This Weeks gadget: Skruba Scrubbing Gloves

Sharing kitchen duties is half the fun of cooking. I don't necessarily mean just washing dishes or cleaning up after the cook, but jumping in and providing meaningful help, too, in the preparation and planning of meals. I don't know about you, but meals do not magically appear on the kitchen table in my house. There are many steps involved to get food from the supermarket to the table and it's important, both in the appreciation of the art of cooking as well as the training of youngsters, to get them in there and have them learn the basics of cooking. And while it's not always easy to make disagreeable work fun, it seems that's there's a new product out there that might make prepping vegetables a bit easier to take.

Simple, functional tools can go a long ways towards turning a hard bit of work into a pleasant task. Take Skruba gloves, for instance. You slip them on as you would any other work glove and then go after that sink full of potatoes or carrots or other root vegetables you would otherwise have to peel. As their product information states, most of the nutritive value of these types of vegetables are affectively lost when they are hit hard with a peeler. With these gloves you essentially scrub away dirt, pesticides and bacteria and leave all the nutrients on the vegetable. How grand. No messy peels in the sink, and a fun bit of action for the kids as well.

I know that you can probably do the same thing with any number of other scrubbing products that are available out there, but apparently these wash up beautifully and are built to last. I haven't seen one these gloves in action yet so can't vouch for them personally, but they look like a winning product. Seek them out and let us know what you think!

Cooks Talk!

What I would call Italian Migas

In a waste-not, want-not world learening to make the most of out our food dollar is a coming a dedicated art. It's one thing to know how to bake a wonderful sourdough boulle or know where you can buy a sublime pain de lavain in town, but it's another thing to know what to do with it when two days later you're looking hard at that pound of bread going stale before your eyes. "Is there justice in the world?" you might ask as you contemplate throwing it out. No, maybe not justice in the world's food court but you can turn it into tasty garlic croutons or make a very stylish and rustic antipasto dish, Italian Bread Salad.

Years ago I had a friend of the family who would fry up a couple onions and a handful of chopped up tortillas in oil before adding eggs to the pan. At first I couldn't quite understand why anyone would want to sully the beauty and purity of a scrambled egg. But, of course, I was the only boy in the house at the time and food dollars weren't as tight as they were in Maria's house. It was an age old device that I was being made privy to, using old starches and breadstuffs and such to stretch out a protein, but more, to make it more of a complete meal. My simplistic taste buds at the time may have thought that a side of buttered toast would be better for that scramble egg, but over time I have found many interesting rustic style recipes that have done the same and better than that simple pan of Migas. These days I can't even begin think of what soft tacos would be like without potatoes. Fried rice without a handful of leftover meats and somewhat wilted vegetables wouldn't be the same.

The ingredients to bread salad are simple, but I imagine like anything else you make you want to be sure that you start out with the best that you can afford. In many cases, that loaf you made two days ago and handful of basil you just picked from your windowsill garden should do the trick. A nice fruity olive oil and a tasty red wine vinegar are always good to have on hand, as well as a solid pepper grinder for that fresh ground black pepper taste. How much sea salt you use is up to you!

Healthy, imaginative, simple, refreshing. What more can you ask out of a salad?

Cooks Talk!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/health/nutrition/12recipehealth-1.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1221264056-+xKm0RTcYvUN6glfYYL/lg

Gleaners of the field and your local grocery stores!

Are you looking for a fresh volunteer experience, one gives you an instant return on your time and sweat investment? Are you looking for something more than just a place to sink money in your community? Want to see excess food go to where it should, like into the hands of those who need it most? Then give gleaning a try.
Over the years I have volunteered with various gleaner organizations, notably one's located in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties. I ended my last gleaning "career" as a Saturday morning Sorting Supervisor, overseeing the work of twenty voluteers who sorted through deliveries from ten supermarkets and two to three bread distribution facilities. It was good work, hard work, sometimes wretched work, but in the end pretty nice if only because we were there on hand to glean from the best breads and produce that came in for that particular shift. "Shopping" during the week was also an option, but for those of us who traveled a distance to help in the pulling, sorting and distribution of many tons of foodstuffs, once every two weeks was ample. The foods that we processed and set aside were distributed not only to local food banks, church networks and hot kitchens, but also to households and gleaner subscribers alike. It felt great keeping edible food in the pipeline, and made those fifty mile round trip drives out to Spanaway all that more worthwhile.

