Monthly Archives: September 2011

Bread & soup: Real comfort food hearty enough to satisfy any appetite

Posted on by
Reply

soup

Photo by Teresa Taylor

Bread & soup: Real comfort food hearty enough to satisfy any appetite

Sometimes a recipe has a mind of its own. What starts out to be one thing can wind up as a completely different dish.

Take the following recipes, for instance. Neither of the soups are what they were supposed to be — one ended up as a stew.

A Southern take on Italian ribollita soup takes cues from butterbeans and red cabbage. While bread is typically crumbled into the soup, either cornbread or a noknead loaf could be served alongside.

One morning after the rain had been pounding on the ceiling skylight all night and the cat was willing to cuddle it was so cold, thoughts of ribollita became an obsession.

This earthy Italian soup, thickened with beans and stale bread (originally scooped up by the servants after a feast and added to minestrone, the story goes), is perfect for a cold day.

Our soup vacillated like the weather. What started out to be a hearty soup became something else in the cooking. What was supposed to be a cold day turned into a middling-hot day, calling for a lighter soup.

Rather than adding crumbled bread to the soup, thickening it and making it feel heavier on the palate, it was decided to stop before adding the bread, serving the soup instead next to crusty bread or cornbread. This didn’t forestall diners crumbling bread into it.

The sweet potato curry soup made by intern Elizabeth Schaffer, who goes by “B,” emerged on a cold day. It was intended to be a lighter soup, more of a starter or luncheon soup, but there was a bit of leftover pork languishing in the fridge. The cubes of browned pork gave the soup substance and made it into a main course.

photo

Photo by Teresa Taylor

Sweet potatoes and cubes of pork marry in a hearty tomato-based stew seasoned with curry. Mango chutney, currants, peanut butter and coconut milk add depth to the flavor.

A real stick-to-the ribs soup, it can be reheated over several days. Cubes of boneless chicken legs or thighs would be a good substitute for the pork.

The breads go well with either soup, and have totally different time schedules. The crusty no-knead bread takes at least five hours to make, but does so with so little time and attention that it is possible to start it, leave it in its plastic bag and return to shape and bake it.

Its genius is the crispiness produced by the heavy cast-iron pan in which it is baked (I use a shallow Le Creuset casserole, but any heavy pot with a lid will work). The steam produced by the cooking bread is trapped in the pot, serving to crisp the crust.

But the cornbread is whipped up in no time, easily baked at the same time the soup is being made on the stove top.

Leftover cornbread could easily have been added to the Southern Ribollita Soup as well. Might even make it better. And a different soup altogether. Soups, you see, have minds of their own.

Basic No-Knead Bread

Makes 1 loaf

My grandmother had baking day once a week. She made a dough like this and let it rise overnight. The next day she baked enough for the whole week. I don’t have her recipe. This is an adaptation of Mark Bittman’s No-Knead Bread, taking as little as five hours from start to finish.

Ingredients

3 cups bread or all-purpose flour

1 package active dry or rapid rise yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups room-temperature water

Oil as needed

Directions

Stir together flour, yeast and salt in bowl. Stir in water and make a rough dough. Do not knead. Move to an oiled plastic bag for about 4 to 8 hours in a warm room (70 degrees). If necessary, it may go into the refrigerator (in the bag) overnight or up to two days. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Lightly oil or flour a clean board or counter, slide the dough out and move it to the board. (Divide in half if making two loaves.) Gently fold each loaf roughly in half and repeat that motion. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit another 1/2 hour.

Immediately preheat the oven to 450 degrees. For one loaf, put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, oven-safe glass or ceramic) in the oven while it preheats. For 2 loaves, put 2 (3 to 4-quart) heavy covered pots (or covered pate or loaf pans) in the oven.

Moving quickly and carefully, remove the very hot pot(s) from the oven and close the door of the oven to keep it hot. Quickly and gently pick up the dough, dividing in half quickly if 2 loaves are desired. Using a hot pad or oven mitts, remove the lid and set aside carefully, and set the dough or its half in the middle of the hot pot. Gently shake the pot to make the dough rest evenly in the pan if necessary. (It will readjust itself just a bit in the oven.) Cover with lid, return to the hot oven, and bake 30 minutes; remove lid, and bake, uncovered, another 15 to 30 minutes until browned. Remove bread from the pan and cool on a rack.

Sprinkle with flour for a rough-baked finish. When cool, the bread will last up to 4 days, or may be frozen up to 3 months. Whether fresh or frozen, to recrisp crust, reheat in a 400-degree oven 10 to 15 minutes. (It toasts beautifully.)

