 40% off featured cheeses of the day. Eaters can also look forward to festivals, tastings, classes, and other events being held all month long, across the country. Find a complete calendar of events here, courtesy of The American Cheese Society.

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To Boldly Explore Craft Beer

2011-09-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

I didn’t really begin drinking beer until this year. I’ve discovered I have a fondness for slightly sweet craft beers. Thus, I’ve done some research and have identified several beers I think I’d like to try.

(GENERAL BEERS I'D LIKE TO TRY)

Red Rock Amber Ale: taste is thick with toasty malts, fairly sweet with a slight dried cherry edge, maybe a touch of smoke,

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat: lots of orange with some spicy notes underneath,

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout: tastes of sweet malts, coffee, bitter chocolate, maple syrup, & slightly bitter finish,

Anchor Porter: chocolate flavors come through the middle and finishes roasty with some light coffee notes, coffee finish,

(SEASONAL BEERS I'D LIKE TO TRY)

Buffalo Bill's Brewery "Original Pumpkin Ale": modeled after the pumpkin ale George Washington is believed to have brewed, with baked and roasted pumpkins combined with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (September - November),

Rogue Mocha Porter: flavors start off sweet and seductive, then coffee and chocolate flavors that emerge (November - January),

Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic: sweet, tart, and spicy with a cranberry flavor and clean vanilla (November - January),

Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock: slightly sweet, full bodied with a finish of fine chocolate (November - January),
(OK, many people don’t put Samual Adams in the craft beer category. However, since it’s a clear cut above most other corporate beers I’ve tried; Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc…; I include it with the good stuff.)

The problem I’m running into is that it’s fiscally difficult to try new beers. Think about it for a minute. With most beers, one can either buy a six pack (six 12oz bottles), or “a forty” (one 40oz bottle). If I get the six pack, and discover I don’t like it, I'm stuck with five bottles of something I’ll never drink. The single big bottles are fine if I’m having company, but I typically drink George Thorogood style, alone. Thus, I either have to drink forty ounces in one sitting, or try to recap the bottle to keep it from going flat. Sure, I can buy a bottle capper to reseal my forties, but that seems like a lot of trouble to go to.

Some beers come in a 22oz bottle, which is essentially 2 ounces shy of 2 standard 12oz glasses of beer. That’s the perfect size to sample a new beer from. I can have 2 glasses with a meal, or as I watch boxing on TV, get to know the beer, and not feel as though I’ve drunk an excessive amount, or wasted any.

More often than not though, the 22oz option isn’t available. My only other option is to find a restaurant or bar, which serves the particular beer I want to try. I've had some success with this method recently, trying summer ales. Now that Starbucks, on NW Portland's 11th & Couch, is serving local wines & beers, I plan on sampling a few craft beers there. I also plan to visit Rogue Distillery & Public House, in November, specifically to try the aforementioned Rogue Mocha Porter .

I'm under no illusion that I'll be able to try ALL the beers I want to, or that I'll like all the beers I'll try. I do think that the ongoing exploration of the craft beer market will be a fun and educational process. As I learn what I like & dislike, I'll be sharing my experiences and novice opinions here. Frankly, I can't wait to see what I discover next.

By the way, what's your favorite beer? What beer do you want to try next? Please leave your answers & other comments below.

Not My Typical Type Of Post, But...

2011-09-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

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I don't often participate in these blog memes. As a whole, they remind me of one of those high school caliber Myspace chain bulletins (Which teacher do you have a crush on? Tee-hee). This one though, is an interesting way to review my blog and highlight some of my past entries. Plus, one of my favorite food bloggers, Ky Foley, over at "Free Spirit Eater" & "Bromography" nominated my blog for this little exercise - thank you Ky!

Here's the objective, I'm supposed to post links to my most beautiful post, my most popular post, my most controversial post, my most helpful post, a post whose success surprised me, a post I feel didn't get the attention it deserved, and the post I am most proud of. Some of these will be obvious, whatever got the most comments was the most popular post; that's a given. However, I'm not sure how I'll determine some of the more subjective categories, such as most beautiful post, so bare with me. Of course, if you think I chose the wrong post for one of the categories feel free to leave a comment and slap me upside my proverbial head.

Aaand away we go...

My most beautiful post"Most Beautiful," can mean a variety of things. Being somewhat of a nerd, think Sheldon Cooper with a passion for; food, wine, and beer; I'm going to let it mean, "most informative." In, "What’s Cooking Uncle Sam?" not only did I get to share some fascinating pieces of American culinary history, I also got to bring readers some historic recipes including, John F. Kennedy's New England Fish Chowder and Dwight D. Eisenhower's Vegetable Soup.

My most popular postMy most popular post was, apparently, July's piece, "Unscrambling The Facts About Eggs", in which I clarified some misconceptions regarding organically produced vs. factory farm eggs. I ended the piece with a recipe for one of my favorite breakfasts; Baked Eggs with Canadian Bacon, Spinach, and Aged Cheddar.

My most controversial postWhile I didn't get any public comments on, "Irish Food Is Not Necessarily Green," featuring my recipe for Colcannon, I did receive emails accusing me of trivializing the traditions of Boston & Chicago. I don't think I trivialized anything, but merely pointed out that green beer & lime Jello have nothing to do with traditional Irish cooking.

My most helpful post"In Food Labels We Trust?" exposed the fact that one out of every six foods we buy may be mislabeled. If someone only read one of my blogs, I hope it was this one, and I hope it inspired them to pay closer attention to the foods they buy.

A post whose success surprised meJust last week, I wrote a review of Crave with Troy Johnson on Food Network. Less than 24 hours after I'd posted it, Troy Johnson friended me on Twitter and sent me a personal Tweet thanking me for the review.

A post I feel didn't get the attention it deservedWhen I wrote, "Seafood Fraud Hurts Consumers," I expected readers to be jaw droppingly floored by the idea that after a year of sporadic DNA testing, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) concluded that one third (33%) of fish imports have been mislabeled. The news didn't generate a single comment, email, or, for all I know, second thought.

The post I am most proud ofEven before I began a food blog, I'd wanted to write a piece on food in the movies. In the piece, "Big Movies & Big Food," I got to talk about some of my favorite movies and share recipes for Corn Dodgers from True Grit and Clemenza’s Spaghetti Sauce from The Godfather among others.

Now here's the part where I'm supposed to "tag" other bloggers to keep the chain going. I'm not sure that any of the bloggers I read, except for Ky Foley, of "Free Spirit Eater" & "Bromography," are particularly interested in doing chain posts. However, I can name some of my favorite food blogs, so my readers can enjoy them too.

Favorite Food Blogs:

Vintage Sugarcube,
Free Spirit Eater,
Happy Opu,
The Saxelby Almanac,
About Cheese,
The (Modern) Busy Girl's Cookbook,
British Novelist Deborah Lawrenson's Blog About Food, Literature, Art, And All Things Inspired By The South Of France,
Anthony Bourdain's Travel Blog

Crave with Troy Johnson: Review

2011-09-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

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I've been a fan of the Food Network since its debut, in November of 1993. In fact, I recently commented to fellow food blogger, Free Spirit Eater, that "the network's been very important to American food as a whole; suburban grocery stores carry a wider variety of cheeses and produce now, simply because shoppers/viewers are more aware of what's out there, and they want it." While I applaud their contribution to the country's culinary education, I'd recently begun to wonder about the future of Food Network. Featuring a horde of recipe shows including; Good Eats, Secrets Of A Restaurant Chef, and 30 Minute Meals; just to name a scant few, travel shows such as; Diner Drive-Ins & Dives, $40 A Day, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and food competitions like; Chopped, Iron Chef: America, and The Great Food Truck Race; one could easily believe the network had exhausted every spin they could possibly put on a food show. Thankfully, my fears have been momentarily quashed by the new travel show, Crave.

Hosted by food critic and writer Troy Johnson, Crave crosses the country on a quest for the most perfect version of the featured food of the episode. In each episode, Troy visits 5 to 7 purveyors of a particular food; at the end of each segment, he'll record, in a CGI generated notebook, one aspect of the food which that purveyor executed perfectly. Then the last segment will feature a purveyor who combines all of the perfect aspects into one dish.

For example, in Crave's latest episode, Ice Cream: Socially Acceptable Lick Food, Troy visited a factory that produced ice cream with the ideal fat content, another which had nailed the perfect ratio of air to cream, a parlor known for its salty pretzel topping, and a soft serve truck which made the perfect waffle cone. The episode ended with a parlor which featured an ice cream with the perfect fat content and air ratio in an ideal waffle cone with a salty topping. As viewers watched this journey, they were treated to a history of ice cream via Troy's snappy dialogue and humorous metaphors.

So far I've seen Pizza: The Edible Frisbee of Glee, Fried Chicken: Deep Fried Love in a Bucket, and Ice Cream: Socially Acceptable Lick Food. Like I said, it's an interesting twist on the familiar half hour travel/food show. While I don't always agree with Troy's idea of "perfect," especially during the pizza episode, but I'm happy the "quest" spin is there, or this would simply be an amalgamation of Diners Drive-Ins & Dives and Unwrapped.

Tiny Amounts Defined - Micro Blog

2011-08-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

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I was looking at an online recipe for Guacamole, when I noticed the recipe called for "1/8 teaspoon of hot sauce." I thought it was funny to see it worded that way; that amount is typically referred to as "a dash." After clicking through the site for a bit, I noticed instructions for 1/8 teaspoon of this and 1/16 teaspoon, more commonly known as a pinch, of that. I wondered why the writers of the site veered from the common cooking vernacular. I did some research, and discovered articles, such as the one at EHOW.COM, which refer to dashes & pinches as subjective measurements. It may be that the site's writers used the teaspoon fraction because many people think dashes & pinches are subjective measurements. They're not.

Terms Defined:
1 dash = 1/8 tsp
1 pinch = 1/16 tsp (1/2 dash)
1 smidgen = 1/32 tsp (1/4 dash)
1 nip = 1/64 tsp (1/8 dash)

I'm not sure how much flavor a single dash of hot sauce will add to a dip, personally. Yet, if you do need to add a dash, or less, of something to a recipe, most measuring spoon sets come with a 1/8 teaspoon measure. There are also special measuring spoons made if you need to accurately measure anything less than a dash.

The Recipe Project - Micro Blog

2011-08-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

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The world of food is crowded with cookbooks, cooking shows, and food blogs. Even Gwyneth Paltrow, who's not necessarily a food celebrity, has a cookbook on the market. After awhile, the newest cookbook, cooking show, and food blog looks like every other cookbook, cooking show, and food blog out there. Monday's Fresh Air broadcast though, signed off with a fun song from a group called One Ring Zero. The song, "Brains and Eggs" is a lyrical version of a recipe for just that, calves brains and eggs.

"Brains and Eggs" by One Ring Zero
The song is a single from One Ring Zero's The Recipe Project. The Recipe Project is a cookbook with recipes from; Mario Batali, Michael Symon, John Besh, and other chefs; which have been set to music on an accompanying CD. If all the songs are as catchy and upbeat as "Brains and Eggs," this will be a fun cookbook to own, when it's released on October, 15th 2011.

Question: What's your favorite food related song? Leave your answer in the comment section.

But I Like Salt

2011-08-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

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I'm a junkie for salty and savory foods; I always have been. When my parents would take the family to Dairy Queen, for a treat, my brothers would order sundaes and I'd ask for an order of salty French fries. Even now, my idea "dessert" is often a big bowl of popcorn with extra salt, pretzels, or some kind of chip. My favorite pizza toppings are even salt ridden anchovies. I love the stuff. Thus, it initially broke my heart when my doctor put me on the low-salt Dash Diet last week.

Yes, after multiple readings of high blood pressure, in the neighborhood of 148/100, a few tests were done. According to the results, my cholesterol levels are excellent, but my blood pressure IS too high, so I need to cut back on salt and take medication. The medication I didn't mind, but the new limit of 2,400mg of sodium per day threw me. On the way home, I began making a mental catalog of all the foods I could no longer have. I even chuckled at the idea that I can have all the fat laced steak I want, I simply can't salt the meat.

After a quick stop to fill my prescription & buy a few varieties of Mrs. Dash salt substitute, I went home to do some online research on low-salt foods. Within a few hours, I had a pretty fair list compiled of foods I could still eat. (See list below, which prints as 1 page.)

Low Sodium Foods
1-150 mg per serving

Beverages

Beer, wine, coffee, tea

Fruit drinks, soda pop, Kool-Aid

Breads and Cereals

Breads, white, whole grain

Cakes, cookies, crepes, doughnuts

Cereals: cooked, granola, puffed rice,puffed wheat, Shredded Wheat

Crackers: graham, low salt, melba toast

Pasta: macaroni, noodles, spaghetti, rice

Condiments

Butter, margarine, oil

Horseradish, mustard, spices, herbs, sugar, syrup, Tabasco, vinegar

Dairy Products

Cheeses: cream, Monterey, Mozzarella, Ricotta, and other low salt types

Cream: half & half, sour, whipping

Ice cream, sherbet

Milk

Non-dairy creamer

Fruits and Vegetables

All fresh fruits and vegetables

Frozen fruits and vegetables (without sauces)

Vegetables, canned: low sodium or rinsed

Main Dishes

All unprocessed meats, fish, and poultry

Eggs

Peanut butter

Tuna: low sodium or canned that you rinse

Snacks

Low salt products

Nuts, unsalted

Popcorn, unsalted

Medium Sodium Foods
150-250 mg per serving

Bread and Cereals

Biscuits, rolls, muffins - 1

Pancakes - 1

Ready-to-eat cereals - 3/4 cup

Saltine crackers - 6

Sweet roll - 1

Condiments

Gravy - 2 tablespoons

Ketchup - 1 tablespoon

Mayonnaise - 2 tablespoons

Pickles, sweet - 2 small

Relish - 2 tablespoons

Salad dressing - 1 tablespoon

Soy sauce, low sodium

Dairy products

Cheeses - 1 oz

Cottage cheese - 1/2 cup

Pudding - 3/4 cup

Vegetables

Tomato and vegetable juice - 1/2 cup

Vegetables, canned - 1/2 cup

Snacks

Corn chips - 1 cup

Potato chips - 1 cup

Snack crackers - 5-10

First, I was thrilled to see beer, wine, and coffee made the low sodium list. I was also tickled to see Tobasco, horseradish, mustard, herbs, sugar, syrup, and butter residing there. Also on the low list are fresh fruits and vegetables; unprocessed meats, fish, and poultry; eggs, peanut butter, ice cream, and most other dairy products. Then we have medium sodium foods such as cheese, biscuits, sweet rolls, muffins, gravy, ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and tomato juice. "If I can't eat well, utilizing these foods," I told myself, "then I'm not as creative as I give myself credit for."

One of the most hope inspiring parts of the low sodium list was the inclusion of spices. Coriander, cumin, Hungarian paprika, Spanish smoked paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, chili flakes, onion powder, black pepper, and a host of other spices each add a unique flavor to food. Basically, the plant's essential oils are what produce the flavors in question. When such oils gather in a part of the plant, other than the leaf, and that part is harvested as a flavoring, we call it a spice. Leaves containing such oils, and harvested as flavorings, are herbs, which also add a wide range of flavors to foods. Because these flavorings are plant based, they're sodium free, when used in their purest forms.

Since herbs and spices are sodium free, I can mix;
1 tablespoon black pepper,
1 tablespoon onion powder,
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder,
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper,
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme,
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary,
and 1/2 tablespoon dried fennel;
place my favorite cut of steak in a shallow pan and pour 12 ounces of ale on the steak and marinate for hour in refrigerator. Remove steak from ale, mix 2 teaspoons of brown sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mix, rub mixture on both sides of the steak, and let the steak marinate with dry ingredients for 1/2 hour. Preheat a skillet or grill to med high heat, add vegetable spray, or vegetable oil, braze to desired doneness, and enjoy a delicious low sodium steak.

Mixing the spice rub myself, rather than buying a pre-made steak seasoning, will allow me to control the level of sodium. I'm experimenting with other strategies as well. Chili flakes add a kick to potatoes and most veggies. For that matter, ground black pepper goes a long way toward picking up soups, stews, and corn on the cob.

Now, I'm not going to go completely Pollyanna here, and tell you everything's rosy. No, I'm definitely going to miss some things including, Salami, Pastrami, bacon, breakfast sausage, anchovies, heavily salted popcorn, pretzels, etc..., but I'll adjust. Plus, let's not be stupid, there WILL be days I'm extra careful during breakfast & lunch, so I can nice dinner out.

Will it be easy? No. Yet, by adding 50 parts self control to 50 parts culinary creativity, I think I can pull this low sodium thing off, I really do.

Oscar Wilde Aged Irish Cheddar

2011-08-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

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This cheese appealed to the foodie, and the writer, in me when I saw it at New Seasons Market, the other day. The seller told me, it's a cow's milk Cheddar, imported from Ireland. I have to believe her, since I can't find ANY information about it online; I can't even find a place to buy it online, which I find slightly peculiar.

I think the maker is Poets and Writers of Ireland Cheese. However, that business name was owned by H.L. Commodity Foods Ltd. of Limerick, Ireland, who's allowed the name Poets and Writers of Ireland Cheese to expire. There's no mention of Oscar Wilde Aged Irish Cheddar on H.L.'s site what so ever.

While I can't tell you how long it's aged, or anything else about its production, I can tell you it's delicious. Oscar Wilde Aged Irish Cheddar is a dry semi-crumbly White Cheddar with a nice sharp flavor. Undertones of salty nuts and moderately sweet fruit balance the sharpness nicely, making it pleasant to eat.

While Oscar Wilde Aged Irish Cheddar would be great in salads and sandwiches, I recommend eating this Irish gem alongside a fruit plate and your favorite beer. In fact, after a few bites of sweet fruit, taking a bite of the cheese, before sipping the beer, should prevent the beer from tasting nasty against the fruit's sweetness.

I give Oscar Wilde Aged Irish Cheddar 4 out of 5 stars.

Woolwich Dairy's Triple Creme Goat Brie - Micro Blog

2011-08-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

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I love Goat Cheese. I love, love, love Triple Creme Brie. Thus, when I came across Triple Creme Goat Brie, from Woolwich Dairy, at New Seasons Market I had to snatch up a helping of the delicacy.

The seller explained to me, that Woolwich Dairy pumps butter fat into their Triple Creme Goat Brie to give it that rich Triple Creme texture, which eaters expect. Served at room temperature, this cheese is butter soft a spreadable. The goats' milk gives the product a slightly stronger and tangier flavor than typical Brie, without being overpowering.

