Anti-Stress Praline

Personally I always find eating praline to be good for relieving stress, so I was surprised to see see chocolates which are being sold as "anti stress" praline.  A friend of Neil's brought these back from Tübingen Germany where these delicious little gems are created with citrus, blood orange und mint.

 I'm not sure about their anti stress abilities, but they sure are tasty. 

Radicalized Brisket

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
ThreatDown - Radical Muslim Snacks, Flying Robot Drones & Coked Up Vacuums
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Hand Pulled Noodles

The first time I went to Hong Kong we were taken to a restaurant where a chef come out and demonstrated how to make hand pulled noodles. It still looks like a magic trick to me, how out of this blob of dough comes these amazing, stretchy, perfect noodles. I have never heard of Hung Ry but after this video I can't wait to go!

If Only The FDA Was So Blunt

Tis The Season: City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival!

double click on the calendar to make it bigger

I personally can't wait to try Beer Hot Chocolate.  City Bakery also has an awesome selection of savory foods to go along with all the amazing sweets.

Filling But What Is That Filling?

 Taco Bell is being sued by an Alabama firm that says there meat filling is more filling then meat.

Here is the full article from the Consumerist but my favorite is the list of ingredients in the ground meat:

The suit claims that Taco Bell's meat-like offering is filled with extenders and other non-meat substances listed in the lawsuit like water, "Isolated Oat Product," wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch and sodium phosphate as well as beef and seasonings.

What the fuck is anti-dusting agent?   And is Beef at the end of the list because it is in order of amount in the filling?  So there's more Isolated oat product than Beef?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Not that I would ever eat something like this....but it is nice to know that the contents of fast food is starting to be scrutinized enough that lawsuits are being filed.  Not that any of it is news to us foodies, but the more the media reports on this the more able people are to make a decision as to what they choose to eat.  Bottom line is that fast food is cheap and it's cheap for a reason, if they started filling it with grass fed beef it wouldn't be cheap!  So in the end it's all about economics how do you feed billions of people food they can afford that is also good for them? 

A Good Loaf of Bread: Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds

This isn't really the best picture, but you get the idea.  Lately I have been making a loaf of bread for every dinner party I make and am still amazed at how Jim Leahy has revolutionized bread making with his simple over night no kneed process.  It's a very forgiving recipe, I usually add about 3/4 of a cup of some other type of flour rye (with or without caraway seeds) or whole wheat.  If you haven't tried this bread making technique you really should give it a go.  I know I have written on this before, but every time I make this bread I am amazed how good it is and how making it was so easy.  This is the kind of bread you spend 5 or 6 dollars on at the fancy bakery and never thought you would be able to duplicate, but now you can! And it's an easy way to impress your dinner guests.

David's Dinner Menu: Thoughts on Fish Stew

 

I made a fish stew because, well it's winter, and stew is such a perfect winter dish. In part I was inspired by making a fish  Cioppino in Toronto for my brother David and his partner Kim.  It had shrimps, monk fish and clams in it and was made with a generous amount of clam juice.  I thought by  making it spicy and adding a complicated combination of spices to it would make up for the richness given to the one in Toronto by all the shellfish.  It didn't.  I used Mahi Mahi and used a spice combination I found in a North African cookbook - cumin, coriander, caraway, paprika and fennel.  It never really got to the place I wanted it.  It just lacked a depth of flavor....the next day I had made some toast from the left over bread and heated up some of the left over for lunch and it was delicious.  Reminding me again the rule of thumb for stews and soups is that they are always better the day after!  Mahi Mahi is a good meaty fish and if you live in a kosher household like I do I suggest you try it in fish stew, I also think nothing beats homemade fish stock which you can freeze in ice cub trays so you always have some on hand.  I didn't have and used white wine which made it too acidic for my liking, especially as it was a tomato based broth.  I used red wine in Toronto and think as counter intuitive as that may seem it really added a nice complexity to the stew.  

Oh and I noticed in writing this both fish stews were made for David's my brother in Toronto and my foodie friend here.

Walnut Onion Muffins

This is probably the best savory muffin I have ever made or eaten.  It's a recipe I've been making for over 20 years, it's easy and quick and so damn tasty!  It goes great as a side with soup or stew, or eaten with a good piece of cheese.  I even made a grilled cheese sandwich with it last week when I made them in a loaf form.  Neil said it was "over the top" but it didn't stop him from inhaling it!

