Posts filed under 'Flavorista Icon'
Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of attending a special event at The Kitchen restaurant in Boulder (a place deserving of its own blog post, but I’ll save that for another day) to try some amazing food from Rajastan, India. Peggy Markel has been leading culinary tours with Asia Transpacific Journeys since 1991 to Italy, Elba, Silcily, Morrocco and Thailand. This Fall, she adds Rajastan. Her reconnaissance trip to India is featured in the February issue of Food & Wine magazine. The recipes for the meal we had last night are featured in the article as well.
The food was fantastic and of particular interest were the cilantro-corn fritters (even made with out of season corn these had an amazing fresh corn taste), spinach simmered in yogurt, 3 lentil dahl, and spiced millet stew with onions (which was close to my favorite dish, as it had a polenta-like consistency, but oh so much more interesting). The meal was closed with an amazing yogurt panna cotta, perfectly scented with honey, created by the chefs of The Kitchen for this special event. This was one of the more inspired Indian meals I’ve had in a long time.
My dream is to one day take a trip with Peggy. She is passionate about travel and educating foodies as to the wonders of culinary traditions. She brings you into the kitchens of people wherever you go to learn the soul of the region’s cooking.
It’s lucky for me that she lives in Boulder and I have the opportunity to travel vicariously through events like last night. Peggy’s contribution to the world of food through her zest for travel and connecting with people and their culture are numerous and should be a part of any aspiring flavorista’s quest.
February 11th, 2009
One of my icons is Betty Fussell, who has been researching and writing about food for over 50 years. Her memoir, My Kitchen Wars is a great read and a wonderful view into to the lives of the women of her generation who were laying the ground work for the woman’s lib movement.
One of her greatest tomes is The Story of Corn which has been recently re-published. I have yet to try her cookbooks but her ability to research and tell the story is not only thorough, but passionate. She has a new book out about the history of beef in the U.S. Raising Steaks, which is sure to be a thriller.
January 18th, 2009
Diana Holland Shafroth, my mother-in-law and flavorista, died January 6, 2009 at the age of 80 with family around. There are many wonderful things I will always associate with her: gin, bridge, Cape Cod, her love of people and travel - and of course her family.
There are wonderful dishes I will also hold close: chili rellenos casserole, watermelon pickles, homemade jalapeno pepper jam, fresh rhubarb, her deviled eggs, swordfish (but only from the East coast and really fresh), ginger and Pepperidge Farm very THIN white bread for cucumber sandwiches (with the crusts cut off).
As a family, we all love to cook. We have a list of some of the comments she used to make when we were hosting her like when making vinaigrette - "You know not everyone likes Dijon mustard (or garlic)" but always with a wry smile on her face as we proceeded to dump it into our salad dressings. My husband remembers the holidays by the smell of her making mustard and cod fish balls. I will always remember her toffee. She made really good toffee. We shared a love for dark chocolate almond bark - specifically from the Belgian Choclatier Piron, of Evanston, Ill. We often exchanged recipes. This is one in particular I love for its simplicty and elegance. She never told me it’s origin.
Lady Di’s Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Melt 2 sticks of butter with 2 Tbsp. water and 2 Tbsp. maple syrup. Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. of baking powder and 2 1/2 cups of regular old fashioned oats. Stir together well and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make walnut size pieces of the dough with 2 teaspoons and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Be sure to leave plenty of room. Bake for 12 minutes turning the cookie sheet around every 4 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from baking sheet.
January 7th, 2009
On a recent jaunt to the Bay Area, my flavorista friend, Terry, introduced me to the lovely Dona Savitsky who has 3 beautiful dining establishments in the East Bay. I made it to 2 and I am still savouring the best Mai Tai I’ve ever had at her newest estblishment, Flora in Oakland.
The secret ingredient is homemade orgeat syrup. This exlir is made from almonds, rose or orange water and sugar. At my mid-age, I can’t believe I am just learning about this wonderful syrup. Future possibilties abound. A recipe is available at artofdrink.com.
The next day I ran over to Berkekely to try her fish tacos and Mexican hot chocolate at Tacubaya. The food here was delicious, hand-crafted and made with tlc - tender loving care. I met Donna for a brief moment before I experiened her talent as a restuaranteur. She had great training with Reed Hearon who became famous in San Francisco for Cafe Marimba, Restaurant Lulu, The Stinking Rose and Rose Pistola - all wonderfully creative establishments. He is also a great cookbook author. I can’t wait to go back and thank her for her contribution to this Flavorista post.
December 28th, 2008
The Taste of Mexico by Patricia Quintana was given to me many years ago and it quickly became dog earred. I used it in my catering business and the results were always fantastic.
Patricia Quintana is an amzing researcher and this book teaches the origins of each Mexican dish. Organized by regions, this book makes you want to jump on a plane and travel with her. (She does lead tours.) Her life’s work has been to elevate and educate the world about the Mayan origins of Mexican food.
Tortilla Soup a la Mexicana
Quintana’s tortilla soup is in my estimation is the culinary gold standard!
12 cups chicken broth (homemade preferred)
1 chile Pasillas and 1 Ancho chile, seeded and sauteed in a little oil
1 large can chopped tomatoes
1 white onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sprigs of cilantro
2 Tbsp. corn oil
Heat the chicken stock in a large pot. In a blender place the chiles with the tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro. Using a hand blender puree until smooth. Heat oil in a large pot and add the tomato/chile mixture. Heat until it boils. Place a large sieve over the stock pot and pour the tomato mixture into the hot stock. Simmer for 25 minutes. The soup may be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat over medium heat.
Garnishes
Torilla strips fried in oil to make thin crisps
2 large avocados, diced
2 cups fresh cheese like panela or feta, crumbled
1 cup sour cream
Place the garnishes on the table. Spoon the broth into bowls. Place the garnishes on top of your soup and enjoy!
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December 1st, 2008
I had the great pleasure of hearing Ann Cooper, author of Lunch Lessons and Bitter Harvest speak this week at the 5th Annual Naturally Boulder Days Conference. She is the self proclaimed "renegade lunch lady" and indeed she is. Her mission is to change children’s relationship with food in the hopes that she can reverse some of the horrible statistics facing American youth.
Chef Ann has been working diligently with the Chez Panisse Foundation to help restructure and revitalize school lunch. She is not only inspiring but also gives a great presentation, making you wonder how we have allowed the USDA and commodity foods to get so deeply imbedded into our kid’s lives. When you realize that only 50¢ of the $1.50 that goes to school lunch at your local public school goes to the actual purchase of food, it’s no wonder that fast food chains are becoming the only option as the supplier of the food.
One of the best ideas she has (and she has quite a few) is to have lunch AFTER recess. I know my kids inhale their lunch so that they can rush out to recess. I’d like to think that they could take some time to chew but apparently lunch cannot compete with four square. Cooper also mentioned a recent study (which is on her blog) that links Gatorade consumption to an increase in kidney stones among children as young as five (scary stuff). Flavorista sends thanks to Chef Ann Cooper, a food visionary, looking out for our children!
November 6th, 2008
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