Monday, February 7, 2011

Sofrito - Use of Spices in the Caribbean

Spices are made from roots, fruits, stems, seeds, and bark. Caribbean spices are an interplay of Aboriginal, European, African, and Oriental influences that are repeated and are found on all islands, therefore a traveler will find many of the same spices in a Caribbean meal no matter where he eats. French or Spanish, English or Dutch, are reflected and used daily.

There are variables in recipes throughout the Caribbean but they are small. It all depends on supply and demand, depending on what is available on that particular island. Evolution in the kitchen is rapidly taking place as the flow of tourism changes.

Sofrito sauce is made from annatto seeds, coriander leaves, tiny green peppers, onion, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil at low heat, this will give you an idea of how spices are used in Hispanic households and how it reflects the way spices are used today in most parts of the Caribbean. Because of the traders and settlers from the Orient, China, and India, each of the Islands adapted its own use of spices depending on their likes and dislikes.

Today no stew on the English-speaking islands in the Caribbean starts without the cooks first buying a bunch of "sive", which is scallion tied together in bunches with parsley, coriander leaves and thyme. On the Spanish speaking islands dozens of recipes are part of the same herb base.

Meat and fish are likely to be marinated and seasoned with herbs and spices. Ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and all-spice are heavily used. Cinnamon is used in the islands as one of the preferred spices. Hot peppers are a must, known in the United States as chili peppers. Peppers are for the most part indistinguishable from one another except for the degree it burns in the mouth. Islanders, Jamaicans for instance, will argue over the Scotch Bonnet and the Country pepper. Good cooks know not to overuse peppers and to protect against annihilation of other flavors. Use with caution.

Indentured servants from the Orient, China, and mostly from India in the 18th century brought in a new approach and integration of spices, such as curry. On some islands, particularly the Dutch Islands, it is called "kerry". The French Islanders call it "colombo". It is used not only for its exotic flavor, but also because it causes perspiration and therefore cools the body.

There are also many medicinal uses for spices; however I will cover this in one of my future articles.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Great Steaks Start With Great Beef - USDA Prime

Have you ever gone to a steakhouse and wondered how they made the steak so tasty and juicy? Have you cooked a steak at home and tried to match the quality only to be disappointed? In all likelihood you did not achieve the same level of taste and tenderness because the steakhouse was using a much better grade of beef than you-they were probably using USDA Prime beef. The ingredients you begin with and the quality of the steak are just as important as your cooking methods and skills of the chef. If you begin with USDA Prime beef, you know that you are cooking with a superior piece of meat. Beginning with a high quality piece of beef is the first step to make a great steak.

What does USDA Prime mean?
The USDA created a beef grading scale to categorize beef by the quality of flavor, juiciness, and tenderness. There are 8 different grades that can be assigned to a piece of meat. The most common grades that consumers may see are USDA Prime, the highest grade, USDA Choice, the second highest grade, and USDA Select, the third highest grade. Other grades of meat are usually used for ground beef and other processed meats. They are seldom sold as steaks or roasts. Prime beef is characterized by abundant marbling which leads to a very tender, juicy and flavorful piece of beef. Beef grading inspections are done solely for the purpose of determining the overall quality of the meat. Another inspection is done completely independently of the grading inspection to determine if the meat is food worthy.

Why use USDA Prime Beef?
USDA Prime beef is the most expensive grade of meat but it is also the most flavorful. If you can obtain it, the home chef should use Prime beef when cooking because the steak will be of superior quality which will most likely result in a great steak. Keep in mind that a poor cooking job can ruin a great piece of meat, but a wonderful cooking job cannot make a mediocre piece of meat into a great steak. As a result, the home chef, who has an excellent cooking method, should spend the extra money to get the best steak possible. Doing so is the best way to get a steakhouse quality steak at home. In the long run, it will save money because you will no longer have to go to an expensive steakhouse to get a great steak.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

The Best Beverage to Combat a Soft Drink Addiction

When I was six years old, I made a bet with my Mom that I could stop consuming all forms of soft drinks.

No sugary sodas of any kind. And, other than the very occasional cup of coke at a sporting event or wedding, I've by and large remained entirely free of the scourge of the soft drink.

I have no idea why I decided I didn't want to drink soft drinks when I was so young. I'd like to think I was self-possessed enough to recognize how bad I felt after drinking a can of bubbly sugar water. And, really, what other explanation is there? I somehow knew soft drinks were bad for me.

