July 2010

Yes, it’s been awhile since I posted here. It is becoming easier as I learn to navigate this site. This month Vivienne wrote about Marula trees, Peter Francis Battaglia shared his cooking expertise, Susan McKee served cognac and Rosemary reviewed New Hampshire eatery.

I’ve been traveling, cooking and reading. Quebec City restaurants were memorable — and were matched by Montreal’s exclusive offerings. I must admit Jardin Nelson in Saint Jacques Cartier was probably one of the most impressive dining experiences in the last year. The award-winning gardens, a kitchen that has won awards for its cleanliness and spectacular food made even the hottest day in Montreal more than bearable. I’ll be writing more about Quebec, Montreal and France in the coming months.

My next foray is to Geneva for a new travel show. I’m just the writer behind the camera, but it is fun — and I get to sample food, which gives me fodder for more magazine (and globalfoodie) stories.

Off to finish a deadline. Talk to you soon.

–Denise AKA Globalfoodiegal

August, 2009

Greetings! Our site keeps gettting better and better, so bear with us as we work through the small web-world glitches. We’re writers, so only one side of our brain works. The other side — the one that figures out the cyber universe– is missing a few beats. Even so, we’re moving in the right direction; just a little slowly.

Take a look at a few of our stories. Shannon Hurst Lane’s story, “Grits” is funny and educational. Keith Kellett always keeps me entertained with his UK stories.  His “Aussie Pies” and a visit up Snowdonian’s peak are great, so take a look.  Deston Nokes explains why North Carolina biscuits are so popular in Oregon and Richard Frisbie takes us to the French country side.

There’s more to come. Susan McKee has two stories on deck and Deston promises to tell a few more tales. Rosemary has another book review and is writing about Pamela’s gluten-free products.

There are two winners in our now bi-monthly cookbook contest. Congratulations to Roberta Beach Jacobson, from Greece, and Tera Crain, from Austin, Texas. We’ll get those out as soon as possible.

We are still collecting recipes, so send in whatever you have. Include its history and family ties. Eventually we’ll have our “Recipe Center” up and running.

We’re almost into September and we foodies know that means it’s time to enjoy your local bounty. Peaches, tomatoes, corn-on-the-cob, herbs, lettuce, you name it, your local farmer has it all and more.  Although supermarket offerings are fine, the local farmer’s market or farm stand is the only way to go this time of year.

Talk to you soon,

Denise

May/June 2009

Welcome to globalfoodie.com!

Text and photos by Vivienne Mackie

The African continent is home to a variety of fascinating ancient trees and plants, a fact that enhances the mystery and appeal of this continent.

Amarula tree.

One is the Marula Tree, often called “The Great Provider,” because of its many uses. The Marula tree grows naturally in the warm, frost-free regions of southern Africa, especially Botswana, Zimbabwe and South

Although not commercially cultivated the Marula is part of the mango, cashew and pistachio family. Its fruit, which looks like a worn tennis ball, is used for making jam, beer, and wine, and it is the basis for a Amarula Cream Liqueur, one of South Africa’s most successful exports.

The Marula is also known as “hard walnut” from the Greek, refers to the hard stone inside the fleshy fruit. It is a medium sized deciduous tree that has been extremely important to the indigenous Bantu peoples and their migrations for at least 10,000 years, according to archeological evidence. The ripe Marula is the size of a small yellow plum, its fleshy fruit high in vitamin C (more than 4 times that of an average-size orange), the nutty kernel is high in protein and oil, while the bark has medicinal properties that are helpful in malaria prophylaxis, for pain, and for scorpion or snake bites. The inner bark can be used to make rope and the soft wood is good for carving.

Marula fruit.

Held sacred among those who inhabit the region, the Marula tree plays a prominent role in tribal legends. Commonly nicknamed “the Marriage Tree,” it is widely believed to bestow vigor and fertility upon those who marry beneath its branches. Even today, tribal wedding ceremonies occur beneath its branches. The hard stones inside the soft yellow fruit are often dried and strung together in a necklace that traditionally symbolizess love.

During southern Africa’s spring and early summer when the ripe Marula fruit hangs on the tree, animals travel for miles to collect and enjoy their share of this delicious, natural bounty. Warthog, waterbuck, giraffe and kudu all eat the fruit and leaves of the tree, but foremost are the herds of African elephants that have roamed the continent for thousands of years. For this reason, some communities also refer to the Marula tree as the “Elephant Tree.” This age-old relationship between these two African symbols is why both this majestic creature and the Marula tree feature as icons for the Amarula Cream Liqueur.

Amarula Cream Liqueur

A popular centuries-old myth is that elephants and other animals eat the rotting Marula fruit and get intoxicated. It was put to rest by a National Geographic story. (See: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1219_051219_drunk_elephant.html )

Once a year, the Marula tree is responsible for a remarkable event – the annual Marula harvest. Celebrations occur as the bountiful fruit is gathered from across the plains. A single tree can produce over 10,000 fruit.

Here is where the process of making Amarula Cream begins. After it is collected by hand, this lush and exotic pale yellow fruit is pulped and fermented before undergoing slow and careful distillation in copper pot sills. This process further concentrates the flavor of the fruit, yielding the unique-tasting Marula spirit that is then matured for at least two years in small French oak barrels.

When the tasters say that the contents of each barrel are ready, the Marula spirit is blended with the finest, freshest cream. This is final step toward creating this distinctively smooth liqueur. Amarula Cream has been enjoyed by people who live in and visit its native African continent, and in the last decade or so, has become available to other regions, allowing connoisseurs and and the no-so-experienced to discover this unique flavor. Many people have commented that if you like cream liqueurs, then you owe it to yourself to try this one.

