Sunday, January 29, 2012

Part Three : Chapter Eight : Equipment Identification


"Tools, large and small, make it possible for chefs to do their jobs well; in fact, using the right tool for the job is one of the hallmarks of a professional." I couldn't have said it better myself, so I decided to quote The Professional Chef on this one. This chapter, the first in a part called Tools and Ingredients in the Professional Kitchen, focuses on the equipment necessary to help a chef do their job to perfection. On the one hand, it made me quite confident in the way I've stocked my own kitchen, but at the same time, provided me with a nice shopping list for my next trip to Sur La Table!

The first important piece of equipment for any chef is a quality collection of knives, and while I don't have all of the knives they specify, I have a majority of them...even if I really only rely on two specific knives for most of my kitchen duties. I'm partial to the Global Knives. Currently, I have the Santoku, as well as the Chef's Knife, but I'm sure that the future will bring an investment in a few more. I sharpen my knives with a steel. The chapter mentions sharpening knives with a stone, and even has detailed images of how to do this, but I don't have a stone. I have made a note to invest in one in the near future, as the steel is apparently meant only to maintain the sharpness of the blade in between sharpenings. Never put your knives in the dishwasher, as it dulls the blade and can even ruin a knife entirely, even though they are supposed to last a lifetime.

When it comes to hand tools, I was pleased to see that I'm quite up-to-par on this list! I've got whisks, rolling pins, peelers and a kitchen fork. However, one thing I just added to my wishlist is a Palette Knife. Used for turning grilled foods, as well as spreading fillings and glazes, I think this one could be a good addition to my collection.

Measuring equipment is, of course, a very important thing to have in any kitchen. What's important to note is that different equipment should be used for measuring liquids versus dry goods. Measuring Cups with a spout are used for liquids, while these Cups and Spoons will measure your dry goods more accurately. Sieves and strainers are also an important addition. I use this Strainer all the time, for everything from washing vegetables, to scooping gnocchi out of its boiling water. It comes in handy for so many things, and I don't think I could live without it. I certainly use it more than the colanders also suggested to have on hand. Ricers are lumped in with this category as well, and I'm proud to say I have an amazing ricer that I bought at a flea market. It's totally vintage, and works like a charm! They can be pricey so I was happy for the deal...and vintage kitchen gear always has great personality!

Of course the chapter would move on to pots and pans, as well as the larger appliances necessary to everyday cooking. I've moved away from non-stick items, in exchange for a wonderful set of Gordon Ramsay Stainless Steel Cookware. I adore my set and take very good care of it. This chapter mentions that stainless steel cookware is a relatively poor conductor of heat, but I find that they work quite well, and heat my food evenly. I also enjoy using ceramic coated cookware, like my Emile Henry Dutch Oven.

As for appliances, I think I'm all set. And, I think my husband would thoroughly agree, after the addition of an ice cream maker this past holiday season. I've got the stand mixer, as well as all of the attachments, and an awesome food processor, and a blender, and a microwave, and....yes, my counters are pretty covered. But, I use them all, I really do. I think that's the point of this chapter - there may be a ton of things you need to stock a kitchen correctly, but if you care for them, and use them correctly, you'll have them for a lifetime. Now that I'm confident that my kitchen is stocked appropriately, let's start learning about food, shall we!?

Don't forget to go back in the blog and comment on the January giveaway post, for a chance to win a bottle of (M)Mun by MonaVie. Just tell us how you are staying healthy this winter, and you'll be entered! It's as simple as that!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

A Week's Worth of Meals

I can hardly believe that it's Thursday evening, and it is the first evening where we didn't have plans after work! It's nice to sit down and have a relaxing dinner, and catch up on some TV. With all this business of being so busy, I didn't have time to share all the wonderful things I made, so I thought I'd do a little week-in-review type post.

