If you follow me on social media, you already know what I’m about to tell you.
Now that I look at it, if you read the title of this post, you already know what I’m about to tell you.
Considering that today is my birthday and days like this are meant to be celebrated, I thought I would do so by officially spilling the news.
Do you ever have those days when you are convinced that no one gets you?
I do. And they’ve been happening a lot more frequently.
But it’s okay. I do it to myself. I’m a nerd in the true sense of the word when it comes to food, fall and farms. I think this is why social media was invented. Way, way back in the day, there was someone sitting around who felt like no one got them. So they decided to find a way to surround themselves with people around the world who did.
That has to be factual, right? I’m sure it’s documented somewhere.
For example, just the other day I came across the largest, most gorgeous persimmon tree I’d ever seen. It was full of fruit and towered around me in every direction. It had to be years and years old. It was next to a store and when I checked out, I gushed to the cashier about how beautiful the tree was.
She looked at me like I was an alien.
Nope, didn’t get me.
Our holiday visit didn’t stop in Vienna. The Krakow Christmas Market in Poland was equally as exciting with one of a kind food experiences!
As I stand in the town center of Krakow, I wonder why a visit to Poland had not been higher on my travel list. It was always there, but tucked beneath what I thought were more intriguing destinations.
I take my first steps into the market and I see a stand selling pierogi. No surprise there. I am in Poland after all.
If you have ever been tempted to visit Christmas markets in Europe, I hope this post will convince you to finally book the trip. We spent time in Vienna last December and the experience left me speechless. After a year to gather my thoughts, I’m sharing the highlights with what to drink and eat when visiting Vienna Christmas Markets.
I haven’t fully decided how I feel about the term bucket list. I’m not a huge fan, but that might just be because it is so popular and overused. At the same time, I lack an appropriate name for my list of places to see in this world.
Must-go, must-see, travel list? They all feel rather boring. Especially with the places that I have on my list. I feel like the name needs to match the magnitude of the experiences.
So while I’m searching for a name, I’m slowly progressing through my list (whatever it is called).
A big, and I mean huge, destination for me, became a reality last December. We’ve been to Vienna a few times now and it remains one of my favorite places in the world, but I’ve always wanted to go in December to see the Christmas markets.
Every time I make a stuffed mushroom recipe, I have to research the correct spelling – portobello or portabella.
Have you ever Googled this topic? It’s more debated than most health information.
Some say one or the other is translated from Italian. Others say it was a name made up by the U.S. mushroom industry and has no roots in any specific culture. Still others say that our made-up word in the U.S. has replaced what used to be the correct name in other countries. And with all that, there is still no clear answer. Does anyone really know at this point?
The best advice I’ve seen is that it’s up to author and both are correct. This leaves me uneasy, though. When it comes to food names, I really like to be correct, especially if the name has some historic or language-specific meaning.
One thing I have learned is that I may have been meshing the two and creating my own word in the past. I could have sworn that portobella was an option.
Ooops.
For this recipe, I think I’m going to go with portobello. An “o” because, oh my goodness, these portobello mushroom caps I picked up at Trader Joe’s were huge! I’ve never seen such monstrous caps.
They tasted delicious, stuffed with chickpeas, sautéed spinach and shallots with a hint of coriander. They also happen to be vegetarian, vegan and grain-free, if you are in the market for foods that fit those categories. The ratio of mushroom to filling was just a little heavier on the mushroom side. So if you set out to make these hearty portobellos (great, now I’m questioning myself on the correct plural of the word), opt for some small to medium sized mushroom caps.And if you have a reference on the portabella vs. portobello debate, do tell.
Makes 2 servings
1 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
2 medium portobello mushroom caps
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves, chopped
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained if using canned)
1 tbsp almond meal
1 tbsp low sodium vegetable stock
¼ tsp ground coriander
1/8 to ¼ tsp fine ground sea salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wipe the mushrooms with a clean, damp cloth and gently scrape out the gills. Use the 2 teaspoons of olive oil to lightly coat each cap and grease the bottom of a baking dish or sheet pan. Place the mushrooms gill-side up in the pan.
In a small skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook about 1 minute, until the oil begins to bubble, and then reduce the heat to medium to prevent burning. Cook for about 3 more minutes, until softened.
Stir in the spinach and cook for about 1 more minute, just until the spinach wilts. Remove from the heat. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl.
Add the chickpeas to the bowl and use a potato masher to combine all ingredients, gently mashing the beans while you work. You will want the beans to be slightly chunky once the ingredients are mixed.
