My COOKING / FOOD sites and my computer paranoia !

It's time to let my readers know what I think about my blogging and internet use in relation to giving credit where credit is due.

As a freelance writer, I know the challenges and difficulties that come with this territory:

                   need for inspirition
                   motivation
                   writing, re-writing, editing, and
                   rewriting
                   finding information
                                                                         being original and much more

And then you need to keep your ego intact after being criticized and lambasted for how you wrote something.

However there are rewards: satisfaction that you are creating something yourself, an original piece of writing, and perhaps something that will entertain and inform others. But very importantly, to me is getting positive feedback and I am grateful to all of you who have made comments and written me feedback.

My paranoia is that I fear "stealing" someone's work. I do not intend that ever. I give credit everywhere I can, everywhere where I remember to do so. If I omit someone, it is an oversight likely to forgetting. I apologize to any I may have omitted. I still strive and will continue to try to give all the credit that others deserve.

Here is a list of my FOOD RELATED SITES which I have collected and use

www.foodtimeline.org  A great history of food site, editor Lynne Olver
www.diannej.com/blog  Just a fun site for a freelance writer, though there are notes relating to food
www.cherylsternmanrule.com A food writer who lives in my favourite city in Calif, Santa Barbara
www.lifemadedelicious.ca  Nice recipes, easy navigation and terrific photographs
www.wikihow.com         This is great "how to" site. I struggle with "how to" do things but I get some things done thanks to my brother-in-law or thanks to this web site
www.easy-chicken-recipe-ideas.com   This site is authored by a Pole, Monika Fraczek, a fellow Pole, my people, and her chicken recipes inspire me into cooking chicken and creating my own variations to her great original recipes.

Those are the sites I use most often right now. As my list changes again, significantly, I will update this note.

I thank the editors and authors behind those web sites for all the hard work they do and for the ideas they give me.

Hope you find this note of value and use to you in your cooking and internet exploring in relation to food.

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ROASTED RED PEPPERS APPETIZER.....simple and deeeelicious !

DID YOU KNOW…

Christopher Columbus tried to start a sweet red peppers import business in the Mediterranean Sea countries? The biz failed because sweet peppers grew easily almost everywhere in his marketing region
.

Though Columbus may have discovered and imported the first peppers to Europe, it was the Spanish and Portuguese who are credited with spreading it throughout the world into their wide ranging colonies.

Sweet red peppers, sometimes called bell peppers, come in a variety of colours: red, orange, yellow, brown and purple but all start off green?

The sweetest peppers are red, orange and yellow and they become even sweeter when they are braised?

SELECTING PEPPERS AT YOUR GROCERS

The peppers should be smooth, rich in colour with no wrinkles or soft  spots. Though available almost year round, the best tasting ones are harvested in late summer. Peppers keep well. Just dry them and store them in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

Peppers are high in vitamins A and C as well as fibre and folic acid which helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

ROASTED PEPPERS APPETIZER

serves 6-8 persons
can be frozen for future use

6-8 whole red peppers (yellow and orange can also be used)
1 finely chopped medium sized garlic bud
1 tbls drained capers
1 tbls finely chopped parsley
2-3 tbls virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

ROASTING THE PEPPERS

I have found the barbecue to be my most practical way to char my peppers. It also seems to give the best flavor. But the peppers can be done DIRECTLY on your stove elements, on open flame, in a frying pan, or under the broiler on a pizza pan. The only requirement is that the heat must be very intense in order to burn the skin of the peppers. Experiment to find the method that works best for you. My barbecue method allows you lots of control, least cleaning up.
 

1.  Set barbecue to highest heat and allow the barbecue to heat up fully.

2. When bbq is at its highest temp, place the peppers directly on the grill and close the lid.

3.       3. Roast for about 1 – 1 ½ minutes, rotate the peppers a half turn if they are skin is blackened well. If they are not charred enough, bbq longer. The skin should look burnt black. Then do the half rotation, close the lid and repeat the cooking time. Repeat this process enough times so that the peppers are charred on all sides.

