Tricks of the Trade

A few tips, a little self-confidence, some fresh ingredients and we're easily on our way to a good meal.

Mirepoix

Mirepoix, pictured above, consists of diced onions, carrots and celery, a combination of vegetables commonly referred to as aromatics, used as the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes, soups, stews, sauces. If the dish has a Cajun or Creole flair, the carrots are replaced by green peppers and the combination is known as the Holy Trinity. Many Spanish dishes call for a Sofrito base which is garlic, onions and tomatoes. The addition of roasted peppers to the garlic onions and tomatoes gives the sofrito a Caribbean or Latin American flair. Italian dishes are given a flavor kick and a boost of nutrition by adding garlic to the basic mirepoix mix and is then called soffritto. Easy to see that with a little twist, you can quickly become an accomplished continental cook.

The traditional mirepoix ratio is 2:1:1 of onions, celery, carrots. But these veggies are very forgiving and an exact count just isn't necessary to achieve a rich, delicious base for everything from bean soup, to marinara sauce, to slow roasted pork, pot roast or beef stew, just to name some comfort foods that we all occasionally crave. The addition of aromatics, spices and/or herbs, provide depth of flavor and enriched nutrients to simple dishes and invariably generate compliments to the cook.

I often hear people refer to 'doctoring up' some bottled spaghetti sauce. By quickly dicing onions, carrots, celery and with a whiz of the can opener, you can have a pot of marinara sauce simmering away in record time. I often cook a batch of Italian sausage and peppers when I make a pot of sauce. I like to use traditional mirapoix for the sauce, the carrots enrich the flavor tremendously by imparting a sweetness to offset any bitterness from the tomatoes. But with the sausages, I use bell peppers (red and green), onion and minced garlic. Instead of a small dice, I cut wedges of onion and chop the peppers in approximately two inch pieces.

Marinara simmers, sofrito sauté and par-boiled sausages await their turn.

Prepping and cooking both dishes took about an hour. I'd suggest you allow a little longer as I've been making these things for years and may have a slight edge on the prep work. Look at all the meal possibilities I have on hand this week.Perhaps cheese ravioli, using the convenience of frozen Celantanos, with the marinara sauce or some other pasta with sausage and sauce. How about a great sausage and pepper sandwich on a hoagie roll with mozzarella cheese? Wrap in foil, place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Some of the sauce can be used to make chicken or eggplant Parmesan later in the week. I can freeze half of the sauce for use down the road -- same with the sausage and peppers. Cook once; eat often!

Next time you think about 'doctoring' some bottled spaghetti sauce, give quick marinara sauce a whirl. Here's the recipe for all those who like things spelled out!

Marinara Sauce

Just like Noah's Ark - Two of Each

2 onions, diced; 2 celery stalks, diced; 2 carrots, peeled and diced; 2 cans (28 oz)diced tomatoes (Muir Glen organic are best); 2 bay leaves; salt and pepper

Heat 1/2 cup of EVOO over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic until translucent then add celery and carrots, 1/2 tsp salt and some freshly ground pepper. Sauté until soft then add tomatoes and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered over low heat until sauce thickens. Approximately 45 - 60 minutes. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, puree with immersion blender or regular blender. Taste for salt and pepper.

**********************************************

Book Nook

I'm playing around with a separate book blog...keep posted. Meanwhile, I did read a couple of good ones this week.

No Good Deeds - Laura Lippman

Black Dog - Stephen Booth

"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."

- Mark Twain

'Till next time . . . keep on cooking!

The New Cosmo?

I read in the New York Times that the ubiquitous cosmopolitan is being replaced in smart circles by chilled rosé. Good, French Rosé. We're not talking Lancer's Sparkling here. Au contraire, $30 a bottle rosé.

I'm a sucker for an ice cold cosmo made with, contrary to bartenders' guidelines, equal parts vodka, triple sec and cranberry juice with a generous wedge of lime. . . sweet and potent. But, oh the calories!

Spurred on by all those savvy, chic New Yorkers drinking ice cold wine, I've been experimenting with Sangria offshoots. Greg and I have both been shunning tradition this summer by tossing a couple of ice cubes in classic reds, like Merlot, Pinot or Cab. Greg has gone a few steps further and added a dash of Orangina to produce a Sangria-like drink. The citrus tames a less expensive wine, allowing the red wine to deliver its touted health benefits with a refreshing twist.

If you'd like to produce a perfect pitcher of Sangria, the good folks at Cook's Illustrated (May/June 1998) have gone through their customary trial and error experimentation. Here's their recipe for a crowd pleasing pitcher of fruity red wine:

The Best Sangria

2 large juice oranges, washed; one sliced; one juiced

1 large lemon, washed and sliced

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Triple Sec

1 750 milliliter bottle inexpensive, fruity

medium bodied, red wine, chilled

(Merlot, Zinfandel, Beaujolais, Burgundy)

I've gone to the dogs this past weekend by adding citrus to an icy cold bottle of white merlot. (photo above) Sounds better than white zin, doesn't it? There isn't much difference in taste. Very light. But with the infusion of a little triple sec, a dash of fresh orange juice and a big squeeze of fresh lime, this light, inexpensive wine is elevated to a refreshing punch that is the perfect accompaniment to a burger or better yet, my new take on grilled cheese.

I often make the Mexican version of a grilled cheese sandwich -- a quesadilla.

This weekend, I rolled a couple of corn tortillas around a divided cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese, smothered the pair in some canned enchilada sauce (shh, don't tell anyone), baked them off for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven and presto, with a side of fresh red salsa, an icy glass of my light version of Sangria, I had a luscious lunch. Try it. It's quick, easy and delicious. We won't discuss calories!

