Specialty and canned foods find way to pantry

 

Boiled egg trick

I’ll be off this boiled egg kick by the time you read this. I was going hitting them hard to get back in line after holiday parties. One morning I started water boiling before it was time to head off for work, then realized time was short. I got a trusty stainless steel coffee tumbler and gently filled it with the hot water and egg. Sure enough, by lunch I enjoyed that fully cooked egg with both red and black pepper.

Phoenicia Specialty Foods

Block off time and go with people who “get it.” If you get to a Phoenicia Specialty Foods Store in Houston over the holidays be prepared to travel the globe in aisles and fill that cart with everything from tins of fish and penguin-shaped jars filled with honey to hookah pipes and metal squirrels that crack hazel nuts by turning their tails.

I’d been hearing about these stores and I got to the one featuring a conveyor belt of pita type breads that spirals from overhead into the ground-floor bakery. An international treat of shoppers stocking up on teas, chocolates and canned goods from their homelands made this an adventure that could come with a sandwich and coffee break if you plan it right. I can’t get enough of this kind of thing and want to hit every store. As the parking lot sign invites, “Thank you, yum again.”

Got cans in your pantry?

Of course you do. Mine are weird, including squid in its own ink. I roll that way. A survey shows we love our canned foods:

“A new survey commissioned by Cans Get You Cooking,” a program of the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), reveals that for a majority of Americans, a home-cooked meal means turning to their pantry – or Cantry™. An overwhelming 98 percent of Americans currently have canned foods in their kitchens, with the average pantry stocked with 24 cans.
 
Canned corn is king, and vegetables top the list of America’s most popular canned ingredients (present in 79 percent of American homes), followed by beans (74 percent), broths, stocks and condensed cooking soups (71 percent), fruits (67 percent) and meats and seafood (54 percent).
  Here are more findings:

* The average number of canned food items used each week is five. That’s a can each weekday

* Busy parents streamline their meal prep with canned foods, and 86 percent agree they do not go a week without using cans.

* Among those who keep canned fruits in their Cantry, canned peaches (67 percent) and canned pineapple (63 percent) are the most commonly found in America’s Cantry, followed by canned fruit cocktail (56 percent) and pears (52 percent).

* Among all Americans, the top four canned fruit and vegetable classics after corn are: green beans, tomatoes (whole, diced or pureed), peas and peaches.

* On average, Americans throw away spoiled fresh produce twice a month.

ddoiron@panews.com

Breaux Bridge is 'Full Cajun' territory

Y’all loved hearing about Callie Summerlin’s family’s roux-based chicken and dumplings over rice. Tony Giarratano was inspired to share a good anecdote about his Cajun and Italian roots. Here It is:

“My grandmother, Joyce Poche` Bernard is from around the area of Breaux Bridge (more specifically, Poche` Bridge).  Upon reading your article about the chicken and dumplings Callie made, I was intrigued at the mention of the area.  She recently passed on her 93rd birthday, Nov. 28th, and my brothers and myself all made the trek down from the Dallas area to make her funeral in Orange.  She'd had a book published in her years titled "A Journal of Remembrances" Anyway, I thought I'd say hi.

My mother would make her own version of chicken and dumplings when my brothers and I still lived in Orange (though the dumplings were actually biscuits).  The chicken and biscuits were served over white rice and a creamy sauce.  For someone who is full Cajun, my mom has always taken to her Italian roots (of which she inherited from my father upon their marriage). 

I enjoyed reading your article

Regards,”

Tony Giarratano

 Southern Stuff  

Amid glorious photography of bayous with Spanish moss and zydeco players, Kelly Alexander describes the heart of Louisiana, where people drink coffee with chicory and eat Tabasco sauce on most everything. It’s home to hurricane cocktails and hurricanes, she writes in Southern Living’s “No Taste Like Home: A Celebration of Regional Southern Cooking and Hometown Flavor.”

Salt-Crusted Red Drum and Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes help tell the spicy story of Texas. Atlanta, Charleston, Birmingham and other Southern charms are also highlighted in a book that makes you want to pack your bags. When I get to where I want to be, I want some of this:

Mississippi Mudslide

1 pint chocolate ice cream

1 pint coffee ice cream

1 cup milk

Half cup bourbon

Toppings; Whipped cream, chocolate syrup, marshmallows

Process first four ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve with desired toppings.