I paid $9.00 for the 6.5oz (180g) wheel of Triple Creme Goat Brie, which may be considered, by some, to be slightly on the spendy side. However, as I enjoyed it on flatbread, alongside a salad and a good glass of wine, I found it to be worth the price.

I give Triple Creme Goat Brie 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Food Recall News For The Week Of 08/22/11

2011-08-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

Precautionary Recall Issued for Pretzel Logic Cookies Sold at Central Market
In an abundance of caution, Central Market is issuing a precautionary recall for Pretzel Logic 6-count and Single Cookies. The products, sold at all Texas Central Market stores, are being recalled due to undeclared pecans (a known allergen) on the ingredient label.
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Ajinotmo Frozen Foods Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Shrimp And Fish In Vegetable Gyoza Dumplings
Ajinomoto Frozen Foods of Portland, OR is recalling 8.47 oz. trays of Ajinomoto Brand Vegetable Gyoza Dumplings, lot code 231751, that contain undeclared shrimp and fish (Pollock). People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to shellfish and fish run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this Vegetable Gyoza Dumpling product.
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Paleteria La Super Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Walnuts, Milk and Coconut in Their Nut, Esquimal, and Pina Colada Ice Cream Bars
Paleteria La Super, Yakima, Washington is voluntarily recalling their NUT, ESQUIMAL, and PINA COLADA flavored ice cream bars because they may contain undeclared walnuts, milk, and coconut. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to walnuts, milk, and coconut run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
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YoCream International, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Egg In Nonfat NY Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt Mix
YoCream International, Inc. of Portland, OR is recalling Nonfat NY Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt Mix (Item 92147) because it contains undeclared eggs. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to eggs run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
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The Christie Cookie Company Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Eggs, Soy Lecithin, Wheat and Milk On The Labels Of the Following Gift Tins
The Christie Cookie Company of Nashville, TN is recalling the cookie gift tins listed above, because they contain eggs, soy lecithin, wheat and milk which are not declared on the label.People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to eggs, soy lecithin, wheat or milk run the risk of serious or life threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
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Paleteria La Super Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Walnuts, Milk and Coconut in Their Nut, Esquimal , and Pina Colada Ice Cream Popsicles
Paleteria La Super, Yakima, Washington is voluntarily recalling their NUT, ESQUIMAL, and PINA COLADA flavored ice cream popsicles because they may contain undeclared walnuts, milk, and coconut. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to walnuts, milk, and coconut run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

DinnerTool.com

2011-08-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

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Every now & then, I receive an email asking me to join some blog network, usually at a price, or to exchange links with some food related blog or site. I have a hard and fast rule about sites I list on my blog, namely that I only list sites and blogs which I use or read. I want my readers to know the links on my blog are to quality destinations. Being a link-snob, I turn down 99% of link exchange requests. Thus, the fact that I added DinnerTool.com's link to the link section of this blog, a mere fifteen minutes after receiving the request from Nicole Dary, says something about the site.

Like many food sites, it contains a vast number of recipes, vivid photos of food, cooking tips, and video tutorials. Yet, the star of the site is its weekly meal planner, on the left side of its home page. Users simply type in a primary ingredient, check whether they want the recipe to be; Easy, Fast, Budget, Healthy, and/or Make Ahead; chose a diet restriction, if any, and chose a cuisine type.

I made pork loin my primary ingredient, marked "Budget" as a criteria, selected "No Diet Restrictions" from a list including; Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Low Fat, Vegan, and Vegetarian; and chose French as my desired cuisine type. The site gave me an extensive list of 1,610 main dishes, 239 sides, 24 desserts, and 116 complete meals (consisting of a main dish & 2 sides).

Above the list of results is a row of boxes, representing the seven days of the week. Users are supposed to use the site to assign recipes, or complete meals, to each day of the week, by dragging desired selections to the day boxes. Once the week is filled, the user clicks "Export To Shopping List," and print each recipe as well as a complete list of what the user needs to buy that week. If a user doesn't have a primary ingredient in mind, they can simply click the "I'm Feeling Hungry" button, and the site will suggest an editable week of dinners for them. Of course, a user MUST create an account, and be signed in, to see their grocery list and save their results.

There were a few notable glitches. I couldn't activate the Side Dishes or Desserts tabs to view those portions of my results. Plus, the 116 suggested meals seemed more Asian than French (Main Dish: Broad Rice Noodles with Chiles, Pork, and Basil, Side Dish1: Pot Stickers or Steamed Dumplings, Side Dish2: Stir‐Fried Broccoli). The tab problem can be forgiven as an understandable technical snafu, which most new sites must work past at one time or another. The Asian results are a bit more baffling, unless one allows for the idea that French and Asian cuisine have greatly influenced one another, especially during France's rule of Indochina.

In any case, the list of main dishes, including; Pork Loin Braised In Milk, Loin Of Pork With Prunes, and Garlic-Roasted Pork Loin; was very impressive, and the recipes have been written to be easy to follow. Likewise, the videos are viewer friendly, easy to follow, and come with a link to a text version of each recipe being demonstrated.

All in all, DinnerTool.com is a very useful site, and will be even more so once they work the last few bugs out. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Food Recall News For The Week Of 08/15/11

2011-08-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Oriental Food Recalls Cut Napa Kimchi Because Of Possible Listeria Monocytogenes
Atlanta Oriental Food Wholesale Company of Atlanta, GA, is recalling its 1 gallon plastic containers of Cut Napa Kimchi and 5 gallon buckets of Cut Napa Kimchi because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
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Winn-Dixie Issues Voluntary Recall On Winn-Dixie Choco Charm Chocolate Drink Due To Mislabeling And Undeclared Allergen
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., (NASDAQ: WINN) is voluntarily recalling Winn-Dixie Choco Charm Chocolate Drink from its in-store dairy departments because the product may be mislabeled and may contain the undeclared allergen of wheat. Individuals sensitive to wheat protein can suffer a moderate-acute allergic reaction. Sold in the dairy department of Winn-Dixie and SaveRite stores, the Winn-Dixie Choco Charm Chocolate Drink features a 128 oz. (one gallon) clear plastic bottle with a yellow bottle cap and is marked with the UPC code 21140-29830.
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Unilever United States, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert for Mislabeled 24-Count Boxes of Popsicle® Sugar Free Orange, Cherry, and Grape Flavor Due to Undeclared Milk
Unilever United States, Inc. is voluntarily recalling a limited number of mislabeled 24-count boxes of Popsicle® brand Sugar Free Orange, Cherry and Grape flavored ice pops that mistakenly contain Popsicle® brand Sugar Free Healthy Bunch® Fudgsicle® and Creamsicle® ice pops.
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Whole Foods Market announces recall for marinades in six Mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C. because of undeclared allergens
Whole Foods Market announces that it is recalling two beer-flavored marinades sold in Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Princeton and Marlton, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. because of undeclared wheat and soy allergens on the label. The recalled marinades are Whole Foods Market Stout Beer Marinade, UPC code 000000305716, and Whole Foods Market Lager Beer Marinade UPC code 000000305723, both made in Landover, Maryland. The products come in 15-ounce, plastic bottles and were sold between July 3 and August 3, 2011.
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FRESH FOOD CONCEPTS, INC. RECALLS LAYER DIP PRODUCTS CONTAINING GUACAMOLE BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK
Fresh Food Concepts, Inc. of Buena Park, CA is voluntarily recalling various Layer Dip products containing guacamole because the avocado has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Sweet Cheeks 2010 Vintage Riesling - Micro Blog

2011-08-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

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I was at Renaissance: Wine & Cigars on Saturday, and wanted a light sweet white wine with notes of green apple. The charming proprietor steered me toward Sweet Cheeks 2010 Vintage Riesling from Crow, Oregon in the Southern Willamette Valley. I took it home and drank a glass with a lunch of Huntsman, Fromager d'Affinois, Smoked Maple Leaf Gouda, 'Buffalo Wing/Blue Cheese spread' (made from a dry mix, sour cream, and mayo), grilled flat bread, and dark plumbs.

The official description of the wine speaks of honeysuckle, apricot, and peach flavors. Yet, I agree with seller I bought it from; crisp green apple is the dominant flavor in this wine. Hints of apricot and peach do lie just underneath the apple, though. The combination of flavors, and just the right level of acidity, made Sweet Cheeks 2010 Vintage Riesling pleasant to drink against the salty blue veins of the Huntsman, the creaminess of the d'Affinois, the smokiness of the Gouda, and the spice of the spread.

At a $14.00 price point, this is a real bargain. I give Sweet Cheeks 2010 Vintage Riesling 4 out of 5 stars.

Kids' Stuff

2011-08-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

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I was at a cafe with a friend of mine, the other day, when a toddler wandered over to our table to show us the remnants of his half eaten slobber ridden cookie. A few evenings later, the same friend and I were at an Italian restaurant when we were treated to a 3 year old girl's rendition of the "wiggle butt dance." Standing on her chair, at a nearby table, she rhythmically gyrated her hips to and fro, while singing "Wiggle butt, wiggle wiggle butt," at a more than adequate decibel level.

While I'm typically not known for being a grouch, when I pay good money for Mushroom Ravioli and a Summer Ale, or even a cafe burger and a Coke, I want to be able to enjoy my meal without being annoyed by someone's kid. Is that unreasonable? I don't think so.

Before I begin to rag on kids too much, I need to point out that not all children share this deficit in basic etiquette. My 4 year old nephew, Abram, can sit up in his seat, order his meal and sides from the server, and maintain a relatively quiet presence through the meal. Near the end of the meal, when a understandable degree of boredom sets in, my brother, or sister-in-law, will take Abram for a walk to let him stretch his legs.

Yet, too many parents don't take the time to teach their brood how to behave in a public place. Thus, I applaud the actions of Pennsylvania restauranteur, Mike Vuick, of McDain's Restaurant. After receiving multiple complaints, Vuick banned children under 6 years of age from his establishment. In his own words, according to The Huffington Post, "Although kids may be at the center of their parents' universe, they aren't at the center of everyone else's too."

Frankly, I'd be for restaurants excluding kids under 12 or 13 years of age, or offering "adult only" dining rooms. OK, a restaurant's bar or lounge is an adult only room, but sometimes adults want to enjoy a nice steak, quietly, outside of a bar atmosphere. They should have that right.

Kids need to eat too though, so where should they be welcome. Well, family chains, such as Denny's and IHOP, and fast food joints are perfectly appropriate places for kids to learn public dining manners. Most family chains have children's menus and fun coloring pages to keep tiny hands occupied and happy. Many fast food places have boxed kids' meals and even small play grounds where little tikes can expel excess energy in appropriate ways.

Now, somebody out there just clucked their tongue and scoffed, "Yeah buddy, but fast food is making our children obese." They're referring to meals, such as; Wendy's Kids' Meal which includes a Chicken Sandwich, French fries, and chocolate Frosty delivering 770 calories & 34 grams of fat; KFC Kids Meal with Popcorn chicken, potato wedges, string cheese, and soda totaling 800 calories & 1,800 milligrams of sodium; and the A&W Kids Meal offering Cheeseburger, French fries, and soda for 780 calories & 9 grams of saturated fat.

In response to such trends gaining public attention, McDonald's has announced the release of a healthier Happy Meal. According to McDonald’s own website, the new Happy Meal will be available in some of their restaurants as early as September 2011, and available in all 14,000 restaurants by the end of the March, 2012. The new Happy Meal will come standard with a quarter cup of apple slices, and a new smaller size French fries (1.1 ounces) to accompany the child's choice of a hamburger, cheeseburger or Chicken McNuggets. Choice of beverage will include cartons of new fat-free chocolate milk and 1% low fat white milk, or soda. For those customers who prefer a side choice of apples only, two bags of apple slices will be available, upon request.

Right now, a Happy Meal consisting of a hamburger, fries, and kids' regular Coke delivers 590 Calories & 20 grams of fat. Upon implementation of their health initiative, a Happy Meal consisting of a hamburger, fries-and-apple combo, and kids' regular Coke will deliver 470 calories and 14 grams of fat. The same meal, with McNuggets replacing the hamburger, will go from 520 calories and 23 grams of fat to 410 calories and 17 grams of fat.

While I think such changes are positive steps forward, I feel a need to address the tongue clucker's original statement. Such meals are not making kids obese. Parents buying kids such meals multiple times per week, then allowing those kids to watch TV and play computer games all day, instead of burning energy outside, is what's making kids obese. The meals themselves are perfectly fine when consumed as a bi-weekly, or even monthly, treat. In between such special trips to their favorite burger stand though, they should be getting; fruits, veggies, dairy products, and whole grains; at home, and burning those calories in fun and/or productive ways.

I like kids, I really do. I simply enjoy them more when they've been taught good manners by parents who are on the ball. Yes, they need to enjoy the treat of eating out occasionally. Let's simply let them enjoy eating at appropriate places, until they develop a proper level of social etiquette.
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Food Recall News For The Week Of 08/08/11

2011-08-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

Fresh Strawberries From Washington County Farm Implicated In E. coli O157 Outbreak In NW Oregon
Oregon Public Health officials have identified fresh strawberries from a Newberg farm as the source of a cluster of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections that sickened at least 10 people last month, including one person who died. The strawberries were produced last month by Jaquith Strawberry Farm located at 23135 SW Jaquith Road in Newberg. Jaquith finished its strawberry season in late July, and its strawberries are no longer on the market.
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Miss Bonnie's Gourmet Recalls Classic Cheddar Cheese Spread
Winchester, VA Ã¢â‚¬â€œMiss BonnieÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Gourmet, LLC is recalling its Miss BonnieÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Gourmet Classic Cheddar Cheese Spread distributed between 8/1/11 and 8/10/11, with a Ã¢â‚¬Å“Best By DateÃ¢â‚¬ï¿½ of December 23, 2011 and batch code number 0116206G113 because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product is packaged in 8 ounce glass jars and was distributed to Kroger Stores in Roanoke, Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Memphis, Tennessee.
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Unilever United States, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert for Mislabeled 24-Count Boxes of PopsicleÂ® Sugar Free Orange, Cherry and Grape Flavor Due to Undeclared Milk
Unilever United States, Inc. is voluntarily recalling a limited number of mislabeled 24-count boxes of PopsicleÂ® brand Sugar Free Orange, Cherry and Grape flavored ice pops that mistakenly contain PopsicleÂ® brand Sugar Free Healthy BunchÂ® FudgsicleÂ® and CreamsicleÂ® ice pops.
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Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Voluntarily Recalls One Date Code Of f&eâ„¢ Brand Organic Baby Spinach Because Of Possible Health Risk
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Inc., is voluntarily recalling fresh Organic Baby Spinach with the Enjoy by date of Aug 01 sold under the f&eâ„¢ label. The recall notification is being issued out of an abundance of caution based on a random sample test, conducted on behalf of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Food Recall News For The Week Of 08/01/11

2011-08-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

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Precautionary Recall Issued For H-E-B Brand Dairy Products
H-E-B is encouraging customers to check their refrigerators for 8 oz, 16 oz, 24 oz and 32 oz sizes of H-E-B Brand cottage cheese, dips, yogurt and sour cream sold between June 18 and July 27. The products, sold at H-E-B, Central Market, Mi Tienda and Joe V’s, are being recalled as a precaution due to the possible presence of foreign material. 4 oz and 6 oz sizes are not impacted by the recall.
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Cargill Recalling 36 Million Pounds Of Ground Turkey
Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has killed one person in California and sickened at least 76 others. Illnesses in the outbreak date back to March and have been reported in 26 states coast to coast.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Food Recall News For The Week Of 07/25/11

2011-07-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Flying Food Group Recalls Additional Sandwiches, Parfaits, Wraps, Plates, Salads Because of Possible Health Risk
Flying Food Group’s Lawrenceville, GA facility is recalling all USDA and FDA regulated products (sandwiches, parfaits, wraps, plates, and salads) because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Big Movies & Big Food

2011-07-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

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I've always been interested in food in movies. Even as a kid, when I watched westerns, in addition to the gun-play and fist fights, I payed close attention to what the cowboys ate over their campfires, or at the tavern. I'd become hungry for baked beans, steak, and drop dumplings every time I saw The Duke take on the bad guys. I even wanted to try the corn dodgers from Rooster Cogburn's saddle bag, when I saw True Grit.

Of course, The Godfather movies were rich with scenes featuring Italian food and cooking. From Clemenza's explanation of his spaghetti sauce recipe for twenty guys, in the first film, to the erotic gnocchi rolling scene in Godfather III, the series utilizes food to continually drive the, otherwise dark, story forward, by giving viewers something pleasant to identify with.

More recently, I've found myself sympathizing with the fiance (the story's supposed heavy), whom wanted to visit the vineyards and cheese makers of Verona, in Letters to Juliet. Likewise, Eat, Pray, Love whetted my appetite for samosas as well as pizza.

Last month, I was reading one of my favorite food blogs, Happy Opu, when I came across a review of, the 1996 film, Big Night. It sounded like something I'd enjoy, so I added it to Netflix queue. Big Night is a really charming little food movie, about a pair of Italian brothers trying to make it in the restaurant business in 1960s America. In a last-ditch effort to save their business, they make a mega meal for a celebrity, with the hope of receiving a public endorsement. Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub did a great job as the quirky eccentric brothers. Plus, it was fun to see Allison Janney play shy gawky love interest just a few years before assuming the role of the more sophisticated C. J. Craig.

Nevertheless, the star of the movie was the beautiful array of cuisine, served during the story's climax. Course after course of luscious looking Italian fair were paraded from the kitchen to satiate characters' appetites and tease the audience. The meal included a Caprese salad, chicken pastina soup, a tricolor risotto, roast chicken "Italiano," a fish course, tiramisu, cannoli and, of course, red and white Italian wines. Arguably, the highlight of the feast was the Timpano, layers of Genoa salami, pasta, sauce, meatballs, eggs, and mozzarella all baked in a pastry and sliced to serve. The dish's inclusion in the already brimming repast almost qualifies the film for the fantasy genre, since it takes a day to make a Timpano all by itself.

Movies have many functions. They can entertain, educate, and excite us. They can make us cheer, laugh, think, weep, and groan. They can also spark our epicurean imaginations by reminding us of our favorite dishes and exposing us to dishes we'd have never thought of.