Stir in the almond meal and stock. Add the coriander and the salt according to taste. Start with 1/8 teaspoon and add more if you’d like. Stir in the pinch of black pepper.Divide the chickpea mash in two and divide it between the two mushroom caps. Pack it firmly and mound it slightly to fill the mushroom.Bake for 20 minutes, or until the mushroom is tender and the filling is slightly browned.
I’m awful at math.
It’s not so much that I can’t solve simple math problems, but more that I don’t trust myself. I’m that person who whips out my phone when the bill arrives at the table so I can use the calculator app to make sure I’ve added the tip correctly. Sure, I can add, but in the distracted state of dinner conversation, I’d rather be safe than embarrassed.
So there is no logical reason why this poor math student would celebrate 3/14 – Pi Day. That is, until the food community added an ‘e’ to the end and converted it to Pie Day.
Now, I’m in.
I’ve made a few sweet and savor pies over the years. Some with classic ingredients, others with whole grains and coconut oil and a few that are specific to countries around the world. In celebration of Pie Day, here are a few of my very favorites. (Click on the name to go to the recipe.)
I love food discoveries. Those times when you learn about a food which you never knew existed. A unique food or recipe that hails from a specific area or a local restaurant. It reminds me why I love food culture. It is also the reason why I branch out of the whole grain, raw sugar, fresh vegetable pattern to feature a little tradition and food history.
I had one of these food discoveries a few weeks ago. It was one that also just happened to align with my renewed love for peanuts.
I was flipping through a review copy of the cookbook Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich when I stumbled upon, Like Virginia Diner’s Peanut Pie. Peanut pie? I’d never heard of such a thing.
This cookbook is full of new-to-me recipes. Page after page of everything pie. And I’m no pie novice. I’m not an expert at making them, but my mom is. As a result, I’ve had my fair share of slices. Growing up we were a pie family — from-scratch chocolate pie and butterscotch pie, the most amazing pumpkin pie in the world (my grandmother’s), grape pie, raisin pie (although I wasn’t a fan of this one), gooseberry, strawberry-rhubarb, cherry, apple, pecan, coconut cream. You get the idea.
So finding new pies that impress me isn’t an easy task, but this cookbook accomplished it. There are combinations that I could never dream up like Coffee-Hazelnut Custard Pie, Orange Pie with Pistachio Crumb Crust and Pear and Jalapeno Jelly Pie. Many have an interesting story attached, a region that made them popular or a unique ingredient. Cream, silk, crumble, flaky, lattice — whatever the pie style, there is a recipe for it in here.
Now this isn’t a picture cookbook, although there are a few pretty photos gathered in the center as examples. It is a pie resource book. The one you turn to when you are curious about a traditional pie or you want something new to wow your guests.
Such as Peanut Pie.
If you are like me, your first thought when you hear peanut pie is peanut butter. Peanut as a dessert always equals peanut butter, right? I have since learned the answer to that is no.
This pie resembles pecan, but it’s different. I couldn’t put my finger on what was different until I was polishing off the last bite of crust. Good thing, or I might have needed a second slice.
Pecans are naturally sweet, making pecan pie a super sweet dessert. I do like it, but it’s the kind of sweet you only want around the holidays, and for me, one slice is enough. In peanut pie, the peanuts provide a more savory flavor that balances the sweetness. The peanuts stay crunchy, the crust flaky — it’s pretty much everything I ever wanted in a pie. To the point that I’ve vowed to make it instead of pecan for the holidays.
I could hear your shrieks of horror from here. Trust me, though. This pie is pretty special.
And if your cookbook shelf is aching for a pie resource. Look no further.
Recipe © 2013 by Ken Haedrich and used by permission of The Harvard Common Press
From the book:
I had been hearing that a restaurant called the Virginia Diner, in Wakefield, Virginia, made the best peanut pie around, so I contacted one of the owners, who was quick to point out that the diner’s peanut pie is indeed deliciously world famous. She described it as “like a pecan pie, only better,” and, of course, she said, it is always made with great homegrown Virginia peanuts.
Having learned that there’s an inverse relationship between the level of self-hoopla and one’s chances of securing a recipe, I held my breath when I finally got around to asking her whether she would be willing to share the recipe with me and my readers. Alas, she would not, but she was kind enough to direct me to a Web site, www.aboutpeanuts.com, which has a recipe for peanut pie that is “pretty similar.” Would she care to enumerate the differences? “Sorry.” Turns out the recipe at that Web site, reprinted here with permission, is so good that I’ve forgiven the Virginia Diner for not sharing theirs. This pie is superlative: a golden layer of roasted peanuts on top of a soft and yummy filling. I always serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and Warm Mocha Sauce (see cookbook).
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
1 recipe Basic Flaky Pie Pastry, Single Crust (see below), refrigerated
FILLING:
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts
Instructions
Recipe for Success
Be sure not to use unroasted peanuts here. The roasting really brings out the nut flavor. By the same token, do not use honey-roasted or other sweetened nuts or the pie may be too sweet.