Buttermilk Cornsticks or Cornbread

Makes 6 to 8

Buttermilk is found in many cornbread recipes, contributing a pleasant, slightly acidic underlying flavor. The baking soda neutralizes the acidity of the buttermilk sufficiently.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, bacon drippings, or oil

1 cup white or yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In the oven, heat an 8-inch well-seasoned skillet with the 5 tablespoons of fat.

Toss the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together on a piece of waxed paper.

Lightly beat the buttermilk and eggs in a medium bowl. Remove the pan from the oven and add 3 tablespoons of the melted fat into the buttermilk mixture. Stir and fold the dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture quickly without overmixing. Tip the bowl over into the pan, scraping the heavy batter into the still-hot pan. It will sizzle. Quickly move to oven.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the top of the cornbread is lightly browned, the bottom is crusty-brown, and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven, covering handle with cloth, and invert upside down onto a plate and serve warm.

If making ahead, turn out onto a rack to prevent softening the crisp crust. May be frozen up to a month.

Variation: To make cracklin’ cornbread, use 1/4 to 1/3 cup cracklin’s, homemade or store bought, or brown 2 ounces diced fatback, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the batter. Proceed as above.

B’s Pork and Sweet Potato Stew

Serves 8 to 10

Thick, hearty and stick-to-your-ribs, this fall soup moves right into winter. Always add curry powder judiciously as it varies considerably in spiciness.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork (tenderloin, loin or leg)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped fennel or celery bulb

1 cup chopped fresh or roasted red pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 to 1 tablespoon curry powder

1 cup chicken stock

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 cups peeled sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup mango or peach chutney

3/4 cup currants or raisins

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup well-stirred coconut milk

1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

Optional condiments for serving: crusty bread or cornbread; hot cooked long grain rice, currants, chopped peanuts

Ingredients

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Cut the meat into rough 1 1/2- or 2-inch pieces and season the pork with the pepper. When the oil is hot (it will form slight ripples in the pot), add the pork and brown all pieces on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn the pork with tongs and repeat the browning process on the opposite side, another 5 minutes. Repeat to brown all sides. Remove pork from the pot and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, stir in the onion, fennel, bell pepper, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour and curry powder over the vegetables and stir well to coat the vegetables. Continue to stir constantly for about 2 minutes.

Slowly pour the stock over the vegetables, stirring constantly, making sure to scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potatoes. (If the pork needs further cooking, add it with the potatoes, otherwise add later). Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sweet potatoes are tender and can be pierced easily with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat mango chutney in a small saucepan over low heat until just hot, about 3 to 5 minutes, or briefly in the microwave.

Stir in the chutney, pork, currants, peanut butter, coconut milk and peanuts and heat through, making sure the pork is cooked, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty bread, cornbread or over hot rice. Top with optional condiments if desired.

Tip: An easy way to cut up canned tomatoes is to cut them in the can with a long pair of scissors.

Southern Ribollita Soup

Serves 8-10

This soup is a thin cousin of the hearty Italian potage, ribollita. Serve it with crusty bread for dunking when the weather is just turning cool.

If very cool, do as the Italians do, and break the bread up, using it to thicken the soup. Either way, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped leek, medium size

1 to 2 finely chopped garlic cloves

8 ounces (about 1/2 a small head) red cabbage, shredded

8 ounces (about 1/4 of a head) savoy cabbage

1 to 2 peeled chopped carrots (optional)

1 cup chopped fennel or celery bulb

2 to 4 cups fresh cooked butterbeans

1 1/2 cups canned, peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Salt to taste

5 cups water, vegetable or chicken stock

Olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Basil, parsley or other chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Directions

Heat a heavy Dutch oven or soup pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and when hot add the onion, leek and garlic. Cook until soft. Add the cabbages, carrots, fennel, butterbeans and tomatoes with their juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add 5 cups of water or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. When it is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 1 to 2 hours, according to your taste.

When serving, drizzle each bowl with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and herbs, if using.

Variation: For an even more Southern variation, add a ham hock to the soup with the broth, removing the meat from the bone before serving and discarding the bone.

Nathalie Dupree is the author of 11 cookbooks, most recently “Southern Biscuits.” She lives in Charleston and may be reached through Nathaliedupree.com.


Soup recipes with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

Specialty Coffee And Tea Shops Emerging As The Next Reception Room

Posted on by
Reply

coffee

Speciality Coffee And Tea Shops Emerging As The Next Reception Room

On a business perspective, the sprouting of the next wannabe corporate coffee name is just a step away from the office, the school, and the library. This means that over the years, specialty coffee and tea drinkers have multiplied by leaps and bounds. Many of these specialty coffee and tea drinkers go to specialty coffee and tea shops to unwind and chat with friends and colleagues.