Cheese Enchiladas

***************************************************************

Book Nook

Recent Reads You Might Enjoy

The Hard Way - Lee Child

The Ruins - Scott Smith

Elements of Style - Wendy Wasserstein

Resurrection - Tucker Malarkey

A Trip to The Bargain Bin

or

Four Bucks and a Little Imagination!

I forced myself out of the air-conditioned comfort of home the other day. Didn't wander too far, with the price of gas and my conscience nagging at me to conserve, I went about a mile down the road to the little shopping center that houses Clemon's Produce.

I wandered the aisles taking in the large selection of produce, much of which was a little shop worn. I don't buy iffy, over the hill produce, regardless of price. But all was not in vain, rounding an aisle I came upon beautiful, crisp, bright green leeks. A large bunch of three lovely leeks was only $1.99.


Mireille Guiliano has a marvelous recipe for leek soup in her popular book, French Women Don't Get Fat. The soup is used to jump start a weight loss plan and I gave a split second thought to making that one but my mind quickly jumped to Mollie Katzen's wonderfully comforting Potato Leek Soup, simply made with carrots, celery, potato, leeks and enriched with butter. Mollie's version calls for the addition of milk. I substitute evaporated milk in soups that call for milk or cream. Evaporated milk provides the rich, smooth mouth feel of heavy cream without all the calories or the artery clogging fat and it's easy to keep on hand.

Potato-Leek Soup

3 fist sized potatoes

1 large carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3 cups cleaned, chopped leeks

4 TBS unsalted butter

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups water

1 can evaporated milk

freshly ground pepper

Potato - Leek Soup

Scrub the potatoes, peel and cut into one inch chunks. Place them in a saucepan with the leeks, celery, carrot and butter. Add the salt. Cook the vegetables, stirring over medium heat until the butter is melted and all pieces are coated.

Add the water, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft (20 - 30 minutes) Check the moisture level and add more water if needed.

When the potatoes are tender, remove the pan from the heat and either puree the entire contents in a blender or food processor or as I've done, puree half. (I like the soup chunky). Return the soup to the saucepan, add the evaporated milk and freshly ground pepper. Taste for salt. Heat the soup gently, until just hot. Try not to let it boil.

After picking up the leeks, I found a pint of grape tomatoes for .99 and a quart /pound of strawberries for .99.

While the soup was simmering, I slipped the tomatoes, which I'd washed and sliced in half, onto a foil lined cookie sheet, sprayed them with a light misting of olive oil and sprinkled on a pinch of kosher salt, and then put them into a 275 degree oven to roast off. An hour or so later these luscious little oven dried tomatoes were ready. Once cooled, I stored them in the fridge in a covered container with a little olive oil to patiently wait to be the star of an easy pasta dish.

Oven Roasted Grape Tomatoes

Angel Hair Pasta w/ Roasted Tomatoes

Add a couple of minced garlic cloves to 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Saute with a dash of cracked red pepper flakes. Mince 8 pitted Calamata olives add to saute pan with oven dried tomatoes. Toss with angel hair pasta and a little pasta water. Top with pan roasted pine nuts and fresh basil. Fast, easy and good!

A few weeks ago, Amanda Hesser had an intriguing article and recipe in the New York Times for fresh strawberry sorbet made with lemon courtesy of those marvelous chefs, Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray of the River Cafe in London. You know, the ones who brought us that wonderful pork chop with lemon roasting technique.

Fortunately, the cylinder for my ice cream maker was tucked into the freezer ready to go, but unfortuntely, the veggie bin held many limes but nary a lemon. One of the great things about cooking is the fun and challenge of improvising . Without hesitation, I exchanged a lime for the lemon and proceeded to process this refreshing dessert.

Strawberry / Lime Sorbet

1/2 lemon or lime chopped

1 cup of sugar

1 pound strawberries, hulled

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

Place the chopped lemon or lime and sugar in the food processor, pulse until combined. Puree the strawberries along with the citrus juice of choice. Add to the chopped citrus/sugar mix, taste and add more juice as desired. The citrus flavor should be intense but shouldn't overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and process until frozen. I like to add a tablespoon of vodka at the end to keep the sorbet scoopable.

So there we have three great dishes. Easy to prepare and about as economical as you can get, short of eating plain beans!

'Till next time. . . keep on cooking!

More Fine Finger Food

Fried meat-filled pastries, known as meat patties in Jamaica and empanandas on the Spanish islands, are popular snacks. The heritage undoubtedly stems from the Cornish pasties of Britain, but the chili-laced filling is pure African-Caribbean.

Jamaican Meat Patties

In the mid-80's, one of my favorite lunch spots was a little place in College Park called, Aunt Eva's Patty Palace. Eva made the most delicious Jamaican meat patties, both mild and spicy. I always opted for the spicy hot ones. The ground meat and spices were liberally laced with fiery, minced chilis and the pastry wrap was rich, flaky and fried.

My patties are good, but they don't hold a candle to Aunt Eva's. The meat I use is probably too lean, no lard in the pastry and I bake them instead of frying them and she had her own secret spice combination. Nevertheless, homemade patties still beat the frozen supermarket version. They're a great treat to zip from the freezer into the oven when my mouth cries for a spicy bite. The patties make a fast lunch with a bowl of soup or a little salad. And they're especially good as an hors d'oeuvre with a cold beer, a chilled Chardonnay or better yet, a tall, cool Planter's Punch made with native Jamaican rum.

Several years ago, my neighbor, Ann, surprised me with a kitchen gadget called "The Pocket Gourmet". Ann said when she saw it, she just knew it was something I'd find a good use for. . .and she was right. Billed as the "ultimate kitchen tool", though I wouldn't go that far, it has made patty-making a much easier task. I use the larger one for luncheon patties and the smaller one for appetizer size.