There are also wonderful Amarula Cream chocolates, if you’d like to savor the Spirit of Africa in yet another form.

Amarula Cream can be enjoyed on its own, splashed over ice, or in a variety of delectable cocktails. Many locals and visitors love the southern African tradition of “Sundowners.” A splash of Amarula Cream over ice is one perfect way to watch the sun go down in one of Africa’s spectacular sunsets.

For more information:

Amarula Cream, www.amarula.com (You must include a birth date to enter the site).

Making Manicotti with Pancetta Tomato Sauce

By Peter Francis Battaglia

Peter Francis Battaglia's manicotti.

This is my all-time favorite, then good cheese ravioli, lasagne, and  cavatelli.  Truly, there are no pastas I don’t like; but manicotti has a special place in my heart. Growing up, when these were being made my anticipation went through the roof.  Back then manicotti were always reserved for a special holiday or celebration.

I had the craving on a recent Saturday night; but we had already eaten.  So, around 10 p.m. I went to the kitchen, and started making them for Sunday dinner.  Crazy?  Maybe.

It’s worth the effort. Remember, as with all good things, have patience. It’s work, not really hard work. Let’s face it you’re not installing new kitchen cabinets here. But this kind of work will reward everyone with a spectacular feast – Southern Italian style.

Make the sauce first.  You can make your favorite or usual sauce, but for the love of all that is good in the world, don’t use jarred sauce. You can make it yourself.

I opened the fridge and took a nice piece of Pancetta. Pancetta is an Italian form of bacon, cured, but not smoked.  You cannot use smoked bacon in a recipe that calls for pancetta.  The flavor is not the same and will alter the end result.

If Pancetta is unavailable, don’t panic.  Every supermarket is carrying it now, but, if you happen to live in an area where it is unavailable, use salt pork.  Dice about 1 cup of the pancetta and sauté in a large pot with some fruity olive oil. Let it sizzle for about 8 minutes. Add 1 large or 2 small onions, finely diced. Let this simmer in the oil for about 20 minutes so that the onions sweeten and meld with the pancetta flavor. This is a crucial step in creating this particular sauce. If you are using salt pork – after the onions have started cooking for about 5 minutes — add a splash of wine and a good grinding of black pepper. This will make the salt port take on the flavors of pancetta. It works.

Now add two cans of San Marzano good tomatoes that you have crushed with your hands. Add a couple of torn basil leaves, taste for seasoning, and let this cook for at least 1 hour. You will be happy with the concentrated flavor the onions and pancetta give the sauce.

Saute for five minutes to meld flavors.

See that bright, sunny red color? It comes from San Marzano tomatoes and not overcooking the sauce.

While the sauce is cooking you make the manicotti.  The Battaglia-Scaramuzzi family recipe (that would be my Mom’s way of making them) is crepe-style.  I find the manicotti made with macaroni or pasta dough – whether it be fresh or dried – very foreign.  I think cannelloni which are quite similar, are made with a fresh pasta dough.  I also don’t like a well-known “Italian” franchise restaurant’s mentality of taking a dish and embellishing it with extraneous ingredients.

Manicotti should be stuffed with a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino romano, black pepper, and fresh parsley, with an egg to help bind the filling.  Serve it all with a tasty sauce – tomato please, never Vodka sauce. Garnished with shrimp? No. Why the tirade?  This latest restaurant’s disaster pairs a ricotta stuffed manicotti with a cream (OMG) sauce and shrimp. What?  I’m just sayin …

Making the Crepes

OK, let’s start making the crepes. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour into a bowl. Add 3 well-beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon olive oil, pinch of salt, 2 cups of milk. Somehow this always changes, so be sure it has the consistency of a loose pancake batter, which hovers between thin and not so thin.

The crepe batter should have this consistency.

Rub a non-stick small omelette pan with olive oil. Place it over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Now ladle a thin layer of the crepe batter into the pan, smoothing it out with the bottom of the ladle.  It should be thin, but not transparent. Cook for 2 minutes on each side and continue making the crepes until the batter is used. This should yield about 20 crepes. Stack them on a place and move to one side. Let cool for about 1/2 hour.

Cooking the crepes.

Manicotti Filling

In a large bowl add one-half pound small diced mozzarella, 2 teaspoons freshly minced flat-leaf parsley, 1 beaten egg, 1 cup pecorino romano, lots of fresh ground black pepper, One-and-one-half pounds good ricotta. Polly-O is a good supermarket brand, but, if possible get fresh ricotta from an Italian Store, or Salumeria. It makes for a heavenly manicotti. Fresh ricotta just can’t be beat.

Manicotti filling.

Preparing the Manicotti

Add some sauce to the bottom of a baking pan.  Take a crepe and put abut 3 tablespoons of the filling down the center. Roll it up and place into pan. Do not stack them on top of each other. One layer only.

Put the filling across the crepe and roll.

Place manicotti in a single layer.

Just a suggestion (not really), use Polly-O whole milk mozzarella. Fresh has too much liquid and it makes the filling watery. Top the finished tray with sauce and add some grated pecorino.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover the tray with foil and bake for 1 hour.  Let the manicotti sit for a good 5-10 minutes before serving.  The foil prevents the heat from drying the manicotti and scorching the top.  Too much cooking and the tomato gets bitter. When serving, figure at least 2 manicotti per person, so make enough. This is an easy recipe to double.

I'll have three please ...