4.     
4.  Place fully charred peppers into a sturdy brown bag and fold the bag closed. This allows the peppers to “pop” their skins loose for easier removal.

5.     

 

5. Take the bag of charred peppers into your kitchen to a work area and work one pepper at a time

6. Remove a pepper from the bag and using a sharp knife, scrape away the skin from the pepper.

7. After all the peppers have been cleaned, work one pepper at a time again. Cut the pepper from stem to base and gently fold it open. Remove the seeds, and the whitish spines from the inner part of the pepper.
Cut away the stem. Cut the pepper into strips each about approximately ½ inch widths.
 

7.
If you are storing for future use, place the strips into clear baggies for the freezer. If you are going to use the peppers within a day, place them on a plate aside.



 8. Repeat the internal cleaning and slicing into strips for the rest of the peppers. These should be put away
    into the freezer.

SERVING THE PEPPERS

        1.  Arrange the pepper strips into a floral pattern on to a white plate.

         2. Drizzle 2-3 tbls virgin olive oil over the strips.
 3.   Sprinkle the parsley and finely chopped garlic over the peppers.

       4.   Sprinkle the capers over the peppers. 
 5.  Salt and pepper to taste and cover with plastic so allow the flavours to   develop and blend.

          If you are not serving for a few hours, refrigerate the peppers.

Serve the peppers with toasted, crusty Italian bread slices.

Buon appetito!

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RISOTTO...eat like a king, pay like a pauper

Rice is part of the main meal, if not the main dish itself, for more than 2/3 of the world’s population. For a rather inexpensive staple, rice has tremendous nutritional value and it is eaten throughout much of the world, from all of Asia to the Latin and South Americas. Only corn is grown more as maize production feeds livestock while rice feeds people.

Rice is grown in high rainfall regions where labour cost is low. The rice grain bundles grow at the ends of 5-6 ft. stalks and are harvested annually. The most practical and economic way to grow rice is in flooded fields as the flooding discourages vermin, weeds and pest plants which do not grow well under water.

Most cooks who make risotto prefer Carnaroli, Arborio or Vialone Nano rice. These varieties of rice have the necessary properties to make a good risotto: high starch content and good capacity for absorption of liquids. The starch is what makes the rice so creamy as it is cooked. Some cooks claim that Vialone Nano is the very best rice for risotto because it is nearly impossible to overcook. Don’t bet on it !

My Risotto chef

My wife is my risotto chef and her risotto can compete with that of the best professional chefs in the world. She makes it simply, easily and it never fails. I like to think her risotto is heavenly because every grain seems like an ‘angel's kiss on the tongue,’ with each flavour packed mouthful gently, gradually ascending you to dining paradise!

Here is her

RISOTTO RECIPE for royalty

For 2 royal persons

Use CARNAROLI or ARBORIO rice. Try Vialone Nano if you ever find it.

Basic ingredients

1 diced small onion

2-3 tbs butter

1/2 cup of rice

2-4 cups chicken stock

½ cup dry white wine

2 tbs Parmiggiano grated

Optional ingredients

1 cup diced of whichever ingredient you prefer:
cooked chicken
cooked or raw squash
                                                                                    raw cauliflower
                                                                                    fresh mushrooms
                                                                                    fresh or frozen green peas
                                                                                    fresh or frozen asparagus OR
                                                                                    cooked crab, shrimp, or lobster)
                                                                   You can use any ingredient you like, but if it is raw, chop it well.

PREPARATION

1.    1. Fry the onions in olive oil and butter until the kernels start becoming translucent on their edges.
   For the diet conscious, “fry” the onions in a bit of the stock instead of the oil and butter. My wife’s recipe is the “lighter” version as she is looking out for my waistline...LOL.

2. 
2.  Add the rice to the frying onions and stir the mixture frequently.

