tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58041240702840392112024-03-13T12:54:13.825-05:00A Pinch of ReasoningGaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-8457871907368414872011-02-19T01:00:00.005-06:002011-02-19T07:04:37.644-06:00Feta Mac and Cheese with Olives and Artichoke Hearts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UdVahlr43ln1OyJET5Hu6VYCJ5eGxLHjGA5PF0dxRWdlhSTC0Y6C0mJRGU2KGso3fadLVgTkqKCxZjcVlrDfZGk1k95fm8qmvXX5Y7gx1bVgwCi8w_sSlXn7qffGqNhm1w0OD6GCX8OY/s1600/on_stove_crop2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UdVahlr43ln1OyJET5Hu6VYCJ5eGxLHjGA5PF0dxRWdlhSTC0Y6C0mJRGU2KGso3fadLVgTkqKCxZjcVlrDfZGk1k95fm8qmvXX5Y7gx1bVgwCi8w_sSlXn7qffGqNhm1w0OD6GCX8OY/s320/on_stove_crop2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564324418256441666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My roots are in the Middle East so Feta cheese and Kalamata olives have always done more than just tickle my tastebuds. They have satisfied some inner longing for a culture I've never experienced except in the kitchen.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> Pairing the earthiness of both these ingredients with macaroni just seems natural to me. I used penne to pay homage to the noodles used in Greek Pastichio.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Feta Mac and Cheese with Olives and Artichoke Hearts</span></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">(Serves 8)</span><br /><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Geneva"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Geneva; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1;</style><br /><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">Ingredients:</p><p class="MsoNormal">1 (1-pound) box penne pasta</p><p class="MsoNormal">2 cup 2% milk</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1/3 cup all purpose flour</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4 tablespoons butter</p><p class="MsoNormal">4 to 7 garlic cloves, minced</p><p class="MsoNormal">1 teaspoon dried oregano</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1/2 teaspoon pepper</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4 ounces Neufchatel cheese<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Geneva"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Geneva; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p class="MsoNormal">8 ounces (1 1/3 cups) Wisconsin feta cheese, crumbled</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1 medium onion, diced</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1/2 red bell pepper, diced</p> <p class="MsoNormal">24 Kalamata olives, rinsed and sliced<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">1 - 15 ounce can artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions: </span><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Geneva"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Geneva; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Feta cheese and Kalamata olives both have a tendency to be salty. So it’s important that you taste your ingredients before you start this recipe. I call for rinsing the olives. This will take away some of the salt.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">You can also temper the amount of salt in the feta by soaking it in milk overnight, then discarding the milk.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Geneva"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Geneva; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUJq8lkYLCBL5Fs0yC_RIkOiYit51TYqcKEcXkVb3jDCnNK3tNfsMjQ1tvugwPTB1O4Y8aScRKIn3Omd754B8tbqmpDU1H_Zjr3jj4ZOTVLaaeFewMuIu23tZDaahdbNbjySmPEDNJmD1/s1600/Pour_penne_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUJq8lkYLCBL5Fs0yC_RIkOiYit51TYqcKEcXkVb3jDCnNK3tNfsMjQ1tvugwPTB1O4Y8aScRKIn3Omd754B8tbqmpDU1H_Zjr3jj4ZOTVLaaeFewMuIu23tZDaahdbNbjySmPEDNJmD1/s320/Pour_penne_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564312360123121554" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Heat the oven to 400°F. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. While the pasta is boiling prepare the white sauce.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU9hE4bNLwCTY9syjrN3M_fIuaKFBnjOZqlRWheaUGUJC-cF7ZqBSCLDNWOfb_2oVofy-Vp-uDCt4ShDToyOOCT0-KiT2u2buYdnwILFBa9N8k8NrEkqz1Z6jwphwrxNYkuRW6fRCsYlg/s1600/pour_flour.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU9hE4bNLwCTY9syjrN3M_fIuaKFBnjOZqlRWheaUGUJC-cF7ZqBSCLDNWOfb_2oVofy-Vp-uDCt4ShDToyOOCT0-KiT2u2buYdnwILFBa9N8k8NrEkqz1Z6jwphwrxNYkuRW6fRCsYlg/s320/pour_flour.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564311872029371714" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Pour cold milk into a two-quart saucepan over low heat. Immediately stir in the flour until it disappears. Adding the flour into the still cold milk makes sure it won’t form lumps. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBD4ojO_t9Fp-SDSuVGDrxqX_KBL1u4Ulyw0-21PYKZjd4t-mMdaE6-krdfUS3uSamRrP9WF99Vxd2otfJcdorDGsZNoKKHTm6j5A8F7iC3o0e5QHROU0S-SxMIOV9oUeTd5k986JsHBz/s1600/butter_melt_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBD4ojO_t9Fp-SDSuVGDrxqX_KBL1u4Ulyw0-21PYKZjd4t-mMdaE6-krdfUS3uSamRrP9WF99Vxd2otfJcdorDGsZNoKKHTm6j5A8F7iC3o0e5QHROU0S-SxMIOV9oUeTd5k986JsHBz/s320/butter_melt_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564310978913849298" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Add the butter and stir until it melts.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I like to use a silicone spatula so I can make sure the sauce doesn’t get scorched on the bottom of the pan.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFe75VqCnSh5YL6_Sy0T3i7Le39UdDMkOBl3IEJghPI48BGitNtQgFahQVLXTcIBHEQ5UoiTodC6OZ42QqZTFmT1pk9b8dbT46i47a3PdaWSlpJ4bxZjYFh8kebSHDaxsoQhIjmeGfEGb/s1600/garlic_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFe75VqCnSh5YL6_Sy0T3i7Le39UdDMkOBl3IEJghPI48BGitNtQgFahQVLXTcIBHEQ5UoiTodC6OZ42QqZTFmT1pk9b8dbT46i47a3PdaWSlpJ4bxZjYFh8kebSHDaxsoQhIjmeGfEGb/s320/garlic_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564310075800546226" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Now add the garlic.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">When I described this recipe to my friend at the local Greek deli, she told me “Use lots of garlic!”<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I’m calling for 4 to 7 cloves. It all depends on just how much you love that tasty allium.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdV6Ipy3Ibjh7ePmX_tCd3TiexcOXuHg7JREiRTDn0ctLv7hjwEm7YA_32N9fZFEEp5NG_V1Co78mobNK0j-l8ns3IqGIwJAghHow8SB1d6naFZ6GCESGfLOapct0f0FuU0RfMZ_qM_qo/s1600/oregano_swirl_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdV6Ipy3Ibjh7ePmX_tCd3TiexcOXuHg7JREiRTDn0ctLv7hjwEm7YA_32N9fZFEEp5NG_V1Co78mobNK0j-l8ns3IqGIwJAghHow8SB1d6naFZ6GCESGfLOapct0f0FuU0RfMZ_qM_qo/s320/oregano_swirl_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564311615762627170" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Add the oregano and pepper.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mRbIOk31lEoUapEYiwwrMmfYnfOkJi4JW4gvs1cFdU5DAHM-nfgGNYY9kgz9Fnv3qXq98JVLqbx4yZyHLo2_RLGGwZO7WSpMuhBEMRMUOJTQ8cjLbE9JYkk0fxKk_huvTm6deJir-cF9/s1600/add_feta.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mRbIOk31lEoUapEYiwwrMmfYnfOkJi4JW4gvs1cFdU5DAHM-nfgGNYY9kgz9Fnv3qXq98JVLqbx4yZyHLo2_RLGGwZO7WSpMuhBEMRMUOJTQ8cjLbE9JYkk0fxKk_huvTm6deJir-cF9/s320/add_feta.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564310581567546914" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Add the Neufchatel and Feta to the sauce. Stir constantly until the Neufchatel is melted. The Feta will stay a bit lumpy.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqoJv3S9CCGqJJW3DJUvicjSppAzeZrtlQ5XEvGu2FYmrGSCbTVHG4PAxJx06sLjulh6wRahHf28S1-KFeK4P471C64t82w-C067In4vi3uenlHl-n-c3MXSe2yVsxxP-3DTV7_S6jPsR/s1600/pasta_waiting_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqoJv3S9CCGqJJW3DJUvicjSppAzeZrtlQ5XEvGu2FYmrGSCbTVHG4PAxJx06sLjulh6wRahHf28S1-KFeK4P471C64t82w-C067In4vi3uenlHl-n-c3MXSe2yVsxxP-3DTV7_S6jPsR/s320/pasta_waiting_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564308411647946786" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Drain the pasta. Butter the casserole dish. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWZ31PrOIiaq1PpO2XLnPTuBjxCB1hZ-rZZa3J8pMg_QIrNujrYMh1ZliVCCfQB1FHI6EbAmNxsdHiq5V6pjxpYIKF1Ggh0qwyc5fGPC_u_ry64TiEI7njDHibUp7UiS2YL-eMMK6mUGh/s1600/pour_sauce_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWZ31PrOIiaq1PpO2XLnPTuBjxCB1hZ-rZZa3J8pMg_QIrNujrYMh1ZliVCCfQB1FHI6EbAmNxsdHiq5V6pjxpYIKF1Ggh0qwyc5fGPC_u_ry64TiEI7njDHibUp7UiS2YL-eMMK6mUGh/s320/pour_sauce_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564307528824713666" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Pour the cheese sauce into the pasta.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPioXelWsKkAJk19QP-8W2zhP5tU3NFLvtN2aYpAWO9U1pYMk_m-tR4FfhMfk3YJgxSaPoplS_PxiSYQH8UwTW7VVkEezTc7eSZ22iqKeWf2ckbfQz340jP7EC70KIDLBPPou4ZD3qCNov/s1600/add_olives_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPioXelWsKkAJk19QP-8W2zhP5tU3NFLvtN2aYpAWO9U1pYMk_m-tR4FfhMfk3YJgxSaPoplS_PxiSYQH8UwTW7VVkEezTc7eSZ22iqKeWf2ckbfQz340jP7EC70KIDLBPPou4ZD3qCNov/s320/add_olives_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564307901199741570" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Add the red pepper, olives and artichoke hearts. Mix well.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83dHRMXd1APqumWUg4StJPQkTACMCS6QStzrALmD6OX88DXe3aJUEwQf7Tp-LbQvf_b3a-x_0UVTIF0ujiRKYLBFpQZ0GS8bsbg7mI4W_ZXMjMoeZYW3dOagJtX-UvDPbUJIw4_w6lmg7/s1600/into_cass_cropped.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83dHRMXd1APqumWUg4StJPQkTACMCS6QStzrALmD6OX88DXe3aJUEwQf7Tp-LbQvf_b3a-x_0UVTIF0ujiRKYLBFpQZ0GS8bsbg7mI4W_ZXMjMoeZYW3dOagJtX-UvDPbUJIw4_w6lmg7/s320/into_cass_cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564307058313352946" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Pour the mixture into the buttered casserole.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYP70EWejLHaFmKNKug-XuJNOAMymyqQFHxAjs5aU_hl3NR8Igq7DVbLdtY5pzfDi6n0wVgCckClvM98Uke2ohE06N2csFDV73d2MFuo4apdElX9okfyhEHxO0A68Ae4JylDzIfQSjN10D/s1600/into_oven_cropped2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYP70EWejLHaFmKNKug-XuJNOAMymyqQFHxAjs5aU_hl3NR8Igq7DVbLdtY5pzfDi6n0wVgCckClvM98Uke2ohE06N2csFDV73d2MFuo4apdElX9okfyhEHxO0A68Ae4JylDzIfQSjN10D/s320/into_oven_cropped2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564306671032288818" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Feta has a tendency to be dry, so bake the casserole covered for 40-45 minutes or until the edges of the pasta starts to brown.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqh1LQI2p3kMmx3LpMhHER20r91jMT0tbTr2ikYNs_tFTqqF-TnRcrHA45kdGXVzQjlNnAm4hyphenhyphen92PEVvWX7HNcbImBe0CpDyFc8Td6U42erIZn2XRm8VAxNMQ7St5Q0G7fR7Wk40yndmm/s1600/garnished.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqh1LQI2p3kMmx3LpMhHER20r91jMT0tbTr2ikYNs_tFTqqF-TnRcrHA45kdGXVzQjlNnAm4hyphenhyphen92PEVvWX7HNcbImBe0CpDyFc8Td6U42erIZn2XRm8VAxNMQ7St5Q0G7fR7Wk40yndmm/s320/garnished.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564324191841595026" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We wrapped the finished casserole in a thick towel and trundled it off to our friends' football play-off party.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It was a big hit. We got the casserole dish back licked clean!<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Find this and other fabulous mac and cheese recipes at <a href="http://www.30days30waysmacandcheese.com/">30 Days 30 Ways Mac and Cheese </a>sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.</span>Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-22228665736374879202011-02-07T15:11:00.009-06:002011-02-14T08:26:55.348-06:00Less salt in Campbell's Healthy Kids SoupPart of what I cover in my 4th and 5th grade cooking classes is how to read the Nutrition Facts on food labels and boxes. As an introduction to why cooking from scratch is so important, I hand out various types of prepackaged chicken noodle soups from ramen through condensed soups to ready-to-eat designer canned soups and organic chicken stocks.<br /><br />I pass the cans, packets and boxes out, then ask the students to locate the white rectangle containing the Nutrition Facts. We talk about the different categories and calories. And then I zero in on sodium. Sodium, I explain is one of the components of salt, AKA sodium chloride.<br /><br />We need salt in our diet. Salt helps animate our muscles. When we cry we can taste the salt in our tears (the kids all nod) and when we sweat we also lose salt. I tell them the next time they break a sweat in gym, to taste their forearms. They will be salty. That's why the Army gives soldiers salt pills when they work in extreme heat.<br /><br />So if salt is so necessary, why should we be concerned about how much is in our food? I ask how many kids have parents or grandparents with high blood pressure. Lots of hands shoot up. I explain that high blood pressure is related to risk for heart attack and stroke. Eyes get wide.<br /><br />Then we focus in on the students themselves. Kids their age should have a maximum of 2 grams of sodium in their daily diet. We do a little math and that comes to 2000 mg.