Those of you who want to wow your family and friends with a homemade pasta dish, this is just the one to try.  You can make the shells and sauce a day or two before serving.  You can even roll and stuff them, but you must cook them less than 24 hours after you they are stuffed. Just tightly cover and refrigerate. Serve with a meat ball or sausage – or not.  Just one makes a great starter to an Italian meal, or use it as the entrée.

Cannelloni I like with a veal and spinach stuffing, asiago cheese, onion, garlic, carrot, celery. Oops, that’s another recipe.  Sorry. Once I get started, I just want to keep going. Drop me a comment if you try this!

To see more of Peter’s recipes visit his blog at: www.blog.afoodobsession.com. Peter can be reached at: Peter@globalfoodie.com.

by Emilie C. Harting

Set on a hill overlooking New Hampshire’s Squam Lake and the White Mountains, the Manor at Golden Pond, with its sprawling main house, croquet setups, swimming pool, and surrounding woods, brings to mind an English country house.  Books line the lower half of the walls in the spacious and light-filled main lounge.  The latest magazines and periodicals are at hand on coffee tables in front of comfortable chairs and couches, the chess games and jigsaw puzzles wait for players to come back and finish, and the all day tea on the sideboard speaks the language of relaxation.

The inn draws a diverse crowd of families, hikers who return each year in summer, skiers who come in winter, couples celebrating milestone events, and those who want to stay put and relax on the grounds. One family had bicycled a hundred miles north from Massachusetts so they could see their favorite ski area when it was green rather than snow covered. A sixty something couple, theater producers from New York, had motorcycled up from Long Island.  Other guests talked about how they like to come each year because they love the lake and mountains, and want to spend time on the grounds and in the spa.  However, food and wine are the major draw.

Chef Peter Sheedy has won accolades for his cuisine, which he calls New American, a fusion of New England classics with French, Thai and Spanish influences. The inn has also won awards from Wine Spectator for its food and wine pairing.  Though one of his favorite cooking moments is when the marbling of a roast has reached just the right point, he is equally exited by vegan food. He’s developed an exciting vegan tasting menu; but that you must order in advance. Translate: vegan means no animal products whatever.  Sheedy is a purist and uses vinegar and lemon juice rather than wine when creating vegan dishes because ox blood, egg whites, or some other kinds of animal protein, are often used in the clarification process. Providing vegan fare, he says, is as important as accommodating diets for guests with  allergies, medical conditions, or certain religious practices.  

Always alert for new trends, Chef  Sheedy  began developing vegan recipes as he worked in kitchens across the country—in New England, where he cooked in top restaurants and attended culinary school, in Oregon, where he stirred pots alongside a number of leading chefs, and in Atlanta, where he mentored the staff of a restaurant in the Marriott chain.  At each location he noticed a growing core of health conscious eaters who wanted vegan food. 

Dishes on both the traditional and vegan menus abound with flavors that one can only get from high quality produce that reaches the table soon after it is picked.  On the way to work, Sheedy often stops at local farmers’ markets in the surrounding valley.  He also rings up nearby growers who deliver.  In off seasons the vegetables and fruit come daily from special Boston purveyors.

Organic heirloom tomatoes in my tomato panzanella, a sliced bread and fresh tomato dish native to Tuscany, had their sweetness intact, and in my carrot and parsnip soup, the sweetness of the parsnips balanced out the slightly bitter carrot taste.

However, the highlight for me was the summer squash cannelloni stuffed with legumes and topped with crème sauce.  A base of shredded cauliflower mixed with fennel, and a stiff puree of garbanzos and white beans takes the place of the traditional cheese stuffing.  Each variety of beans has a subtle taste of its own, and Sheedy says that with several types of beans, mushrooms or apples, you get more than the sum of the parts.  He uses a cauliflower puree enriched with a good bit of extra virgin olive oil to make it as rich and satisfying as a traditional crème sauce.  Since cauliflower is mostly water, and oil and water don’t generally mix, he uses plant-derived liquid lecithin, a binder which is becoming increasingly common in vegan cooking because it emulsifies the way egg yolks do.

Also the particles of cauliflower help hold the ingredients together in the same way that a little mustard helps keep a vinaigrette smooth, or the way that whipping a bit of cream, along with the butter, into mashed potatoes before they begin to separate makes them seem less greasy.

Sheedy says that the vegan summer squash cannelloni is a variance of a dish that would usually have a lot of animal products in it.  The cheese filling of the traditional dish, for example, has a “platform” taste—rich neutral protein that is satisfying to the palate.  Pureed beans are an obvious substitute.  They’re rich in protein, and they readily take on the flavors of whatever seasonings they’re cooked with.  He says it’s fun to create this kind of “costume” dish—vegan food “dressed up” as traditional fare—but he warned me that even though the cannelloni was one of my favorites,  he doesn’t like to offer more than one or two dishes of this kind on a menu. “Vegan cooking, when it’s done well, can stand on its own merits, and doesn’t have to pretend to be something it’s not,” he said emphatically.

When I asked for advice on wine to pair with the cannelloni, Sheedy suggested 2006 Viognier, Callaway, a Coastal Reserve.  ”Viognier is a white wine varietal that is somewhat uncommon,” he said.  “It has traditionally been used in blended wines.  It is crisp and acidic, though, and has some ‘funky’ and floral qualities that will complement the cauliflower — which is a member of the cabbage family — and the herbaceous fennel).  Being on the richer side– with the cauliflower cream–this is the sort of food that will stand up to a slightly denser wine.”

Another favorite on the menu was the sweet corn risotto, which Sheedy said is an example of a vegan entree that does not imitate animal food.  He uses corn on the cob that’s a day or two out of the garden, high quality rice–carnaroli or abrorio–and excellent olive oil such as extra virgin California arbequina, which is buttery and delicately fruity.  He also chooses tofu that has been handled and stored properly.  When guests object to tofu because they say the flavor is objectionable, Sheedy tells them they have probably been eating tofu that was cooked along with subpar ingredients or was not properly stored.