How Specialty Coffee and Tea Shops are Affecting our Lives

Sprouting Specialty Coffee and Tea food service businesses have been growing all over serving on the go breakfast consumers to professionals who hold meetings out of the office setup. One thing is for sure, the culture of the modern world is evolving and is opening new doors and market niches for people who dream of having special places to drink, enjoy and experience a great serving of specialty coffee and tea. The specialty coffee and tea service retail industry though is somewhat saturated already by the big coffee and tea moguls that gobble up market shares by closely and strategically locating shops at corners and shopping malls.

There is still an open and untapped market of coffee drinkers that want only the best brews. Brews that come from freshly roasted and full flavoured specialty coffee and tea that is not commercially prepared. This is usually done by local coffee aficionados who have turned their passion of coffee into a social oriented business.

The Specialty Coffee and Tea Experience

People flock to specialty coffee and tea shops to enjoy the whole experience. Preparing good coffee is only half of it. A good percentage of the attraction for the specialty coffee and tea drinker segment is about the shop’s ambience. Since it has been perceived as an extension of the house or office’s receiving area, it must feel homey and comfortable. The chairs, tables, ambiance, lights and even the music can make or break your specialty coffee and tea shop. There is a trend for coffee shops nowadays to offer free wi-fi internet access for their business minded customers who want to keep themselves up to date on stock trades, etc. or for a traveling journalist who just wants to unwind and do his job outside the hotel room.

Specialty coffee and tea drinking is not just for getting a good kick in the morning, but an experience that is shared with friends, colleagues, and the environment.

Starbucks Coffee Company

Starbucks Coffee Company was founded in 1971 by three businessmen in Seattle, Washington who had a love for coffee and tea. It was important to them that the city of Seattle to have access their coffee.

The Starbucks Coffee Company grew slowly but by 1981 had 4 retail stores and a roasting plant that sold whole bean coffee in Seattle only.

By 1983 the marketing manager had a vision of re-creating the magic and romance behind the Italian coffee bar and wanted to test out the concept of selling espresso by the cup. When Starbucks Coffee opened its 6th store in downtown Seattle, the idea had become a hit. Within 2 months the new store was serving over 700 customers a day and it was selling 3 times more than the whole bean locations.

In 1987, the owners of Starbucks Coffee Company decided to sell their coffee business along with the name to a group of local investors for $3.7 million.

The new investors were told that they would open 125 Starbucks coffee stores in the next five years. Starting from a base of 17 stores in 1987, the company expanded rapidly to Vancouver, Portland and Chicago.

By 1991 Starbucks had expanded into the mail-order catalogue business, licensed airport stores and expanded further into the state of California.

In 1992 the company went public and after the initial public offering, Starbucks continued to grow at a phenomenal pace that no one had ever seen in the coffee world before. By 1997 the number of Starbucks Coffee stores grew tenfold, with locations in the US, Japan and Singapore.

Starbucks initiated several successful product and brand extensions including offering coffee on United Airlines flights. They also began selling premium teas through its Tazo Tea Company and offering people the option to purchase starbucks coffee online to enjoy at home.

They began distributing whole bean and ground coffee to supermarkets through an agreement with Kraft Foods. They also produced premium coffee ice cream with Dreyers. Starbucks even sold CDs in its retail stores.

Starbucks began turning its name into a household word not through advertising but through word of mouth. In fiscal 2004, Starbucks opened a record 1,344 stores worldwide. The once small regional roaster, Starbucks Coffee Company, now has more than 9,000 locations in 34 countries serving over 20 million customers a week.

Coffee with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

Eateries fear effects of stiffer raw meat rules

Posted on by
Reply

Eateries fear effects of stiffer raw meat rules

Meatpackers and restaurateurs are concerned that tougher regulations on raw meat taking effect Saturday will make it impossible to serve some popular dishes.

The health ministry is stiffening the regulations because four people died of food poisoning earlier this year after eating raw beef at Yakiniku-zakaya Ebisu restaurants run by Foods Forus Co.

The new rules set by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry require meatpackers to heat a section of raw meat at least 1 cm deep from the surface at 60 degrees for two minutes or more to sterilize it before shipping to restaurants. The eateries will then trim the meat surface before preparing dishes.

Dishes that are subject to the rules are Korean “yukhye” raw beef, beef sashimi, beef “tataki” (pounded beef) and steak tartar.