<br /><br />Then I hold up a ramen packet and ask how many kids eat ramen. Almost all the hands shoot up. I raise mine too. I confess, I eat ramen occasionally. I hand the packet to the nearest student and ask them to read the sodium content. They're usually shocked to find out the some ramens have up to 750 mg per serving. That's almost half a day's worth of salt.<br /><br />Then I get to the scary part. I ask who eats the whole packet when they make ramen. There are a few kids who say they share with a sibling but most eat the whole thing themselves. I ask the student holding the packet to read how many servings each packet contains.<br /><br />Each packet contains two servings, so we have to double the number. Someone usually blurts out, "That's 1500 milligrams!" Yes, 1500 mg of sodium in one snack. Whoa! They all react strongly.<br /><br />I tell them that 1500 mg sodium is okay but doesn't leave much room for the other sources of sodium throughout the day like the salt on fries, Cheetos, taco chips or all the other hidden salt in canned and processed food, even some canned drinks.<br /><br />Then we move on to the 5 other varieties or brands of soup. I've found that, the cheaper the soup, the more sodium it contains.<br /><br />That means that people with the lowest income are more likely to choose the least expensive soup to make their food dollars stretch. In doing so, they are exposed to more sodium than people in higher income brackets who can afford to choose more expensive soups. The long term health and health care implications are pretty clear.<br /><br />So I was pleasantly surprised the last time I went soup hunting with the Nutrition Facts lesson in mind.<br /><br />Campbell's Healthy Kids Chicken NoodleO's contained only 480 mg of sodium per serving as compared to Campbell's Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup at 650 mg of sodium per serving at a comparable price. That's a move in the right direction.<br /><br />The kids seemed to appreciate that Campbell's was looking out for them. I appreciate that Campbell's is listening to the increasing loud voices of consumers.<br /><br />Teachers, please feel free to duplicate my sodium in soup demonstration in your science or math class. And let me know how your students reacted to the lesson.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-78475066440994135142010-09-17T11:32:00.011-05:002010-09-17T13:24:18.010-05:00Introducing High School Students to the Wonder of Winter SquashMeghan Gibbons, head of Nutrition Services, at Evanston Township High School invited Spatulatta to take part in the school's week long "Move and Crunch" campaign. Each day of the week would involve tastings prepared with specific vegetables in the school's four cafeterias. Each cafeteria would have its own chef offering samples made with the day's secret ingredient.<br /><br />I enlisted the help of Janet Weinberg, who trained at Kendall College's culinary program and has appeared frequently on Spatulatta. Our secret ingredient was butternut squash.<br /><br />We chose the Harvest Soup recipe from the Spatulatta Cookbook because it would be easy for the students to replicate at home. I decided to kick it up a notch by adding a touch of maple syrup. I've been proofing whole wheat pastry recipes and found that pure maple syrup really adds a complex set of flavors. So why not add it to the soup? I made a batch the week before and the hint of maple was exactly right.<br /><br />Entering the high school's industrial kitchen was really a trip. We were surrounded by huge cauldrons and massive ovens. This was a big step up from cooking for the Spatulatta videos or even cooking demos. When we found our station, we were confronted with two cases of butternut squash, a pile of onions and carrots.<br /><br />Cooking along side us were personal Chef Service Chef Tom Leavitt and his wife Laurie from White Oak Gourmet. They were stirring up a savory butternut squash curry with yellow rice.<br /><br />Later we were joined by Gonzo Fabar of Fox River Foods. Gonzo's offering was butternut squash ravioli with browned butter with crispy sage leaves dusted with cinnamon.<br /><br />Butternut squash is extremely hard. It has evolved to keep its seeds safe through the long hard winter. Cutting these nearly impregnable curcurbits involved all the force I could apply to the knife. Peeling was equally interesting. Afterwards, I found I had a thin veneer of orange squash starch covering my left hand. I couldn't wash it off. Even a scrub brush didn't make a dent. Two days later, I am still peeling it off.<br /><br />Here's the recipe. It comes together in about 10 minutes with 40 minutes cooking time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Saute in a heavy bottomed pan:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">3 tablespoons of olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1/2 cup of chopped onions</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Add:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1 medium butternut squash - cubed</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1 large carrot - in 1 inch chunks</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2 teaspoons of real maple syrup</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1 teaspoon of dried rosemary</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bring to a boil then simmer until squash and carrots are tender.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Use a slotted spoon to lift the vegetables out of the soup and into a food processor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Process until smooth. Return pureéd vegetables to the soup and mix.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Serve immediate with chopped smoked almonds as garnish.</span><br /><br />I was impressed with the ETHS students. The majority of them came right over to take a taste. It was Thursday and they had been doing the drill all week but it still was encouraging. A few had to be cajoled with breaking down the ingredients. Janet would say, "You like carrots don't you? Do you like maple syrup?" The overwhelming majority really liked the soup. While we had a few kids slinking away without comment, we also had students coming up for seconds and a couple who came up for thirds.<br /><br />We served tastes for the three lunch periods starting at 11 am and going to 1 pm. Isabella Gerasole, one of the hosts of Spatulatta, goes to ETHS and she has the last lunch period. Belle joined us at the table and started filling up tasting cups. One of her friends had never heard of the Spatulatta Cookbook so she was quite surprised to see a younger Belle on the cover. "How cool!"<br /><br />I did keep an eye on what else was on the student's trays. Lots of nachos with gloppy cheese, spaghetti with red sauce. It's going to take a long time to rework the system but I'm proud that Evanston is taking steps in the right direction.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-55225943060319639402010-09-01T14:30:00.011-05:002010-09-01T15:52:04.350-05:00Micro-crafted Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bi-J7-pkdssooWr5QWpeD8mYy7Twb_yIw8udDrk_3d9gxVX8_VTqn9tX_UJ4GHmVM3tV4Wr1YWjyBn_iGrrK1h5c5pIAw6YHn1Q2Lq03QFbq-HL5VrgQL2MOhKpig2_CZz1olSyZ6A2e/s1600/redribbon.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bi-J7-pkdssooWr5QWpeD8mYy7Twb_yIw8udDrk_3d9gxVX8_VTqn9tX_UJ4GHmVM3tV4Wr1YWjyBn_iGrrK1h5c5pIAw6YHn1Q2Lq03QFbq-HL5VrgQL2MOhKpig2_CZz1olSyZ6A2e/s320/redribbon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512046683906399970" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Friends recently brought me a real treat from their trip to Pittsburgh - a bottle of Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer. Jamaica's Finest is produced by the <a href="http://www.natronabottlingcompany.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Natrona</span> Bottling Company</a> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Natrona</span> PA.<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><br /><br /></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Natrona</span> Bottling has been around since 1904 and Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer is one of their legacy brands along with Red Ribbon root beer, cherry and grape sodas. They also bottle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bauser</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Champayno</span>, a non-alcoholic champagne-like beverage and Pennsylvania Punch, a non-carbonated grape-flavored soft-drink that was first formulated during the Roaring 20's.<br /><br />Small, family-run bottlers like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Natrona</span> have been steam-rollered as the major bottlers have gobbled up their customer base. The last micro-crafted soda bottler in Chicago, that I can remember, was located on Sheffield Avenue just north of Fullerton. I got to visit it once before it fell victim to gentrification in 1990s.<br /><br />So it's great to see a small scale bottler like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Natrona</span> still alive and kicking. You can watch <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Natrona's</span> famous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avPvpoh_R3o&feature=related">Red Ribbon Soda being bottled</a> in this clip from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">WQED</span>.<br /><br />Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer is made from a 70-year old, tried and true recipe: carbonated water, ginger and other natural essential oils, citric acid and pure cane sugar. No long <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">unpronounceable</span> names, no mystery ingredients. The folks at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Natrona</span> are proud to say they use pure cane sugar, rather than much cheaper high fructose corn syrups like other soda manufacturers.<br /><br />Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer has a crisp, gingery bite that lingers on the tongue. It awakens the taste buds and the cane sugar gives it a very satisfying, clean finish. The label says Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer is a "Spicy Soft Drink and Mixer." I became very interested in the "mixer" application of the product.<br /><br />At the 2006 James Beard Awards, we were treated to a cocktail made with ginger beer and rum that I'd always wanted to reproduce.<br /><br />Here's my experiment:<br /><br />Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in 1/2 once of "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">overproof</span>" rum. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Overproof</span> means the rum has a alcohol content of more than 40%. A whole jigger of that potent rum would overpower the ginger flavor. Pour in the Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer. Thread two soft crystallized ginger coins onto a straw and give it a stir.<br /><br />The original recipe included cayenne pepper but the Jamaica's Finest was spicy enough and didn't need the added kick.<br /><br />I can't wait to try <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Natrona's</span> Plantation Style Mint Julep with a shot of bourbon.<br /><br />You can support <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Natrona's</span> artisan soda makers by asking for Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer at your local liquor store or specialty grocery. Or call the folks at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Natrona</span> at 724-224-9224. They will ship you a 12 pack.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-67249842991560854422010-07-30T12:04:00.011-05:002010-08-05T22:33:45.548-05:00Eating Cleaner Fruit, Veggies and Meat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHcUH1QzzrEXdpQ6tF_7p8bK3-mZm1R8wkuKxDpaBIP0tZLSZ9UEbDRgG5oSXEn7s3Ml1D6DI08IhtiiOgg17qdr_vnDgCyRHmljdUXn6MOzhfaNt1Z6RgYPxZB9hxfUtHgI_chFt9vGR/s1600/EC+apple+and+wipe+package.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHcUH1QzzrEXdpQ6tF_7p8bK3-mZm1R8wkuKxDpaBIP0tZLSZ9UEbDRgG5oSXEn7s3Ml1D6DI08IhtiiOgg17qdr_vnDgCyRHmljdUXn6MOzhfaNt1Z6RgYPxZB9hxfUtHgI_chFt9vGR/s320/EC+apple+and+wipe+package.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502116032881027650" border="0" /></a><br />With the recent lettuce scare and new research that links ADHS in kids to pesticide ingestion, we all might want to take another look at what we're ingesting along with our food.<br /><br />I recently met Mareya Ibrahim at a conference. Mareya's daughter is a fan of Spatulatta and heard that one of our hosts, Olivia Gerasole had allergies and asthma.<br /><br />Mareya was kind enough to send a starter kit of <a href="http://www.eatcleaner.com/">Eat Cleaner</a> products for all of us to try with the hope that it might alleviate Livvy's symptoms.<br /><br />The box contained several Eat Cleaner Fruit and Vegetable wipes, Eat Cleaner Fruit and Vegetable Wash and Eat Cleaner Seafood and Poultry Wash.<br /><br />Apples are the most pesticide laden fruit. Pesticide-free apples are more likely than not to be dimpled with bug bites. So to produce a nice, smooth skinned fruit, apples are sprayed repeated as they mature.<br /><br />I love to crunch a crisp apple skin and I'll be the first to admit that more likely than not, I give apples a cursory rinse under cold running water before chomping down. That probably doesn't do a thing to unlock the pesticides caught in the wax on your average store-bought apple.