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David Russo, VMD, PhD
Veterinary Scientist, Gourmet Lover and Amateur Cook
GOURMET MEATS AND SEAFOOD
CONTACT US
January 21, 2008
This is a recipe I got out of a old Japanese cookbook. I’ve modified it a little bit over the years. But this is my old standby, my bread and butter breakfast/brunch meal I whip up for Mother’s Day/wife’s birthday meal in bed.
What you need:
1. 5 eggs
2. 1/2′ block of butter
3. Dash of salt and pepper
4. Dash of milk
Optional:
* Toast
* Champagne and OJ for the mimosa
What to do:
1. In a bowl, beat the eggs.
2. Add a dash of salt and pepper, then a dollop of milk.
3. Toast the bread.
4. In a small saute pan, melt butter over high heat.
5. When the butter is all melted, add eggs.
6. Using a spatula (wooden is best), stir the eggs in a circular, than make a X figure. Caution: the eggs will cook very quickly, less than a minute.
7. Turn off the heat after about a minute. It will be a little runny, but let the residual heat finish cooking the eggs.
8. Arrange nicely on a plate. Optional: serve with toast and mimosas.
That’s it. If you need a few more brunch ideas, check out Brunch, by Louis Pickford and Ian Wallace (I’m a big fan of the Waffles and Ice Cream, and the Panettone French Bread recipes).
Bon Appetit!
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J. Lee writes for mysearchformeaning-money.blogspot.com/ and daddymadeit.blogspot.com/.
January 19, 2008
One of the 99 ways we prepare eggplant in Turkey…
Not everyone likes aubergine, I know. But if you do, or if you know someone who does — or if you’re willing to try something new…you might like this simple but delicious dish we Turks call Domates Soslu Patlican (Aubergine in Tomato Sauce). I’ve been making it since I first learned to cook in my late teens — and after I introduced it in the States to my beloved American mother and sister-in-law, it became their ‘favorite vegetable dish’, bar none.
Aubergine in Tomato Sauce
(Domates Soslu Patlican)
General Ingredients: (I’ll use Turkish measurement terms below [see items with the * notation], but you can find plenty of definitions-help on our Turkish Foods page — for converting to US or British measurements.)
4 medium-sized kemer-style aubergines (with a glossy surface, a curved and slender shape — about 20 cm long, dark purple in color, and almost no seeds)
1 green banana pepper (elongated, light green sweet pepper)
1 red banana pepper (also called salcalik or tarhanalik pepper in Turkey — because it’s used in the making of tomato paste and tarhana)
For frying the aubergine: half a water-glass* of Sun Flower Seed Oil
For the sauce:
4 medium sized tomatoes, half a yemek kasigi* of tomato paste
6 cloves of garlic
1 yemek kasigi* of olive oil
2 yemek kasigi* of vinegar
1 cube of sugar
1 ?ay kasigi* of salt and one of pepper
Preparation:
Don’t peel the aubergine, instead stripe-strip it lengthwise — leaving strips of unpeeled skin evenly spaced down the length of the aubergine’s surface, from top to bottom. (This ’stripe’ gives the finished dish a more decorative appearance.)
Slice the aubergine lengthwise into two sections. Take each section in turn and slice them lengthwise too — into 2 or 3 long strips each (depending on the thickness of the aubergine). At intervals of 1 cm from top to bottom, cut each of these strips cross-wise into chunks.
Soak the pieces in salty water for 20-30 minutes. (This removes bitterness from the remaining aubergine skin peel.) Remove the pieces from the salty water and after rinsing them again in unsalted water — dry them on paper towels. Clean the green and red banana peppers and slice them in ring shapes.
Heat up the Sunflower Seed Oil in a deep pan and place the aubergine and pepper in the heated oil, cooking until they are quite limp and the aubergine is a medium brown color. Scoop the vegetables out of the oil with a frying spatula and into a dish lined with paper towels. Let dry.