Below are recipes associated with some of the movies I've mentioned, including a recipe for a Timpano like the one in Big Night. Each recipe should print as a separate page. In addition to these, you may want to look up Coq Au Vin from Julie & Julia, Pickled Quail's Eggs from Never Say Never Again, Red-Eye Gravy from just about any cattle drive movie you care to name, and/or a significant recipe from your favorite movie.

Corn Dodgers
Found at cooks.com

James' Note: In True Grit these were hard salty corn biscuits, which were equally good for eating on horse back or shooting as skeet targets. This recipe's use of peanut oil and onion powder should result in tastier bites than were depicted in the movie.

Ingredients
2 cups cornmeal
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
peanut or corn oil for frying

Directions
Beat eggs well and stir in milk.

Combine all dry ingredients, sifting together. Stir dry ingredients into milk and egg mixture. Beat one minute.

Heat peanut oil or corn oil to 350°F.

Drop by small teaspoonfuls into deep fryer and turn once. Remove when golden brown.

Season lightly with onion powder. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Clemenza’s Spaghetti Sauce
From The Godfather
Recipe broken down at jackbrummet.blogspot.com

Clemenza: Heh, come over here, kid, learn something. You never know, you might have to cook for twenty guys someday. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; ya make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs; heh?... And a little bit o' wine. An' a little bit o' sugar, and that's my trick.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably Genco !)
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 cans whole Italian tomatoes
1 can tomato paste (and 2 cans of water)
2 teaspoons dried basil
a couple pinches of oregano
Three glugs of wine
Two teaspoons sugar
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Sauteed sausages and meatballs

Directions
Sweat the garlic in the oil (do not brown it) in a large pot. After a minute, add the canned tomatoes and juice, the tomato paste, and a cup of water. Add three glugs of wine, the sugar, and the herbs. Bring to a slow simmer for ten minutes. Add a little salt and the pepper and the sausages and meatballs. Slowly simmer for 45 minutes or more...until the sauce is reduced and coats a spoon. Correct the seasoning. Cook spaghetti or linguini. Drain it. Now pink up your pasta. Put it in a bowl, add a couple of ladles of the sauce and toss with the pasta. Make sure it is nice and coated. Serve the rest of the sauce and the meats in a bowl for people to add to taste. Serve the pasta with freshly grated Parmesan, Romano or Pecorino, a simple green salad, crusty Italian bread and a bottle of Chianti Classico. . .

Samosas
Found at foodnetwork.com

James' Note: I don't specifically recall these being in Eat, Pray, Love. As I watched the movie though, I was pleasantly reminded of my favorite Indian treat. These savory pockets of potatoes, vegetables, and occasionally meat, make a great lunch or afternoon snack.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ghee, clarified butter or vegetable oil, plus 1/4 cup, plus extra, for frying
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 hot green chile peppers, minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 large baking potatoes, like russets, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice, and boiled until just tender
1/2 cup par-cooked and drained green peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions
To make the dough, sift the flour and salt into medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter and rub the mixture between the palms of your hands to evenly distribute, letting the fat-coated flour fall back into the bowl. Continue until the flour is evenly coated. Add 6 tablespoons of the water, mix, and work until the dough comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 minutes into a firm dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

To make the filling, in a large saute pan or skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of clarified butter over medium-high heat. Add the coriander seeds and cook, stirring, for 10 seconds. Add the onions and ginger, and cook, stirring, until starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chile peppers, garam masala, salt, turmeric, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring until the potatoes start to color and become dry, about 3 minutes. Add the peas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then adjust the seasoning, to taste. Let sit until cool enough to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 1 minute. Divide into 2 equal portions and roll each into a 1/2-inch thick rope. Cut each into 8 equal parts and roll into smooth balls. Place each ball on the floured surface and roll into a thin circle, about 6-inches in diameter. Cut each circle in half (2 semi-circles). Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each semi-circle. Brush the edges with water and fold the dough over the filling. Press the edges together to seal. Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Preheat the oil in a large pot to 350 degrees F. Add the pastries in batches and cook at 300 degrees F, turning, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Timpano
From Big Night
Recipe broken down at NYTimes.com

Ingredients

For the pasta:
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup fine bread crumbs

For the timpano:
1/2 pound penne or other short-shaped pasta, cooked al dente, drained and reserved
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters
1 pound mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound thinly sliced Genoa salami

For the sauce:
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, minced
1 medium rib celery, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons chicken broth or white wine
2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, passed through the medium disk of a food mill to remove seeds
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. To make the pasta, mix the flour and the salt together, then stir the salted flour with the eggs and the oil. Continue to stir until the dough comes together in a ball. On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until silky smooth. Wrap with plastic and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Combine all the meatball ingredients. Roll into about 65 balls, using 1 tablespoon of meat for each. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook as many meatballs as will fit in 1 layer over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Set aside in a bowl at room temperature.

3. In the same pan used to make the meatballs and utilizing the fat left in the pan, cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dissolve the tomato paste in the stock or wine and stir into the vegetables. Cook the mixture for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and basil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

4. To make the timpano, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the penne with 2 cups of the sauce. Roll out the pasta on a lightly floured surface to make a 26-inch round. Grease a 3-quart stainless- steel bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and gently mold the pasta sheet to the contours of the bowl; there should be enough hanging over the edge to fold over and cover the filling.

5. Spoon 1 cup of penne into the bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the sauce, 12 pieces of egg, half of the meatballs and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the process, this time using 3 cups of penne, 1 1/2 cups of sauce, the remaining eggs, meatballs and cheese. Top with the remaining penne and sauce. Create a final layer with the salami. Fold the pasta over the filling and brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

6. Bake the timpano for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 45 more minutes. To check if it's done make a small hole at the top using a knife blade. If steam comes out and the cheese is melted, it's done. Otherwise, bake for 10 to 15 more minutes. To serve, remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully turn upside down onto a large platter.

Yields 6 to 8 servings

Food Recall News For The Week Of 07/18/11

2011-07-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

New York Firm Recalls Imported Ready-To-Eat Smoked Duck Breast Products Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination
Palmex, Inc., a Champlain, N.Y. establishment, is recalling approximately 197 pounds of imported, ready-to-eat, smoked duck breast products that may be contaminated with Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.

FSIS found a sample of smoked duck breast product imported from Canadian establishment number 377, Charcuterie Parisienne, to be positive for Salmonella. The initial product represented by that sample is on hold, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency notified FSIS that additional product represented by the positive sample had been shipped to Sid Wainer & Son, Inc. and Palmex, Inc.
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Arizona Canning Company Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Soy Protein In Sun VIsta Brand Red Enchilada Sauce
Arizona Canning Company is recalling its 29 ounce cans of Sun Vista Red Enchilada Sauce (Mild, Medium and Hot) because they may contain undeclared soy protein. People, who have allergies to soy, run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
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Euphoria Fancy Food Inc. Issues An Alert On Uneviscerated Fish
Euphoria Fancy Food Inc. 149-151 2nd Ave. Brooklyn NY 11215 is recalling Herring Special Salting discovered by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspectors during a routine inspection and subsequent analysis of product by Food Laboratory personnel confirming that the fish was not properly eviscerated prior to processing. This product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause Botulism, a serious and potentially fatal food-borne illness.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Food Recall News For The Week Of 07/11/11

2011-07-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Posh Bakery Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Eggs in Butter Mini Croissants and Chocolate Mini-Croissants
Posh Bakery of Santa Clara, CA is recalling all its Butter Mini Croissants and Chocolate Mini-Croissants due to use of an egg wash that was undeclared on the product label. People who have allergies to eggs run the risk of serious or life-threatening reactions if they consume this product.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Unscrambling The Facts About Eggs

2011-07-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

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“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” ~ John C. Maxwell

I ended my preceding blog entry, about the egg industry, with the bit of contemporary wisdom, "...there's some truth to the idea that happy animals are tasty animals." I'd written the tidbit, as if I'd known what I'd been talking about. As it turns out, I may have been out in left field, at least when it comes to eggs.

The basic argument maintains that when food animals are kept in clean comfortable environments, with ample room to scratch, pack, waddle, roam, graze, mozy, or whatever else animals happily do, the animals will be healthier, thus food products (meat, milk, foie gras, eggs, etc..) gleaned from said animals will be of better quality and tastier than foods gleaned from abused animals. It makes so much sense, I'd filed it in my brain under common sense and never questioned the validity of the idea.

However less than 24 hours after writing my piece, I was listening to The Splendid Table's weekly Podcast with special guest, Tamar Haspel. Tamar Haspel is a food blogger and an advocate for humanely produced home grown food. Her blog, Starving Off The Land, chronicles her ongoing attempt to eat one thing every day which she's hunted for, fished for, grown, or gathered.

In an experiment, described in an entry on her blog, she fed a group of blindfolded subjects three kinds of boiled chicken eggs, supermarket eggs from factory farms, supermarket certified organically grown eggs, and fancier Country Hen certified organically grown eggs. She'd wanted to prove to naysayers that certified organically grown eggs taste better than eggs from factory-style farms. Her results actually ended up showing there's no correlation between the source of an egg and the tasters' preference for one over another.

I can think of at least two former college professors of mine who would throw hissies at the idea of any conclusion being drawn from this data. First of all, the group consisted of six people from a single geographic region, which is hardly a statistically significant sample. There's also the admission, "It was not a dignified event, and at least two shirtfronts will never be the same," which may have resulted in inadvertent biases against bites that stained particular articles of clothing.

Even though the makeshift study is far from being scientifically conclusive, the results are enough to give the layman something to think about. According to an article in Time Magazine, from July of 2010, "factory eggs are going for $1.69 per dozen, cage-free for $2.99 to $3.59, and organic for $3.99 to a whopping $5.38." Yet, the eggs average the same 6.3g of protein, 0.36g of carbohydrate, 41IU of Vitamin D, and 70 calories. Given that the only numerical difference, between differently produced eggs, is price, one is forced to ask why they should buy expensive organically raised and/or cage free eggs?

The short answer is, humanity. Chickens are typically crowded by the thousand into huge factory-like warehouses, and are given less than half a square foot of space per bird. Then, they have the end of their beaks cut off, without anesthesia, in order to keep the overly stressed birds from fighting one another. While the resulting product may be as good as its more expensive counterpart, there's something to be said for not rewarding farms which maintain concentration camp like conditions.

On the other hand, the conscientious consumer can find something morally objectionable regarding many of the foods we buy. Some people won't eat veal, because calves are taken from their mothers shortly after birth and are slaughtered. Many, who can afford to, limit themselves to only eating sustainably humanely raised meats and animal products. Vegetarians avoid eating any meat, believing all slaughtering of food animals to be immorally cruel. Vegans go a step further, and remove all animal products from their diet, objecting to any enslavement of animals. Even many of fruits and vegetables we eat are harvested by low paid migrant workers, many of whom are here illegally.

The question of which eggs to buy, as well as the larger question of a morality driven diet, is a tricky one. With the economy such as it is, many people simply can't afford to pay top dollar for cruelty free eggs. Feeding one's family has to come first, realistically. Sure, we could, technically, survive on animal free diets. If we choose that route though, shouldn't we pay top dollar for fair trade produce? Ah, but there's that fiscal issue again. There's also the idea that eating is about more than mere survival; for many, cooking and eating are sources of pleasure, even self expression. I, for one, don't want to live without eating the occasional omelet, fried egg, breakfast scramble, deviled egg, or quiche.

In the final analysis, I think it's up to each one of us to weigh the facts and decide where to draw the line. If rewarding responsible farms, for humane treatment of egg laying hens, is important enough to you justify paying top dollar for a product equal in quality to its cheaper counterpart, I can respect and admire that. However, if you buy the cheap eggs in order to stretch every dollar and feed your family, I can respect and admire that too.

One of my favorite egg recipes is one I saw on the show Ask Aida last year. This Baked Eggs recipe provides the eater with individual ramekins of savory cheesy gooey goodness. The dish is perfect as part of a weekend brunch or as a stand alone breakfast. Clicking the recipe's title will whisk you to its page on Food Network's site.

Baked Eggs with Canadian Bacon, Spinach, and Aged Cheddar

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter ramekins
2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces baby spinach
4 slices Canadian bacon
4 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 ounce grated aged Cheddar, plus extra for serving
Sourdough bread

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F and arrange rack in middle. Butter 4 (6-ounce) ramekins and set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add onion, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add spinach and cook until spinach is well wilted, about 2 minutes.

Place ham on bottom of ramekins and top with spinach. Crack eggs into ramekins, place 1 tablespoon cream over each egg, and divide half of cheese evenly among ramekins.

Put ramekins on a baking sheet and bake, rotating pan halfway through baking, until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread remaining 2 tablespoons butter on 4 slices sourdough bread. Top with grated cheese and toast until golden brown. Serve eggs with toast.

Eggspanding The Rights Of Hens

2011-07-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

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When advocates of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles try to sway meat eaters to their point view, one thing they point to is the inhumane living conditions of food animals, in this case, chickens. Currently, tens of millions of chickens are each allotted 48 square inches of cage space and are kept in less than clean conditions. However, this is on the verge of changing for egg producing hens.

Members of the United Egg Producers have recently concluded talks with representatives of the Humane Society of the United States. Said talks resulted in a joint statement being made to congress recommending a new piece of legislation, designed to improve the living conditions of egg producing hens.

According to the article, "Egg Growing And Layer Cage Conditions To Change In USA," the bill will:

Require conventional cages (currently used by more than 90% of the egg industry) to be replaced, through an ample phase-in period, with new, enriched housing systems that provide each hen nearly double the amount of space they're currently allotted. Egg producers will invest an additional $4 billion over the next decade and a half to effect this industry-wide make-over;
Require that all egg-laying hens be provided, through the new enriched housing system, with environments that will allow hens to express natural behaviors, such as perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas;
Mandate labeling on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of the method used to produce the eggs, such as "eggs from caged hens," "eggs from hens in enriched cages," "eggs from cage-free hens," and "eggs from free-range hens;"
Prohibit feed- or water-withholding molting to extend the laying cycle, a practice already prohibited by the United Egg Producers Certified program adhered to by a majority of egg farmers;
Require standards approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association for euthanasia for egg laying hens;
Prohibit excessive ammonia levels in hen houses;
Prohibit the sale of eggs and egg products nationwide that don't meet these requirements.

Unfortunately, changes don't have to be fully implemented for a period of 15 to 18 years after the bill is signed into law, and it does nothing for birds which are raised for the dinner table. So, while this is a positive step in the right direction, more work is clearly needed to improve the living conditions of food animals.

In the meantime, buying food produced from free range and/or certified organically grown animals, whenever economically feasible, is an excellent way to reward responsible farmers. On the other hand, if you're not the kind of person who can get worked up over the living conditions of food animals, there's still a great culinary reason to buy food produced from free range and/or certified organically grown animals, whenever economically feasible. Namely, there's some truth to the idea that happy animals are tasty animals.
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People Feeding People

2011-07-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

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When people think of the food culture, they tend to think of top notch restaurants; artisan produced cheese, beer, and wine; gourmet meals, and rich desserts. Thus, food blogs are filled with passages such as,"The base of the dish was seasoned spaetzle (tiny German dumplings) cooked with dried cherries and pine nuts. Resting atop of the savory mélange of flavors was a deliciously fried pork cutlet topped by a fried egg. When the yoke broke and ran down through the other parts of the dish, it added a welcome richness to the already savory meal."

Don't get me wrong, I love those aspects of the food culture. Just the other night, I had some wonderful steamed crab legs, a peppercorn encrusted steak, and a chocolate dessert which was probably the caloric equivalent of three days worth of food. Yet, I can't help but think the food culture is about more than the fun stuff. From time to time, the media publishes/broadcasts stories of people feeding people and using food to make the world a better place. Recently, three such stories have caught my attention.

After fighting an intense blaze in Four Corners, Washington for more than six hours, the fire chief called the proprietor of Mama Passarelli's Dinner House, Ginger "Mama" Passarelli, and asked for some soup for his men, which were still on the line. That initial request sparked the formation of The Soup Ladies, an organization of 30 volunteers who can feed first responders on a variety of emergencies, within an hour of being called to the scene. If her routine generosity wasn't amazing enough, Mama recently took her mobile soup kitchen to Joplin to feed survivors of the devastating floods. During her week long stay, Mama estimates she served between 600 & 700 meals per day to flood victims. Upon her return, she saw I'd posted a link to a news story about her on my Facebook page, and replied, "...it is all about feeding people. Back from Joplin and it was amazing!

Another prime example of people trying to improve the world through food is the internet based program Random Acts of Pizza: Restoring Faith in Humanity, One Slice at a Time. In a nutshell, people read hard luck stories, which have been posted to RAOP's website, and pay to have a pizza sent to the subject of one of the stories. The idea is that the gift of a pizza will pick up the recipient's spirits, giving them a second wind of sorts. Random Acts of Pizza has sent pizzas to unemployed people, people with massive medical debt, widowed mothers, and many others who struggle with day to day hardships. Again, the goal isn't to solve anyone's problems, but to facilitate gestures of kindness and provide brief respites from the drudgery of hard times.

Even corporate America is getting into the compassion through food field. Kraft Foods has recently purchased new refrigerated trucks for food banks in Columbia, Mo.; Fredericksburg, Va.; Fort Pierce, Fla.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Lafayette, Ind.; Orlando, Fla.; Salt Lake City; San Diego; Spokane, Wash.; and Springfield, Ohio, which will be used as mobile food pantries. The ten new trucks increase the size of the program to 25 food distributing vehicles. The fleet makes donated food accessible to a portion of the population who are unable to visit urban food banks due to age, disability, lack of transportation, etc... In it's third year, Kraft's fleet of mobile pantries has provided more than 33 million pounds of food to hungry people, and over the next three years they plan to distribute 50 million pounds of food to the needy.

While these are inspiring examples of epicurean beneficence, one shouldn't walk away with the impression they're the only examples of such culinary generosity out there. Thousands of Meals on Wheels volunteers collectively feed tens of thousands of elderly shut-ins across the country each week. Since 1923, the Portland Police Bureau's Sunshine Division has been providing emergency food to Portland families and individuals in need. Plus, I can't begin to figure out how many people donate their time to man soup kitchen's & bread lines to feed the homeless members of our society.