<br /><br />So I was happy to try out the <a href="http://www.eatcleaner.com/">Eat Cleaner Fruit and Vegetable wipes</a>. Individually packaged, I used the wipe on a Gala apple from my refrigerator and found I could actually feel the difference. The waxy layer was gone. The ingredient list is all natural so you can eat the fruit immediately after using the wipe, which makes it great for lunch boxes. I could smell the tiniest trace of the mixture on the fruit with my first bite though it did not add any flavor.<br /><br />The Seafood and Poultry Wash comes in an easy to use spray bottle. I sprayed skinless chicken breasts, waited and then ran them under water. The wash immediately took away the slimy feeling that I associate with raw chicken. I couldn't help thinking about all the bacteria on skin and flesh that meat products can pick during the packaging process. Here was a way to make sure that all that was rinsed down the drain leaving no favor or aroma.<br /><br />Next, I tried the Fruit and Vegetable Wash on broccoli and lettuce, spraying them then waiting a minute before rinsing. There wasn't any noticeable difference to report, though I felt, based on how the other two products worked, that any pesticides were loosened by the wash and rinsed away. And there's also the reality of how many sets of hands our vegetables pass through on the way to our kitchens. This is especially important to consider when it's vegetables like lettuce that we eat raw.<br /><br />It is sobering to think that because my budget doesn't always allow me to purchase organically grown fruits and veggies, I may be getting multiple servings of pesticides in my daily diet. Eat Cleaner at around $4 per bottle on-line at QVC.com is a very cost effective alternative for me.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-76521952144043471252010-06-23T08:25:00.013-05:002010-06-24T12:24:47.325-05:00Angel Food Cheese, Garlic Rings and Tomato MountainsMy dear friend Rachel was working the <a href="http://www.custerfair.com/">Custer Street Fair </a>in Evanston the other day. Rachel does the farmer's markets all over the Chicago metro area, selling <a href="http://www.tomatomountain.com/">Tomato Mountain Farm</a> organic products. Unfortunately, Evanston isn't her territory. So I walked down to see her at the booth.<br /><br />When I got there Rachel was handing out mini-cups of Tomato Mountain Bloody Mary Mix, sans vodka of course. I watched with glee as a mother and her 14-year old son gave it a try. Rachel cautioned, "It's a little spicy." The kid was unimpressed with the amount of capucin in the mix, "that's not hot at all!"<br /><br />Tomato Mountain products are all organic and come in good old fashion recyclable jars. My favorite is the Tomato Mountain Tomato and Shallot soup. The consistency is great and the flavor is lovingly roasted shallot wrapped around big tomato.<br /><br />The Tomato Mountain booth was located in the "Eco-Village," sponsored by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.wholefoodsmarket.com">Whole Foods</a>. Then neighboring booths housed a wind generator company and <a href="http://www.theenterprisingkitchen.org/">The Enterprising Kitchen</a> - where I bought a fragrant bar for Orchard Pear soap, autographed by the woman who made it, Chauna.<br /><br />Suddenly, there was a fanfare and everyone stepped aside for the Custer Street Fair paraders. First came Custer himself, or at least a huge-headed puppet version, with bright yellow yarn hair. Custer was flanked by men dressed in blue Union uniforms. Next came a couple of corseted ladies in period dresses, sporting bonnets (Talk about dedication to cause. It was 90 degrees!), a magician, a juggler and a number of other fanciful characters.<br /><br />The fair was started in 1972, on a single block of Custer Street south of Main. It has now spread out onto Main, from Sherman on the West to Chicago Avenue on the East, then South along Chicago Ave. for two blocks to Washington. The best spots for vendors are under the "L" because it's cool if it's hot, and dry if it's rainy.<br /><br />After the event, Rachel packed up her tent and came to our house for dinner. She brought with her two insanely yummy things - a round of <a href="http://www.prairiefruits.com/">Prairie Fruits Farm</a>'s Angel Food Farmstead Goat Cheese and a <a href="http://www.redhenbread.com/">Red Hen Bread</a>'s Garlic Ring. Oh, were they worth the calories!<br /><br />The cheese isn't called Angel Food for nothing. It spread out over the bread like chiffon. Sinking my teeth into the bread, I would find pockets of sweet, carmelized garlic. I'm so glad that Red Hen Bread doesn't have a location in Evanston, Lincoln Park is close enough. I'll have to trot down to the <a href="http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org/">Green City Market</a> because writing this has started me fantasizing about a repeat engagement for my tastebuds!Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-90367352198383861352010-06-22T09:22:00.005-05:002010-06-22T10:20:19.716-05:0010,000 StepsFor 12 weeks I've been part of the <a href="http://www.cityofevanston.org/WOW/index.shtml">City of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Evanston's</span> Women Out Walking Program</a>. Twelve-hundred women pledged to change their exercise routines. My goal was 10,000 steps a day, the minimum number of steps one needs to stay healthy.<br /><br />During the course of the WOW program I only made that goal 6 times. Pathetic, I know. One time I actually started running up and down the stairs in the house at 9:30 PM because I was just shy of my goal by 400 steps.<br /><br />Sunday was the last day of the program which included seminars on healthy eating, introductions to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tai</span> chi and incentives for walkers to upped their steps by 10% each week.<br /><br />So now it's week 13 and I need to go it on my own.<br /><br />I usually wake up around 5:30 AM in the summer. Up until 2 years ago, I used to get up and walk or bike first thing in the morning. I switched my routine so I could write while the house was still quiet or clean while no one was underfoot.<br /><br />Somehow I'd never find the time to walk. Once the day got started I'd be glued to my chair in front of the computer. Net effect? I gained 25 pounds and I had to go on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">statins</span>.<br /><br />Throughout the whole WOW program, I was struggling to get over 5,000 steps a day. One time racking up only 3,445 when I had a deadline.<br /><br />This morning I decided I would switch the routine because the weatherman says today is going to be sweltering after the rain and the warm front moved in over night. So I had a cup of tea and put my walking shoes on.<br /><br />I started by walking to the post box, then up the street through downtown Evanston, then turned toward the lake. I said hello to construction workers and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">commiserated</span> about the rising humidity. A dog walker and I exchanged some observations about a baby bunny who was hiding under the viaduct. Before I knew it, I was at the park and joined in with the other walkers and runners.<br /><br />I watched one woman move from a walk to a trot as runners past her by, as if she was being pulled along in their slip stream. I used to do that, giving my walking routine a little boost. There was also another woman who passed me. She probably outweighed me by 60 pounds and I could see the effort it took to carry that extra weight at a jog. But she was undaunted. I wanted to yell, "You go, girl," but I didn't want her to think I was mocking rather than encouraging her.<br /><br />All in all it was a relaxed and fulfilling time. I thought. I planned. Then I stopped thinking and planning and just enjoyed the morning. It was kind of like meditation. It took awhile for the chatter in my head to die down but when it did my mood became expansive.<br /><br />When I got back home I realized we had no milk. So I got my granny cart and hustled over to the local Whole Foods. When the milk was safely in the refrigerator, I finally checked the pedometer. 10,145 steps before 8 AM!<br /><br />Switching the schedule was all that I needed. The added bonus, if you can call it that, is I'll have to wash the floors tonight, instead of parking myself on the couch to watch TV.<br /><br />My take away? Exercise first thing in the morning. But don't just get it out of the way. Breath in and enjoy every moment.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-11615665118243312742010-05-24T07:42:00.009-05:002010-05-24T08:46:29.018-05:00Cooking with 4th GradersIt's been my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">privilege</span> to be the Culinary Artist-in-Residence at a local elementary school for the past few weeks. It's the first time the school has tried a program like this.<br /><br />Each week I would teach an hour of cooking to 4 fourth grade classes of about 20 students each. It was a little scary at first to think I'd be walking into a room full of 9- and 10-year olds who I had no time to get to know and handing them sharp knives and giving them control of hot pots.<br /><br />Luckily, the first class was actually not cooking but putting in a kitchen garden at school. While most of the class was arranging arugula, spinach, kale and chard seedlings in a grid we'd plotted out, I enlisted the aid of two students to take surveys.<br /><br />One survey was about their skills in the kitchen, how often they cooked with their families and how often the family sat down to eat together. The second survey was which vegetables they recognized and which they would actually eat.<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised by the survey results. Unlike Jamie Oliver's experience, all of the kids knew their vegetables and an amazing number said they actually loved some of the more "challenging" vegetables.<br /><br />Ninety percent of the students said they knew how to handle peelers, graters and knives. There were of course a few kids who only sat down to eat with their families at holidays but for most cooking and eating together happened at least 3 times a week.<br /><br />I still had trepidations about the first day of cooking in the classroom. In the five years of producing, shooting and behind the scenes guiding the recipes for Spatulatta I have never soloed in the kitchen with such and overwhelming child to adult ratio.<br /><br />The first challenge was using the observations I'd made while putting in the garden to pick out the students who had the eye-hand coordination and concentration to get us through the first recipe - Italian Wedding Soup with homemade chicken fennel meatballs and arugula salad with dried cranberries and almonds.<br /><br />One teacher commented that I had chosen well, picking the natural leader in the group to man the heating unit and putting the least coordinated boys making salads. This was all done on the fly while confronted by a sea of raised hands and a chorus of voices going "Me! Me!" I was going on instincts because there was no time to think.<br /><br />I was so relieved when we got the first class got the soup and salad to the table. Although the arugula was a challenging flavor that some of the students had never had, they gave it a try because it was something they had planted in their garden.<br /><br />We had one girl say that the whole grain bread tasted disgusting which prompted a discussion about how one should comment on cooking. I actually didn't start the discussion. One of the other students told her it wasn't nice to say the bread was disgusting because someone had baked that bread and it was disrespectful because of their hard work.<br /><br />Wow! What a teaching moment. I jumped in and offered alternatives. You could say "it's not to my taste," or "It's not my favorite thing." Some of the other girls chimed in with other, kinder ways to express one's distaste. Later as the students were lining up to change classes I heard the girl telling her friends that she didn't find the bread to her taste.<br /><br />The next week's menu was more to her taste. We made Fettuccini Alfredo with diced sweet red pepper and spinach from the garden.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-60647690909068708732010-02-10T12:15:00.038-06:002010-02-11T09:19:03.301-06:00Smoked Salmon and Dill Macaroni and Cheese<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhzXjqjng0wXFffuKjJ_y9QaLydpfRxXg7qNciveGpgqubTzhqJMsBApOs60HRCYWHX_BbsV-gslUdW3E8VehHapkOOzNmhcoo5ln5Ey7mLTm3G_YzcFSJ6LzQ5GFMzPinKyXd1_Vm0bg/s1600-h/finished+g+version+better_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhzXjqjng0wXFffuKjJ_y9QaLydpfRxXg7qNciveGpgqubTzhqJMsBApOs60HRCYWHX_BbsV-gslUdW3E8VehHapkOOzNmhcoo5ln5Ey7mLTm3G_YzcFSJ6LzQ5GFMzPinKyXd1_Vm0bg/s320/finished+g+version+better_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436683922573759266" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Cedar Grove Smoked Salmon and Dill Macaroni and Cheese</span></b></span></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Yields 6-8 servings</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I first met Bob Wills from </span><a href="http://www.cedargrovecheese.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Cedar Grove</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> while working on the documentary “<a href="http://www.livingonthewedge.com/">Living on the Wedge: Wisconsin’s Artisan Cheesemakers</a>.” I bumped into Bob at the </span><a href="http://www.conserve-greatlakes.