Unfortunately, a massive number of people all over the world drink large quantities of soft drinks every single day. I know them, you know them, and you may even be one of them.

And there's nothing inherently wrong with drinking a soda every now and again. The problem is when soda becomes your go-to beverage of choice. When the taste of water repulses you. When you get a headache because you haven't had your soda and it's 11 in the morning.

Now, I'm under no illusions that humanity as a whole is ever going to change and stop drinking soft drinks. They seem to be here to stay even though 150 years ago nobody had ever even heard of them. Soft drinks, like the automobile, the microwave and the computer, are a product of the modern age.

However, if you are concerned about the effect these sugary drinks are having on your health (as you well should be), then I would like to propose a fantastic solution for how you can get your caffeine fix in a much healthier way: iced Matcha green tea.

What is Matcha? Matcha is green tea powder, which has been traditionally used in the famous Japanese tea ceremony.

Iced Matcha is basically fresh brewed Matcha into which you pour ice cubes until the water has cooled and you're left with a cup full of green tea and ice.

I'd been drinking green tea for years before I ever realized I could combine make iced tea with Matcha. And while you may have had iced green tea from Starbucks or something, I promise you when you make it yourself, those other versions simply don't compare.

First off, the secret is in the Matcha. Matcha contains more bang per ounce than loose leaf tea because you use the entire tea leaf. The powder is pulverized green tea leaves, and it contains more of all the fantastic nutrients that give green tea its good name.

Matcha is the highest quality green tea you can buy. Its flavor is exquisitely smooth and very fresh. When you make it fresh, the flavor is very clean and energizing.

Additionally, though, Matcha is completely easy to make. I find it even easier to make than using tea out of a tea bag. You just heat up your water, fill a small bowl or cup with a little amount of the powder and then add in the water when it's hot. Stir gently but firmly until the tea is completely dissolved. If you want to get very traditional, you can use a bamboo whisk and stir the tea until it's frothy.

There are many kinds of Matcha, so each kind will taste and act a bit different.

However, the overall idea is that you can brew up a cup of hot tea and then add ice until it's ready to go.

Now, if you start out trying to substitute iced Matcha tea for the soft drinks you're used to, you may find that you need some sweetness in the tea. Otherwise, it's possible the tea will taste bland or even a little bitter to your tastes.

That's okay--simply add your favorite sweetener before you add the ice cubes. Make sure you stir up the sweetener until it's completely dissolved into the hot tea.

The best part of this approach is the fact that you can use any sweetener you desire. Healthier sweeteners like honey or agave syrup work great. And, of course, you can use sugar or sugar substitutes as well.

Over time, though, I bet you'll find that you like your iced green tea without much sweetener. Because it has its own delicious flavor that you'll come to appreciate.

Another amazing bonus to incorporating more iced green tea into your diet as you jettison your old soda habit is the fact that a little Matcha powder goes a long way. This is a very affordable drink. Where a soda can cost you over a dollar, your iced green tea will cost pennies on the dollar. If you look around, you'll find incredible deals on the web for Matcha. I bought a bag of Matcha for $20 that lasted me for over a year, and I was drinking plenty of Matcha during that time.

So let's recap: soft drinks are bad for your health, bad for your teeth and bad for your wallet. Green tea is fantastic for your health, has been shown in many scientific studies to be very healthy and is also unbelievably affordable if you're smart about how you source your Matcha.

This is a no-brainer. If you've been looking for a substitute for your daily soft drink habit, then you've met your Matcha.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Dive Into the Exciting World of Flavored Tofu!

If you ask someone on the street what they think tofu tastes like you can expect a wild variety of answers. This is because by itself, tofu is fairly tasteless. The magic of tofu however is that it has the uncanny ability to absorb flavors from the foods around it acting like a sponge and making great meals even more enjoyable.

The very nature of this highly absorptive food makes the term "Flavored Tofu" confusing. Most people would say that tofu is automatically flavored based on what its mixed with and assume that's all that Flavored Tofu is... but alas, there's much more to it than this.

While its true that tofu does a very good job at absorbing flavors, true flavored tofu is made differently. Tofu is made with soy milk and during the curdling phase flavors can be mixed into the milk resulting in a true flavor infusion. Gone are the days of needing to mix tofu with your favorite flavors, now you can build those flavors right in!