These, and other, examples of people feeding people are, or should be, at the core of the food culture. Food which nourishes the soul, as well as the body, is definitely food worth celebrating.
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Below are links to food based charities you can donate to.

| The Soup Ladies | Random Acts Of Pizza | Meals On Wheels | Loaves & Fishes |
| Portland's Sunshine Division |

Food Recall News For The Week Of 06/27/11

2011-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Risvold’s Salads Inc ISSUES ALLERGY ALERT ON UNDECLARED allergens in Seafood Salad and Seafood Pasta Salad
Risvold’s Salads Inc of Gardena, CA is recalling seafood salad and seafood pasta salad, because it may contain undeclared milk, sunflower, sesame and soy. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk, sunflower, sesame and soy run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
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Eagle Produce, LLC Recalls Cantaloupe Due To Possible Health Risk
Scottsdale, AZ - Eagle Produce, LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona has announced a limited recall of certain cantaloupes shipped from Arizona to upstate New York in late May, due to their potential to be contaminated with salmonella. Although no illnesses have been reported, Eagle Produce has voluntarily decided to recall the potentially affected shipments, which were sold at Sam’s Club between June 2 and June 17, 2011. Sam's Club has withdrawn all cantaloupes from the Clubs and sent a notification to Members that bought these melons from Clubs served by the Johnstown, NY and Pottsville, PA distribution centers.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Inspiring Food

2011-06-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

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Recently, Bravo aired the season finale of Top Chef: Masters. With the number of DVRs ad OnDemand services out there, I'm not going to talk about the judging or who won, so don't worry about spoilers. During the episode though, they asked participants what dish first made them passionate about food. The question intrigued me. I wondered how I would answer the question; after a prolonged jaunt down Memory Lane, I finally figured it out.

Those who've read "My Culinary Philosophy" know the story the five year old me's epicurean curiosity being tweeked by the story book "Button Soup". Yet, I don't think my appetite for food was kicked into overdrive until seven years later. We lived in an unincorporated suburb about thirteen miles outside of Portland proper. A few miles away from us sat an Italian restaurant called Nona Emelia's. Even though the red barn-looking restaurant was, and still is, in Beaverton, it was earning one Portland restaurant award after another. Radio personalities were talking about the best pizza they had ever eaten; adult neighbors raved about the pasta to my parents. Finally, my parents put my two brothers and I in the car, and drove to Nona Emelia's for dinner.

Being white suburbanites, we'd had pepperoni, salami, provolone cheese and vegetables before, of course, but we hadn't had those foods served to us as antipasto to start a meal before. Thus, I was impressed right off the bat. It was my entrée though which truly converted me to foodyism. I had a gum soar, and didn't want Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, so I ordered the creamy non-acidic Linguine alla Vongole (Linguini with clams, garlic, herbs, and bacon in a cream sauce). The salty smokiness of the bacon played wonderfully against the flavors of the clams, garlic, and herbs all within the creamy smooth delivery system. I was hooked on Italian cream sauces from that moment on.

The next few years saw me trying to replicate the recipe. When I learned of the existence of Liquid Smoke, which would bring out the flavor of the bacon, I thought I'd cracked the last secret of the dish. Pleased with myself, I took the recipe to college with me. Eventually, I "taught" the dish to my friend and dorm neighbor, Gina. We had our parents drive down for an Italian meal, and made the dish for them. Unfortunately, I'd overlooked the need to save the bacon fat and thicken the sauce. The result was a garlicky clam flavored water-like substance over pasta.

After several more attempts, I finally hit upon the following recipe.
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Linguini with Clam Sauce

Ingredients:
12 ounces of linguine
2 8 oz cans of diced or minced clams
7 oz streaky bacon, diced
3 drops liquid smoke
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Procedure:
Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Drain the liquid from canned clams into the cream. Fry bacon until crisp, and crumble it. Add the diced bacon & clams to the pan, and simmer lightly. Cook the linguini, following packet directions and avoid over-cooking. Meanwhile, in a large skillet set over moderately low heat, melt the butter, add the rosemary and cook it, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to the pan. Add the cream, salt, pepper, liquid smoke and nutmeg. Drain the pasta and add it to the large bacon pan, stir well. Remove the pan from the heat. Toss to coat and let reduce 1 to 2 minutes, gently stirring, or until lightly thickened. Add Parmesan to taste, toss to combine
and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve at once.
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Yes, I use canned clams. You can use fresh clams if you want, but you won't be able to add the juice from the can to flavor the sauce. I won't lie, my version is oh so close, but not quite as good as it's restaurant born counterpart. IT IS however, a delightfully savory smoky creamy dish, which hasn't disappointed me, or guests, for years.

So, what dish first inspired your passion for food and the culinary arts? Leave your answer in the comment section.

Food Recall News For The Week Of 06/20/11

2011-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces Precautionary Recall of Limited Number of Italian Blend Salads
Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling 2,880 cases of DOLEÃ‚Â® Italian Blend salad with Use-by Date of June 19, 2011, UPC code 7143000819 and Product Codes 0049A157201A, 0049A157201B, 0049A157202A, 0049A157202B, 0686A157202A, 0686A157202B and 442 cases of Kroger Fresh Selections Italian Style Blend salad with Use-by-Date of June 19, 2011, UPC code 1111091045 and Product Codes A157201A & A157201B, due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials.
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Cinderella Sweets Issues Allergy Alert for Pound Cake Incorrectly Labeled As “Egg Free”
Cinderella Sweets, of Woodmere, NY is recalling the following Kosher for Passover item because it contains eggs: SHABTAI GOURMET BRAND - Cindy’s Scrumptious Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (16 oz, UPC# 8-50097 00106-6, MFG CODE; 151-11-072). People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to eggs run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

What’s Cooking Uncle Sam?

2011-06-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

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I was half way listening to ABC News, while eating dinner a few nights ago, when I heard something about a national food exhibit in Washington D.C.. I hadn't really caught the details of the story, so I did a bit of research online, the next day. I'm glad I did, because what I found was very interesting to both the food buff and the history buff within me.

"What’s Cooking Uncle Sam?" is an exhibit exploring the records of the National Archives that trace the Government’s effect on what Americans eat. It opened on June 10th in the Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery of the National Archives Building, and will run until January 3rd of next year. The exhibit, spanning over 230 plus years of American history, has been divided into four subsections.

Farm - Discover the many ways that Government has affected farming from the days of horse and plow to the combine harvester.

Factory - Explore how Government regulation of food processing and labeling evolved after the industrial revolution.

Kitchen - Find out why the Government wanted us to “eat the carp,” “share the meat,” and “know our onions.”

Table - Learn about how the Government has affected our eating habits and its unintentional effects on the American appetite.

Journals of the explorers sent around the world by the U.S. Agriculture Department in the late 1800s and early 1900s to find seeds and plants to cross-breed and help American crops survive harsh climates, the letter from Upton Sinclair to President Theodore Roosevelt about the meatpacking industry, and USDA memos recommending official food policies help paint a picture of our nation's relationship with food.

Visitors will be surprised and amused by some of the bits of wisdom our government passed on to its citizens regarding diet and eating habits. During our War of Independence, consumption of a pint of beer a day was recommended to avoid scurvy. Cottage cheese was promoted as a replacement for meat during WWI. Americans needing more Vitamin B12 in their diet were encouraged to eat a doughnut a day. Butter was once its own food group, and the government used to recommend Americans eat as much butter as green vegetables every day.

While these and other tidbits may have been products of the best thinking of their eras, they now stand in sharp contrast to the "Choose My Plate" guideline, which features no butter at all. Spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ outlines recommendations for sensible meals. The site also lists such advisory statements as "Enjoy your food, but eat less," "Avoid oversized portions," "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables," "Make at least half your grains whole grains," and "Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk," reminiscent of School House Rock and Public Service Announcements from The Superfriends.

Arguably, the most interesting pieces in the exhibit are the contents of a, recently opened, White House safe, containing favorite recipes of past presidents. LBJ, apparently had a love for his wife's Texas Chili. JFK, had a northern born fondness for New England Clam Chowder. Ike, enjoyed a hearty bowl of vegetable soup almost every day. I haven't had a chance to try these recipes yet, but I've listed them below and linked the titles to PDF copies of the original documents. Enjoy.

John F. Kennedy's New England Fish Chowder: (Serves 6)
Haddock – 2 pounds
Salt Pork (diced) – 2 ounces
Onions (sliced) – 2
Potatoes (diced) – 4
Celery (chopped) – 1 cup
Bay leaf (crumbled) – 1
Milk – 1 quart
Butter – 2 tablespoons
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Simmer haddock in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes, drain and reserve broth.
2. Remove bones from fish.
3. Saute diced pork until crisp, remove and set aside.
4. Saute onions in pork fat until golden brown.
5. Add fish, potatoes, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
6. Pour in fish broth plus enough boiling water to make 3 cups of liquid.
7. Simmer for 30 minutes.
8. Add milk and butter nd simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Serve chowder srinkled over pork dice.

Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson's recipe for Pedernales River Chili:
Chili meat (coarsely-ground round steak or well-trimmed chuck) – 4 pounds
Onion (chopped) – 1
Garlic cloves – 2
Oregano (ground) – 1 teaspoon
Comino seed – 1 teaspoon
Chili powder – 6 teaspoons
Tomatoes (canned, whole) – 1.5 cups
Liquid hot sauce – 2 to 6 generous dashes
Hot water – 2 cups
Salt

1. Place meat, onion and garlic in large, heavy pan or dutch oven
2. Cook until light in color.
3. Add oregano, comino seed, chili powder, tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, salt and hot water.
4. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
5. Skim off fat during cooking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower's Vegetable Soup: (As published in The Marion Sentinel, Linn County, Iowa.)
"The best time to make vegetable soup is a day or so after you have fried chicken and out of which you have saved the necks, ribs, backs, uncooked. (The chicken is not essential, but does add something.)

Procure from the meat market a good beef soup bone – the bigger the better. It is a rather good idea to have it split down the middle so that all the marrow is exposed. I frequently buy, in addition, a couple pounds of ordinary soup meat, either beef or mutton, or both.

Put all this meat, early in the morning, in a big kettle. The best kind is heavy aluminum, but a good iron pot will do almost as well. Put in also the bony parts of the chicken you have saved. Cover it with water, something on the order of 5 quarts. Add a teaspoon of salt, a bit of black pepper and, if you like, a touch of garlic (one small piece). If you don't like garlic, put in an onion. Boil all this slowly all day long. Keep on boiling till the meat has literally dropped off the bone. If your stock boils down during the day, add enough water from time to time to keep the meat covered. When the whole thing has practically disintegrated, pour out into another large kettle through the colander. Make sure that the marrow is out of the bones. I advise you let this strain through the colander for quite a while as much juice will drain out of the meant. (Shake the colander well to help get out all the juice.)

I usually save a few of the better pieces of meat to be diced and put into the soup after it is done. The rest of it can be given to your dogs or your neighbor's chickens. Put the kettle containing the stock you now have in a very cool place, outdoors in the winter time or in the ice box; let it stand all night and the next day until you are ready to make your soup."

Food Recall News For The Week Of 06/13/11

2011-06-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

This week's recalls are from the realm of cheese.
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Staphylococcus Aureus in Queso Fresco Cheese
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine today warned consumers not to consume certain Queso Fresco "Fresh Cheese" made by Quesos CentroAmericano Corp. at 35 Hansen Avenue, Freeport, New York (formerly located at 900 S. Second Street, Ronkonkoma, New York) due to possible Staphylococcus aureus contamination. The recalled fresh Spanish-style cheese is sold in 5-pound foil tray packages with a label declaring a plant number of 36-9845 and a product lot code of 05/31/11 affixed to the bottom of the package.
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ATALANTA CORP. Recalls 9 pounds of “Royal Blue Stilton” cheese Because Of Possible Health Risk
One 8-9 lb wheel of “Royal Blue Stilton” cheese contained in a master case with batch code B038 has been recalled by Atalanta Corporation, an Elizabeth, New Jersey based food distributor, because the product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Food Recall News For The Week Of 06/06/11

2011-06-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

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First this week, Gardi Wilks, Media Contact for Savor-The Food Agency, sent me the followig correction to a previously reported recall.

"Nielsen-Massey Vanillas’ Voluntary Product Recall Was Unnecessary
A voluntary recall of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas’ Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste has been found to be based on a false-positive Listeria reading reported by the company’s outside testing laboratory. Subsequent investigations and further tests by the FDA, the outside lab in question and another independent lab brought in to re-verify the results, all came back negative.. There were no positive results in any raw material used or for any of the equipment used in the process. Additionally, the other independent lab and the FDA laboratory, using the exact same gallon bottle of Paste which tested positive initially, found no trace of Listeria whatsoever. As the FDA did not have any findings as a result of their investigation, no Form 483 was issued.

On May 16, 2011, Nielsen-Massey’s outside testing laboratory advised Nielsen-Massey that it had detected potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination in lot no. 11123 of its Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste product as part of its regular quality control testing. Nielsen-Massey acted immediately, notifying the FDA and writing and dispatching a recall letter to its customers within 24 hours of the lab’s notification. There have been no reports of illness related to Nielsen-Massey’s

This recall did not affect Nielsen-Massey’s other products.

“We acted immediately when consumer safety became an issue,” said Craig Nielsen, chief executive officer. “And we would do the same thing again, since an error on the side of safety is almost always the right thing to do. But it’s extremely unfortunate that a laboratory error caused such inconvenience to our customers and consumers. We’ve notified all our customers and have apologized to them as well."
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Now, this week's recall.

Kashi Recalls Select Frozen Pizzas Because They May Contain Plastic Fragments
Kashi is recalling approximately 11,000 cases of frozen pizzas, including Mediterranean Thin Crust Pizza, Roasted Vegetable Thin Crust Pizza, and Mushroom Trio and Spinach Thin Crust Pizza due to possible plastic fragments in an ingredient in the pizza crusts. No other Kashi frozen pizzas or other products are included in the recall, and no consumer complaints have been reported. The products were distributed nationwide through U.S. retail grocery stores.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Elio Perrone Bigaro Rose 2009

2011-06-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

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A few months ago, my sister-in-law gave me a gift certificate, to Renaissance Premium Wines & Cigars, for my birthday. I'd wanted to go there for some time, so the gift certificate was the perfect excuse to visit the shop. For those of you who don't live in Oregon, the store is part of Orenco Station, a high end strip mall which was built in Hillsboro to attract young upwardly mobile types to the nearby condominium development.

I was the first customer to arrive that Saturday morning. After browsing for a few minutes, I approached the proprietor, gave a list of wines I've enjoyed (Tualatin Estate Semi-Sparkling Muscat-Frizzante 2009, Castello del Poggio Moscato d'Asti 2007, La Montecchia Fior D'arancio Spumante 2007, and a few others), and asked what he would recommend. He examined the list, took his glasses off, and gently lipped the temple tip as he thought. Finally, he went into the back room and emerged, a few minutes later, with a bottle of Elio Perrone Bigaro Rose 2009. My list had been dominated by sweet whites, and he was offering me a rosé. Seeing my confusion, he explained the wine is made in Piedmont Italy from a blend of Moscato and Brachetto grapes. He said it was on a par with the wines I'd listed, so I took him at his word and bought a bottle.

I've been drinking it this afternoon, while making changes to my first book. This semi-sparkling wine's retail blurb speaks of perfumed cherries, sweet spice, dried roses, and hints of tropical fruit. While I get cherries on the nose, the flavor is sweet and tart in equal measure, and delivers more of a cranberry hit, than a cherry one, with some pleasant notes of Christmas cider type spice on the finish.

Most retail sites and stores are advertising this vintage for between $15 & $29. It's a delightfully delectable sec wine. I paired it with some sharp Cheddar while I worked, but it would go nicely with most desserts, of course, or even a nice crisp summer picnic salad.

Seafood Fraud Hurts Consumers

2011-06-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

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Back on April 7th, I did a piece on mislabeled foods. Based on the findings of a class in New York, I calculated that 1 out of 6 foods (16.7%), may be mislabeled. I thought this was an outrageously high number. However, calculations regarding fish and seafood, released to the press last week, make my numbers look comparatively optimistic.

According to one Seattle news site, after a year of sporadic DNA testing, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) concluded that one third (33%) of fish imports have been mislabeled. Also released, was a report from the independent watch dog group, Oceana. The report entitled,“Bait and Switch: How Seafood Hurts our Oceans, our Wallets and our Health,” claims that fish and shellfish are mislabeled up to 70% of the time.

People intending to buy North West Red Snapper may actually be buying Catfish, Rockfish, Tilapia, Nile Perch, Mahi Mahi or the less sustainable Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper. You just bought some Grouper? Maybe you did, or you may've brought home filets of Catfish, Hake, Tilapia, Pollock or Nile Perch. Packages of Bluefin Tuna may in fact include Bigeye Tuna or Yellowfin Tuna. And, while it's hard to mistake another fish for Salmon, given its pink flesh, Salmon at your local grocery store may very well come from a fish farm, to spite the words “wild-caught” on the label.

Some people may be shrugging and thinking, "Last night's fish tasted good, whatever it was. Who cares?" Well, I can think of many reasons why consumers should care they're being duped. I covered many of these reasons; moral & legal objections to fraud, possible food allergies, and some consumers' attempt to buy sustainable foods; in my April piece. Since this is a food blog though, let's talk about flavor.

I'm most familiar with Salmon, so I'll use them as my example. When Salmon swim in the wild, they burn fat. When caught, eaters are sold fish which is mostly protein laced with a moderate amount of Omega-3, healthy fat. On the flip side, farm Salmon, which have less room to swim, develop a higher ratio of fats, and these fats are the less heart healthy Omega-6 fats. While increased fat content translates to increased flavor in beef and pork, farm raised Salmon are left with an oily taste and texture due to the higher fat content. Thus, when farm raised Salmon are labeled as being wild, consumers are being tricked into buying an inferior product for the price of a superior one.

So, what can consumers do to make sure they're getting what they're paying for? Eaters with means can ideally, drive to a coastal town and buy seafood as it comes off the boat. Barring that, buying shellfish in the shell and scaly fish with their heads and tales in tact, won't tell the average buyer if the purchase was wild caught or farm raised, but it's a good way to ensure you're at least buying the right species. Those of us who are fiscally incapable of buying a whole fish at a time, need to find a seller we trust and rely on that seller, even when rival supermarkets advertise, seemingly great, sales.

Summer's here! If you're lucky enough to come across a whole wild Salmon this summer, here's what you do.

