It’s about what you like, not what the big time wine critics say you should like says Jim Laughren, author of 50 Ways to Love Wine More: Adventures in Wine Appreciation!(Crosstown Publishing 2018; $26.95), an NYC Big Book Award winner and finalist in the American Book Fest Best Book Awards.
“I wrote the book with the intention of starting a conversation about wine,” says Laughren, a Certified Wine Educator and former president of a wine import and distribution company. ““I wanted my book to be for people who really like wine but are put off by wine snobs. All of my writing and teaching is about letting people know that what other people think doesn’t matter, that there are no secrets to wine though many wine critics would have you believe otherwise and that only they hold the secrets. Historically, there’s never been a wine or gate keeper.”
Indeed, says Laughren, wine was, for centuries both seasonal and also for everyone.
“In Rome, they even gave their slaves wine though it was the dregs, of course,” he says. “Wine’s greatest gift is to give pleasure and we’re all entitled to that.”
Determining your own palate means trusting your own preferences. And though wine can be complex, it becomes easier to appreciate when a person understands how memory and emotion are inextricably tied to taste and are determining factors in all of our personal wine journeys.
“At the top of the nasal passage is the olfactory epithelium that connects directly to the area of the brain where memories are stored,” explains Laughren. “You know how some wines have tastes of tobacco. If as a child you had a kindly grandfather who smoked a pipe, contrasted with a child whose parents chain smokers and a house that reeked of cigarettes, those memories would impact how the two would feel about the taste or aromas of tobacco in wine.”
Laughren, founder of WineHead Consulting, encourages people to explore new wines while still enjoying your favorites.
“There are 10,000 different grape varietals,” he says. “Look at Italy, there are probably 800 varieties in that country alone.”
Like most of us, Laughren drank some funky wines in college.
“Most wines made in the 1970s were very sweet,” he says. “Group think changes. Now those in the know pooh-pooh sweet table wines as the drinks of the unwashed masses. But if that’s what you like, don’t spend too much time thinking about it, just enjoy them. Instead think about exposing yourself to other wines and widening your experience.”
Ifyougo:
What: Reading, signing, and wine tasting with renowned wine expert Jim Laughren who be discussing his new book, 50 Ways to Love Wine More.
When: Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Book Cellar, 4736-38 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL
Japanese traditional New Year’s Foods Photo courtesy of Just One Cookbook
Tokyo really knows how to end the year in style. December in Japan’s capital is a magical time full of good food, family gatherings, and mesmerizing display of lights. It’s the time of serious shopping and But that’s just the beginning of everything that the city can offer you during this time.
Photo courtesy of Time Out Japan
Although we often associate December with winter, in Japan, the month still lingers with a cool and dry autumn. Christmas isn’t actually a public holiday in Japan, and instead is more like a second Valentine’s Day. It’s easy to see why: in December, Tokyo’s public spaces brilliantly illuminated by thousands of LED lights, turning the city into a fairy tale version of romantic dreamland.
Still Tokyo also has a Christmas-like spirit/festive mood/holiday spirit around this time with ice skating and holiday temple events as well as oshogatsu period (starting December 28 and lasting to around January 5) a time to visit family. Foodies will love osechi ryori, the traditional Japanese New Year foods that date back to the eighth century. These dishes include an assortment such as black soybeans, fish cake, red sea bream, and other delicacies. December in Tokyo is a time that you won’t forget easily.
Shibuya Blue Grotto. Thousands of blue LED lights turn the streets from Yoyogi Park to Koen Dori into a 800-meter cave. The event runs til December 31 Photo by Rodrigo Reyes Marin/AFLO
Ozoni : A Traditional Soup to Eat On New Year’s Day
4 dried shiitake
mushrooms
4 cups
chicken stock
2 boneless,
skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1″ pieces
4 oz. daikon
radish, peeled and sliced 1/4″ thick on the bias
1 carrot,
sliced 1/4″ thick on the bias
4 oz.
kamaboko (Japanese fish cake), sliced 1/4″ thick
1 cup
spinach, stems trimmed
1 tbsp. sake
1 tsp. soy
sauce
Kosher salt,
to taste
4 kiri mochi
(glutinous rice cakes), 1″ x 2″, about 1/2″ thick
Mitsuba or
parsley sprigs, for garnish
Place shiitakes in a bowl. Bring 1 cup stock to a boil in a
4-qt. saucepan and pour over shiitakes; let sit until softened, 4-6 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer shiitakes to another bowl and discard stems.