The Pocket Gourmet

I think making Jamaican patties is worth the effort, particularly if you break up the task into two sessions. Cook the meat filling and make the pastry dough one day, then refrigerate both. The following day, form the patties, freeze them individually on a lined cookie sheet, then wrap them in batches in freezer paper and slip into a zip lock bag for storage. Or you can bake off the whole batch and then freeze them and reheat as you use them. I've done both and prefer the freshly baked version as opposed to reheated. The following quantity of ingredients makes about three dozen small patties.

Jamaican Meat Patty Filling

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or pork or combination

2 TBS annatto oil or vegetable oil

4 green onions, including tops, finely chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 fresh green or red chile, minced (more for spicy)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/4 tsp ground allspice

dash of ground cloves

1 cup canned tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste.

In a nonstick skillet over high heat, brown the meat until crumbly. Remove the meat to a bowl with a slotted spoon and discard any fat remaining in the skillet. In the same skillet over medium heat, warm the oil then add the green and yellow onions and the chile. Saute until softened, about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika, thyme, allspice and cloves and saute for another 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato sauce and return the meat to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking over low heat for about 20 minutes to let the flavors blend. The filling should be fairly firm. If too loose and wet, stir in a couple of tablespoons of bread crumbs.

Pastry for Meat Patties

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup cold water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and turmeric. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the water and using a fork or fingers, mix to form a ball.

Take walnut sized pieces of dough and roll them out on a lightly floured board to make 4" circles. Place a couple of tablespoons of the filling in the center of each circle. Fold the pastry in half and pinch to seal the edges with the tines of a fork.

To Bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pastries on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 25 - 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. I like to drizzle them with three pepper lemon sauce as I eat them for an even greater heat punch!

Till next time. . . keep cooking!

It Takes Two Hands . . .

Slow Roasted Pork Taco

It's not just that Burger King signature burger that takes two hands, lots of great food is best eaten without benefit of knife and fork. Easily swayed by suggestions from one of my favorite food writers, Mark Bittman, this was the weekend for slow roasted pork to enjoy as tacos, burritos and enchiladas. All but the latter easily eaten with two hands. The enchiladas do require a utensil as that molten melted cheese can get messy.

Over ten years ago, I fell in love with the adventuresome Latin American and Spanish cooking techniques that Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger introduced to me with their TV cooking show, Cooking with Too Hot Tamales. Their book by the same name quickly made its way into my food library and I began to experiment using their recipes and tips as a springboard for some mighty fine eats.

One of my favorites was a take on traditional pibil cooking from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Pork (conchinita) is marinated in a blend of achiote paste, citrus juices and spices before being wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a banana leaf-lined pit called a pibe. Several years ago, Greg took me to Border Grill in Santa Monica for dinner. Without hesitation, I ordered the Conchinitas Pibil. Just had to see if I'd come close - can you imagine my surprise when halfway through the meal, Mary Sue Milliken appeared at the table to ask if everything was okay. When I explained that I'd been attempting the conchinitas pibil at home, she asked if hers was as good as mine?

The recipe in last week's New York Times for slow roasted pork is an easy variation of this specialty. I picked up two pounds of boneless pork spareribs, marinated them with garlic, citrus and toasted spices, made a makeshift banana leaf wrap with aluminum foil and roasted them off in a 300 degree oven for a little over 3 hours. When checked, the meat was tender and lusciously fragrant.

If your experience with tacos is limited to ground meat flavored with tomato sauce and an envelope of mystery spices served in a hard shell, you might want to refer to Mark's easy instructions, Taco Technique, Bottom to Top, to learn how to build a mouth-watering treat. Mine always need two hands.

While the pork is slow roasting there's plenty of time to make some fresh salsa. If you must use the bottled stuff at least buy one with a minimum of ingredients and let those be not only things you recognize as edible but organic. Here's an easy hot, red salsa that will complement the pork and give your taste buds a little jolt!

Red Salsa Components

2 cups diced tomatoes

1/4 cup minced jalapeno or serrano pepper (more depending on your tolerance for heat)

1/3 cup diced onion (put in a strainer and rinse under cold water)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

2 - 3 TBS fresh lime juice

2 - 3 TBS ketchup (optional)

Fresh Red Salsa

**********************************************************************

Books

This week's page turners, I'm embarrassed to say, included Pressure Drop, another one by Peter Abrahams. I just can't seem to leave the library without checking out another of his achievements. Pressure Drop was published in 1989. The storyline has a great plot interweaving artificial insemination, infant kidnapping, underwater diving, 'blue holes', war time mysteries and Nazi survivors -- hey, something for everyone. Once again, Abrahams has written another keep you on the edge of your seat thriller with a cast of characters you'd like to meet and won't easily forget, told from both the male and female perspectives. A very enjoyable undertaking.

I can highly recommend John Hart's debut novel, The King of Lies. For all you lovers of the lawyer-turned-author publications, this new Southern writer will be a pleasant addition to Grisham, Turow, etc. Hart writes from the heart both as a man, husband, lover, and lawyer. King of Lies is a mystery and a love story but most of all, it's a look into the heart and mind of a man who must face himself and find the courage to follow a path of his own making, not one carved out by parental influence and the pressures of money, power and prestige. Hope Hart keeps on writing.

Till next time . . . Keep on cooking!

How About Some Fast Slow Food?

The slow food movement is gaining momentum as more and more people realize cooking whole foods is not only fast and easy but great for both health and weight loss as well as being kind to the pocketbook. Rushing home after a hectic day at work and facing putting a meal on the table can be daunting. But with a little planning, a few minutes of preparation and a desire to eat well, putting a nutritious, tasty meal on the table can be done in a matter of minutes.