To prepare the sauce:
Pour the olive oil and toss the (coarsely chopped) garlic into a medium-sized sauce pan. Peel the tomatoes and cube them the size of tavla (backgammon) dice. Mix together in the sauce pan with the tomato paste. Add the vinegar and the cube of sugar — and after sprinkling in the salt and pepper, cook over a medium hot flame, stirring frequently.
When the sauce begins to boil, cut the heat way back — and let the ingredients simmer for another 5 minutes.
Pour the sauce lightly over the aubergine and peppers and serve at room temperature — as a meze, a snack, or as a vegetable-dish with a meal.
Whenever we have new foreign guests, Jim always asks that I make this dish for them — as long as I don’t call it eggplant. Seems his mother forced him to eat too many soft-boiled eggs as a child — and the name association still bothers him.
[Click following to access a fully illustrated HTML version of Aubergine ‘Tongue Sugar’.]
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Jim and Perihan Masters are a husband and wife team,
living on the Aegean Coast of Turkey just 50 miles south of Izmir.
Settled now in the heart of what was once the ancient
Ionian Empire — the couple live an idyllic life by the sea.. writing,
drawing and painting, teaching English, and providing computing
service support to local businesses. They also sponsor the MSNBC
award-winning Learning Practical
Turkish Website which has built an enthusiastic international
following of devoted Turkophiles and inquisitive language students of
all ages.
January 18, 2008
Before you decide to spend another evening sitting in front of the television screen and eating delivery food, imagine the following scenario. You enter the house and after taking a shower, you put on your beloved home-wear and you put on your old music compilation. As the familiar sounds of your once favorite songs fill up the air, your doorbell rings and a friend arrives holding an iced bottled of white wine and a bag full of fresh groceries. You both enter the kitchen and in less than an half an hour you leave the kitchen premises with a feeling of happiness all over your faces. In an hour the dinner will be ready and you take advantage of the time to catch up and remember old moments while building new ones.
Cooking can easily turn to be a fun and relaxing process that requires nothing more than your own imagination to turn a classic and boring dinner into a colorful, tasteful fiesta. Whether you are cooking for yourself or you are exposing your cooking talent to a group of friends, who are willing to taste your efforts, cooking can be more than a simple act of preparing food before consumption. With the variety of cooking techniques existing today, your next cooking challenge can become a new hobby you will probably decide to invest more time in exploring. By selecting, measuring and combining the different ingredients with a handful of creative spirit, cooking in itself can become your next favorite sport.
Before concluding that your cooking attempts will never resemble the cooking masterpieces you always enjoy when visiting your mother’s or even grandmother’s kitchen kingdom, keep in mind that like all sports, cooking takes practice before you can be officially named the next master chef. With the plethora of cooking recipes worldwide and with the variety of ingredients and methods of preparation applied to food, cooking something unique you can even name after you, is not that difficult after all. Changing the flavor, texture, and appearance of your food is not only a highly creative process, is considered by many to be an extremely joyful experience. Vegetarians or meat-lovers can easily enter this game of competence and creativity and taste the outcome of their efforts proud of their newly acquired skill.
Thus, next time you decide to pick up the phone and order your combo pizza during another late night craving, give your body and pocket a break and attempt to experience the cooking temptation of creating your own pizza heaven in the comfort of your own house. Friends and family members can always be part of the process of act as the final culinary judge. Organize cooking nights, exchange recipes, rent a movie, play a game, or just hang around feeling relaxed. Your cooking days can be tremendously altered by adding just one crucial ingredient; your imagination.
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Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Cooking, Boating, and Outdoors
January 12, 2008
There are many Halloween recipes that can be served during the holiday season. Pumpkin pie is probably the oldest and most traditional Halloween recipe around, along with pumpkin cake and an assorted number of bread products. Many people have items such as pumpkin seeds, candy bars, apples and other fruits sitting around as snacks. A bowl full of hard candy is something that is expected during the Halloween season. Having these traditional items around is a good idea but it is also fun to create a few of your own. Below are a few Halloween recipes that are not so traditional.