Pour stock back into pan, discarding any dirt or sediment.
Add remaining stock and the chicken to pan; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium; add daikon and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally,
until chicken is cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Add reserved shiitakes, the
sliced fish cake, spinach, sake, soy sauce, and salt; cook until spinach is
wilted, about 2 minutes. Keep soup warm.
Heat oven to 425°. Place glutinous rice cakes directly on an oven rack; bake, turning as needed, until browned in spots and puffed, 6-8 minutes. Divide rice cakes between 4 bowls and ladle soup over top; garnish with mitsuba sprigs. Serve hot.
Tokyo Half-Day Guided Walking Tours website Tokyo Tourism website
Fall
always reminds me of sauerkraut because that’s when my Romanian grandmother
would bring home the large heads of cabbage. Some she would parboil, then peel
the leaves off the core and fill with meat for stuffed cabbage. Others she
would grate into large piles which she would then place in containers to
ferment into sauerkraut. When it had fermented, weeks and weeks later, she
would serve it with stuffed cabbage or a Romanian sausage similar in taste to
Polish sausage. Of course, adding sauerkraut as a topping for a brat in a bun
is common at football games, but my grandmother never served that.
For
all of my enthusiasm for sauerkraut, I never realized it was considered a super
healthy food until recently. Reading a WebMD article, I learned sauerkraut
contains much more lactobacillus than yogurt, making it a superior source of
this important probiotic. A few bites of sauerkraut everyday are said to help
those with ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. The healthy aspects
of sauerkraut are due to the fermentation process which is thought to create
certain plant compounds that might destroy precancerous cells. It’s also low on
calories though when you use it in a Rueben or grilled cheese sandwich, it
isn’t exactly a low calorie meal.
There
are caveats to buying sauerkraut and one is to make sure that it isn’t
pasteurized because that destroys the benefits of fermentation.
. Discovering all this positive sauerkraut information was surprising. And so was finding out that it no longer is just an old fashioned Eastern European or German dish. Cleveland Kraut from Cleveland Kitchen, a relatively new company named by USA Today as one of their top ten best new health foods, sells a variety of sauerkraut in flavors such as Whiskey Dill, Roasted Garlic, Classic Caraway, Curry and Beet Red. Their Gnar Gnar--a spicy mixture of green cabbage, green bell peppers, jalapenos, kosher salt, leeks, Sriracha, garlic and red chili, is similar to kimchi, the fermented Korean condiments which can range in heat from mild to fiery hot. If you want to mix it up, there’s their Variety Pack.
Cleveland Kraut, which comes in pouches, is best eaten raw. It’s crunchy and tasty. Once cooked, the heat destroys the probiotic value though it still retains its other healthy benefits. That’s one reason why canned sauerkraut doesn’t have as many health sauerkraut benefits.
The
following recipes are from clevelandkraut.com
Classic Reuben
2
slices rye or sourdough bread
4-6
ounces corned beef
2
slices of Swiss cheese
1/4
cup Whiskey Dill kraut
Thousand
Island Dressing (to use either in the sandwich or as a dip)
Assemble the first three ingredients (bread, beef,
cheese) and toast open faced in a 350 degree oven to melt the cheese. Top with
kraut and other slice of bread (and Thousand Island if you are using it in your
sandwich).
Chili con Carne with Roasted Garlic Sauerkraut
1
tablespoon olive oil
1
medium yellow onion diced
2
cups Roasted Garlic Kraut
1
pound 90% lean ground beef
3
tablespoons chili powder
2
tablespoons tomato paste
1
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2
teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4
teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1
1/2 cup beef broth
1
15 ounces can petite diced tomatoes
1
16 ounces can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1
8 ounces can tomato sauce
Optional
toppings:
Diced
parsley or cilantro
Sour
cream
Shredded
cheddar cheese
Add the olive oil into a large pot and place it
over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onion and the Roasted Garlic
Kraut. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the ground beef to the pot. Cook for another
6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chili powder, tomato paste, salt, pepper,
and cayenne. Stir until well mixed.
Add the broth, diced tomatoes, drained kidney
beans, and tomato sauce. Stir well.
Bring the mixture to boil. Then, reduce the heat
to low / medium-low and gently simmer the chili uncovered for 20-25 minutes
stirring occasionally.
Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest
for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Two
couples meet when the husbands are hired to serve at the historic Third
Presbyterian Church in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Charles Barrett and
James MacNally both have a calling, but they have little else in common, having
come from vastly different backgrounds. Their wives differ as well. Lily met
Charles when they were both in college and immediately told him she was an
atheist. Instead of being the helpmate of a minister, she moves in academic and
activist circles. Nan, who is married to James, is the opposite—perfectly content
to support her husband’s career and finding comfort in religion.
Thus, Cara Wall, in her debut novel, The Dearly Beloved, writes about the two couples as they move through the tumultuous time of a changing world of the 1960s. It’s also about the relationship between husbands and wives and those they encounter in their lives. The phrase “The Dearly Beloved” is part of the Christian marriage liturgy.
Wall,
who spent 15 years writing the novel which has received great reviews, grew up
going to First Presbyterian Church.
“It was a very liberal church for the time in
New York City and it was a very community based church,” she says, describing
how she developed her plot. “We did have two pastors and they were not
difficult characters to place.”
Indeed, Wall, a
graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and Stanford University, says that the
characters came to her first, already pretty much fully formed. And though they’re
ministers, Wall says it’s not a story about men of faith discussing how to be
good Christians.
“That’s not what
interests me,” she says, noting the book also explores the challenges of
raising children and making marriages work. “The biggest misconception about churches is
that everyone gets along but that is not true. A church is like a co-op building–it has a
board and voting members. It’s a hierarchy, which causes power struggles. For
every member, church is one of the most important places in their lives, which
means they’re intensely invested in how it’s run.”
Ifyougo:
What:
Cara Wall book signing
When:
Thursday, September 26 at 7 p.m.
Where:
Anderson’s Bookshop Naperville, 123 W Jefferson Ave, Naperville, IL
Cost: This event is free and open to the public. To join the signing line, please purchase Wall’s book from Anderson’s Bookshop. To purchase please stop into or call Anderson’s Bookshop Naperville (630) 355-2665 or order online: andersonsbookshop.com
For those interested in heirloom foods with genetic modification, this years National Heirloom Expo held in lovely Santa Rosa.
The World’s Pure Food Fair
(Santa Rosa, Calif.) The National Heirloom Expo is an annual gathering in Santa Rosa, California of gardeners, food activists, farmers, chefs and food organizations from around the globe who come together to share best practices, showcase products and provide tastings. Featuring the largest display of heritage produce, the Expo now focuses on the preservation of heirloom foods without GMOs. Media access, interviews, photos and additional information are available.
When: September 10-12, 2019; 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: One day $15, or three day pass $30 (purchased at the gate).
More than 100 nationally and internationally renowned speakers fill three presentation halls with panel discussions and seminars.The fairground and pavilion aisles are filled with pure food enthusiasts, talented home gardeners, farmers, garden artists, school groups, and leaders in the food industry throughout this magnificent event in Santa Rosa, California.
The National Heirloom Expo has always been and continues to be a not-for-profit event with net proceeds being donated to local schools and educational garden projects.
Get a taste of Santa Rosa’s rich 150-history and rotating art exhibits (modern too!) featuring local, national, and international artists at the Museums of Sonoma County.
Located just a short walk from downtown Healdsburg’s town square, Breathless Sparkling Winesis a family affair, built by the love of three sisters, and passion for life passed down to them.
Enjoy a date night or gather with friends in the cool, casual setting at The Jade Room, the new bubbles, wine, and small plates spot in Santa Rosa. It features local wines as well as a rotating selection of wines from around the world, a stellar champagne list, and six taps of craft beer.
One-Of-A-Kind-Trips
Getaway Adventures is a premier outdoor adventure tour operator in Sonoma County Wine Country, offering guided biking, hiking and kayaking tours.
List of Hotel Partners:
Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, is as renowned today as a romantic Wine Country destination with links to Hollywood and Las Vegas glamour, as when it opened with a society- packed gala in 1957. Modern amenities, merged with the alluring ambiance of a 1950s summer resort, have ensured its continuing reputation as a society hotspot.
Reference the group: National Heirloom Exposition when booking your reservation.
The Sandman, has the convenience of a roadside inn and the character of a vibrant Wine Country hotel. The Sandman invites guests to experience the best of Sonoma County. Within our walls, you can be certain of the following: the art is local, the service is warm, and the amenities are thoughtful.
Use promo code: G-HEIRLOOM19 when booking your reservation.
Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country, immerses yourself in Sonoma’s riches: fine food and wine, creative activities, and natural wonders. A short drive from vineyards, redwoods, and the beaches of Bodega Bay, our 8-acre retreat captures the rustic feel of a winery filled with local art. Don’t miss Santa Rosa’s Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, and historic Railroad Square.
Ask about the Good Neighborhood rate when booking your reservation.
Hotel E, a Greystone Luxury Boutique Hotel in Downtown Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square. Tucked away between the Mayacamas and the Sonoma Mountains, Hotel E offers casual elegance in the urban heart of the Santa Rosa. The brand new, four-star boutique hotel is ideally situated in the iconic beaux-arts building on the recently restored Old Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa. Hotel E is within easy walking distance to all that downtown Santa Rosa has to offer!
Some Santa Rosa Restaurant Partners:
John Ash & Co. for Sonoma restaurant fine dining at its best. Today, John Ash & Co. remains an icon for a romantic, fine dining restaurant with Executive Chef Thomas Schmidt continuing the standards of cooking excellence enjoyed by locals and guests alike. Chef Tom’s extensive wine knowledge provides the perfect foundation for creating innovative recipes that complement the restaurant’s extensive, award-winning wine list. Open for dinner every evening starting at 5:00 pm.
TIPS Roadside, you’ll feel the love for the community, passion for food, and the comfort of home when you walk through their door. Open everyday except for Tuesday, for brunch, lunch and dinner.
Drake’s Sonoma Coast, celebrates the local bounty of Sonoma’s spectacular coastal region. The Executive Chef excels in finding local, sustainably sourced ingredients, to prepare a menu that delights the senses. A large stone fireplace imbues a warm, casual ambiance, offset by panoramic views of Bodega Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Savor wines from the most exciting boutique vineyards in the Sonoma County, local craft beers and signature cocktails expertly mixed with a twist. Drakes is located at the Bodega Bay Lodge but is not exclusive to hotel guests. Open to the public for breakfast and dinner, Drakes is the perfect place to start or finish your day.
When I first met Jeannee Yermakoff she was writing A
Global Garnish: A Traveling Chef Shares Food and Fundamentals, a very
pretty and informative blog with wonderful photos and a wide range of recipes
based on her travels, her upbringing, her culinary school training, working at Vie,
named one of Chicago’s 50 best restaurants by Chicago magazine and running a
catering company and teaching cooking. And then she stopped. Got too busy. And
I really missed it. Well, I’m happy to say that Jeannee ,who has a home off
Blue Star Highway in Coloma, is back to posting on her blog.
Because
she’s a scientist—Jeannee has a Ph.D. in toxicology and worked at British
Petroleum before entering the food world–the contents of A Global Garnish are
very well organized with category lists of her blog posts starting with country
(there’s a long list here of places she’s visited including Thailand, Denmark,
Norway, France, Greece, Peru, Cuba and Morocco), menu types—Dinner Buffet,
Holiday, Do-Ahead and recipe categories.
Jeannee’s
grandfather immigrated from Belarus (once called by its Russian name of Belorussia) which according to
Wikipedia is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe known for its Stalinist
architecture, grand fortifications and primeval forests. In several of her
posts Jeannee discusses shares both stories of her grandfather including his
decision to immigrate to the United States when it became apparent the Bolsheviks
(the precursors to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) were taking over before
World War I as well as his love of his native foods.
“His Belarusian Borscht is one of
my favorites among his recipes,” she writes. “It is different from a
traditional Borscht, which uses beef rather than pork as a base. It also has a bit more sweet/sour than many
versions of this soup, which gives it a nice kick. And, instead of tomatoes or tomato paste, he
substituted his all-time favorite ingredient: ketchup. This is definitely not traditional, but I
think Grandfather Simon so loved the U.S. that he preferred anything that he
viewed as American – even ketchup in his Borscht.”
Welcome back, Jeannee. Now if only
you’ll write that cookbook you’ve been talking about.
Since beets are in season, I’m
sharing her grandfather’s recipe—which Jeannee tweaked a little–as well as
another of his favorites.