      3.  Add the white wine and your dry ingredients (mushrooms, veggies, seafood, whatever you are using). Continue stirring. Risotto preparation requires the cook’s full and continuous attention to avoid burning the risotto.

4. Add hot chicken stock to the mixture in small amounts, a couple of tablespoons at a time.
    Continue stirring and add more stock as the rice absorbs the previously added liquid.
    Use as much stock as needed. You want the mixture to remain creamy but not too runny.
    Most likely you will use all 4 cups of stock.

5. About 15 minutes after starting the cooking, taste the rice periodically to see if it is cooked,.
    Do not overcook the rice. The Italian phrase ‘al dente’ is how it should be done. It kind of "resists" easy 

          biting. The rice is “just” cooked, not mushy.

6. Remove the risotto from the stove. Stir in 1 tbs of grated parmiggiano and 1/2 tbs of butter.

7.  Serve immediately and call me to come over to taste it with you. I'll bring the wine!

Serve risotto in heated bowls with grated parmiggiano on the side for those who like their risotto nippier.

Risotto with braised sweet red peppers

Let me know how you like your own preparation!





















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A series: The BEST CHEFS in the Canadian West and a haunted hotel

I promised to begin more chicken recipes, but I thought readers would enjoy reading some bios of professionals in the field. In 2009, I did a motorcycle tour out west, all the way to Tofino on Vancouver Island, one long tour! As I traveled west, I stayed at top notch hotels, the Deltas, the Fairmonts, the best in the west. In Saskatoon, yes, they have an outstanding hotel with a great chef and a very sharp manager. The hotel was the Bessborough, locally referred to as "The Bess." (bez).

The DELTA Bess

Let me begin this series with a blurb about The Bess.

The Bess was the Crown in the hotel chain of the Canadian National Railway. The Canadian Pacific had the Royal York in Toronto and CN needed something of the same. Designed by Archibald Schofield, a Montrealer,  whose insipiration for the hotel's design was a Bavarian castle. Incredibly, the hotel was built during the Depression era with construction started in 1930 in February, the coldest time of the year, dead of winter, in Saskatoon, no less. Using equipment modified to work in the extreme cold and with property tax exemptions granted by the city to encourage the hotel's construction, Overcoming numerous hurdles besides the weather and the economic times, the hotel construction was completed in 1935 and it was dedicated to Sir  Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough and the 14th Governor General of Canada.

Through the 1970's - 1990's, ownership of the hotel and CN Railroad changed hands and hotel management changed also. Today, the Bess is a DELTA hotel, accommodating guests in its 225 rooms, catering weddings and banquets in its beautiful historic dining halls, and hosting rock festivals and garden parties in its beautifully landscaped setting behind the hotel on the shores of the Saskatchewan River. When I was there, I saw a wedding and attended a rock festival. The rock festival was more fun, though the groom at the wedding likely would disagree.

The Bess is a haunted hotel, Albert, a butler type hotel employee, stalks the hotel sporadically after the midnight hour. I was too tired my nights there to stay up and look for him though some staff assured me, he was very visible if you stayed up long enough and knew where his apparition would appear. I was too full of other spirits to stay up long enough to encounater Albert !

Chef Ryan Marquis is the Executive Chef of the Bess, and I was very lucky to not just dine on his food, but to be his personal guest at one dinner and a downtown tour of another hotel, and the local city market. But that will be another blog!

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Let's start eating some chicken !

I eat chicken a lot because I have this self delusional hope that if I eat enough of it, I will be a bit less rotund in girth. No, I dont fry my chicken. I don't make it with gravy and mash potatoes unless company is coming...but that is another recipe and one to die for!