Charring corn on the grill, he says, adds hints of smoke and bitterness.  The process combines the flavors of the rice and tofu, which are slightly floral but essentially neutral, with the corn, which is “flatly sweet.”  Without the charring of the corn, the dish could be quite “dull and pappy.”  On the other hand, that char flavor has to be added subtly; if there’s too much charring, the more delicate qualities of the other ingredients can be overwhelmed.

He finds that braising bean curd or tofu is a technique that makes it more appealing to those who have avoided it previously.  Tofu is virtually taste-neutral, and it absorbs flavors like few other foods.  It’s important to braise the outside of the curd in medium-hot oil; the process not only adds flavor, but it also gives it a little bit of a crust.  The result is a textual contrast between the slightly chewy exterior and the silky inside.

For the sweet corn risotto Sheedy advised a 2007 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott, Reserve, for the sweet corn risotto.  “It’s is a crisp, dry white and tartly acidic — the sour wine contrasts the sweetness of the dish, and the more subtle qualities of the wine are highlighted by the contrast.  Like many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs the Brancott has wide-ranging tropical fruit and floral notes that fit with the sweetness and floral character of the corn.”

Near the end of my stay, I was in heaven while slowing eating Sheedy’s sorbet in the Van Horn Dining Room with its dark woodwork, splashes of flowered wallpaper, and mullioned windows.  Sorbet has long been the preferred dessert of vegans because it is pure and does not contain any animal fat.  The delicacy may date back to the Roman Emperor Nero, and is said to have been brought from Italy to France in the 16^th century by Catherine de’ Medici.  How succulent it is now when the chef uses fresh fruit from a New Hampshire Valley.

For more information visit: www.manorongoldenpond.com

Summer Squash Cannelloni (on Chef Sheedy’s tasting menu):

Serves Two

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized zucchini

1 medium-sized fennel bulb, diced fine

1/2 medium-sized onion, diced fine

1/4 cup garbanzo beans, dry

1/2 cup cannelloni (white) beans, dry

2 shallots, peeled and diced fine

1 parsnip, peeled and diced medium

1/2 head cauliflower

1 ml liquid, plant-extracted lecithin

1/2 cup very high quality extra-virgin olive oil

3 drops (2 ml) white truffle oil

2 cloves garlic, slivered

3 sprigs thyme

juice of 1 lemon

neutral vegetable (soy) oil as needed

kosher salt as needed

black pepper as needed

1/8 th cup micro arugula

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar reduced to a think syrup

For the Zucchini “Pasta”

Cut the ends off the zucchini. Using a mechanical deli slicer or very sharp vegetable slicer, cut the zucchini from end-to-end into 1/8th inch slabs. In a pot of boiling, salted water blanch the slabs of zucchini for about 20 seconds so that they are flexible enough to roll around the fennel-legume stuffing.

For the Fennel-Legume Stuffing

In a medium-sized, non-reactive pot, combine two sprigs of thyme, the diced onion, 1 of the diced shallots, 1 clove of slivered garlic, the diced fennel and the diced parsnip. Toss with a pinch of kosher salt and a tablespoon of neutral vegetable oil. Set over a medium-low flame. Cover with a parchment paper lid and sweat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and fragrant, about 20 min. Do not allow the vegetables to brown. Once the vegetables are soft, add the dried beans to the pot and enough water to cover by four inches. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft, about 1 hour. Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. Remove the thyme spring from the cooked beans and puree. Pass the resulting puree through a fine-meshed sieve to ensure a silky texture. If the puree is too stiff — the texture should be fairly soft, like the texture of the warm ricotta it’s intended to mimic — thin it slightly with the reserved cooking liquid. Hold warm.

For the Cauliflower Cream

In a small, non-reactive pot, combine one of the thyme sprigs, one of the diced

shallots, one of the cloves of garlic, and most of the cauliflower (reserve four of the choicest florets for use as a garnish). Toss with a pinch of salt, half of the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil. Set over a medium-low flame and cover with a parchment paper lid. Sweat until the cauliflower is very soft and fragrant, about 30 minutes.

Once the cauliflower is fully cooked, remove the thyme sprig and puree, thinning tothe consistency of heavy cream with the reserved cooking liquid from the beans. After the cauliflower cream has been adjusted to the correct consistency, force it through a chinois to ensure it is silky smooth and homogeneous. Hold warm.

For the Cauliflower Garnish

Slice the cauliflower florets into four, 1/2-inch thick slabs. Season with a pinch of salt and pat dry with absorbent paper towels. In a small saute pan, heat an 1/8th of an inch of neutral vegetable oil until it flows readily around the pan and shimmers slightly. Add the cauliflower to the pan, pressing down gently. When the cauliflower is crisp and well browned on one side, remove with a slotted spatula and place on absorbent paper to blot away any excess oil. Finish with a sprinkle of kosher salt.