Those accused of serious regulatory violations may be forced to suspend business or face imprisonment of up to two years or a ¥2 million fine.

Because meat packing facilities have to be inspected by authorities to ensure their ability to follow the new regulations, many people are worried that no one will be able to meet the Oct. 1 deadline when the rules kick in.

“If supply of (properly processed meat) becomes unavailable, no restaurants will be able to serve yukhye in October,” said Takatsugu Nakai, a senior official of an industry body for “yakiniku” (barbecued meat) eatery.

Prices under the new system are adding to the fears in the food service industry. As larger sections of raw meat will be trimmed under the new rules, the portions of meat that can be served will reportedly shrink to 30 to 40 percent of the original size, down from the current 80 percent.

Recommended Reading

Smaller beer brewers taste growing success

Posted on by
Reply

beer

Smaller beer brewers taste growing success

As 466 brewers show off their wares this weekend at the nation’s biggest beer festival, they don’t need an industry stat sheet to know they’re onto something good.

Still, the numbers show, well, heady performance.

Sales of craft beer are soaring, and they show no signs of going flat.

American consumers increasingly are forgoing their traditional Bud, Coors and Miller in favor of low-volume yet full-flavored crafts.

“People are voting with their dollars, and they want a good-tasting beer,” said Chris Lennert, vice president of operations at Left Hand Brewing in Longmont.

Craft beers tallied $7.65 billion in sales last year, up nearly 12 percent from 2009, according to the Boulder-based Brewers Association. A one-year burp? Hardly. The industry’s growth has averaged 12 percent a year over the past five years.

This year could be bigger. Sales in the first half of 2011 were up 15 percent compared with last year.

On the other end of the beer bar, consumption of mass-produced brews was down 3.1 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to the Beverage Information Group, an industry research firm.

Lingering economic weakness has taken a greater toll on the big players in the industry than on smaller craft brewers, said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association.

“Craft beer is an affordable luxury,” he said. “People are willing to spend a little bit more for something they really want to drink.”

The Brewers Association defines a craft brewer as producing less than 6 million barrels a year, having no more than 25 percent ownership by a noncraft alcoholic-beverage company, and using only malt rather than adjunct grains for a majority of its production.

Amid the excitement and crowd- mashing fervor of this weekend’s Great American Beer Festival — where 49,000 attendees taste a virtually endless succession of 1-ounce pours — it can be easy to lose perspective on the craft

industry.

Despite its impressive growth, the small-batch beer sector accounts for just 4.9 percent of all U.S. beer sales.

Five of every 10 American drinkers go straight to the “light” shelf, with Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite and Natural Lite holding four of the top five best-selling-beer positions.

Even so, the light-beer category saw consumption fall by 1.9 percent last year, said Eric Schmidt, director of information services for the Beverage Information Group.

Schmidt said big brewers are emphasizing consolidation and generating profits, even at the expense of losing ground to crafts.

Industry analysts say the craft industry’s toehold on market share is likely to rise.

“I used to be a light (beer) drinker, but I’m branching out now,” said Kristen Callahan, who on a recent evening sipped an Odell 90 Shilling at the Park Tavern in Denver. “I don’t want something too strong or hoppy, but I want it to have some taste.”

The number of craft-beer enthusiasts has been a revelation to Tim Myers, who with business partner John Fletcher started the tiny Strange Brewing Co. in Denver last year.

After being laid off from their information-technology jobs, the pair used their combined retirement savings to start the operation using Myers’ 20-gallon homebrew equipment.

Strange is part of a growing phenomenon of upstart “nano-brewers” whose minuscule production makes even small craft brewers look large.

“People were teasing us that we should be in whatever is below the ‘nano’ category, like maybe a pico-brewery,” Myers said.

But after a year of brewing one-barrel batches and immediately selling the beer in a small central Denver tasting room, Strange has upgraded to a seven-barrel capacity.

Myers said the brewery saw a big sales surge last year after it was one of the participating brewers at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival.

“That was our coming-out party,” he said. “Now we’re going to try to continue growing and serve our customers and make good beer.”

Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or [email protected]



All About Beer with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

Diet Doc Announces The Best Weight Loss Program for Woman Over 40 Diet, a New Diet That Is Considered Most Effective ...