Alabama White Barbecue Sauce

1 and one half cups mayonnaise

1 fourth cup white vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons horseradish

Stir together all ingredients until well blended. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

RAW

Brad’s Raw Crunchy Kale is labeled as Naked, with plain vegan cheese. I loved every mouthful. There’s always a fair amount of content in kale snacks so small as to be considered “dust,” but this is a super-flavorful dust. I thought it would be a good coating or topping for any number of other foods. Then I thought I’d just eat it with a spoon. The spoon won and I enjoyed every bite.

Here’s the deal on Brad Gruno, founder of Brad’s Raw Foods and author of Brad’s Raw Made Easy. This book tells how he had it all and lost it in the economy, then came back better than ever after regaining his health and energy with raw foods. He’s a likable inspiration who can also tell you why recipes for fresh sprouted breakfast cereal and zucchini chickpea curry can help you enjoy life. 

Nutrition you can see

Post has added Vanilla Graham and Berry Medley as  new Great Grains Digestive Blend flavors. My daughter compares the barley to popcorn and it combines with flakes and clusters. Makers say these cereals are filled with “nutrition you can see in every spoonful.” You can taste and hear it, too. I’ve enjoyed the crunch of Vanilla Graham as a topper to oatmeal. I like it, and I love that it supports healthy digestion.

Here’s another thing the makers are proud of. Press for the cereal reads: “ A study recently published in the British Journal of Nutrition found women who consumed probiotics lost twice as much weight over a 24-week period versus the placebo group. New Great Grains Digestive Blend cereals feature active cultures that deliver 'good' bacteria which optimize digestive health to help you feel more balanced from the inside out.”

ddoiron@panews.com

Are you a bowl licker?

Monica Holland shares the story of losses that inspired her to blog in her photo-filled book “Lick the Bowl Good: Classic Home-Style Desserts with a Twist.” Cooking for appreciative audiences can help all sorts of concerns. Her process gives us all recipes for Peach Melba Buttermilk Cake, Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes, Chocolate Gingerbread, Brown Butter & Spice Rice Crispy Treats and Nutella Panna Cotta. Plenty more temptations are in these pages. There’s a whole section on breakfast treats that will make you want to get out of bed. Holland believes that if you can read and follow directions, then you can create the beauties in this book. Here is one of the easiest ones:

Berries Romanoff

You need:

6 cups assorted fresh berries, rinsed and patted dry

1 cup sour cream

one half cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon brandy liquor

Preparation:

In a small mixing bowl, combine sour cream, brown sugar and brandy. Whisk together until a pourable consistency. Divide your berries evenly between 6 small bowls or cups. Evenly divide the sour cream sauce over the berries.

Can of mango pulp

I promised my sister I’d eat the mango pulp if she bought it for me. You really don’t have to nag me to try new things. It was just a big can and during the holidays with all those parties. She kept asking if I’d tried it. I finally told her I did and it was a hit. I opened up a can of Kesar Mango Pulp she bought from a specialty store in Beaumont with foods from India. For days I enjoyed the 30 ounces of sweet, thick, orange liquid in smoothies and over ice. She has hers over yogurt but mine didn’t last that long. It was sure easier than dealing with fresh mangos. I got the most flavorful part with no mess.

Small Alchemy is the new big flavor

They look like croutons but are tiny cubes of gourmet cookies you can’t forget. Petite cookies are Bites of Love in lemon black pepper shortbread, almond ginger, pecan shortbread with vanilla salt, etc. Could celebrity chef Carla Hall be my Valentine? She’s a host on “The Chew” and, from what I’ve tasted, a creative mastermind of cookies that could be served on a quarter. Miniscule squares are crispy and the Black Forest Crinkle is soooo soft and chewy. I have shared these with people of all ages and everyone has been intrigued. A variety pack features clear cylinders packed with cookies and tasters have been satisfied with the little bites because they are so flavorful. You want there to be more for later, so you’re not rushing to devour the whole package. There are so many more temptation at alchemybycarlahall.com that you can “keep the love coming.” Doesn’t goat cheese cranberry sound intriguing?

ddoiron@panews.com

Can you "Slim Down South"?