To Finish and Plate

Spoon a small quantity of the fennel-legume stuffing onto each of four blanched zucchini ribbons. Roll the zucchini around the filling gently so it doesn’t crack or break. Smooth any excess filling off the ends of the zucchini rolls. Arrange two of the zucchini rolls in the center of each of two plates. Flash the plates in a moderate oven briefly to warm the zucchini. Top each with a grind of fresh black pepper from the mill and the remaining lemon juice. Combine the cauliflower cream, truffle oil, liquid lecithin and extra-virgin olive oil in an over-sized bowl. Season to taste with kosher salt. Using an immersion blender submerged only two thirds in the cauliflower cream mixture, blend the ingredients together until they are emulsified and slightly foamy. Use a serving spoon to draw some of the liquid from the beneath the foam. Use until it has the ability to coat the back of a spoon.    Top each cannelloni with a crisped slice of cauliflower. Use the foam from the cauliflower cream to top the browned cauliflower florets, dotting some around the plate. Dress the micro arugula with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and arrange above the zucchini cannelloni. Drizzle the plate near the cannelloni with some of the balsamic vinegar reduction. Serve immediately.

Reach Emilie at: echarting@hotmail.com. You can view more of her work at: www.emilieharting.com.

By Keith Kellett

When I attend one of the Vaughantown English-language programmes, I’m always being told that the meals, while good, aren’t typically Spanish. So, any serious research into Spanish food usually is confined to tapas and snacks, which is fair enough. We’re there to give Spanish people experience in speaking English, not to eat.

The programmes don’t start until breakfast at 9 a.m. Now, I’m an early riser and often have a considerable amount of work done by then. So, while I  pass the time by writing notes and reviewing pictures it nevertheless seems a long time until breakfast. And, I usually feel peckish, or at least, in need of liquid.

A short way down the street from the Salamanca hotel where we were staying is an establishment, which opens very early, called a churreria, which serves something with which many Spanish people like to start their day.

Chocolate con Churros is hot, sweet drinking chocolate, so thick you could almost stand your spoon in it. It’s served with baton-like deep-fried pastries, freshly cooked in the same way as doughnuts, which are dunked in the chocolate before eating. Guide book lore has it that the party-loving Spaniards sometimes go straight from a party to work, and like to take on the energy jolt given by a chocolate con churros. However, most Spanish people I know deny this strongly — although they will admit it’s a good way to end a night out, as well as start a morning.

Hot chocolate beside a plate of freshly made churros. (Photo by Keith Kellett.)

Of course, it doesn’t do to indulge in this treat too often.  The words “calories” and “cholesterol” spring to mind. But, a lot of people have similar guilts about bacon and eggs, so why not occasionally!

The churreria itself, called the Graci, is a small room, most taken up by the bar, the machines for making the chocolate and the churros and the stove for frying the churros. There were one or two cramped tables and chairs, so it’s better to belly up to the bar to have your chocolate.

You can make your own churros, but you need to have a special machine, or a doughnut maker. The mix is a typical doughnut recipe: flour and water in approximate 1-1 proportions, salt and olive oil, according to how many you want to make. Boil the water, oil and salt, and add the flour till it becomes a smooth, thick paste.

At the churreria, they place the mixture in a special machine, from which the churros are taken as required. The machine is right over the pan they’re fried in, so they can be dropped straight into the hot oil.

There’s another version, larger than the churro called the porra. You have to be careful when you’re asking for these, as the word is similar to porro, which I’m told is Spanish slang for a joint or a spliff! Or, is it the other way around? Or, have I been completely misinformed?

Maybe it’s best to stick to churros?

Keith, our UK correspondent, can be reached at: Keith@globalfoodie.com.

By Peter Francis Battaglia

I’m not one of those chili and hot sauce fanatics, however, I love the intensity of heat, sweetness and the all around flavor profile it adds when one is not stupid with the amount added to a dish.  If you are at all put off by hot foods, maybe you’ve been force fed too much heat in a particular
recipe.  My style is to add the touch of heat, and its flavor and then put some extra heat on the side. You be the judge on how hot you want your food.

Personally, I put chili flakes on tons of my dishes, over and above what my recipes call for. And that is my decision — to make it hotter for my palate, but your palate I must respect.  Over the weekend — with the sun shining, no wind, no humidity, just perfect Jersey Shore weather — I had to grill.

One of my favorite grilled items are chicken wings.  Recently I had bought in the Mexican section of Shop-Rite, a variety of chili powders in the Mexican section of Shop-Rite. Not the American multi-ingredient blend, but powders made of a single type of chili.  I purchased a bag of Arbol Chili Powder and one of Pequin (or Bird) Chili Powder.  Nothing in the bags except the finely ground flesh of those particular peppers. Both carry a searing heat.  So why would I use one of these on a wing recipe?  Heat and wings are a classic combo and Buffalo Wings are a perfect example. My girls had a friend over for the weekend and wings seemed to easily fit the bill.

I started with a rub

1 tbs. granulated garlic; 1/2 tsp. brown sugar; 1 tsp. oregano; 1/2 tsp. black pepper; 1 tsp. Pequin chile powder (OMG it’s sooo good): 1 tsp. kosher salt; 1 tsp. thyme leaves; 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. sage.

Blend this well.  Now add 20 chicken wings, washed and dried with paper towels. Coat the wings and let them sit covered in the refrigerator for one hour.  Mix 3 tbs. olive oil, 4 tbs. of balsamic vinegar and pour over the wings. Let it all marinade for one more hour.

Turn your grill to high 15 minutes before you start cooking the wings. Keep the cover on. In a large foil tray layer the wings and sprinkel 4 tbs. of soy sauce over the wings and add a little more oil. Place the foil tray on the rack and let them cook undisturbed for 10 minutes. Then turn the wings and let them cook another 10 minutes. They should be nice and golden. Turn the wings and let them cook another 10 minutes.  They should be nice and golden now.

Carefully remove the partially cooked wings from the on and place them on an oiled grill. Lower the heat to low and cook for another five minutes on each side.