Halloween cookies ? Pick out your families favorite cookies and bake them up hot and fresh. It can be any type of cookie like chocolate chip, peanut butter or sugar cookies. Use orange and black icing to design different Halloween pictures on top of each one. You can draw pumpkins, ghosts or even try your hand at drawing a witch. Any Halloween design will do, so try different ones to see what you can accomplish.
Cupcakes ? Cupcakes is another great food that you can dress up and make into a Halloween recipe. Use any type of cake mix that you desire to bake the cupcakes. Once they are cooked and cooled off you can use the orange or black frosting to give the cupcakes the tradition Halloween colors. Then add a special flare to them by placing a small piece of Halloween candy in the center of each one. This could be any type of candy that is shaped like Halloween figures.
Refreshments ? Everyone serves refreshments at their dinners, so make them more exciting also. You can do this by using food coloring to turn your beverages into Halloween colors. In the event that you are serving a beverage that you do not want to put food coloring into, you can make the ice cubes that will be used more colorful. You can do this by using the food coloring in the water used to make your ice cubes. This way any cold beverage that you serve can have a touch of the Halloween sprit.
You can come up with all types of ideas when it comes to Halloween recipes. For instance, say you are serving ham as a main course for you meal. You can cut it into slices and use a cookie cutter to shape the ham into Halloween figures to be served to your family and friends. These are just a few Halloween recipe ideas that can be used to make your party a great one.
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Nicola always enjoys Halloween parties. Visit her Halloween site for tips and information about Sexy Halloween Costumes at http://Sexy-Halloween-Costumes.Best-Halloween.com
This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Best-Halloween.com
January 10, 2008
Amongst the most widely known and best loved cookbooks of all time, The Joy of Cooking, has been published time upon time since its official public release in 1936. Although initially published privately by Irma S. Rombauer in 1931, numerous revisions have since taken place since then. The most drastic of these occured in 1997 when it went through a major rewrite, in which the majority of the material was ghostwritten by master chefs who wrote in a style very different to the initial writings of Irma Rombauer. Even so, Irma S. Rombuaer herself had always intended the book to be a commercial adventure and did everything in her power to make first print run wsuccessful enough to support her, so perhaps she wouldn’t have disapproved too strongly.
In 1931, Irma had recently become a widow, and at 54 years of age, she used the $3000 left to her by her deceased spouse to self-publish the first edition of The Joy of Cooking. In March, 1936 the initial print run of Joy of Cooking ran to 10,000 copies at a recommended retail price of $2.50 per copy. After her death in 1962, the sixth edition of The Joy of Cooking came out in print. Some time later, in 1975, The Joy of Cooking was heavily reworked and revised by Marion Rombauer Becker. A new version of this book has just been released to mark the 75th anniversary of Irma Rombauer’s original self-published book, although it is markedly different from the original.
The Joy of Cooking is brimming with recipe tips. These never fail to absorb the reader with its practical approach to an extensive range of culinary delights. Take for example, the tip for creating ice for drinks. This explains that using clear, filtered water instead of water strong to the taste will avoid imparting unwanted flavour to your favourite drinks. Simple advice, granted, but it could make all the difference to your pre barbeque get together on the patio.
A further tip advises the reader to stop sandwiches going soggy by packing ingredients rich in water, such as tomatoes, lettuce and pickle slices, into a plastic bag and not to use them to make the final sandwich until you are ready to eat.
The volume contains pretty well all there is to know about cooking, be it breakfast or brunch, canning or preservatives, soups or stews - all the dishes and desserts you grew up with.
Over the years, The Joy of Cooking has been garnered with countless accolades from the likes of Julia Child, Paula Deen and Tyler Florence. Often described as ‘One of the most important books on American Cooking,’ it has become standard reading for everyone who needs a reference guide to support their culinary endeavours or an instant Gourmet Cooking Class. You can expect to pick up the current hardcover edition for $30.