 

Okra in the Maque Choux, appetizers served in the bowl of grandma’s silver teaspoons, Cajun lemonade with Tabasco, fig hand pies and a world where the snack you grab is a hoppin’ john parfait. Feeling deprived? I didn’t think so. Thank you Southern Living and Carolyn O’Neil for “The Slim Down South” Cookbook,” our guide to “Eating Well and Living Healthy in the Land of Biscuits and Bacon.”

We’ll still be savoring shrimp and grits and pecan pancakes on tables set with linens, pitchers of sauces and cake stands full of treats. There’s a photo of fried chicken and cornbread on the cover. Sure we already eat greens, but the no-trick trick here is to be aware of a few switches in ingredients and attitudes for better meal choices. The flavors and traditions are still there.

Little info boxes among the photographic spreads encourage us to SLIM, or Savor the South; Linger longer, Indulge a Little and Make it Happen.

Some of the best and easiest things to “cook” in this book don’t even involve “cooking.” Consider these intriguing quickies over your junk food go-to:

Pimento Cheese & Pickles

Spread 3 tablespoons pimento cheese spread on 1 multigrain rice cake and top with three pickled okra. – 154 calories

Sweet Peaches & Cornbread

 Top one fourth slice cornbread with one fourth cup sliced peaches and two tablespoos crumbled goat cheese – 175 calories

Proscuitto & Fig Crostini

Place one ounce proscciutto and 1 tablespoon fig preserves on 1 ounce pretzel bread. Top or serve with one fourth cup sliced cantaloupe – 185 calories

Buttermilk & Berry Smoothie

Blend 1 cup low-fat buttermilk with a half cup frozen blueberries and a half cup frozen sliced strawberries. – 166 calories

Open-faced Turkey & Pepper Jelly Sandwich

Top a 1-ounce whole grain bread with a tablespoon red pepper jelly, 2 ounces lower sodium turkeybreast and ½ cup cucumber slices – 154 calories

Coconut & Flax

Carrington Farms has healthy stuff we should still be craving with our resolutions still intact. I’ve recently written about other brands of coconut oil and flax seeds. Here’s what makes this brand different. The coconut flavor is an asset in pure, unrefined,cold pressed oil that is 100 percent extra virgin. I’ve been toasting everything from bread to Vietnamese pound cake in this oil and tasters agree it takes the flavor up a notch. I am also loving it to sautee onions and fry eggs.

Flax Paks contained milled organic flax seeds that have an extra nutty flavor. I loved the texture over cheese and, get this, over a chocolate-glazed doughnut. I don’t want to hide this flax into something. It’s a star attraction. Look up Carrington Farms

for other superfood ideas like hemp and chia.

LoSalt

A product from Scotland made me savvy to an upcoming date: The World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) is sponsoring Salt Awareness Week from March 10 to March 16, 2014 to focus worldwide attention on the health risk of consuming too much salt in our diets, according to makes of LoSalt, which has 66 percent less sodium than regular salts. There are 95 countries in WASH and representatives must be like me, always eying the people who salt their food, especially tortilla chips in a Mexican restaurant, without even tasting. I’m assuming they serve chips and salsa in all those 95 countries. Anyway, we know the risks of too much salt. I’ve been sampled LoSalt in the original and iodized and I sure don’t think families could tell any difference. The UK already loves this product that is Kosher and Parev certified. Visit http://www.losalt.com/ for more details. Maybe you can head to Scotland to celebrate Salt Awareness Week.

 I have a tip for them, though. My mom and I agreed this product label needs a new design. Because a little salt goes a long way, this rather humble canister will be on your pantry shelf a long while, and it is not… sexy. When I realized it came from overseas, I was even more let down, because we associate the Euro area to be so high style.

ddoiron@panews.com

Turn your cereal into power balls

 

Montgomery J has plate lunches

Corine Jones sent word about something good at 824 W. Gulfway Drive. Montgomery J is offering home-style plate lunches like smothered ox tails, turkey wings with rice and King Ranch chicken.

“The place is my mom's old home. Her wish was to help in the community.  During the summer we used the place to mentor children that live in the area. Now we have a small restaurant with the goal of serving up home style cooking in an area where the nearest restaurant is 8 miles down the road,” Jones writes. “Please stop by if you get an opportunity and meet Jonathan Dixxon who mixes his home style cooking with techniques he has learned in New York and Houston before returning home to the West Side.”

 Call (409) 982-9513 for “the dish.”

