Food Meditations...: February 2010

De Gustibus: Tasting Menu and Real Food

Author: orsiko | Posted at: 10:32:00 | Filed Under: Travel Bites, World Cuisine

The Gastronomer
For bellota ham, nuts aren't the half of it

"There is no doubt that this freedom and a healthful, naturally restricted diet do wonders for the quality of life of the pig, and consequently the quality of the meat."

When it comes to the prized bellota ham from Spain, it is easy to understand why everyone talks about the nuts. ...
Full Story: The Gastronomer: For bellota ham, nuts aren't the half of it; washingtonpost.com

"Maybe part of loving is learning to let go. ~The Wonder Years" (*) QuoteGarden.com
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Real Food
Tracing the history of our great culinary icon - and the best places to eat it ...
Full Story: How British is the chip?; timesonline.co.uk

Real Food Pioneer
The owner of Neal’s Yard Dairies talks about his larder, making salami in France and growing up in Hong Kong. ...
Full Story: Real Food Pioneer: Randolph Hodgson; timesonline.co.uk

Europe
Savoring a dozen flavors in just one meal; a twist on the tasting menu ...
Full Story: Small-Plate Sensations; wsj.com

De Gustibus
The heightened interest in ambitious restaurants like El Bulli over the last decade has been a wonderful thing. But it has had less-savory side effects. ...
Full Story: Take a Napkin and Wipe That Grin Off; nytimes.com

Diner's Journal
So El Bulli, as we’ve all heard by now, will close.
But was it ever really open in the first place? ...
Full Story: Never Been to El Bulli? You’re Not Alone; nytimes.com

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Anti-Aging Superfoods and More

Author: Rock5 | Posted at: 09:21:00 | Filed Under: Travel Bites, Vegetarian

Healthy Eating
27+ Anti-Aging Superfoods

"While it's still not quite a household term, "nutritional genomics" is a field that's only going to get bigger"

The secret to a longer life could be hiding in your fridge — here are 27 superfoods that can reduce your risk of disease.
Fruits and Veggies ...
Full Story: 27+ Anti-Aging Superfoods; more.com

"The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones. ~Somerset Maugham" (*) QuoteGarden.com

Healthy Foods
Blueberries, almonds, and salmon are all good, but you shouldn't limit yourself to them ...
Full Story: Why an All-'Superfoods' Diet Is a Mistake; usnews.com

Healthy Foods
Sick of blueberries? Tired of yogurt? Here's what else to eat ...
Full List: 8 'Superfoods' and Their Alternatives; usnews.com

Açaí berries
Virtually unknown outside of the Amazon two decades ago, and not exported from Brazil — the major producer — until 2000, açaí berries have become famous around the world ...
Slideshow: Feeding a Fad; nytimes.com

Recipes for Health
Frying may not be something cooks should do frequently, but some fried foods, including vegetables, can be made in health-conscious ways. ...
Full Story and Recipes: Overcome the Fear of Frying; nytimes.com

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Culinary Globetrotting: Dumplings, Meaty Borscht, Jamon Iberico, ...

Author: Skipper | Posted at: 09:31:00 | Filed Under: Travel Bites, World Cuisine

Comfort Food
Variations on a Beloved Theme
Ravioli, kreplach and dumplings — all are dishes that pair chopped meat with a starch.

"Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, hamburger and French fries, meat sauce and spaghetti."

THE heart wants what it wants, and so, I believe, does the mouth. ...
Full Story: Variations on a Beloved Theme; nytimes.com

"We are all primary numbers divisible only by ourselves. ~Jean Guitton" (*) QuoteGarden.com

Food News
What started out as a neat addition to a dinner party menu -- "Let's try something from the new Momofuku cookbook" -- turned into an all-out obsession ...
Full Story: Kimchi is going global; washingtonpost.com

Pairings
The New Zealand pinot noirs sing a varietal song, but without a strong New Zealand accent. ...
Full Story: Meaty Borscht to Accompany Pinot Noir; NYTimes.com

CHICKPEAS are often cooked with spinach, from India to the New World. ...
Full Story: A Dinner Date With India and Spain; nytimes.com