An instant Gourmet Cooking Class in American cuisine.
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Eoin Beckett is a freelance writer and editor. He writes both short fiction and non-fiction for both online and print publications. Although he stems from Ireland, since his teens he has lived in countries all over the world and has forgotten many - but not all - of the Irish songs he grew up with. He currently lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.
There is more to get your teeth into at Eoin’s site http://www.gourmet-cooking-class.com
January 3, 2008
Genmaicha
Genmaicha is the Japanese name for green tea combined with roasted brown rice. While sometimes referred to colloquially as ‘popcorn tea,’ because of a certain amount of popped rice, Japanese varieties do not contain any actual corn
Processing
Genmaicha is a blend of bancha green tea and Genmai (roasted rice grain). The proportioning of tea to rice is important, the more aromatic Genmaicha teas have a higher amount of rice. Other blends are known including Matcha and Genmaicha. The tea should be infused with high temperature (not quite boiling) water, but let it only infuse for 30 seconds. Use approximately 5 grams of tea for each deciliter of water.
Popularity
A very common beverage in Japan, Genmaicha can be drunk late into the evening without disturbing sleep. The tea is said to help digestion and is often served after a meal in Japan. Genmaicha is a modest source of vitamin B1 and, like bancha and hojicha, is low in caffeine.
Flavor / Aromoa
The flavor of Genmaicha is a melange of green tea and roasted rice. The roasted aroma of genmai in tea has the effect of lightening the bitterness of the lower-grade sencha. The brown rice gives the tea a nutty flavor. Like green tea, genmaicha should be prepared using hot, but not boiling, water.
Green Sencha Leaf Tea
Over three quarters of all tea produced in Japanese tea gardens is Sencha, a tea selected for its pleasant sharpness and fresh qualities complementing a leaf of high uniformity and rich emerald color. Historically prepared by roasting, today Sencha is steam treated before further processing with hot-air drying and finally pan-frying.
Regions
Most regions make a number of kinds of Sencha, which are named according to the kind of processing used. Needle leaf Sencha is processed in Shizuoka and in the Yame region of Fukuoka. In other areas, including Kyushu, the comma-shaped leaf form is processed.
Popularity
Sencha is the tea most likely to be offered in a Japanese household or restaurant. The higher grades of Sencha are available outside Japan
Flavor/Aroma
However, the flavor, color and quality of Sencha varies, depending not only on origin but also season and leaf processing practices employed. Later harvests of Sencha have more astringent qualities, a more robust flavor and generally less aroma.
The earliest season Shincha (first month’s sencha harvest) is available in April in the south of Japan, and prized for its high vitamin content, sweetness and superior flavor.
Gunpower Green Tea
Chinese gunpowder tea is a green tea from the Zhejiang Province in China. It takes its English name from the fact that each grey-green leaf is tightly rolled into a tiny pellet, ‘exploding’ into a long leaf upon being steeped in hot water.
Gunpowder tea production dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618?907) but it was first introduced to Taiwan in the 1800s. Although the individual leaves were formerly rolled by hand, today most gunpowder tea is rolled by machines (though the highest grades are still rolled by hand). When buying gunpowder tea it is important to look for shiny pellets, which indicate that the tea is relatively fresh.
Gunpowder tea is exported to the Maghreb where it is used in the preparation of traditional North African mint tea. The Moroccan tea ritual is at the heart of any social gathering, from an informal visit to a neighbour to lavish soirees with dignitaries. A minimum of two cups need to be drunk as not to offend the host.
Gunpowder tea production dates back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 ? 907) but it was first introduced to Taiwan in the 1800s.
When buying Gunpowder it is important to look for shiny pellets, which indicate that the tea is relatively fresh.
Jasmine Tea
Jasmines are widely cultivated for their flowers, enjoyed in the garden, as house plants, and as cut flowers. The flowers are worn by women in their hair in southern and southeast Asia. Some claim that the daily consumption of Jasmine tea is effective in preventing certain cancers. Many species also yield an essential oil which is used in the production of perfumes and incense.