Grilled Salmon Recipe

Ingredients
1 whole salmon,
1 large lemon,
1 large red or white onion,
parsley,
olive oil,
salt & pepper to taste

Procedure
Stuff your Salmon with slices of lemon & onion, and a few sprigs of fresh parsley. Season the inside with salt & pepper to taste, drizzle the skin with olive oil, wrap the fish in a double layer of aluminum foil, and seal both ends. Bring your outdoor grill to maximum heat and place the Salmon on the grill. Cook approximately 10 minutes per inch measured at the thickest part (usually 40-50 minutes total cooking time), and make sure to flip it every 10 minutes. To test for doneness, make a small incision in the thickest part near the backbone. If there is any visible transparency, the fish is not done. The fish will be opaque when fully cooked.

Food Recalls For The Week Of 05/30/11

2011-06-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

This week's Newsletter came with a link to page, which lists MANY more recalls than normal. I was growing old trying to copy it all. You'll find the complete list at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/EnforcementReports/ucm257558.htm.

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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant

2011-05-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

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A month ago, I took my mother to see Billy Elliot. She returned the favor, this last weekend, by treating me to Riverdance. We’d planned to hop the MAX (Portland’s mass transit train), and head to Jin Wah for dinner after the show. Yet, after having watched two hours of Irish music and dancing, I was in the mood for a beer, which Jin Wah doesn’t offer. Thus, I talked mother into eating at Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant.

Now I have no doubt that upon reading that last sentence, the jaws of my close friends just dropped. Yes it’s true, I had a humiliating experience there about seven or eight years ago, which I won’t chronicle here. However, I figured the waitress involved was probably long gone. Plus, I wanted a beer, so I chose to put the past in the past and give it another shot.

Located on the corner of 2nd & Morrison, in the heart of downtown Portland, Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant has been a favorite among local beer drinkers for as long as I can remember. In fact, until I visited their website this morning, to check some of my spelling, I thought Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant was a place unique to Portland. I was floored to discover that the restaurant, with its pool tables, dart boards, and sports tuned TVs, is part of a national chain with a location in Washington, Illinois, Colorado, and several along the east coast.

We arrived at 5pm and were seated in about ten minutes. Five of their house beers were on the menu, Kölsch, White Ale, Red Ale, IPA, and their Specialty Dark. I chose their White Ale, which is described as, "Pale and with a touch of haze, this ale gets its unique flavor from orange peel, coriander and Belgian yeast." Served cold, in a pint sized glass, the straw colored beer delivered the flavors of coriander and orange, making it delicious and easy to drink.

I paired the beer with their Steak & Fries, "10 oz. grilled sirloin, sliced and served with our steak butter, seasonal vegetables and French fries," for $14.95 from the "Brewmaster's Selections" portion of the menu. The steak came medium rare, exactly as I’d ordered, and featured a lovely array of grill marks. Tender enough to cut easily, the steak was seasoned without masking the flavor of the grilled beef. The fries, which were cut a bit thinner than an average shoestring cut, arrived crispy salty and golden, and were scrumptious, especially when used to sop up the steak’s savory amber juices. Finally, the seasonal veggies were garlic sautéed green beans sprinkled with bread crumbs, which were quite tasty.

Mother ordered the Lobster & Shrimp Tacos, "Two house made tacos with Pepper Jack cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, and citrus sauce in a crisp blue corn tortilla, wrapped with a soft flour tortilla. Served with black beans and Red Ale rice," for $15.95. Large pieces of lobster and shrimp were clearly visible in both tacos. Unfortunately, the pico de gallo and citrus sauce were both so powerful that the flavors of the lobster and shrimp were completely lost beneath the tastes of spice and lemon. Likewise, the black beans were flavored with a little too much jalapeno to allow for more than a few bites to be eaten.

While her meal was slightly disappointing, I was extremely pleased and satisfied with mine. As we ate, we saw several servers walk by with heaping ramekins of Lobster Mac N’ Cheese, “The twist on the classic Mac N' Cheese includes sautéed lobster and shrimp tossed in a creamy Parmesan-Havarti cheese sauce with Cavatappi pasta.” We both agreed we’ll be back to try it along with a few of the starters we hadn’t had room for including the Blue Cheese Chips, Brewery Nachos, and Southwest Egg Rolls.

All things considered, beer, food, price, atmosphere, and service, I give Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant 92 out of 100 points. To view the Portland location’s hours and complete menu, visit http://www.rockbottom.com/portland.

Food Recalls For The Week Of 05/23/11

2011-05-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Recall R01-2011, Georgia Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible E. Coli O157:H7 Contamination (May 25, 2011).
Retailer - Food Depot, Store #24 560 Macon St., McDonough Georgia
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BCS International Corp. Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Peanuts In Dr. Snack Choco Raisin With Sell By Date 03/05/2012
BCS Int’l Corp. of Long Island City, NY is voluntarily recalling DR. SNACK brand CHOCO RAISIN, 12 OZ. containers with “Sell By 03/05/2012” date code only because they may contain undeclared peanuts. People who have an allergy to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

A Bit Of Pink Is Now OK - Micro Blog

2011-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

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Ever since I was old enough to eat solid food, and probably long before that, my mother has insisted on cooking ALL the pink out of pork steaks, chops, and roasts. She wasn't alone. For years, the USDA strongly recommended that all pork products be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 °F to avoid contracting trichinosis.

Apparently, the USDA no longer feels trichinosis is the threat it once was. As of this month, the USDA instructs cooks to, "Cook all raw pork steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.... If fresh pork has reached 145 °F throughout, even though it may still be pink in the center, it should be safe." However, they still recommend that ground pork products, such as meatloaf mix, be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 °F.

The new guideline allows for a bit more wiggle room for eaters who enjoy their meat a little bit on the rare side. Yet, 160 °F has been the rule of thumb for so long, that I wonder how many cooks will actually be able to embrace the change.

For more information, you can visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/pork_from_farm_to_table/#19 .

A Foodie Can Enjoy Chain Food Too

2011-05-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

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Foodies, and most food writers, have a genuine love of, and passion for, food. This passion drives us to focus our attention on exceptional gourmet cuisine and artisan quality fare. We seek local chef owned restaurants which utilize innovative gastronomic techniques, or unique mom & pop places featuring time honored recipes. These types of places can turn out extraordinary food, and are certainly worthy of our attention and patronage. However, as we praise the exceptional, we tend to disparage the mundane as being low brow and undeserving of our notice. I'm referring to fare from chain and fast food restaurants.

Fast food and food from national chains, is generally dismissed by food enthusiasts as being mass produced junk, which isn't reflective of a particular culture. Certainly, there's some truth to this train of thought. One is as likely to find a Four Cheese Pastachettis or Stuffed Crust Pizza in Italy as they are to find a Chalupa or Double Decker Taco in Mexico. It's not going to happen. Places such as Chevy's, Taco Bell, Olive Garden, Pizza Hut, and Panda Express sell Americanized food loosely based on foreign classics.

However, these dishes are reflective of cultures, namely modern suburbia and urban life. Think about it. On Wednesday, Mommy X gets home from work just in time to pick up Missy from band practice, drop her at ballet, and take Junior to soccer. It's after 7 by the time everyone's back in the car ready to head home. Mommy's pooped, so she stops at the Taco Bell drive thru on the way home, or calls ahead for a pizza to be delivered. Five year's later, Junior gets his first job at Burger King. He wants to date Suzie Q, so he takes her to Red Robin for burger, or fish basket, and a shake. We typically don't think about such food as being part of our culture, because it's an almost invisible part of normal life.

When food writers do pay attention to such fare, they focus on fat and calorie totals by revealing that one popular burger, supposedly designed at a scientific institute, with 3 beef patties, 2 slices of cheese, 3 half slices of bacon, all smothered in sauce has 650 calories, 8 grams of saturated fat, 145 milligrams of cholesterol, and 1020 milligrams of sodium. Another popular burger consisting of two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun delivers 540 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, and 1040 milligrams of sodium.

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, even did a feature length film to prove that eating a steady diet of fast food isn't healthy. To this, I must respond with a resounding, "WELL, DUH!" No restaurant food is meant to be eaten everyday. It's meant to be a special treat, or stop gap measure for the few times cooking at home isn't an option. Yes, they advertise to sell their product, that's what businesses are supposed to do. Yet, a person who eats out more often than not, then gets fat, doesn't get to blame the clown, king, or chihuahua for their inability to climb stairs without being winded. The eater has to apply common sense when choosing what to put into their belly and the bellies of their family.

Some people object to fast food and chain restaurants on moral grounds. Granted, reports of inhumane living conditions, and other forms of animal abuse, are too numerous to dismiss. Those who truly take a stand, and only eat free range animals, are to be commended. Personally, I'll support legislation to improve the living conditions of food animals and will support restaurants which only use free range animals when I can. Such places are so few and far between though, that I can't realistically limit myself to such places.

One chain, which does claim to use completely ingredients is Five Guys: Burgers & Fries; their beef is ground fresh, and a white board, near the counter, tells patrons which farm their potatoes came from. Because the burgers are made to order, they charge a bit more than a typical fast food place. Yet, I love a bacon & onion cheeseburger from there alongside a bulging paper bag of salty fries.

As low brow as some foodies may find it, I also really enjoy an order of wings & fries at Buffalo Wild Wing while sipping a beer and being challenged by their trivia screens. Occasionally, I'll even treat myself to a steak and/or lobster at Red Lobster or The Cheesecake Factory. And, I don't want to know the person who can go to the mall and not be tempted by a soft warm salt covered pretzel from Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Enjoying such delights makes me no less of a foodie. I still seek and demand quality, just as any patron should, no matter where they eat.

With the possible exception of Morton's or Ruth's Chris, diners will never find Michelin Star cuisine at a chain restaurant. A fast food burger will never be as good as a burger from a steak house. An Americanized pasta dish or chow mein will never be as good as the genuine article from an independently owned ethnic restaurant. However, these mass produced offerings, when partaken of sensibly, are affordable tasty food.

Food Recalls For The Week Of 05/16/11

2011-05-21T16:30:00.001-07:00

Schratter Foods Inc RECALLS "Quenby Hall Blue Stilton Cheese" BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK
“Quenby Hall Blue Stilton Cheese” is being recalled by Schratter Foods Incorporated, a Fairfield, New Jersey-based food distributor, because the product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
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BLACKMAN INDUSTRIES, INC. RECALLS PRIMETIME BRAND 2 CT., AND 5 CT. PREMIUM PIG EARS AND KC BEEFHIDE BRAND 20 CT. PREMIUM PIG EARS BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE SALMONELLA HEALTH RISK.
Blackman Industries, Inc. of Kansas City, KS is recalling all PrimeTime brand 2 ct. and 5 ct. Premium Pig Ears and all KC Beefhide brand 20 ct. Premium Pig Ears because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products
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Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall for Specific Lot of Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc. of Waukegan, Illinois is voluntarily recalling lot no. 11123 of its Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
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CORRECTING and REPLACING Mann Packing Reissues and Expands Voluntary Recall of Party Trays and Snacks On The Go Items Containing Grape Tomatoes
Mann Packing is voluntarily recalling certain vegetable platters and Snacks on the Go product because the grape tomato ingredient may be contaminated with Salmonella. The product listed below, Mann’s Vegetable Platter WT 3.5 lbs*. was inadvertently omitted from the May 7, 2011 follow-up announcement.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

NV Oregon Blossom from Willamette Valley Vineyards - Micro Blog

2011-05-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

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This semi-sweet Rosé is a blend of Chardonnay, Early Muscat, Concord and Marechal Foch grapes. I drank it along side the dark meat of an herb roasted chicken, bacon/mushroom risotto, and a spinach/raspberry/feta salad. While promised hints of strawberry and bubblegum never reached my palate, the wine was definitely floral on the nose, and presented a sweet/tart flavor with notes of melon and a smooth clean finish.

Claiming to be, "Oregon's answer to California's White Zin," NV Oregon Blossom from Willamette Valley Vineyards retails between $10 and $13, making it a decent and affordable everyday table wine.

*NV = Non-vintage

Shock Top Raspberry Wheat Beer - Micro Blog

2011-05-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

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In 2006, the seasonal beer Spring Heat Spiced Wheat hit the market. After winning a gold medal in 2006 and bronze medal in 2007 in the Belgian White category at the North American Beer Awards, the brewer decided to sell the beer year round, and changed the name to Shock Top Belgian White. The success of the company's flagship beer allowed them to expand their line to include the beer I had last night, Shock Top Raspberry Wheat.

I enjoyed this beer along side a helping of spicy garlic buffalo wings and shoestring cut fries. The wild raspberry essence, added to the brew, gives the Belgian-Style wheat ale a fruity undertone. Served ice cold, it drinks smooth with a mildly sweet finish, and pairs well with spicy food.

Food Recalls For The Week Of 05/09/11

2011-05-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc. Announces Voluntary Regional Recall Of Entenmann's Bagged Pop'ems Donuts And Bimbo 8 Pack Donitas Donuts Due To Off-Smell And Possible Mold Growth
Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc. is recalling the following Entenmann's brand bagged Pop'Ems donuts and Bimbo brand 8 pack Donitas donuts sold in the following states because they may develop an uncharacteristic smell and become moldy within the product code. The products were manufactured in the same facility.
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Oberweis Dairy Issues Voluntary Allergen Alert on Undeclared Egg in Brownie Fudge Twirl Ice Cream Quarts
Oberweis Dairy, Inc. of North Aurora, Illinois is recalling quarts of Brownie Fudge Twirl Ice Cream because it may contain undeclared eggs. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to eggs run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
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Bottled Water Recall
Officials at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) announced today that test results on a sample taken from certain lots of Mountain Pure bottled drinking water show the presence of biological contamination. The company has announced a voluntary recall of lots marked with a four-digit time code.
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Doctor's CarbRite Diet Expands Allergy Alert on Certain Flavored Bars
Doctor’s CarbRite Diet of New Brunswick, NJ is voluntarily recalling certain flavors of 2 oz. Doctor’s CarbRite Diet Bars and 3 oz. Universal Hi Protein bars because they may contain undeclared peanuts due to possible peanut allergen cross-contamination and may be missing the allergy alert, “Made on equipment that also processes soy, milk, egg, peanuts and tree nuts” or “This product may contain traces of nuts”. The allergy alert statement would be found at the end or of the Ingredients list or immediately prior to the Ingredients list.
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Goodness Gardens, Inc. Recalls Chives Lot # 0201111 Because of Possible Health Risk
Goodness Gardens, Inc. of New Hampton, NY is voluntarily recalling Chives Lot # 0201111, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
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Mann Packing Reissues And Expands Voluntary Recall Of Party Trays And Snacks On The Go Items Containing Grape Tomatoes
Mann Packing is voluntarily recalling certain vegetable platters and Snacks on the Go product because the grape tomato ingredient may be contaminated with Salmonella. As of today this recall has expanded to include Safeway’s Eating Right Veggie Party Platter with “best if used by dates” and in stores specified below.
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North Carolina Firm Recalls Portobello Mushroom Flavored Pork Loins
An updated list of retail consignees has been posted for recall 032-2011, North Carolina Firm Recalls Portobello Mushroom Flavored Pork Loins Due to Mislabeling and an Undeclared Allergen.
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Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products Issues Voluntary Allergen Recall of Market Pantry
These products contain undeclared whey (milk). People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to whey (milk) run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
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Northeast Produce Inc. Recalls Grape Tomatoes Due to Salmonella Risk associated with Six L's Packing Company Inc. in Immokalee, FL
Northeast Produce Inc. of Plainville, CT has been notified by grower Six L’s that a specific lot of grape tomatoes supplied to Northeast Produce Inc., may be contaminated with Salmonella. This product has been recalled by Six L’s.
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Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Grape Tomatoes Grown by Six L's Packing Due to Potential Health Risk
Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc. (“Del Monte Fresh”) of Coral Gables, has been advised that a limited number of grape tomatoes in a specific lot of grape tomatoes grown in Florida by Six L’s Packing Company in Immokalee, Florida may be contaminated with Salmonella. The grape tomatoes may have been used in 63 cases of Vegetable Trays and Veg. Trio sold in Roche Bros. Supermarkets in the state of Massachusetts under the brand ROCHE BROS.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Food Recalls Are More Common Than One Might Think

2011-05-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

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Every now & then I'll hear about a food recall on the news. Such sporadic reports lead me to believe that food recalls are a relatively uncommon occurrence. Last month I was doing research for my story on food labels, when I came across the FDA's Safety Page. I was floored to find reports of multiple recalls per week, on the web page.

Unwilling to believe food recalls were business as usual, I subscribed to their newsletter to see how many alerts I would get. I figured the page was reflecting an uncommonly busy period, and I'd probably receive an alert a month, if that. Over the last four weeks I've received between 3 & 9 alerts per week. The two leading causes of these recalls seem to have been risk of salmonella and undeclared ingredients on product labels.

Think about that. An average of 6 foods per week are being pulled from shelves for safety reasons. That's an average of 312 foods per year, by my calculations.

At first, I was annoyed that these recalls hadn't appeared on the nightly news to alert people who may have purchased such foods. I thought about it though, and came to the jaw dropping conclusion that they're not reported for the same reason fender benders aren't reported, they're too common to make the news. The very thought, if true, gives me the screaming willies.

Charles Rosner, a renowned advertiser, first wrote the phrase, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." With this in mind, I wondered if I should be passing on such information. Coming from the FDA puts the information in the public domain, so there's no copyright issue. However, I've made a point of saying my blogs are about observation and opinion, rather than hard news.

Yesterday, I was still torn about what to do, when two alerts recalling grape tomatoes reached my inbox. I posted the alerts as a micro blog and posted a questionnaire on Facebook, asking if readers wanted to see such posts on this blog. 100% of readers who responded indicated they wanted find recall alerts here.

If I posted alerts everyday, I wouldn't get anything else written. Therefore, FDA food recall alerts will be posted here each weekend, followed by a link to FDA's site, where readers can subscribe to their alerts directly.

