BostonZest

Breadcrumbs Are Golden

Serving a dipping dish of buttery breadcrumbs gives these quickly steamed artichoke halves the taste and crunch of our "much-more-work" favorite recipe of stuffed and baked artichokes. A quick dip in olive oil or melted butter and then the crumbs makes for a delicious leaf.

You may see “pasta aglio e olio” popping up on menus. That seductive sounding Italian phrase translates to pasta with garlic and oil. The surprise when you first meet this dish may be beautifully toasted breadcrumbs sprinkled on top where you would have expected cheese.

We recently enjoyed this dish of pasta with mushrooms and peas topped with breadcrumbs at Eastern Standard.

Evan Kleiman, chef, food writer, and host of the radio show and podcast “Good Food,” wrote an article on the topic for the L.A. Times. In praise of breadcrumbs she wrote, “Toasted with garlic and olive oil, they can lend a textural and flavorful crunch to a variety of foods. You'd never know that something as simple and ubiquitous as a handful of crumbs could be what you're looking for to amp your everyday recipes.” She calls, “... spaghetti aglio e olio (their highest use, in my opinion).”

A sprinkle of cheesy breadcrumbs are the perfect finishing touch to this bowl of pea soup.

Filling in For...

In lean times, breadcrumbs have been used to expand food. They are mixed into chopped protein sources to make everything from meatballs to crab cakes. They add body and protect foods when they are used as a batter coating. The meat in popular dishes like chicken or veal Parmesan is first pounded thin and then bulked up with a tummy-filling coating of breadcrumbs. 

In times of food rationing, people were urged to save breadcrumbs and turn them into main courses. Mixed with liquids they became breakfast cereals and desserts. Recipes were created to make meatless loaves and cakes using fine crumbs in place of proteins and flour.

In the book, "Nonna's House: Cooking and Reminiscing with the Italian Grandmothers of Enoteca Maria," we learned another use. "The Nonnas come from different generations and different places, so they have many useful tricks. Simple ones, like a Sicilian Nonna throwing a handful of breadcrumbs into a pan of spaghetti with marinara. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked, as she mixed it in. ‘It thickens the sauce. This is our way,’ she said."

Butter-toasted panko breadcrumbs with a dash of Parmigiano Reggiano and Aleppo pepper add an attractive and delicious finishing touch to simple, steamed cauliflower.

With a bit of imagination, the lowly breadcrumb was turned into something elegant and delicious. England’s famous Queen of Puddings is simply a custard mixed with breadcrumbs and topped with jam and meringue. One hot menu craze these days is roasted cauliflower steaks many of which are topped with garlicky breadcrumbs.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Ginger as Medicine

On Wednesday we wrote about how we are all using more ginger than in times past and how we love our gingery Asian Chicken broth. While most of our broth is used in cooking, we also use it as medicine.

Ginger as Medicine

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center maintains a directory of herbs and botanicals with information about their uses. Their report on ginger points out that, “Ginger root contains compounds that may help relieve or prevent nausea and vomiting. These substances can increase the flow of saliva and digestive juices and may also help calm the stomach and intestine.”

Liquid Ginger!

We sip a cup of warm homemade, ginger-scented chicken stock rather than ginger ale for an upset tummy. We share filtered-until-it-is-clear supplies of it with friends who are preparing for a colonoscopy, and we’ve supplied friends with colds, flu, and chemotherapy patients with sips of what one friend called, “your magic elixir.”

Penny loves ginger tea. She often makes her own with ginger from our supply, but you can buy some excellent organic ginger tea.

Some folks swear by ginger mints, ginger gum, or organic candied ginger to combat motion sickness.

In “Ginger Root In Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine,” author Eyton Shalom writes, “There are no panaceas in medicine, but if there were going to be one, it would have to be the humble ginger root.”

Please Read this Important Part!

Even with all these positive recommendations, increasing ginger consumption may not be for everyone. In addition to following the scientific research on each substance, Sloan Kettering also puts side effects and warnings even on everyday items like ginger. If you are planning on adding a lot of any ingredient or a supplement containing that ingredient to your diet, you would be wise to check for interactions with medications and medical conditions.

You should also let your personal physician know if you are using something like ginger as medicine.

Related Post: Ginger Goes Mainstream

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Ginger Goes Mainstream

In an interview with NPR, food writer Nigella Lawson said, "I think ginger has a heat, a warmth that is often not fully understood because I think people use a small amount. And if you use quite a lot, you really see that it’s like reaching for another form of pepper.

As more of us acclimatize our palates and enjoy foods with stronger flavors and heat, ginger is showing up in unexpected and delightful places. One of Ed’s favorite ginger discoveries is spicy ginger limeade. 

It's always part of our order from Bon Me, and we make it at home with local ginger or ginger syrup from Old Friends Farm.

Each season we buy a supply of local ginger and the ginger syrup made from it at the Atlas Farm stand at the Copley Farmers Market. They bring it to Boston for their neighbor Old Friends Farm. We use some fresh, clean and freeze some, and even make our own pickled ginger!

Using More Ginger

These days we buy ginger in larger quantities. In dishes where we once used a touch of ginger, we might now add a pile! We use it fresh, pickled, and juiced. Penny has become a pro at peeling it with a teaspoon but, in some cases, she’ll just give it a scrub and use it peel and all.

At least half of the homemade chicken broth we make contains ginger along with scallions, star anise, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. We use this to make quick, pho-like noodle soups and to add to stir-fry dishes in place of a more basic chicken stock.

And, don't limit yourself to savory uses, pour ginger syrup over ice cream, rice pudding, and other desserts.   