Posted on by
Reply

diet

Diet Doc Announces The Best Weight Loss Program for Woman Over 40 Diet

Diet Doc hCG Diet and Weight Loss created a new, unique diet program for woman over 40 years of age. No diet will provide maximum results if it’s the same diet for each person. In order to achieve maximum weight loss results, Diet Doc creates a diet for each person based on their health history, age, lifestyle, gender and preferences. This approach turns out to be the best weight loss program for women over 40.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) September 29, 2011

Diet Doc hCG Diet and Weight Loss created a new, unique diet program for woman over 40 years of age. No diet will provide maximum results if it’s the same diet for each person. In order to achieve maximum weight loss results, Diet Doc creates a diet for each person based on their health history, age, lifestyle, gender and preferences. This approach turns out to be the best weight loss program for women over 40.

When it comes to weight loss we already know there is no one size fits all answer and that everyone needs a modified approach. This couldn’t be more true than when looking at the best weight loss program for women over 40. Several factors including metabolism, muscle retention and hormonal balance need to be taken into account for a successful weight loss program.

The body starts to lose muscle mass starting in our 40’s and because of the impact muscle has on metabolism, preserving lean muscle mass becomes one of the most important factors in long term maintenance of any weight loss program. Most calorie restrictive diets will cause the body to initiate a metabolic pathway called gluconeogenesis where the body actually makes glucose from amino acids. This results in the loss of highly valuable muscle mass. Many low carb diets also inadvertently stimulate gluconeogenesis because ketone levels aren’t properly monitored.

The best weight loss program for women over 40 which has been shown to preserve lean muscle mass while stimulating fat loss is the HCG diet. Weight lost during this program comes from a much higher percentage fat than that which is seen with other programs such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem. The Diet Doc HCG weight loss program has modernized the Simeons HCG protocol to further spare lean muscle through careful ketone monitoring and increased protein intake through their propriety shake blend.

Around 40, hormone changes can also start to create weight loss obstacles. The body starts to burn calories at a slower rate than it once did in your 20’s and 30’s, which causes a decrease in BMR (basal metabolic rate). This decrease causes real frustrations for people who feel like they workout all the time and eat right, but find it impossible to lose weight. Cortisol levels change as we age and maintenance programs which take this into account can make the difference between piling on extra weight around the midsection every year versus an optimal metabolism which doesn’t lead to gaining weight back.

In women over 40, five to ten years before menopause, there is a decline in progesterone and estrogen. Both these hormones have a tremendous impact on the way our body stores and metabolizes fat. Progesterone in particular tends to decrease at a much faster rate than estrogen and so many women end up in a state called “estrogen dominance” which can lead to weight gain.

Diet Doc’s HCG weight loss program takes into account the BMR and hormone risk factors of every patient and creates a formula which can result in weight loss of up to one pound a day. For women over 40, Diet Doc’s HCG weight loss program provides all the support in the much needed areas of muscle conservation, hormone balance, and metabolic maintenance.

# # #

Julie Wright
Diet Doc HCG Diet and Weight Loss
888-934-4451
Email Information


Diet and Weight loss with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

Challah-bread tradition lives on with Peoria group

Posted on by
Reply

bread

Challah-bread tradition lives on with Peoria group

Warm, homemade bread straight from the oven is a common tradition for many families during the holiday season, but bread symbolizes much more for those of the Jewish faith.

More specifically, challah bread, an often braided egg bread.

About 20 women gathered Tuesday at a Vistancia home in north Peoria to spread the love and make challah bread a day ahead of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana.

Northwest Valley Jewish Women’s Circle makes challah bread
Cooking 101: How to make braided challah

The women, young and old, are part of the Northwest Valley Jewish Women’s Circle. They gathered around the kitchen table and counter, measuring flour, kneading dough in bowls, laughing and coming together around this Jewish tradition.

Rosh Hashana, which marks the “head of the year” for the Jewish religion, began at sundown Wednesday.

“It’s not only a time of celebration, but also sets a tone for the rest of the year,” said Sholom Lew, the rabbi at Chabad of the Northwest Valley in Glendale, where the women attend services.

During the holiday, Jews typically attend services, accept the sovereignty of God and focus on the changes they need to make to live a more perfect life, he said.

Most Jews partake in the bread every Sabbath, but it’s a little different during the holiday season, said Norbert Samuelson, a professor of religious studies at Arizona State University. For Rosh Hashana, the braided bread is made into a circular shape, he said.

The circle, with no beginning or end, symbolizes perfection, which is what Jewish people strive for during the holiday, he said.

The circular shape also looks like a crown, Chana Lew said. The shape not only represents perfection, but the crowning of God, she said.

Chana Lew, the rabbi’s wife, organized the Tuesday bread-making to teach the women about the bread and how to prepare it.