Jasminum sambac flowers are also used to make tea, which typically has a green tea or Oolong base. The delicate Jasmine flower opens only at night and is plucked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed. They are then stored in a cool place until night. Between six and eight in the evening, as the temperature cools, the petals begin to open. Flowers and tea are ‘mated’ in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the Jasmine blossoms, and for the highest grades, this process may be repeated as many as seven times. Because the tea has absorbed moisture from the flowers, it must be refired to prevent spoilage. The spent flowers may or may not be removed from the final product, as the flowers are completely dry and contain no aroma. They simply add visual appeal and are no indication of the quality of the tea.
Kukicha Twig Tea
Kukicha, or twig tea, is a Japanese blend of green tea made of stems, stalks, and twigs.
Kukicha has a nutty, slightly creamy flavour. It is made of four sorts of stems, stalks and twigs of Camellia sinensi. For best results, kukicha is steeped in water between 70 to 80 C (155 - 180 degrees Fahrenheit) during three minutes (otherwise, like all green teas, the result will be a bitter, unsavoury brew).
Uniquely flavourful, kukicha is also one of the preferred teas of the macrobiotic diet. Kukicha can also be added to juice to make an excellent children’s drink. Kukicha is a powerful anti-oxidant and is very low in caffeine, in fact the lowest in caffeine of all traditional teas.
White Peony Tea
White tea from the Fujian province of China. White Peony, known locally as Pai Mu Tan, is a delicate tea made from tea buds collected and withered prior to opening. The latest medical findings suggest that white tea may be a more effective cancer fighter than even green tea. These findings have brought white teas to a much wider audience.
Modern-day white teas can be traced to the 18th Century Qing Dynasty, a time when they were harvested from ordinary tea bushes. White teas differed from green teas in that their processing did not incorporate any steaming or pan-firing. The teas were simply shaped, and allowed to wither. The resulting leaves were thin, small and did not have much silvery-white hair. It wasn’t until 1885 that specific varietals of tea bushes were selected to make white teas. The large, silvery-white leaves of the Silver Needle came into being in 1891. And the production of White Peony began around 1922.
White Silver Needle Tea
White Silver Needle Tea is chiefly produced in Fujian Province in China with only limited or negligible production outside and more commonly just known as Yinzhen. Amongst white teas this is the most expensive variety and the most prized as only top buds are used to produce the tea. Most Yinzhen is made from the Da Bai or Large White tea tree race, however there are exceptions such as the big bud teas from Yunnan.
Processing
The very best Yinzhen are picked between March 15 and April 10 when it is not raining and only using undamaged and unopened buds, however lower graded Yinzhen may not be strict on all of these attributes. Yinzhen tea is considered to be good for health, as it is extremely low in caffeine. According to the researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, white tea may be used to fight cancer as well as acting as a deterrent.
The tea is nowadays mostly grown in the Fujian Province and there are generally two major producing counties, Zheng He and Fuding.
Tasting and Brewing
This tea is best prepared with below boiling water (at about 75 degrees Celsius) and produces a slightly viscous glittering pale yellow color with evidence of floating white hairs that reflect light. The flavor and fragrance should be delicate, light, fresh, and slightly sweet. Steeping should be for slightly longer than other white teas, up to 5 minutes, and the amount of tea to be used is usually higher. There are few parallels to be drawn as the taste is not similar to any other teas but Bai Mu Dan.
Yerba Mate Tea
Yerba mate is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil and Bolivia. Yerba Mate has a characteristic mature flavor which is somewhat sweet, bitter, withered leaf like, and alfalfa-like. This is also called the fat burning tea. It comes from South America and has been consumed there for eons.
The yerba mate plant is a shrub or small tree growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves are evergreen, 7?11 cm long and 3?5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit is a red berry 4?6 mm diameter.
