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Pots and Puntarelle: a one-off tour of Testaccio with Agnes Crawford and Rachel Roddy on Wednesday 6th December.

Were it not for Testaccio market or Monte Testaccio, the extraordinary ancient Rubbish dump that rises somnolently the bottom corner of this most Roman of Roman quarters, I am pretty sure I would never have started writing a blog at all, never mind a book, or a column. So it seems absolutely fitting that nearly 13 years after arriving in Testaccio, my first proper tour, alongside my friend and inimitable tour guide Agnes Crawford, is of the market and dump.

The plan is as follows, Agnes and I shall be leading you through the Testaccio market, visiting some of my favourite stalls and learning some technical tricks on taming puntarelle: every Roman’s favourite winter salad. We shall discuss the area’s social and culinary history, and nibble on fried goodies with a glass of something fizzy before a wander through the former (cleaned up!) abattoir.

We also have specially arranged access to the usually closed Monte Testaccio where we shall crunch our way over the shards of broken terra-cotta pots for a unique view of the city and a chat about the numbers and types of pots beneath our feet, and why they had to be thrown away. Appetites suitably sharpened, we will repair to a small trattoria off the usual food tour route for a festive lunch with a specially chosen winter menù, including (of course!) those puntarelle. Much chatter and wine guaranteed. The day will begin at 10.30am and lunch will conclude at about 3.30pm. Total cost, including all food and wine: 100 euros. Book here

Dietary restrictions can of course be accommodated, please mention details when booking.

At this point you might like to go off and read Agnes’s post about Monte Testaccio. Once you have done so, come back here for a recipe and – if you wish – to book the tour.

Insalata di puntarelle Puntarelle with anchovy and lemon dressing

The mere mention of puntarelle has me shooting off on a sentimental tangent that involves my friend Alice, a trattoria in an irritatingly pretty piazza, a paper tablecloth, Pyrex glasses, a litre of hair-curling wine, a grumpy waitress, braised rabbit and a bowl of pale-green curls of gently bitter salad leaves with anchovy dressing.

I’d heard about an idiosyncratic salad from a Roman friend in London long before I moved here, of a Catalonian chicory with dandelion-like leaves called puntarelle, which, once trimmed, cut and immersed in cold water, curled in much the same way as Shirley Temple’s hair. The pale green curls are dressed with a pungent and loudly delicious dressing of anchovies, garlic, olive oil and lemon or vinegar. I ate it with Alice during the first spring I was in Rome, and neither the wine nor the waitress could spoil our delight in the puntarelle salad that we, in the proprietorial manner of new arrivals in Rome, had so happily ‘discovered’.

Twelve years later, less proprietorial and pretty comfortable about still being in Rome, I prepare puntarelle a lot during its winter- spring season. I say prepare, but curl, pulse and assemble is a better description. Some people say that the dressing should be made with a pestle and mortar, but I make mine with my stick blender – not just for speed, but because I like the more consistent, thicker dressing that a few pulses creates. I also prefer lemon juice to vinegar, as it gives the dressing a citrus-sharp but less aggressive edge. Puntarelle is becoming more widely available, but in its absence you can use frisée.

serves 4

1 head puntarelle or frisée 1 garlic clove 4 – 8 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained 1 teaspoon lemon juice or red-wine vinegar 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

To prepare the puntarelle: holding the whole head, pull away the dark green external leaves. Separate the individual tube-like stalks and pull off any dark green leaves. Cut away the tough lower part of each stalk, then cut the tubes in half lengthways and then each half into strips about 3 mm wide. Rinse the strips under cold water, then immerse them in a bowl of iced water for 30 minutes, or until they curl. Once curled, drain and dry thoroughly.

To prepare the frisée: discard the tough outer leaves (or use them for soup), then wash and carefully dry the paler inner leaves. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.

Peel the garlic, then cut it in half and remove the green shoot, if there is one. Pound the garlic in a pestle and mortar, then add the anchovy fillets and grind to a rough paste. Stir in the lemon juice or vinegar and then the olive oil. If you’re using a stick blender or small food processor, blend all the ingredients until they form a textured dressing. If not, just blend the ingredients in the pestle and mortar.

Tip the leaves into a bowl or serving dish, pour over the dressing, toss to coat evenly and serve immediately.

(recipe extract from my book Five Quarters. Second and last picture of Testaccio market by my photographer in crime Nick Seaton)

Source: https://racheleats.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/pots-and-puntarelle-a-one-off-tour-of-testaccio-with-agnes-crawford-and-rachel-roddy-on-wednesday-6th-december/

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Zuni-Cafe Style Pollo a La Brasa Chicken

Zuni-Cafe Style Pollo a La Brasa Chicken

Dinner, Healthy, Healthy (ish), One-Pot Meals, Winter

Every now and then I wonder what it would be like to own a restaurant. And what my restaurant would look and feel like. I think about what I would serve, what my story would be, what the decor would look like. And then I immediately remember the skinny profit margins, back-breaking work, my lack of experience in that area and tell myself that I’m crazy lol. The idea soon flies out the window! My family thanks me.

But if I did in theory own a restaurant, this would be on the menu. Food like this would be served. It’s a roasted chicken with flavors of Peruvian pollo a la brasa, my favorite chicken ever. But served over a bread salad, reminiscent of Zuni Cafe. It would be a merging of cultures, both of which I identify with and are mine. (Maybe San Francisco isn’t my culture but you know what I mean!) I would say that my food and the food I would want to serve leans feminine. This is an attribute by the way. Girly food is dope.

This chicken is so easy to throw together. The chicken marinates for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. The marinade is in style of pollo a la brasa (this recipe is adapted from huacatay (or you can use fresh mint), peppers and more.

It’s an easy marinade that gets mixed together in a blender. It’s poured over the chicken and then roasted in the oven, per the way Zuni Cafe does it.

The bread salad is SO delicious. If you can’t find radicchio feel free to substitute another sturdy lettuce.

This meal is simplicity at its finest. Just good food.

The aji verde is SO delicious and if you’ve ever been to a pollo a la brasa restaurant, you’ll immediately recognize it. They usually place it on tables. It’s glorious.

Zuni Cafe-Style Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa)

Print

My favorite Peruvian chicken: pollo a la brasa married with the style of famous Zuni Cafe's famous chicken served with a bread salad. 

CourseMain Course

CuisineAmerican, Peruvian

Keywordbread salad, peruvian pollo a la brasa, pollo a la brasa, zuni cafe, zuni cafe chicken

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Calories: 450kcal

Ingredients

Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon huacatay paste (or 1 tablespoon freshly minced mint)

1 fresno chile, jalapeño or aji amarillo

1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (3-pound) fryer chicken

Bread Salad:

1/4 loaf bread, cubed (I used a polenta sourdough loaf)

1/3 cup walnuts

1 head radicchio, end trimmed and sliced

4 leaves lacinato kale, ends trimmed and sliced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt

Directions

To Make the Pollo a la Brasa Marinade:

To a blender, add the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, huacatauy (or minced mint), pepper, fresh ginger, garlic cloves, cumin, paprika, kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Blend until mostly smooth. 

To a large bowl or large plastic resealable bag, add the chicken, along with the sauce. Mix until combined and cover; transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, but ideally 24 hours. 

To Cook the Chicken:

Remove the chicken from the fridge. Holding the chicken over the trash, tilt the chicken and allow the marinade to run off in the trash. Place the chicken back on a wire rack or cutting board and using clean kitchen towels or paper towels, dry the chicken on both sides. 

Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet or shallow baking dish in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, allow the chicken to come to room temperature while the oven preheats. 

Open the oven and slide the rack out. Breast-side up, place the chicken in the pan; it will sizzle a lot when it hits the pan—that’s great! Roast the chicken until you see the chicken breasts start to blister and brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken from the oven and flip the chicken over. I found that using a pair of tongs and clean kitchen towels were super helpful. 

Return the chicken back to the oven to cook for an additional 25 minutes, until the opposite side is super golden brown. I took a peak at the chicken periodically to make sure it wasn’t getting too browned. Insert a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the chicken (where the leg meets the thigh) and you’ll know it’s ready when the thermometer hits 165 degrees F. 

To Rest the Chicken:

Get a small bowl ready. Remove the chicken from the oven and tilt the chicken so all the drippings fall into the small bowl. Transfer the chicken to a cooling rack to rest. Transfer the drippings from the pan into the same small bowl. 

To Make the Bread Salad:

Bring the oven temperature down to 400 degrees F. 

To a baking sheet, add the bread cubes, along with the olive oil and a few pinches of salt; toss until the bread cubes are evenly coated in the olive oil. 

Transfer the bread cubes, along with the walnuts to a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until evenly browned for about 10 minutes. Remove and allow to come to room temperature. 

Meanwhile, add the pan drippings to a large bowl. Add the red wine vinegar, a few pinches of kosher salt, lots of rounds of black pepper; give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking. 

Add the kale and raddichio and toss until evenly combined. Next, add the warm walnuts and bread cubes from the oven; toss until combined one last time. Transfer back to the pan (to serve) or a platter. Place the rested chicken on top and serve. 

You’re also welcome to carve up the chicken and serve that on top of the salad. 

March 17, 2019 by Adrianna Adarme

Adrianna Adarme

A Cozy Kitchen is a blog written by Adrianna Adarme. Adrianna likes corgis, pancakes and cute things.

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Source: https://www.acozykitchen.com/zuni-cafe-chicken-pollo-a-la-brasa/

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Libri di cucina che funzionano. Una lista in evoluzione

Ammetto che come primo post dell’anno questo è piuttosto insolito. Lascerò le mie buone intenzioni, i nostri nuovi progetti, le nuove ricette e la parola che ho scelto per il 2019 ai prossimi post. Oggi voglio invece parlare di libri di cucina, oggi voglio festeggiare piccole vittorie piuttosto che puntare il dito ai grandi fallimenti.

L’anno che abbiamo appena archiviato è stato gratificante, generoso ma anche estremamente impegnativo. All’inizio avevamo tanti progetti e obiettivi: alcuni abbiamo dovuto ridimensionarli, altri abbandonarli, altri ancora rimandarli a quest’anno. C’è una cosa, però, di cui sono estremamente orgogliosa, la nostra newsletter settimanale. Abbiamo mantenuto un ritmo piuttosto costante, condividendo momenti dietro le quinte, aggiornamenti personali e ricette stagionali, insieme ai nuovi post, ai corsi di cucina e agli eventi. Crediamo nel contenuto, qui sul blog e nella newsletter. 