I was reading a new local food magazine today, titled Edible Seattle. One of the articles highlighted a local gleaning hero, Carrie Little, of Mother Earth Farm, who along with her volunteers provided 150,000 pounds of organic produce to food banks in 2007 . That was exciting enough, but the article also gave a great overview of a fantastic food distribution organization, The Emergency Food Network, located in Lakewood, Washington, who's online site has a multitude of resources for those in need as well as numerous volunteer opportunities for those who wish to help food find the needy in Pierce County.

Working for The Gleaners was for me a very moving and meaningful experience. I can't abide by food waste, not when there are so many that are hungry. If you feel a need to volunteer in the area of food redistribution, and wish to go beyond helping at your local foodbank once a year, give them a call. The best part of your effort is knowing that your energy and goodwill goes straight into the homes, pantries and refrigerators of those who need it most.

Cooks Talk!

Contact information about The Emergency Food Network:
http://www.efoodnet.org/

Thurston County has a Gleaner organization as well:

http://www.gleanerscoalition.org/

And here's information about Snohomish County's Evergreen Gleaning Association:

http://www.freewebs.com/egassociation/index.htm

Corti Brothers, Sacramento!

"Really, it's just a grocery" says Darrel Corti. So says the man who was knighted by Italy for helping to promote Italian food products and who inducted into the Culinary Institutes vinter's Hall of Fame. It's great and pretty rare to see humbleness at work in the world of food these days, let alone shop in an unassuming grocery store packed to the brim with treasures.

Up until this morning I had never heard of the Corti Brothers in Sacramento. But from what I've read they were the leading advocates of the gourmet grocery shopping back in the seventies and eighties when such a thing was a rarity. And according to the alarm that went up in the community when it became known that another gourment chain was going to taking over the site, apparently they still are.

There are many high end natural food chains available these days where you can drop in to pick up fresh, wholesome ingredients, but that can also be said for a wide variety of regular grocery stores as well. Safeway, Albertsons and Fred Meyers all have a plentiful variety of natural and gourmet foods available that would have been unthinkable ten to fifteen years ago. I think we take for granted such food stuffs as high quality olive oil, basalmic vinegar and exotic cheeses, but someone had to start the trend on the West coast and it was great to finally read about the orginal pioneers.

I know that there will always be Trader Joes for those of us with a passion for interesting foodstuffs at a low price. But for those rare imported goods and high quality items that helped to spark a food revolution, Corti Brothers on Folsome sounds like a mecca to me. I figure between a platter of The Sister's enchildas in Sacramento, a good In-N-Out cheeseburgerburger in Redding, a decent bowl of fish chowder in San Francisco and a loaf or two of Boudin's sourdough straight from the bakery at Fisherman's Wharf that a three to four day weekend gustatory tour to Northern California might be in order!

Cooks Talk!

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-corti10-2008sep10,0,968086.story

Corti Brother's web site:

http://www.cortibros.biz/

Big Mac Thrills!

"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun." One man in particular really took that jingle to heart.

23,000. To have eaten twenty three thousand of anything would be a feat, but to have eaten that number of Big Mac's over the course of 36 years is a phenomenal record. I think it's easy to enjoy the simple pleasure of a Big Mac now and again, but to consider the highlight of my day every day? More power to Don Gorske. I suppose that his taste buds are built a little bit differently than mine, that's all. So here's to the man who is both a dedicated McDonald's customer and an avid eater of one the great pop cultural burgers of all time! After reading that article I think I'll run out and grab one, too!

Cooks Talk!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080909/ap_on_fe_st/odd23000_big_macs

Latest take on the Big Mac jingle:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/16/business/adco.php

And a bit of a story about the "jingle" culled from Wikipedia:

"The Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. concept for the jingle was created by Charles Rosenberg, Creative Supervisor of the Dan Nichols team at Needham, Harper and Steers, Chicago. Originally, the ingredients appeared as a one-word heading for a McDonald's ad developed for college newspapers. The words were then set to music created by Mark Vieha, who performed the original jingle. Charlie's advertising concept was to purposely turn the ingredients into a tongue twister. The jingle first appeared in a TV commercial titled "In a Word" developed by Dan and the advertising agency team. The first run of commercials ran only a year and a half, going off the air in 1976, but its popularity remained beyond its TV life."

Calabasas and the Sagebrush Cantina

Southern California has changed many times over in the fifteen years that I've been gone, I am sure. But some things never change, and those things are the hills and valleys and mountains surrounding Calabasas, which is situated on the far north end of the San Fernando Valley. That region has always smacked of the old West, of the days when prospectors and ranchers and badmen roamed the hills and ruled the territory.