This pie pastry is used frequently throughout this collection because it yields such excellent results. I sometimes call it a half-and-half pastry, referring to the equal amounts of vegetable shortening and butter—the former for flakiness, the latter for flavor. It can be made in a food processor if you have a large-capacity machine. But I’ll repeat my usual advice, which is to make it by hand or with an electric mixer if you don’t. Both methods are quite easy. If you could have only one pastry to work with, this would probably be it.
Makes a single or double crust for a 9-inch standard pie or 9 ½-inch deep-dish pie
Ingredients
For a single crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces*
1/4 cup cold water
For a double crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Instructions
To make in a food processor: Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse several times to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut it in. Fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl. Scatter the shortening over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times. Fluff the mixture again. Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times. Fluff the mixture and sprinkle on the remaining water. Pulse 5 or 6 times more, until the dough starts to form clumps. Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs. Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large bowl. Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingers. If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it in with your fingertips.
To make by hand: Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well, by hand, to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of small peas. Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces. Sprinkle half of the water over the mixture. Toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 11/2 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Dough made by hand often needs a bit more water. If necessary, add water 1 or 2 teaspoons at a time until the pastry can be packed.
To make with an electric mixer: Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, tossing it with the flour. With the mixer on low speed, blend the butter into the flour until you have what looks like coarse, damp meal, with both large and small clumps. Add the shortening and repeat. Turning the mixer on and off, add half of the water. Mix briefly on low speed. Add the remaining water, mixing slowly until the dough starts to form large clumps. If you’re using a stand mixer, stop periodically to stir the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl. Do not overmix.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball (or 2 balls if you are making a double crust) as you would pack a snowball. If you’re making a double crust, make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust. Knead each ball once or twice, then flatten the balls into 3/4-inch-thick disks on a floured work surface. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.
*Just a note. I don’t use vegetable shortening in my baking so I used all butter in this crust and it turned out great.
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If you are interested in perfecting your pie making skills, I just recently learned about Ken’s The Pie Academy. It is such a great resource with tools, tutorials and recipes focused on pie making. Be sure to check it out!
Disclosure: I received this cookbook for review purposes from the Harvard Common Press. I was not required to write about it and received no compensation for doing so.
Over the years, one of my favorite things about having this blog has become reviewing cookbooks. There are a lot of great cookbooks out there. To be honest, I have never reviewed any that were bad. But what makes a cookbook excellent to me, what makes it stand out among all the others, is when I can sense the passion for the food as I read the pages.
Lately I’ve had the opportunity to review several, but what I don’t always get to do is interact with the authors. Since our move to the Bay Area, one thing I am loving is that I can meet some of these cookbook authors at cookbook signings in the city.
That was the case with The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey-From Food Blog, to Food Truck, and Beyond by Marvin Gapultos (also the author of Burnt Lumpia). I received a review copy of the book and I was invited to the book signing at Omnivore Books. Having the chance to read it before the signing, I could not wait to learn more about the passion behind this book.
Yes, this book falls in the excellent category for me. The stories behind each recipe make you want to start creating, and continue to savor, family food memories of your own.
We haven’t been to the Philippines yet, but I’m continually intrigued by this cuisine. The tangy adobos and tasty lumpias, I’ve been wanting to try more dishes and The Adobo Road stepped right in with plenty of opportunities to do so. The best part is that the the recipes have a unique quality of being authentic without overwhelming the cook.
I enjoyed myself so much at the signing. Marvin described more about how the book came to be, and about the work that went into translating family cooking and memorized steps into a measured and written recipe that he could share with readers.
I knew what I was going to make prior to the signing, but I was even more encouraged when someone in the group asked what a person new to Filipino food should cook for the first time. His answer? An adobo. When I told Marvin that I hoped to make his Vegetarian Adobo for the blog, he told me more about his grandfather’s dish and how he hasn’t found the exact pepper used, but that this was incredibly close.
I’ve never made adobo before and the Vegetarian Bell Pepper Adobo (Adobong Sili) stood out for me due to it’s flavor and simplicity. In fact, I thought that it might be too simple or not as exciting as I hoped.
I underestimated its potential. I loved this dish! I wanted it to be as authentic as possible so I ordered the coconut vinegar online. I really think the slightly sweet flavor of this made the adobo. I’m so glad I decided to get it. Especially because it means there are more adobo dishes in my future.
If you’ve considered trying to make Filipino foods in your kitchen, definitely start with this book. The best way to describe it is easy authentic with plenty of passion to get you inspired!
Copyright © 2013 Marvin Gapultos. Reprinted with permission from Marvin Gapultos and Tuttle Publishing.