Cultivation
The plant is grown mainly in South America, more specifically in Paraguay, Northern Argentina (Corrientes, Misiones), Uruguay and southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul and Paran?). The Guaran? are reputed to be the first people who cultivated the plant; the first Europeans to do this were Jesuit missionaries, who spread the drinking habit as far as Ecuador.
When the yerba is harvested, the branches are dried sometimes with a wood fire, imparting a smoky flavour. Then the leaves and sometimes the twigs are broken up.
Researchers at Florida International University in Miami have found that yerba mate does contain caffeine, but some people seem to tolerate a mate drink better than coffee or tea. This is expected since mate contains different chemicals (other than caffeine) than tea or coffee.
From reports of personal experience with mate, its physiological effects are similar to (yet distinct from) more widespread caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, or guarana drinks. Users report a mental state of wakefulness, focus and alertness reminiscent of most stimulants, but often remark on mate’s unique lack of the negative effects typically created by other such compounds, such as anxiety, diarrhea, ‘jitteriness’, and heart palpitations.
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http://www.Woodfaery.com
December 29, 2007
This week, I spent a couple of hours working at my CSA farm. I harvested two rows of fingerling potatoes before the thunderstorms set in and I was shooed out of the field by the farmer, Mary LaFrance. I am a member of Lakeplain Prairie Organic Farm; the only certified organic CSA in Wayne County, Michigan. For those of you who aren?t familiar with CSA farms, they offer a subscription based service for fresh, good tasting, local and organic food. Subscribers to this service pay a seasonal fee and agree to work a specified number of hours over the course of the growing season.
As a CSA member you develop a relationship with a local farmer, receive a weekly share of fresh-picked great tasting local food, and cultivate friendships in your local community. You also develop a strong sense of satisfaction that you know where your food was grown, when it was harvested and the distance it traveled to your plate.
At first glance, you may think food retailers are in direct conflict with CSA Farms. Admittedly, if I am getting all my fruits, vegetables and flowers from my CSA membership I am no longer buying them from my local grocer. If that?s the case, why would my local grocer want to promote community supported agriculture? If you subscribe to the theory of economic abundance, there are enough resources for everyone. With a bit of cooperative support and some creative marketing, food retailers and CSA Farms can foster economic abundance in your local community.
Cross Marketing with your local CSA
CSA Farms often supplement their earnings by reserving a portion of the farm for direct sales to local retailers. By taking advantage of this freshly picked locally grown organic produce, these stores are not only providing a better product for their customers, but supporting their local farmers. Don?t keep this locally grown produce a secret:
- Label your locally grown produce with the farmers name, location and photo, if available.
- Invite the local farmers into your store for a ?Meet the Farmers? day.
- Give out recipes promoting seasonal produce and provide information about the farm where it was grown and harvested.
Letting your customers know you support local farmers generates community goodwill and keeps dollars flowing among friends and neighbors. Produce not native to your growing region will also still be in demand and should be supplied by your retail store. And remember, your local farmers need to shop, too! Support them and they will in turn support your business.
Co-Sponsor Educational Events
Many CSA Farms offer classes in canning, freezing and preserving fruits and vegetables. Co-sponsoring a CSA educational event is a great way to show your support for the community while reminding residents that you can provide all of their shopping needs not available through their CSA. The strawberry preserves members are learning to make still require sugar, fruit pectin and canning jars! Promoting the event with signage at your retail store further shows your support for the community and your local food network.
Children: Your Next Generation of Local Food Consumers
My CSA Farm, Lakeplain Prairie, has a special garden area just for children. Not only do CSA member parents have an opportunity to complete their service requirement uninterrupted, children have an opportunity to learn about gardening. Two things children love is to play in the dirt and to be active. Letting them plant, care for and harvest their own little garden accomplishes both. The underlying benefit to parents and food retailers is that they are learning. Children will experience a sense of pride and enjoyment when growing and cultivating their own fruits, vegetables and flowers. They also tend to be more willing to taste produce they grew on their own, leading to healthy eating and less risk of obesity. And remember, today?s little farmer is tomorrow?s busy consumer.
