What's cooking for National Soup Month?

                       Ready to start off the year on a kick of health eating? Oh, it’s coming. But let’s give January’s National Soup Month designation some attention. Despite delicious cream bases and crunchy toppings, there are some good-for-you soups.

 

                       Soup? This is the time Crock Pot’s (slow cooker) time to shine. See the lid pocket tip below and let’s share some hearty ideas. If you have faves, send them this way. Here are some of mine:

 

                       Soup’s On!

·        Got extra New Year’s cabbage? It’s still lucky. That good green stuff will nourish you and save time in the upcoming weeks. I’m not a fan of full-on cabbage soup, but shred it thin and it plays well with other veggies simmering in the pot.

·        Garlic makes everything better. I use it in all forms and just peeled open a new jar of fragrant garlic powder. Don’t judge. I said “all forms” of garlic are welcome in my house. It lasts such a long time that I tend to decorate the utilitarian bottle with stickers to fancy up my pantry. In addition to monitoring the best-by date, I often write on the bottom when I opened it, if simply to marvel at how long this stuff lasts. Keep garlic handy this soup month.

·        Chili, the state dish of Texas, sounds great for Soup Month. We love our Tex-Mex, and it does occasionally get “chilly” enough for chili down here.

 

 

                       Is that a lid in your pocket? It’s a simple concept that has folks going nuts. It’s a sturdy slot you hook onto your slow cooker to hold the lid when it’s not covering your culinary masterpiece. What else is there to say, except to check out www.lidpocket.com. Not sure you “need” this. Do you tailgate? Attend church potlucks where several lids have no place to wait but the sink? Then you hope you get yours back and intact? Put the lid in the pocket and show that slow cooker some love.

 

Blu to Green - Ethylene sounds like a good name for your sweet Auntie, but it's natural gas from fruits and veggies that concentrates in your fridge. It makes your fresh and crispy greens a nasty brown. A cute little "apple" is waiting to let you know it can be easy being green. And now, Fresh Mats (in purple, yay) are lining my produce bins instead of dish towels. They prevent bruising and promote freshness.

I’m admittedly a sucker for products designed to keep produce fresh and your fridge organized. www.thebluapple.com has stylish offerings designed to save consumers dollars so they don’t toss out wilted vegetables. A blue apple has a “Yellow Submarine” look about it, so this Beatles fan is happy to open the fridge door for salad goods. Combat the gasses that do your lettuce go wrong with these goods. Try these out for a healthy beginning to 2024.

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie ready for a bowl of January’s signature dish. Share your tips via darraghcastillo@icloud.com

An In-Between Season

 

 

This week is an in-between time as we enjoy Christmas memories and look ahead to resolutions, Epiphany and what all 2024 brings. Ready? Let me take a moment to thank Culinary Thrill Seeking readers who enjoy letting me know how they relate to not only good food, but the joy of creating it. Here’s some “in-between” treats to consider:

 

Ring it in with Sammy – Want to ring in the new year with Sammy Hagar? You don’t have to be a super fan to enjoy his light Beach Bar Cocktails in a can in flavors such as Tangerine Dream. But if you were a super fan you may know about his restaurants. What rocks is some what I call white rum, but Beach Bar Rum calls this premium Platinum, with “flexibility to support a cocktail or be sipped neat over ice.” Times Square has always seemed a little cold for New Year’s Eve. Feel beachy with these tropical notes and hints of coconut and banana. Again, those cocktails are super refreshing and fizzy. Read about this interesting line at www.sammysbeachbarrum.com

What the Desert Yields – Did you learn that “desert” is the hot place, spelled with one s and “dessert” after a meal has “ss” because you want two of them? Don’t be confused by Monsoon Chocolate, hand crafted from the Sonoran Dessert in such creations as malt balls in roasted strawberry, a bar of 74 percent barrel aged dark chocolate and boxes of fetching chocolates including salted caramel that melts in your mouth. Desert. Dessert. If I’ve made you want to go, there is a café in Tucson. The earthy colors of the packaging tie it all together. www.monsoonchocolate.com

 

“A Bellwether Christmas” – Here’s the short story on a youth novel sharing the Nativity story from the animals’ point of view. Laurel Guillen of Friendswood, who’s husband’s dad grew up in Port Arthur. Had a life-changing visit to Italy. (I want that!) It’s been 800 years since the Christmas Nativity Scene originated, popularized in 1223, and Guillen figured her love of the era and knowledge of feisty farm dwellers would make a good match. It’s delightful. All my senses are aroused as she describes a young shepherd’s daily life. Then someone special comes to town……