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Splash! Great Lakes Water Conservation Conference</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> reception in November and had a chance to try the new addition to the Cedar Grove line: Artisan Cheddar with Smoke Salmon and Dill.</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssChXixt2QifuS3ortkwfhLPfEpJ7azPgZCZSfsnODoOExim6j6O7w_zQ8AyfViBlBwTeqjoPbFNWBYIhP2OfRIN-K8mH2A1ooL2OYEgsWWpb0sIO6ekx3PBHgoPd1Q6dRk2txdw5jsjX/s1600-h/Cheese+package+CU_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssChXixt2QifuS3ortkwfhLPfEpJ7azPgZCZSfsnODoOExim6j6O7w_zQ8AyfViBlBwTeqjoPbFNWBYIhP2OfRIN-K8mH2A1ooL2OYEgsWWpb0sIO6ekx3PBHgoPd1Q6dRk2txdw5jsjX/s320/Cheese+package+CU_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436683595263615986" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">It inspired me to create this “adult” version of Mac and Cheese for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing's </span><a href="http://www.30days30waysmacandcheese.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">30 Days 30 Ways Macaroni and Cheese</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> initiative. It's quick but very elegant. The chunks of smoked salmon and minced dill in the cheese give you a head start in the flavor department. This Mac and Cheese makes a great weekend main dish accompanied by a dark green salad and a glass of Prosecco. (See the wine pairing notes below.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">This dish will make everyone think you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen for hours, when it really came together in less than 20 minutes from draining the pasta to putting in the casserole into the oven. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Ingredients</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">A dash of salt</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;">A drizzle of olive oil</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'times new roman', serif;">1 pound Campanelle* or other macaroni</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">1 pound (16 ounces) Wisconsin </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Cedar Grove Smoked Salmon & Dill Cheddar</span></span></b></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">3 tablespoons butter</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">1 1/2 tablespoon flour</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">1 1/2 cups milk</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">2 cloves garlic, finely diced</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><b><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">1/2 cup of moist sun-dried tomatoes**, cut into 1/4-inch pieces</span></span></p></b></span><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Fresh parsley for garnish</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; font-family:'times new roman', serif;">Directions</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and olive oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Add the pasta to the boiling, salted water. Campanelle are little bell shapes that usually take 10-11 minutes to cook. Check package directions. </span></p><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtabfTDl-_NpzCmgMKKiqL7CGBh0pTl9CAUr8BORkqv9B2kUVBuqTDI53KAamvgdmLGI9zYlsi3allbF02sD90XckZMc0fIiafkUXlhCrZ9jTwg7gcwegHWVQpNQLpActUIpT4yt-pDVqp/s1600-h/CU+cubed+cheese_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtabfTDl-_NpzCmgMKKiqL7CGBh0pTl9CAUr8BORkqv9B2kUVBuqTDI53KAamvgdmLGI9zYlsi3allbF02sD90XckZMc0fIiafkUXlhCrZ9jTwg7gcwegHWVQpNQLpActUIpT4yt-pDVqp/s320/CU+cubed+cheese_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436683401994737986" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">While the pasta cooks, cube the cheese and cut the sun-dried tomatoes into 1/4 inch bits. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLlyLINJE1wQM0cWK3YANgQ0xETNl4N8ZwWucL2NPJNjBetMLzqnQFdD294rfH1Ln7GdQAfeZPc-L09-RhuQfJvQbyxLLeHkbN3IeacCtUVMKHbNwtbfXarJJXQ0IkpurL58h-84FivY2/s1600-h/draining+pasta_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLlyLINJE1wQM0cWK3YANgQ0xETNl4N8ZwWucL2NPJNjBetMLzqnQFdD294rfH1Ln7GdQAfeZPc-L09-RhuQfJvQbyxLLeHkbN3IeacCtUVMKHbNwtbfXarJJXQ0IkpurL58h-84FivY2/s320/draining+pasta_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436683235929132978" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">When the pasta is ready, drain it and set aside in a different bowl. Using the same pan melt the butter over medium-low heat. </span></div><!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq4YiszxcyblQF94xhZ2tlJnvk6v46RhU8B9WFiMMogkp6ZsUb2SvdJ3XjfHN6sWpwyT-vEtVUj7Uqn2CXYx56rQFFXdJvoocsQM29NrDGQFUyps3ipLc52YDIAmOqITkITs3BumGpYx5/s1600-h/making+roux_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq4YiszxcyblQF94xhZ2tlJnvk6v46RhU8B9WFiMMogkp6ZsUb2SvdJ3XjfHN6sWpwyT-vEtVUj7Uqn2CXYx56rQFFXdJvoocsQM29NrDGQFUyps3ipLc52YDIAmOqITkITs3BumGpYx5/s320/making+roux_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436683126437284242" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrMMA5DS2x8Aj-rMawVQeUbMEf9cda1GfE2Mo6rLG3_21JVF4GqGTvBLATC_-RdP03fqSmdTvuuOaUBwwd1S0UQFUtrSP8wEBoQhswCBgXF45AFjU961VLr4QnaCBJ2cuHAlfcGyvY8Kg/s1600-h/Roux+2_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrMMA5DS2x8Aj-rMawVQeUbMEf9cda1GfE2Mo6rLG3_21JVF4GqGTvBLATC_-RdP03fqSmdTvuuOaUBwwd1S0UQFUtrSP8wEBoQhswCBgXF45AFjU961VLr4QnaCBJ2cuHAlfcGyvY8Kg/s320/Roux+2_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436683004980626946" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Briskly whisk in the flour and make a quick blonde roux. Keep the roux moving as the flour toasts: about 5 minutes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGC1m4isgXOOlhkkG3PYM3E_aAIS9jJCsYI8eKnx4YcI9hdnEmFi2eqeITOYwN73BvW_isueC1AfKK7rTCfnSDxr6imgtudXkAoAbQiZYDYZBaid8szibKc6ZQCYBa6I7ygHjqwz1ucjzY/s1600-h/Add+milk_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGC1m4isgXOOlhkkG3PYM3E_aAIS9jJCsYI8eKnx4YcI9hdnEmFi2eqeITOYwN73BvW_isueC1AfKK7rTCfnSDxr6imgtudXkAoAbQiZYDYZBaid8szibKc6ZQCYBa6I7ygHjqwz1ucjzY/s320/Add+milk_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436682573646517682" /></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Stir in the milk, garlic, and cayenne into the roux. Simmer on low. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbmbFm_byJyoYg_KTcp-ncfHjrTaK-0lnBkhcQ9NQsY84enB4jJ3xRqcIVbuRqPHAZg2dQdrK2XKcifsJwJ5zvZdpwPHkItez803yxNenDnTttFJihteR1dwF31-YqObhwcpKPfwe86yX/s1600-h/add+cheese_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbmbFm_byJyoYg_KTcp-ncfHjrTaK-0lnBkhcQ9NQsY84enB4jJ3xRqcIVbuRqPHAZg2dQdrK2XKcifsJwJ5zvZdpwPHkItez803yxNenDnTttFJihteR1dwF31-YqObhwcpKPfwe86yX/s320/add+cheese_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436682091333225858" /></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Next, add the Cedar Grove Smoked Salmon and Dill Cheddar to the sauce and allow it to melt. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoI2y7kAXecV5r84EC4huj7Talsr6JLmtVGxfl3YFPJ6Ov6eMBhzUBuAU_EOdqFORB9LG5AooHnk9BLPQPN8k7U2nkdbet_kR_36XUD9LHIjWrXbkC3LeOOpJL1tNp2kmKihAy0mZDAhje/s1600-h/overhead+sauce_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoI2y7kAXecV5r84EC4huj7Talsr6JLmtVGxfl3YFPJ6Ov6eMBhzUBuAU_EOdqFORB9LG5AooHnk9BLPQPN8k7U2nkdbet_kR_36XUD9LHIjWrXbkC3LeOOpJL1tNp2kmKihAy0mZDAhje/s320/overhead+sauce_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436681987700394226" /></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Stir often, don’t allow</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">the sauce to stick. </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJ6sxXxK7slBuClH3sVoAV7eq_RocCRYPEOuISSVl1Xjyg9Q5s3F2Ws8yOrqCyuLbAlcKY1egrsE6f9Hai6uQ9iiCwAGTk_3YW7RN-WUG0_TlyDcq1iXUPtRuYHjgWhR9Df0zkieEYGyj/s1600-h/tomato+into+sauce_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJ6sxXxK7slBuClH3sVoAV7eq_RocCRYPEOuISSVl1Xjyg9Q5s3F2Ws8yOrqCyuLbAlcKY1egrsE6f9Hai6uQ9iiCwAGTk_3YW7RN-WUG0_TlyDcq1iXUPtRuYHjgWhR9Df0zkieEYGyj/s320/tomato+into+sauce_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436681752256244546" /></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce and stir well.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Meanwhile, butter a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish.*** Add the drained pasta to the dish. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Toss gently.</span></p></span><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETFkqo5NFh7JbBC7V8uysZ5tDJU8YGMggumE86aSSS9qYFLlvkcTN7TuacPbOz7FCsuUOVGtLW3r0B_3UMD1FW5QcEQGU-irae-QqwhirEtNCoIk7b_1QCjQMm9hYS1gQlI4RT16yDvl-/s1600-h/into+the+oven_750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETFkqo5NFh7JbBC7V8uysZ5tDJU8YGMggumE86aSSS9qYFLlvkcTN7TuacPbOz7FCsuUOVGtLW3r0B_3UMD1FW5QcEQGU-irae-QqwhirEtNCoIk7b_1QCjQMm9hYS1gQlI4RT16yDvl-/s320/into+the+oven_750.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436681559339249810" /></a></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Bake for 20 minutes. Switch the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to brown the top.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDKwCyjNPtyrNy0UX4n8Ou5t18q8MIScI_58U6aGbHxqk9FmBkBuSeHltZ8moxWgCs2DGOwsbQR0ez-1zVtQK3aPWZZDyfZONX4eHNr-tYDFuhfQPtrXUKSc5ljat2bD909MMndUbbRyo/s1600-h/finished+with+wine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDKwCyjNPtyrNy0UX4n8Ou5t18q8MIScI_58U6aGbHxqk9FmBkBuSeHltZ8moxWgCs2DGOwsbQR0ez-1zVtQK3aPWZZDyfZONX4eHNr-tYDFuhfQPtrXUKSc5ljat2bD909MMndUbbRyo/s320/finished+with+wine.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436681354296964786" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a dark green salad. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;">*I used Barilla Campanelle because it has a texture that is close to handmade pasta. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;">** I used Tuchten Moist Sun-dried Tomatoes because they are so meaty and don't need to be soaked.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;">*** I used two round baking dishes because they photograph better.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Wine Pairing Notes by Damien from</b> </span></span><a href="http://www.vinopertutti.com/Candid.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Candid Wines</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">“Maybe its the time of year, or maybe its the richness of the dish, but your recipe screams out for bubbles. Well made prosecco, with good acidity and bright fruit will complement the dish without breaking the bank, and for a comfort-food meal, I think that is important.</span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We work with the Spinazze family who make Santome extra dry Prosecco from 100% prosecco grapes that would be perfect. With a touch less heat, you could also use a Brut rose. The richness of the cheese needs some acidity and the smoked salmon will likely disagree with tannins of a dry red, but pink is perfect.</span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you can't find a pink sparkler that works, look to a dry rose. The key with Rose to me is often finding a winemaker who loves pink wine as opposed to a wine made as a brand. in our lineup, Fred Scherrer and Joey Tensley are two such wine makers. In wine, as in food, it pays to know your producers!</span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At the same time salmon and cheddar make me think of red fruits so why not use a sparkling pink wine? I would let the amount of heat dictate the sweetness in the wine; the more peppers used, the more residual sugar I'd look for.” </span></span></i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-44371913624876202322010-01-25T07:52:00.007-06:002010-01-25T15:26:22.529-06:00On Men and CultureI didn't grow up in the Armenian Orthodox Church but my friend Gary and his wife <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sona</span> have opened their arms to me and made me welcome into the community. You may not think that's such a big thing. Christian churches are supposed to be welcoming to new members. But I'm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ges</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hye</span>, only half Armenian.<br /><br />Remember Cher's big hit "Half Breed"? She wasn't singing about being half Native American. She was signing about being half Armenian.<br /><br />The Armenians, like the Japanese and Amish, have been, by necessity, are an insular culture. Like the Jews, they have been scattered to the far corners of the earth. Holding onto cultural identity has been key to the Armenians survival. And marrying outside any ethnic group is definitely the way to dilute culture.<br /><br />What holds a culture together?<br /><br />I often say that food is the last thing that disappears in a culture. The first thing is dress, for sure. I hate to think there may be a day when everyone on the face of the earth will be wearing dull-colored, baggy workout clothes and Nike shower slippers on the street.<br /><br />Yesterday, I witnessed a big part of what holds the Armenian culture together, the church. Armenians pride themselves as the first country that converted as a whole to Christianity. They say their Bible is the "Queen of Translations."<br /><br />So the 65th anniversary of St. James Armenian Church paired with the ordination of sub-deacons was a big event. Sona and Gary's son Nicky was one of the three young men being ordained so I had to go.