Category Archives: Uncategorized

Neoplitan Margherita Pizza

This is the most classic pizza you can ever get in the world. It is the recipe for the first ever pizza that was made for a Royal in Naples. The dough came from somewhere tracing back to Ancient Roman times as we all know bread has been a food staple for thousands of years. This recipe was developed after tasting endless versions of the classic American plain pizza, Brooklyn Pizza (the first brick oven pizza joint in America), traveling through Italy on a pizza food crawl and the best I had was obviously in the Neopolitan area. I tasted buffalo cheese pizza and it cost a whopping 5 Euros. I’m being so sarcstic. The truffled pizza in Salerno rivaled that version- but nothing compares to the pizza found in Naples and the seafood savored in the Amalfi Coast.

 

I originally developed this recipe for Mealthy.com a few years ago. It’s so popular, the recipe has remained on their home page ever since the launch of the site! Thanks Mealthy!

 

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Here’s the Margherita recipe I developed, wrote, styled, and photographed.

Margherita Pizza

Try this modern take on the classic Neapolitan favorite. It is traditionally made with marinara sauce, and this one uses fresh tomatoes in it’s place.

Basic Pizza Dough

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

 

Margherita Pizza

1 pizza dough recipe

8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 cups Cherry tomatoes, sliced

handful fresh basil leaves

 

Combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil, process until the dough forms a sticky ball. Knead with your hands for about 5 minutes. Form into a ball and transfer to a bowl covered with olive oil.

Split pizza dough in half.

Using a small 9” pizza pan, spread about a tablespoon of olive oil to coat the pan. Form a ball with one half of the dough and spread out using your fingers. You will push the dough with your fingers until it reaches the end of the pan. If you are using a sheet tray, do not divide the dough in half. Spread the dough into a rectangle shape.

Add mozzarella cheese. Spread it evenly.

Place the Cherry tomatoes over the mozzarella cheese. Cover as much of the cheese as you can. When the tomatoes cook in the oven, they will melt into the cheese.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place pizza in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is a golden brown color.

Remove from oven, garnish with fresh Basil leaves and slice the pizza into eight pieces using a pizza slicer or a sharp knife.

You can always purchase pizza dough at your local super market or make it ahead of time and freeze it to save your time.

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Aaron Sanchez made the best Pozole I ever had

Pozole is traditionally made with hominy, a round up corn (maize) that is Indigenously American. The process involves maize such as flint corn soaked in an alkaline solution to dissolve the hard outer layer called the pericarp. That process, nixtamalization, is how corn hominy is made, which is ground into masa for tortillas. We often overlook the fact that Mexican cuisine is a cultural marriage between the colonies and Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. I love the fact that I know the difference and can see the influence, whether it be Spain, Portugal, English, or French, and even Dutch origins. I’ve been collecting recipes from my favorite chefs and this one by Aaron Sanchez- known as the “Spicy Chef” by Alex and Daniel is pretty groovy.

 

I went to the ICC Edu culinary demo last week and ran into a few familiar faces. I saw mostly students at the beginning of their culinary journey. I like to call them the “DREAMERS”. The youngnins who are still dreaming of becoming great chefs. I was once one of these guys, waiting to go out into the world and become a great food personality. My level 5 instructor- Chef Ray spoiled us. We used to walk into class with a stovetop full of roundeus filled with beef stock and veal stock all warmed up ready to be reduced by us or already on it’s way. He also prepared our mine en place, brought out the produce, warmed up our pans and it wasn’t until we reached level 6 that we realized he really was spoiling us with this trick. We met our new chef and he just laughed when we asked where everything was. And after graduation, it just got worse or more real.

 

Since I took the styling, photography, and journalism route- I had to really learn how to be self sufficient. My years of working as an assistant humbled me to say the least. Also Private Cheffing means it’s a solo one man show. You buy everything, prep everything, cook everything, and wash the dishes afterwards. Sometimes you need to stay and serve the guests and cleanup afterwards. That’s why these chefs make an average of 100 big G’s a year or more. I did that for about 6 years.