On Sunday, the menu called for Rock Shrimp Tempura and Hayashi Stew, both from Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking. I decided to make the tempura because I found rock shrimp at a local winter market, and it's an ingredient that is very hard to find. When I see things like this, I sieze the opportunity to use them in recipes I may not cook otherwise! This was a very cool play on a buffalo chicken type of thing - the shrimp were fried after being tossed in a tempura batter, but half of them were then coated with a chili sauce, while the other half were tossed with a wasabi sauce. The dish was also served with celery and cucumber, dunked in a handmade ranch dressing, a little something to cool the palate between the spicy sauces. I decided to serve it with a very simple Japanese beef stew, and some white rice. We used the tempura as an appetizer while the stew simmered!



On Monday night, we had friends over for dinner and massages. That's right...my vegetarian friends, who I realized, also eat fish! Hooray! I opted for a chapter out of Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys, called How To Fry Fish. Since this was a whole menu of items, it worked out perfectly for an impromptu dinner party. The main course, of course, was a fish fry with a Piquant Tarragon Mayonnaise. With it, I served Salt-Roasted New Potatoes, as well as a Green Bean Salad with Pickled Shallots. As an appetizer, I put out some melon mixed with lime juice and mint. A refreshing starter for this meal!






On Tuesday night, we had our weekly hydrotherapy session for the puppy, to work on building her muscles and save her from the pain of her hip dysplasia. By the time we get home on these nights, it's pretty late, but I had bought some Caribbean-marinated steak tips at that same Winter Market, and whipped up a batch of Lemon and Caper Mashed Potatoes, as well as a Fennel, Red Onion and Parsley  Salad to go along with them. This picture didn't come out great, but nonetheless, there it is!


Last night, we had some friends over for dinner as well, and I opted to make a risotto this time around. You all know how much I love making risotto! This one is from Jamie's Italy and in Italian, is called Risotto con Cipolle Bianche Dolci, Cotechino, e Timo, or Risotto of Sweet White Onions, Cotechino Sausage, and Thyme. It was a really delicious risotto, with a lot of bold, rich flavors. I served it with a simple dish of greens, cooked Italian-style, in some olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice!


And that leads us to this evening! Since I've been cooking up a storm amidst our busy schedule, I decide to make something a bit simpler today. The menu was entitled Sick Day and comes from Tyler Florence's, Dinner at My Place. I made a really simple chicken soup with carrots, onions and celery, but into that I added some store-bought tortellini, as well as some chicken-apple sausage. The original recipe calls for the uncooked sausage to be made into roasted meatballs...but I bought the pre-cooked kind, so I just sliced 'em up and threw them in the soup. It was really yummy, and soothing on a cold winter's night. With it, I served some baguette slices, toasted in the oven, and baked goat cheese seasoned with some black pepper. It was a totally simple and comforting meal!



Ah, a week in review! I hope that you enjoyed it, and I promise to get back on track this weekend. Tomorrow night, I'm going to try a new restaurant with my dear friend, Heidi. Don't worry, I will report back on Saturday! We've also got another chapter from The Professional Chef on the way, and don't forget to comment on the previous post to enter to win a bottle of MonaVie's (M)Mun. There's lots in store for the coming weeks, and I'm very excited to get started on all of it! We're also going to have people over for the Superbowl, so I have some planning to do!!! 

So much food, so little time!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

January's Giveaway: Win a Bottle of Mona Vie (M)Mun

MonaVie's (M)Mun has a blend of 19 fruits, along with Wellmune, which has been clinically shown to enhance your body's immune defenses. What better gift to receive this January, when colds and flus are flying around our offices and homes!? I couldn't think of one, and so I teamed up with Dawn McGee, an independent distributor of MonaVie's products, and she was nice enough to offer up a bottle of this elixir to the winner!


All you have to do is comment on this post, and let us know how you are staying healthy this winter. Are you taking vitamins, or have you placed yourself in a bubble until the warmer months are here? Tell us all, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a bottle of MonaVie (M)Mun. It comes in a beautiful wine-like bottle, and if you love what you've tried, you can always get more from our good friend, Dawn!