Morning, honey

Did you know there are 16 flavors of Honey Bunches of Oats? Chocolatey Almont Crunch, with what amounts to Barbie-sized candy bars in it and Cinnamon Crunch in the Morning Energy line are new finds that address an unspoken situation. These blends, promoting protein, whole grain and fiber for energy that lasts and adding touches like wildflower honey and nuts, provide what the box says: morning energy. It takes a lot to get me excited about cereal and this is one to look forward to. Look up the Post brand online for recipes like this one, which is pretty enough for party spreads:

Morning Energy Mocha Power Balls

Ingredients

1 and one fourth cups Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy Chocolatey Almond Crunch cereal

Half cup cup walnut halves

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon flax seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

4 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons espresso powder

One fourth teaspoon coarse sea salt

One fourth cup toasted unsweetened coconut for rolling (optional)

Directions

Place the cereal in bowl of food processor.  Process until finely ground.  Add walnut halves, chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, almond butter, honey, maple syrup, cranberries, vanilla, espresso powder, and sea salt to bowl and process until well blended and mixture forms a stiff dough.  Remove dough and form into a compact ball with your hands.  Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in toasted coconut, if desired.  Place balls on a wax-paper lined sheet and let stand for an hour or so, then transfer to a tin or container with a tight lid.  The power balls will keep for at least a week at room temperature, or they can be chilled.  This recipe will make around 20 balls.

Indian and gluten-free

No names here, but a woman I know recently told me she ate a whole can of chickpeas for breakfast. Perhaps she’d enjoy chickpeas in a ginger and mango sauce. I hadn’t thought of that, or having them for breakfast at all.

“Indian Inspired Gluten-Free Cooking” has your back if you want to experiment and eat both for your health and for adventure. Try eggplant curry with green peas and turkey and quinoa burgers. Alamelu Vairavan and Margaret Pfeiffer assembled this book, by popular demand. Indian food lends itself natural to gluten-free cooking because vegetable dishes are enhanced with spices and legumes, they say. Viewers of the PBS program “Healthful Indian Flavors with Alamelu” have asked for these recipes and we have all received. It’s a beautiful book and I want one of everything. How about this one for fall tables?

Seasoned Apple Relish

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 Granny Smith apple, shredded

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, more or less to taste

¼ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (the oil should be hot but not smoking) Ad mustard seeds and cook and stiru until seeds start to pop.

Add apple, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt. Cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes.

Scrape into a dish and serve warm or cold.

Variation: To make Creamy Apple Chutney Dip, add plain low-fat yogurt. Use an equal measure of yogurt to relish. This can be used as a dip with vegetables.

Peanut and Coconut Chutney

A sure hit when spread on sandwiches, this chutney is also delicious served as a dip for fresh vegetables.

1 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

¼ cup grated fresh coconut or unsweetened shredded dried coconut

3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

1 whole dried red chili pepper, more or less to taste

¾ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste

¾ to 1 cup warm water

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor; blend or process until smooth.

If the chutney seems too thick, add additional warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time

Scrape into a dish and serve.

ddoiron@panews.com

Woman's Club tips go with entertaining

 

The Woman’s Club of Beaumont

My mom’s club in Beaumont has been hosting plays Ramona Young has been staging. She has been in several Port Arthur Little Theatre productions over the years. I caught “An Unexpected Christmas” and loved it.

I have enjoyed speaking about Port Arthur and food at the club and have made sure to tell members how much we love Amuny’s sandwiches and Judice’s boudain.

We got to talking about tips, like how Myrlene Clark of the Port Arthur Woman’s Club added ginger ale to “cheap punch” to give it a little zing. I told members that I thought I’d made up banana and “old coffee” smoothies, but it’s apparently “a thing.” I found recipes all over the internet. Grinding up pecans or other nuts with carrots makes a great spread for crackers.

I then asked club members to share tips with me for Culinary Thrill Seeking readers, and here’s what they brought:

* Fruit Salad – Mary Taylor mixes Greek yogurt, honey and ginger powder as a dressing for a fruit mix of fresh mangos, grapes and berries.

* Coating – Instead of egg flour coating under breadcrumbs, Fran Biggin uses a sour cream spread on chicken, fish, etc., then coats with panko or breadcrumbs.

* Coffee tip – Sandi Davidson adds cinnamon to coffee “before it drips.”