Negli ultimi mesi ho anche iniziato a condividere ogni settimana un nuovo libro di cucina, o un libro più generale sempre sul tema del cibo. È un modo per tenere traccia dei nuovi libri di cucina che scopro in libreria e dei quali mi innamoro subito, ma anche una scusa per riprendere in mano alcuni libri che se ne stanno silenziosi da troppo tempo sulle mensole, un modo per farli tornare in vita.

Così abbiamo pensato che fosse giunto il momento di raccogliere tutti i libri che abbiamo menzionato nelle passate newsletter in questo post: questi sono libri di cucina che funzionano, la specie più rara dei libri di cucina. Ho riguardato anche i vecchi post per aggiungere qualcuno dei libri di cui ho scritto in questi dieci anni di blog.

Questo sarà un post costantemente aggiornato, una lista in evoluzione, con nuovi titoli in arrivo presto: ci saranno infatti i nuovi libri condivisi attraverso la nostra newsletter settimanale (tra l’altro, se vuoi puoi iscriverti qui), nuovi colpi di fulmine e nuovi libri dei quali non riesco più a fare a meno. Nel frattempo, mentre scorri questa lista, mi farebbe piacere che tu volessi condividere i tuoi libri preferiti nei commenti, dato che sono sempre alla ricerca di nuovi libri di cucina da leggere, da cui cucinare e da amare.

Libri di cucina che funzionano davvero

Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day, di Zoë François e Jeff Hertzberg

Tutti possono sfornare pane fresco e fragrante ogni giorno, con soli 5 minuti di lavoro. Questa è la filosofia che sta dietro al nuovo libro di Zoë François e Jeff Hertzberg, Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Se non conosci Zoe, seguila su Instagram, la trovi come @zoebakes. Il suo libro è proprio come lei: ti ispira  e ti fa sentire in grado di affrontare ogni ricetta.

Nel libro trovi spiegazioni chiare e dettagliate sugli ingredienti, le tecniche e le ricette di base, ma anche adattamenti golosi: in cinque minuti puoi fare tutto, dalla challa alla babka, dal pane più semplice per colazione al panettone. Durante le vacanze di Natale ho seguito la ricetta base del libro per il pane bianco per preparare piccoli panini da hamburger e l’impasto della challa, con il quale ho fatto sia un pane intrecciato al cocco e cioccolato per la colazione che una dozzina panini dolci alla cannella.

L’impasto della challa è diventato sia un pane intrecciato con cocco e cioccolato che una dozzina di panini alla cannella.

Eat this poem, di Nicole Gulotta

Questo non è solo un libro di cucina. Eat This Poem è un libro scritto magnificamente bene, con ricette che vuoi cucinare ancora e ancora. Con questo libro Nicole Gulotta mi ha aiutata a apprezzare di nuovo la poesia, quando ho scoperto ho scoperto quante cose in comune abbiano una buona poesia e una buona ricetta.

Tartine Bread, di Chad Robertson

Ammetto che il motivo per cui ho comprato Tartine Bread, quasi sette anni fa, era la splendida fotografia di Eric Wolfinger, che lo rende un libro che vuoi tenere in giro, da sfogliare. Poi l’ho letto, l’ho amato, ho sentito tutta la straordinaria passione che Chad Robertson ha messo in questo libro, per spiegarci come creare il nostro sourdough starter, il lievito madre liquido, come tenerlo in vita, come farne un pane fragrante, dalla crosta croccante e dalla mollica umida e alveolata. È qui che ho trovato la mia ricetta per il pane a lievitazione naturale, qui che ho trovato anche una buona ricetta fare pizza.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, di Samin Nostrat

Samin Nostrat is a cook, a teacher, a writer for the New York Times. Samin Nostrat è una cuoca, un’insegnante di cucina, ha studiato giornalismo con Micheal Pollan, scrive per il New York Times e ha pubblicato questo suo primo libro, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, un manuale informativo, divertente, illuminante sulla cucina. La sua idea è che possiamo cucinare bene in maniera costante se riusciamo a bilanciare bene i quattro cardini della cucina: il sale, il grasso, l’acido e il calore, la cottura appunto. È un libro che scuote le mie certezze. Ho imparato a cucinare dall’esempio di nonna e attraverso tanta pratica, con questo libro sto finalmente trovando una ragione in tutto quello che faccio, e un perché quasi scientifico ai consigli di nonna. Mi spinge oltre i miei limiti.

Ho fatto diverse ricette da questo libro, inclusa la sua granola all’olio di oliva e la midnight chocolate cake.

The Christmas Chronicles, di Nigel Slater

Se dovessi scegliere un libro da tenere con me per tutto l’inverno e durante le feste, sceglierei questo libro, The Christmas Chronicles, a occhi chiusi. Condivido con Nigel Slater la stessa passione per i mesi invernali e per la magica atmosfera del Natale. Adoro ogni singola pagina, ogni ricetta che ho fatto tratta da questo libro, ogni descrizione, emozione, ricorso. È un libro da tenere caro.

L’anno scorso ho fatto la frutta sotto spirito per l’inverno di Nigel, tratta da questo libro: albicocche essiccate, arancia e anice con il brandy, fichi secchi e sciroppo d’acero alla vodka e prugne e uva sultanina al moscato. Li ho fatti all’inizio di novembre, li ho regalati per Natale e ci hanno accolti a casa per i mesi a venire.

Pride and Pudding, di Regula Ysewijn

Pride and Pudding è un libro pieno di sentimento e cura, che dimostra ricerche approfondite fatte con mente aperta e passione bruciante, scritto con raffinatezza, pieno di fotografie che incantano, un libro caldo e intelligente. Le foto e i testi di Regula sono accompagnati ed esaltati dalle illustrazioni di suo marito, Bruno. Pride and Pudding racconta una storia affascinante, quella del pudding, salato e dolce, corredando ogni ricetta originale con il suo contesto storico, celebra gli chef di re e regine e gli autori dei libri di cucina di un tempo.

Ma si impara ben più di questo leggendo il suo libro. Si impara come l’impegno e la passione possano aiutarti a produrre un capolavoro. Si imparano ricette interessanti, si scoprono fatti e aneddoti legati non solo alla storia britannica, ma a quella di tutti noi e, cosa non meno importante in un libro di cucina, si ha a disposizione una raccolta di ricette invitanti da provare. Sono ricette autentiche e fedeli alle loro origini, una finestra aperta su un tempo passato in cui non c’erano forni, frigoriferi, frullatori elettrici. Regula ci apre gli occhi su ingredienti e tecniche, offrendo tutti gli strumenti per riprodurre quelle ricette a casa, per la vostra soddisfazione.

Io ho fatto i suoi Poor Knights of Windsor, una delle prime ricette del capitolo sui Bread puddings. Fette di pane bianco di un giorno vengono prima fritte nel burro chiarificato poi immerse nel tuorlo d’uovo e fritte di nuovo fino a doratura, per essere poi servite con panna montata, composta di lamponi e salsa Sack. Una vera delizia per iniziare la giornata con una nota positiva.

Profumo di biscotti, di Rossella Venezia

Mi rimane difficile scrivere una recensione oggettiva di Profumo di biscotti di Rossella, perché mi ricordo il momento in cui mi disse: Giuliettina cara – lei mi chiama così – farò un libro, ma ti rendi conto? un libro mio, un libro di Vaniglia! Come fai ad essere oggettiva quando hai vissuto i racconti della scelta dei biscotti, delle nottate passate a scrivere e riscrivere ricette, perché Rossella è puntigliosa, precisa, mai superficiale. Lei è Rossella, la donna sempre alla ricerca della luce perfetta, dei piattini, delle forchette e dei tovaglioli che la accompagnavano in giro per l’Italia, sistemati con ordine e amore.

Le sue ricette sono così, riflettono la sua anima pura e onesta, il suo entusiasmo e il suo amore per il bello, sono una garanzia di riuscita, di soddisfazione e di buonumore. E il suo libro non poteva che essere onesto e diretto come lei, pieno di spunti e di idee, non soltanto su quali biscotti fare, ma sul come presentarli, su come renderli belli, regali perfetti per l’amica, la mamma, la maestra, il tuo ragazzo, o per te stessa, per goderti un tè con calma insieme ad un libro e a una ciambellina di mandorle e vino rosso.

All’ombra dei mandorli in fiore, di Rossella Venezia

All’ombra dei mandorli in fiore, è intriso della personalità di Rossella, porta inciso il suo nome in ogni foto e in ogni ricetta. È un libro poetico, pervaso dal profumo di mandorla amara, che richiama paesaggi mediterranei di una bellezza sconfinata. È sognante e leggero, ti porta per mano in un viaggio tra i panorami più belli della nostra Italia, in un percorso punteggiato di ricette calde e invitanti.

Ma Rosella ha anche un altro lato, quello razionale, caparbio, organizzato, da architetto. Le sue ricette sono così sognanti, ma allo stesso tempo precise, con spiegazioni metodiche. Ti dice i tempi di cottura e riposo, ti organizza anche una tabella di marcia per i lievitati più complessi, ma nello stesso tempo ti racconta come deve apparire l’impasto, quali sono i trucchi per avere un buon risultato, come servirlo al meglio.

Non ti senti sola in cucina, la puoi quasi vedere, all’altro lato del tavolo, che chiacchiera instancabile ma con un occhio ti segue, per vedere che tu non faccia errori. Ci tiene a che tu ottenga quello che ti aspetti. Ho fatto le sue tortine rustiche al cavolo nero e mandorle.

Libri sul cibo

The Land Where Lemons Grow, di Helena Attlee

Helena Attlee, autrice di The Land Where Lemons Grow, è una scrittrice specializzata in giardini, affascinata in particolar modo dalla storia culturale dei giardini in Italia. The Land Where Lemons Grow è un viaggio attraverso il tempo e la storia, dai giardini delle ville medicee, con le loro collezioni di agrumi rari, alle terrazze di limoni a Amalfi, che oggi rischiano di scomparire, dalle limonaie del Lago di Garda alla Conca d’Oro in Sicilia, dove lo sviluppo della produzione di agrumi è strettamente legato all’ascesa della Mafia.

Helena Attlee esplora la diffusione di limoni, arance amare, bionde e rosse, cedri e bergamotti nella vita quotidiana, nella cultura e nella gastronomia del nostro paese. Leggendo le sue pagine si rimane storditi dall’odore di zagara e dalla sua prosa sensuale. È un libro che riesce ad essere informativo e evocativo allo stesso tempo.

I nostri libri di cucina

La cucina dei mercati in Toscana

Il mio quinto libro, La cucina dei mercati in Toscana, è stato pubblicato da Guido Tommasi Editore nel 2017. Io e Tommaso abbiamo girato la Toscana in lungo e in largo, macchina fotografica alla mano, per portarvi a scoprire la cucina e i prodotti di ogni zona. 

La cucina toscana si fa nelle case, nelle botteghe, negli orti e tra i banchi di un mercato. Questo libro è una raccolta di ricette tradizionali e di stagione e una guida ai migliori mercati alimentari della Toscana. Vi porto con me in un tour attraverso le zone più o meno note di una delle regioni più apprezzate al mondo, dalle strade cittadine di Firenze a quelle piene di fascino e mistero di Volterra, della Garfagnana alla selvaggia Lunigiana, dalle colline di velluto della Val d’Orcia a quelle coperte di vigne e olivi nel Chianti. Faremo insieme un viaggio attraverso la Toscana più autentica, di mercato in mercato, di ricetta in ricetta, fino a arrivare alla cucina.

Suddiviso in 12 capitoli, il libro propone i piatti caratteristici di ogni zona. Ci sono i pani della tradizione, a partire dal pane toscano sciocco, senza sale, fino a quello di castagne e di patate. Ci sono i piatti di carne, quelli di selvaggina e quelli a base di quinto quarto, ma c’è anche il pesce della costa, dal cacciucco livornese al pesce all’isolana. Le verdure e la frutta abbondano in ogni capitolo, sceglietele sempre rispettando i criteri di stagionalità e produzione locale. Ci sono infine i dolci, quelli più tipici dal sapore rustico di una volta, quelli della nonna, da credenza.

Cucina da chef con ingredienti low cost

Cucina da chef con ingredienti low cost è del 2014. La buona tavola è uno dei piaceri a cui non si dovrebbe mai rinunciare, e non esiste buona tavola senza un approccio consapevole al cibo. Cucinare con cura e attenzione, selezionare gli ingredienti usando la testa – e il cuore – significa proprio questo: offrire a noi stessi e ai nostri amici piatti buoni e pieni di gusto, ma anche sani e sostenibili. L’idea di partenza di questo libro è la cucina povera, non sofisticata, la cucina delle famiglie che mettevano in tavola una festa a partire da pochi ingredienti di sostanza, la cucina delle osterie, delle trattorie, dei ristoranti di campagna di una volta.

I Love Toscana – i colori, i gusto e i sapori

In I love Toscana, del 2012, c’è tutto il mio amore per la Toscana e per i suoi prodotti. Ci sono le ricette di famiglia, quelle di nonna che mi hanno fatta crescere e che mi accoglievano al ritorno da scuola; quelle che mamma mi ha insegnato passo passo nelle domeniche mattina in pigiama; quelle della mia bisnonna, di zia Teresa e di zia Silvana, di gelsomino e di altri parenti e amici che con generosità mi hanno raccontato la loro vita attraverso l’alchimia di ingredienti e segreti.

In questo libro c’è la mia terra, a cui sento di essere legata e destinata, in cui ho avuto la fortuna di crescere, che ho riscoperto negli anni attraverso il blog e i corsi di cucina: generosa e schiva, la Toscana non è solo pappa al pomodoro e fiorentina. E’ un insieme variegato di ricette, di aree distinte e di caratteri particolari, di erbe aromatiche, di rispetto per la stagionalità dei prodotti e culto del pane raffermo, perché qui non si butta via nulla.

Memoir

Toast, di Nigel Slater

I memoir sono probabilmente l’espressione che preferisco del Food writing, quella che sento più vicina a me. Qual è la differenza con un’autobiografia? Il memoir è molto meno formale, non segue per forza un ordine cronologico e, soprattutto, sceglie una prospettiva unica attraverso la quale racconte la storia. I memoir raccontati attraverso la prospettiva del cibo sono senza dubbio quelli che preferisco, da Ruth Reichl a Amanda Hesser. Nigel Slater non fa eccezione.

È uno dei miei chef e scrittori preferiti e, dopo aver letto questo suo libro, Toast, così sentito e commovente, lo amo più che mai.

“My mother is scraping a piece of burned toast out of the kitchen window, a crease of annoyance across her forehead. This is not an occasional occurrence. My mother burns the toast as surely as the sun rises each morning.”

Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen, di Laurie Colwin

Laurie Colwin è una scrittrice americana nata a Manhattan che dagli anni ’70 ha pubblicato molte storie brevi e ha scritto per Gourmet Magazine. La sua passione per il food writing era seconda solo al piacere di condividere quel cibo con gli amici. Ecco che pubblica quindi due raccolte di saggi, ricette e ricordi, Home cooking e More home cooking.

I suoi libri sono leggeri, non senza nascondere al loro interno battute ironiche o riflessioni profonde. Laurie Colwin è l’amica che vorreste avere, quella che vi passa le ricette scritte su un fogliettino e che vi fa capire che potrete rifarla altrettanto bene nella vostra cucina, anche senza la planetaria all’ultima moda. Laurie non si prende mai troppo sul serio – in fondo scrive di cibo, non sta salvando il mondo – è divertente, genuina, spontanea e carica di un’energia pura, una fonte di ispirazione.

Nell’introduzione a Home Cooking Laurie si descrive così: “Unlike some people, who love to go out, I love to stay home. (…) I love to eat out, but even more, I love to eat in. The best dinner party I ever went to was a black-tie affair to celebrate a book, catered by the author’s sister. When the food appeared at this party I could scarcely contain my delight. It was home food! (…) The thing about homebodies is that they can usually be found at home. I usually am, and I like to feed people.”

“A differenza di alcuni che amano uscire, a me piace stare a casa. (…) Mi piace mangiare fuori, ma ancora di più, amo mangiare a casa. La miglior cena a cui io abbia mai partecipato era una cosa da cravatta nera e abito lungo per festeggiare l’uscita di un libro, organizzata dalla sorella dell’autore. Quando il cibo è apparso a tavola ho potuto a malapena contenere la mia gioia. Era cibo di casa! (…) I pantofolai in genere possono essere trovati in casa. A me di solito potete trovarmi lì, e mi piace nutrire gli altri.”

Cooking for Mr. Latte, di Amanda Hesser

Amanda Hesser, co-fondatrice of Food52, ha infatti un linguaggio sorprendentemente immaginifico: l’acqua salata per la pasta should taste like seawater, dovrebbe avere un sapore di acqua di mare, mentre gli spaghetti al dente ci dovrebbero restituire la stessa sensazione di mordere un chewing-gum nuovo, biting into a new piece of gum. Queste sono solo due delle frasi che che ho sottolineato e imparato a memoria nel suo libro.

Leggendo Cooking for Mr. Latte ho scoperto una donna con un personalissimo approccio al cibo e alla convivialità, dotata di umorismo e di una rara abilità nello scrivere ricette, tanto che queste si leggono con lo stesso piacere con cui ci si appassiona alle storie presenti in ogni capitolo. In uno di questi capitoli esplora il concetto di avere un repertorio di ricette. Un repertorio, capite, come se le ricette fossero le sonate di un artista.

È stato uno spunto di riflessione importante, perché mi ha spinta a riconsiderare la mia personale collezione e a indagare quell’identità culturale che si forma negli anni aggiungendo nuove ricette a un set di piatti preferiti. Tutto d’un tratto mi si è svelato quel processo vitale che porta a introdurre variazioni in un patrimonio di famiglia consolidato, a volte di generazione in generazione, o a staccarsene per crearsi una propria identità.

A home-made life, di Molly Wizenberg

Lei sì che sa come usare le parole! Leggera, intelligente, ironica e divertente, racconta ricette intrecciate ad episodi di vita quotidiana. Episodi che potrebbero sembrare banali agli occhi dei più, ma che lei riesce ad illuminare e raccontare da una prospettiva diversa, bastano poche pagine del suo libro, A home-made life, o pochi post sul blog per sentirla già come un’amica, come una persona con la quale condividere ricordi ed emozioni. Presenta le ricette con immagini così reali e comuni alla sensibilità di tutti che alla fine ti trovi innamorato di quella ricetta come se l’avessi sempre mangiata, accade ogni volta. Ho appena notato che il libro è anche stato tradotto in italiano come La mia vita fatta in casa. 

Ho fatto il suo banana bread, la ricetta a cui ritorno ogni volta che ho banane troppo mature. 

Delancey, di Molly Wizenberg

Delancey ha questa forza naturale, è pieno di ricette che richiedono di essere condivise con le persone che ami. Molly racconta del cibo che ti fa sentire immediatamente benvenuto, coccolato, un cibo che nutre il corpo, fa la pancia felice e scalda l’anima: riso saltato con cavolo nero e maiale, datteri con olio di oliva e fior di sale, polpettone. Lei ti dà un metodo, idee su come servire un piatto, abbinamenti, occasioni, ti spiega come puoi farlo tuo senza sforzo. Ti tiene la mano in cucina, ma non in maniera pedante. È lì per divertirsi con te, per aiutarti a creare qualcosa di buono, ci tiene che venga bene. Poi c’è una storia, una bella storia, che ti fa riflettere, ridere, qualche volta ti commuove anche.

Ho fatto le sue pesche fredde al vino bianco. Semplici come ben si intuisce dal titolo, hanno solo tre ingredienti: pesche mature, vino bianco secco e zucchero. Danno il meglio il giorno successivo, quando diventano quasi trasparenti e assorbono il vino.

Libri di cucina italiana 

Il talismano della felicità, di Ada Boni

Il Talismano delle Felicità costituisce la base della cultura gastronomica delle sposine modello fino a qualche anno (decennio?) fa: si usava regalarlo – come buon auspicio per la felicità a tavola e di conseguenza nella coppia – alle spose nel giorno del loro matrimonio, insieme ad un altro grande classico, Pellegrino Artusi. Ada Boni è una donna arguta e intelligente, sembra uscita da un’altra epoca, eppure le sue ricette spaziano dalla tradizione italiana a tanti altri richiami stranieri con un’ottica moderna e contemporanea. Riconosco in tanti sui toni l’ironia sottile di Jane Austen, in questo modo di parlare alle padrone di casa e alle signorine da marito, suggerendo, dicendo e non dicendo… Un libro per chi ama ricette vecchio stile, per chi non è spaventato da un po’ di burro, per chi vuole vivere un altro tempo attraverso ricette e consigli pieni di buon senso.

La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene, di Pellegrino Artusi

Il libro di Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene, è stato pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1891 e viene ora riconosciuto come uno dei libri di cucina italiana più significativi dei tempi moderni. Pellegrino Artusi precorreva i tempi e presentava nel suo libro ricette che oggi, a distanza di più di cento anni, incarnano perfettamente lo spirito contemporaneo. Farine alternative che soddisfano anche chi presenta intolleranze al glutine, pochi ingredienti semplici che non appesantiscono la preparazione, un gusto moderno e fresco, non troppo dolce. A volte si cerca ovunque l’ispirazione e poi è lì, nel libro che nonna ha ricevuto come regalo di nozze il giorno che si è sposata, lo stesso libro che ancora sfogliamo insieme quando cerchiamo riscontro di una ricetta o di un procedimento. Per tutti coloro che sono in cerca di un libro di cucina basilare, per chi vuole imparare le ricette classiche della cucina dell’Italia centrale, per chi è interessato anche a qualche aneddoto, oltre alle ricette. Perché, semplicemente, non può mancare nella libreria di un appassionato.

Italian Food, di Elizabeth David

Elizabeth David una delle food writer più importanti ed ispirate del Novecento. Ho cominciato a leggerla qualche anno fa, il suo modo di scrivere mi conquistò all’istante: grazie alla sua sensualità, al coinvolgimento attraverso le parole di tutti e cinque i sensi, suscita immagini vivide e potenti davanti agli occhi di chi legge. Le pagine scorrono veloci nei suoi ricordi di pomeriggi mediterranei, pranzi inaspettati nel Sud della Francia e picnic inglesi. Anche una semplice omelette tra le sue righe acquista importanza, merita le due pagine intere che le dedica, intrecciando ironia, consigli pratici e profumi di burro. Il suo libro sulla cucina italiana, Italian Food, è vivido, preciso, ricco di spunti interessanti e di ricette autentiche. A volte non guasta guardare alla nostra cultura con un punto di vista esterno, ci arricchisce e ci aiuta ad inserirci in un contesto più ampio. Per chi si fa affascinare dalle parole e non si spaventa di fronte a un testo inglese, per chi vuole cominciare a scoprire un’autrice fondamentale nella storia del food writing internazionale, per chi mangia prima con la mente e poi con la bocca.

Il grande libro della vera cucina toscana, di Paolo Petroni

Non è un libro ricercato, non ci sono molte storie o foto da lasciare a bocca aperta, ma Petroni è un punto di riferimento per me, specialmente per la cucina fiorentina. Accanto a Il grande libro della vera cucina toscana di Petroni metterei anche i libri di Giovanni Righi Parenti, la pietra di confronto per la cucina senese.

Source: https://it.julskitchen.com/altro/libri/libri-di-cucina-che-funzionano

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Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

2 Freestyle Points 325 Calories

Making Split Pea Soup in the Slow Cooker is so easy and perfect for busy weeknight meals. It’s also freezer friendly, so you can make a batch and freeze the leftovers for another night.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

I love using smoked ham hocks in pea soup, it gives the soup a wonderful smoky flavor, but if you don’t have ham hocks you can also use a leftover ham bone, ham steak or even smoked turkey leg instead. You can see my stove top Pea Soup Recipe, and I also have an Instant Pot Pea Soup version which is great if you want to speed this up!

When I make this on the stove, I use more liquid, which you can see if you compare recipes. Since you don’t have any evaporation when you use the slow cooker, I always cut the liquid back. This soup is super easy to make, the only prep is sautéing the onions and garlic, which you can do the night before if you want to turn this on in the morning and head out the door.

Slow Cooker Pea Soup Tips and Variations

If you can’t find smoked ham hocks, use a leftover ham bone or ham steak.

If you don’t eat pork, you can swap the ham for a smoked turkey leg.

To make this vegetarian, leave the ham out, swap the broth for vegetarian broth and add more salt.

To freeze pea soup, let the soup cool then transfer to freezer safe containers in portions and label the soup with the date and time. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat on the stove or microwave.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham Hock

Making Split Pea Soup in the Slow Cooker is so easy and perfect for busy weeknight meals. It’s also freezer friendly, so you can make a batch and freeze the leftovers for another night.

Ingredients:

16 oz bag of dried split peas

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium chopped onion

2 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1 smoked ham hock, about 11 ounces (assuming 4 ounces meat removing bone and skin)

6 cups chicken broth

black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Wash and drain the peas in a colander.

In a small skillet, saute onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until soft, about 3 minutes.

Transfer to the slow cooker and add peas, carrots, ham hock and chicken broth, cover and cook on LOW 10 hours, until the peas are tender.

Remove ham hock and season with black pepper.

Discard the skin of the ham hock and shred the pork off the bone, add back to the soup.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 1 1/3 cups

Amount Per Serving:

Freestyle Points: 2

Points +: 7

Calories: 325 calories

Total Fat: 2.5g

Saturated Fat: 2.5g

Cholesterol: 10mg

Sodium: 729.5mg

Carbohydrates: 54g

Fiber: 20g

Sugar: 9g

Protein: 24g

All images and text ©Gina Homolka for Skinnytaste

posted March 7, 2019 by Gina

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Source: https://www.skinnytaste.com/slow-cooker-split-pea-soup/

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Grilled Cuban-Style Citrus Pork

Marinating in citrus may be nothing new (the technique has been around for ages), but if you’ve never made it before, then you are in for a real, sour-ish treat – especially if you just happen to love lemons, limes and oranges. You get bonus points for adoring mint too. We’ve listed 1/4 cup of mint in the recipe, and we’ll let you go up or down on that amount depending on your mint tolerance.

One thing to keep in mind: begin this marinade way ahead of dinner time. It may seem like a strange thing to soak your pork tenderloin in orange juice at breakfast… Trust us, it works. And while you are squeezing orange juice, go ahead and whip up an orange, mango and kiwi smoothie for yourself. Indulge in your breakfast drink, gather up your energy for the day, wash your hands and get back to dinner prep! It is a super simple marinade, just add all ingredients together in a marinating container, add your pork tenderloin and you are ready to go. If you have the chance to turn it occasionally in the citrus juice, then go for it. If not, no worries, the flavors will penetrate with time.

When dinner time rolls around, chop up and thread some green vegetables for grilled zucchini skewers, heat your grill to medium-high heat and be ready to cook them while the pork is resting. Time efficiency and maximum flavor, you gotta love that!

Serves: 4Prep: 15 min + 2hCook: 20 min

Values are per portion. These are for information only & are not meant to be exact calculations.

Add to Meal Plan  

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin

4 garlic cloves, minced

Juice from 1 lime

Juice from 1 lemon

Juice from 1 orange

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1/4 cup fresh mint, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

In a bowl combine the lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, herbs and cumin.

Season the pork to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the pork in a marinating container and pour the marinade on top.

Turn the pork until well covered, and marinate covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 12 hours, turning every few hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Grill the pork 4 to 5 minutes per side, or to the desired doneness.

Let the pork rest 5 to 6 minutes before slicing.

P.S. Have a look at Paleo Restart, our 30-day program. It has the tools to let you reset your body, lose weight and start feeling great.

+ The Paleo Leap Meal Planner is now also available. Put your meal planning on autopilot!

Source: https://paleoleap.com/grilled-cuban-style-citrus-pork/

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Healthy Halloween treats

These healthy Halloween treats give you a break from the sugar! But they are cute and spooky enough for any kid.

Healthy Halloween treats

What!? Me, healthy? Yes, I can go there sometimes. (I did make these apple vampires.)  And so I’m breaking from your usual programming to bring you the latest in a less-sweet Halloween. Here are some healthy alternatives to whip up last minute for your Halloween party. Yes, indeed, you CAN have a fun Halloween with healthy Halloween treats.

I created these healthy Halloween treats for Menards to give you some healthy alternatives for your Halloween shindig.

how to make witch vegetable fingers

Veggie Fingers. Attach an almond slice to the end of a veggie stick, such as carrots, celery or asparagus, with a dab of cream cheese to make a “finger.” Serve the fingers reaching out of a bowl of dip.

how to make orange Jack O’ Lanterns

Insert a piece of green pepper into the top of a peeled orange to make “pumpkins.” Or, use a black edible marker (available in the craft store) to draw a Jack O’ Lantern face on an unpeeled orange. Let the marker dry and draw a second coat to make the face darker. Make a hole at the top of the orange with a knife and insert a piece of green candy for the stem, such as a rolled up piece of fruit leather.

how to make apple bites

Apple Grins. Sandwich peanut butter or jelly and almond slivers or apple pieces between two slices of apple to make a silly grin.

how to make healthy apple monsters

Not-So-Candy Apples. Instead of dipping apples in sugary caramel, insert a lollipop stick into the apple and spread sesame seed butter over the surface. You can then roll in bits of dried fruit, nuts, or coconut. But to make them much creepier, stick a bunch of candy eyes to the sesame seed butter.

how to make cracker spiders

Spider Snack. Make a cracker sandwich with cream cheese or any other favorite spread and use pretzel stick pieces for spider legs.

how to make Halloween pizza

Freaky Pizzas. Separate store-bought pizza crust into four individual pizzas, and decorate for Halloween. Olives and olive pieces can make spiders. For mummies, place pieces of mozzarella cheese sticks across the dough and use olive slices for eyes. Olive eyes and pepperoni cut into triangle teeth make monsters.

how to make monster snack containers

Paper Cup Monsters. Decorate paper cups to look like Frankenstein, zombie, vampire, mummy or ghost faces, and fill with a healthy snack mix. Have the kids help draw the faces before the party.

how to make mummy drinks

Mummies Everywhere.  Wrap bananas, oranges, apples, juice boxes, water bottles or anything else you can think of with gauze. Use non-toxic glue to stick googly-eyes on the front to complete the mummy look. (Just be sure to serve to kids old enough to understand the gauze and eyes are not edible.) Find mummy fruit here. 

How to make popcorn ball monsters

Healthy popcorn balls. Microwave 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup sesame seed butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt for 45 seconds or until bubbling. Whisk until smooth. Pour over a bowl filled with 6 cups of popcorn and gently mix. When the popcorn cools to the touch, shape into 2-inch balls. (Tip: Wet hands with cold water to prevent sticking). Attach candy eyes.

Source: https://thedecoratedcookie.com/healthy-halloween-good-for-you-popcorn-balls-and-other-party-ideas/

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SmoothieBox?! Real Whole Food Smoothies with Collagen (plus a coupon code!)

Warning: we eat real, whole foods. We don’t support juicing – also known as the removal of fiber from fruits and vegetables. The short of this post is, we love these specific smoothies because of their ingredients. We’ve never seen anything like it before, and if you’re looking for quick, simple, and kid-friendly then you’ve found your new favorite subscription box! Use THIS LINK and use code SBSPECIAL20 to get $20 with the early bird special this week only. [more details below]

Reporting from our make-shift garage kitchen, with SmoothieBox to our rescue!

While we are big fans of subscription boxes and receive quite a number of them each month, even we were surprised and impressed with the BRAND NEW subscription box service SmoothieBox, run by the experts at ButcherBox. Specifically we love that these smoothies include all macronutrients thanks to grass-fed collagen, organic fruits & veggies, and coconut (no tree or peanuts).

In this summer heat, with no workable kitchen from renovating (see Instagram for the details on all of that!), having a quick breakfast smoothie ready to go is a huge help! It’s even easy enough for the kids to make themselves, which Finn (our mini-chef) is always excited about. When your shipment arrives, four boxes will contain frozen packs of fruit and veggies, and one is packages of collagen. One box makes 20 smoothies, but honestly those serving sizes are so generous – we shared one serving among us! Bonus: the packages contain dry ice which is always a fun science experiment with the kids.

While we were thrilled this arrived, we immediately realized that in our pre-order state over a month ago, we’d forgotten and packed up our blender for the kitchen renovation. *gasp* But! Like Tim Gunn says, we had a make it work moment and used our food processor. A blender would make your smoothie much more, well… smoother. Finn didn’t mind!

Flavors

The flavors are Cacao, Clementine, and Green Smoothie. You add the frozen produce, a packet of collagen and 7 oz of “liquid of choice”. We put our recommendations for each below, but it’s personal preference. We blended, and sipped. Our family favorite was definitely Cacao – I love that it includes veggies but feels like you’re having a chocolate milkshake!

Cacao: Banana, Zucchini, Kale, Coconut Water, Grass-fed Collagen Protein, Sunflower Seeds, Banana Puree, Coconut Cream, Cacao Nibs, Cacao Powder, Sea Salt we recommend your favorite milk or milk substitute, we used vanilla unsweetened almond milk, if it’s not sweet enough for your palette we like this Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme Stevia drops

Green: Spinach, Avocado, Pineapple, Grass-fed Collagen Protein, Lemon Juice, Pineapple Juice, Water, Ginger, Date, Flax Seed, Sea Salt this tastes more like food than smoothie, we had limemade that was perfect when added, SmoothieBox recommends coconut water which would be great PWO but I’d add more citrus (lemon or lime) as well

Clementine: Mandarin, Sweet Potato, Carrot, Ginger, Grass-fed Collagen Protein, Coconut Cream, Pumpkin Seeds, Coconut Water, Date, Lemon Juice the ginger in this is very strong with the citrus, almost Asian in flavor, it worked well with a nut milk but would also be great with coconut water or juice to sweeten it more for kids

There are over 20g of protein in each one! That’s as much as a lot of protein shakes that don’t contain nearly the nutrients and veggies that this does! Plus they’re nightshade free, nut-free, egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, no added sugar, you name it!

Why These Smoothies?

So, let me preface our flavor discussion by telling you that these are no sugar added NOT Tropical Smoothie concoctions. These are real food smoothies and won’t be as sweet and desserty as most commercial smoothies. You can always add dates, stevia, or honey to your smoothie for the preferred sweetness. Frankly, I love that starts not too sweet so that it’s adjustable for each person’s preferences!

The boys really liked the cacao version, which is made mainly of bananas and cacao. Meanwhile, Stacy picked the Green smoothie, which contains spinach and avocado with pineapple juice. And Cole, the banana-hater, chose the Clementine smoothie.

But, you may ask, why smoothies? Isn’t the trend right now juicing and juice fasts?

NO! Not in this house! Juicing is NOT a healthy choice. Your body needs fiber! If you juice a fruit or vegetables, all you’re doing is extracting the sugary water from it and removing nutrients and fiber. Why would you do that? Instead, make a smoothie with the WHOLE fruit or vegetables and get ALL of the goodness! What we genuinely love about these smoothies is that because they include collagen, seeds, coconut, fruits and veggies they really do fill you up and can truly take the place of a meal for under $5.

PLUS COLLAGEN. You KNOW how this house feels about collagen! No? Here’s our FAQ on all it’s magical powers.

Early Bird Special

If you’re even thinking about trying this subscription out, definitely do it this week. When you use THIS LINK and Coupon Code: SBSPECIAL20 at checkout it’ll get you $20 off through August 7, 2018. That’s $1 per smoothie and really make the price point worth trying. Then you can decide if you want to continue or not.

If you didn’t get in on the pre-order you still get the deal, but only through this week. Then going forward you can choose if and when you want future boxes with FREE delivery. Order yours HERE!

Source: http://realeverything.com/smoothiebox-coupon/

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McDonald's Workers Are Going on Strike To Protest Sexual Harassment

In May, ten McDonald's employees—all women of color (including a 15-year-old girl) who worked at different locations—filed sexual harassment claims to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Although the details of each case differed, taken together, they alleged that McDonald's managers had ignored or even retaliated against women who lodged sexual harassment complaints. The women spoke about skipping work—and passing up pay—to avoid the alleged perpetrators.

Organized under the Fight for $15 movement to raise the minimum wage and funded in part by TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which was born out of #MeToo, the claims hoped to hold McDonald's liable for the working conditions of its franchises and induce the company to implement sexual harassment training and zero-tolerance policies for sexual harassment infractions.

"We would like McDonald’s corporation to step forward, investigate, and be part of a solution with respect to sexual harassment at all McDonald’s stores,” Eve Cervantez, an attorney representing some of the plaintiffs, told members of the media at the time.

It seems that the company's response was underwhelming to the workers, who voted today to authorize a one-day strike. Next Tuesday, September 18, employees at restaurants in ten cities—Chicago; Durham, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Miami; Milwaukee; New Orleans; Orlando, Florida; San Francisco and St. Louis—will walk out at lunchtime to protest the persistent problem of on-the-job sexual harassment.

The AP reports that this will be, "the first multistate strike in the US specifically targeting sexual harassment."

The demands are largely the same as they were four months ago: formalized training and a system for reporting abuse as well as a national committee designed to specifically target sexual harassment. It may come as surprising that McDonald's doesn't already have any or all of these things already in place; it's one of the country's largest employers and dominates the fast food industry, where 40 percent of women claim to have been sexually harassed.

McDonald's statement to the Associated Press included a reference to a "new initiative" bringing in anti-sexual violence experts to help the company update their policies. But labor lawyer Mary Joyce Carlson said that there'd been no demonstrable impact of any new efforts.

“We see no evidence there’s been any change at all,” she said. “Whatever policy they have is not effective.”

Source: https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/wjy85n/mcdonalds-workers-are-going-on-strike-to-protest-sexual-harassment

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$1800+ Home & Kitchen Giveaway

posted by Jaden

I’ve partnered with 8 other friends to provide a massive giveaway, worth over $1,800! To enter the giveaway, head over to this special page.

This giveaway is a little different. To enter this giveaway, go here.

The sweepstakes rules are different (since I’ve partnered with other companies). That means, ignore the entry box below. I know, it’s confusing, because you want to enter down below like usual! But I’m unable to customize this to make the entry box below disappear. Sorry! Instead, to enter this giveaway, go here.

** Please add hello@steamykitchen.com to your contacts to help prevent email notifications from going into spam folders.

Never miss another Steamy Kitchen Giveaway!

Subscribe to our Giveaway Notifications to keep up to date on all of our giveaways! We will even throw in a special gift when you confirm your subscription!

List of Past Winners.

DISCLAIMER & OFFICIAL RULES: The giveaway product is provided by the sponsor of the giveaway and will be shipped from the sponsor directly. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Giveaway is open to people who are 18 years of age at time of entry and open to people worldwide. Steamy Kitchen and its sponsors only ship physical prizes to United States addresses. However, Steamy Kitchen reserves the right to provide an Amazon.com or Amazon.ca gift card for the value of the prize (at time of publishing) in lieu of shipping physical product due to shipping costs and logistics, especially for our international winners. Steamy Kitchen assumes no responsibility for late or misdirected entries due to SPAM, technological, or e-mail filtering issues or for prizes lost in transit. Winner will be notified by email, and must respond within 5 business days, otherwise winner will forfeit the prize and another winner may be drawn. For this giveaway, entrants can enter the designated number of times per e-mail address per day. The use of any system, robot, agent, or software to automatically submit entries in connection with this Giveaway is prohibited. Winners of giveaways are published on Steamy Kitchen, and winner's name and city/state/country are announced in Steamy Kitchen email newsletters.  See rest of the Official Giveaway Rules.

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Source: https://steamykitchen.com/47048-1800-home-kitchen-giveaway.html

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Bread and Butter Sweet Pickle Chips

Home » Rose Water & Orange Blossoms Blog – Fresh and Classic Lebanese Recipes » Techniques » Bread and Butter Sweet Pickle Chips

My bread and butter sweet pickle chips are so simple to make, but huge on flavor and crunch. The sweet onion is as delicious as the cucumbers in these refrigerator pickles.

Here’s the thing about the abundance of the last three months up north in Michigan:

Yes, we’ve had that long-awaited access to local fruit and vegetables and long afternoons out on the bay.

Yes, we’ve enjoyed fresh herbs and mint galore from the garden.

Yes, we’ve eaten an abundance of chips.

Chips?

Chips.

In summer, it seems like every boat-picnic, every sandwich, every mid-afternoon crunch-craving is arrayed with chips, puffs, spirals . . . all of it. I can attribute the chip-factor to having kids around all of the time, and they keep bringing the chips in, but in reality I too count these food-like products among my guilty pleasures, that junk food I find most difficult to turn down. I kind of wish my junk food joy was more along the lines of fast food, because at least that would require me steering the car into the drive-thru, an act I could talk myself down from more easily.

Dan admitted to a handful of some Frito BBQ honey spiral thing he had at the dealership this summer and how very crunchy, how very salty-sweet and “koo-koo” it was. Don’t you know that I would not rest until I had my own handful of the bad-boy koo-koo?

Now, it’s also true that our lunch-crunch is made with chips of a higher order, with pickle chips. We eat a TON of pickles around here, from the babies to the Sittees. Do you same? I know that pickles on the table three meals a day are a Mediterranean tradition, and a very Lebanese tradition, so maybe our constant pickle is rooted in that.

While pretty much any pickle is welcome, I really want mine to crunch and have some body. For as long as I can remember, nary a sweet pickle is eaten in the presence of my mother that she doesn’t say that her mother made the BEST bread and butter pickles. Alice put the thickly sliced sweet little cukes in a huge crock in the basement every fall and the family would feast until they were gone, which was always too fast.

Why O Why did my mom not write down her mom’s recipe? And why didn’t she try to recreate the pickles years ago when my grandma’s method was still fresh in her mind?

All I can say is that the “door closes/window opens” adage applies very much to my sweet pickle goals. One of my many, many cousins, Jim who I’ve mentioned before because he is my special cooking guru who does everything from sous vide to lemon ice cream (with lemons from his yard) and cultured butter in his kitchen, also does a perfect sweet pickle.

He first told me about his pickles when I was living in San Francisco and he came visited for Thanksgiving. He gifted a beautiful jar to Dan and me for our hotel room stay when we were out his way a few years ago (along with other extraordinary hotel-room picnic treats…it was a stunner). I started in on his pickles and never looked back.

The key is to keep the cuke crunchy and bright, and to give the sweet onion an equal footing to the cukes. As with salad, even if you don’t want to eat the onion (why though?), it has to be in there for proper balance of flavor. We keep the process simple and avoid the heat that cooks and softens the pickles by making these refrigerator-style, where they’re kept cold and crisp, rather than on the shelf. I take this concept another step beyond by not cooking my pickling vinegar/sugar liquid. Just let the sugar dissolve without boiling; it may take a few minutes, but it’ll happen.

Now that we’re full-boar in sweet pickle season, I make small batches often. Step aside, you devilish junk food chips. Summer is done and I’m done with you. Your koo-koo doesn’t hold a candle to my sweet cuke koo-koo pickle on my plate.

These are refrigerator pickles, so no heat processing is used. Fill the jars (I do love a Weck jar...) as tightly as possible with the pickles and onions, as they will shrink some as they pickle. This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, you name it.

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1 1/2 cups vinegar (plain white, apple cider, or white wine vinegar work well)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

1 pound pickling cucumbers, or small thin cucumbers

1 large sweet onion

In a quart measuring cup or bowl, combine the vinegar and granulated sugar. Whisk occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the mustard seeds.

Trim the ends of the cucumbers and discard. Slice into 1/4- to 1/2-inch rounds. Trim and slice the onion into 1/4- to 1/2-inch half-moon slices. Toss the cucumbers and onions in a bowl to combine.

Pack the cucumbers and onions as tightly as possible in clean jars. Pour the pickling liquid over all in both jars, spooning the mustard seeds in to evenly distribute them.

Close the lids and refrigerate for about two days before serving. Pickles will stay nice in the refrigerator in their pickling liquid for a few weeks.

(Visited 635 times, 3 visits today)

Source: https://www.maureenabood.com/bread-and-butter-sweet-pickle-chips/

[biteblue81-blog]

The Vast, Incredible World of Peruvian Sandwiches

It’s late morning on a Sunday in Lima, the coastal capital of Peru. The sky is a dull gray color, which the locals call panza de burro—"donkey's belly"—typical of the city's skyline for all but maybe three months out of the year. Most residents of the “thrice-crowned city of kings,” as it was known in the colonial era, are filing out of one of its many, many Catholic churches. After all, the Church (always with a capital C) holds a legally privileged status in this country. Those who aren’t religious may just be waking up from a pisco-fueled, all-night jarana.

On these days, limeños—whether religious or secular—are united in a nearly singular hunger for one particular type of dish: sánguches. In Lima, sandwiches are closely associated with breakfast, not lunch. You can get a sandwich almost any time of day in the city, which makes them rather unique in the Lima food world. Food is on a very strict schedule here. Good luck trying to find good ceviche past lunchtime, for instance, and you may want to say a little prayer to El Señor de los Milagros if you want to savor anticuchos (grilled beef heart skewers) before sundown. But Lima’s many sangucherías are often some of the first food businesses to open, and many still serve their meaty, hand-held specialties well into the night.

Now, locals might not consider a sandwich substantial enough for the main meal of the day. If your abuela were to ask, for instance, if you'd eaten, and you said a sandwich, you could've just as well said a bag of chips. The Peruvian sandwich might feel a bit minimalist compared to a Mexican torta (and its regional cousins), with its many layers of brightly colored, intensely flavored fillings. But the sánguche reflects a distinctly limeño appreciation for a quiet, almost restrained elegance in food.

The focus of a sánguche is the quality of the meat and its often complex preparation—but the sandwiches themselves are simple. They require only a little bit of ají sauce and some gossamer strings of lime- and cilantro-marinated red onions (sarsa criolla) to cut the richness. (Perhaps we owe this intricate, balanced approach to our significant nikkei community, the Japanese immigrant population living in Peru, who may be responsible for upgrading Peruvian ceviche to what we know today.) Lima boasts several types of these deceptively simple sandwich fillings:

Roast turkey seasoned with ají amarillo chile, plenty of cumin, and a splash of soy sauce is a perennial favorite. Asado is also popular: fork-tender beef pot roast drizzled with its braising potion that carries almost chocolaty notes of ají panca chile and sweetness from carrots. Quechua-speaking indigenous migrants from the Andes brought their love of roast suckling pig—called lechón—to Lima. Now you can see street carts and humble sandwich counters throughout the historic center of the city displaying a roasted pig’s head watching over dainty sandwiches filled with its tender meat. Some more old-school limeños are devoted to relleno—a spicy, savory filling of fried chicken's blood. Others gravitate toward huachana: This filling is also spicy, made with a bright orange sausage that's the specialty of a town called Huacho, just north of Lima. It’s crumbled, fried, and mixed with scrambled eggs to form a sort of Peruvian sausage and egg McMuffin (there's just no English muffin).

Despite the variety of sandwich fillings available in Lima, the bread always remains the same: pan francés. These rolls are the de facto daily bread here. It's what strolling vendors announce to the neighborhood first thing in the morning, what mothers scurry out to buy hot from the oven, what you have with your café con leche, and a requirement for every single limeño sandwich. In fact, one could argue that without pan francés, the sandwich isn’t truly authentic. Although its name implies a French origin, pan francés might be closer in form to a Portuguese water roll, except that it has a noticeable slash in the middle. (My father used to tell me that pan francés is often used to describe a perfect posterior: a deep crease dividing two round, firm globes.) The rolls have crunchy crusts that provide structure to sánguches and soft, slightly chewy insides that can soak up the juices of whatever meaty filling a limeño fancies.

While limeños can fancy any of the fillings I described above, there is one particular filling that might be considered the reigning viceroy (because Peru was a viceroyalty of Spain): jamón del país. This translates to "country ham," but bears little resemblance to conventional deli meat, except for the pork. It's made by brining a butterflied pork loin or shoulder, spreading it with a mixture of ají chiles and spices, rolling it up, trussing it, and poaching it in a flavorful broth. It's then rubbed with a deep ochre-colored oil infused with annatto seeds to give the “ham” its characteristic orange exterior. Every bite reveals tiny bursts of flavor from the ribbons of seasoning spiraling through.

If boiled pork sounds unappealing, then I cannot stress enough how magical jamón del país is and how difficult it is to make correctly. There's a reason you can only get jamón del país from eateries that specialize in sandwiches: It's an art. I'm currently on my sixth attempt at creating my own recipe for it and still haven’t gotten it right. The brining and gentle poaching actually help the pork retain its juiciness, and the decades of experience that many of its cooks have means that they know exactly when it's at its optimal succulence.

While other sandwiches are called “pan con...” (“bread with...”), the combination of pan francés and jamón del país is so beloved in Lima that it has a specific name: butifarra. This name—like many other Peruvian food names—confuses people throughout the Spanish-speaking world, especially Spain, where a butifarra is a type of sausage. It's unclear why we Peruvians decided to repurpose the name of a sausage for our most popular sandwich, but like our use of the word palta for avocado, it's one of the things that makes our cuisine unique.

Cordano

Every sanguchería has its secret seasonings that gain it loyal fans. Perhaps one of the first places a visitor should sample a butifarra is at one of its oldest and most iconic purveyors, Cordano, which is located just catty-corner from the rear of the presidential palace in the colonial center of the city. It's been around for over 100 years, and during this time has been a popular hangout for politicians and political journalists. The focal point of the wood-paneled dining room is the glass-enclosed carving station that enshrines the jamón del país. The salt and seasonings in the ham allow the restaurant to keep it at room temperature and carve thin slices whenever a diner orders a butifarra. Refrigeration would actually dull the flavors of the pork and diminish its succulence. Similarly, heating it could damage its nuances. If you're really concerned about pathogens, then wash down your sánguche with one of the bar’s excellent pisco sours, Peru’s official cocktail. The potent drink is sure to kill off any bug (or at least get you buzzed enough to no longer care).

La Lucha

A more modern addition to the roster of sangucherías in Lima is La Lucha, which has a few locations throughout the city. La Lucha features a few innovations that have set it apart from other more traditional sandwich shops in the city, like the inclusion of smoked meats cooked in steel barrels and a selection of Amazonian fruit smoothies. The butifarras, however, are faithful to tradition, lest the owner upset denizens of Lima who hold this sandwich close to their hearts. The quality of the pork here is its greatest distinction, because it yields a jamón del país that's almost buttery without being greasy. The complete La Lucha experience includes a side of its famous French fries made with huayro potatoes, an heirloom variety whose daffodil flesh is interspersed with seams of purple. Dipped into one of the sanguchería's creamy sauces, the fries can almost make you forget about your sandwich.

Butifarras are enjoyed in the mornings, but many Limeños enjoy them for dinner or as hearty snacks in between meals. Miniature butifarras also feature on buffet tables at many social gatherings. They're essentially an anytime food. But if it's breakfast you're after, Lima does have a very good, very traditional one: the desayuno Lurín (or "special breakfast").**

There are two main components in a desayuno Lurín: a chicharrón sandwich and a tamal. Although the sandwich in this breakfast doesn’t get its own name like the butifarra, it rivals it in popularity. A pan con chicharrón consists of the requisite pan francés roll and slices of pork belly that's been slow-braised, then deep-fried in its own fat. As with the butifarra, the pan con chicharrón causes confusion among other Latin Americans. For many, "chicharrón" is pork rind, the outermost layer of pork belly that includes the skin. Peruvians, however, don't include the skin in their chicharrón and incorporate more of the meat that lies beneath the layer of belly fat. As a result, chicharrón in Peru is leaner, meatier, and less chewy than in other parts of the hemisphere.

The Peruvian sandwich might feel a bit minimalist compared to a Mexican *torta* (and its regional cousins), with its many layers of brightly colored, intensely flavored fillings. But the sánguche reflects a distinctly limeño appreciation for a quiet, almost restrained elegance in food.

Because this sandwich filling is so rich, it requires the extra starch of fried sweet potato slices along with the sarsa criolla and ají sauces. When ordered on its own, the sandwich comes pre-assembled. But as part of the desayuno Lurín, the components are neatly laid out on a plate for the diner to assemble. I like to make sure there's more pork in my sandwich than sweet potato, and I save any extra slices to dip into the spicy ají sauce (although every limeño has his or her perfect proportions).

What completes the desayuno Lurín is the red tamal. This particular type of tamal is attributed to Lima’s Afro-Peruvian community and is steamed in banana leaves. It's much larger than Mexican tamales and is made with ground mote, a type of processed corn akin to hominy. The corn dough is seasoned with ají chile, and the cook embeds pieces of spicy braised pork, a wedge of hard-boiled egg, a botija olive, and roasted peanuts. It's truly one of the more unique tamales in Latin America, and one of the most filling.

You can now see why this breakfast is reserved for Sundays, when most families in Lima rest.

El Chinito

You can often get an assembled pan con chicharrón at the same places that offer butifarras and other types of sánguches. But there are places that specialize in chicharrón, and these are the eateries that pull in limeños on Sundays like iron fillings to a magnet. One of the most popular places to get a desayuno Lurín on a Sunday in Lima is also a perfect representation of the city’s cosmopolitan food culture: El Chinito. The restaurant owner is Peruvian-Chinese, and what makes his chicharrón so appealing is that he uses Chinese seasonings like soy sauce, along with more traditional Peruvian ones, to give his fried pork extra flavor. El Chinito also features other Chinese influences throughout the menu, including char siu sandwiches. Everything else about this sanguchería is quintessentially limeño, down to the café pasado (filtered coffee) that the city’s residents sip with their desayuno Lurín. The caffeine helps to keep diners awake enough to make it safely back home (or to a park bench or movie theatre seat).

As late Sunday morning fades into early afternoon, the residents of Lima slowly trickle out of the city’s many sangucherías and finish the last hours of their weekend languidly. Memories of savory, meaty sandwiches are still fresh in their minds’ palates. The satisfying meal encourages them to slow down and enjoy the sensory pleasures that the city offers in spite of its grey, donkey-belly sky—the historic architecture, the parks and plazas, the dramatic cliffs abutting the Pacific Ocean, and the deliciously unique food.

Have you ever had a Peruvian sandwich? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: https://food52.com/blog/23635-best-peruvian-sandwiches

[biteblue81-blog]

5 Minute Cashew Basil Pesto Recipe

This 5 minute cashew basil pesto tops the regular basil pesto with pine nuts in our home. It’s made using a very similar method but makes a heartier and thicker pesto which we primarily use in pastas or as a salad dressing.

I attempted a pesto made with cashew nuts for the first time many moons ago because TH realised (rather, announced) one day that he’s allergic to pine nuts. He disliked the flavour the few times we’ve had it as a garnish at Middle Eastern restaurants but even in the hidden form in basil pesto, he was like.. erm no!

We always have cashew nuts at home so I thought, well, cashew nuts are creamy and can give some texture to the pesto too, so why not. It was pesto nirvana right there, for us anyway. And this cashew basil pesto comes together in 5 minutes!

The beauty of basil pesto is that you can adjust ingredients to your hearts content and also keep some crunch and texture in or make it creamy smooth. We like it somewhere in the middle. Mostly creamy but with a bite here and there.

You’ll need some Italian basil leaves to get this cashew basil pesto going, obviously. The next most important ingredient would be parmesan cheese. I used to buy the grated variety in pouches but have since moved to parmesan cheese blocks which I grate as and when I need some cheesy goodness in my basil pesto or as a topping for baked pasta dishes. I am telling you, blocks of cheese are the way to go.

If you prefer to keep things authentic and genuine, then check out this basic basil pesto recipe. You can also use walnuts in basil pesto. PS: I clicked on this walnut basil pesto post just now and feel all kinds of nostalgic for my gorgeous balcony garden from the previous apartment. Sniff.

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Description

5 minute cashew basil pesto that’s a perfect addition to pasta, salads, sandwiches, or as a dip.

Ingredients

3 cups packed basil leaves, stems removed

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup raw, unsalted cashew nuts

1-2 flakes of garlic

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (adjust to taste)

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Instructions

Wash and remove the basil leaves from the stalks

Grate the parmesan cheese, if using a from a block of cheese. You can add more or less depending on how rich you want your pesto to be. About 1/3 cup is perfect, if you ask me

Prepare all other ingredients as well

Add everything into a food processor or mixie jar

Pulse until well combined. Now you can keep going until you get the consistency you prefer. Grainy peso tastes better in sandwiches but since I use pesto now mostly as salad dressing, I prefer it on the creamier side

Don’t add any water, the oil should provide enough movement in the processor. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add more oil

Transfer into an airtight container and refrigerate immediately if not using fresh

Notes

Although the colour may change darker on the surface, this pesto can be used for up to 5 days if refrigerated. Always use a dry spoon to take the quantity you need. I add some oil on top before keeping in the refrigerator.

If using this cashew basil pesto as a salad dressing, add a bit more oil to make it into a pourable consistency.

Adjust all ingredients to your taste and see what you prefer in YOUR pesto. Have fun!

So what’s YOUR favourite basil pesto recipe?

Recommended Recipes

Source: https://www.cookingandme.com/2018/02/18/cashew-basil-pesto-recipe/

[biteblue81-blog]

Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast is a holiday favorite at our house and the perfect Christmas morning breakfast.  You won’t be sure if it breakfast or dessert!

Planning ahead when it comes to breakfast is the key to success, especially if it is a holiday morning or there are overnight guests involved.  Who likes getting up at the crack of dawn to prepare a delicious breakfast for the guests?  Not me! So I love using recipes that allow me to do most of the work the night before.

What is Baked French Toast?

Baked French Toast is one of those recipes that allows you do all of the work the night before. All you have to do in the morning is bake it!

My version of baked french toast is covered in crispy, crunchy cinnamon goodness.  I used Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal to create the crispy coating.

How to Make Baked French Toast?

First, you want to start with a nice thick bread, not the regular sandwich type bread.  I like my bread about 3/4″ thick.

Then, mix together your egg mixture which is a combination of eggs, milk, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla.  Make sure the eggs are beaten well.

Next, crush your Cinnamon Toast Cereal.  I like to put it in a zippered plastic bag and roll over it with a rolling pin.

Then, dip your bread into egg mixture, totally coating both sides and then dip into crushed cereal, covering both sides. Place each piece on the prepared baking sheet.

Finally, cover with wax paper and put in the freezer for a few hours over overnight.  You want it to be firm. When you are ready to cook it, bake at 425 degrees F, uncovered, turning once, for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Baked French Toast makes morning prep simple and I love the crunch the cereal gives the french toast.  For more cinnamon goodness serve it with cinnamon syrup.  All your snickerdoodle fans are going to love it too.

Other favorite overnight breakfast ideas:

For all of my other favorite kitchen products and tools visit my Amazon Store.

Did you know I wrote a cookbook?  Check out the Holiday Slow Cooker Cookbook for 100 delicious recipes

Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast

Baked French Toast is a holiday favorite at our house and the perfect Christmas morning breakfast.  You won't be sure if it breakfast or dessert!

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked french toast

Servings: 8 pieces

Calories: 374 kcal

Author: Leigh Anne

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups half and half

4 eggs lightly beaten

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

8 slices French bread 3/4" thick

5 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal crushed

Instructions

Grease a large baking sheet

Mix together half and half, eggs, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.  Mix well to combine.  Place in a flat bottom bowl or pie plate.

Place crushed cereal in a flat bottom bowl or pie plate.

Dip both sides of bread into the egg mixture.

Dip both sides of bread into crushed cereal and place on baking sheet.

Cover with wax paper and place in freezer for 2 hours or overnight, until bread is firm.

Bake uncovered in  a 425 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Nutrition Facts

Baked French Toast

Amount Per Serving

Calories 374 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9g 14%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 98mg 33%

Sodium 524mg 22%

Potassium 221mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 59g 20%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 12g

Protein 13g 26%

Vitamin A 18.3%

Vitamin C 7.9%

Calcium 18.9%

Iron 43.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Hi – I’m Leigh Anne! Food, family and friends are three of my favorite things. I love sharing easy, delicious recipes and entertaining ideas that everyone will love. When she started her blog, Your Homebased Mom, over 9 years ago she had no idea that it would one day house over 2,400 recipes and ideas! .

Latest posts by Leigh Anne (see all)

Source: https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/baked-french-toast/

[biteblue81-blog]

Instant Pot Applesauce (Fast & Easy!)

Instant Pot Applesauce is by far the easiest way to make applesauce at home. Just cut the apples into slices, throw them in your electric pressure cooker, press a button, and walk away! It’s the BEST applesauce you’ll ever taste, with no added sugar.

How to Make Instant Pot Applesauce

To make applesauce in your Instant Pot, you’ll get started by slicing the apples. I like to use an apple slicer that removes the core at the same time to make the process as fast as possible, but you can simply use a knife if you prefer to cut your own slices.

Do You Have to Peel Apples when Making Applesauce?

It is not necessary to peel your apples when making applesauce. Much of their nutrition is found in the peel, so I prefer to leave it on to get maximum benefits. This also means less work for you! The peels become very soft when cooked in the Instant Pot, so they are easily pureed when blended after cooking.

If you prefer a chunky applesauce, I do recommend peeling the apples so that you can simply use a potato masher to make the applesauce after the cooking process is complete. The peels will not break down with a potato masher the way they do in a blender, so it’s easier if you remove them before cooking in this case.

What Kind of Apples are Best for Making Applesauce?

My mother has always told me that McIntosh and Jonathan apples make the best applesauce, but those aren’t always available in my local store. (I try to choose organic apples when possible, since I don’t peel my apples for this.)

Instead, I’ve fallen in love with using Gala apples in my applesauce. They are naturally sweet, and make the best homemade applesauce, without the need for any added sugar. I’ve also made it using Honeycrisp apples, which are just slightly more tart, but still sweet.