This contest is limited to readers in the US. To my international readers, I'm working really hard to find a giveaway that you can participate in as well, so stay tuned!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Part Two : Chapter Seven : Europe




As I start this chapter on the cuisines of Europe, I start to see a trend. Cuisines are inevitably influenced by their surroundings, and while the European are known for bringing ingredients to the new world, the old-time cuisines are influenced by each other as well. For example, the southeast region of France shows heavy Mediterranean influences in cuisine, while the Northeast region reflects a lot of Germany's mainstays like sauerkraut and spaetzle. When the Romans took the  area over in 56 BC, they introduced cheese-making, something France remains famous for to this day! Today, Grande Cuisine is what we use to classify modern-day French cuisine. This emerged after the marriage of Catherine de Medici, of Italy, to Henry II. She essentially introduced gastronomy to the French culture!

The Northern region of Italy lies in the Alps, where the pastures are ideal for raising livestock, leading to a cuisine laden with heavy meat dishes. It also leads to a large production of milk, butter and farm-fresh cheeses. Of course, Piemonte is one of the largest producers of rice, which means risotto is a staple of this region as well. In Central Italy, where the land is lush with vineyards and olive groves, olive oil is the preferred fat used for cooking. Little else, aside from herbs, is needed for the simple preparations of food that this region is accustomed to. Did you know that the first culinary school was founded in Florence, in the sixteenth century?! Cattle are scarce in Southern Italy, so the prevalence of goat's and sheep's milk by-products shine through. This is also the region to which we owe so much for the gift of buffalo mozzarella!! In Sicily, which is very close to the coast of Africa, and was conquered by the Arabs during the ninth century, the influences of citrus are prevalent, as well as spices such as saffron, in their cooking.

The "Mediterranean" is what we refer to for any country that lines the Mediterranean Sea. While each of these  countries have unique cultures and cuisines, they also have quite a bit in common. Diets consist of many seafood and shellfish dishes due to the abundance of water surrounding these countries. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also staples of this region. The region of Eastern Europe, which begins from Poland and Hungary, stretches through the expanses of Russia which reaches across the Asian continent. This part of the world is generally cold, which leads to hearty stews and warming soups, stretching their supplies of meat by using fillers like potatoes and dumplings. Because the area in Northern Russia has such a short growing season, foraging for mushrooms and berries has become a great passion of the region. Preserving skills are honed by making compotes and preserves with berries, while the mushrooms can be dried or pickled.

Poland has very cold winters, and so their cuisine has adapted to include lots of warm, filling foods. The staples include meat, bread and potatoes, and their favorite seasoning is dill. Kielbasa, as well as pierogies (a potato dumpling) are prevalent in this region. Of all the eastern European countries, Poland most enjoys mushroom, which they forage from their forests. Hungary boasts four very distinct seasons. Important products that come from this region include paprika and salumi, as well as sauerkraut produced near Budapest. Like Poland, they enjoy foraging for mushrooms in the woods, but their Northern Mountains are also home to their tree-fruit production. Similar to Polish cuisine, but more well-known across Central Europe, Hungarian cuisine includes rich meat-based stews and soups but they are more often seasoned with their local product, sweet Hungarian paprika. Hungary's dairy production is also quite extensive, notably Lipto, a cheese seasoned with butter, paprika and caraway.

This chapter lumps quite a few countries into what they refer to as Central Europe. Understandably, it would be about 100 pages long if they touched on every cuisine in Europe, but the "Central European" title is pretty vague. Austrian cuisine pulls its influences from it's neighbors, so if the section of Austria you plan to visit borders Germany, you will see many German influences, and so forth. Germany itself can be split into three regions of cuisine: northern, central and southern. I think I touched a bit on each of these during my recent trip! The northern region shares similarities with the cuisines of Denmark, Scotland and Sweden. Smoked and pickled dishes, as well as the liver sausage known as Braunschweiger can be found in this region. Dresden, my favorite city on our tour, lies in the central region, and is famous for Stollen, a Christmas bread made with fruits and berries. In Southern Germany, including the Bavarian region, we'll find many of the staples mentioned above, but they are prepared in a lighter way. The meals are not as heavy and rich. Also prevalent in this region is the side dish of Spaetzle. We're actually having spaetzle with our dinner this evening!!


