Saturday, February 23, 2013

IN PRAISE OF HOME COOKING



In Praise of Home - Cooking.

            My resolution to simplify February and spend less time preparing each meal did not include ‘not thinking about food’. In fact, snowstorms are very conducive to contemplating topics you are passionate about, which in my case includes home cooking.
            Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy good restaurants immensely whether they serve fancy food or just plain food well prepared from fresh ingredients. I recall wonderful meals from a fabulous chili served in a small restaurant in Rangeley Maine, to an incredible 3 hour luncheon at the French Laundry in California, to inspired meals served on the edge of the Mediterranean, while we watched the native fish cruising by at the edge of the deck of our waterside table.  My fond memories include the innumerable small bistros in Europe and elsewhere and I won’t forget the simply delicious lunch served on a large banana leaf in Bangalore India. 
            In all of these, my taste buds and I were the beneficiaries of someone else’s effort and had the pleasure to enjoy and taste the show. But food, like other things in life, can be most fully appreciated only if you have had a chance to get to it close and personal. Home cooking removes the “virtual” aspects of food and gives you an understanding, appreciation and insight in what makes a wonderful meal in its true sense.
            Unfortunately, the saying: ”if I can’t microwave it, I can’t cook it” applies to a large segment of the population. The prepared food industry and take-out businesses  encourage this trend because of significant profits. Of course, the modern pace of  life also encourages such trends and even in retirement I have been known to call the Movie and Pizza shop in Waldoboro at dinner time, when nothing but a pizza will do.
And yet, one can only commend someone like + Jamie Oliver in Los Angeles, who goes around with a kitchen/classroom in a bus with the aim of teaching anyone how to prepare 10 easy meals as a start for home cooking, healthier eating and lifestyle. With vegetable gardens springing up at many schools to teach children the joys of fresh produce, somehow the old school home economics classes no longer seem so obsolete.
Next to stir fries and pancakes, muffins are some of the easiest and quickest to make in the home kitchen. With relatively few ingredients, they are easily mixed and baked and with minor variations are adaptable to different flavors, both sweet and savory. Here is my basic recipe for a batter that will make 8 medium or 12 small muffins depending on the size of the pan.
                        Sweet or savory muffins
Sweet.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl stir together 2 cups flour, 1 Tblsp. baking powder, ¼ cup sugar and ½ tsp. salt, and make a well in the center. In another small bowl beat 2 eggs with ¾ cups milk and 2 Tblsp. melted butter. Pour egg mixture in the flour mix and stir until just blended. At this point stir in 2/3 cups raisins or cranberries or blueberries or a shredded apple. Distribute batter among the cups in your pan sprayed with a baking spray or lined with paper cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, cool on the rack briefly and enjoy any time of the day.
Savory. Prepare the flour mix as above, with only 1 Tblsp. of sugar and added  ¾ cups shredded Parmesan cheese and ½ tsp basil, oregano or rosemary. Use the same egg mixture and omit the fruit. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and serve as you would serve rolls or cornbread. Other variations for savory muffins could include chopped sun dried tomatoes, olives or even crumbled bacon. The variations are only limited by your kitchen supplies and personal taste preferences.
And finally, the other advantages of home cooking are lack of preservatives so prevalent in prepared foods and simply cost. The above batch of 8  muffins prepared in your kitchen will cost you little more than the $1.30 price per muffin at the store. And best of all, the aroma of home cooking or baking is priceless.
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

Sunday, February 10, 2013

RESOLVED - SIMPLIFY FEBRUARY




Resolved – Simplify February

            The hyperbole of the Holiday Season, starting in November, as well as the continued exuberance of the season with special gatherings, family and meals that provided challenges for taste and presentation have temporarily worn me out. January should be the time for regrouping, making of dietetic resolutions and general readjustment, except that the football league has managed to insert Superbowl Sunday at the end of this month, which precludes carrying out all such good intentions. So, now that there is ‘great joy’ in Baltimore, life elsewhere can go back to normal.
            February being the shortest month, seems like a good time to attempt readjustments. A woman I met had the intriguing suggestion of using this time to rebalance the contents of her freezer and her pantry, by only buying essentials like milk and bread for the month and cooking mainly with the foodstuffs accumulated in the house. Worth the try, but I would miss the fresh fruit and salads, so essential for pleasant meals.
            Still, much as I love my kitchen, the aim for this month is to spend shorter time in it preparing our meals. This does not mean giving up fresh and healthy ingredients, but rather reverting to simpler and less time consuming recipes. However, unlike the summer, when it is possible to put together a delicious salad, winter requires something more substantial and preferably warm, to chase away the daily chill. Soups are wonderful, since most of them can be made in quantity, which then provides a meal for several days.  The same of course can be said for slow cooker meals, but simple and even colorful meals can be had in times of 25 minutes or less, with the right ingredients.
            A much neglected ingredient in this area is couscous, which can be prepared in 10 minutes and like polenta and grits serves as a delicious base for a variety of toppings.
                                    Couscous with salami and broccoli ragu
            Pour 2/3 cup whole wheat couscous in a heavy ceramic bowl and pour over it 2 cups boiling chicken or vegetable broth with 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper. Cover and let sit 10-15 minutes, after which fluff with fork and keep warm. In the meantime heat 1 Tblsp. butter and 1 Tblsp. olive oil in a heavy skillet, sauté 4 oz. sliced mushrooms with 2 cloves chopped garlic for a few minutes, sprinkle with 2 tsp. flour and stir in ¾ cup beef broth and a shake of red pepper flakes. Stir until thickened, then add 4 oz soppressata or other hard salami cut in 1/3 inch cubes and a cup of small broccoli florets. Simmer to heat through and serve on top of couscous in individual bowls.
            Recently we came back from a disastrous short vacation and a less than pungent pasta supper seemed to be desirable. There are certainly dozens of recipes for pasta carbonara, but since there were no eggs in the refrigerator, this made a colorful and satisfying meal.
                                    Rotini Primavera – Carbonara
            Cook the desired amount of rotini primavera (multicolored vegetable rotini) in a large amount of salted water for 10 minutes, adding ½ cup frozen peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and toss with the sauce.
            While the pasta is cooking, in a heavy sauce pan fry 2 slices of bacon to nearly crisp and drain on paper towels.  Pour off most of the fat and sauté 1 small onion finely chopped for a few minutes, stir in 1 chopped clove of garlic, salt, pepper and then stir in ½ cup milk. Bring to simmer and blend in 2 oz. cream cheese and ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Add slivered 2 thin slices of deli ham and when heated through pour over the drained pasta with peas. Sprinkle with the crumbled bacon and toss to mix. Serve with added Parmesan cheese.
            I’m quite resolved to simplify February. Unfortunately there is Valentine’s day!
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)