Garnish the hot wings with fresh sage and thyme. This adds a little more flavorto the wing and gives it an earthy and fragrant herb essence. To finish these wings my way,  add a squirt or two of my favorite condiment Sriracha Rooster Chili Sauce.

I love this stuff so much I actually posed the bottle. I think it’s photogenic, don’t you? A little of this drizzled over the wings adds more depth and just the right amount of heat without leaving your screaming for the NYFD to put out the fire in your throat.

Isn’t that pretty — or handsome? The different chilies, with soy, which does wonders for the color of the wings, and the tenderizing tang and carmelizing properties of the balsamic all make these wings special. The car from the grills adds more intensity. Serve this with homemade kidney or pinto beans.  I sauteed a strip of smoked pork jowl (a staple in my freezer — don’t make fun of me, I’m sensitive) in some vegetable oil; added a diced small onion; 1 sliced clove of garlic; and let it all meld together. Then I  added 1 can of beans with half the liquid poured off. To that I added 1/4 cup of ketchup (Heinz preferably); 1 tsp of mustard powder; 1/2 tsp. pequin chil (just because); 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. black pepper; 1 tsp. molasses; 1 tbs. brown sugar. Mix well and let this simmer on low for about 45 minutes. It beats that can of B&M in the pantry.

Check out those beans, the perfect foil for the wings. This summer, spring or whatever your grilling season, experiment with rubs, oils and chilies. And try a few side dishes too. If you need some extra help post a comment on my blog and I’ll do my best. Life is too short to waste it on the same old same old. Get out and grill. It’s the season!

This article appears on Peter Francis Battaglia’s site where you may leave your comments. It’s:  www.blog.afoodobsession.com/2010/04/12/get-out-and-grill–spice-your-wings-up-with-this-flavorsome-rub-and-marinade.aspx.

Ringraziamento … an Italian Thanksgiving

By Andrew J. Harvey

The author poses beside a roasted turkey while holding its foldout paper partner.

During the fall of 2008 a dream of mine came true — the opportunity to spend a semester living and studying in Italy. Having learned the Italian language, I specifically requested a host family that spoke little or no English.

I arrived at Gianni and Ana Silvestri’s multi-story home, located in the center of Florence. Lifelong Florentines, they welcomed me into their lives and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in my new home.  During those months they introduced me to every aspect of Italian life.  In talking to other students later I realized that I had indeed received a much better host family than most.

By November I think I met every member of the extended family. I decided that it would be nice to repay everyone by introducing them to the uniquely American Thanksgiving dinner.  My cooking experience was limited, so I was guided through the meal by recipes found online and email advice from my mother, who is half Italian. Mama Ana did the shopping. When she came home with the groceries I realized my culinary gift was harder than expected.  She arrived with a 21-pound turkey — still in full white-feathered regalia. Apparently, those frozen and fresh market turkeys so common in American supermarkets aren’t easy to find in Italy.

My aim was for Ana to relax while I did the cooking. Getting an Italian mother to watch you cook without helping is an impossibility.  We began by preparing homemade stuffing with a loaf of Italian bread. She really wanted to put meat in the stuffing and was shocked that I’d make it without sausage or some sort of meat.

The only item we lacked was string to tie the legs together.  Ana disappeared and came back with a wide red ribbon. Although it caught fire while in the oven, it got the job done – and maybe it added a bit of flavor, who knows.

Next we made two traditional American side dishes, a green bean casserole with mushrooms and onions and, of course, mashed potatoes. She’d never seen green bean casserole before, so she let me create that dish myself.

Ana set the table with bright orange napkins, flowers, and a folding paper turkey she found in a stationary store. She was excited about that find and insisted on taking my picture with the real and fake turkey. Once that was finished the family sat down and enjoyed a wonderful dinner.

Most would consider white wine the better poultry choice. During my entire Tuscan experience I never saw a glass of white wine. My host father, Gianni, would rather eat the label than drink white wine.  So, with this in mind, we drank a bottle of traditional fall wine, Vino Novello, that I picked up outside of Siena the week before.  We ate, laughed, and compared Italian and American experiences. This was, she said, most similar to their Christmas meal.

When I came home from school the day after our feast I found most of Ana’s relatives at the table enjoying the leftovers, while Ana explained the holiday to them.  They seemed especially impressed with the stuffing and casserole and insisted on having me translate the recipes into Italian.   After introducing so much of their culture to me, I took pleasure in introducing something uniquely American.  Ana, Gianni, and the rest of the family truly enjoyed their first Thanksgiving and last fall continued the tradition of what they now call “Ringraziamento.”

Andrew J. Harvey is Globalfoodie’s Italian expert and a senior at Syracuse University. Fluent in the language – and the food – he brings a unique, personal and accurate take on the importance of Italian food within the culture. He can be reached at: Andrew@globalfoodie.com.

Photos by Richard Frisbie.

When you’re hungry, any kind of food sounds good. When you are planning a dinner for fifty or sixty hungry people, tapas sounds like a brilliant idea, but is it dinner? At the Paradores Hotel in Santiago de Compostella last February, Emilio Gomez proved it was both!

It was the first of ten concept dinners, each encompassing eighteen regions of Spain. Called “La Cocina de Paradores,” this visually stunning event was held in the equally beautiful Parador de “Hotel Dos Reis Catolicos,” originally built as a hospital, or place of shelter, for the pilgrims arriving at the Cathedral of St James just next door. The cross-shaped dining room, its vaulted ceiling and ornate altars evidenced earlier religious use, was a spectacular setting for this over-the-top culinary event. The casual tapas and bar hopping typical of other evenings could not compare to this, The Ultimate Tapas Party.

Photo by Richard Frisbie.