Bread is a nutritional staple, she said. As bread represents life, by consuming the challah bread, Jews believe it gives spiritual nutrition, she said.

Chana Lew said it’s important for today’s Jewish women to know how to prepare the special bread, as it is one of the three main responsibilities for a Jewish woman. The women also light candles on the Sabbath and holidays and are supposed to bring holiness to the family.

While challah bread is eaten during every Sabbath, the loaves are more plentiful during Rosh Hashana. This is to remind people that God takes care of his people, she said.

“It sets a statement that everything we have actually comes from God,” Chana Lew said.

Each women Tuesday made two loaves of bread. Chana Lew said they’re calling them “loaves of love,” because each woman took one loaf home to her family and gave the other to someone in need.

“The goal is to uplift our families,” she said.


Bread Making with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

Going vegetarian is trendy but it can also be smart

Posted on by
1

vegetarian

Going vegetarian is trendy but it can also be smart

To be a vegetarian is to be an eater in transition.

The first step may have come as an ovo-lacto adherent who eschews meat, fish and chicken, but eats eggs and dairy. The next step was strict vegan, dabbling at times with macrobiotic and raw food, but eating (and wearing) no animal products at all. What may follow that is a return to cooked vegetarian fare. That’s just one scenario on the path of a plant-based diet.

To be a vegetarian is to be an eater on a mission for improved health, often in concert with a quest for a more wholesome planet and better treatment of animals. Sometimes it’s to be an eater on the defensive, or to follow religious convictions. To be a vegetarian is to be a lot of things, and sometimes it’s a pick-and-choose lifestyle.

Certainly, to be a vegetarian in America — if not in the strictest sense, then occasionally — is to be part of a growing population, especially if you’re a teenager or young adult. About 8 million U.S. adults and 1.5 million youths ages 8 to 18 identify as vegetarian, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore. Three million others in that age group don’t eat meat but include fish or poultry in their diets.

While strict vegetarian account for only 3 percent of the population, they have mightily influenced others, including food manufacturers. A stroll through any supermarket results in an array of veggie products that weren’t available a decade ago.

Then there are the “Meatless Monday” folks who go without meat at least one day out of seven. The national campaign, supported by Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, is an effort to get us to think about regularly satisfying our protein needs with plants, which tax the environment less than animals. Chef Mario Batali, a seemingly unlikely proponent, has gotten on board, as have thousands of other people. Rather than vegetarian, you might call these people “conscientious eaters.”

Debby DeGraaff of Lutz, Fla., who has taught vegetarian-cooking classes in the Tampa Bay area for 25 years, has noticed the growth in interest. She tracks it by the number of people in her free classes, held at area natural-food stores. What was once a cozy group of 15, she says, has routinely become a crowd of 40.

Organics and bulk foods (less packaging) are more popular, and so is home cooking, DeGraaff says. The interest in home cooking is up in all types of food preparation, thanks to the lousy economy and job losses.

“There is this ill-conceived conception that (vegetarian) food is boring,” she says. But it’s actually the cook’s shortcomings that prevent anything prepared with tofu or eggplant from being tasty, she says.

DeGraaff says that most people come to vegetarianism for health reasons and stay because they feel so much better. In fact, she says, “they didn’t know how bad they felt until they cleaned up their diets.”

Denise Rispoli Becknell, owner of Leafy Greens Cafe, a 3-year-old raw-food restaurant in St. Petersburg, Fla., agrees that health issues often drive people to a plant-based diet, but concerns about the environment and treatment of animals soon follow. “There are a lot of moral and ethical issues” surrounding food.

Still, Becknell says, it’s not always easy to be a vegetarian, especially in a contemporary culture that likes to dine out. If you want to stay strict, you have to ask a lot of questions at restaurants.

“It’s not always convenient, and there are a lot of social pressures on vegetarians,” Becknell says. She notes that 75 percent of vegetarians return to eating meat, a number backed up by a 2005 CBS News poll. The study showed that some people return to eating meat because of the “toll on their social life,” though nearly all who add meat back have become changed eaters in some ways.

Chris Sand of Land O’Lakes, Fla., has made the transition. A former girlfriend got him to go vegan three years ago. She’s out of the picture, and so is his “little bit of a beer belly.” He says he has more energy, and is now teaching a vegetarian-cooking series.

He gets a little sly with meat-eating friends, sneaking vegetarian entrees onto their plates. Most in their mid-20s and early 30s — he’s 27 — are happy to have a friend who cooks. They are often surprised how yummy his dishes are.

“Veganism has been good to open people up to new ideas and new food preparations,” he says. “When most people think burger, they think Angus and Kobe. When I hear burger, I think carrots and walnuts.”