<br /><br />The ceremony began with a service that looks very much like a Catholic high mass. Lots of candles and incense burning. The choir signing. This is something I could relate to being brought up Catholic.<br /><br />Gary and Sona's 9-year old son, dressed in a sharp suit, assumed the role of usher, helping people find empty seats. And the church was packed.<br /><br />When the ordination began, one of the young men was taken to the back of the church. Surrounded by the bishop, the pastor, the several deacons and sub-deacons, he knelt down. We were told that he would be tonsured to show his submission to the church.<br /><br />Tonsured monks have a circle about 3 inches in diameter shaved on the crown of their heads. A woman behind me, obviously a non-church goer like myself, gasped and said, "Are they really going to cut his hair?" She voiced my thoughts exactly.<br /><br />Scissors were produced and a tiny bit of hair was cut. The young man then walked forward on his knees about 6 feet and was given a whisk broom. We were all told that this signified that he was now worthy of sweeping out the church.<br /><br />He walked forward another six feet. This time he was given a candlestick to signify that he was worthy of lighting the candles on the alter. He proceeded forward being stopped again and again to accept the symbols of his new station in the church.<br /><br />I looked around at the others watching the ceremony. The elders, the middle-aged, the parents with babies in their arms, the young marrieds, the teenagers. All of us focused on this young man. All of us bearing witness to the threshold he was crossing over. All of us recognizing his new status in the community.<br /><br />After the ordination, the Sunday School students entered the church holding candles, sometimes rather precariously. They approached the altar for a special requiem ceremony to honor those "who have gone before us to their eternal rest."<br /><br />Here was the whole of the church's history laid out before me. From birth to death and beyond we were all included. We were all part of the fabric of this life.<br /><br />And what stood out for me was the men in the gathering. I usually am so woman-centric but this time I focused on the men. Here on the altar were men I knew, men I had joked with, men who just a few short years ago were boys.<br /><br />I thought about how the church had been supported for nearly 2 thousand years by the men like these and how important it was to have a new generation of men be invited, generation after generation to take up responsibilities, to make vows to the community.<br /><br />Men are early adopters of alien culture. Men switch from sarongs to blue jeans first. In Tanzania, they will wear traditional garb plus a Yankees baseball cap. In a very short time, as men emulate a more profitable or invading culture, essential things get lost.<br /><br />How does a culture keep their men hooked in?<br /><br />What I saw in that church definitely said it's not just role-models, but being included, inducted into the group.<br /><br />It works for the military. It works for street gangs. It works for terrorist organizations.<br /><br />The challenge is providing a positive structure for young men. Because the way young men go the rest of us follow. That's why television programmers are so desperate to attract that group.<br /><br />And so I am going to follow. I'm going to follow the young man with the tonsured hair. Witnessing his induction as sub-deacon of the church, I became closer to the community. I've been dancing on the edge of this culture all my life.<br /><br />It's time to take a step into the circle.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-82565406068102408292009-11-29T08:41:00.004-06:002009-11-29T09:00:40.951-06:00Back Home in LouisianaLast night Roger and I arrived in New Orleans for a brief stop before we head out to New Iberia and start filming on the "Ma Louisianne" project. We came in at night so I really couldn't see the bayou flanking I-10 but as soon as we hit the familiar streets the tension rolled off my shoulders. <br /><br />We've been planning "Ma Louisianne" for 3 years now. It started when we ran into Chef John Besh backstage at the James Beard Awards when Spatulatta won in 2006. The amount of work leading up to this shoot is unlike any other we've done. Besides the usual ducks that must be gotten in a row there was the fundraiser last September. I haven't really had a day off since then.<br /><br />So when we walked into Drago's last night and saw the happy crowd we knew we were home. I ordered a split of champagne to celebrate the fact we had arrived at last. We'd been on our cells phones in the car on the way down borrowing waders from cousins, booking hotel rooms, making contact with friends. But now we could kick back and relax.<br /><br />Roger and I just looked at each other across the plates of char-broiled oysters and thanked each other for the work each of us has done to get us to this place and for the commitment to our marriage and our goals. <br /><br />New Orleans seemed to rejoice with us. All the laughter of the happy holiday revelers engulfed us and welcomed us home.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-60226083200235013272009-11-13T06:58:00.002-06:002009-11-13T07:06:06.161-06:00It's the Nuts<span style="font-family:georgia;">I had the opportunity to test some of <a href="http://www.fishernuts.com/fisher/products_fisher_new.html">Fisher Nuts Culinary Touch Add-ins and Toppings and Fusion Snack Mixes</a>. As soon as I popped open the first bag I knew I was working with a quality product, the aroma was great. I have had problems recently with walnuts from other vendors which smell old and slightly rancid when you open the bag. So I was pleased by the wholesome, fresh aroma.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I added 1/2 a cup of Fisher Culinary Touch Pecan, Cranberry, and Orange blend to give a new twist to the my favorite banana bread recipe. The additional fruit and nuts really gave the bread a wonderful range of flavors. Each bite was a surprise. </span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I used the rest of the bag as topping for a green salad tossing it all together with extra virgin olive oil and <a href="http://lucini.com/products.php?ss=30&pc=5&p=4">Lucini 10-year Gran Riserva Balsamico</a> vinegar. Again, it was like a symphony for the tongue - a hint of orange here, a bit of tart cranberry there, then the satisfying texture of the pecans.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">About that time, we where throwing a big gumbo party fundraiser for our "Ma Louisianne" project and I used the Fisher unsalted cashews as the protein in a vegan gumbo. (The recipe is posted below.) I added the nuts at the end of the cooking so they wouldn't become too mushy. They gave the gumbo an incredibly rich flavor. Chef Melissa Graham of <a href="http://www.monogrammeevents.com/">Monogram Events</a>, one of our guests that night, said it was her favorite gumbo out of the 4 selections. She thought I had added cashew butter but it was just the lovely cashews themselves.</span>
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<br /><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link style="font-family: georgia;" rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/gaylonemerzian/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>42</o:Words> <o:characters>241</o:Characters> <o:lines>2</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>295</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.773</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Eurostile; panose-1:0 2 11 5 4 2 2 2 5 2; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:14.0pt; font-family:Eurostile;} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <span style="font-family:georgia;">The Fisher Fusions snack mixes were a bit too sweet for me. The Ice Cream Sundae mix was especially sweet. If you read the ingredients, all of the fruit was sweetened: pineapple, banana and strawberries. Those were then mixed with marshmallows and chocolate covered peanuts.</span> Whoa! I'll stick to the nuts.
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<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The great thing about the Fisher Culinary Touch bags is that they are small enough to put in ones' bag for a healthy snack on the go. I'd like to see Fisher go even further and make smaller size snack bags of their nut mixtures as an alternative to candy.</span>
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<br />Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-21930622100688495392009-11-12T17:54:00.016-06:002009-11-12T19:38:51.890-06:00Gaylon's Cashew Vegan Gumbo<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link style="font-family: georgia;" rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/gaylonemerzian/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>95</o:Words> <o:characters>546</o:Characters> <o:lines>4</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>670</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.773</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Eurostile; panose-1:0 2 11 5 4 2 2 2 5 2; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:14.0pt; font-family:Eurostile;} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">This is a cut-down of a recipe I put together for the <a href="http://malouisianne.wordpress.com/">"Big Easy Gumbo Party"</a> we hosted last July as a fundraiser for our "Ma Louisianne" television project. I had a number of vegetarian guests and one vegan guest who couldn't eat the other gumbo offerings. I looked around for vegetarian gumbo recipes, but none of them had the hardy, earthy taste I wanted.
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Roasted corn and smoked paprika stand in for the smoked meat and I added cashews as an homage to shrimp, another traditional gumbo ingredient. The original recipe was enough to serve 75 people using 5 pounds of okra. Here's a version for 4 to 6 servings.
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<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">2 ears of corn</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1 cup oil</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1 cup flour</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">3 stalks of celery - chopped coarsely</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1 large onion - chopped coarsely</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1 large green pepper - chopped coarsely</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">3 cloves garlic - finely chopped</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">3 cups vegetable broth</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1.5 tablespoons of fresh thyme</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1 serrano pepper - chopped finely
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">3 Roma tomatoes - peeled, cored and seeded, chopped coarsely
<br /></span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1.5 cups of sliced okra</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2 tablespoons smoked paprika</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1 cup raw, unsalted cashews</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Salt to taste
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /><o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Roast the corn on the cob ahead of time. Soak 2 ears of corn, with the husks on for 30 minutes then put them on the grill. Turn the ears as the husks began to burn. You want the kernels to darken on the edges but not burn. When the husks are blackened all over, remove the corn from the grill and let cool. Remove the husks, pull off all the hair and slice the corn away from the cob. Set aside.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p> <p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Make a roux by putting 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of flour in a heat-proof bowl. Mix well. Microwave uncovered for 6 minutes. Let the roux set in the microwave for a minute or two. It will continue to cook. You're aiming for a roux the color of the the outside of a hazel nut. Whisk out any lumps and put the bowl back in the microwave for 2 minutes.
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<br />When the roux has reached the correct color, pour it into a heavy bottomed pot. Add the "holy trinity": celery, onions and green pepper. Add the thyme, garlic and hot pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are soft.
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<br />Add the vegetable stock, bring everything to a boil then simmer for 1 hour. (I made my own stock from the dozens of onion skins, parings from the peppers and celery I had after making 4 gumbos for 100 guests. I added 3 carrots, 6 bay leaves and a handful of black peppercorns. It boiled for 2 hours then I strained the vegetables out then reduced it. The stock was slightly sweet.)
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<br />The corn, tomatoes, orka and cashews go in for the last 1/2 hour of cooking. I don't like okra to get slimy and I've found that if you don't overcook it, it will retain its shape and texture.
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<br />Lastly, I added the smoked paprika and tasted. Then added the salt, a little at a time, until I hit the right flavor balance.