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From the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter,

Taylor Farms Pacific, Inc. Recalls Grape Tomatoes Due to Salmonella Risk
This lot of grape tomatoes was used in the following products made by Taylor Farms Pacific for Albertsons, Raley’s, Safeway, Savemart, Sam’s Club, & Walmart and is being voluntarily recalled as a precautionary measure. No illnesses have been reported.
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TRI-STATE Baking Company, L.L.C. Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, And/Or Milk In Product
Tri-State Bakery, L.L.C. of Amarillo, Texas is recalling 24 ounce white and wheat breads purchased prior to May 2, 2011, identified through the description and the UPC and Item Codes listed below ("Recalled Bread"), because they may contain undeclared soy flour, soy lecithin, and milk.
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Flowers Foods Issues Voluntary Recall on Certain English Muffins and One Bread Item
Flowers Foods today announces that, out of an abundance of caution, it is voluntarily recalling the products listed below with the following best by date codes: May 11th 0355 119 and May 12th 0355 120. These products, in packages with the codes noted, may contain small pieces of metal. No injuries have been reported.
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Nut Bar Company Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Walnuts In GFS Pecan Pieces
Nut Bar Company Inc. of Wyoming, MI, is recalling 90 cases (total of 360 individual bags) of 40 ounce packages of “GFS Pecan Pieces” because they may contain undeclared walnuts rather than pecans. People who have allergies to walnuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
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You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.

Grape Tomatoes Recalled

2011-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

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From the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter,

"In cooperation with Taylor Farms' expanded voluntary recall of products containing grape tomatoes, Safeway is also expanding its voluntary recall to include fresh kabobs made with grape tomatoes sold in our full-service meat counter in several states.

Mastronardi Produce of Kingsville, Ontario is voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of grape tomatoes. The products are associated with a recall by Six L’s Packing Company of Immokalee, Florida on April 29, 2011 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems."

You can subscribe to the FDA's Recalls Alert Email Newsletter at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm for free.
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Would you like to see more Micro Blog announcements of food recalls in the future? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.

I Wasn't Trying To Rip Anybody Off - Honest

2011-04-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

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I've sited podcasts as inspiration for blogs before. Not only did Saturday's episode of On The Media inspire this blog, it ignited 3 days worth of panic driven research and work. One of the show's features told the story of Righthaven, a law firm which is buying copy rights from newspapers, then suing bloggers who use the copy written material without citing its source.

I wasn't worried initially. Many of the people being sued, were posting major portions of, or entire, news articles on their blogs. I DO quote news articles, and other sources, in my blogs. However, I ALWAYS cite specific sources, and provide a link to the full article/site. When using the information, I either use quotation marks around short direct quotes, or I write my own prose to convey what I've learned.

I was feeling pretty secure in the knowledge that I wasn't committing plagiarism, until little bird, or The Holy Ghost, or something whispered the word, "images," into my ear. It suddenly struck me that I use images, from around the internet, in my blogs. Thus, I decided to research the topic of image use in blogs. What I found scared me.

I spent Sunday reading multiple articles on the subject, hoping to find one that said using images on blogs fell under the terms of "fair use." I found the opposite. Google lists multiple stories of bloggers & artists being sued over image use. Remember the HOPE poster from Obama's 2008 campaign? Apparently, the artist, Shepard Fairey, used an AP photo of Obama to design the poster. Even though Fairey worked for the subject of the photo, Obama, AP owned the photo and was able to force Fairey into a legal settlement.

Legal sites such as Aaronhall.com agree the rights to a photo lie with the photographer. I had no idea who the photographers were for all the pictures I'd used. I'd made sure not to steel text, which I saw as the meat of a blog, but I'd treated images as garnish, and tossed them in willy nilly. Plus, the background on my food blog was a collage of pictures I'd collected from all across the internet. Panicked, I did more research to figure out how to legally use images.

1. First of all, I can use any image I take with my camera. With this in mind, I'm going to try hard to carry my camera with me, where ever I go.

2. Next, sites such as The Stock Exchange host licensed pictures on their site. I can use pictures displaying the following license, for free.

"You may use the Image

*In digital format on websites, multimedia presentations, broadcast film and video, cell phones.
*In printed promotional materials, magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, flyers, CD/DVD covers, etc.
*Along with your corporate identity on business cards, letterhead, etc.
*To decorate your home, your office or any public place."

Or, I can buy the right to use "Rights Managed" pictures from these sites. I replaced the background collage on this blog with a new $4.00 collage.

3. Few users realize it, but people who post pictures on Photbucket sacrifice their copyright to such pictures, unless they mark their photo album as private.

"By displaying or publishing (“posting”) any Content on or through the Photobucket Services, you hereby grant to Photobucket and other users a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, worldwide, limited license to use, modify, delete from, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce and translate such Content, including without limitation distributing part or all of the Site in any media formats through any media channels, except Content marked “private” will not be distributed outside the Photobucket Services."

I couldn't use a picture someone posted of Captain Kirk, because the poster can't waive Paramount's copyright. However, if someone posts a picture of a grilled cheese sandwich it's fair game.

4. The same widget which allows me to sell items through Amazon, allows me to post images of Amazon's merchandise within my blogs. Thus, I can use in image of a book I'm reviewing as long as I get the image from the widget.

5. Public domains such as CIA Factbook and The Smithsonian Institute are paid for with public money, making their photos free to use.

I wasn't merely upset by the thought of potentially being sued. When it comes to the law, I'm about as conservative as Joe Friday, so the idea I'd been breaking the law bothered me greatly. Therefore, I've deleted my blogs' pictures, and replaced them with legal images when I could. From now on, I'll ONLY use legal images, but when I can't my prose will have to paint my pictures for me.

Pairing Easter Ham and Wine - Micro Blog

2011-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

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Easter's coming, and at my house Easter is marked by the presence of a spiral baked ham. I'm pretty good at pairing wine with beef/buffalo, poultry, sea food, even white pork such as chops or loins. I wasn't sure about ham though, until I looked it up one Easter season.

Generally speaking, ham has a light sweet flavor, especially when glazed with a mixture of honey or cola. A heavy wine, would drown out such flavors and tart wines will taste funny against the sweet glazes. Thus you want to go with a gentle, light, semi-sweet wine. Red wine lovers will find Pinot Noir does very well. For white wine fans, Gewurztraminer is spicy and sweet, which compliments ham nicely.

Being a fan of whites, I usually go the Gewurztraminer route. This year though, my family over ruled me, in favor of beer for tomorrow's meal. That works too.

What are the rest of you planning to serve?

Prosciuttopedia

2011-04-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

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After a few long days of writing, I'd planned to spend the good part of a day playing online poker on Facebook. Along the right side of Facebook's poker table lies an ever present column of advertisements. As I played, I kept noticing a blurb for Prosciuttopedia.com - The first online encyclopedia about the Italian art of Salumi making.

Those who know me, know I have a genuine fondness for Prosciutto, and most other cured meats, for that matter. Whether they're wrapped around melon, served with Brie on a baguette, or displayed as part of a sandwich buffet, those salty fat laced tissue paper thin slices of pork goodness never fail to make me smile. With this fondness in mind, I thought I should check this site out. Upon calling an Ace high flush with a King high straight, I found myself with ample time to explore Prosciuttopedia.com.

The first statement on the home page reads, "Learn the secrets behind the Italian Cold Cuts (Salumi), their origins, their production and characteristics. Delight yourself with our Salumi tasting tips." This statement is followed by a photo and description of the period's featured meat. Then the site is divided into five subsections.

Italian Cured Meats: Defines a number of cured eats, including Speck, Capocollo, Pancetta, and many more.
Packaging and Beyond: Defines packaging terms as they apply to cured meats, much like I did with general groceries recently.
Time To Eat: Provides information and advice to help you make an informed choice on the most suitable products, with in-depth information on allergens, preservatives and ingredients.
The Art of Tasting: Offers pairings and serving suggestions for various kinds of cured meats.
Meat curing Techniques: Gives short descriptions of the procedures that transform the raw material into delicious cured meats.

Each entry, in every subsection, can be clicked on, taking the reader to a more detailed explanation of the entry in question.

Featuring beautiful photographs of Italian cured meats, and well written novice friendly text, Prosciuttopedia.com is a great site for foodies, restaurateurs, and anyone who's planning a dinner party or other nosh-related event. You'll find a permanent link to it in the right hand column under Links Of Interest.

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Side Note:
I've added 2 other Links Of Interest lately, which are worth checking out.

Vintage Sugarcube - Freelance food writer, Jenny Johnson, offers a deconstructionist's take on traditional, and not so traditional, dessert recipes, via her fun attitude driven writing style.

For the Love of Cuisine - Culinary graduate, Kymberlee Fajardo, passionately writes this easy to follow recipe blog, featuring vivid photographs and hunger inducing text.

April is National Grilled Cheese Month! - Micro Blog

2011-04-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

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Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of my favorite meals. Surprising to most people though, is my cheese of choice for the classic sandwich. Being a food snob, people often guess I'd use sharp Cheddar, Munster, Gruyère, Feta, or Gouda. Those are all fine cheeses, with special places in my heart, but for a good grilled cheese sandwich I prefer ooey gooey American Cheese. It's the ONLY thing I like American Cheese for, but for a perfectly melted sandwich, nothing beats those floppy rubbery processed little slices. Crisp some bacon and add it to the sandwich, on whole wheat, before grilling, and you'll have made one of my all time favorite sandwiches.

For those of you who don't keep processed cheese in your fridge, you can celebrate the month by grilling:

Prosciutto & Gruyère with a dollop of Dijon Mustard on Italian sourdough,

Steak & Provolone with green peppers on flatbread,

Pepperoni & Mozzarella with sun dried tomatoes on garlic bread,

or use your own imagination.

Leave your favorite Grilled Cheese variation in the comments.

Happy eating. :-)

Bush Garden Japanese Restaurant

2011-04-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

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Every city has a hand full of restaurants which can be thought of as culinary landmarks. They're the restaurants which have been there, seemingly, forever, and which you can't imagine the city being without. New York has The Four Seasons and Delmonico's, Chicago has Gino's and Billy Goat Tavern, Boston has Union Oyster House; and Portland has Ringside Steakhouse, Jake's Grill, and Bush Garden.

Growing up, I've often heard the story of my grandparents visiting from Indiana, and being taken to Bush Garden. Family lore has it that my parents and grandparents ate an authentic Japanese supper, while seated in the traditional lotus position on the floor of one of the restaurant's rice paper partitioned rooms. What makes the story worth telling, is the description of my grandmother trying to pick her self up off the floor after having enjoyed the ample meal, served by exceedingly polite kimono clad waitresses. It was apparently quite a sight to see.

While I've known about the restaurant for 35 years, and have caught the train in front of it on numerous occasions, I hadn't eaten there until last night. I'd taken my mother to see the Matinee showing of Broadway's critically acclaimed production Billy Elliot, and skipped lunch to ensure making it to Keller Auditorium on time. Needless to say, by the time the show let out at 5pm, we were ravenous. We'd planned to come back to Beaverton to partake of Pastini Pastaria's new Steamed Penn Cove Muscles Appetizer and Farfalle with Asparagus & Lemon. However, we let our hunger convince us to hunt for a closer source of succor to our hunger.

Having dismissed the idea of Morton's, purely for fiscal reasons, we were headed to Jake's on 10th & Morrison, when we passed Bush Garden. Mother hadn't been there for years, and I'd never eaten there, so we quickly agreed to give it a shot. Neither of us being particularly athletic, we chose to eat at one of the tables in the dining room, rather than the floor of a private room.

As appetizers, I ordered the Gyoza (Pan-fried dumpling) for $5.25, and mother
chose the Soft-shell Crab (Deep-fried whole crab served with ponzu sauce) for $4.25. Ponzu sauce is a tangy soy-based sauce is traditionally made with citrus fruit and sweet rice wine, which gave the crab, perfectly savory by itself, an additional layer of flavor. My Gyoza, or dumplings, were 6 delicious potstickers, served with their own salty soy-based dipping sauce.

Even before our appetizers came, we received the small seaweed & carrot salads, bowls of miso soup, and the bowls of white rice which were included with our meals. The miso soup was piping hot with a tart/savory flavor, and the purple seaweed & carrot salads were cold and crisp, in contrast to the soup, with a nice mild flavor.

As for our entrees, I had the Seafood Tempura (Prawns, scallop, squid, and white fish dipped in tempura batter and deep-fried.) for $19.50, and mother ordered the Bush Salmon (Salmon, sauteed in butter, lemon, sake and soy sauce, served with tartar sauce) for $19.50. Her salmon delivered a delightful salmon flavor, and the lemon sake sauce boosted the dish to the next level. Personally, I can't imagine a diner using the provided tartar sauce to mask the delectably delicate flavors.

I, on the other hand, must confess to being disappointed by my entree. The prawns, scallop, squid, and white fish were dipped in tempura batter, deep-fried, and served with a deep fried stalk of asparagus, a deep fried slice of zucchini, and some kind of deep fried flowers. Usually, deep frying foods adds a level of succulent flavor to an already tasty food. Here, neither the batter nor the underlying food offered any taste at all. The white fish was flaky when bit into, and the prawns had pink markings and the tales still attached, allowing me to identify those two elements by sight. Yet, I couldn't distinguish the scallops from the squid because it all tasted the same.

Overall, I'm happy to have eaten at Bush Garden. The servers were friendly, eager to please, and offered a genuine apology for serving our main courses when we were less than a third of the way through our appetizers. Plus, I had some nice bites of crab and salmon, and some good potstickers. However, now that I have eaten there, I feel like I've "been there, done that," and feel no need to go back.

I give Bush Garden 80 out of 100 points.

In Food Labels We Trust?

2011-04-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

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When watching campaign speeches, reading op-eds, reading book reviews, etc..., most of us know we're partaking of opinion, which may, or may not, reflect reality from our perspective. We accept that going in. However, when we read labels at the grocery store, we expect to be reading rock solid facts about what we're planning to put into our bodies. Recently, students from Trinity High School in New York City, revealed that some food labels may in fact be as misleading as typical campaign promises.

Students were teamed up with scientists from the Rockefeller University and the American Museum of Natural History to see if they could extract DNA from common household items such as feather dusters. During the project, they tested 66 foods from various grocery stores in the area, and discovered something startling. Eleven of the sixty-six groceries tested weren't actually what their labels said they were.

Mislabeled Foods Included:*
"1. Shark meat is what was advertised in the store but the DNA testing proved it was Lates niloticus, a fresh water fish from Africa - commonly known as Nile Perch.
2. A product labeled "anchovy" came back as Protosalanx chinensis, which is actually not anchovy but a type of smelt fish.
3. One item was labeled "red snapper," but the DNA testing showed it was Lutjanus malabaricus, which is actually a different type of fish called the Malabar blood.
4. At a specialty store, a product labeled "sheep's milk cheese" was tested and proven to be cheese made with cow's milk.
5. Another item labeled "sturgeon caviar" was tested and the DNA came back as Plyodon spathula, a fish commonly known as the Mississippi paddlefish.
6. "Pacific Ocean smelt" was what was advertised in the store, but the DNA testing proved it was actually Odontesthes gracilis. It is not smelt, but a silverside family of fish.
7. "Frozen yellow catfish" DNA tested as Odontesthes gracilis. According to the fish database, this is not yellow catfish.
8. A dog treat labeled as "venison" (deer meat) tested as beef.
9. A fish sample that was labeled "mackerel" was tested and came back as Sardinella atricauda, a fish commonly known as Bleeker's black tip sardinella.
10. One product that was labeled "Jewfish" came back with DNA that showed it was actually Nemipterus furcosus, a fish commonly known as fork-tail threadfin bream.
11. A product labeled in Chinese translated to "Branchiostoma lancelet amphioxus, but DNA tests proved it was Salangichthys microdon, a fish commonly known as Japanese ice fish."

The statistical implication is that one out of every six foods we buy is mislabeled. Sure, it's theoretically possible that these kids just happened to pick the only eleven mislabeled foods on the shelves, but the proposal of such an explanation would make even the most reckless gambler balk. Mathematically speaking, it's far more likely that these eleven samples represent a portion of what's available from our stores' shelves and counters. However, the one in six ratio can't be thought of as a solid number until the project has been duplicated repeatedly with much larger sample sizes. Nevertheless, it's unfortunately clear that a level of deception exists regarding the foods we buy.

Some people may shrug and say, "Paddlefish eggs probably taste as good as sturgeon caviar." These people are missing the point. Substituting cheaper goods for the genuine article is fraud, pure and simple. Beyond the issue of legally defined deception however, lies a much more important consideration. We have the fundamental right, unwritten though it may be, to know what we're putting into our bodies.

Shoppers depend on labels for a variety of important reasons. Some people of faith need to eat Kosher or vegan in order to walk a particular spiritual path. Others avoid eating non-sustainable fish and other ingredients for moral and ecological reasons. Then there are those who have food allergies, diabetes, and other conditions, in which case the wrong ingredient could sicken or kill the eater.

The question is, what can shoppers do to protect themselves? I've been hunting for the answer to this question all week. After reading I don't know how many articles; emailing the FDA, a professional chef/caterer, a much read cheese writer; and participating in a number of other conversations, I must report the answer to be a resounding, "not much."

I'm lucky. From where I live, I have access to two very nice Farmers' Markets, three if I take the train to Portland State University, where I can buy produce, and a few other staples, directly from the source. Plus, my favorite cheese monger and wine seller happens to be my sister in law. She's educated enough in what she sells that I can trust what I buy from her shop.

Yet, even with Farmers' Markets and gourmet specialty shops, I eventually have to go to my local supermarket for corn flakes, canned soup, and baloney. Without my Bat-DNA-Testing-Kit from my utility belt, I pretty much have to accept a label's word as to a package's content, unless I'm super-familiar with a particular meat or fish, or it's a glaring error (trout in place of salmon).

I really don't like the fact that we have no way to independently determine the contents of our food, now that we know some labels are misleading. Still, the fact that "some are fraudulent" means that most are legally accurate. Keep in mind though, legally accurate labels can be deceptive if shoppers are unfamiliar with the legal definitions of terms companies routinely use to describe their products. With this in mind, I've researched some food labeling terms and clarified their actual meanings.