—————–

There are different types of vegetarianism, though all have diets based on plants, including nuts and beans. People who adhere to true vegetarianism do not eat any animal foods, including fish, eggs, dairy products and honey. Some people are raw-food vegetarians and don’t eat food that has been heated above 104 degrees. (Water boils at 212 degrees.)

  • Vegans: Omit all animal products from their diets and often eliminate them from the rest of their lives. Strict vegans use nothing from animals,


Vegetarian, Raw and Vegan with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

The bread man cometh to Pembroke Pines

Posted on by
Reply

bread

The bread man cometh to Pembroke Pines

Albert Bensadoun’s face is a familiar one to those who shop at Stiles Farmers Market and know him as the bread man.

Every Friday through Sunday, he’s at the Pembroke Pines market, which specializes in fruits, vegetables and ethnic specialty products. Bensadoun, who is stationed inside the store’s entrance with his breads, offers customers samples they can dip in his “Secret Vinaigrette.” His offerings include olive loaf, walnut raisin, focaccia, Spanish and Belgian ciabatta, multi-grain — eight flavors in 14 different shapes including mini dinner rolls, 6-inch paninis and half baguettes for those who like big sandwiches. Many drop into Stiles just for the bread, and a few order it by the case.

The secret to his bread, Bensadoun insists, is the ice-cold water of Montreal, Canada, where his Adar Bakery is located.

“When we came to Florida, it was very hard to find good bread that was kosher and also very European artisan bread,” he says. “So we decided to import it from Canada and have had great success. For seven years, he’s been shipping bread from his Montreal bakery, where loaves are made by high-end upscale machines, to his Dania Beach warehouse. From there, he ships it to other states and distributes it locally to hotels and country clubs.

On weekends, Bensadoun hits Stiles with loaves to sell before they thaw, advising customers to freeze it, since the bread contains no preservatives, and bake only what they they’ll eat. “When you put it in the oven for 7-8 minutes, it comes back like it came right out a of a brick oven,” Bensadoun said says. “This is the beauty of this bread. There’s no waste.”

The bread, he said, is for everyone.

“It’s not specifically for one type of community,” he said. “It relates to all nations, from Jamaican, Haitian, Greek, Italian, French — everybody. The palette makes the decision on this bread.”

Last year, he approached Stiles Farmers Market owner Joe Stiles about carrying his bread.

“He told me, ‘Albert, I’m not in the business of selling bread, but if you want, I’ll give you a space here and you can set up and you’ll sell it the old-fashioned way,’” Bensadoun recalls. “So that’s what I do.”

Customers line up for the secret vinaigrette-dipped bread. The dip contains olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, orange, lemon, basil, garlic, rosemary and one secret ingredient. Bensadoun considers a container of it, along with his bread, a “starter kit.”

When the Secret Vinaigrette is half finished, he reveals, it can be replenished by adding olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette and squeezing half an orange into it.

“So they keep it going, keep it going and it becomes an adventure, buying the bread, buying the dip,” he said. “And after a month or two, they come back and buy more dip, but bread they buy on a weekly basis.”

Bensadoun began making the dip at El Morocco, a Panama City Beach restaurant he owned.

“I’m more specialized in the restaurant business where I would provide great bread at a table,” he explained. “My specialty was the kosher bread bar.”

He’s planning to open small bread bars in South Florida. They’ll be like wine bars, he says.

“But you’ll walk in and there will be cheeses, breads and specialty breads,” he says.

Meanwhile, people can sample and buy his loaves at Stiles, but don’t be one of those incessant dippers who hold up the line rather than buy their own loaf and a container of the vinaigrette.

“You should see them,” Bensadoun said. “If I would let them, they’d just stand there and finish my tray and finish my dipping oil.”

Stiles Farmers Market is at 209 N. Hiatus Road in Pembroke Pines. Call 954-437-4852.


Bread Making with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

5 Reasons To Pick Pumpkin Beer

Posted on by
Reply

beer

5 Reasons To Pick Pumpkin Beer

PORTLAND, Maine (MainStreet) — Pumpkin beer is growing into a patch full of competition and a sophisticated seasonal beer for discerning beer drinkers.

Since Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine, introduced its Pumpkinhead pumpkin ale to the masses 10 years ago, production has grown from fewer than 2,100 barrels in 2002 to 19,000, Shipyard’s co-founder and master brewer Alan Pugsley says. During that decade, enough craft brewers have poured out their take on pumpkin ales and pumpkin stouts to attract the attention of their bigger brewing brethren.

