Lesson #4 at the International Culinary Institute. Sea Trout with apple puree topped with apple, fennel and horseradish slaw.
This is a recipe taken from the November issue of Food & Wine Magazine [see page 186]. I’m starting to test some new Thanksgiving recipes to up the ante this year, and thought this was a simple way to kick off the testing.
This chutney is intensely flavored without being overpowered by the heat of the jalapeno or the sweetness of the sugar. And… it is very simple to make. Prep time is about 25 mins and cook time is about 15 mins, but should be chilled over night.
Recommendations: Serve at Thanksgiving as a side or topper on turkey or cornbread.
What you’ll need:
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1.5 pounds of tomatoes, chopped [gutted and seeded to prevent excess liquid]
1 C of granulated sugar
1/2 C of light brown sugar
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
3 tbs finely julienned peeled fresh ginger
1 jalapeno [seeded and minced]
salt [to taste]
cayenne pepper [to taste]
Directions:
Before anything, I like to get my mise en place ready. I like to measure and lay out all my ingredients in the order I will need them. This not only saves time and provides for stress-free cooking, but it makes you re-read the recipe [I usually forget something].
- In a saucepan, toast the fennel, mustard seed and cumin seed [1 minute until aromatic] on moderate heat. Set aside on plate to cool.
- In same saucepan, cook tomatoes, granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Once sugar is dissolved, add garlic, ginger, and toasted seeds.
- Simmer over moderate heat, stirring often [making sure the bottom doesn’t burn]. Simmer until mixture is thick and reduced.
- Recipe says the thickening process takes about 15 minutes, but it was about 20-25 minutes for me. Remember, if you thicken for longer, reduce heat [better to cook longer on lower heat]. Mixture will also congeal & thicken overnight in fridge.
- Once thickened to desire, stir in jalapeno and transfer to bowl to cool.
- Season with salt and cayenne, and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve at room temperature.
Istanbul, Turkey: My culinary and cultural euphoria Set 5 (final)
Istanbul, Turkey: My culinary and cultural euphoria. Set 3
Istanbul, Turkey: My culinary and cultural euphoria. Set 1
Reaaaaaaaally wish I could make this event, but I’ll be in Istanbul, Turkey (so no complaints whatsoever).
Definitely check this event out if in NYC September 29th-30th. Even if you aren’t the biggest French food fan, there are going to be some big name Chefs in attendance!
Probably one of the greatest city rivalries in sports history…Big Apple v. Beantown
My beloved Gmen v. 18-0 The Pats
Yanks v. Sox
Knicks v. Celtics
Bruins v. Rangers
But the “truck” doesn’t stop there. This rivalry has transcended beyond sports and into the culinary kingdom of food trucks. On Saturday, October 13th, 7 of NYC’s best food trucks will go head to head with 7 of Boston’s best food trucks in the first ever Food Truck Throwdown, set in Boston’s Dewey Square.
Here’s the line up:
NYC: Bian Dang, Big D’s Grub, Fishing Shrimp, Mike & Willies, Munchie Mobile, Nuchas and Wafels & Dinges.
Boston: Bon Me, Kickass Cupcakes, Lobsta Love, Mei Mei Street Kitchen, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Staff Meal, and The Cookie Monstah.
Live music, celebrity judges, and free admission await you. The event is from 11am-9pm, but if I were you, I’d make a weekend out of it. I may be a New Yorker through and through, but Boston has birthed some of my favorite things on earth:
(1) The single greatest American accent, (2) Cape Cod, (3) the unyielding Damon/Affleck duo, (4) The Town, (5) the Winklevosses (via Harvard, ironically they were born in NY), (6) New England Clam Chowder, and (7) Goodwill Hunting.
It’s a showdown worth seeing and eating!
For more information on this event, check out the website.
Below is a list of Harley Pasternak’s Top Ten Seemingly Healthy Foods to Avoid along with healthier alternatives and some anecdotal narrative. Thanks Harley! For full article, click here. You can find out more about Harley here.
• Granola
Though typically paired with words like “organic,” “harvest,” or “natural,” almost all granolas are fattening. One tiny serving can have 420 calories, 10 grams of fat and 26 grams of sugar.
A better choice:
Muesli is made without added oils and is usually sweetened with berries and fruit, not sugar. Try soaking mueseli in skim or almond milk overnight.
•Pretzels
People are often lured in by the “fat free” aspect of pretzels. But a 3-oz. serving of pretzels can contain 320 calories and 1720 mg. of sodium – and little else.