Cabernet-Braised Short Ribs and some delicious Spaeztle for dinner
The area enveloping Spain and Portugal is known as the Iberian Peninsula. An essential product of this region is olive oil, brought by the Romans when they occupied the land. Arabs also occupied the area for a good 800 years, and brought their use of saffron and short-grained rice (both necessary for a batch of paella) to the cuisine. Did you know that Spain is not only the world's largest producer of olive oil and oranges, but also has the largest fishing fleet in the world, as well as more grape-producing land than any other country?! The Southern region of Spain have brought us the two most recognizable culinary treats: gazpacho (a cold tomato soup) and tapas, the popular "little plates" way of dining! Portugal consumes more fish per capita than any other country in Europe! Their national dish is salted cod, or bacalhau. The Portuguese use more intense flavors in their cooking then their Spanish neighbors. Hot peppers and cilantro are two of those that are used quite frequently.

We've finally come to the end of this part of the book! We've touched on each of the essential cuisines and learned a lot about different regions of the world! I'm ready to venture on, into the next part of the book - Tools and Ingredients In The Professional Kitchen! Stay tuned!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Making Bread Without the Bread-Maker

Yesterday, I sat down to plan out our meals for the week, and realized that we have a lot going on! Because we have some things to do after work today, I decided to make something for dinner last night that we could enjoy again today, without too much effort. I opted for a Dijon Chicken Stew with Kale. It sounded hearty, and warming, and it seemed to make a large amount which meant we could enjoy it for two nights of deliciousness! But...what to serve with it? It sounds great, but you can't JUST have a heaping bowl of stew for dinner...I'm a fan of having different things on my plate. So, I turned to my binder full of recipe cut-outs and thumbed over to the Bread section. What kind of bread would be good for soaking up the remnants of a hearty stew like the one I decided to make? Aha - I got it! Rosemary focaccia!


I've never made focaccia before, and I'm more the bread-machine type of bread maker, but I decided to give it a go. If you have a few hours to kill, and the patience to be in and out of the kitchen for those few hours, then this recipe is for you! This is not the type of dough that can be made in a bread-machine, nor can it be cooked that way. This is a hands-on task...know that before you take it on!

I don't have pictures of all the steps because it was kind of slow-going, but the entire recipe can be found at the link above, so everyone should give it a go! I have a feeling I'm going to add it to my repertoire because this is some DELICIOUS focaccia. After making a boiling water, honey and rosemary concoction, and allowed it to cool to a warm 110 degrees, I added some yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, I gathered the rest of the ingredients for the dough, and once they were all incorporated, I began a 10 minute stint of kneading...and boy are my arms tired. Ten minutes is a long time to be moving, kneading and pressing into dough, but eventually, it got to that smooth, elastic-y point where it was ready to rest, and rise!


Forty-five minutes later, I walked into the kitchen to find a giant ball of dough, which I punched down, and then spread out on a baking sheet with my fingers. The dough was really plyable and I just knew that I was doing things right! Ya know how you can tell when something really doesn't seem right? I didn't have any of those feelings, even though this was my first attempt! After another 20 minutes of rising on the baking sheet, we were finally ready to brush the surface with egg yolk, olive oil and and water. First, I had to make those infamous focaccia indentations with my pointer finger. After the surface was glossy with egg yolk mixture, I sprinkled some sea salt along with chopped rosemary all over the top and it was finally ready for the oven!