Fortified, enriched, added, extra, and plus: These terms mean that nutrients, such as minerals and fiber, have been removed to make room for vitamins to be added during processing. If fiber matters to you, look for the terms 100% whole-wheat bread and high-fiber.
Fruit drink: This means you're buying a fruit flavored beverage, most likely containing little or no real fruit juice. If your intent is to put actual fruit juice into yourself and/or your kids, look for products that list the percentage of juice in the product.
Made with wheat, rye, or multi-grain: Again, without the word "whole" as a modifier, such products may contain very little whole grain.
Natural: This can be the most misleading term of all, since it only means the manufacturer started with a natural source. Once it's processed though, the end result may not resemble anything found in nature. If it's important to you to eat foods provided by mother Earth, or close to it, look for the terms "100% All Natural" and "No Preservatives."
Organic food: First, ALL produce, meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and grains ARE organic, since they're carbon based and were once alive. They're even 100% organic. If you want to buy foods which are produced using environmentally sound methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives, look for labels that say "Certified Organically Grown."
Sugar-free, fat-free and trans-fat-free: These terms DON'T mean the foods in question have NO sugar, fat, or trans-fats. They mean, the foods contain less than .5 g of sugar per serving, less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, and less than .5 g trans-fat per serving. None of these terms means the product in question is necessarily low-calorie. The manufacturer may have added ingredients to compensate for missing sugars and fats by boosting flavor, and the product may have no fewer calories than its sugary fatty counterpart. If you're counting calories, you're far better off paying attention to the number of calories per serving.
Lite: This term, when applied to food and beverages, describes a food or drink that contains fewer calories than usual, but may not necessarily contain a low number of calories. If product X has 450 calories per serving, X Lite may have 425 calories per serving. Again, pay attention to the number of calories per serving.
Ham in natural juices, Ham water added, and Ham and water product: These product labels, in the order listed above, indicate how much water remains in the ham after its final processing. If the ham has less than 20.5% but is at least 18.5% protein, it can be called "ham with natural juices". A ham that is at least 17.0% protein and up to 10% added solution can be called "ham water added". Finally, "ham and water product" refers to a cured hind leg of pork product that contains any amount of added water. Buying a "ham and water product" may very well mean you're buying more water than meat. A"HAM" only label means the product contains 20.5% protein and no water, or a minimal amount of naturally occurring water.

Happy Shopping! :-)

*List of mislabeled foods found at www.myfoxny.com.

Lorini Vin Xanto: Vin Liquoroso - Micro Blog

2011-04-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

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Lorini Vin Xanto: Vin Liquoroso is a liquoroso style of the traditional Tuscan Vin Santo (Xanto) dessert wine. The wine is produced by adding a small amount of brandy to the grapes to fortify the wine.

The bottle was a gift from Italy. Since the label's in Italian, I couldn't find the exact percentage of alcohol. It has a bit of a kick to it though. Thus, I drink 1 to 2 ounces at a time, and pair the aperitif with an almond biscotti, which I soak in the wine to soften the cookie as I eat it.

The liquoroso has a deep amber color, sweet initial flavor with a raisin-esc undertone, and kind of a bitter finish.

Review: Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

2011-03-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

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Part of my regular weekend routine, is listening to The Splendid Table podcast to learn what’s new in the world of food. I was listening to the February 26th episode, when I heard an interview with New York chef, and restaurateur, Gabrielle Hamilton. As she talked about her soon to be released food-centric memoirs, Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, I remember thinking that it sounded a lot like Kitchen Confidential and the more recent Medium Raw. Sure enough, when I bought my copy on March 1st, there, on the cover, was an endorsement by Anthony Bourdain.

The blurb of support gave me mixed feelings. On the one hand, Bourdain typically makes a point to deliver honest opinions, so his opinions will be trusted. On the other hand, when something gains popularity, numerous imitators seem to jump on the bandwagon, cashing in on the popularity of the original. I hoped Hamilton’s new book wasn’t marking the beginning of a string of Kitchen Confidential clones.

After reading and digesting this book, I’ve come to the conclusion that though there are obvious similarities in the early lives of the two writers, it’s unfair to compare Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef to previous works.

After 13 years of lamb roasting parties, gourmet fare prepared by her discriminating mother, and trips with dad to the country butcher shop, Gabrielle was suddenly left to fend for herself. In order to survive, Gabrielle took a job washing dishes at a local restaurant. Since then, she held many jobs, but always within the food industry. As the book follows her progression from dish washer, to waitress, to caterer, to summer camp chef, to eventually owning her own New York restaurant, we’re privy to her personal struggles with drug abuse, brushes with the law, attempts at higher education, and personal relationships.

Of course, her drug abuse and flirtations with larceny can be linked, at least in part, to her having been left alone at such an early age. She did what was necessary to survive, which included masking the pain until she was mature enough to deal with it. It’s interesting, at least to a former psychology major such as myself, that even though she blames her mother for her early teen abandonment, Gabrielle named her restaurant “Prune,” which was her mother’s pet name for her when she was a child.

Once Prune is open, we get an inside look at the plethora of issues she had to deal with in order to keep Prune up and running, including licensing, work schedules, staff resignations, and having to contend with unwelcome surprises being left on the eateries back stoop, among others. Meanwhile, we also see her trying to balance work with family while trying to ignite passion in a loveless marriage.

Although, the marriage itself is incredibly rocky, and arguably ill-conceived from the get go, the happiest times in her life seem to be the summers she spends in Italy with her in-laws. As she cooks alongside her mother-in-law, she finally feels like she has the mentor she had been denied for so long in her life. While it’s true that she had also named Misty, a previous lesbian partner, as being her mentor in a previous chapter, Gabrielle’s hunger to learn from, and impress, was much stronger in her relationship to the mother-in-law than it ever was with Misty.

Gabrielle successfully peppers this book with a good dose of humor to keep the work from becoming weighed down with emotional angst. One passage of dark humor, involves her trying to kill a rooster for the first time, as her father coaches her through the assault gone awry. Another tells the story of hers and her husband's futile quest for a decent 4pm meal, with kids in tow. Their increased frustration eventually leads the couple to adopt a rather make-shift, and not entirely legal, solution.

As readers take this emotional roller coaster ride, via a series of funny and touching stories, we are, of course, treated to many hunger provoking descriptions of food, which is why most people will buy this book. The simple egg-on-a-roll sandwiches she survived on in New York, the ravioli with herbs and ricotta visible through the dough, the purple beans and dense cheeses of Italy, and the salads & savory crepes of the French tavern are a mere fraction of the dishes which Gabrielle so vividly depicts with her prose. She even succeeds in making Burrata, an Italian cheese which I personally find to be bland, sound tempting and delicious.

All in all, Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef is an entertaining read filled with humor, heartbreak, and enough culinary content to satisfy any serious foodie.

Foodies & Hunger

2011-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

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I'm a huge fan of No Reservations. I wait, with great anticipation, to see what mouth watering morsel Anthony Bourdain will eat next. Being used to enticing descriptions of rich cheeses, fatty pork dishes, and superbly crafted street food, I was somewhat disturbed to see rag clad children picking through the garbage dump, in Bourdain's recent Nicaragua episode, looking for food and/or something to sell.

At first, I was irked by the inclusion of such a depressing segment. I watch the show to vicariously eat sumptuous food from around the world, not to be reminded of human misery and suffering. The next day though, I was watching the news about Japan when I heard the story of a Japanese restaurant owner. He'd lost his home, but had his restaurant open the day after the tsunami. He spent the day GIVING AWAY bowls of noodles to people who had also lost their homes, knowing it would probably be the only meal those people would have that day.

Mentally, I connected the Nicaragua segment to the story of the Japanese restaurateur, and I began to question the idea of "foodyism," for lack of a better term. Some of us, indulge in food TV, gourmet treats, and meals out, while people around the world grovel and scrape for enough food to survive. I struggled with the morality of the dichotomy for days, until a local news show asked,"Is Oregon ready for 'the big one?'"

It took some time, but the idea that we could go the way of Japan tomorrow, put the matter into perspective for me. Theoretically, we could be ABSOLUTELY MORALLY SECURE by buying enough rice to survive and giving the rest of our money to feeding the hungry. We're here for, maybe, 90 years though, possibly less if disaster strikes tomorrow. We have a finite number of years to enjoy life. Part of enjoying life, at least for me, is drinking good wine, tasting great cheese, savoring an excellently prepared steak, and relishing each morsel I put into my body.

That being said, there IS a subdivision of foodyism which pretty much disgusts me. I'm referring to the sickening trend of EXTREME EATING. The idea of a single person devouring a 72 ounce steak with all the trimmings, or a cheeseburger the size of an extra-large pizza, makes me want to hurl. Seriously, I can't fathom the appeal of eating 3 days worth of food until the eater feels sick.

OK, we all do this to some extent during the winter holidays, granted. However, those meals are annual celebrations of family & friendship, and typically don't come near to the same caloric intake as extreme eating. According to The American Council On Exercise an average Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green salad, fruit salad, cranberry sauce, buttered roll, wine, coffee, and pumpkin pie is roughly 3000 calories.

On the flip side, the site Steak-Enthusiast.com lists 6 "Belt-Busting Steak Challenges." The smallest of the belt-busters, a 72oz of steak with trimmings, weighs in at 5,400 calories. The list peaks with a 120 oz steak challenge, delivering a whopping 9,000 calories. An annual holiday feast, delivers less than 60% of the calories found in the SMALLEST of the listed belt-busters, and doesn't begin to approach the grotesque level of gluttony which extreme eaters wallow in when engulfing the larger listed offerings.

Keep in mind, quantity doesn't necessarily translate to quality. By my way of thinking, a foodie, a genuine foodie, seeks quality over quantity. He/she enjoys sitting down to a good meal and taking their time to savor the flavors of each bite and sip, rather than pounding loads of food into their maw and keeping it down just long enough to get their name on that thar wall, before inevitably puking it back up.

A foodie seeks quality & enjoys life, fine. What about the kids in Nicaragua, the newly homeless of Japan, the displaced of Haiti, or the hungry masses right here in America? Well, we should help how & when we're able. I strongly recommend giving to an established reputable charity, such as Red Cross or Save The Children. To that end, instead of links to related products, at the bottom of this entry you'll find links to a few charities you can donate to.

Donate to the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund via Save the Children.

Sponsor A Child Thru Save The Children.

Feed The Children - Feed an American Child.

Red Cross Multiple Causes Donation Page.

Senga's Mostarda: Green Tomatoe Mustard - Micro Blog

2011-03-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

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My brother and his wife just returned from Italy, so they put together a dinner party for our family to show us their pictures. The appetizers were baguettes with Leonora cheese (goat's milk semi soft cheese with ash rind from the city of Leon, northern Spain), Prosciutto, and what I thought was a sweet tomato relish. It was actually Mostarda: Green Tomatoe Mustard by, Senga. Chunks of green tomatoes swam in a sauce of sugar, lemon, and mustard essence giving the Mostarda a nice mustardy undertone just beneath the sweet tomato flavor. The condiment provided a delicious balance to the tangy cheese and salty fat-laced Italian ham.

This particular Mostarda can be found at Pasta Works in Portland, OR. However, Amazon has these Mostardas you can also try:

Irish Food Is Not Necessarily Green

2011-03-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

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This Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day. In recognition of this Irish holiday, some food bloggers, vloggers, and celebs are coming out with recipes for green soup, green potatoes, and other green foods. Although I haven’t come across it yet, I’m sure there’s even a piece out there to teach readers/viewers how to color their own green beer. With all due respect to the traditions of Boston and Chicago, bright green food & beer have as much to do with Irish cooking, as Stuffed Crust Pizza has do with authentic Italian food.

Traditional Irish meals are generally comprised of rustic, Earth toned, dishes such as Herb Dumpling Stew, Reuben Casserole, Roasted Leg of Lamb, Irish Stew, Lamb Stew, Cottage Pie, Sausage and Potato Coddle, Dublin Coddle, Shepherd's Pie, and, of course, Corned Beef and Cabbage. Except for the cabbage, and possibly some mint jelly for the leg of lamb, there’s not much green food on the list.

As I grew up, St. Patrick’s Day meant Corned Beef and Cabbage served with steamed buttered carrots and boiled potatoes. Corned Beef, having simmered all day, in a crockpot, with its own spice packet (mustard seed, all spice, bay leaf, garlic, cracked pepper, and salt), is a savory delicious meat. When dipped in dark grainy mustard, Corned Beef is really something special. I’ve always loved it, and as my palette matured, I grew to enjoy the steamed buttered carrots and potatoes as well. However, I’ve never been able to choke down a big wet leaf of cabbage. I’ve tried adding butter, salt, and pepper to it, and I simply can’t do it.

This doesn’t mean cabbage won’t be seen along side my Corned Beef and steamed buttered carrots this week though. The trick is to combine the cabbage with the potatoes into a dish called Colcannon.

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Recipe For Colcannon

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds peeled and quartered russet potatoes
3 - 4 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 - 2/3 cup light cream or milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2 green onions, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain. Blanch cabbage in boiling salted water for 2 - 3 minutes; drain. Mash potatoes; beat in enough cream or milk to make them smooth, not soupy. Butter will lighten them more. Place pan over low heat; stir in cabbage, melted butter and onion. Beat together until well blended and hot. Taste for seasoning; add salt and/or pepper if desired.

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When made into Colcannon, the cabbage provides a pleasant second texture to the creamy mashed potatoes and rounds out an Irish meal of Corned Beef, steamed buttered carrots, soda bread with Irish butter, and the diner’s beer of choice.

After such a meal, one might expect a piece of Guinness Cake, a dish of Donegal Oatmeal Cream, or some Apple Barely Pudding (none of which happen to be green either, by the way) for dessert. This year however, I’m planning an Irish cheese course, for dessert, consisting of Dubliner and Killaree Cheddar, both made by Kerrygold in County Cork, Ireland, and Cashel Blue from County Tipperary, Ireland. While the Dubliner and Killaree are both white cheddars, the Dubliner is much stronger and sharper, making the Killaree taste mild by comparison. The Cashel Blue is a very rich and spreadable blue cheese with a nice salty bite. Served with some more soda bread and some thin slices of apple, for sweetness, the cheeses will serve as the perfect conclusion to a fabulous Irish meal.

Green food coloring not included, necessary, or desired.

Pancake Day

2011-03-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

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This morning, one of my Facebook friends was wished a happy National Pancake Day, by one of her friends. Even though there are a plethora of “National Days” on the books, this one caught my interest, so I did some research.

Apparently, National Pancake Day is based on the, Catholic tradition, Shrove Tuesday. Historically, the local priest would shrive, or hear the faithful's confessions, to mark the beginning of the 40-day Lenten fasting period when worshipers were forbidden to consume meat, butter, eggs or milk. The problem with this period of denial was that if a family had a store of these foods, they would spoil by the time the fast ended on Easter Sunday. In order to use up the milk, butter and eggs no later than Shrove Tuesday, and prevent waste, they would mix the ingredients together and add flour to make pancakes, which they would then feast on.

The Shrove Tuesday pancake tradition lives on in Western Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia. It is most popular in the UK, where it's simply known as Pancake Day with a traditional recipe that most closely resembles the French crepe rather than the American buttermilk pancake.

Shrove, or Pancake, Tuesday, is actually next week, March 8th. However, since 2006, IHOP has declared the first Tuesday in March to be National Pancake Day. The chain celebrates the day by giving away stacks of three buttermilk pancakes in exchange for suggested donations to children's charities. I applaud IHOP's philanthropic spirit, and, had I known, I probably would have made arrangements to snag a stack tonight. For those of us who missed seeing the ad campaign, it's nice to know we can celebrate with our own stack next week.

Perhaps the easiest way to celebrate, is to begin with a basic

American Buttermilk Pancake Recipe.
Ingredients
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Mix all ingredients well in a small mixing bowl. Pour by spoonfuls onto a hot, oiled griddle. Cook until the batter is bubbly then flip the cakes over. Serve immediately with butter and favorite toppings.

Once you have this basic recipe down, you can experiment by adding sliced bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips, etc… You may also want to play with flours and grains such as buckwheat, whole wheat, oat meal, or rye. And of course, there’s virtually no limit to the varieties of syrups, fresh fruits, jellies, jams, butters, and sauces you can top your stack with.

Regardless of the combination of flavors you choose, March 8th, 2011, Pancake Day, should be a delicious day to observe. Happy eating. :-)

Brebirousse d'Argental - Micro Blog

2011-02-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

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I found a special treat this weekend. Brebirousse d'Argental is a pure sheep's milk cheese made in the Lyon region of France. It's soft, rich, and creamy with a mild Brie-esc flavor and a soft orange-colored rind. Brebirousse d'Argental should be removed from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving to maximize spreadability. Best paired with white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine Guys TV

2011-02-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

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I didn’t drink alcohol for the first 37 years of my life, for first spiritual, and then personal, reasons. Once I decided alcohol was no longer the enemy, wine became my libation of choice. I dabbled with it in 2008, cooked with it, joined a wine discussion group, and just kind of dangled my toes in fermented waters. By early 2009, wine was a quasi hobby, but I didn’t really know much about it. Wanting to know more about wine, and the wine culture, I did what and good American would do. I consulted that there internet.

I searched for a few weeks and, except for sales sites, I wasn’t finding very much objective information about wine. One day, I was dinking around YouTube when I came across a video of two guys, at a kitchen table, reviewing and rating a bottle of wine. I watched it, clicked around a bit more, and discovered they hosted a regular online show called “The Denver Wine Guys,” which began on YouTube on February 25th, 2009.

In those days, Keith Miller, co-owner of Mile High Wine and Spirits, and Bryan Criswell, owner, at the time, of Park Avenue Wine & Spirits, would sit at Keith’s kitchen table, taste & discuss a bottle of wine, and rank it according to Robert Parker’s hundred point scale. The hosts’ goal was to promote good wines, and stimulate an interest in drinking quality vintages. Thus, not wanting to discourage viewers from buying specific labels, when they scored a wine below an 80 point value, their policy was to leave the episode on the proverbial cutting room floor.

Now, if the show had just been a series of single vintage reviews, I’d have lost interest within a few days. Fortunately, they peppered their reviews with educational tidbits about the world of wine. In one show they explained proper etiquette for people at wine shows, on both sides of the booth. Another show exhibited a flavor wheel, which drinkers can use to clearly define what they’re tasting; apparently, they had a peeve about people comparing wines to green Jolly Ranchers. Among my favorite tidbits were the spiral funnel drinkers can use to oxygenate & mellow harsh wines, and the “green rinse,” which involves multiple drinkers rinsing their glasses with the same ounce of wine before tasting.

A few months into the show’s run, they changed the name to “Wine Guys TV,” perhaps to appeal to a broader online audience. Around this time, they began their initial experiments with doing episodes on location at restaurants and vineyards. Their first few attempts at roving reporting hit some bumps as far as background noise and audio quality. However, it wasn’t long before such hurdles were ironed out, and the quality of the segments improved.

The next step in the show’s evolution occurred in September of 2009, when they moved the show from YouTube to http://www.viddler.com/explore/Wineguystv. Unfortunately, if they had announced the move to viewers, I missed it and thought the show had ceased production. It was only when I stumbled across Keith on Facebook, that I learned WGTV had moved to Viddler because Keith favored the site’s features over those of YouTube’s. I was happy to have access to the show again, and things were pretty much status quo until about March of 2010, when Bryan Criswell made a sudden, and unexplained, departure from Wine Guys TV.