Anheuser-Busch InBev(BUD) weighed in with its Michelob Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale in 2005, MolsonCoors(TAP) topped off its Blue Moon series with Harvest Moon ale in 2006 (and rebranded it as Harvest Pumpkin Ale this year) and even big craft brewer Boston Beer(SAM) just added Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale to its selection in 2010. Even as the market crowds and brewers’ pumpkin vines tangle, there’s still enough demand to force Shipyard to extend Shipyard’s August-through-October release season to Thanksgiving and to increase production to an estimated 30,000 barrels — or more than 413,000 cases.

“We thought we just about maxed the deal last year when we sold 19,000 barrels of Pumpkinhead,” Pugsley says. “That was all in a compressed time frame in August, September and October, but somewhere along the line it caught the imagination with the flavor or the headless horseman on the package.”

Pumpkin ale is nothing new in the craft brewing world, but its popularity has taken a while to ferment. Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Del., traces the roots of its popular Punkin’ Ale back to 1994, when founder Sam Calagione took his spiced pumpkin homebrew to Delaware’s Punkin Chunkin festival six months before Dogfish Head opened for business. At an event where slingshots, catapults and air cannon launch pumpkins through the air for more than 4,000 feet, the beer recipe contest judges were impressed enough to unwittingly make it one of Dogfish Head’s first beers.

“They were all ‘Pumpkin and beer?’ and we were all ‘Yep’ and they were all ‘First place, we love it,’” says Dogfish Head’s Calagione in the brewery’s beer bio video. “Soon after that, we opened in 1995 and this became a staple — we started brewing in the fall of 1995 and we’ve brewed it every fall since.”

All About Beer with Bill & Sheila

Recommended Reading

Spanish Food - The Tasty Tortilla

Posted on by
Reply

Spanish Food – The Tasty Tortilla

It certainly is a poor man or woman who cannot find a few eggs, a couple of potatoes and an onion in their store cupboard!

The ever-practical Spaniard realized this and thus created their marvellous “tortilla” – an easy-to-make dish that could be savoured by rich and poor alike.

Not only cheap to make the tortilla, or Spanish omelette, is immensely adaptable: you can eat it hot or cold, depending on the weather and your mood; you can enjoy a small slice as a “tapa” (snack) in between meals; or, accompanied by a multi-coloured mixed salad and crusty, fresh Spanish bread, you have a marvellous main meal! Should unexpected guests come knocking at your door … just whip out the ever-adaptable toritilla, pour them a glass of smooth, Spanish wine and they are bound to be delighted!

Unlike the better-known French omelette which should be made quickly and over a high heat, the Spanish omelette needs to be cooked more gently, so that the middle is not too runny. The French omelette is best eaten straight away and always hot. Its Spanish counterpart, on the other hand, improves if left to rest for at least five minutes before eating, keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge, and can easily be re-heated in the microwave, unless you prefer it cold.

As with the French omelette, the Spanish tortilla is made in a frying pan (preferably non-stick) but, unlike the French version, both sides need to be cooked. For this reason, it is possible to buy special tortilla frying pans – a sort of double pan which allows you to just swish it over and cook the other side!

I have to say, I prefer the traditional method of placing a plate on top of the pan, turning the tortilla out and then returning to the pan to cook the underside. But, perhaps the simplest method is to just place the frying pan under the grill to brown the tortilla.

Whichever way you choose to prepare it, once cooked, leave it to cool a little, cover with a large plate, then gently ease the omelette out. It should be circular, about an inch-and-a-half thick, and it is usual to cut it in slices or wedges. Having said that, you can divide it into small cubes, pop a cocktail stick on top, and serve along with other “bits and pieces” as apéritifs.

Spanish recipes for tortilla vary slightly from region to region – also what you have in the fridge and what you fancy! You can replace the potato with, say, spinach, leave out the onion, add a bit more garlic, etc, etc. Just use your imagination!

Below is a recipe for a traditional potato-and-onion tortilla.

TORTILLA – Spanish Omelette

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed with 1 teaspoon salt
2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
Black pepper
6 eggs, beaten

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan.
Add onion, garlic, pepper and potatoes.
Gently fry until golden-brown and potatoes slightly softened.
Tip potato-and-onion mixture into bowl containing the beaten eggs.
Stir and transfer to a large frying pan containing clean oil.
Cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Transfer pan to a preheated hot grill until top is browned.
Alternatively, turn upside down onto a plate and return to pan to brown underside.
Carefully tip onto plate and slice as you would a cake.

author:Linda Plummer

Recommended Reading