Tilapia with Jerk Seasoning

This quick meal for one is easily multiplied to fit your needs. I've used one tilapia filet but any mild white fish will work equally well. Notice it's in two pieces. Invariably tilapia filets are thicker on one side. By cutting the filet in half, the smaller side can be removed from the pan sooner than the thicker side, preventing it from being overcooked and dried out. The filets are dusted with a delicious Jamaican style BBQ blend of jerk seasoning for chicken and fish from Penzeys Spices and slipped into a little hot olive oil along with a wedge of lemon. The lemon is not squeezed at this point, it just rests in the pan allowing the heat to carmelize it. When the filets are plated, the warm juice from the wedge is squeezed onto the fish using a pair of tongs. Two minutes cooking on each side was all that was needed for this little filet. Some romaine hearts with sliced red onion and diced tomato drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice made a simple salad and I heated up a serving of frozen petite peas with a handful of frozen shoe peg corn (cooked together). Once the salad greens were washed and spun dry, the onion sliced, the tomato diced, and the veggies were at the boil, I put the fish in the pan, dressed the salad and within 15 minutes from start to finish, I was pouring a glass of wine to accompany this fine plate of food. Talk about fast food ! This is simple, wholesome, economical and mighty good!

Fast meals leave lots of time to read. I'm really making a dent in Peter Abrahams' entire ouevre. This week I was thoroughly entertained with Oblivion. It's easy to understand why Stephen King said Abrahams was his favorite American suspense novelist. Each tale I've read has a distinctive voice as well as a unique plot and cast of characters. Nick Petrov, Oblivion's brilliant private investigator accepts a case to find a missing daughter. Fast on the trail with many clues in hand, tragedy strikes and Nick experiences oblivion when he is stricken with a stroke brought on by a brain tumor. Waking with a memory lapse, and the uncertainty of his prognosis, he nevertheless prevails in pursuing the case. This bright author weaves a marvelous tale with twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge of his seat.

Susan Richards' memoir, Chosen by a Horse was a departure from my usual bill of fare, and a wonderful respite from the tense drama of the wagonload of psychological thrillers I've been delving into lately. I'm a sucker for a good animal tale and while I usually gravitate toward dog stories such as Marley and Me and all of Jon Katz' wonderful tales of his border collies, Richards' story about taking in an abused horse named Lay Me Down, and how the bond that developed between horse and woman helped her find direction for her life is a good short fast read. A story not just for animal lovers.

Until next time . . . keep on cooking!

Fruit on the Bottom?

Do you love yogurt with fruit on the bottom? Have you looked closely at the nutritional facts on the container? Many commercial yogurts with fruit have also added an extremely generous portion of sugar, sweetener or other additives designed to prolong shelf life. Why not put your own fruit on the bottom?

I've been enjoying the season's plentiful harvest of big fat juicy blueberries, one of the most potent SuperFoods, by covering a serving of berries with Stonyfield Farms organic, fat free, yogurt. Not only is yogurt another of the SuperFoods, providing prebiotics as well as probiotics, aiding in maintaining a healthy digestive system, but combined with fresh fruit, it's a super tasting snack! In addition to the powerful disease-fighting antioxidants contained in blueberries, recent studies have shown blueberries to be an effective food to lower cholesterol. Read all about it.

Frozen Yogurt

Take advantage of the abundance of fresh blueberries available now and whip up a batch of frozen blueberry yogurt.

Zest and juice of one small lemon

2 cups plain nonfat yogurt

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (sweeten to taste)

1 pint blueberries.

In a bowl, blend the lemon zest, lemon juice, yogurt and sugar until smooth. Stir in the blueberries. Freeze in a plastic container for easy scooping or make pops by lining twelve 2 1/2" muffin pan cups with fluted paper baking cups. Divide the mixture among the paper lined cups and freeze until almost firm (1 1/2 hours) Insert a popsicle stick in the middle of each pop. Freeze until firm.

Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften slightly for easier eating.

Cool Greens

Summer salad options abound with farm stands bursting with crisp greens and lovely sun-warmed red, ripe juicy tomatoes. I'm a romaine or green leaf lettuce lady but on a hot summer day, the crisp cold sweet juicy crunch of fresh iceberg lettuce is so refreshing. I've indulged lately and had bacon and blue cheese dressed iceberg wedges several times for lunch. With the warm salty richness and the cool crispy crunch offset by the smoky flavor of the bacon and the delicate juicy tang of sweet vine ripened tomatoes, who can resist?

Iceberg Wedge with Bacon and Blue Cheese

This is one of those wonderful, quick and easy to prepare dishes that needs no careful measuring. Play it by ear based on how many servings you need.

Cut a generous wedge of lettuce per serving.

Cook 2 -3 strips of bacon per serving until crisp, drain on paper towels, then cut or tear into 1" pieces. While the bacon cooks, dice 1/2 well ripened tomato per serving and whip up some dressing (you can use bottled blue cheese dressing if you don't want to bother with homemade - but use a good one, like those found in the refrigerated portion of the produce department.) If you choose to whip up your own dressing - use approximately 1/4 cup mayo per serving, thinned with a tsp of lemon juice and a little buttermilk until it's a nice consistency to flow over the lettuce. Add some freshly ground pepper and a generous serving of crumbled blue cheese. Assembly is next: drizzle some dressing over the wedge, sprinkle on the warm bacon pieces and the diced tomatoes. Thin slices of red onion are a great addition.

Three books to recommend this week. The summer heat and humidity is my excuse to hunker down in the house and get lost in a novel. Amy Ephron's short light fiction is entertaining reading. I chose her novel set in the jazz-age era of flappers, bobbed hair and ladies looking for husbands. One Sunday Morning is a fun fast read set in New York and Paris among the socially elite. Fancy clothes, grand mansions, gossip, luxury liners, mystery, murder and not too much mayhem as the engaging cast of characters seek Mr. Right. If you like this be sure to pick up her equally well-crafted novels, A Cup of Tea and White Rose.