 

I was impressed by Aaron’s knife skills. He chopped an onion in 30 seconds and julienned a radish in 15 seconds. Okay- he definitely knows how to cook! This means he’s a seasoned chef that’s been cooking for a very long time. In fact, thanks to his mother Zarela Martinez- I’ve got the scoop on exactly how long he’s been cooking. He started rotating through all the stations at Zarela’s in his preteen years and eventually staged somewhere. Went to culinary school and published his first cookbook with the help of his mother and grandmother. His food is very different from mama’s, it combines American classics with traditional Mexican and it’s made for a wider audience.

 

Pozole Rojo

Recie by Aarón Sánchez

 

Serves 8

 

One 6-pound boneless pork butt

1 quart chicken stock (low-sodium store-bought is fine)

1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

Salt

1 teaspoon dried whole oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled

2½ cup Chile Colorado Sauce

Three 15-ounce cans white hominy, drained

 

Garnish

Vegetable oil, for frying

8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips

Finely chopped white onion

Thinly sliced radishes

Lime wedges

Dried whole oregano (preferably Mexican)

 

  1. Put the pork in a large heavy stockpot or Dutch oven. Add 3 quarts water, the stock, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Stir in the oregano, reduce the heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, until the pork is tender, about 3 hours.
  2. Lift the pork out of the broth onto a cutting board. Shred the pork with two forks and return it to the broth along with the Chile Colorado Sauce and hominy and another teaspoon of salt.
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. While the pozole cooks, line a baking sheet with paper towels. Pour ½ inch of vegetable oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the surface shimmers but the oil is not smoking (if it is, reduce the heat!), fry the tortilla strips in batches – so you don’t crowd the skillet – just until they’re golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer them to the paper towels to drain and sprinkle them very lightly with salt while they’re still hot.
  5. Serve bowls of pozole with the tortilla strips and bowls of onion, radish slices, lime wedges, and oregano and let your guests garnish their own servings.

 

Chile Colorado Sauce

 

Makes 2 quarts

 

3 medium Spanish or white onions, quartered

8 medium fresh tomatillos, husked and washed

4 plum tomatoes, cored and quartered

8 whole garlic cloves, peeled

Olive oil, for drizzling

1 ancho chile (½ ounce), stemmed, seeded, and deveined

2 guajillo chiles (½ ounce), stemmed, seeded, and deveined

1 quart chicken stock (low-sodium store-bought is fine)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. Put the onion, tomatillos, tomatoes and garlic on a baking pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Put the baking sheet under the broiler and cook without turning until the vegetables start to get charred, about 7 minutes. Remove, set aside, and let cool to room temperature.
  3. In a large dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the guajillos, turning them over halfway through, just until they smell great, about 1 minute. Transfer them to a bowl, cover them with hot water and let them soak until they’re soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the chiles and discard the soaking water.
  4. Combine the vegetables and chiles in a blender with the chicken stock (you’ll have to work in batches) and puree until the mixture is very smooth. Transfer each batch to a bowl as it’s done, and stir the batches together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.

 

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Thanksgiving Sides, Dotori-muk: Korean Acorn Starch Jelly and other Indigenous Foods at the Dinner Table

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Acorn Starch Vegetarian Terrine

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and this year I’ve decided to incorporate a multitude of Indigenous Cultures at the dinner table. Last year, in lieu of protesting and resisting the injustices bestowed on the Native American tribes of the USA, I refused to cook a turkey and the Pilgrim foods- while starving the family. I know- that was a bit harsh. We had leftovers and ramen that day and I spent the morning, noon, and night making a Moses sculpture to remind everyone we should all be a bit more humble. I did the unthinkable on Thanksgiving. While everyone gorged on, we fasted.

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Cider Braised Turkey Thighs recipe courtesy of Sean Sherman

We did however enjoy an Indigenous food sampling cook-off a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving while I reviewed The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Cookbook by Sean Sherman and Beth Tolley.

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Stuffed Acorn Squash

I’m planning on making a few Native American side dishes, along with traditional Korean sides which includes Dotori-muk- an acorn starch jelly that originated some ancient yesteryears in the remote mountains of the Korean peninsula. I discovered and acquired a taste for this side dish through my Korean restaurant outings as an adult. My mother never bothered making it- for she hates spending long hours in the kitchen. I find it rather peculiar Koreans and Native Americans both figured out what to do with the Acorns. Are they related somehow? Both worship mountain spirits and both cultures have shamans who perform healing ceremonies while treating food as medicine.