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<br /><o:p></o:p></span><!--[endif]--></p> <!--EndFragment--> Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-85065022841551118182009-07-28T07:46:00.008-05:002009-07-28T08:43:09.331-05:00POM Wonderful Juice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWJkDSLBomeyN0_WPfdvhtup2XQQYIXQnXaV1VybItA1On72euabXZodtUIHYabytufWwPchwDfFjtfuC9lUbBkT_nJVaMGFY5Pg5CtSO-mrAr1zv6OQN9QBAbHnGbYLYCXkqD_sPX3b_/s1600-h/POM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWJkDSLBomeyN0_WPfdvhtup2XQQYIXQnXaV1VybItA1On72euabXZodtUIHYabytufWwPchwDfFjtfuC9lUbBkT_nJVaMGFY5Pg5CtSO-mrAr1zv6OQN9QBAbHnGbYLYCXkqD_sPX3b_/s400/POM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363506064409263394" border="0" /></a><br />Am I the best person to taste test POM Wonderful juice?<br /><br />Pomegranates are my favorite fruit. I think it's genetic, because pomegranates are a hallmark of Armenia. Maybe it's because of their tough skin. Once you get past the nearly impregnable skin there are the bright red, juicy seeds shining like jewels. The pomegranate has been a symbol of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fecundity</span> since ancient times and in my lexicon creativity.<br /><br />I get really excited in the fall when pomegranates start to appear in the stores. I'd love to take a whole crate home. A few years ago, I made up a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">refreshing pomegranate</span> and grapefruit salad that appears in the <a href="http://www.spatulatta.com/shop?page=shop.browse&category_id=1">Spatulatta Cookbook</a>. When pomegranates are in season, I eat the salad for breakfast and dessert.<br /><br />Their crisp refreshing flavor is something I hunger for year round so I was glad to see POM Wonderful appear in the refrigerated cases at the grocery store. Seeing the bottles refrigerated, rather than sitting on the shelf with the other juice, signaled that there were no preservatives.<br /><br />Plus, I've been hearing wonderful things about the ability of pomegranate juice to reduce accumulations of plaque on artery walls. Big issue in my family.<br /><br />Okay, so I was really looking forward to my first taste.<br /><br />Zingy!<br /><br />Then I detected a slight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">undertaste</span> from the white membrane that surrounds the bright red seeds. It was hard for me to overlook and it never diminished as I continued to sip.<br /><br />I wound up pouring soda water into the POM Wonderful and squeezing in a bit of lime. Yum!<br /><br />So I tried POM Wonderful out on other people. I started with Joe<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"></span>, the 9-year old taste tester from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Spatulatta</span>. Joe's immediate reaction was a scrunched up face. "It's tart!" And then after another sip he said, "And sweet!" After the initial shock (he was expecting it to be like cranberry juice) he did indeed drink the whole 6-ounce bottle.<br /><br />Next taster was Farrah, a visiting peace advocate from Iraq. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pomegranates</span> are a favorite fruit in Iraq and Iran. Farrah took a sip and decided to add soda water as well. Likewise, my film editor friend, Jan who is a connoisseur of non-alchoholic beverages.<br /><br />The last taste tester was my 14-year old nephew Max who was visiting from Japan. Max loved the POM Wonderful. He sucked down every drop he could get his hands on.<br /><br />So my analysis? It was tasty. Not a flavor you come across everyday. My adult friends found it lovely in a mixed non-alcoholic drink, kids who like tart things really get into it, and hide it from your teenagers!Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-48734141462687302502009-07-16T11:13:00.004-05:002009-07-16T11:22:28.981-05:00Little Chefs Race to the Taste in Ireland<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwcIfBBtfgcF3m1OE_VyVQuVPWo2hfI0c7pIiem5egY7SCWD5YMLEpme6REN_skcJDo_mlG8OtpVIxxUVh6KSgA6A_LtMquSTUWRQ2YfGTIZ6HttmT85urf8kq6ZOQ1P_Ube9MXNXpMRt/s1600-h/race2taste.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwcIfBBtfgcF3m1OE_VyVQuVPWo2hfI0c7pIiem5egY7SCWD5YMLEpme6REN_skcJDo_mlG8OtpVIxxUVh6KSgA6A_LtMquSTUWRQ2YfGTIZ6HttmT85urf8kq6ZOQ1P_Ube9MXNXpMRt/s400/race2taste.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359092061754614370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I just got the cutest e-mail from Julie Kane at Cactus PR. Julie's doing public relations for the <a href="http://www.belfasttasteandmusicfest.com/">Belfast Taste and Music Festival</a>. Julie writes:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong><b><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">THE RACE TO TASTE IS ON…</span></span></b></strong></span></span> <div> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Little chefs Jake O'Neill (aged 7), Daniel Catterson (aged 11), Matthew Catterson (aged 8) and Jasmine O'Neill (aged 9) race to welcome Team Spatulatta which will be making their UK and Ireland debut at the Belfast Taste and Music Fest which runs from 6th to 9th August 2009.</span></span></p> </div><span style="font-family: arial;">Team Spatulatta is really looking forward to meeting our Irish friends in person. It's been months in the planning and soon we'll actually be getting on the plane. We'll be doing cooking demos and activities for kids during the Festival in the Belfast Botanic Gardens.<br /><br /> I'll be blogging from the festival so stay tuned!</span>Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-6949590664078821472009-07-15T07:47:00.007-05:002009-07-22T10:34:58.307-05:00Small Plate Diet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajh12vXhRb-znCjGf-MfY0TAjd_iNJ9zbX-0ppg31TZq802iepoKrgEg5xEsf0n3p_DdUxYBtec3cMPpJHjrVodPv1tM-cBMgbg-biXeESdNFQnKky3DS5AgxBOzR8B1AKCroT9m0F2WI/s1600-h/Small_plates.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajh12vXhRb-znCjGf-MfY0TAjd_iNJ9zbX-0ppg31TZq802iepoKrgEg5xEsf0n3p_DdUxYBtec3cMPpJHjrVodPv1tM-cBMgbg-biXeESdNFQnKky3DS5AgxBOzR8B1AKCroT9m0F2WI/s400/Small_plates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358680839898751474" border="0" /></a><br />A couple months ago, my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nano</span>-tech engineer brother-in-law, Matt came up with a great new diet and he lost 15 pounds with one simple trick.<br /><br />He started serving meals on smaller plates.<br /><br />He'd figured out that he could trick his brain into not noticing that he was serving himself smaller portions. And it worked!<br /><br />So I got excited when I came across a cookbook <span style="font-style: italic;">Small Plates: Appetizers as Meals</span> by Marguerite Marceau Henderson, published by Gibbs Smith. Henderson has a around 200 recipes for appetizers that pass as very, very satisfying entrees.<br /><br />The first recipe I made was Calamari with Fingerling Potatoes and Fennel. I picked that it because I just happened to have all the ingredients in my refrigerator. You scoff. Don't.<br /><br />My husband is such a stickler for following recipes to the "n" degree that we had an extra bulb of fennel languishing around from something he'd made the week before. We had kalamata olives from a Spatulatta cooking demo and fingerling potatoes looked so good at the farmers' market that I had to get some. So all these great ingredients were hanging around, waiting for an opportunity to be turned into something wonderful.<br /><br />And then I cheated. It was 6 PM. I'd just come back from a meeting downtown and I wasn't about to go out to the store for calamari. So I thawed out some talapia instead. But that's the joy of cooking for me, improvisation.<br /><br />I baked the talapia separately with a little olive oil and spices. At the same time I was roasting the potatoes, fennel and olives.<br /><br />The potatoes came out toasty brown, the fennel nearly carmelized, the olives added a salty hit, and the red pepper flakes gave a little heat here and there. My new favorite dish!<br /><br />Henderson includes some tapas and traditional recipes from Italy. There are all-vegetable dishes, seafood and meat small plates. Inventive salads like Two Melon and Cucumber Mint Salad really peaked my interest.<br /><br />And I have to applaud her, she not afraid of spices. She uses plenty of herbs, giving one's taste buds a lot of exercise. I find if a dish is spiced well, its richness will satisfy me in a way that mere volume won't.<br /><br />Take for instance, Coffee and Spice Lamb Kebabs. What a concept! The coffee and spice rub, which includes cinnamon, cumin, allspice and fennel, gives the lamb a wonderful exotic flavor.<br /><br />So why not try the small plate diet with a little help from <span style="font-style: italic;">Small Plates: Appetizers as Meals</span>?Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-57193925179587583602009-07-14T20:22:00.006-05:002009-07-14T21:05:57.802-05:00Chip and Dale they are not!This is only the second year we've had chipmunks in our garden. Cute little devils.<br /><br />One busies itself with snatching seeds when they drop from my neighbor-to-the-south's birdfeeder, running across my yard and diving into the shrubbery on the neighbor-to-the-north's yard. There's another who's dug a hole until the cement pad my garage sits on.<br /><br />My husband, Roger and I were sitting eating dinner on the patio and watching the comings and goings. I'm the type of person who observes, Roger is the type of person who grabs a book and researches.<br /><br />So he goes into the house and brings out a book on animal behavior. He reads that chipmunks make burrows that can by up to several feet in diameter and hide gobs of food for the winter. Hmmm. Does this mean our garage floor will cave in at some point? Not good.<br /><br />But then he reads that they also eat slugs and other nasty critters in the garden. What nice, little creatures!<br /><br />They can stay as long as they want. They have a smorgasbord going on out in our garden with all the hostas. Let them at the juicy slugs that I have been trying to get rid of by drowning in beer!<br /><br />Some mornings I open up the back door and standing there, looking up, ready to dash is my charming garden mascot. I make some ridiculous noises at the chipmunk trying to be friendly. He or she looks at me like I'm insane, then bolts, tail in the air, bounding down the steps like an animated cartoon character.<br /><br />My yard has become like a scene from a Disney film: sparrows chirping, doves cooing, and chipmunks, with their little cheeks filled with seeds, scooting by. They are very busy little characters and I assume they are gobbling up lots of slugs between trips to the birdfeeder.<br /><br />But no.<br /><br />The slugs are out of control. They have eaten huge holes in my hostas <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> my rhubarb. They never touched the rhubard before.<br /><br />Where are those chipmunks?<br /><br />My cherry tomatoes are just starting to set after our long cold spring. And yesterday I was out in the garden admiring the clusters of green fruit on the Sungold tomatoes, calculating how long before I can pop them into my mouth. They are sweet as candy and I usually eat them out in the garden, still warm from the sun.<br /><br />Tonight, I went out to look at them again and half the tomatoes are gone, just the stems are left. Roger says, "tomato horn worms." I doubt it's horn worms because they usually eat the leaves, leaving the left stems behind. We have raccoons but there is no sign of any tearing of of the plant that clumsy coons would manage trying to get at the green tomatoes.<br /><br />My suspicion?<br /><br />Cute, little, light-footed devils dancing out on the branches to pluck the still green fruit.<br /><br />Grrr!<br /><br />I wouldn't mind losing a few tomatoes to a chipmunk that eats its weight in slugs everyday. But this is too much!Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-47643604650744924322009-07-01T22:35:00.002-05:002009-07-01T22:38:05.129-05:00The Real Dirt on Farmer John's Cookbook<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I met John Peterson AKA Farmer John years ago through my friend Taggart Siegal. At the time, Taggart was working on a film called "The Real Dirt on Farmer John." Let's say John travels to the beat of a different drum, so I was interested to see what his cookbook would be like.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gr2h46A2sR1I4EZBE3Ykqa1GZvx-H_HjJPvnbPp_yzvRhJwCccYv9hQc1Gn1x-8N-Fhn42BJrlHgHLGCKaxYbd0gu2PWDnNj-w9JpnefE5opF-HcpTN47-P6s-f_Zsxj2VR10VnpYLYa/s1600-h/john_400.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 339px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gr2h46A2sR1I4EZBE3Ykqa1GZvx-H_HjJPvnbPp_yzvRhJwCccYv9hQc1Gn1x-8N-Fhn42BJrlHgHLGCKaxYbd0gu2PWDnNj-w9JpnefE5opF-HcpTN47-P6s-f_Zsxj2VR10VnpYLYa/s400/john_400.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353696363060159058" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />I have a habit of opening a book up in the middle and just starting to read from there. I happened to choose a page that featured a quote from Rudolf Steiner. It reminded me of a Doctor Bonner's soap label, lots of lofty, but odd connections between food and philosophy. John is a follower of Steiner's theory of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Biodynamics</span></span> and his farming is aligned to the guru's philosophy. This was more than I bargained for.<br /><br />So I went back to the beginning and read Farmer John's preface. "I've been farming for over forty years on the same farm. I stated in 1956 when I was seven, taking care of the chickens. By age nine I was milking seventeen cows a twice a day." Kid + farm and I was hooked. And I loved the page of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">acknowledgements</span></span> where Farmer John gives credit to all the people who helped in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">collaborative</span> effort.<br /><br />The recipes are arranged by season and then by the vegetables available in that season. Early Season ranges from Mid-June to Late July and includes things like sugar snap peas, beets, radishes, cucumbers and cooking greens. Mid season is celery, eggplant, peppers, fennel and sweet corn.<br /><br />I'm a big fan of bitter greens and I use them a lot in cooking. The cookbook had interesting <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">combinations</span> that I would have never thought of. I hate cutting off the lovely greens of radishes and sending back to the compose. I find them little hairy to eat raw in salads but throw them in anyway. The cookbook has a recipe for radish greens with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">miso</span></span> sauce. Cooking, what a novel concept!