After 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven, we finally had focaccia to enjoy! As it was cooking, I started on my stew and while the focaccia cooled considerably while the stew was cooking, it tasted so fresh and delicious. The savory salt and rosemary flavors paired really well with the Dijon Chicken Stew, and provided the perfect "sopping" tool! What a delicious meal! I can't wait to eat it again tonight!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Live to Bake

When I attended the Boston Foodie Social last month, I met a remarkable young girl with a vision. She made it her Bat Mitzvah project to raise money for a charity known as FutureChefs. Samantha Cooper has put together a beautiful cookbook of bake-worthy recipes, and mouthwatering photos, all in the name of fund raising!



This 12-year-old foodie has been baking since she was 2, and has big goals in mind for her project! She has already reached her goal to raise $5,000 for her charity, and she plans to keep going! She's already sold over 250 books! FutureChefs' mission, as stated on their website, is to "prepare motivated, low-income Boston area youth for quality early employment and post-secondary education in the culinary field, where the demand for skilled professionals is consistently high." This program is privately-funded, so Samantha's contributions can make a huge difference in the curriculum that they can offer their students. Many restaurants and establishments in the community also contribute to this organization!

Samantha's mother, and totally awesome PR rep, was kind enough to give me a copy of the book so that I could try a few recipes before writing a post. The first thing I tried was Samantha's recipe for pancakes, from scratch. No mix involved here! I had all the ingredients on a cold, Saturday morning, so I gathered them, and concocted the batter while my pan was heating. These were some great pancakes! I served them with some heated Blood Orange marmalade, from Stonewall Kitchen, but my husband wanted syrup - he loves maple syrup!


There's so many recipes in this book that I want to make, but the second one I chose were the Ricotta cookies. I had some ricotta in the fridge, and all the other ingredients in the pantry. Samantha's recipes are really easy to understand and follow. Even an amateur baker would be hard-pressed to mess these up! Her writing is clear and concise, and the measurements are perfect! She even suggests ways to decorate your final products!


So far, the response to Live to Bake has been fantastic and exciting, and she's in the home stretch of her project, culminating with her Bat Mitzvah. However, I'm sure that this won't be the last you see of Samantha! She is so dedicated to her cause that she sought FutureChefs out after another charity she had been involved with closed its doors last year.

Live to Bake can be purchased by sending an email to Live To Bake. Each book costs $25 and 100% of the proceeds are donated to FutureChefs! I'm looking forward to trying more recipes from this wonderful collection!

Next up on my list: the biscotti with cranberries soaked in vodka. What could POSSIBLY be bad about that!?!?!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Part Two : Chapter Six : Asia



Well, I thought the "Americas" chapter was long, but it was nothing compared to the 50-page chapter about all things Asian. I had to split the reading up between two days, but I still found a bit of redundancy in the chapter. All Asian food is definitely not alike, and each country, and region, has very different delicacies that I learned about but many of the areas have a lot of the same agriculture, resulting in repetitive explanations of the uses of, especially, rice and seafood.

Spices, of course, play a huge part in the cuisine of the Asian continent, but each country uses those spices in very different ways. Also, it seems as though the use of chiles did not appear until the Portuguese brought their influences to the continent, in the not-so-distant past. It also seems that each country has their own versions of different dishes, but the main theme seems to carry through each. For example, the practice of cooking one's own food at the table, in steaming pots of broth, is known as Mongolian hotpot in China, Shabu-Shabu in Japan, and Chongol in Korea.

Similarly, India and the Middle East seem to hold quite a few similarities including the use of the tandoor oven. Both cultures tend to cook their breads on the inside walls of the tandoor, with stews and curries cooking in the center. They use lots of rice, meats, nuts and aromatics to stuff larger vegetables and other meats.

The amount of information in this chapter was overwhelming, and I found myself skimming quite a few of the paragraphs, but I wanted to give you a very brief overview of this chapter. I could write for days and not include all the information I just soaked in by reading this chapter, but I talk about Asian cuisine so often in my posts that it would be redundant for me to start telling you everything again.