When I first started collecting recipes from magazines and newspapers I would cut them out and paste them onto a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper.  I used to work for a food consultant ages ago and when I had down time would go through his extensive cookbook collection and photocopy recipes that interested me.  All this to say I have no idea where this came from all I know is the recipe itself is attributed to New York Chef Waldy Malouf.  I have adapted and suggested a few other variations if you are feeling daring!

 

Walnut Onion Muffins

Preheat the oven to 400 F for muffins 375 F for the loaf.

I use a food processor for this, but certainly feel free to do it all by hand it you want.

In the bowl of the food processor add 8 ounces of Walnuts (or Pecans) 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 1/2 cups of Bread Flour (All Purpose will work in a pinch but you'll get a more cake like muffin.  Also I sometimes use a cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat).  Process the mixture until the nuts are well ground - it's up to you if you want to have the nuts fine or more chunky, both are good, I like it finer so I process it well.

Remove the dry ingredients from the processor bowl into a large mixing bowl.  Replace the food processor bowl and add 1 large or 2 medium onions (you want 1 cup of onion puree so guess as best as you can).   Puree the onions.  Measure out one cup of puree and set aside.

In a sauce pan melt one stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup) pour the melted butter into a mixing bowl and add 5 Tablespoons of sugar, stir to mix then add 2 large eggs and whisk until well incorporated.  Add the 1 cup of onion puree and stir to incorporate.   Pour this wet mixture, all at once, into the dry ingredients and stir until it is well mixed.

You can makes these as mini muffins (makes about 36) or one loaf, in both cases the pans should be well buttered and in the case of the loaf I often line it with parchment.  I have a metal loaf tin that is not the standard size, it's 4 1/2"  x 12" I prefer it to the 5 x 9" loaf pan I used to always use.  The thing I like about it is how long the loaf is, making the slices smaller and more elegant (or at least so I think).  Feel free to use what ever you have, just be aware that the 5 x 9 loaf with take a little longer to bake.  Like most baked goods they are done when the top is nicely browned and a tester comes out clean.

Bake the muffins/loaf in the center of the preheated oven turning once at the half way point.  Muffins take about 20 minutes the loaf anywhere from 45-60 minutes (at 375 F if you find the top is getting to brown and the center is not yet cooked cover gently with some tin foil).

Cool on a wrack.  Your family and your guests will LOVE these and you'll wish you made more!  The reason I don't have a picture of the loaf version is because we ate it so fast it was gone before I remembered to get a picture.

Take Action NOW: If approved, GMO alfalfa will fundamentally undermine the entire organic industry overnight.

 
Here is the letter Food Democracy Now are sending to President Obama and Secretary Vilsack, at the end of the letter there is a link you can clickso you can add your name, please take the time and add your name it is very important.

Dear Secretary Vilsack and President Obama,

I urge you to immediately reject the approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered Roundup Ready alfalfa. The U.S. Supreme Court has already acknowledged that the economic risks from genetic contamination, as well as the risk to the environment of gene flow, are real concerns. The USDA has a responsibility to protect farmers and consumers and should refuse the biotech industry’s demands for deregulation. More importantly, the Secretary of Agriculture and President of the United States have a sacred duty to protect biodiversity and seed integrity for future generations and our planet.

If approved, the contamination of organic and conventional alfalfa crops is scientifically certain to happen. Once contaminated, organic and conventional crops will lose their economic value and this threatens the livelihood of family farmers who have responded to market signals regarding the valid concerns of the negative health and environmental impacts of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Already the CEO of the largest dairy cooperative has stated that approval of Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa “threatens the very fabric of the organic industry.” Once undermined, consumers will lose faith in USDA approved organic products. As head of the federal agency in charge of protecting farmers, any decision to approve GMO alfalfa threatens to destroy the fastest growing and most profitable segment of agriculture today and thus runs counter to the mission of the agency you are sworn to uphold.

And while I appreciate your admission of the serious risks posed by GMO contamination to organic and conventional farmers, it is evident that the USDA’s proposed remedies are not adequate to protect America’s farmers or our nation’s citizens who choose to buy organic products. Approval of Monsanto's GMO alfalfa infringes upon the rights of Americans to make legitimate choices in the foods that they eat and feed their children daily and threatens the rapidly growing $26 billion organic market.

The basic right to consume food that is not contaminated and for farmer's fields to be safe from genetic contamination that ruins their economic livelihood is enshrined in the Constitution. It is time that federal officials at the USDA, White House and Congress move to protect this right, rather than to continue to trample upon it at the biotech industry’s bidding.

As such, I strongly urge you to reject the approval of Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]