A guide to jamón ibérico
Simon Majumdar unravels the complexities of the time-honoured and exacting processes used to manufacture and label Spanish hams. ...
Full Story: A guide to jamón ibérico; guardian.co.uk

A Grand Tour of a Very British Empire
Chef Mark Hix has an innovative way with traditional English fare, especially at his latest London outpost
Full Story: A Grand Tour of a Very British Empire; wsj.com

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Accent on Condiments, Seasonings and Calories

Author: Skipper | Posted at: 09:35:00 | Filed Under: Travel Bites, World Cuisine

Eating Well
Hold the Ketchup: High-Calorie Condiments That Add Up

1/2 cup maple syrup: 411 calories. No one can resist drenching her pancakes with this. ...

Full Story: Hold the Ketchup: High-Calorie Condiments That Add Up; DivineCaroline.com

"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself. ~Soren Kierkegaard" (*) QuoteGarden.com

Salt
Ever since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced his salt reduction initiative this month, people on all sides of the issue have developed a case of high blood pressure. ...
Full Story: On the Plate, a Pinch or a Pound?; nytimes.com

Seasoning
Whether or not you're a fan of crispy skin, have you ever thought about seasoning under it? ...
Full Story: Quick Tip: Season Under the Skin; thekitchn.com

Word of Mouth
Do you think there's any truth in the no-wash rule for fungi, or does it just create extra work for the cook? Felicity Cloake put the two methods to the test
Full Story: Should you wash mushroooms?; guardian.co.uk

Paprika
Thanks to the growing popularity of Spanish cuisine, paprika has become an important addition to the pantry, ...
Full Story: Paprika Straight From the Farm; nytimes.com

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Shellfish: Oysters, Crabs, Lobsters, ...

Author: ockstyle | Posted at: 09:13:00 | Filed Under: Seafood

Word of Mouth
Oysters: pearls of wisdom
Native or rock, raw or cooked, garnished or au naturel - where do you stand on oysters?

... fairly recent research has found that raw oysters and other bivalve molluscs contain a rare amino acid that stimulates the production of sex hormones.

You can't have an article on oysters without quoting Jonathan Swift (pdf) on the subject ...
Full Story: Oysters: pearls of wisdom; guardian.co.uk

"The shortest answer is doing. ~Lord Herbert" (*) QuoteGarden.com

Buyer's Guide
Most shellfish is easy to cook and is rich in minerals and bursting with flavour.

Buying, choosing, preparing and cooking shellfish, crustaceans, molluscs, ...

Shellfish is a broad term for crustacean, mollusc and cephalopod seafood. Each has its own varieties and its own peculiarities of preparation. ...
Full List and Recipes: Shellfish; bbc.co.uk

Healthy Tips
Doctors and other health experts used to warn folks away from clams, shrimp, crab and other shellfish because they were too high in cholesterol. ...
Full Story: Shellfish: Good or Bad?; healthyeats.com

Healthy Recipe
~ by Ellie Krieger - Shrimp Salad with Cucumber and Mint; foodnetwork.com
~ by Emeril Lagasse - Sauteed Sea Scallops; foodnetwork.com

10 Questions for Michael Pollan
The Omnivore's Dilemma author has a new book, Food Rules, out now. Michael Pollan will now take your questions. ...
Full Story: 10 Questions for Michael Pollan; time.com

Oysters

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Red Cabbage and Slow-Cooking

Author: Rock5 | Posted at: 09:04:00 | Filed Under: Vegetarian

Recipes for Health
Red Cabbage

Adaptation of classic dishes, where cabbage is slow-cooked, or quick-cooked, or raw shredded in salads, etc.

With each method you'll see and taste the many facets of this versatile veg. ...
Recipes:
~ Braised Red Cabbage With Apples; NYTimes.com
~ Red Cabbage: Versatile, Economical — and Tasty; NYTimes.com
~ Stir-Fried Tofu, Red Cabbage and Winter Squash; NYTimes.com

"Well done is better than well said. ~Benjamin Franklin" (*) QuoteGarden.com

Techniques
Easy Tips for Improving Slow-Cooker Meals

"You can cook pretty much anything in your slow cooker, but you’ll have more success (read: better-tasting dishes) if you learn a few tricks about specific ingredients."