There have been some wild attempts at flavored varieties over the year but most commonly fruits or fruit juices are combined with the soy milk to create flavored tofu. Infusions can be found for just about every fruit on there, however the most common fruit infusions are mango, orange and coconut. Don't be surprised to even see holiday flavors popping up over the next several years! Peppermint tofu for Christmas anyone?

Flavored tofu is generally served cold and created with a soft texture similar to that of silken tofu. This results in some delicious fruit flavored spreads that can be used in a number of recipes or simply spread onto your favorite crackers or vegetables. While tofu recipes rarely, if ever, call for flavored tofu you are generally free to substitute your favorite flavor freely anytime a silken tofu is called for in your favorite tofu recipe.

In addition to fruit infused tofu, egg is another common additive. The addition of egg results in a very unique flavor with added health benefits such as increased protein. While fruit infused tofu is most common and most people love the sweetness it brings, egg tofu remains very popular in some parts of the world.

Flavored tofu is increasing in popularity and its starting to pop up in average supermarkets across the country. Next time your shopping, see if you can find a flavor you'd like and rediscover tofu for the first time!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

The Beauty of the Beastly Crawfish

Some find them creepy and shriek back in fear, while others find them tasty and can't wait to get their hands (or should I say taste buds) around them. They are found all around the world in fresh water streams, lakes, and rivers, hiding under rocks or burrowed down in mud. In the U.S. they are known by many names: crayfish in the north, crawdads in most central and eastern parts of the U.S., and crawfish ormudbugs in the south. Australians call them yabbies, while Spaniards know them as cangrejo de río or river crab.

Whatever you call them, crawfish are eaten all over the world and have become an important part of the culinary culture of the southern United States, most especially Louisiana. Louisiana is in fact the largest crawfish producing state in the U.S., responsible for an estimated 98% of U.S. crawfish production. Louisiana is also the largest crawfish eating state in the union, and consumes approximately 70% of what it produces.

Crawfish are closely related to lobsters, but compared to their much larger relatives, adult crawfish are quite small, usually no longer than 7 inches. Only a small part of the crawfish is actually edible. In most entrees or soups, only the tail is served. A few crawfish, however, have large enough claws to make meat extraction worth the effort. The most famous way to eat them though is the crawfish boil--piles of seasoned whole bodied crawfish mixed in with boiled potatoes and corn-on-the-cob. When crawfish are boiled in this fashion, a great deal of the flavorful seasoning settles into the fat of the head cavity. For some folks, Louisianans in particular, this is the best part! They even have a saying for it, "suck the heads; pinch the tail."

So what about the health benefits of crawfish? So long as they aren't drenched in butter (as crab meat often is), shellfish like crawfish are very low in fat (only 1g per 3oz serving), are an excellent source of protein (15g per 3 oz serving), and are low in calories. Shellfish are also low in saturated fat, are high in HDL cholesterol (that's the good cholesterol), and are a good source of zinc, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin B12, and other vitamins and minerals. One study by the University of Southern California found that weekly consumption of shellfish reduced heart attack by as much as 59%!

The next time you're looking for a healthy snack or a new recipe, don't let the beastly mudbug scare you. His health benefits are far too beautiful to ignore.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Reheating Food Is the Formula to Restoring Your Free Time

When attempting to juggle careers, children, and household life, down time becomes one of those things of legend. A lot of our time is used looking after young children, pets, or spouses each and every evening and little remains for ourselves just before its off to bed, only to awaken and do all of it once more the next day. Between wearing the hats of a taxi driver, maid, paramedic, and chef there is certainly seldom any "me time" remaining in the day. What we need is often a solution to restore a lot of the time we spend each and every evening and employ it for those items we really enjoy. Reheating food, prepared beforehand becomes the secret to receiving what we want. We are not talking about leftovers, but about preplanned and prepared meals that are distributed throughout the week.

Fast and frozen food come to be the main obstacles when trying to form a wholesome meal program for our household that opens our itineraries every evening. This sort of food is expensive versus preparing your own recipes even though it may possibly not appear so. It is also a lot less wholesome. Fastfood corporations have capitalized on the dependence on simple meal plans for busy working dads and moms. Frozen foods aren't a much better option even if they are found on the grocery shop isles. These types of food are nearly as dangerous for us as fast food. This is exactly where reheating food will become our spare time liberating secret weapon. Preparing wholesome possibilities and generating dishes upfront solves this problem. You will discover services that will create this option for you, but they may be expensive. There is an affordable alternative to wholesome food delivery services and personal chefs.