Early in the week, I was pleased to find the new Lincoln Rhyme novel, Cold Moon, at my door courtesy of PEP Express and the Orange County Library. Diligently devious Deaver does it again, pitting the abrupt yet brilliant quadriplegic Rhyme against an equally brilliant criminal mastermind, the Watchmaker. The plot has more twists than a skein of yarn. A bizarre yet intriguing array of plots within a cunning master plot unravel with the mystery, clues and police procedures offset by the personal interplay with Amelia Sachs, Rhyme's partner and love interest. Cold Moon, coming so quickly on the heels of Jeffery Deaver's The Twelfth Card in 2005 is a nice treat for Deaver fans.

I wrapped up my reading week with another of Peter Abrahams clever psychological thrillers, Cry Wolf, set in a New England college town. Abrahams uses the architectural features of the college to generate mystery and intrigue while developing characters that we've all met before. The poor, bright boy who attends the posh, exclusive school by dint of merit, scholarship, loans and campus employment who falls into the malleable hands of a pair of gorgeous wealthy twins and is introduced to a world and lifestyle hitherto never dreamed of. We're whisked off to Christmas Eve in a New York penthouse, then by private jet to the family's Caribbean island for the Christmas break then back to school and the ensuing complications of a suicidal roommate, a larcenous townie, loss of funding for the second semester and then the devious plot to kidnap one of the twins for ransom. This is not the stuff Pulizter's are made of, but Abrahams is a master storyteller and this tale has enough mystery to keep the pages turning to the end.

Till next time. . . keep on cooking!

Convergence - tending to move toward one point . . .

I think it was 1985 when Billy gave me Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest encouraging me to cook more vegetarian fare and get away from eating so much meat.

I grew up with a working man's lower middle class idea of the evening meal: meat, potatoes and a vegetable. The potato was invariably white and boiled, occasionally mashed and the vegetable came from a can with little variety: peas, green beans, stewed tomatoes and spinach. There was a variety of meats alternating between steak, hamburger, pork chops, daisy ham and chicken. Beef stew and pot roast showed up every now and then on weekends to break the monotony.

It wasn't until I was in college and began meeting people from different backgrounds that I was introduced to different cuisines including a wider variety of foods and methods of preparing them. And I developed a strong preference for ethnic foods over 'plain, old American'. I still give 'plain, old American' a wide berth in favor of foods with a European or Asian influence.

Vegetables and grains dominate much ethnic cooking. That was true for American cooking, too, until we got so affluent that families went from sharing a piece of meat, rounded out with a starch and some vegetables, to each family member having his own piece of meat, and not a small piece either. A whole steak, a couple of chops, half a chicken, you know what I mean.

While meat came from farm raised livestock and our produce from local farms, we were okay. But gradually the food industry became a big business, livestock is raised on factory-farms now, fed a diet they can't digest without hormones and antibiotics to keep them going. The seeds for our produce have been genetically modified and the plants grow with built in pesticide and fertilizer.

The quality of the food we now consume has become our slow poison, contributing to dozens of chronic diseases afflicting our corpulent nation while most of us continue to pile our grocery carts high with convenience foods loaded with strange ingredients we don't recognize, can't pronounce or begin to spell! High fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils are found in practically every item on the grocer's shelves. What have we let happen to our food supply?

I've had a strong interest in food for years. More so after being diagnosed with cancer in 1983. My surgeon asked if I were a vegetarian as my blood was like that of a vegetarian (a good thing). This was the result, no doubt, of eating small portions, 3 - 4oz pieces of meat at each meal during my adult years and having fresh salad each day along with fruits and vegetables. I'm sure I never ate anywhere near the quantity we now know is important for good nutrition and illness prevention, but her comment on my blood was a good indication that even doing something right, if not everything, makes a difference.

Gradually, more vegetarian fare made its way into our diets and Enchanted Broccoli Forest was just the beginning of the resources that I used to plan and serve whole foods.

Recently, I've been doing much more reading and investigation into the role foods play in our overall health and I've been very concerned about the quality of food that has found its way into our markets and onto our tables. Last December, I ordered the documentary, The Future of Food, which is a frightening picture of how industry has manipulated the production of our food supplies to benefit their bottom line. We still have the upper hand, as individuals we are the consumers without which big business cannot survive.

One key element from the film: "The choices we make at the supermarket determine the future of food." We are the customers to whom big business panders...are they really giving us what we want? Must be; we buy it.

One of the PBS stations in Los Angeles recently had a fund-raising drive and as is the case with public broadcasting stations, they bring in top gun programs to increase audience participation and hopefully increase donations. One of the programs recently aired was Mark Hyman, MD who presented material from his book, UltraMetabolism and his system of Neutrogenomics - how food talks to your genes. Dr. Hyman has down to earth simple guidelines to help prevent and cure chronic illnesses as well as the additional upside of eating well = natural weight loss. Greg burned DVD's of the program for me. I've watched it once, ordered the book and I plan to watch the program again as there is so much practical information to be digested and Dr Hyman is such a lively presenter that gaining insight and knowledge is also entertaining.

Several years ago, I picked up a copy of Nicholas Perricone's book, The Perricone Prescription. Dr. Perricone is a dermatologist and while assisting patients achieve radiant skin tone he found the nutritional and dietary information increased cardiovascular protection, decreased inflammation(the culprit responsible for so many chronic ailments) and helped melt away pounds.

These are a few resources if you are concerned about your health, the health of loved ones and the future for our children and grandchildren. What you put on your plate and on their plates is one of the most important concerns you can have.