The recipe I offer here comes from Cheryl Sternman's blog site. She is a Californian blogger who lives in my favourite part of that state, Santa Barbara. She has been doing cooking related activities for a few years, online and in real life. I found her chicken recipe which called for marinating and I thought I would try it out. My comments are reserved for the end, but to overcome your suspense, the recipe is excellent, the chicken comes out with lots of flavour and very moist. I would play with the recipe but Cheryl's basic one would work well for most people. I like my recipes with more "bite" to them so read my modifications.


FIG BALSAMIC VINEGAR CHICKEN
Recipe from Cheryl Sternman (www.cherylsternmanrule.com)
I am always looking for chicken recipes, particularly because chicken is supposedly less fattening than the meats which I prefer. This chicken recipe got me curious as it requires marinating, something which I don’t normally do. I tried the recipe. My critique and comments are written at the end.

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 tablespoons fig balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-3/4 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 large)

PREPARATION
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Worcestershire, and olive oil until emulsified. Season generously with salt and pepper and transfer to a large ziploc bag. Add the chicken, squeeze out all the air, and zip closed. Fold the bag in half and refrigerate for several hours, turning occasionally if you think of it.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Fit a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade (let excess marinade drip off) and place on the baking sheet. (Discard marinade.) Pat chicken gently with paper towels.

Roast in the hot oven for about 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reaches 175 degrees. Cool slightly, then cut the meat off the bone in one large chunk and slice crosswise for serving.

SZPIN’s Changes
1. The marinade suggested is very tasty. However, it is crucial to bake this chicken at high heat on a flat baking tray, pizza pan or such, in order to get a crispy result. Some munchers may choose to discard the skin. I made a mistake and baked my chicken in a deep, Dutch oven which resulted in a more juicy but less crispy chicken. Don’t bake your chicken this way unless you prefer your chicken more moist. It will not be crisp.

2. I would try this recipe with finely chopped garlic in the marinade. I love garlic. Garlic is me! No Pole in the world can live without it! In that regard, I am a true Pole!

3. I would play with another variation for this recipe. Try ginger, chili flakes and honey as part of the marinade. I haven’t tried these variations yet as one can only eat chicken so often in a week.

FINAL ASSESSMENT
The chicken as prepared according to this recipe results in a very nice baked chicken with lots of flavour. It was moist, juicy and very flavourful. I liked it a lot. I would try making it again with the changes which I suggest above, either the garlic or else the ginger, not both. 

It is a terrific recipe for using chicken breasts with skin and bone, likely the most inexpensive way chicken is sold. 

 

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Wanna play "CHICKEN?"

Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!

Chicken is good for you, I have read. It is healthier than beef, leaner than pork and almost as healthy as fish. Well, I eat so much of it, I should sound like a chicken. But I can't say I am healthier for eating it. I dream that I should be thinner, leaner, a mass of muscle for all the protein that is found in chicken. But look at me and you'd think all I do is eat it in its I fried mode. Never !!

I have had fried chicken maybe twice in the past year. When I toured the southern USA, areas famous for their fried chicken, I never ordered it once. I don't know why I didn't order chicken. Maybe I was being diet conscious...me??? Now I regret not having had it for I might have been able to say, "Deeelicious, or fantaaaastic!" As is, I cannot comment in any way about real southern fried chicken. Too bad!

In my next few blogs, I am going to write some of my best chicken recipes. Here are a few comments people have made about my chicken meals...

"Only a coward would make a better chicken!"

"A feather in his cap for his Chicken diablo!"

"No foul with his fowl !"

"More than something to crow about !"

So come back soon and check out my chicken recipes. The stuffed chicken breasts will get you rave reviews. My stuff breasts get cudos and BRA_vos all the time, so often, in fact, that I am a bit embarrassed about it all.

So come fly with me and my chicken recipes !

Watch for my next blog for some really good chicken recipes !

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A better TOMATO SAUCE? Only in Italy !