One thing that I did find interesting as a theme running through this chapter is the attention to detail that is given to meals in the Asian culture. In general, colors, textures and flavors are all taken into consideration before a meal is planned, and ingredients are chosen based on this criteria. Too often, we throw together a meal, not thinking about the aromas we'll smell before we even dig into the food, or how the colors on the plate will affect the way we feeling during the meal.

I know I always enjoy a meal more when it looks pretty!

Monday, January 9, 2012

I'm On A Mission

I'm on a mission to digitize. One of my new year's resolutions was to rid myself of clutter, and that especially means things that can be stored electronically, rather than taking up space on shelves and in closets. I have binder upon binder of recipes that I've printed, clipped and saved over the years, and it's time to make some sense out of them. I have a program on my computer, an electronic cookbook of sorts, but it requires a lot of typing to get each recipe put into the system. So, I've made a promise to myself. Each time I cook one of the recipes from a binder, I will determine whether it is worth saving, and then type it out electronically. This will spread out the work, and slowly, I'll work my way through everything I've saved over the countless years, keeping only the exceptional recipes. Sound like a plan? Sounds like a monster of a plan to me, but I've committed, and so it was with gusto that I pulled my binder off the counter this morning to determine what we'd have for dinner.

A wrench was thrown into my original plan to use some chicken thighs that I purchased over the weekend, when a delivery of meat that I had ordered on a special deal arrived, less than frozen. I planned to keep it all in the freezer until I was ready to use it but now, it seems, we need to eat it all this week since it's already defrosted. So instead of those chicken thighs, I opted for a couple of peppercorn-marinated steaks, but I needed a side dish. I pulled another binder off of my shelf and started sorting through side dishes, looking for something that I had all the ingredients for, and also that would go well with steak. I found it, when I happened upon Spaetzle Baked with Ham and Gruyere. I couldn't believe I had all the ingredients to make this - it looked delicious!

I set to work, bringing a pot of water to boil on the stove, pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees, and starting in on my spaetzle dough. Spaetzle is a small dumpling made by pushing dough through small holes into boiling water. There was a lot of spaetzle to be had in Germany, and we tried it sauteed, and boiled but this recipe calls for it to be baked, like a casserole, so I was intrigued! To make the dough, I mixed flour, salt and baking powder together by sifting it all together through a sieve. To this mixture, I added milk and two eggs. Once it was all mixed together, I let it stand for ten minutes.


Meanwhile, I gathered the rest of my ingredients. I diced some ham and white onion, I shredded some Gruyere cheese, and I also put together the mixture that would be poured over the spaetzle before baking (more milk, more eggs, salt, pepper and flour). 






Once the water was boiling, I placed my Spaetzle Maker over my pot and began to spoon the dough into the opening. It looks like a cheese grater, and has a mechanism that swipes the dough over the holes, pushing it into the water in little droplets. It's an extremely easy way to make spaetzle! If you don't have a spaetzle maker, and don't want to buy one just to try one recipe, you can use any sort of colander with larger-sized holes in it. A cheese grater would probably work as well, on the larger-holed setting. Once I had pushed all the dough into the water, I allowed it to cook for about 2-3 minutes before scooping them out into a colander to drain. Don't put them on paper towels - the spaetzle will stick!


Now it was time to put everything together! I browned the diced onion in a pan coated with cooking spray for about five minutes, and removed it from the heat before adding the ham and mixing it together. The spaetzle was then put into a two-quart baking dish, and mixed with the onions and ham to distribute everything evenly. I poured the milk mixture over the spaetzle and then sprinkled the grated gruyere cheese all over the top! See the before:


And the after:


After 35 minutes in the oven, the cheese became golden brown and crispy on top, and everything firmed up to make a delicious spaetzle "casserole." The flavors are really great, for such little seasoning throughout the cooking process. This dish went SO well with the steak, and was a really hearty dish. This one is definitely a keeper! Now, to type it up for my digital cookbook!