Calabasas has always been a prime place to escape to, and because of it's somewhat iconic stature, as well as it's remote and romantic location, it has attracted over the years a comfortable mix of gentry and cowboy, displaced hippie and high-rolling movie producer, all mixed together in a land that even today seems far, far removed from the pace of metropolitan Los Angeles. Put all those elements together, the hills and the sagebrush, the easy access to the ocean and natural wonders, to cosmopolitan malls and Hollywood dreams and you find yourself in a community that is a throw back to another time and a place in California history that still stands today as a first rate destination for locals and visitors alike.

Years ago, when I regularly daytripped in and out of the area, it was mandatory, especially on warm Sunday afternoons, to stop by the Sagebrush Cantina and partake in a little bit of refreshment and tuck into their all-you-can-eat brunch. It was more than just the high quality Tex-Mex food, the sawdust on the floor and the ice cold margaritas that made the place a must see. It was more than catching out of the corner of your eye the jaded showmen or the bikers or the famous faces that go to these kinds of places just to be seen. Rather, it was the combination of all of those things, along with the sun spilling through the California oaks in the late afternoons, the piquant sage smell wafting off the hills, the ample portions that made their way to the table and the wild, wooley comraderie that only a place were everyone feels safe and comfortable and themselves that made this restaurant and bar a legend. I only remember good times there, and apparently, according to the article tagged on below, there are still plenty of good times to be had.

It has been many years since I've been to the Sagebrush Cantina but apparently some places, like the hills and valleys and mountains surrrounding it, are timeless. Happy days for all of us. Be sure to stop in on your next visit to LA. You'll be happy you did.

Cooks Talks!

http://www.latimes.com/theguide/events-and-festivals/la-et-neighborhoods2-2008sep02,0,2771038.story

Brave new world of cookbooks!

Oh, the joys of holiday cooking! There was a time when searching for a holiday recipe at home was a casual affair, casual only because there was usually just one cookbook in the house to choose from. That sole title was the family standard, the all-in-one kitchen bible that set the tone for our food tastes and helped build family traditions for both holiday and weekday meals alike. In those days that lone, cherished cookbook tended to be passed down from generation to generation, marked up, and liberally stained from years of use in the kitchen. The key component to that hallowed tome was trust, and that trust was based on the number of recipes made, eaten and enjoyed out of it by our families over the years.

There is no reason why anyone would want to have just one cookbook to choose from anymore. Depending on your food tastes and level of expertise, there are quite a few places where you can now go to find inspiration that’ll get you excited about being in the kitchen again. The internet, of course, is a gourmet’s paradise, teaming with specialty food and cooking sites, but it’s the brave new world of cookbook publishing that’s made being a casual cook so exciting these days.

Gone are the days when it was difficult to track down authentic regional or ethnic food recipes. Gone, too, are those “old fashioned” cookbooks packed solid from front to back with text. Colorful photographs and graphical playfulness rule the cookbook aisles these days, supporting an array of titles packed with outrageously authoritative, tasty, tested recipes from around the world.

So, need some mealtime inspiration but don’t know where to start? The Kitsap Regional Library is here to help. Our cookbook collection is burgeoning with hundreds of titles, from the most basic and practical, such as The Joy of Cooking and Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book to inspired vegetarian classics such as The New Laurel's Kitchen to solid upscale fare such as The Gourmet Cookbook. These practical titles have been around for years, have gone through multiple printings and revisions, and have helped many a home cook through many a kitchen trial. Have a hankering for something "homemade" and straight out of your past? Check out one of those titles and you're bound to find some old family favorites or regional standards you’ve always wanted to try.

There are a number of reasons for the blossoming of the cookbook industry: easy access to once rare ingredients, in-home gourmet kitchens, inexpensive travel, cooking shows, celebrity chefs and a proliferation of ethnic restaurants. The Food Network, Martha Stewart and magazines such as Sunset, Cooking Light and Bon Appetit have also contributed to the boom and we are all happier because of it.

Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries and Donna Hay's Instant Entertaining are examples of today’s colorful and imaginative trend of cookbook publishing. Both authors are well known for their conversational writing, their food prep simplicity, but also for their immimicable style, love of presentation and keen knowledge of food. Both Donna and Nigel's cookbooks are breezy, casual and filled with recipes that are easy to make yet represent the wholesomeness and freshness of many of the world's great cuisines.

Looking for something a bit more specialized? Need a good barbecue book to test out that new grill? Take a look at Peace, Love and Barbeque by Mike Mills. Need a solid primer for vegetable cooking, one that will introduce some new tastes and flavors into your life but cut out the guesswork? Give The Best Vegetable Recipes by the Editors of Cooking Illustrated a try. Maybe you’re looking for some connoisseur quality bread recipes that will yield you artisan style loaves. Then Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery is the book for you.
Maybe a bit of ethnic cuisine is what your holiday cooking repertoire needs to spice it up. For a homespun touch of Europe seek out titles by Lidia M. Bastianich, such as Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen for sound recipe advice, or for a tour of French food that won’t intimidate give Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris a whirl.