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015-2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Toasting November with a Special Wine: Guy Larmandier, Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs in a Special Place

November is a month to give thanks, so we are going to toast it with a Champagne: Guy Larmandier, Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs at Select Oyster Bar.

We recently had another reason to celebrate, so we shared a half bottle of Guy Larmandier Blanc de Blancs over lunch. It reminded us that this is one of the few all Chardonnay Champagnes that we have on our favorites list. It's from one of our favorite importers, Neal Rosenthal. And, it made the beautifully curated wine list at one of our favorite places, Select Oyster Bar. That certainly qualified it for a place in this year of favorites.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! This year we have selected a favorite wine for our monthly toast. 

We hope you'll join our Sparkling Resolution. You don't have to buy a bottle. You can go to your favorite place with a good wine list and enjoy a glass of sparkle over lunch or dinner or share a bottle or half bottle as we will today. 

We'll toast all the people along the way, from grapevine to glass, who dedicate themselves to bringing great wine our way!

 

Related Posts:

Here's the original post on this wine.

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

September's Toast: Here's to Keeping Summer Going with Etxaniz Txakoli Rose!

If there is a Txakoli on a wine list, you can be sure Ed will consider ordering it. In this year of old favorites for our Happy New Month toast, we'll pour from on high with a bottle of Etxaniz Txakoli Rose.

After a scorching month of August, we're hoping for a September that's more typical of a Boston summer. We've been hoarding a few bottles of this favorite wine from the Basque region of Spain. This particular producer creates one of our favorites. It's a nice low 11.5% alcohol by volume and is wonderfully food friendly. Lower alcohol makes for a more refreshing warm weather drink.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! In 2018 we decided to feature a year of old favorites like this one. Tonight we'll pop the cork and pour this frizzante wine from on high to create its signature froth! 

On egin!  (A Basque toast which roughly translates, "Enjoy your meal!")

 

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Food Waste Feast Is Our Friday Link

Today we want to encourage all our food loving readers to click over to Food Waste Feast, the website that helps you, "Cook more creatively, and stop throwing away perfectly good food."

This site comes from Mei and Irene from the Mei Mei food truck, restaurant, and catering company. We have deep admiration for all the wise, generous, and sustainable decisions this family has made as they've found a place for themselves in the competitive food world. 

Now they have found a way to help you become more sustainable by using the food you might be tossing out. Earlier this week, we published a post that explained that "Your Most Expensive Food Is the Food You Waste."

The next step is to buy just what you will use and use what you buy.

Recipes by Ingredient!

The Food Waste Feast team is building valuable resources for those of us who no longer feel that wasting food is acceptable. You can find recipes by ingredient for what you have on hand. For example, the photo above is a recipe they call, "Pasta with Wrinkled Cherry Tomatoes."

They say,

"Because sometimes you get super excited about tomato season, and you purchase three large local containers of cherry tomatoes, and then some of them inevitably linger a bit longer than you wanted them to and get all wrinkly and forlorn on the countertop....anyone else ever find themselves in that position? Just me?"

We say,

Irene and Mei you are not alone. We've done that too. But, from now on when that happens, we'll click over to the recipes by ingredient section of Food Waste Feast and find inspiration for a dish to use them.

More Resources!

Food Waste Feast also gives you information about the issues surrounding food waste and tips on how to buy, store, and use up the things you do purchase and, sadly, when to toss them. For example here is the section on "Veggies that are actually fruits" like those tomatoes we're all overbuying right now.

This is a deep treasure trove of useful information. We suggest you make an initial visit and click around to find the areas you need right now. Then bookmark Food Waste Feast on your phone and make that your reading for times when you have to sit around waiting. Penny has been doing that for the past few weeks and has picked up useful information and been inspired to make new dishes by reviewing the recipes. 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos and screenshots: courtesy of Food Waste Feast

Your Most Expensive Food Is the Food You Waste

People complain about the high price of food in restaurants, especially those places that source prized, fresh, local products for their menus. Ed and I hear complaints about the price of produce at farmers markets compared to supermarket sale prices or places that sell overstock and remainder clearance fruit and vegetables. But, in reality, the most expensive food most of us buy is the food we throw away.

Tip: A quick stir-fry, like this cashew chicken, can prevent wasted food by using up the bits and pieces in you refrigerator.

Wasted Food vs Food Waste

A lot is being written these days about food waste. We need to rethink that term. Food waste, to us, is the potato peels, apple cores, trimmed fat, and onion skins left when we finish preparing a meal. Many of those item can be turned into compost and some of what you are tossing can become a new menu item with the right recipe. We'll have more resources for doing this in upcoming posts. 

Wasted food, on the other hand, is the avocado that became overripe and was tossed because I bought too many. It’s the leftover chicken that sat long enough in the refrigerator for us to question its food safety. It’s the moldy orange or rotten peach in the fruit bowl. We’ve taken aim at this wasted food in our personal campaign to get the most value out of our food dollars.

Tip: We hard boil any older eggs whenever we buy a new carton. Those ready-to-go eggs help us turn a bit of leftover potato salad into a well-balanced lunch.

Vacation Lessons

If you are at all like us, you shop with greater care in the weeks before a trip because you have a set deadline to use up all the fresh food you buy.

Tip: Some toasted bread cubes, a ready-to-use avocado, and a drizzle of good olive oil can turn take-out gazpacho into a favorite meal.

Before and during a recent visit to Provincetown, Ed and I restricted our shopping list to those things we could use up in a few days. We bought food one or two meals at a time. When we extended our stay in P-town, we continued to follow that pattern. The result was that we had very little wasted food as we packed to return to Boston.

Since we’ve been home, I’ve followed that same rule. Each day I think about what I have on hand and only add staples that will soon run out and items I need for the next few meals to my shopping list. Try it and see how much less food you waste. 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino