Love Feeds More Than The Soul
What better day is there than Valentines Day to plan a special meal with the one you love. Sharing food is a way of establishing and demonstrating closeness in nearly every culture. The French often flirt by eating off one another’s plates. As part of the Malay wedding ceremony, the bride and groom sit in state and feed each other yellow rice with hands painted with henna. In the Hula society of New Guinea, feeding and sexual intimacy are both believed to achieve the transfer of nu, the vital essence. Scientists have even speculated that kissing originated with mothers feeding their babies much like birds do. After the babies were old enough to eat food, kissing was used as sign of comfort and affection. consider it the anthropology of amore.
Tip: Make tough winter greens, such as kale and cabbage, soft enough for salads by massaging and marinating them with olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt.
What’s For Dinner?
Entry 4, January 25, 2012
An Adventure in Short Ribs
Submitted by: Lynn Piette, Full Service Account Executive
“I love to cook and did so in my former life before coming to The Classic Catering People. I never left that passion for food behind and continue to be interested in up and coming food trends. Last winter it seemed everywhere I looked there were articles or recipes featuring short ribs, so I started experimenting. My family was very appreciative of all my attempts at finding the perfect recipe. This past Sunday, which was a cold, dreary, and icy day seemed like a wonderful opportunity to make this ultimate comfort food.
With a co-worker watching and taking notes (so she could learn to make them too!), the process started early in the morning. We began with 9 meaty short ribs, lots of carrots, onions and celery, a great bottle of red wine [too early for drinking - it went into the recipe ;-) ] and beef broth. The secret to the ribs, at least for me is to first flour, salt, and pepper them. Second, brown them on all sides in bacon fat (from 1/2 pound of bacon, cooked until crisp. The bacon then goes in the bottom of the slow cooker)! Next, the browned short ribs, sauteed vegetables, a sauce made from wine and tomato paste, beef broth, fresh rosemary and thyme all made their way into the slow cooker. Set the crock pot at low for 7 hours of slow cooking - which was perfect, since it allowed plenty of time to enjoy the play-off games. Although, the Ravens loss was hard to swallow.
Pair your short ribs with your favorite green salad and some mashed potatoes and you are set for a satisfying meal. If you happen to have any leftovers, they are event better the next day! Switch it up and enjoy with a wonderful bottle of Petite Syrah and some crusty French bread! Yum! Now I can move onto the next culinary challenge - chicken pot pie!”
Cooking Tip of the Day: To mellow cut onions, soak for 15 minutes in water and baking soda to neutralize pungent sulfur compounds.
Cooking Tip of the Day: Flambe is not just for show: it removes the majority of alcohol added to a sauce, in addition to boosting flavor.
Make it? or Buy it?
At a time when everyone is looking at ways to stay within their budget, we at Classic, have found a great resource to help do that in the kitchen. A new book by Jennifer Reese, Make The Bread, Buy The Butter looks to answer the age old questions of: When is homemade better? When is it cheaper? Through her own trials and with a touch of humor, Reese presents 120 make it or buy it recommendations.
Here is an excerpt that I can’t wait to try myself - Vanilla Extract
Make it? or Buy it? - Make it!
To make 12 ounces of vanilla extract costs about $7.
To buy an equivalent amount of McCormick vanilla costs $53.
According to Reese, there are two factors that you need to consider when making your own extract.
- First, to get a good price on vanilla beans, you will need to buy in bulk. Buying in bulk gives you two options, you can make vanilla extract in bulk (vanilla extract keeps indefinitely, tightly capped in a dark, cool place) or you can use the excess beans for vanilla ice cream or creme brulee.
- Secondly, What kind of liquor should you use? Reese experimented with dark rum, golden rum and vodka. Her results yielded that a vodka based extract will produce a plain-vanilla vanilla that is subtle and most similar to store bought. Golden rum produces an extract that is assertive and slightly rummy. And dark rum is extremely rummy.
Recipe for Homemade Vanilla Extract
makes 1.5 cups
9 plump vanilla beans
1.5 cups of vodka, golden or dark rum
- Slit the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
- Put the seeds and the pods in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Pour the alcohol over the beans. Cover and shake.
- Put the jar in the cupboard and let macerate for 3 months, agitating the jar occasionally.
Cooking Tip of the Day: If you’re substituting pancetta with bacon, you may need to add more oil because it’s less fatty.
tired & inspired: 7 foods you should never eat
Food scientists are shedding light on items loaded with toxins and chemicals–and simple swaps for a cleaner diet and supersized health.
Clean eating means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing. Often they’re organic, and rarely (if…
Need to organize your recipes?
Check out tastebook.com, where you are able to store and organize recipes online and access them on the go with a mobile app. You can also create your own customized hard cover cookbook!