If true Mexican regional cooking done with an artistic flair is what you are after, then look up Fonda San Miguel for some interesting south of the border excitement done Santa Fe style. Lastly, if what you are after is the latest in "fusion" food, then look no further than Babette de Rozieres' Creole. The delightful photos and book design are flashy in and of themselves, but it’s the incredible Caribbean recipes that make this book a “must see”.

The holidays are here, and it’s time to experience new dishes and enjoy old family favorites. Stop by your local branch library and take a peek into some of those old cookbooks from out of your past. Then, if you dare, take the culinary high road and start some new traditions by picking up some fresh, invigorating ideas from a new cookbook today. You, your family and your friends will be happy that you did.

Rombauer, Irma von Starkloff: Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary, Scribner, 2006
Robertson, Laurel: The New Laurel's Kitchen: a Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition: Ten Speed Press, 1986.
Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 2005
Reichl, Ruth: The Gourmet Cookbook, Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
Hay, Donna: Instant Entertaining, Ecco, 2006
Slater, Nigel: The Kitchen Diaries, Gotham Books, 2006
Silverton, Nancy: Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery,Villard, 1996

Garten, Ina: Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Really Make at Home, Clarkston Potter, 2004.
Gilliland, Tom and Ravago, Miguel: Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art, Shearer Publishing, 2005
Editors of Cook's Illustrated: The Best Vegetable Recipes, America's Test Kitchen, 2007
Mills, Mike: Peace, Love and Barbeque: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales and Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbeque, Rodale, 2005
de Roziere, Babette: Creole: The Original Fusion cuisine-from the culinary hertiage of the Caribbean, blending Asian, African, Indian and European traditions, Phaidon Press, 2007
Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio: Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, Alfred A. Knopf, 2001

Cooks Talk!

Say it isn't so, cupcake!

The New York Times today reported that we may have hit the tipping point with commercial grade cupcakes. Personally I know that to hit a tipping point with a tray of cupcakes would be a disaster, but as for the industry, who knows? Boutique cupcakes are the rage, are pretty and are pretty expensive, much moreso than their late pal the bagel. Pretty much everyone likes sweets, and what's there not to like about a cupcake?

The article also mentioned Krispy Kreme donuts in the same breath, but, really, who can look at donuts and cupcakes in the same way? I know that I can always make a mighty fine cupcake at home, even if they aren't as pretty as their 5th Avenue cousins. But a donut the quality and calibre of a Krispy Kreme? How can I even begin to compete? Hmm, maybe by pulling together a couple dozen recipes and investing in a deep fat fryer? Sam, I think I smell the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

Cooks Talk!

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/will-cupcakes-be-the-next-krispy-kreme/index.html?hp

Gadget of the week!

I think it's safe to say we all love buttered corn. Some like it out of the can, others like it from the frozen food section. But when you get a cob right off the stalk, fresh out of a pot of boiling water, served up with oodles of butter and salt, well, I think that's about as sublimb a summer experience as you can get.

Sometimes it's handy to have tools around that make messy work a little easier. This week's one piece stainless steel tool looks to be a little safer to have around that corn cob than a chef's knife, and looks to be a lot more fun to use than a boily bag when you need fresh kernals for cornbread or chowder. Have a need to own it? It's called the Corn Zipper, and it's available through Crate and Barrel.

Cooks Talk!

Crate and Barrel's site and pricing information for the Corn Zipper:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=746&f=27451

Someone else thinks kindly of this tool, too:
http://happymundane.blogspot.com/2007/06/corn-zipper.html

Wine snobs need not apply!

Good wine is everywhere to be found. Look in the least likely places, such as discount supermarkets, drugstores and bargain merchants and you're bound to find a number of interesting and wonderful deals, cut outs and long lost treats and value treasures. But what is even better is that there are a number of vinters out there that know that there is a demand for something more than just plonk in a jug, but rather, tasty wines at a good price.

Value is important when it comes to stretching out a food dollar, but what matters even more is quality. There is nothing worse than opening a bottle of wine with friends and finding out, from that first sip, that was you thought was a good deal was, in the end, a real dog. The following article will help direct you to a nice line up of 2007 varietals from the Yakima Valley. Someday a field trip is in order to see this place first hand, but for the time a chat your local grocer or wine shop merchant should be enough to help you find the wines mentioned.

Cooks Talk!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/wineadviser/2008153948_winecol03.html