A better choice:
Try air-popped popcorn. It has a fraction of the calories, tons of fiber and hardly any sodium.
•Couscous
Couscous is not a grain. I repeat, it is not a grain. Much like its brother spaghetti and its sister ravioli, couscous is pasta.
A better choice:
Bulgur and quinoa contain exponentially more fiber, protein and flavor!
•Tuna salad
Most of us don’t eat enough fish, so I’m not going to hate on any fish in particular. Most tuna salads however, are not very healthy. Usually smothered in mayonnaise and made from albacore tuna, 4 oz. of this classic sandwich filler is filled with fat (10 grams), calories (212), and it rates sky-high in mercury. So, it’s not going to get you any into your skinny jeans any quicker.
A better choice:
Try using light (not white) tuna, which is lower in mercury. Combine with herbs, lemon juice and yogurt to create a tasty, healthier version of a tuna salad!
•Brown sugar
For some reason, many people perceive brown sugar as being healthier than white sugar. Unfortunately, it’s not fiber or any other useful nutrient that gives brown sugar its color; it’s molasses, which doesn’t offer any nutritional benefits. Consequently, when it comes to calories and health benefits, brown and white sugar are equals.
A better choice:
Try experimenting with agave, honey and maple syrup, all of which are a little sweeter, therefore you don’t need to use as much.
•Canned fruit (and other canned foods)
I used to love eating canned fruit. Once I learned how to read a food label, I learned that canned fruit is arguably the least healthy form of fruit consumption. Lacking most of the nutrients that make fruit so healthy, canned fruit is loaded with added sugar and void of fiber. A medium peach has 8 grams of sugar, while one serving of canned peaches has more than 24 grams of sugar – three times as much!
A better choice:
Be smart about choosing fruit. Opt for fresh fruit with edible skin (apples, pears, peaches) or seeds (strawberries, raspberries, kiwis) or citrus (oranges, grapefruits), or certain dried fruits. Choose dried fruits with skin when possible and don’t eat too many, as they can be pretty calorie dense.
•Muffins
Last month, my wife and I walked into a Dunkin Donuts out of sheer curiosity – and I’m sticking to that story! While deliberating my weekly cheat/treat, I was shocked to learn that the donut I was considering had nearly half of the calories of a low fat bran muffin. When you actually break down a muffin into its ingredients (sugar, flour, butter/margarine, etc.), you realize that if it came in a slightly different shape with some frosting, it wouldn’t be called a muffin. It would be called “cake!”
Most of the bran muffins I’ve seen exceed 400 calories and ooze with over 20 grams of fat plus lots of sugar and other additives. They may also contain trans fats – those nasty fats that raise your bad LDL cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol (HDL). Bran muffins are also often served with sides of butter only adding insult to injury.
A better choice:
My wife makes these healthy muffins that are not only delicious but actually a healthy treat. Try making a batter of non-fat greek yogurt, egg whites, natural peanut butter, dried cranberries/blueberries, and a touch of a sweetener of your choice! Create a texture similar to that of cookie dough, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and dole out on a sprayed pan. Bake for 30 minutes and you have an amazing, fibrous, protein filled treat!
•Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
First, reduced-fat is not the same as low fat. Ever heard the saying, “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”? Well, most commercial peanut butters are made with the same type of sugar that cake frosting is made with. Reducing the fat makes it even worse because even more sugar is added and they contain less healthy fat.
A better choice:
As with peanuts, choose almonds or all natural organic peanut butter instead. Just remember to pour off half of the top layer of oil.
•Fruit-flavored yogurts
With more than 30 grams of added sugar and 80 calories of fat per serving in many of these yogurt desserts, you may as well be eating a chocolate bar.
A better choice:
Try non-fat greek yogurt and add some fresh berries. Greek yogurt is essentially lactose free and is packed with high quality metabolism boosting protein. Try brands like Chobani, Fage or Oikos.
•Turkey Bacon and Turkey Sausage
I’ve never seen or heard of a healthy sausage or bacon of any kind. Most are loaded with fat, sodium, and nitrates. Just because they are made from turkey rather than pork doesn’t make them any healthier. In fact, there are many versions of pork bacons (i.e., Canadian bacon) that are leaner than turkey bacons. And sausage is usually made with the lowest quality “leftovers” from butchering. When I was 12, my father took me to a meat and poultry-processing factory – and I’m still traumatized.
A better choice:
Try smoked salmon, veggie bacon, and bresaola. They all have incredible flavor and are far healthier than traditional breakfast meats.