It was designed as a standup meal with 8 to 10 people for each large round table. Plates of  tapas were placed so that diners could rotate around the table stopping at tapas “stations” to eat that region’s best. Each individual tapas was made of ingredients solely from one region, and each was accompanied by the wine (or primary beverage) of that region. Drinks were served on trays, and mobile bars rolled around the room’s perimeter to have refreshment always at hand. But it was the tapas that stole the show, and what a show it was!

Photo by Richard Frisbie.

Imagine having the most artistic chefs creating each unusual tapas design. They had a team of sous chefs to help them replicate the design times 20 – for each table – to total about 500 of each design. The tapas arrived in little bowls, on little plates, on small spoons, with pipettes of various liquids, and arranged upright on skewers of various sizes and colors to create a veritable forest of colorful and unusual shapes. The display was beautiful!

An artistic interpretation of each tapas was created as a sculpture, all from non-perishable material.

They were on display in a great hall on pedestals, each in a Plexiglas box rising above the principle wine and grapes of that region. Behind each were tables lined with hundreds of real tapas ready to plate and deliver to  guests” tables.

The problem with the event was that I was there to cover the culinary aspect as part of the Gastronomy Congress I was attending. After eating, drinking and tasting all day, standing for three hours while the pomp of the very formal evening played out was just too much to ask. Compound that by needing to taste each of 18 tapas with the accompanying alcoholic beverage, which included hard cider, beer, and all manner of wines. A lesser person could not have done it; a smarter one wouldn’t have! I neatly fit between those extremes and consumed them all – I was working – then joined a group of chefs at a jazz club for drinks and dancing afterward. My stomach still hasn’t recovered!

The highlights:

I’ll be politic and say Galicia’s were the best. One because I love their white wines, so the Bocarribeira 09 D.O. Ribeiro local white served in the traditional manner – a small white bowl – was a refreshing treat; a simple uncomplicated not too sweet delight. The fancy take on St James cake as a dessert tapas was a surprise. St James cake is sugar, butter, almond flour (and ground almond, no wheat) combined into a melt-in-your-mouth simple but luscious cake. Here it was topped with little pancakes and no small amount of whimsy to excel. Besides, Galicia, a place I love to visit, was my host.

Photo by Richard Frisbie.

After that, the Canary Island’s offering of the second-best potatoes of Spain (after Galicia, of course) speared with pipettes of their green (mild) and red (hot) mojo sauce reminded me of an incredible visit there as only the aromas and tastes of food can trigger the big memories of our lives. The rest (both tapas and wine) could all be grouped as in the good range, but no others stand out as winners.

My final thought? Next time I’ll photograph the event and skip the fancy food. I know, I can say that now, but when beautiful food is placed before me, it is rare that I can refuse it.

Could you?

For More Information:

www.tourspain.es/en/HOME/ListadoMenu.htm?Language=en
Tourist Office of Spain

www.parador.es/
Parador de “Hostal Dos Reis Católicos”

www.santiagoturismo.com/
Turismo de Santiago de Compostela

Richard Frisbie is a food, wine, and travel writer; a bookseller and publisher of New York centric books; and a professional baker who resides in New York’s Hudson Valley. Online, his articles appear here, on Gather.com, GoNomad.com, travellady.com and the many websites of EDGE Publications. He also writes for regional New York magazines such as Life in the Finger Lakes, and Kaatskill Life. Richard can be reached at Richard@globalfoodie.com

Text and photographs by Vivienne Mackie

You’re sitting with the sun, warm on your face, sounds of jazz music drifting round the corner.  This is New Orleans, and you suspect there’ll be a taste adventure.  You ask the waiter for suggestions and he says, “Crawdads.”

Market in Louisiana. Photo by Vivenne Mackie.

“Crawdads?” you ask.  You’d been thinking of lobster.  But no, the waiter is insistent; it must be crawdads.

“What are these crawdads?” Well, let me tell you.

It starts with a legend. When the Acadians left Nova Scotia they were  friendly with the lobsters there.  King Lobster decided to follow the Acadians south.  It was a long, hard journey and they all got thin and small, so the lobsters shrunk to about 6 inches.  Because they’d crawled the whole way, they were nicknamed crawdads.  Some people call them toy lobsters, and the flavor really is similar to that of lobster.

Crayfish, crawfish, crawdads, mud bugs — by any name these tiny crustaceans are delicious.  Our friend, Gary H, from Louisiana says, “North 0f the Mason-Dixon line the Yankees call them crayfish.  South, we call them crawfish or crawdads.”

Crawfish is called “ecrivesse” in France, and “yabby” in Australia.  Many festivals around Louisiana salute the mud bug with country fairs, blues and zydeco music.  Once considered a food of the poor, it is now a staple of the state’s diverse food culture.

Sign for crawfish. Photo by Vivienne Mackie.

You’ll see crawfish advertised everywhere in New Orleans, its bright red face looking out from billboards and brochures. Cartoons of the sharp-clawed crustaceans parade on souvenir T-shirts and festival posters.  The creature features on nearly every menu from classy restaurants in the French Quarter to no-frills diners near bayous, especially in springtime, and there’s even a series of kids’ books about Clovis Crawfish.

Visitors from around the world are amazed at the variety and volume of Louisiana seafood. Louisiana leads the nation in commercial production of fish and shellfish — oysters, shrimp, crawfish, and crabs.  This seafood, plentiful in the bayous and the Gulf, is an important part of the region’s economy.  Much of the crawfish, a basic ingredient of many tasty Cajun and Creole dishes, grows wild in the freshwater wetlands of the Atchafalaya Basin.  But now farmers, especially rice farmers, often flood portions of their land and set wire traps for the crawfish harvest.  One field can produce 1,500 pounds of crawfish a day at the height of the season.