In retrospect, there may have been hints of a schism between Bryan and Keith. During his final few months on the show, Bryan repeatedly stated the idea that people shouldn’t drink the same wine twice. He compared previously tasted wines to movies you know the end of. The frequent proposal of this idea, left Keith to defend the concept that favorite wines, and movies, could be enjoyed more than once. There was another brief on-air tiff, when Bryan scolded Keith for making a negative remark about ,“his girl,” Sarah Palin. Whether these on-air disagreements lead to Bryan’s eventual exit from the show, or not, is pure speculation on my part though.

Regardless of the reason, Bryan’s departure ignited a two to three month rocky patch for WGTV. Keith tried to keep the table side reviews alive with different co-hosts. His first attempt was with Jake, who spoke well but didn’t really understand the hundred point scoring system, and gave good wines 7 & 8 points rather than 85 & 90 points. Next, Keith tried teleconferencing with a co-host from Alaska, via a laptop on the table. However, due to the vast distance between them, they were rarely able to drink the same wine, making the segments severely problematic.

While the table side reviews were suffering, Keith was doing a weekly on location segment, at Mondo Vino Wine & Spirits, called “What’s In William’s Bag?” Fine Wine Specialist, William Davis proved to be marvelously articulate and knowledgeable as he talked about the history and characteristics of a different wine each week. In my opinion, these segments saved the show.

Eventually, the kitchen table segments were abandoned, and WGTV reinvented itself as a solely on location show. Once this change took effect, things really began to click for the web series. Suddenly, Keith Miller was interviewing wholesale distributors, restaurateurs, and representatives (sometimes the owners) of wineries, both foreign and domestic. He even had an Italian professor do a multi-part series, explaining which regions of Italy produced which wines, and why. In addition to these guests, William Davis began to take a bigger role in the series, and has practically become a co-host, rather than a guest.

Today, Wine Guys TV is polished informative show about the world of wine. Producing three to five shows a week, I don’t see many people producing the same volume of wine information that Keith does, except for commercial magazines. Napa Valley Wine Radio produces a half hour podcast every three weeks, and The Thirsty Traveler touches on wine from time to time, but I can’t think of another show that is produced as often, or is as broad in scope as WGTV.

Finally, I feel a need to point out that the show could easily have been a series of web commercials for Keith’s business, Mile High Wine and Spirits. It’s never been that. Out of the many on location shoots the show has done at vineyards, restaurants, and wine shops, I can’t recall a single episode being shot from Mile High.

Tasty n Sons

2011-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

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Saturday was my 41st birthday. I’d heard many good things about a new restaurant called Tasty n Sons at 3808 N. Williams, Suite C, Portland, OR 97212, so as a treat, my mother took me there. One should bear in mind, we know North Portland about as well as we know Berlin, and the Google directions, I’d printed, were pretty much useless. Nevertheless, after having crisscrossed the area several times, and obtaining directions from a cigarette smoking gas station attendant, we found the place in plenty of time to make the 5:30pm dinner seating.

In the front of the restaurant are a communal table and a short bar, which are open during the brunch service (9am to 2:30pm) and happy hour (2:30pm to 5:30pm). Behind the black cabinet and short beverage bar, sits a long dinner counter and a row of tables along the parallel wall. This section opens at 5:30pm for the dinner service, and is full by 5:35pm.

We ate at the counter, where a bowl of spicy peanuts, a stopped bottle of water, and glasses wait for every two people seated along the polished wood mantle. From where we sat, we were able to watch the kitchen staff work at brake neck speed to turn out a variety of dishes. I must say, I was briefly taken aback to see a wool capped chef take occasional bites from the pan. Yet, he was slender and moving at an impressive pace, which lead me to conclude he probably needed the occasional burst of energy to keep going.

We each began our meal with a Griddled Bacon Wrapped Date with maple syrup & an almond for $2 a piece, which are listed in the “Breakfast for Dinner” portion of the menu, rather than the “Smaller Plates” section where the Bread & Butter, Meat & Cheese Board, and other appetizer-esc offerings are found. A white almond is stuffed inside of a date, then the date is wrapped in bacon and doused with maple syrup. The syrup added a pleasant sticky sweetness to the already sweet fruit, and the nut added a nice crunch. While the bacon added another chewy texture, I personally couldn’t taste its smokiness beneath the maple and date flavors. Yet, mother says hers DID have a nice smoky salty kick.

From the “Bigger Plates” section I ordered the Pork Cutlet with spaetzle & sunny side up egg for $14. Putting a salt & pepper seasoned fried egg on top of a dish is a great way to entice me to order it. The base of the dish was seasoned spaetzle (tiny German dumplings) cooked with dried cherries and pine nuts. Resting atop of the savory mélange of flavors was a deliciously fried pork cutlet topped by the aforementioned egg. When the yoke broke and ran down through the other parts of the dish, it added a welcome richness to the already savory meal.

I accompanied the pork dish with a glass of wine listed as a Wurst, Trocken, Germany, Riesling 2009. Though trocken is the German word for dry, the wine had a slightly sweet initial taste and a strong fruity finish, which paired well with the German inspired meal.

Mother ordered the BBQ Half Chicken with cornmeal pancake & coleslaw for $17. The chicken, atop a tannish/yellow cornmeal pancake, glistened with burgundy colored sauce, and was served within a single size cast iron skillet. A ramekin of coleslaw rounded out the meal. I tried bites of all three components. The pancake contained garlic and green onions within the corn batter, and was quite savory. The BBQ sauce made the chicken delightfully spicy, without being over poweringly hot. I’m not typically a fan of coleslaw, because it’s usually drenched in a thin vinegary drippy dressing. This slaw came in a nice thick mayonnaise based sauce, which clung to the slivers of cabbage and carrots, making the salad a good cool creamy counter balance to the zesty chicken.

We ended the meal by splitting their Chocolate Potato Doughnut with crème anglaise for $1.50. Titled a “doughnut” the dish was actually what most people would describe as a large chocolate doughnut hole, or Beignet if you prefer. The chocolate morsel was surrounded by a custard-like crème, sprinkled with cinnamon, and came to the table piping hot. The dominant flavor of the dessert was the cinnamon, but the dish delivered a nice secondary chocolate flavor.

All in all, I was favorably impressed by Tasty n Sons. They produce and serve superbly crafted cuisine at very reasonable prices. I give Tasty n Sons a 94 out of 100, or an A grade.

Debate Hits Raw Nerves

2011-02-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

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The following is an excerpt from an article by William Neuman, published in NY Times Business Day on February 4th of this year.

"Federal regulators are considering whether to tighten food safety rules for cheese made with unpasteurized milk — and the possibility has cheesemakers and foodies worried that the result will be cheese that is less tasty and not much safer.

The new proposals, which are expected in the next several months, come after a very tough year for this country’s fast-growing gourmet cheese industry, marked by recalls and two multistate E. coli outbreaks that sickened nearly 50 people.

Unpasteurized milk, often called raw milk, is prized by many cheesemakers, who say that it adds a special richness of flavor.

The debate focuses on a federal rule that requires cheese made from raw milk to be aged for 60 days before it is deemed safe to eat. Raw milk has not been heated to kill harmful bacteria, a process known as pasteurization. So aging allows the chemicals in cheese, acids and salt, time to destroy harmful bacteria.

Scientists have found, however, that 60 days of aging is an overly simplistic guideline, in part because there are so many types of cheese and different ones may require different safeguards.

The Food and Drug Administration began a comprehensive review of the 60-day aging rule in 2009. Officials said the review was done and was awaiting approval before release.

The F.D.A. has not tipped its hand, but some in the industry fear that raw milk cheese could be banned altogether or that some types of cheese deemed to pose a higher safety risk could no longer be made with raw milk. Others say they believe the aging period may be extended, perhaps to 90 days. That could make it difficult or impossible for cheesemakers to continue using raw milk for some popular cheese styles, like blue cheese or taleggio-type cheeses, that may not lend themselves to such lengthy aging."

To read the full article by William Neuman visit the New York Times.
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We already can’t import raw milk cheese. Those of us who don’t travel will never taste a true Brie-Fromage du Meaux or Camembert du Bocage. Now the FDA wants to tighten regulations on domestic artisan cheesemakers.

I’ll be the first to agree that the recent trend of food recalls has become ridiculous. Yet, I’d argue such recalls have been the result of inattention to detail and the cutting of corners, rather than of age old processes and procedures. Recipes notorious for killing people, don’t typically get passed to the next generation. After umpteen recalls though, the government has to be seen doing something, so they’re going to create new rules.

Such regulation is nothing new to the food world. In the U.S., 15 consumers of raw oysters die each year of Vibrio vulnificus. Thus, in 2009 the FDA decided to ban the U.S. sale of raw oysters harvested during warmer months from the Gulf of Mexico, beginning this year. The ban sounds like a reasonable response to a problem.

Restaurant owners and connoisseurs contend that when preparing oysters on the half shell, oyster shooters, and other oyster dishes, starting with a raw oyster is the only way to ensure optimal taste. Foodies also claim that the pasteurization process leaves the shellfish with a rubbery consistency akin to overcooked calamari. They go on to point out that current disclaimers, regarding the dangers of eating raw shellfish, on menus have successfully safeguarded the lives of all but a statistically insignificant minority of consumers.

Who’s right?

Are raw cheeses and oysters superior enough to their pasteurized counterparts to justify the risk?

Are disclaimers and warning labels enough of a safeguard?

How safe is safe enough?

Can any food be deemed 100% safe?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, each year in the U.S., between 66 and 77 children under the age of 10 die after choking, and hot dogs are the biggest culprits. If we’re banning the sale of raw warm weather oysters for killing 15 people a year, and we’re regulating raw milk cheese after 2 mishaps sickened, not killed, a total of 50 people, don’t we pretty much have to regulate wieners first?

Think about it.

A Resource For Foodies

2011-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

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I wasn't going to blog today. In fact, I planned to listen to a few podcasts while I got my email and played some online poker, finish reading Paul Auster's New York Trilogy, and finish the day by watching Alexander vs. Bradley on HBO.

I was listening to The Splendid Table though, and they mentioned a sausage called mettwurst. I'd never heard of it, so I looked it up to discover, "People in Cincinnati use the name to describe a kielbasa-like sausage that's made with beef and pork, seasoned with pepper and coriander, and smoked. They like to grill it and serve it on a bun."

That was interesting enough, but then I began looking at the site where I found the entry. Cook's Thesaurus is actually more like a dictionary of ingredients, organized by food groups and sub groups. It lists, and describes, almost every ingredient one can think of. I was able to find listings for black chicken/Taihe chicken, scrapple, candied citron peel, Tunisian chile paste, and sea cabbage, just to name a few.

The site struck me as such a great resource for the typical foodie, that I had to knock out a quick blog about it. Now back to my Saturday.

The Line Between Safety & Craftsmanship

2011-01-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

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According to an article at http://www.nwfoodnews.com/2011/01/24/artisan-cheesemakers-the-fda-tangle/, "last year, Washington State inspectors found listeria at the Estrella Family Creamery in Montesano, Washington. Owner Kelli Estrella says she cleaned up the listeria, but last September the FDA checked again. After one swab came back positive, inspectors asked Estrella to order a broad recall. She said no. Estrella argued most of her cheese wasn’t contaminated at all. But a federal judge sent marshals to impound the cheese anyway."

She claims the latest swab discovered cheese mites, which are microscopic organisms that burrow into cheese rinds, and haven't been known to cause illness. In point of fact, cheese mites HAVE been known, in large quantities, to cause a mild allergic reaction known as "grocer's itch." While such quantities can be easily regulated by a dusting of the rinds, and some cheesemakers believe a small quantity of mites enhances the flavor of the cheese, the FDA apparently makes no distinction between types of contamination. While the rule isn't a concern for corporate cheesemakers with mechanized sterilized factories, it may very well lead to the loss of Estrella's farm and cheese business.

This case mirrors what's happening right now in Europe; corporate cheesemakers are pushing the EU to require cheeses, such as Camembert, to be made with pasteurized milk. This would end centuries old cheese making traditions, and leave cheese making solely in the hands of mass producers.

If small producers were as unsafe as some claim, they'd have folded long ago. Yes, we want the cheeses, and other foods, we eat to be safe; we've seen too many food recalls lately. Yet, while the FDA safeguards our health, there needs to be a way for them to take tradition and craftsmanship into account. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing independently produced foods, and will have to depend entirely on the Fortune 500 to feed us.

Pastini Pastaria Revisited

2010-11-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

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Two years ago, I reviewed a restaurant called Pastini Pastaria at Cedar Hills Crossing. As you’ll see at http://onjamesplate.blogspot.com/2008/12/pastini-pastaria.html, I gave the place a B-/C+ for sloppy service and skimpy portions of sauce. Well, mother and I went back yesterday.

Even though it was noon on Sunday, and the restaurant was more than half full, we were seated immediately, and our drink orders were taken correctly. Thus, vast improvements in service were already evident.

As before, I ordered the SPAGHETTI CARBONARA $9.95 (Classic, creamy Parmesan sauce with bacon, green peas and cracked black pepper), but didn’t request a substitution of pasta. While I’m certain the replacement of pancetta with bacon was motivated by the current fiscal situation, the bacon gave the sauce a pleasant smoky undertone. I was also pleased to find enough of the garlicky smoky sauce to wet & flavor my Ciabatta bread.

Mother had the HAM & FONTINA PANINI $8.25 (Hardwood-smoked ham with buttery Fontina and Provolone cheeses, fresh tomato) with a cup of vegetable/sausage soup. I tasted the soup and ate a forth of the sandwich. The ham was salty & delicious, the cheeses were nice & creamy, the tomato had a sweet flavor, and the sandwich was grilled without any burned spots. The soup was a rich savory vegetable soup. However, neither of us detected any of the promised sausage, which MAY have been added in pieces too small to perceive, simply to flavor the broth.

All in all, Pastini Pastaria has used the last two years to get their act together, and take some big steps forward. A-

Review: Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook

2010-11-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

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A month ago, I reviewed Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. After confessing to a major bias in favor of the author, I gave the book a fairly good review. At the end of the piece, I promised to review Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook as well. Well, I finally finished it.

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook was written ten years after its mate. Unlike its forerunner, which was written from the point of view of an insider struggling to find his place within the epicurean realm, this book was written from the perspective of a well known and respected culinary commentator with a virtual backstage pass to the world of cuisine. The contrast in perspectives, gives the reader an entirely different reading experience.

There are interesting and useful tidbits in this new work. The chapter on how the fiscal crisis has transformed the gourmet world of cuisine into an industry which has been forced to use more sustainable ingredients and offer discount specials to survive, was especially interesting. Plus, the chapter on hamburger was like reading something out of Sinclair’s The Jungle. I was determined to avoid ground beef, after reading his description of ammonia soaked animal scraps, until I was reminded that Whoppers haven’t killed me yet; fast-food is what’s for dinner in suburbia after all. I agree that all children, boys and girls, should learn the basics of cooking in school. My proverbial juices began to flow as I read his exhaustive descriptions of Phở and other Vietnamese fair. Likewise I found his take on tasting menus to be insightful.

While such gems were informative and entertaining, they were surrounded by a multitude of stories either about him hobnobbing with affluent members of society, rich folk, or about people who have teed him off. It was interesting to note that when he compared rich people to more common people, he put himself in the latter category.

Granted, anyone who would go to post-Katrina New Orleans to write negative reviews of restaurants which were barely hanging on, is unquestionably a “douche bag.” I’ll even agree that Terrance Brennan qualifies as a hero for introducing cheese, good cheese, to the American diner by doing the cheese course the way it should be done. Yet, I couldn’t care less about his take on the lives of the rich and famous.

I don’t care what cocktail parties he goes to with celebrities from Food Network. A Michelin ranked chef eats in his own restaurant for the first time. That’s nice. A chef bounces back from a miscalculation with Asian Burritos to become “the most important chef in the world.” OK, why is he “the most important chef in the world?” His adventure with a coke whore in St. Barth’s did include a warning about how snooty chefs can rip the public off. Yet, the warning was a tiny part of a much more pointless tale.

I will say, even with the various tales of shoulder rubbing, and shots at people who’ve irked him over the years, there are quite a few morsels of gastronomic wisdom for the eager foodie to devour. He ends the book by updating readers on the whereabouts of characters from Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and corrects tips from the first book, which are no longer accurate. Thus, even though Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook pales in comparison to its predecessor, it’s still definitely worth reading.

Cabra al Pimentón

2010-10-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

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Spanish Paprika or Pimentón is one of the essential ingredients in Spanish cooking. It’s used in chorizo sausage, sprinkled on top of seafood and fried eggs, added to soups and stews, and is used in many other Spanish dishes & sauces. I first heard of this spice, made from crushed pimento peppers, in a New York Times article this past April. The writer of the piece seemed to be of the opinion that Hungarian Paprika is basically useless, except to garnish deviled eggs, but Pimentón is versatile enough to be a cook’s best friend.

Personally, I disagree with the writer’s premise regarding Hungarian Paprika. Whether sweet or spicy, the spice made from ground Hungarian Chiles can be used in barbecue rubs & sauces, a variety of chicken dishes including Tarragon Chicken and Skillet Chicken, Roasted Pork Shoulder, Potato Kugel, Short Ribs, Crab Cakes, Goulash, Chili, and a number of other epicurean standards. Nevertheless, the article made me curious about the Spanish version, which comes in three varieties.

Dulce - slightly sweet with very little heat

Agridulce - packs a solid kick of spice with only a hint of sweetness

Picante - quite hot with a tiny bit of bitterness

It took me some time to find Pimentón. When I did finally find it, it was prohibitively expensive, at least on my budget. I’d given up on the idea of tasting the spice, when I received a gift of Cabra al Pimentón (Goat Cheese with Spanish Paprika).

Cabra al Pimentón is a semi-hard goat cheese with a moist texture and a dusting of Pimentón on the edible outer rind. The flavor of the goat cheese is strong but relatively un-salty compared to Feta, Caprino, or even a Chevre. I didn’t get any sweetness from the Pimentón, nor was it tongue-searingly hot, leading me to believe the Agridulce level of Pimentón was probably used.

Being as strong as it is, Cabra al Pimentón should be eaten in ultra-thin slices and enjoyed with a fruity white wine.