Serves 4–6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
2 tablespoons oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
5–6 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
4 bell peppers of differing colors (green, red, yellow, orange), deseeded and cut into thin strips
¼ cup (65 ml) Filipino coconut vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
¼ cup (65 ml) soy sauce
¼ cup (65 ml) water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over moderately high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, 3–5 minutes. Toss in the bell peppers and sauté until they just begin to soften, 3–5 minutes.
Pour in the vinegar, soy sauce and water, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the brown sugar and black pepper, and add the bay leaf. Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the bell peppers become tender but not mushy. Discard the bay leaf and serve the adobo with steamed white rice.
From the book:
Adobo: What’s in a name?
Despite foreign influence on Filipino cuisine, Filipino adobo is indigenous and unique to the Philippines, existing before colonial rule. In the Philippines, “adobo” refers to a technique, rather than a singular dish. In the Spanish context, adobo generally refers to a marinade used to flavor meats, whereas Mexican adobo refers to any number of spices. In all likelihood, Spanish colonists simply applied their term to what the Filipinos were already cooking and eating because it was similar in appearance to Spanish adobo, though not prepared the same way.
Disclosure: This book was sent to me for review purposes. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so.
If you’ve read my blog much at all you know that Ireland has a special place in my travel-loving heart. I’ve had the opportunity to visit three times, exploring gorgeous landscape, overdosing on amazing food and drink and even meeting bloggers. So I can’t let March 17 pass without making something that uses a few flavors from Ireland. I’m always tempted by the incredible desserts that pop up on other blogs, but I decided to go savory. This is a super simple meal, but the Guinness adds a deep flavor to the kale that tastes so good with the eggs and potatoes. Bonus, it’s perfectly suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
10-12 red or white new potatoes, quartered
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tsp dried dill
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 lb. kale, stemmed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup Guinness Extra Stout beer
¼ tsp sea salt
4 poached eggs
Prep
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, dill, sea salt and black pepper. Stir to coat the potatoes with the oil and spices. Transfer the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir the potatoes. Return to the oven and bake 15 to 25 more minutes, or until the potatoes are tender with crispy edges.
While the potatoes are baking you can prepare the kale. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the kale and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring to coat the kale in the oil.
Add the beer. Cook 30 seconds more, or until the kale begins to wilt. Remove from the heat and stir in the sea salt.
To assemble, divide the potatoes into 4 serving bowls, top with ¼ of the kale and finish it off with a poached egg. Serve warm.
Sláinte!
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So far in 2012 I have had some excellent opportunities to see a few of my food, culture and travel heroes. (Yes, I tend to lump those topics all into the same group.) It started in February with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. It continued in the spring with Marion Nestle. And this fall it was Ruth Reichl.
Ruth was brought to the area through our local Kentucky Women’s Writers Conference, and I can’t begin to express how motivating her talk was. When your focus is food, health and agriculture it is easy to get swallowed up in the negativity of obesity statistics and food policy arguments.
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| Kentucky Chef Ouita Michel and Ruth Reichl |
Ruth’s presentation brought me back to why I fell in love with food (and all that it encompasses) in the first place – the culture. Those things that surround what we eat, why we eat it and where these practices come from.
Long story short, if you have the chance to hear her speak, go. She will have you longing for fresh-made yogurt and grilled fish in a remote Greek village before all is said and done.
That particular evening included more than the wonderful presentation. We are moving into the time of year here when everyone is preparing for a celebration of Kentucky food, and the people who grow and produce it!
You may have seen my post about the Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show last year. Well it’s that time of year again! The show goes on next Saturday, October 27th!
The wonderful organizers of that event invited Kentucky Food Bloggers out to a preview event and then provided us transportation to Ruth Reichl’s talk. Such a fun night of food!
We were greeted with all kinds of goodies – Kentucky cheeses, bourbon and wine to name a few. Chef Brigitte Nguyen was on sight cooking up some delicious tomato fritters. These bites were like a corn fritter meets hushpuppy meets a garden fresh tomato. So good!
I love promoting great Kentucky foods so here are the details of this year’s event. Along with table after table of Kentucky food vendors there are several new features this year that I can’t wait for.
The Traditional Food Craft Area is going to have demos of how to make traditional Kentucky foods including sorghum, apple cider and apple butter. Local area restaurants will be in Restaurant Row offering tasting plates for purchase. The special guest this year will be Tyler Florence.
And the event I’m most interested in is the “When Pigs Fly” demonstration. Local chefs will be addressing the lost art of butchery while teaching the home cook how to break down a whole hog!
I’ll have a recap after the event as I hope to meet many new Kentucky food producers.
So tell me. Do you have an event like this in your area?