I stopped by the Oriental supermarket the other day to pick up a few items and as the cashier rang up my 5lb bag of Jasmine rice, the smallest portion they carry, he looked up at me and asked, "What, no Uncle Ben?" We chatted a bit about the importance of food quality and he spouted facts that I haven't corroborated but which are probably in the right ball park. He told me that Americans spend about 7% of their income on food and Europeans and Asians spend about 40% of their income on food. (Is the disparity in this ratio a result of our high income and their lower ones?)

He pointed out that in other countries the quality of the food is of utmost importance. Freshness and the method of preparation are key. Quality over quantity most places except here. Here, our policy is the bigger the better - super size it? Who cares if it's a form of plastic with sugar and fat. It's fast, it's convenient, there's a lot of it and it's cheap. We pay the true price down the road.

The popular book, French Women Don't Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano is all about the pleasures of eating well - wine, bread, chocolate - a delightful guide to choosing the best, freshest and tastiest for your plate while staying slim and healthy. Portion control...what's that?, say we. Ah, champagne and leek soup, mais oui!

I've started keeping a running list of the portions of fruit and vegetables I consume each day as it takes discipline and concentration to eat enough. The list continually surprises me at how short I fall on many days.

Lots of salads on these hot humid days...with many ingredients is the easy way to satisfy the bodies nutritional needs while satisfying the palate. If we don't enjoy the produce when it's in season, we're short changing ourselves. And if we don't seriously consider what's on our plates, we're short changing the next generation, too.

Till next time...keep on cooking!

Amazing Grains

Must be close to twenty years ago, I borrowed a book called Amazing Grains from the library to learn more about cooking grains but I can't recall ever cooking anything from it. Recently, I found the volume in the Friends of the Orange County Library used book store, and couldn't resist the temptation to buy it. The book is an overwhelming resource for anyone who wants a thorough education in preparing various grains. . .and it's a nice addition to my eclectic collection of books on food.

While I discourage anyone from using 'quick' grains, things like Minute Rice or Instant Oatmeal, which have been denuded of most of their nutritional benefits and have lost all their flavor leaving them a close match to boiled cardboard, I, like most everyone, want all the benefits of eating grains with a minimum of preparation but at the same time, have them yield maximum flavor. This means using unadulterated grains and planning on some soaking time as part of the preparation.

As 21st century Americans, grains are not a common staple of our everyday diet. Sure we eat some processed grains in bread and cereal but rarely do we plan a meal around millet, barley, quinoa, etc. It seems so old fashioned, doesn't it?

Summer is a great time of the year to start experimenting with grains. I know we think of grains as something to add to soups -- like mushroom/barley soup and we prefer soup as cold weather food, but barley is a perfect grain for a salad paired with garden fresh vegetables. Substitute cooked barley (not instant barley, please) for the pasta in one of your favorite pasta salads or just toss a cupful into a regular dinner salad. Or be adventurous and build a meal around the freshest vegetables, herbs and barley as I did recently.

I compromised and bought a pound of pearled barley. While this doesn't require pre-soaking, I did soak it for a couple of hours before cooking and found it cooked up much more quickly than the 45 minutes suggested in the cooking instructions on the bag. By the way, the bag I bought, store brand from my favorite supermarket, includes another interesting salad recipe to expand your repetoire.

Florida sweet corn and vine ripened tomatoes along with fresh basil from the patio and some young green onions joined the cooked barley with oil, vinegar and seasoning. Isn't it great when something so good for you can taste so wonderful? Here's the recipe I adapted from the New York Times.

Corn and Barley Salad

1 cup pearled barley

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (I used 6 ears of sugar and honey corn)

1 cup of diced red tomatoes

4 - 5 young green onions, sliced, green and white parts

2 - 3 TBS fresh chopped basil leaves (or oregano)

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

2 TBS wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

3 TBS fresh goat cheese (optional)

Cook barley according to package instructions. Prepare veggies, cut corn from cob if using fresh. Whisk together oil and vinegar, basil or oregano and green onions in large bowl. When barley is cooked (drain any excess water) return to pot and add corn. Mix well. Add barley mixture and tomatoes to large bowl and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a bed of greens of your choice with a few dollops of goat cheese, if desired.

With a meal this simple to prepare there's plenty of time to catch up on your reading. I didn't do much to improve my mind this week but I was thoroughly entertained with a couple of Peter Abrahams' novels. I started with The Tutor while I waited for the newly released End of Story to arrive. Both are good entertainment. Abrahams' talent for suspense novels is layered with intriguing detail. This is a very bright man, who must do a lot of research.

Following up with Robert Parker's new release, Blue Screen, was sadly disappointing. Sunny Randall sounds like Spenser in high heels. When the plot doesn't interest you and you can't muster any sympathy for the characters, it's time to quit. Despite my formula for giving up on a book, I wallowed along for 86 pages before giving it the toss.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July. We need to all take a moment and contemplate exactly what we are celebrating on this Independence Day. We each have an obligation to ensure we remain independent. A quick scan of headlines indicates we are not far away from figments of Orwell's imagination. Is Big Brother watching you?

Until next time...keep on cooking.

Getting Your Vitamin C?

Interesting article in the current issue of Ode citing recent findings published in the British medical bulletin What Doctors Don't Tell You about the benefits of vitamin C in preventing and possibly curing heart disease. I remember when Linus Pauling's published recommendations for vitamin C were the rage back in the 70's. Research, backed by studies of 11,000 Americans, supports Pauling's findings that the people with the highest intake of vitamin C had the lowest incidence of heart disease. Findings like these obviously will present a real challenge to both the pharmaceutical companies with their plethora of cholesterol reducing drugs as well as to the food industry who have flooded the market with synthetically processed low-fat food intended as heart disease prevention.