Despite the fact that modern technology streamlines the many aspects of our daily grind, life in the twenty-first century can seem busier than ever. ...
Full Story: Wait for It: Easy Tips for Improving Slow-Cooker Meals; DivineCaroline.com

Slow Cookers Tips
Slow cookers are in the spotlight again, with several new cookbooks devoted to the appliances. Ideal for busy people and slow-cooking lovers.
Full Story and Recipes: Crock-pots and other slow cookers are once again popular; post-gazette.com

Food News
A bubbling, saucy stew with a perfect mix of meat and veggies, hearty and warming in the winter. ...
Full List: 5 Foods That Taste Better the Next Day; epicurious.com

More Recipes:
~ Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage; simplyrecipes.com
~ Traditional Braised Red Cabbage with Apples; deliaonline.com

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Seafood ~ Sustainability and Recipes

Author: Rock5 | Posted at: 11:41:00 | Filed Under: Seafood, Travel Bites

Lifestyle :: Bisques and chowders

A farmers market or roadside stand is the best source for sweet corn... Corn Chowder with Grilled Shrimp via Williams-Sonoma

The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. ~Gertrude Wister(*) QuoteGarden.com

How to eat fish ethically
With Loblaws vowing to jump on the bandwagon by 2013, now's the time to arm yourself with knowledge for choosing fish wisely.

"I think we've got to start to get away from the salmons and the tunas and on to the mackerels and sardines," says Bishop.

After learning his trade at the famed Rodney's Oyster House in Toronto, Joshua Bishop went off to see the world. ...
Full Story: How to eat fish ethically: Maps through the maze of sustainable seafood; nationalpost.com

Sustainable Seafood Recipes
"What I like about this recipe," says Chef Jesse Cool, “is that it’s simple. ...
Recipe: Halibut with Herbs and Flowers; www.seafoodwatch.org

Seafood Recommendations
Use this guide to find ocean-friendly alternatives to seafood on the Seafood Watch “Avoid” list. ...
Full List: 2010 Culinary Chart of Alternatives; www.seafoodwatch.org

Health
Part of keeping your heart healthy means keeping your cholesterol levels in check or lowering those numbers if they’ve been creeping up.
10 Foods to Battle Bad Cholesterol; healthyeats.com

Halibut

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Restaurants: Relations between Diners and Staff

Author: orsiko | Posted at: 10:53:00 | Filed Under: Chef Talk, Travel Bites, World Cuisine

The customer is dead; long live the king
Has the democratisation of dining out finally, irrevocably crowned the customer as king? Is that a good thing, or do you prefer the more established approach where everyone knows their place? ...
Full Story: The customer is dead; long live the king; guardian.co.uk

Experience is what you got by not having it when you need it. ~Author Unknown(*) QuoteGarden.com

Food Stories
Scene from our Café des Artistes, a few years ago: a group of people was being led to a table on the mezzanine, when, all of a sudden, one of the women gets a tight grip on the handrail ...
Full Story: Getting Good Service: Insiders Spill; theatlantic.com

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Chicken from Stock to Roast

Author: orsiko | Posted at: 13:27:00 | Filed Under: Travel Bites, World Cuisine

Rich, rewarding and complex...
The creation of a proper chicken stock is far more than mere kitchen chemistry.

Think of stock-making as therapy without the psychobabble, where the end result is just the starting point for a whole world of edible bliss.