My Grandfather’s Belarusian Borscht
3 pounds
pork ribs, baby backs
Salt
Pepper
2
tablespoons oil, olive
1 onion, cut
in quarters
10 cups
water
1 1/2 pounds
beets
3/4 pound
carrots
1 1/2 pounds
cabbage, green or savoy, about 1/2 large head
3 cloves
garlic
3
tablespoons sugar, brown
2 teaspoons
salt
1 teaspoon
pepper
1 tablespoon
dill, chopped, packed
6
tablespoons vinegar, cider
3
tablespoons ketchup
2 cups sour
cream
Salt, if
needed
Pepper, if
needed
Cut pork spareribs into 3-bone pieces. Salt and pepper the meat generously. Heat 2 tablespoons
olive oil in large Dutch oven and sear meat.
Add onion, cut in half. Add enough
water to cover bones/onion, about 10 cups.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Within a few minutes, skim any foam that
rises to the surface. Let simmer for
about 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
Leave uncovered.
While meat is cooking, prepare vegetables. Peel and dice beets and carrots. I use a large dice as this is a rustic
soup. Chop cabbage into pieces about the
same size as the beet dice. Slice
garlic thin.
(Reserve beet greens for another use. Cook as you would cook spinach. They make a great omelet; just sauté them
with onions and add to an omelet along with a bit of sharp cheese.)
Strain the stock, reserving the broth. Discard onions. Discard bones. If desired, you can remove
meat from bones and add it to the stock. However, this is not essential as most
of the meat flavor/nutrients has already been introduced into the stock. Also, I prefer the texture of the soup
without the meat.
Place reserved stock in a clean stock pot. You will likely
have less than 10 cups of liquid now unless you have added to the pot during
cooking. Replenish up to 8 cups as
needed with water. Add vegetables
(beets, carrots, cabbage, garlic), salt, pepper and brown sugar to stock. Cook uncovered about 45 minutes or until
vegetables are just tender. Exact timing
will depend on how large you have diced your vegetables.
Season soup with dill, vinegar and ketchup. Cook an additional 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add additional sugar or vinegar if needed to
balance the sweet/sour taste to your liking.
Serve with sour cream.
DO-AHEAD DIRECTIONS:
This entire soup can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated. If can also be made ahead and frozen. However, the texture of the vegetables will
be best if simply refrigerated rather than frozen.
Draniki
(Potato
Pancakes)
Yield: About 8 pancakes
2 pounds
potatoes, russet, or about 6 potatoes
1 medium
onion
2 cloves
garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon
salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon
pepper, black, or to taste
1 egg
Oil, canola,
for frying
Peel and finely grate potatoes. Draniki are best made by grating by hand with
a fine grater. Alternatively, a VERY
fine food-processor blade may be used.
Place in mixing bowl.
As the potato will begin to brown once exposed to oxygen, work quickly
to minimize browning.
Peel and grate onions and add to bowl; peel and mince garlic
and add to bowl.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Beat egg and mix in the potato batter.
Drain excess water from the batter by letting the batter sit
in a colander lined with cheesecloth or paper towels or by draining in a fine
sieve. Drain only for a few minutes.
Removing too much water will make your batter too thick.
Heat oil in heavy frying pan. When hot, drop spoonfuls of batter into pan.
Cook until edges are just beginning to turn golden and turn
pancakes. Cook on the second side until
golden brown.
Draniki are best served in the traditional Belarus manner —
with sour cream.
They may also be stuffed with meat (pork) or mushroom or
served with a bit of Kielbasa on the side.
While my cousin tells me that it is not traditional in Belarus, my
Grandfather liked his draniki with a bit of horseradish added to the sour cream
— a nice little taste surprise.
More than two decades ago, Penny Murphy, owner of Ma’s
Organic in Benton Township in southwest Michigan made a commitment to a
90-year-old woman, the aunt of an acquaintance who had immigrated to America
from the Ukraine 75 years earlier.
“She
wanted me to continue growing the Ukraine rose garlic she’d brought with her,”
Penny told me when I visited her farm six years ago for an article about
garlic.
Last
week I received an email from Penny saying that though her crop was about two
weeks late, she had harvested and was curing this year’s garlic. It all comes
from the six bulbs of Ukrainian rose garlic she’d been given all those years
ago and that it would be ready to buy around August 10th. This is always a big
deal for her customers who are garlic aficionados. Once Penny puts out the word
that her garlic is available—she typically raises over 1000 heads—it sells out
quickly. I know the when I stopped by a few years ago to pick some up, there
were lots of cars in front of her old farmhouse there to buy it.
Garlic has been around for a long time—the Chinese
domesticated it about seven thousand years ago and now grow 80% of the world’s
garlic. That’s often the garlic we find in grocery stores. Penny told me that
once people tried the Ukrainian Rose variety they never wanted to go back
because of its rich flavor.