Federico Fellini's movie, La Dolce Vita, was made in1960 at which time, I was too young to take an interest in such movies. My idea of "La Dolce Vita" was neighbourhood bicycling, road hockey or softball at the local park until the streets lights came on. Then, I had to head for home, or else there'd be hell to pay. As for the name, Federico Fellini...my italian buddies were Fausto Depede, Frank Oliverio and Sal Acciavatti...no Federico amongst the bunch.


I lived in an Italian neighbourhood and though I was Polish, we all fit in. I tasted good Italian spaghetti sauce only when I was invited to stay for dinner while playing with the Italian family's kids from down the street, the Stanghetta's. And boy, could their momma cook but she never went all out for us as we were just the kids on the block, and "mangia cakes" who wouldnt have known the difference between good tomato sauce and ketchup. I kind of resent that today as I know good ketchup...Heinz!!. So spaghetti with lots of sauce was just about it for us with Mrs. Stanghetta. If we got real lucky, we might get a meatball or two thrown in. But to a Polak kid, raised on kielbasa and pierogi, the sauce was out of this world. We may not haven known beans from fagioli in Italian cooking but we knew good tomato sauce when we were eating it. But Mrs. Stanghetta knew us even better...quantity always trumped quality with her neighbourhood kids.

Now however, watch out! I am an "Italian wannabe" by marriage. I speak the language but only paid Italian waiters and bartenders understand me really well and compliment my linguistic skills! I wonder if it could be because of the tips I leave which makes my Italian so good, according to them.

So I offer you the best basic Italian sauce ever. You'd have to fly to Italy to get better and in that case, I can recommend a few places, but not in Rome! That's another story!

I learned how to make this sauce from an Italian chef, Mario Folco who owns his own Italian bistro in Markham, Ontario. His tomato sauce is outstanding and when I tasted it, I asked Mario if he would let me work for him, gratis, instead just teach me how to make his marvelous sauce.

And now....ecco...


The BEST Tomato Sauce outside of Italy !

INGREDIENTS

The amounts you choose to use will depend on total volume of sauce that you want to make. Exact measurement isn't crucial to this recipe. Preparation is.

4  28 oz cans...san marzano tomatoes FROM ITALY* (see below)

2  lge fresh onion (white), finely chopped

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (adjust volume of oil as you desire...I find this amount ideal)

6  fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped

1⁄4 cup dried basil

1-2 tbs salt

1 tbs ground black pepper

OPTIONAL Ingredients
2 tbs dried oregano
1-2 pinches of chili flakes

*Preparation of TOMATOES

Canned tomatoes are your best bet unless you grow your own and know when to pick them for optimum sweetness. SAN MARZANO canned tomatoes are Italy's best, but any canned tomato, especially any from NAPLES, is fine. Canned tomatoes are a good choice because the tomatoes have been picked at their peak maturity and processed very quickly. This means you are getting tomatoes that are at their peak of sweetness and taste.

Open the can and blend the tomatoes with a hand blender. This step can also be done about mid-way into the cooking process where you will also be pureeing the onions and garlic (if you used garlic) and you can do it in a large pot. You kitchen walls won't likely be sprayed quite as much.

Add the basil, (oregano if you chose to use it), salt and pepper

On the stove

Fry the finely chopped onions in a skillet with the olive oil until they are golden, but not dark.

As the onions start to become translucent, add the chopped garlic, if you are using it, so it will blend its essence with the olive oil and onions.

When the onions are golden, add your tomatoes and now puree this mixture with the hand blender. Gently simmer all ingredients on the stove for 2 hrs, at which point the tomato sauce will thicken, as if by magic. One moment, liquidy, the next moment, a nice thick sauce. I am amazed by this very timely transformation every time I make this sauce.

And ecco, you now have what I like to call my "mother sauce" which means it can be used for pizza sauce, as a pasta sauce, a sauce for veal or Italian sausage braising. It is simply a great base for other dishes. But watch out, this sauce is deadly. Taste a bit, and you will be bread dipping into it, depleting your volume incredibly quickly.

Buon appetito and visit back !