<br /><br />The book is vegetarian without making much, if any, mention of it until page 320 where Rudolf Steiner's theory about the three kinds of food: milk and milk products, plants and meat, is discussed. The vegetables are spiced and cooked in a way that you don't miss the meat. And that's the point. Some recipes use eggs, some milk products but the majority are vegan.<br /><br />If you have trouble identifying some of the more unusual <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">vegetables</span></span> mentioned, there's even a chart of line drawings of each variety. It's printed in a soothing green that is echoed throughout the book. The overall feeling of the book is of freshness - of ingredients and ideas.<br /><br />The book is full of sidebars. There are notes on how the vegetable grow (Corn will grow 6 inches a day in hot, humid weather) and quotes from Angelic Organic shareholders - a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">testament</span></span> to the community that has sprung up around this farmer and his farm. There's also these funny "overheard" comments that give you a perspective on how little some people know about their food and where it comes from.<br /><br />Although the book seems dense, it's full of wonderful information. It's not a book to read cover to cover, so take your time exploring. You'll uncover something new every time you pick it up.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-50927254785100577742009-06-08T19:06:00.034-05:002009-06-09T20:58:56.082-05:00A Cook-off To Be Proud OfYesterday, I was privileged to be involved in a very special cook-off at Kendall College. The cook-off was a fundraiser for Share Our Strength, an organization that works to end the invisible threat of child hunger here in the US.<br /><br />I was there accompanying Spatulatta's newest youth spokespeople, brother-sister team Matt and Alisia. They were pitch hitting for Liv and Belle because the girls had a previous engagement. Belle was graduating from junior high. Graduation trumps cooking any day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvM17JAj-1I0C0ePzpxdglkQg4yBPUk9Gw4dunmShCtGbN6L7R3RYR8s_1bkbuQVPL0ogbMTghdeTJmbmBjdWwz4MUXLPKcSmUqUfRgNFI5kbx39nalGwZjXnT97wrYWkI_Ra1m0bcYeR/s1600-h/duo_fruit_adjusted.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvM17JAj-1I0C0ePzpxdglkQg4yBPUk9Gw4dunmShCtGbN6L7R3RYR8s_1bkbuQVPL0ogbMTghdeTJmbmBjdWwz4MUXLPKcSmUqUfRgNFI5kbx39nalGwZjXnT97wrYWkI_Ra1m0bcYeR/s400/duo_fruit_adjusted.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345119746552954930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The Cook-off was held in Kendall College's 3 professional kitchens. Eighty kids split up in teams of 2 and were paired with Kendall College students. Each of the 3 kitchens was assigned a secret ingredient, Iron Chef style: carrots, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.<br /><br />Team Tomato, Team Carrot and Team Sweet Potato came up with their own chants and cheers as took their stations and the competition began. Celebrity chefs, <span id="RestaurantProfile_RestaurantProfileInfo_lblChef">Michael Kornick, Paul Kahan, and Erik Williams were on-hand to give teams advice and encouragement.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1UncsjDFYFBBJBjlCVouhJHuKnApog1xrgdlL7MXGj4x4ntkYDiouDwpuCHbnYJJ8WjcQCMoIvbcNJyKMaeKWw9HOHt_Vd0IEOgVJLEHRnMKHXDr6qMJWOxWLWAMzEg_Q2IoqiAWPrYI/s1600-h/celeb+chefs.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1UncsjDFYFBBJBjlCVouhJHuKnApog1xrgdlL7MXGj4x4ntkYDiouDwpuCHbnYJJ8WjcQCMoIvbcNJyKMaeKWw9HOHt_Vd0IEOgVJLEHRnMKHXDr6qMJWOxWLWAMzEg_Q2IoqiAWPrYI/s400/celeb+chefs.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345119603483367218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Left to Right: </span><span id="RestaurantProfile_RestaurantProfileInfo_lblChef"><span style="font-size:85%;">Chef Michael Kornick of MK Restaurant, Chef Paul Kahan of Blackbird Restaurant, Chef Erik Williams of MK Restaurant.</span><br /><br /></span>Alisia and Matt interviewed the young cooks, ranging in age from 8- to 13-years old, about the inspiration for their dishes. The teams had one hour to come up with a recipe, cook it and attractively plate it. Even with the pressure on, cooks and chefs found time to stop and chat with Alisia and Matt. Thanks to the crew at Event Architects, interviews were fed live to the Kendall auditorium where the moms and dads got a chance to experience the kitchen action without feeling the heat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGQzj29Iu0nsbkkx6fnxXKOYpQuNGf5o882dtVhGoniBTmzF_SCuMNWlTnwbuxvrE886m-7el0DXlOVWsSS58aCvrN3x6UPltWnO8RPFad96RrNfP4Sui7merEHPSeDTZmWe8kCINrDzM/s1600-h/duo+interview2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGQzj29Iu0nsbkkx6fnxXKOYpQuNGf5o882dtVhGoniBTmzF_SCuMNWlTnwbuxvrE886m-7el0DXlOVWsSS58aCvrN3x6UPltWnO8RPFad96RrNfP4Sui7merEHPSeDTZmWe8kCINrDzM/s400/duo+interview2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345119423950726002" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When time was called, the teams put down their spatulas and laid out the dishes for the judges. Of course beautiful plating was considered, but inventiveness scored high points. Unexpected uses for familiar ingredients abounded. Tomatoes became jam, sweet potatoes became custards and carrots filled quesadillas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwImEU8ByqV-1ysVXytr7JNtvSXvvBf_QMV3fVkKO8uFI0u_gqJzeQXE6NOwSKLKFkDcf3ZIl6JodYr7u7ieA9Dz0EQlLEIKyqm_H0EeSlS637GtW98O8O1pB5w4G6xY0uftdw87awZCbr/s1600-h/with+dishes.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwImEU8ByqV-1ysVXytr7JNtvSXvvBf_QMV3fVkKO8uFI0u_gqJzeQXE6NOwSKLKFkDcf3ZIl6JodYr7u7ieA9Dz0EQlLEIKyqm_H0EeSlS637GtW98O8O1pB5w4G6xY0uftdw87awZCbr/s400/with+dishes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345119209821040674" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One winner was chosen from each kitchen. After a break, the semi-finalists from Team Carrot, Team Tomato and Team Sweet Potato entered "Kitchen Stadium" for the final round.<br /><br />Two of the teams were paired with celebrity chefs Michael Kornick and Erik Williams of MK Restaurant. Team Tomato retained there Kendall Student Chef, Brian. He'd seen them to the semi-finals and they were sticking together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLRbvedX527evUolpwbvPvtto0hTWRsYyLTDnJGeda_GL18gsR6njFWxJj9fLDDbAAZSUXEobW5bNV7W39THTCBcAfBHAc8ITU7XLsKyaBNF12RKdFCt6yQEOrIHb_PNzI8wJAf_4LhDv/s1600-h/final+round.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLRbvedX527evUolpwbvPvtto0hTWRsYyLTDnJGeda_GL18gsR6njFWxJj9fLDDbAAZSUXEobW5bNV7W39THTCBcAfBHAc8ITU7XLsKyaBNF12RKdFCt6yQEOrIHb_PNzI8wJAf_4LhDv/s400/final+round.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345118923950162642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A new secret ingredient was announced - quinoa!<br /><br />Not many in the audience had heard of the protein-rich, South American grain let alone cooked it. But the chefs and their teams didn't miss a beat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJW-v2BpmuAp00__vCQdr3_KnVxdEgN6j0EI6-4ntg7-KoLmG0FCq5in95Mi8ZFChxd8eRRPkUwYz1ZvdH3KNFkdBSw7lk8G0crL31c0XnpBkFMS-x65CJ3Yroxpo8SpXjp-ZF5z8I6fP1/s1600-h/Chef+Michael+and+team.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJW-v2BpmuAp00__vCQdr3_KnVxdEgN6j0EI6-4ntg7-KoLmG0FCq5in95Mi8ZFChxd8eRRPkUwYz1ZvdH3KNFkdBSw7lk8G0crL31c0XnpBkFMS-x65CJ3Yroxpo8SpXjp-ZF5z8I6fP1/s400/Chef+Michael+and+team.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345118787922024322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tension built in the final minutes. Sautés sizzled and steam bloomed everywhere. Chef Kornick produced an beautiful asparagus flan to accompany his quinoa curry dish.<br /><br />But the judges had a surprise for us all.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_TrBNw2InpXIRBN2EZAvc3yaES9rXQnLbRd2Q0Dt8o9TXYM2cCTBq7fKa4wKKvSsYcRXI-BvkB2kpxy4sC8Qh_S2hZqRbLiD-iSo62w247Zd41zghF7bBCY_SE6n6j4hxMM8qOX_aXIF/s1600-h/winners+embrace.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_TrBNw2InpXIRBN2EZAvc3yaES9rXQnLbRd2Q0Dt8o9TXYM2cCTBq7fKa4wKKvSsYcRXI-BvkB2kpxy4sC8Qh_S2hZqRbLiD-iSo62w247Zd41zghF7bBCY_SE6n6j4hxMM8qOX_aXIF/s400/winners+embrace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345118628126015714" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was the Tomato Team under Kendall's own Chef Brian, who produced the winning dish. A quinoa and kale salad surrounded by perfectly steamed asparagus, brussel sprouts and of course tomatoes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Go Tomatoes Go!</span><br /><br />Many thanks go to the folks at the ConAgra Foundation, who generously sponsored the event and the folks at Whole Foods, who donated the marvelous ingredients.<br /><br /><br /><embed wmode="opaque" src="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=4.2.5%3A22881" flashvars="backgroundColor=0xFFFFFF&textColor=0x333333&config=http%3A%2F%2Fcookingexhibitchefs.ning.com%2Fmain%2Fbadge%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fxn_auth%3Dno%26x%3DR5iKoUF5Slz3RqRKPMlFQhxhvNzeD4FU%26size%3Dtiny%26username%3D2amj68d9nao90" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" scale="noscale" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="64" width="206"></embed><br /><small><a href="http://cookingexhibitchefs.ning.com/">Visit <em>Cooking: The Exhibition Chefs</em></a></small>Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-57084846994394591592009-06-06T06:47:00.008-05:002009-06-08T19:01:49.854-05:00Tomatoes' Day in the Sun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdOO4hQQSWMvQKrDQF5tMlI-zTQtLk2aqMm3IxFysti1XjGBXaG59oJu0j2I_7COUPRjgkpj4XYNPpXoVVm4eRAwcX7oI6v1LrwblP1K71VYhURrsjSKbjlziRyi3UOALV245tQWEWeFD/s1600-h/Tomato+Plants.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdOO4hQQSWMvQKrDQF5tMlI-zTQtLk2aqMm3IxFysti1XjGBXaG59oJu0j2I_7COUPRjgkpj4XYNPpXoVVm4eRAwcX7oI6v1LrwblP1K71VYhURrsjSKbjlziRyi3UOALV245tQWEWeFD/s400/Tomato+Plants.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345110936316171442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm taking a chance today. I'm putting in my tomatoes. Usually, I start them from seed in January and grow them on my second floor enclosed porch. The porch has storm windows but it's still pretty chilly out there. My office has not one, but two heat vents so I assume that the former owner might have done something similar, leaving the door between open to keep the porch warm.<br /><br />But this winter was ruthlessly cold. The cold ground on and on without a break. I flew to California to visit my 81-year old dad instead of washing and bleaching my seed starting trays. I ordered my seeds late and when they arrived in February I had no ambition to do anything with them.<br /><br />I finally got the seeds started in March and was worried that the plants wouldn't be ready to set out in late May. The seedlings were so slow to start. I'd bring the trays into my office each night and set them right on the heat vents so the soil would warm. During the day there was precious little sun. In past years, that porch has heated up to 90 degrees during the day because it has windows on three sides and low winter sun pours right in.<br /><br />Rather that being gratified with the promise of new growth, I was demoralized as day after day went by without any sign of green shoots. One tray became spotted with tufts of white mold because I'd left the transparent lid on too long. The other tray just sat there, the blank soil adding to the bleakness created by our economic conditions and the bitter weather.<br /><br />Then one day there was a tiny green comma in one of the seed tray cells and then later that day another. The commas unfurled to reveal a thin stalk sporting a seedcase still clinging to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">minuscule</span> leaves. As the days went by more and more tomato seedlings showed up. By late April they were finally ready to move to paper cups. My friend Joy, bless her heart, poked drain holes in each cup and filled them with potting soil while I gently extracted the seedlings from the cells, untangled their roots and set them in their new "digs."<br /><br />Since then they have been growing steadily and happily despite the fact that we have had one of the coldest wettest springs on record. Once the days got longer the tomatoes decided to put on the speed. In fact, the other day I went in and found my single, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">gangly</span> beefsteak plant sporting 3 flowers. It was time to make a move.<br /><br />Over the years, I have tried various ways to get my tomatoes set out early: walls of water, paper bags, plastic sheeting. This year, we would have one day of warm and two days of cold, dropping almost to freezing. So I waited and waited. Usually I put my tomatoes in on Memorial Day weekend but this year the holiday came early and the weather didn't cooperate.<br /><br />So now, we're a third of the way through June, just 2 weeks from the longest day of the year and my tomatoes are about to be set out. This year I'm going to try putting dry cleaners bags over the tomato cages because we're supposed to have a couple more cool, wet days back to back.<br /><br />My favorite tomato by far is Sungold, a yellow cherry with a magnificent sweetness. The first year I planted them I never brought a single Sungold tomato into the house. I ate them, warm from the sun, right in the garden.<br /><br />I going out to plant my tallest spindliest Sungold plant out in the garden right now. I have two other shorties on the porch as back-up, just in case we get a freak snow storm or something. The promise of that sweet and slightly acid flavor is enough to get me out in the garden this morning, out to the bed I've had prepared for weeks. The darkest, richest compose I can every remember coming out of my composer has been tempting me but I have resisted. My seedlings have become too precious to risk being shocked and stunted by the cold.<br /><br />But the tomato plants and I have waited long enough. Today is the day!Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-81694244401035467302009-05-11T11:47:00.009-05:002009-05-11T13:10:03.285-05:00Maddening Morel Hunt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOcKO8hsDBRuaeX-i5wPWX8qlyCj8gEMiJdb2K6KeB8MVM7t1ih81WflaLfSrm4C2mVKwLig2B-4fcj-OW30B7UXc8WAY2KUO0ODFUpswAIEPnJ86SKMAroGiK2VO5EzWoKfoQ5HD0xtK/s1600-h/Spring2009145.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOcKO8hsDBRuaeX-i5wPWX8qlyCj8gEMiJdb2K6KeB8MVM7t1ih81WflaLfSrm4C2mVKwLig2B-4fcj-OW30B7UXc8WAY2KUO0ODFUpswAIEPnJ86SKMAroGiK2VO5EzWoKfoQ5HD0xtK/s400/Spring2009145.