Penny also gave me a recipe for the garlic paste she makes.
Since it’s been six years since I last ran it, I thought I’d share it again.
Ma’s Garlic Paste
1 Ukrainian rose garlic bulb
1 tablespoon olive oil
Dash lemon juice
Salt
Preheat oven to 350° F degrees.
Nip off the top of the garlic bulb (the part attached to the
stem). Wrap in foil, cook in oven for one hour. Let cool down, bringing it to a
warm – not cool – temperature. Twist the garlic head at the root end, squeezing
out the warm garlic into a blender or a food processor. Add olive oil, lemon
juice and salt. Mix until smooth. Store in refrigerator until needed.
Ma’s Organics is at 476 North Benton Center Road, Benton
Harbor. Call 944-0240; masorganicgarden@gmail.com
Instant Pot Jamaican Jerk Jackfruit Tacos (recipe from the Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook)
In her debut cookbook The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook: Wholesome, Indulgent Plant-Based Recipes, Nisha Vora, the popular food blogger, photographer and content creator at Rainbow Plant Life, shows how to quickly put together delicious and nutritious dinners in an instant pot pressure cooker. A proponent of exciting, beautiful and tasty vegan cuisine, Vora, a graduate of Harvard Law School, left her law career behind and created Rainbow Plant Life, a vegan Instagram account, blog, and YouTube channel. Her colorful and easy-to-use cookbook features 90+ vegan and wholesome recipes made in the Instant Pot. Vora also includes:
Plenty of gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and
refined-sugar-free recipes (80-85% of recipes are gluten-free)
An in-depth guide to using your Instant Pot,
including troubleshooting tips and cook time charts
My vegan pantry staples and essential cooking
tips
Full color design with my signature vibrant food
photography
A little wit and humor peppered in between
detailed, step-by-step recipes
2
tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral, high-heat cooking oil
2 medium
yellow onions, peeled and halved
4-inch piece
fresh ginger, thinly sliced
3 cardamom
pods, lightly smashed with the back of a knife
3 whole star
anise pods
4 whole
cloves
1 cinnamon
stick
1 tablespoon
coriander seeds
1 teaspoon
fennel seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon
whole black peppercorns
1 Fuji
apple, peeled and cut into large chunks
1⁄2 cup
fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2
tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon
coconut sugar
2 cups
sliced shiitake mushroom caps (5 to 6 ounces)
8 cups
low-sodium vegetable broth (you can substitute water for up to 4 cups)
1 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more to taste
Toppings
1 (6- or
8-ounce) block baked tofu, cut into cubes (I used a five-spice flavor, which
went really well with the other flavors)
3 scallions,
sliced on the diagonal
1 cup Thai
basil leaves, torn up
1 cup
cilantro leaves, torn up
2 limes, cut
into wedges
2 cups bean
sprouts
Thinly
sliced hot chile peppers or Sriracha
*You can find pho noodles in well-stocked grocery stores or
any Asian market. They come in various thickness, ranging from 1⁄16 inch
(narrow) to 1⁄4 inch (wide).
Place the dried rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with
warm water, and soak until the noodles are pliable and opaque, 30 to 45
minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse them to remove excess starch.
(Alternatively, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package.)
Meanwhile, prepare the Broth: Select the Sauté́ setting on the
Instant Pot and, after a few minutes, add the oil. Once the display reads
“HOT,” add the onions and ginger slices, cut side down. Do not toss and allow
to cook until charred and deeply browned, about 4 minutes.
Add the whole spices (cardamom pods through black
peppercorns) and cook for 1 minute, stirring the mixture frequently. Add the
apple, cilantro, tamari, coconut sugar, and shiitakes. Pour the vegetable broth
and/or water on top and stir to combine.
Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing.
Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 15
minutes.
Once the 15-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a
natural pressure release for
10 minutes and then switch the Pressure Release knob from
Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
Open the pot and, using oven mitts, remove the inner pot.
Carefully strain the broth into a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl
(discard the solids). Season the broth with 1 teaspoon salt, stir, and taste.
Add more salt as needed.
Place the cooked rice noodles in individual bowls. Pour over
the strained broth and add the baked tofu cubes. Top the pho with the
scallions, basil, cilantro, lime wedges, bean sprouts, and chiles or Sriracha.