As humans, we can neither produce nor store vitamin C so a daily dose is required either through our food source or as a supplement. Most of us find it difficult to eat our 5 - 8 servings of fruit and veggies a day and many of the ones we do eat are not necessarily high in vitamin C or because we've cooked them have lost most of their nutritional value. Using a supplement is a wise choice.

When I was a kid and visited my grandparents for a weekend or during summer vacation, my grandmother had a tendency to spoil me. Not only was I the first grandchild, offspring of her first born, but I made my appearance into this world on her birthday. That alone would have made me special to her but in addition, my mother died of tuberculosis when I was 18 months old and I lived with my paternal grandparents until my Dad remarried when I was about 3 years old. A lot of info to support the statement that I was spoiled.

Part of the spoiling was Gram making waffles for my breakfast. I remember how antsy I was as I waited for that first waffle to cook, watching for the escaping steam to stop seemed to take forever. I still grow impatient waiting for that first one to bake up golden and crisp. At my grandmother's house, my waffles were served with a generous slathering of soft butter, a sprinkle of sugar and then, instead of syrup or jam, my waffle, served in a soup plate, was doused in freshly squeezed orange juice. Gram didn't like the sweetness of syrup and wanted me to have the vitamin C from the oranges. She reasoned that I'd eat more if they weren't too sweet. Don't laugh, but I still eat my waffles with butter, sugar and orange juice. Had some the other day and as happens each time that succulent warm bite of waffle, with the tartness of the orange juice offset by the touch of sweetness from the sugar hits my tastebuds, I'm transported to my grandmother's kitchen and the warmth, security and love I felt as I sat at the table, impatiently waiting for the steam to stop.

I make a batch of sour cream waffles regularly. The recipe below makes four big fat Belgian waffles. When I make them, I eat one and cool the other three on a wire rack, cut them into quarters when cool, wrap them in waxed paper by serving size and then put them into a ziplock freezer bag. When I want waffles, I take a couple of quarters from the freezer and reheat them in the toaster. Believe me, these beat any you can buy in the freezer section of the market.

Sour Cream Waffles

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 TBS sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

3 large eggs

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the melted butter, milk, sour cream and eggs in a medium bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Whisk just until smooth, don't over mix. Cook in a heated waffle iron with lightly oiled grids.

Had a very entertaining week reading. Patricia Cornwell wrote a 15 part serial for the New York Times Magazine. I caught only a few episodes so was pleased to find the whole thing published in hard cover at the library. At Risk is a short fast read with an interesting plot twist. No Kay Scarpetta but authentic police procedurals and some interesting new characters.

I found Julia Glass's prize winning novel, Three Junes, a few years ago and have recommended it to many. Even read it twice. Ms Glass has a new novel out and it's equally enthralling. The Whole World Over reminds me of Maeve Binchy's work because of the in-depth treatment of a variety of characters, their problems and surprising interaction. As in Three Junes, Ms Glass weaves the histories and present circumstances of her cast of characters so deftly that the reader is constantly surprised to find the emerging pattern and the final canvas so neatly framed.

Rounding out my reading week, I really enjoyed Joseph Kanon's Alibi. The action takes place in Venice and the author uses the history of World War II, the breathtaking Venetian architecture and unique canal system to good advantage, giving this mystery story an intriguing background and moving the story forward with sympathetic characters caught in a web of deceit. Kanon's use of dialog to move the plot along rather than heavy descriptive narrative certainly makes the novel a fast and compelling read.

And I finally got around to watching Syriana. George Clooney continually amazes me with each new film he just gets better and better, doesn't he? While the acting talent in the film is highly commendable, it's the story, depicting a frightening reality of the precarious world in which we live, that should spur each of us to take an active part, regardless of how small, to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, to clean house in our government, to become watchdogs of big business, to become aware of the issues and take part in our world, starting at the community level, then the state level and finally being an influence on how our national leaders represent us. Are we a democracy? A government run by the people?

Until next time. . . Keep on cooking.

Let's Stuff Veggies

With fresh produce abounding in the markets and at farm stands, it's a perfect time to go a little vegetarian. I picked up some lovely red peppers the other day that were just begging to be stuffed and baked. Zucchini or yellow squash boats are great for stuffing as well as big bold vidalia onions and fat firm tomatoes. In the fall and winter, cabbage and grape leaves are wonderful stuffed, too.

I decided to forego a meat stuffing and just fly with a tasty, high nutrition, low fat organic japonica rice filling for my two large, red beauties. I buy Lundberg Farms rice at Whole Foods Market but many regular supermarkets carry a good selection of Lundberg rice, too. While the rice was simmering, I sauteed some diced veggies: 1 large carrot, 1 stalk of celery, 1 vidalia onion (mirapoix) in a little olive oil with a generous pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Once the veggies were well coated and starting to soften, I added a splash of red wine (happened to be open) water or broth will do, turned down the heat to low, covered the pan and let the veggies cook down. When the rice was cooked (see cooking directions) I mixed it with the mirapoix, and with the peppers cut in half vertically, stem to bottom, seeded and deveined, I stuffed them, placed them in a baking dish, tossed some Muir Glen organic fire-roasted crushed tomatoes over, covered the pan with foil and placed in a 350 oven for an hour and fifteen minutes. I removed the foil and sprinkled grated mozzarella cheese over each pepper half and returned them to the oven for another 15 minutes. The Japonica rice has such a surprising flavor. Rich and meaty with a sweet finish on the palate. Try it as a side dish to liven up a mild fish or poached chicken breast. But, truthfully, it stands up on its own as a fine main course accompanied by colorful vegetables. Give it a try.