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334616989645067762" border="0" /></a><br />morel photo - copyright 2009 Diane Korling<br /><br />About a week ago, my friend Diane Korling, edible wild plant officiando, and I drove out to Palos Heights to join a hunt for morel mushrooms. The hunt was sponsored by a local foodie organization and we were thrilled to be included. Morels are the yummiest mushrooms I've ever tasted and they are hard to find. So a hunt with a seasoned guide was too good to be true.<br /><br />It was an hour and a half drive early on a Saturday morning, much earlier that I would have liked. As we pulled into the nature center parking lot, we realized an argument had broken out.<br /><br />It seems that the foodie group had not obtained permission to hunt on the property and the park ranger was up in arms. He was surrounded by 40 people holding baskets and knives, ready to cut down every morel in sight.<br /><br />It only made matters worse when the foodie group leader blurted out that they had been harvesting mushrooms there for 6 years and no one had ever said anything before. She reasoned that it must have been because they came on Sunday when no one was on duty. The park ranger began to shake and turn red. He was about to explode.<br /><br />Diane and I didn't wait around to see what happened next. We drove to the nearest Starbucks.<br /><br />But the idea of morels missed never left the conversation. Morels appear only in the spring. Diane, ever the naturalist, says "when the red oak leaves are as big as mouse ears." And for days, we had been imagining them sizzling in butter.<br /><br />We tried to figure out where we might find some morels that were not on park land or behind a cyclone fence. We pulled out several maps and found a likely area that featured oak in the name.<br /><br />We drove to there - oh yes, I'm being very secretive like all good mushroom hunters - and took a walk in a meadow full of spring beauties into a copse of oak. All the right signs, but no morels.<br /><br />Diane and I drove the hour and a half back. Next spring, we said, maybe next spring we'd have morels and fiddle head ferns for breakfast.<br /><br />Arriving home, I saw my neighbor George who claims to have had morels in his backyard. I have to take his word for it. I've never seen, or for that matter tasted, his morels. He asked how the hunt went.<br /><br />I tried to make light. Hunting morels is like golf. A good walk spoiled - if you don't find any.<br /><br />Four days later, I was walking out to my composer to dump kitchen scraps and I couldn't believe my eyes. There growing between the bricks in the path was a mushroom, a very distinctive looking mushroom.<br /><br />I ran across the street and made George stop what he was doing and come look. He got down on his hands and knees and looked the mushroom over carefully. He pronounced it a morel, though a very old morel. Probably at least 3 days old.<br /><br />We looked around and there were two more equally ancient morels behind the composer. Morels in my own backyard!<br /><br />I called up Diane and she said she too had morels in her backyard. She hauled out her mushroom books to give me the Latin name.<br /><br />As I was listening to her read the descriptions of shaft and cap size that might help me determine what variety of morel I had, I was gripped by a sinking feeling.<br /><br />The elusive morels were actually taunting me. They were most likely blooming in my backyard on Saturday - while I was out looking for them some 50 miles away!Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-20115880724757649472009-04-18T09:42:00.007-05:002009-04-18T10:23:20.010-05:00Spontaneous Spring CelebrationSpring was announced with a loud POP at our house yesterday. So loud in fact that I ran down stairs expecting to see something had exploded. Instead, I found Roger, my husband, laughing hysterically.<br /><br />To say the least, this last winter was miserable and cold. We endured day after day of gray, gloomy skies. Winter had started on November 7 and by tax day there still was no sign of Spring. That coupled with dialing down the heat to save money made me one unhappy camper.<br /><br />Well yesterday morning, the temperature in Chicago finally made it into the upper 50s. Sun was streaming in through all the windows of our drafty old Victorian. I had spent my lunch hour, still in my winter jacket mind you, raking leaves in the garden. A few daffodils were open but I could see signs of more flowers to come. Bloodroot shoots were starting to unfold and startling, pink sprouts of Solomon's Seal were breaking through the dirt. I felt like life was worth living again.<br /><br />Back at the computer on a Friday afternoon, I could hear bird song. The first day of Spring was unfolding outside. The temperature was climbing into the 60s. I was having a hard time concentrating on grant writing when I heard the loud pop.<br /><br />Down in the kitchen, Roger was waving a bottle of champagne around. We had been given it for the holidays but we were not into celebrating at the time. The bottle sat all winter on the kitchen counter near a narrow window where a pot of forced paperwhite narcissus kept us off the suicide watch.<br /><br />A beam of sunlight had come through that window, this year's first it seemed. It struck the dark bottle, warming it. Pressure built up and whammo!<br /><br />So Spring announced herself at our house by popping the cork on a bottle of champagne. She forced us to knock off work early, take our glasses out to admire the daffodils and celebrate!Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-6960629533900858822009-04-09T01:05:00.002-05:002009-04-09T09:36:17.720-05:00All for the love of Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H2lEwjOUvE8o55XbQCwZwmm3qM8siMMqK4j6oHrlKVaamAn-5TBNRxG-GgbFyU33__TtEUnjuxx52F6VUHKcs-pWPGWlnuhMv22rON47_Vrj-YrcJ783feYK4d7S3xvBw92ZtlO6MRbp/s1600-h/cabbage+soup.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H2lEwjOUvE8o55XbQCwZwmm3qM8siMMqK4j6oHrlKVaamAn-5TBNRxG-GgbFyU33__TtEUnjuxx52F6VUHKcs-pWPGWlnuhMv22rON47_Vrj-YrcJ783feYK4d7S3xvBw92ZtlO6MRbp/s400/cabbage+soup.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321997877773688050" border="0" /></a><br />It's Passover and good ex-Catholic girl that I am I had a longing for sweet and sour cabbage soup.<br /><br />This soup is what got me through college, literally. I worked in a deli and served up millions of gallons of the rich, steamy soup at a place called Mushroom and Sons in Highland Park, IL. The deli was my life for six shifts a week. I was picking up Yiddish to boot.<br /><br />And yes, I cleaned under the steam table like in the Roches song. One time getting a jolt that threw me about 6 feet when the back of my hand touched a bare wire dangling from the heating unit. I found out that a wet rag on stainless steel is one hell of a good conductor.<br /><br />The waitresses, myself included I must confess, would dig through the cabbage to find lumps of yummy skirt steak cooked to the point it would melt in your mouth. Ah, what memories.<br /><br />But my challenge today was to make the soup without beef or sugar. You see, I turned a corner on Ash Wednesday this year. I gave up animal products and sugar. I feel so good it maybe I won't change back into a raving carnivore on Easter. Though to ask an Armenian to forgo lamb is quite a tall order.<br /><br />I've been questing for the perfect vegetarian stock and after a few tries I came up with a great one to be the cornerstone of my vegetarian cooking. It's even dark colored like beef stock thanks to the yellow onion's peel.<br /><br />The stock:<br /><br />2 stalks of celery<br />2 big carrots<br />1 large yellow onion with the peel on<br />1 tsp whole black peppercorns<br />3 bay leaves<br />1/4 cup of parsley<br />4 cloves of garlic<br />2 quarts of water<br /><br />Cut the onion in quarters. Cut the carrots and celery into rough chunks. Put all the ingredients into a stock pot. Cover. Bring to a boil and let boil for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down, and simmer for another hour.<br /><br />Remove the vegetables from the stock. The stock was ever so slightly sweet from the onions, carrots and bay leaves.<br /><br />Now it was time to start the soup! So I called up my dear friend and kitchen maven Marcia Streicher. I told her what I was up to and she laughed. She said the trick would be to get the sour quotient correct the first time because once the soup got too sour there was not much I could do except use sugar. So we went forward a 1/2 teaspoon at a time, with the phone perched on my shoulder, until I got what I wanted.<br /><br />Marcia suggested I add Worchester sauce but it contains anchovies and is not vegetarian. I looked at the ingredients and noticed tamarind paste. I just happened to have some left over from a Thai recipe. If you don't try 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vingar instead.<br /><br />Here's the recipe:<br /><br />1 1/2 quarts of vegetable stock<br />3 tbsp. of olive oil<br />1/2 of a large white onion<br />3 cloves of garlic, minced<br />15 oz. can of whole tomatoes, with their juice<br />1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded<br />1 1/2 tsp. of paprika<br />Juice of 1/2 a lemon<br />1/4 tsp. tamarind paste<br />A dash of red pepper<br /><br />Saute the onions in the oil until translucent. I know it sounds like a lot of oil but this is a big pot of soup and I'm trying to simulate the puddles of rich fat I remember with such relish.<br /><br />Add the garlic and saute 5 more minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the stock. Cut the tomatoes into chunks. Add them, the cabbage, paprika, lemon juice, tamarind and red pepper.<br /><br />Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the cabbage is wilted and the stock is reduced by 1/3.<br /><br />Not the cloyingly sweet soup I remember. It's a better version.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-58576619827097491522009-03-25T13:05:00.019-05:002009-04-13T06:06:55.225-05:00All's Fair in Love and FoodMy first date with my husband was an invitation to make locum, better known as Turkish Delight. I entered his apartment through the kitchen. What a mistake!<br /><br />He was the worst housekeeper I'd ever seen. His kitchen table was piled high with strata of magazines, dishtowels, mail, cookie sheets, books, more magazines. The stack climbed the wall and left just a six inch ledge where he could balance a plate while he piled things onto it. I didn't want to touch anything for fear of a landslide. To this day he still perches dishes on the edge of the counter rather than sit them firmly on the expanse of counter top.<br /><br />The first meal he ever made me was trout with pecan sauce on top, nestled in a pool of browned butter. Who knew the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach?<br /><br />He's from New Orleans and he loves to cook and talk about food. He'll be eating a fabulous lunch and casually ask, "What's for dinner?"<br /><br />I don't think that far in advance. He's a cookbook cook. I love to improvise. Show me what's in the refrigerator and stand back. I have no formal training. I'm just a good home cook and proud of it.<br /><br />I cook by color as well as flavor and I come up with things like Pomegranate Salad which is a tribute to the Armenian side of my family. Pomegranates are the beloved fruit of Armenia. The grapes are a tribute to my Aunt Peg and Uncle Mesik who raised grapes for raisins. The walnuts are for the stories my dad, Horan, tells about shelling walnuts when he was growing up in Selma, California. He can identify every fruit and nut tree as we whiz by the fields at 65 mph.<br /><br />The honey, is for my grandparents, Elisa and Krikor who made a life here in the States after a world of heartbreak. My grandmother surrounded their house with a hedge of gardenias. I remember the smell of their blooms even though I can't picture her face. That hedge stood for years after her death, a testament to her desire for sweetness.<br /><br />Here's the recipe:<br /><br />3 tbsp. of honey<br />2 tbsp rice wine vinegar<br />1 large grapefruit, peeled and cut in chunks<br />1 1/2 cups green seedless grapes, cut in half<br />1 cup broken walnut pieces<br />The seeds of one pomegranate<br /><br />Make a dressing with the honey and vinegar. Whisk until the honey is dissolved. Put the fruit and nuts into a bowl. Pour the dressing over the fruit and mix until all is coated. It's best if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.<br /><br />We eat it for breakfast, as a side dish or for dessert. It first appeared on the Spatulatta website in 2005 and also appears in the Spatulatta cookbook.Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5804124070284039211.post-23960229003830492362009-03-25T10:47:00.010-05:002009-04-07T11:30:30.740-05:00In the BeginningThis is my story. I began my cooking training before I could walk. I remember being hoisted up by my grandmother, Anna, and sitting with my bottom on her left arm as she stirred soup or fried pierogi with her free hand.<br /><p>You'll say that's not training but it was. I was watching dough went from opaque to opalescent, listening to the burble and crackle, smelling the browning butter. I watched Anna turn the cutlets and press on them with the back of the fork. I listened intently to whatever she had to say, "Now we turn down the fire and let it cook." She probably said it in Polish though her native tongue was Magdar.</p><p>My grandmother was such a fabulous cook, gardener and seamstress that my mother never really bothered to learn too much. But I sucked in everything Anna taught me. She never talked down to me, she always assumed that I was on the same wavelength.<br /></p><p> I was fortunate because I was with my grandmother 24/7. I was also fortunate that she started training me so early because I only had Anna for seven years. Maybe she knew we didn't have all the time in the world.<br /></p><p>I don't think about her every day but every day I keep the same kitchen rituals. And I try to pass on not only what she taught me but how she taught me in calm stead voice and with tenderness.</p><p><br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV6Gs73eA9VRfauv6fk_oMRESwkiPkV6ETGVVT3t-qx9RraK5oCYbVgaEVZbUVMJXd4rgGL22GiSXxwMigW98vQ6mtgRQIJbsJRa3SUbG4BLyeFXGBt7pLw5aFxhOxy8nhlT2ktgljTr5/s1600-h/Gln&Grnd_sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGV6Gs73eA9VRfauv6fk_oMRESwkiPkV6ETGVVT3t-qx9RraK5oCYbVgaEVZbUVMJXd4rgGL22GiSXxwMigW98vQ6mtgRQIJbsJRa3SUbG4BLyeFXGBt7pLw5aFxhOxy8nhlT2ktgljTr5/s400/Gln&Grnd_sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321984143833665746" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Gaylon Emerzianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01863410020180337812noreply@blogger.com0