Chinese Takeout-Style Tofu and Broccoli
Marinated Tofu
1 (14-ounce)
block extra-firm tofu
3
tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 teaspoons
Sriracha or similar chili-garlic sauce
1 teaspoon
toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons
rice vinegar (also known as rice wine vinegar)
Ginger-Chili Sauce
1⁄4 cup
reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1⁄4 cup
agave nectar or coconut nectar (or maple syrup, but that will have a more
robust, less neutral flavor)
2
tablespoons water
1 1⁄2
tablespoons Sriracha or similar chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon
toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon
rice vinegar
1 1⁄2-inch
piece fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
For Finishing:
1 1⁄2
tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral, high-heat cooking oil
2 medium
heads broccoli, cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
2
tablespoons cornstarch
White rice
or brown rice (for serving)
Marinate the tofu: Drain the tofu and cut into 4 slabs.
Place the tofu on a cutting board lined with paper towels. Place more paper
towels on top of the tofu and weight them down with a few heavy cookbooks or a
heavy skillet filled with a few cans of beans. Let sit for at least 30 minutes
or ideally 1 hour, changing the paper towels in between to drain all the
moisture. Cut the tofu into 3⁄4-inch cubes.
Place the tofu in a gallon-size zip-top bag and add the
tamari, Sriracha, sesame oil, and vinegar. Toss to combine and let the tofu
rest in the marinade for 5 minutes, massaging occasionally.
Meanwhile, make the ginger-chili sauce: In a medium bowl,
whisk together the tamari, agave nectar, water, the Sriracha, sesame oil,
vinegar, and ginger until well combined.
Finish the dish: Select the Sauté́ setting on the Instant
Pot and let the pot heat up for a few minutes before adding the grapeseed oil.
Once the display reads “HOT,” use a slotted spoon or fork to carefully transfer
the marinated tofu to the pot. Cook the tofu for 1 1⁄2 minutes undisturbed. Use
a spatula to flip and cook the tofu until it starts to brown on all sides, 3 to
4 minutes total. Add
the ginger-chili sauce and stir to combine. Select the Cancel setting.
Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing.
Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 3
minutes.
Once the 3-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a
quick pressure release by carefully switching the Pressure Release knob from
Sealing to Venting.
Open the pot. Add the broccoli florets to the tofu and stir
with the sauce to combine. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to
Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting to low pressure and set the cook time
to 1 minute. Once the 1-minute timer has completed and beeps, carefully perform
another quick pressure release.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch with 1⁄4 cup
water, whisking until combined without any lumps. Select the Sauté́ setting and
press the Sauté́ button again until you reach Less heat. Add the cornstarch
slurry to the Instant Pot and gently stir to combine. Cook, stirring gently,
until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the tofu and broccoli over rice.
Ifyougo:
What: Nisha Vora
A Talk & Demo with Nisha Vora
When: Sunday,
July 21 at 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: Read
It and Eat, 2142 N Halsted St., Chicago, IL
Cost: 1
Ticket + 1 Book $44.26; 2 Tickets + 1 Book $64.26; Book Only
This
Sunday, July 14th, the Avenue Family Network Auxiliary’s Annual Ice
Cream Social will be serving homemade cakes and pies accompanied by scoops of
ice cream on the verandah of the Whitcomb Senior Living Community from 10:30 to
4:30 p.m. Timed to coincide with the
Krasl Art Fair, this is the auxiliary’s 51st ice cream social, their
first being held Sunday, July 7, 1968.
The history of the
auxiliary stretches back even further to its founding 103 years ago to support
what is now known as The Family Avenue Network, Incorporated, formerly Child
& Family Services of Southwest Michigan. The name change of this 127-year-old
organization, long serving the community, is part of a new added focus, the
addition of a sexual assault survivor service named after Cora Lamping, who replaced
founder Dr. Amos Barlow after his retirement in 1906. Mrs. Lamping, as she was
known, believed that even short-term institutionalization could be harmful for
young children awaiting adoption and instead instituted a successful foster
care system where orphans were boarded with families and received social worker
visits to help with the transition.
Members of the auxiliary work hard to
support the more than 1200 individuals and families in Berrien, Cass and Van
Buren counties served by the following agencies: The
Cora Lamping Center for Survivors of Domestic & Sexual Violence, Harbor
House and Autumn House Adult Day Services, Shoremark Homecare Adult In-Home
Services and West Michigan Guardianship.