Remedy

Listed here are some techniques that even the largest household can use to ditch the fast and frozen foods and start a wholesome meal strategy throughout the week.

The week end just before, all foods for the week really should be mapped out. Take suggestions from every single member of the family. Solicit the aid of older children in writing down the choices.

Second, prepare a grocery store list from the materials in the dishes chosen. Again, don't do it all yourself if you have older kids that will share in the shopping. Allow them to have a buggie, an inventory, and send him or her to start at the opposite end in the shop.

Finally comes the establishing the time and location to ensure that all of the meals for the week could be prepared. This merging of time will take much less set up and clean up time over-all. Reheating food is going to take significantly less time every evening and trigger far less pick-up. This all functions together, to regain your evenings soon after work after you are worn-out and would rather unwind and enjoy getting home.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

What Is Farro? An Ancient Italian Grain - Sorting Out the Confusion

Farro - a delicious slightly nutty tasting grain is enjoyed widely throughout Italy. Less known in the U.S.A. it is also a source of some confusion.

When I was first introduced to Farro in Tuscany I was told by the organic farmer offering it to me that is was called "spelt" in English. But it seemed different than the spelt I'd had in the states. I also observed that it was prepared quickly with no pre-soaking involved. It was plump, appetizing and chewy. My curiosity was piqued.

Because of my passion for this region of Italy with its glorious, pristine, Tuscan fields and long, sunny summer days, I imagined this "spelt" was different because of optimal growing conditions. Alternately, I was suspicious that perhaps this farro had been processed or pumped up with "steroid" like chemicals. Eventually, after much research, including a visit to one of the first organic farms in Italy, the confusion dissolved. But describing "what is farro?" is still not easy.

Many sources will explain that Farro is an ancient or "heirloom" grain known to have sustained the Roman Legions as they marched across Europe. First cultivated as early as 10,000 BC in Ethiopia it eventually migrated through the Mediterranean Region and into Europe. Farro is early on the evolutionary chain of wheat - beginning with Einkorn and ending with contemporary Durum Wheat. The most common claim is that the biological name for Farro is "Triticum Dicoccum" and that it's similar to what we call "Emmer" in English. Furthermore, "Triticum Dicoccum" or Farro is the precursor to "Triticum Spelta" or "spelt" which evolved centuries later.

But not so fast! Further research uncovers some dispute about the actual evolution of these ancient grains. The accurate origin and taxonomy of spelt is controversial. Different varieties of T. Dicoccum or Emmer are grown throughout Italy including some wild, non-domesticated versions. Further, it turns out that Italians actually refer to any hulled wheat (with a husk) as "Farro". And the literal translation of the word "farro" into English is "spelt". So emmer or spelt or einkorn are all interchangeably called "farro" in Italy. Thus the confusion!

However - rest assured! As Farro becomes better known in the U.S. we can be confident that most product sold here is actually "Triticum Diccocum". Sold both as "whole grain farro" which retains its outer husk and "Farro Perlato" - which is the plump, chewy grain I first enjoyed in Tuscany. The word "perlato" refers to the removal of some of the tough, outside husk as in "semi-pearled". Despite the removal process Farro Perlato retains its highly nutritious properties. And grain sold as "Spelt" is a harder, smaller grain that needs to be pre-soaked before cooking and is preferably used for breads, flour and pastas.

The distinguishing feature of these hulled grains is the tough husk that needs to be partially removed or pre-soaked to be edible. The Tuscan farmers I know say "even the cinghiale (wild boar) won't eat farro because of the tough husks". As a result, farro lost favor over the centuries due to the development of modern wheat - without the husks - which required less processing and produced higher yields. Unfortunately the cultivation of modern wheats also culled out many of the nutritious properties of the ancient grains and increased the amount of gluten now present in today's durum wheat.

Now it's our good fortune that organic Farro Perlato is available in America semi-pearled making it very quick and easy to cook. It has high protein, high fiber, is non-GMO, highly nutritious and has a low glycemic index of 40 when compared to other grains. Because it retains many of its ancient properties its gluten content is low and is often tolerated by people with wheat allergies. Versatile and delicious it can be served as an entrée, side dish, salad or even as a hot breakfast cereal. It's now easy to cook delectable farro dishes like those served in homes all over Italy and to enjoy the taste of Farro in fine restaurants throughout the United States.