As a food retailer, supporting your local CSA farms makes good business sense. Cross marketing, educational programs and engaging children are all ways to increase retail sales. Long term benefits to your retail business will come through fostering community goodwill, consumer dietary health and a strong local economy.
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Joan Tobin is owner of Eat Local Food LLC, a marketing and promotional merchandise firm that specializes in local, organic, natural food promotions for food retailers, farmers markets and restaurants. At Eat Local Food, ?It?s art, it?s advertising, it?s a values statement all in one colorful image?. http://www.eatlocalfood.com/
December 27, 2007
Veal is a calf under one year-old with the teeth of a young animal, weighing less than 600lbs. and of approximately four months of age. Today young calves start eating forages of various type and unfortunately, often with added hormones, quite early. The true veal must have been fed only with milk. This kind of feeding confers to the meats the characteristic delicate flavor and offers to gastronomy one of its delights. The "paiata", an Italian delicacy, consists of the first part of the tenuous intestine that, as soon it is removed from the animal, gets tied at the extremities so that the inner milk does not come out. Lamb and kid "paiata" are delicious too, when they are from milk fed animals.
Boiled, if cooked to perfection, veal remains one of the fundamental dishes of international cuisine, for flavors and for the role played in the preparation of other dishes. Boiled it can be served warm, with the many various vegetables, but it can also be used to prepare salads with herbs and spices, vegetables, olives, eggs, cheeses and anything imaginable. Boiled with crustaceans is one of the best delicacies you can offer to your guests. The resulting stock is indispensable in cuisine: beyond soups it can be employed in risotti, sauces, jellies, polentas and minestrone. In order to roast veal must be certain to enrich it with lard. Ideal for consistency and flavor, extremely thin slices of lard will help to make a perfect roast. Lard, melting during baking, confers flavor and fragrance to the meat. As par beef, another fundamental rule is that the cooking must not dehydrate the meat: if there is fluid in the baking container, the veal was improperly roasted. Not only will the consistency of your preparation be fibrous, but also the taste will be insipid since part of the flavor will have gone with the juices. In order to avoid dehydration some rules should be followed.
First, the meat must be salted when a little external crust has formed which prevents spillage of juices. An other rule is to use pots that allow fast and effective heat conduction: the best tool is the iron frying pan. Moreover it is fundamental that roasting is short (same as beef). Meat slices must be cooked fast on a live fire. Roasts must maintain a pink color inside. Cooking continues when the roast is taken out of the oven, so this also must be considered.
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David Russo, VMD, PhD
Veterinary Scientist, Gourmet Lover and Amateur Cook
GOURMET MEATS AND SEAFOOD
CONTACT US
December 19, 2007
The smore brownies recipe is rich with flavor. Dark chocolate and marshmallows on top of graham crackers! Just like the campfire favorite, this one is best served warm and gooey!
Ingredients
8 whole graham crackers, broken crosswise in half (15 squares needed)
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter
4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
Hardware
Large microwave safe bowl
13 x 9-inch baking pan
Aluminum foil
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2: Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, with ends of foil extending beyond sides of pan.
Step 3: Lightly grease the foil lined pan; set aside.
Step 4: Place 15 of the graham squares on the bottom of the pan, overlapping slightly.
Step 5: In a large microwave safe bowl, place the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
Step 6: Stir in granulated sugar.
Step 7: Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well.
Step 8: Stir in the flour until well blended.
Step 9: Spread over the graham cracker squares in pan.
Step 10: Bake for 30-32 minutes or until toothpick comes out with fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake.
Step 11: Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows and chocolate chunks. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until marshmallows begin to melt. When cooled, lift out of pan with aluminum foil handles. If desired cut into smaller squares.
Makes 15 large, or 30 smaller brownies.
For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.
Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active.
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