The ice cream social is their
major fundraising event and all the money raised goes to helping the above
organizations.
Who doesn’t love homemade pie and cake? Particularly when it’s for a good cause (remember calories don’t count in that case). And the desserts the auxiliary members whip up are often made from tried and true recipes, some handed down for generations. Here are several favorites including Jean Hadaway’s Cream Coconut Cake and a blueberry pie recipe from Cheryl Williams’s well-used The Pillsbury Family Cook Book.
“My great aunt gave me the cookbook in 1972 when I was engaged,” says Williams. “I’ve made this blueberry pie plenty of times and it’s always a hit with a scoop of ice cream.”
The second recipe is an easy one
that Russell’s nine-year-old granddaughter Molly Foster created.
“She really likes using the cookie dough for the base,” says Williams. “My Grands love to cook and bake so I try to make things I can teach them or have them help with. Four-year-old Emma Foster joined in, adding the mini chocolate chips and frosting the cake and sprinkling the white chocolate on it.”
Italian Cream Cake
½ cup
margarine
½ cup
shortening
2 cups sugar
5 egg
yolks
2 cups
flour
A cup
buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
1
teaspoon vanilla
½ cups
nuts, chopped
3 ½
ounces coconut
5 egg
whites, stiffly beaten
Icing:
8 ounces
cream cheese
1-pound
confectioner’s sugar
` ½ cup
margarine
1 teaspoon
vanilla
Cream
margarine, shortening and sugar. Add egg yolks, one a time and beat after each
addition.
Add
flour, buttermilk, soda, vanilla, nuts and coconut. Fold in beaten egg whites.
Pour into 3 (nine inch) cake pans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool.
Make icing by blending above ingredients together and beating until smooth.
Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.
Molly’s Chocolate
Overload Cake
Preheat
oven to 350°
F.
Use one package
of refrigerated chocolate cookie dough, softened.
Press evenly
into a greased 9×12 pan and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Mix a vanilla
cake mix according to directions, except use softened butter instead of oil and
add an extra egg. Gently fold a bag of mini chocolate chips into batter and
immediately pour into pan on top of cookie dough.
Bake
approximately 40 minutes or until toothpick poked in center comes out clean.
When done, remove from oven and cool.
Frost
with chocolate frosting and to with shaved white coconut or mini M & Ms.
Blueberry Pie
1 recipe for double-crust pie
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Combine sugar, cornstarch, flour, nutmeg and salt in mixing
bowl. Add blueberries and lemon juice. Pour into 9-inch pastry-lined pan and
dot with butter. Roll out remaining dough. Cut slits in top crust for escape of
steam. Place crust over filling.
Fold edge under bottom crust; press to set. Flute. Bake at
425°
for 10 minutes, then at 375°
Ifyougo:
When: Sunday, July 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: The Verandah at the Whitcomb, 509 Ship Street, St. Joseph
FYI: For more information about the Family Avenue Network, visit
theavenue.ngo
On Saturday, July 20th from 11 a.m.
to 7 p.m., Round Barn Estate is hosting The Round Barn Artisan Market featuring
wine, food, shopping and live music by Steely James and Red Deluxe Brand. Admission is $5 per person. For more
information, visit roundbarn.com/events/
Jane Ammeson
can be contacted via email at janeammeson@gmail.com or by writing
to Focus, The Herald Palladium, P.O. Box 128, St. Joseph, MI 49085.
Looking to fill your Saturday with shopping, wine, and music? Toast to local artisans from Northwest Indiana to Southwest Michigan!
Round Barn Estate is hosting The Round Barn Artisan Market on July 20, 2019 from 11:00AM to 7:00PM. Enjoy al fresco shopping, sipping, and live music by Steely James and Red Deluxe Brand at one of Michigan’s most beautiful vineyards.
ROUND BARN ARTISAN MARKET
Saturday, July 20, 2019 at 11:00AM to 7:00PM
ROUND BARN ESTATE 10983 Hills Rd. Baroda, MI 49101
The Round Barn Artisan Market isn’t just a market, it’s an experience. Toast to the best local artisans from Northwest Indiana to Southwest Michigan! Enjoy a relaxing afternoon of al fresco shopping, sipping, and music beside one of the area’s most beautiful vineyards!
$5 admission per person. All times are Eastern Standard Time. No outside food or beverages permitted. For last minute updates, please follow us on Facebook.
Admission is $5 per person. Please let me know if you’re interested in covering the event.