How To Use Your Instant Pot

If you’re new to using the Instant Pot, the main thing you need to know is how to cook on manual and whether your recipe calls for a natural release or a quick release. This Instant Pot recipe includes step-by-step directions below, but these photos also help to give you an idea of what your machine should look like during the process.

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn on qualifying purchases.

My 6-quart Instant Pot is older, so it has a “Manual” button that I use to pressure cook. Newer models have a button that says “Pressure Cook” instead, but both buttons do the same thing. For this recipe, we’re cooking at high pressure for 10 minutes.

The Instant Pot will take 6 to 10 minutes to come to pressure, and the cook cycle countdown doesn’t start until the pot is pressurized. You can tell the pot is pressurized when the floating valve in the lid has popped up.

This recipe calls for a 10 minute natural release. When 10 minutes has passed, the screen on the Instant Pot will read LO:00, and that’s when you can move the steam release valve to Venting. Any remaining steam pressure will release through the top of that valve, and when the floating valve next to it drops, that’s when you know it’s safe to remove the lid. (The floating valve will be silver or red, depending on the Instant Pot model you own.)

How Long Does Homemade Applesauce Last?

My kids gobble this up, so it never lasts longer than a week in our house. However, store bought applesauce says it can last up to 10 days in the fridge, so that’s the rule I go by with my homemade version, too. To be on the safe side, look for mold every time you open the jar and always use a clean utensil when serving from the jar to help the applesauce last as long as possible.

This INSTANT POT APPLESAUCE is the fastest & easiest way to make it at home! No need to peel the apples, and it has the best flavor with no added sugar.

Servings: 8 1/2 cup servings

3 pounds apples , cored and sliced (no need to peel)

1/3 cup water

Place the apple slices into the bottom of your Instant Pot and add in the water. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Use the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. It will take 6 to 10 minutes for the pot to pressurize, so it will simply say ON before the cook cycle starts.

When the cook cycle is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. The screen will read LO:10 when the 10 minutes are up, and then you can move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure.

When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to remove the lid. Transfer the cooked apples and juices to a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to blend directly in the pot.

Pour the applesauce into a large glass jar and seal it with a lid. Store your Instant Pot applesauce in the fridge for up to 10 days and serve chilled.

Per 1/2 cup: Calories: 88, Fat: 0g, Carbohyrdates: 23g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 0g

Recipe Notes:

For a chunky applesauce, peel the apples before cooking and then use a potato masher to make the applesauce, so that it’s not a pureed texture.

You can add any other flavorings you like to this applesauce. I sometimes add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon for a cinnamon flavor, or I’ll replace a pound of apples with one pound of other fruit, such as strawberries or mangos. You can use frozen fruit that is already chopped for convenience. I’ve found that strawberry applesauce needs 2-3 dates added for sweetness, but the mango is delicious on its own!

I have a separate post for making slow cooker applesauce if you prefer to use that!

–

Reader Feedback: Have you tried making your own applesauce before?

Source: https://detoxinista.com/instant-pot-applesauce/

[biteblue81-blog]

Spicy Lobster Bucatini with Burrata (for Two)

Spicy Lobster Bucatini with Burrata (for Two)

Desserts, Dinner, One-Pot Meals, Quick and Easy

I feel like I haven’t talked about my super exciting life lately. Well, I spent the weekend doing work, working out and going to a Super Bowl party where I ate so many snacks that Monday required vegan meals ONLY. That halftime show was one of the most boring things my eyes have ever experienced. I almost fell asleep but somehow I made it through. One thing that dramatically helped were these animal-style cheeseburger empanadas. They were unreal.

I might have to try and recreate them soon!

I’m currently plotting to have a yard sale and am simultaneously excited and nervous to let so many things go. Will I regret selling all my things? I barely use them so hopefully not. I actually love getting rid of things so hopefully I’ll be ok. I’m guessing I won’t miss them and will appreciate the extra pocket money it will provide me.

Anywayzzz, a few months ago Joshua brought home some lobster tails that a friend gave him and when I asked him what he was gonna do with it, he told me he was gonna make some dinner. I expected him to do something fancy with it but instead he donated to our stomachs! He made a super spicy marinara sauce with some calabrian chiles he bought (I couldn’t find any) and they made the marinara unreal.

I put a photo of it on on my Insta Stories and a bunch of people asked me for the recipe. While this isn’t the same exact one, it’s pretty close.

This is perfect for two people…maybe for Valentine’s Day!!

Spicy Lobster Bucatini with Burrata

Print

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bucatini, burrata, lobster, pasta, valentine's day

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 2

Calories 1100kcal

Ingredients

2 whole lobster tails

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 (12-ounce) jar marinara sauce

1 cup finely olives

1/2 pound bucatini

1 ball fresh burrata, divided

Directions

To Cook the Lobster Tails:

Bring a pot of salted water to a medium boil (should be a chill boil, nothing too aggressive). Drop the lobster tails into the water and cook for about 1 minute, until they mostly turn opaque. They will be undercooked, but no biggie, they’ll cook more in the pasta. Run them under cold water.

Using kitchen scissors, cut the shell on both sides. Pull out the lobster meat and chop it up into bite-size pieces. 

To Make the Pasta:

To a medium sauté pan or skillet, set over medium heat, pour in the olive oil. When warm, add the crushed red pepper and toast for about 1 minute. Pour in the store-bought marinara sauce and olives. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. I always doctor up store-bought marinara a bit. I like to add a pinch of oregano, some salt, if needed, etc. Turn the marinara off the heat and mix in the Italian parsley. Set aside. 

February 5, 2019 by Adrianna Adarme

Adrianna Adarme

A Cozy Kitchen is a blog written by Adrianna Adarme. Adrianna likes corgis, pancakes and cute things.

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Source: https://www.acozykitchen.com/spicy-lobster-bucatini/

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Watch the Trailer for Amy Poehler’s Netflix Comedy, ‘Wine Country’

Wine Country, Amy Poehler’s movie inspired by real vacations between the SNL veteran and her famous friends, is slated to premiere on Netflix May 10.

The new trailer for the movie shows pals played by Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Anna Gasteyer, Paula Pell, and Emily Spivey getting into all sorts of humorous scrapes around the wineries of California’s Napa Valley. Rudolph falls off a piano at one point, their trip itineraries fly out a party bus window, and it looks like all the friends eventually wind up rolling down a big hill while wearing shirts bearing the words “Antonio’s Pizzeria.” There are a few delightful cameos sprinkled throughout this teaser: Jason Schwartzman plays a soulful paella chef, Pen15’s Maya Erskine is a waiter at a pretentious restaurant, and Tina Fey is the owner of the AirBNB where the friends are staying over the birthday weekend.

It definitely looks like a cross between Sideways and Bridesmaids, two bona fide comedy classics. Check out the trailer above and stay tuned for more updates on the release of Poehler’s feature directorial debut in the coming weeks. • Amy Poehler’s Movie ‘Wine Country’ Is Based on Real Vacations With Her ‘SNL’ Friends [E]

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Source: https://www.eater.com/2019/4/11/18306806/wine-country-trailer-netflix

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Goodbye Mochi Elliott

This post is dedicated to Mochi Elliott, beloved family member who passed away at 2:52am Tuesday 19th February, 2019.

Dearest Mochi,

It's mummy here. And for once, I am lost for words. Two years ago, you were the most gentle soul to come into our lives. You were my first dog so I asked your daddy all sorts of questions about you. "Can Mochi defend herself? Can she fight if another dog or a person attacks her?"

I had heard dogs were strong but he shook his head. "She couldn't hurt a fly," he said. Then from that day onwards I vowed to protect you. Little did I know that you have made the same vow to protect me. Whenever anyone or another dog approached me that you didn't like, you warned me. You were the tiniest, fluffiest most adorable guard dog in the world. I slumbered better every night because you slept beside me.

I am still confused about what happened on Monday night. One minute you were lying on your blanket next to me in bed. I called your daddy over because I saw that you wasn't able to get comfortable and wouldn't rest easy which was unusual because you always sleep so soundly. Something just didn't feel right.

Then you started panting heavily and suddenly your legs wouldn't hold you up. You still looked at me with the calm, trusting, inquisitive look as you always did but we knew something was very wrong and took you straight to the emergency vet. I thought that you might have paralysis and we would get you wheels like the doggy we saw at Clovelly beach on Sunday. Remember that day?

But you had hemangiosarcoma tumours in your liver and spleen and the doctors wouldn't operate on that. I keep thinking what we could have done, could we have seen this growth? They were just tiny dots in the ultrasound done three months ago. But what if? What if? Why? Why?

Even as your vitals dipped and you should have slipped into a twilight, when we came in you raised your head excited to see us and greet us with that sweet pink nosed face and bright, inquisitive eyes. "But she's ok! Look at her!!" I said to the vets and nurses who gave me a sympathetic smile before looking away.

I still wasn't ready to let you go.

I had silly dreams - of taking you on planes and holidaying around the world with you. You had had 8 years of a rotten life before us and I wanted to give you 8 years of a joyful existence with plenty of Peking Duck and chicken. You taught me so much, especially to never give up. If you fell or stumbled, you just tried again.

Everyone that met you remarked on what an extraordinary dog you were. Calm, observant, patient and just about the sweetest thing under the sun. We were lucky to get just 2 years with you. I wish we had had you your whole life.

Reluctantly, with great big heaving sobs we made the decision to let you go when your breathing was too ragged.

I think you found my singing soothing so I sang, "You are my Sunshine". Did you hear me when I told you how much I loved you? I know you could understand me when I talked to you. You passed in my arms in a matter of seconds.

Even after you passed you looked like you were still there, your black button eyes shining bright. Below is one of my favourite photos of you as I loved your floppy ears and button eyes. To me your face says, "Where will we go on our next adventure mummy?".

Even thought everything in me feels broken I'm still grateful. So grateful to have your gentle little soul in my life. Grateful I wasn’t travelling when this happened and grateful that I got to say goodbye to you and tell you that I loved you so much. I've never seen your daddy cry ever but he hasn't been able to stop.

For now this small apartment is shaking, wracked by the sobs of two people that loved you so much Mochi. The sky is grey, the curtains are drawn and it feels like my heart will never feel whole again. You were the best doggy I could have ever dreamt up and I was so lucky to have met you. I love you Miss Moo.

Mummy

xxx

Source: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/02/20/mochi-elliott-farewell/