Here's how it goes down:

“Bart is a curious, impetuous lamb who lives in a tiny village in medieval Italy. He is always getting into trouble and feels like he doesn’t belong. In chance encounters with a hare, a lark and then a terrifying wolf, he learns about the poor man from Assisi who loves all creatures and talks to them about love, honor and belonging. Bart is convinced that this man, and the new kind of celebration he is planning for Christmas Eve, holds the key to understanding his own destiny. But when Christmas Day dawns, he faces his biggest challenge yet: a dangerous mission to bring the gift of love to a friend. Will he be brave enough and finally find the place where he belongs?”

The book is delightful, but I need space to share her story: Laurel Guillen is a Cornell University graduate and former radio, newspaper, and television journalist who has always loved medieval tales. She helped her husband, Michael Guillen, PhD, produce the award-winning family movie Little Red Wagon and now writes the blog God and Gardening on Facebook.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie ready for 2024 to show what it’s got. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Worcestershire Sauce holds its mysteries

 

                             You know you don’t have to be able to pronounce Worcestershire sauce to enjoy it. But did you know you’d best read the label if you avoid anchovies. I came into a large amount and was happy to challenge readers on how they use it. If you’d like to add to this roundup, let me know. A little goes a long way and I’m still full up. The story goes that the first batch mixed “from the recipe of a nobleman in the county,” that it was so inedible they put the barrel in the basement. A while later some Culinary Thrill Seeker found it had mellowed and Lea & Perrins is still a thing. Here’s how some of you all hit the sauce:

·        My No. 1 use is for holiday Chex Mix. I really like that stuff seasoned. Otherwise, the bottle usually stays on the shelf.

·        Pork chops is what friends tell me.

·        Bloody Mary is what other friends tell me.

·        Salad dressings

·        Eggs

·        Stews and soups

·        Condiments

·        As umami in compound butter.

Did we hit your fave? Keep those ideas coming. I have lots left!

 

 

Rovagnati Boards - Stay with me here. You don't need to speak Italian to appreciate these paper-thin varieties of no-nitrates meats sure to wow your holiday guests. Forget that joke about sausages being made. A video tour of the clean machines packaging these meets is actually soothing. Just open some packages of these meats (and cheeses) for an easy and impressive spread. I've enjoyed variations of  Charcuterie Trio of Prosciutto Crudo, Salame Milano and Salame Napoli and the Charcuterie Trio with Prosciutto Crudo, Genora Salami and Soppressata. There's a Salami Trio that includes Hot Soppressata,  Soppressata peppery salami and Genoa Salami classic mild. Here's my fave: Finocchiona fennel Seed Salami. The flavor and the ease will win you over. www.ravagnatius.com 

 

“Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood” – If the phrases “Nobody Puts Babybel in a Corner,” “I’ll Havarti What She’s Having” and “Here’s Looking at You, Curd” make sense to you and your friends, you gotta try this book. Follow a yellow brick road of cheese blocks or go gummy crazy while screening Willy Wonka when you serve these “punny” beauties. Rachel Riederman has photographed this book offering 50 movie-themed cheese platers and snack boards for film fanatics. “Feta & Furious?” “May the Frommage Be With You?” “The Big Lebleucheese?”  There’s something for every taste. “She Turned Me into Crudites! … I Got Better” features a cracker pathway to navigate grail searching. The bunny centerpiece was too much, and my family got into Monty Python mode. Many of us are familiar with most of the classic movies that inspired these edibles. Can you imagine the “You’ve Goat Mail” board? Just copy the photos or go rogue. For the holidays, try “Ritz a Wonderful Life” wreath of grapes, salami roses and red grapes. Because every time a Babybel rings, an angel gets its wings.

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie wishing you great flavors this holiday season. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

                   

Polish'd for food and book lovers

 

 

It’s like I had a whole speech prepared about the “new” integrated way of a country’s cooking, and how author Michal Korkosz got into cherry tomato confit, grilled apricots and charred corn soup. But, when I turned the page to the following recipe, and got permission to share it, I had to pause and reframe. Or is it replate? It’s from “Polish’d: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland. Just…. Enjoy.