I kept my pledge, and went to see An Inconvenient Truth on opening weekend. If you follow box office reports, you know that Cars raked in the most money this past weekend with over $31 million in sales and the plight of global warming came in #12, with about $1.75 million in sales. It's obvious, as a nation, what has our attention. In all fairness, comparing the two films is doing an apples and oranges exercise. I'm glad that many parents took kids to the movies - hurray for the wide screen. What's sad is how few adults made the effort to increase their knowledge about the situation or bothered to stand up and be counted to show the administration that global warming is a major concern for us as citizens and we want something done about it now, before it's too late to avoid disaster. It's not too late to go.

On a happier note, I also contributed to A Prairie Home Companion being in 11th place at the box office this weekend. What a fun film, particularly poignant if you're a listener to the weekly radio program.

And on the reading range, I finished up Bill Buford's book, Heat, which gives a very detailed picture of life on the line of a busy, upscale, restaurant. I loved reading about the hectic prep work and the pressure of filling orders to perfection in record time along with the super talent and mercurical moods of Molto Maria. Yet when I finished the book, I was more convinced than ever that dabbling in home cooking is fine with me. Home eating is fine with me, too, after being further enlightened by some of the food handling horror stories typical of all restaurant kitchens. Buford's disclosures are mild compared to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, and I understand Bourdain's new book, Nasty Bits, tells more tall tales from the kitchen floor. I think I'll pass on that one for the time being or I'll never eat in a restaurant again.

In between the heat of the kitchen and the joy of the plated food in the dining room, I read Nancy Pickard's new novel, The Virgin of Small Plains. "An unforgettable tale of love, lust, faith, betrayal and redemption. A powerful, mesmerizing suspense novel__a tour de force!" After reading that blurb on the jacket, how could anyone resist? Least of all me! It was a fun fast entertaining book by a prolific author whom I've not read before.

Someone commented recently that she was reading a book that really didn't interest her, but since she'd started it, she was going to finish it. Horrors!

I follow the advice and wisdom of Nancy Pearl. I give any book the benefit of the doubt for the first (?#?) pages. The formula for (?#?) pages is: Hang in for the first 50 pages BUT if you are older than 50, subtract your age from 100 and that is the maximum number of pages to give any book to grab your interest and full attention. If it doesn't do it, put it down and pick up something else. Remember, "too many books; too little time."

Until next time - keep on cooking!

SOUP'S ON

With Alberto, the first tropical depression of the season, breathing down our necks, it seemed a perfect day, albeit a little hot and humid, to put on a pot of soup. A package of heirloom cannelli beans from Rancho Gordo has been beckoning to me from the second shelf of the pantry for ages. Encouraged by a recent post from Heidi Swanson using Calypso beans to produce a pot of succulent soup, I ventured off in my own fumbling direction. The soup is on its final leg and the house is redolent with a subtle smoky scent from the teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika that I added to the mirapoix while it simmered away before joining the beans in their rich pot liquor. The beans will easily hold their own as is, but I think a chiffonade of baby spinach leaves tossed in just before serving along with a generous helping of freshly grated parmesan cheese will elevate this simple bean soup to an impressive plateau just right for dinner on a blustery, wet evening. I've a nice cabernet waiting to be uncorked that should make a fine accompaniment. Anyone in the neighborhood is welcome to stop by.

White Bean Soup

One pound cannellini beans cooked

with a chopped onion and 2 bay leaves

2 carrots diced

1 onion diced

2 stalks of celery diced

1 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 package fresh baby spinach, washed and slivered(chiffonade)

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Wash and sort beans, cover with water and rest overnight (if using canned beans rinse off thoroughly before proceeding from * and use broth instead of water to add some flavor)

Cook beans along with a chopped onion in dutch oven. Add filtered or bottled water to cover beans by at least one inch (maintain this level while cooking).

Beans will require at least 2 hours to become fairly soft. Meanwhile saute the diced onion, carrot and celery (mirapoix) add a little broth or water and cover to finish cooking along with the spoon full of smoked paprika. After beans have cooked for a couple of hours, * add mirapoix, finish cooking beans until they are fork tender then add salt and pepper to taste. DO NOT ADD SALT TO BEANS AS THEY COOK. Remove bay leaves. Puree a couple of cups of the soup either in a blender or use an immersion blender, to give the soup some added body. Just before serving, add the chiffonade of spinach, give it a few minutes to wilt. Ladle soup into individual bowls and serve with a generous helping of grated cheese.

I was browsing through Elizabeth David's, French Country Cooking over the weekend and that probably provided the impulse to make the simple bean soup. The famous chef and food writer wrote: "Good cooking is honest, sincere and simple, and by this I do not mean to imply that you will find in this, or indeed in any other book, the secret of turning out first-class food in a few minutes with no trouble. Good food is always a trouble and its preparation should be regarded as a labor of love."

And speaking of a labor of love, I've just started reading Bill Buford's book, Heat. Buford, author,editor, amateur cook and food lover, joined Mario Batali at his famous restaurant, Babbo, working as a kitchen slave and lived to tell the tale in this newly released volume. The first few chapters give promise to a wonderfully humorous and enlightening look at the behind the scenes workings of a fabulous 3 star New York eatery along with the inside scoop on one of today's most prominent young chefs, with an illuminating exploration of why food matters. Can't wait to get back to it.

I was fortunate to follow up on a recent compelling book review for Ivan Doig's The Whistling Season. Here's another wonderful author that I'd never read. Whistling Season is his 11th novel. Why I hadn't been introduced to him before now is a mystery but I'm happy to report this volume is a wonderful story set at the turn of the century in the plains of Montana. Oops...that's the turn of the last century, of course! Doig reminds me of Wallace Stegner. If you haven't read Stegner's prize winning Angle of Repose, put it on your must read list.

The rain appears to have let up for the moment. Time to puree the soup and walk the dog. Hope everyone keeps dry. Till next time...keep on cooking!