The original recipe can be found here.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Part Two : Chapter Five : World Cuisines - The Americas



In this 17-page chapter that opens Part Two of The Professional Chef, I learned about the cuisines that make up The Americas. The chapter is speckled with lists of ingredients common to each region as well. As we all know, the United States is a melting pot of cuisines that have adapted over time, blending together into an amalgamation that we now claim as our own. Different parts of the country were colonized by different cultures, which has given us a broad range of cuisines!

The chapter begins with the New England states, and for good reason. As the first part of the country that was colonized, it's cuisine also plays an important role in the development of cuisines throughout the country. One of the biggest influences in New England cooking stems from the British dislike of fancy French cooking! The first Bostonians leaned towards the use of boiling, braising, roasting and stewing for it's simplicity. Surplus meat was stored in salt for the inevitable cold winters, which is why corned beef, salt pork and salt cod became regular menu items for the colonists. Of course, the use of wild game and seafood, as well as crops such as corn and cranberries were mainstays as well. Vermont has brought us maple syrup, and Maine has supplied lobsters for generations!

Moving onto the Mid-Atlantic states, known for their rich farmlands, and broad weather patterns. They really branch from sophisticated cuisine in the larger cities, to the simpler specialities of Amish and Shaker cooking. The Southeastern states are where barbecuing and soul food make their home. Barbecue is a diverse cooking method that will be described differently, depending on who you talk to! In general, it involves a wet or dry rub, applied to meat before it is slowly cooked over an open fire, until it is moist, succulent, and falling off the bones!

Down on the Gulf Coast, we will primarily find the cuisine of New Orleans, a cross between Creole and Cajun cooking, which is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of that region. Creole is a term stemming from the Spanish word, criollo, meaning "native to a place." The Cajun style of cooking uses iron skillets, stock, roux, and "the trinity" in many dishes. One other cuisine native to the area comes from Southern Florida, and is known as "Floribean" cuisine. It has a distinct Latin flavor, utilizing local seafood and tropical flavors usually associated with the Caribbean.

The Midwest and Southwestern states are known as the heartland of America, and the home of one-pot meals, and food preservation methods like smoking. In the Southwest, foods tend to lean towards the spicier side of things, and involve complex spice profiles. Chiles, either fresh or dried, can also be found in most dishes. Texas cuisine has many of it's own distinct cuisines, pulling from the Old South, the Gulf Region, German settlers, and the strong Mexican influence known as "Tex-Mex."

On the West, California has a corner on the market. It has developed the largest agricultural business in the country, not only involving fruits and vegetables, but also wine! The cooking in this state reflects the desire to use fresh and local ingredients! In Alaska, the long hours of sunlight and the cold evenings produce extremely large vegetables with an intense flavor. Many Russian influences can be seen in Alaskan cooking, along with Dutch, German, and Scandinavian influences as well. In Hawaii, which was colonized by New England, as well as many of the Asian nations, has a very broad array of ethnic cooking. There are many Asian influences in their dishes, as well as the luau of the native Polynesians.

As we move south in the Americas, we come across Mexico and South America. In Mexico, as we know, the flavor profiles include smoky, rich and spicy dishes, using corn, lime, and chiles, but that's just Northern and Central Mexico. Southern Mexico is where we find the mole sauces, as well as Mezcal, a tequila-like liquor made from the blue agave plant.

Prior to the colonization of South America by Europeans, the major civilization there were the Incas. The Incas staple food was the potato but they also farmed other vegetables, as well as grains such as quinoa. Many of the cash crops of South America include rice, sugarcane, bananas, cacao and coffee. Brazil, which represents forty-two percent of the total area of South America, has strong Portuguese influences in their culture as well as their cuisine. Argentinian cuisine has very strong Italian and Spanish influences as well.