It's an august, soothing a ffair, the distillation of flavour from a few hours spent over a flickering flame. ...
Full Story: Rich, rewarding and complex... Not words that usually apply to chicken stock - but get it right and they will; dailymail.co.uk

(*) QuoteGarden.com
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Restaurants and Food
Roast chicken is pure pleasure, and the perfect bird a cook’s true challenge.
Full Story and Recipes: Simply delicious … but so tricky to perfect; philly.com

~ 10 Techniques Every Cook Should Know

~ Chicken Soup for the Busy Soul

~ How to Skim Stocks & Sauces

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Cooking Home: Tools, Tips and Recipes

Author: ockstyle | Posted at: 09:16:00 | Filed Under: Chef Talk, World Cuisine

30 Small Cooking Tips That Pack a Big Punch In the Kitchen

"On Proteins & Dairy, Baking, Fruits & Vegetables, Seasonings, Cleaning, Appliances & Tools"

Some of our favorite bits of cooking information aren't earth-shattering or revolutionary, but they still make a big impact in our own kitchens. ...
Full List: 30 Small Cooking Tips That Pack a Big Punch In the Kitchen; thekitchn.com

(*) QuoteGarden.com
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Food Videos
... Watch chefs, enthusiastic home cooks, and even a surprise celebrity guest demonstrate cooking skills ...
Full List: Top 10 How-to Cooking Videos; Lifehacker.com

Cooking Home
Treasuring time at home and trying on cooking something different than an average night.
Full Story and Recipes: Frugal Ideas for Date Nights at Home; DivineCaroline.com

Kitchen Tools
Reviewing the necessary kitchen's tools assortment.
Full List: A Basic Kitchen Equipment List; SimplyCooking.wordpress.com

~ Some of 2009 Recipes and Hints on Cooking Techniques

~ Winter Soups, French Classics and Pigskins for the Super Bowl Bites

~ What's for Breakfast? Savory ...

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From the Cupboard: Pulses and Chickpea Batter

Author: orsiko | Posted at: 09:17:00 | Filed Under: Travel Bites, World Cuisine

Chickpea flour lends these vegetables a crisp, nutty flavor.

"You can make the batter an hour before frying the vegetables, but you should serve the vegetables shortly after you fry them."

I learned this wonderful chickpea batter for fried vegetables from the cookbook author and teacher John Ash... Recipe: Chickpea Batter-Fried Vegetables | nytimes.com

"A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most of us have so many of them. ~Frank A. Clark"(*) QuoteGarden.com

PULSES
Peas, beans, chickpeas and lentils, just to mention few, are healthy, affordable and versatile. Cooked in soups and stews, added in salads or mashed and served instead of potatoes. It’s a delicious way to add protein and fibre to our diet.
Now, do I buy them frozen, dried and/or canned?
When is season, go for FRESH pulses of course. Otherwise, unless you are very lucky and can pick any of it right from your garden, FROZEN is the best option for keeping as much vitamins and minerals possible and the closest taste of freshness.
For a better value buy DRIED pulses, you'd need to do a little planning ahead because of the pre-soaking and cooking time, depending on the type of pulse.
The fastest commodity is CANNED, ready to use!

Recipes for Health
The best lentils for this hearty salad are French green lentils or black beluga lentils. ...
Bulgur and Lentil Salad; nytimes.com

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's pulse recipes
Pulses have a reputation for being virtuous food, which they are. But that doesn't mean they're not damned delicious, too ...
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's pulse recipes; guardian.co.uk

Preparing Simple Bean Dishes That Taste Anything but Simple
IF the word “dal” conjures up images of a simple dish of well-flavored lentils, the kind of thing you might see at an Indian lunch buffet, that’s not inaccurate. ...
Elevating Simple Legumes, Just Enough; nytimes.com

On Legume; wikipedia.org

Best websites: Food and Drink
From baking advice to cocktail recipes, the best online sources for inspiration.
Best websites: Food and Drink; telegraph.co.uk

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De Gustibus: Tasting Menu and Real Food

Anti-Aging Superfoods and More

Culinary Globetrotting: Dumplings, Meaty Borscht, Jamon Iberico, ...

Accent on Condiments, Seasonings and Calories

Shellfish: Oysters, Crabs, Lobsters, ...

Red Cabbage and Slow-Cooking

Seafood ~ Sustainability and Recipes

Restaurants: Relations between Diners and Staff

Chicken from Stock to Roast

Cooking Home: Tools, Tips and Recipes

From the Cupboard: Pulses and Chickpea Batter

Italian Cooking, Food & Life

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