Snap to Southern

“In a Snap! Tasty Southern Recipes You can Make in 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes”  is from a talented, funny lady named Tammy Algood who has come up with some shortcuts to southern hospitality.

She has a version of Elvis sandwiches, dips bacon in chocolate and nuts, adds pecans to pimento cheese and claims a bowl of salted peanuts mixed with candy corn will be a hit at your holiday hoedown. Classics like chicken fried steak are mixed in with gouda and buttermilk grits. New and old, that’s how we southerners roll. Pumpkins are trending and mixes the flavor with pancakes and pecans. I love what she does with another seasonal favorite, cranberry:

The author says this is good for leftover turkey or chicken strips. The sauce freezes extremely well, she notes, Use it within six months.

Spiced Cranberry Dipping Sauce

1 cup cranberry sauce

1 half cup taco sauce

1 canned chipotle pepper, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 half teaspoon ground cumin

1 fourth teaspoon salt

1 fourth teaspoon white pepper

Place the cranberry sauce, taco sauce, pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt and white pepper ina glass bowl and microwave on high power for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir again and serve warm or at room temperature.

SKINNY GIRL

It’s the best “candy bar” you’d ever want with dark chocolate and multi-grain pretzel or banana oatmeal. Skinnygirl Daily On-the-Go Bars can fall to the bottom of your bag, but you won’t forget they’re there. It will make your afternoon go faster when you contemplate this break for what makers call a “guilt-free indulgence bar.” At 180 calories, you’ll be enjoying some natural, Kosher, high-fiber goodness.

ddoiron@panews.com

Is your chicken and dumpling gravy brown?

Is your chicken and dumpling gravy brown?

So Callie Summerlin mentioned her family had been enjoying a batch of chicken and dumplings, and that they serve it with a scoop of white rice. While that was blowing my mind, she said they cook it in a brown roux sauce.

I’d never heard of either deal, but I was intrigued. I mentioned to someone else that these methods were new to me and she said I must not have people from Louisiana. Excuse me? Grandma came from Breaux Bridge and my mamma said her mamma never did that.

Anyways, Callie was kind enough to supply me with a taste and I loved that brown sauce full of chicken. It was so rich, like a gumbo. Which makes me wonder, how does this family with duck hunting and Sabine Pass ties fix their actual gumbo? I’ve heard tell it’s good. Maybe I’ll know for myself some of these days.

While meeting new people at holiday parties, I threw out that brown gravy chicken and dumplings. People told me their folks’ dumplings were served in a yellow sauce without rice. Two people  said the Summerlin way I was describing was what their family called “wild rice casserole.” Now I want to try that.

Readers, if you are familiar with brown sauce for chicken and dumplings, of if you put your rice in it, tell me about it in an e-mail to ddoiron@panews.com.

“Y’all Come Over”

I just love the word “y’all” and a couple of cooks have turned the concept into an invitation, a fun read and a Southern cookbook.

Ever have the new pastor over to dinner while fretting that some other woman was ahead of you in serving something memorable? Ever booked an appointment at the Scarlet Oh-Hair A Salon or been the one whose daughter thinks your clothes are too “loud” for a Foruth of July picnic? Patsy Caldwell and Amy Lyles Wilson have written “Y’all Come Over,” which embodies our ways. I mean The South and what we love about it. College football loyalties, debutante parties and foods with bacon and pecans. What they’ve done is created a community of townsfolk we can all relate to. We for sure want their recipes.

Elbert might be running for town council, so Evelyn may be entertaining more. Her section includes Chocolate Punch, Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs, Bacon Tomato Jam and Chili Creole Shrimp.

Chocolate Punch

1 cup chocolate syrup

5 cups milk

1 and three fourths quarts vanilla ice cream

1 quart ginger ale, chilled

Combine the chocolate syrup and milk in a punch bowl, stirring to mix. Add ice cream, stirring until partially melted. Add the ginger ale and serve. Makes 24 servings.

Chili Creole Shrimp

1 cup cider vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon crole mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

half cup chili sauce

one fourth teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon paprika

half cup finely chopped red onion

2 and one half pounds shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, Creole mustard, hot sauce, chili sauce, salt and paprika. Add the onion and shrimp, stirring to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate four hours. Makes  8 to 10 servings.

ddoiron@panews.com