We've all learned a lot about the Americas today. It's rare that we take the time to sit back and think of our country as different regions with very different cultures and cuisines, but as we've learned, we can find an array of foods in each part of our country. It makes the thought of traveling a bit more exciting, knowing that there are certain delicacies that must be tried when visiting different parts of the continent.

Why stick to what you know, when you can try something new!?

Monday, January 2, 2012

Reminiscences of Our Travels

Happy New Year, everyone! It's been a hectic holiday season, and I'm pretty happy that it's over now, and things can get back to normal. I used this weekend to do a massive new year's cleaning overhaul, but I still have lots of work to do. Of course, I tackled the kitchen first, and now it is SPARKLING clean, just waiting for this new year's dishes to be cooked! There's quite a bit of stuff in my pantry, fridge and freezer that I really want to use up before I go shopping again, so yet again, we're in for a few days of creativity before I bring in any new ingredients. There's so many things that I have planned for this year, and I can't wait to start in on all of them. At the top of that list is continuing my culinary education through The Professional Chef, and we'll be coming up to recipes very soon. I'm still in the introductory portion of the book though. I have also started a small collection of my own creations that I can hopefully turn into a cookbook in the near future.

Tonight, however, I want to share a great recipe that I made right before the new year. It's called Crispy Chicken with Rye Bread, Mustard, and Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, and I found it in Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes, a great book that I haven't had the opportunity to explore just yet. This is the first recipe I've made from it, and I was happy with the outcome. It had been on my current menu, but the day I was supposed to make it, I just wasn't really feeling it. But the next night, I convinced myself to make it, since I had thought it sounded good when I added it to the menu. The first step involved making my own breadcrumbs with a loaf of rye bread. I put the chunks of rye bread, sans crust, into a mini-food processor, and pulsed until I had an even consistency. I spread them out on a baking sheet, allowing them to dry out for about 2 hours, before using them. I also mixed them with some kosher salt and black pepper, as well as more caraway seeds.


I did some other things around the house while my breadcrumbs were drying out, but when I came back to the kitchen, I brought all my other ingredients together. I mixed some kosher salt and pepper into a couple cups of flour, in preparation for the breading process. I also got out a couple of eggs and lightly beat them. I lined the flour and egg up with the breadcrumbs, and turned to the chicken. I cleaned each thigh of most of the fats, and then sprinkled them with salt and pepper.




Once all of the ingredients for the main part of my meal were gathered, I set them aside so that I could time everything appropriately. I turned to the Sweet and Sour Cabbage recipe, so I grabbed my red cabbage and a red onion, along with some turbinado sugar and some kosher salt. I sliced the cabbage in to small ribbons, cut the onion in half and thinly sliced it, and added it to a pan with some vegetable oil. After adding the salt and sugar, I also added some cider vinegar and red wine vinegar, and allowed it all to steam in a covered pot for about 20 minutes. When the cabbage was ready, it's dark purple hue had turned into a beautiful magenta!




I breaded each chicken thigh by dipping it in flour, then egg, and finally into the rye bread crumbs. Each piece of chicken was then added to a hot pan, with vegetable oil, and I left them to cook until the breading had become crispy and browned, before flipping.

While the chicken was cooking, and the cabbage was simmering, I added some Dijon mustard and chicken stock to a small pot, and brought it to a simmer with a pinch of kosher salt. This made the sauce for the chicken. Everything came together at the same time, and I plated the meal. On the bottom, some sweet and sour red cabbage, topped with a couple of crispy chicken thighs, and finally topped with some of the mustard sauce. As the title of this blog suggests, this meal was quite reminiscent of our recent trip to Germany and the Czech Republic. The cabbage, as well as the caraway flavor in the breadcrumbs really brought me back, and inspired me to start thinking about our next trip. I don't know when it will be, or to where, but I know it will be amazing!



Stay tuned for great things to come in 2012! I am working on some more giveaways, as well as some other special features!