 

Dreamy White Beans with Smoky Mayo

 

Korkosz writes: “It amazes me how people treat beans differently depending on how they are served. When beans are in a soup or stew, they are often considered boring. But when beans are bathed in olive oil and various spices, and served alongside a glass of natural wine, they suddenly become the coolest. These are such beans. The trick is to cook them in an aromatic broth instead of water. You’ll want to serve them as a snack at all your parties.”

 

SERVES 4

 

2 cups white beans

1 leek, halved lengthwise

½ red onion

1 garlic head, top cut off

1 bunch mixed herbs (thyme, marjoram, rosemary)

2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more if desired 

 

SMOKY MAYO

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more for serving

1 garlic clove, smashed

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil

3 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil or olive oil, plus more for serving

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for serving

 

Place the beans in a large pot and cover with 4 cups water. Let soak overnight or for at least 12 hours. (The beans will cook faster and be more digestible the next day.)

 

Drain the beans and place them back in the large pot. Add the leek, red onion, garlic head, and mixed herbs. Cover with enough water to submerge the beans. Add the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Remove the leek, red onion, garlic, and mixed herbs and save them for another use. Simmer the beans, uncovered, until they are tender and creamy, 80-90 minutes.

 

            Meanwhile make the smoky mayo. Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic clove and salt in a deep, medium bowl. Combine the vegetable oil and rapeseed oil in a measuring cup with a spout. In a slow, steady stream, add the oil mixture to the egg mixture, about 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. To make this process easier, place a damp kitchen towel under the bowl to stabilize it while whisking, as you’ll be using both hands. Make sure each addition is completely incorporated before stirring in more. It will be a saucy mayo; if you prefer it thicker, add more oil. Mix in the smoke paprika. 

 

Serve the beans on a small plate. Top with a scoop of the mayo, drizzle with lemon juice and rapeseed oil, and sprinkle with smoked paprika and a bit of salt. 

 

 

Booking It - Many writers I know have never filled a fountain pen or hammered out thoughts on one of those old-timey typewriters. Yet we still identify with them. That imagery adorns clever patterns on "The Writer's Bookmark Box." Who would not love one of these to hold their place in classic book with a spine and pages to turn? Just reading some of these messages makes me feel ready to fill 2024 with new thoughts. To handle these bookmarks, and plan to share them with like minds, is a joy. Thoughts include:

* The World Belongs to Those Who Read

* In a word. Note to Self.,,, Words Have Power.... To Be Continued....

* No Risk, No Story. 

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie all about holiday hospitality. That means sharing hers and accepting someone else’s. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

You can do cranberries this holiday

  

   Don’t get me started on jellied cranberries plopped out of the can with the ridges still intact. At least get the whole berry variety. I crave them with add ons, listed below. This culinary adventure is about me coming into a bag of fresh whole berries and finally taking my niece’s advice to follow the simple directions on the back to cook them whole. I did it! It was quick, easy and so much fun to hear them pop. So, now I’m a pro. Here are some things I like to add into the cranberry mash:

·          Diced fresh jalapeno

·          Diced onion

·          Cinnamon

·          A spoon full of spirits of your choice

·          Vanilla

·          Orange peel

·          Tabasco

·          Toasted nuts, chopped

 

Get cranny, Culinary Thrill Seekers!

 

“My Culinary Love Story” – Pauline Parry didn’t really know she was a foodie until she kept running into the best luck – after she and her husband split. This English woman ran into a job at an English restaurant and got to live upstairs with her kids, stumbled upon another job at a castle, created and enjoyed amazing food and wine along the way, and a found a man to spend her adventures with. This book is a true story and features recipes and art work of dishes. Fancy Whole Salmon En Croute and Venison in Red Wine Sauce with Sweet Potato Herb Mash and Pear and Mandarin Pavolva? This chapter book note’s Pauline’s job duties including driving into the countryside for cheese and cream and harvesting snails. It’s a page turner as we see how her relationship progresses with Dennis, who would love to marry and take her family to California. It’s well written because it was well lived by Pauline Parry.

                   

                 

 "Be You, No Filter" is Latasha Blackmond's advice on "How to Love Yourself and Stay #SocialMediaStrong." She's written it to young girls and encourages them to think about what and why they post, and the messages it sends to others. I'm sure any age reader could benefit from her discussion questions. Now here's some advice we may not have considered just a decade or two ago. When a couple begins to date, Blackmond asks them to discuss how they will handle their relationship via social media. 

 

 

                       Darragh Castillo is a Port Arthur area foodie dreaming of Christmas Eve gumbo. darraghcastillo@icloud.com