Commercial aquaculture of crawfish started in the 1960’s, where the creatures were farmed in large shallow ponds and caught in semi-submerged steel cages. Farmed crawfish are usually peeled and frozen in a processing factory, but those from local waterways (called Basin Crawfish on roadside stands) are cooked and brought to the table.   Louisianans love crawfish so they eat much of the catch themselves, but they do leave some for export!  In some Acadian restaurants you’ll see a sign ”No Chinese crawfish” because some Chinese importers have tried to flood the market with cheap tail meat. See here for more on a dispute: www1.american.edu/TED/crawfish.htm. However, more has been imported from China recently, and now Spain also wants to export crawfish to the United States.

Going crawfishing is fun for the whole family and kids are good at catching the crawfish, which always seem to be hungry and are easily caught with a piece of meat tied to the end of a of a string. They are found in rivers, bayous, ponds, ditches, and flooded swampy areas.  The season is from early December to mid-July, but the crawfish are best from February to May, when there’s always plenty of water around.

When alive the mud bugs come in many colors—green, yellow, beige, deep maroon—but, when boiled, they are all are a deep red, which they must be for one to extract the meat.  Because they live in mud, they must be soaked in clean salted water for at least 15 minutes and well rinsed.

After catching comes the glorious but messy joy of feasting!

Crawfish are boiled with a special boiling spice mix, (called crab boil mix and used for both blue crabs and crawfish) usually along with whole small red potatoes and sweet corn on the cob. The spiciness varies according to taste. Gary thinks the best crab boil mix is made by Zatarans in New Orleans.

The most popular casual way to eat them is at a Crawfish Boil, served with plenty of cold beer, and chilled white or red wine, either with friends or in a restaurant.  Visitors can look for signs saying Hot Boiled Crawfish, at a special eatery known as a “Boiling Point,” where servings are on aluminium beer trays set on plastic tablecloths.  Or, try a restaurant that has a special table with a hole in the center where you throw shells and debris.

According to Gary the prices vary, and rise and fall like the stock market. “In a normal year, they start at $2 per pound (alive) at the beginning of the season, and by April you can get them for $0.35 a pound (alive). If you buy them already cooked then they are around $3 per pound.” If you order online, you can find prices as low as $2.90 (true on February 2, 2010 on www.selectcrawfish.com )

At times, the Louisiana Crawfish Farmers’ Association tries to regulate the prices, especially if the prices go too low.  For example, this association, which has 1,100 members (the majority of about 1,600 farmers in Louisiana), voted in 2008 to stop harvesting two days a week in hopes of tightening supplies after a steep drop in wholesale prices.

Crawfish are served “by the order,” usually 5-6 lb per person. They are small, so you need a lot to make a meal. The average size is about the size of a man’s thumb.  Gary tries to put these amounts in perspective. “A local bar here in Hammond, and my favorite hang-out place, called ‘Crescent’, has an annual crawfish boil at the time of the Final Four. They cook 3,000 pounds of crawfish. A typical crawfish boil party here in Louisiana has around 200 pounds.”

The tail meat and the fat and liver inside the heads are the edible parts. Break head and tail apart and suck, peel tail and devein the meat, then “gleefully devour it.  It melts on your tongue, caresses your taste buds, and is ten times better than Maine lobster.” (Howard Mitcham, in “Creole Gumbo and all that Jazz.”) With practice, afficionados can schuck these crawdads with one hand, holding a Dixie beer in the other.

This devouring is messy and the red pepper in the boil mix may burn your hands, but it’s all considered part of the process.  Please remember to wash your hands before going to the bathroom, at strategically placed washbasins in the “boiling points.”

The most popular way to eat crawfish is by boiling, but there are other ways to prepare them. World-renowned Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans has a famous Crawfish Cardinale.  Many places serve Crawfish Etouffee (pronounced A-2-Fay), a Cajun dish of crawfish smothered in a delicious dark roux sauce.  Other staple Cajun dishes are Crawfish Stew, Crawfish Jambalaya, and Crawfish Bisque.

In New Orleans, French Quarter “tourist traps” use superlatives like “serving the best crawfish in the French Quarter, in New Orleans, in Louisiana” and have decor with lots of Mardi Gras items featured with an abundance of neon lights. However, the unpretentious places often have better crawfish.

Around New Orleans try these great places:

1) Morton’s, in Madisonville on the Tchefuncte River. This is Gary’s all-time favorite, so he took us there. Servings are suitably huge and messy and the beer keeps coming.

2) Don’s, in Hammond.

In the city of New Orleans try:

1) Acme’s Oyster Bar, 724 Iberville, Telephone: 504-522-5973

2) Mothers, 401 Poydras, Telephone: 504-523-9656

3) Casamento’s, 4330 Magazine Street, Telephone: 504-895-9761 (on the border with the Garden District)

Po Boy shops are good for fast food and sometimes have crawfish. In summer, boiled crabs and shrimp are also popular.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For the history and statistics of crawfish visit: www.crawfish.org.

To purchase crawfish: www.KIcrawfishfarms.com;  www.selectcrawfish.com; or www.lacrawfish.com.

For general information on New Orleans visit: www.neworleans.cvb.com, www.crescentcity.com.

Vivienne Mackie may be reached at: vivienne.mackie@gmail.com. Read her blogs: www.viviennemackie.wordpress.com ;  Web Site: www.web.mac.com/vmackie/iweb/VivienneMackieProfile; Writing on Helium: www.helium.com/users/422547.