I shared my terrine recipe developed for a French cookbook/ publisher a few years ago- and they deemed it too inaccessible for publishing it overseas. The traditional version is served with a soy sauce based vinaigrette and I serve it that way sometimes. I’ve experimented and turned that version into a vegan terrine paying an homage to the great homecooks of American mid-century cookery- which includes James Beard. If you get the chance to drop by the Beard House- take a glance at their kitchen wall. You’ll find vintage illustrations of terrines, aspics, and molded cold platters. Everyone including their mother and grandmother once made a terrine.

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Korean Acorn Starch Jelly

Enjoy your festive Thanksgiving this year and meditate on what you’re thankful for. Give some back to the community and don’t bother over eating. Save some for tomorrow as Moses once said. Try a Mana recipe while you’re at it.

 

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Vegan Red Kidney Bean Stuffed Peppers in a Tagine

Vegan Red Kidney Bean Stuffed Peppers in a Tagine

Vegan Red Kidney Bean Stuffed Peppers in a Tagine

 

Happy Meatless Monday! Make this Indigenous Cuisine inspired vegan stuffed peppers utilizing all the spices traditionally used with ground meat recipes. I added my new favorite grain, kasha to this mixture that provides the perfect combination of complete proteins to get your body the essential nutrients it needs, craves, and wants- minus all the animals. Treat yourself to a great healthy start to the week!

 

Vegan Red Kidney Bean Stuffed Peppers in a Tagine

Recipe by Rina Oh

 

Ingredients

2 cups red kidney beans, cooked

1 cup corn kernels, cooked

1 cup kasha, cooked

1 small onion

1 cup fresh parsley

4 medium peppers

4 small tomatillos

1 roma tomato

2 jalapeno

1 teaspoon garlic ground

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin ground

salt

pepper

 

 

Directions

Combine red kidney beans and parsley with paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Pulse for 30 seconds until mixture is coarsely chopped; transfer to a bowl; add kasha, corn, and toss together.

Using the same processor, combine tomatillos, roma tomato, onion, jalapeno, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Process for about 1 minute on high speed.

Slice pepper tops off leaving about ½ inch. Remove the seeds and discard. Add stuffing mixture and press firmly down midway through. Pour tomato mixture into tagine or baking tray and cover peppers with tops. Cover the tagine with lid or baking tray with foil and bake in the oven for about 2 hours. Remove from oven and divide into four bowls. Serve immediately!

 

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Filed under Food for the Fashion People, Food Porn, Hot on the Blog, Meatless Mondays, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

Magical Farmstead Feast with Sprinkles of Fairy Dust

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  • Smoked Wagyu Beef Liver Pâté with Giardiniera, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Housemade Mustard
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  • Beard House Bathroom selfies
  • Takeda Farms Reserve Wagyu Beef Crudo with Fermented Corn, Farm Radish, Smoked Foam, Red Fife Bread Crumbs, Shaved Bone Marrow, and Farm Corn Shoots
  • Chicken and Mushrooms > Chicken Sausage with Crispy Chicken Chips, Local Oyster Mushrooms, Housemade Ricotta, Salsa Verde, and Fennel Fronds
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  • Joseph Decuis Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye with Sunchoke–Chestnut Purée, Potato Confit, Farm Carrots, Spinach Purée, and Demi-Glace
  • Joseph Decuis Farm Wild Pawpaw–Persimmon Sorbet
  • Flambe the clams
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  • Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Wafer Crust, Malibu Dulce de Leche, Pastry Cream, Toasted Meringue, and Bananas
  • MAGICAL FARMSTEAD FEAST Sat, January 27, 2018

I only write about memorable dining experiences, and this dinner from last night was certainly magical. The aura of the chefs in the kitchen filled me with so much joy, and hope that we are all doing the right thing. I sat alone near the kitchen with a nearby table full of doctors who didn’t mind my occasional blurts intruding on their conversations. We shared our love for the same meal.

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Waiting for my date to arrive in the James Beard House dining room.

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Beard House Bathroom selfies series continued…

I started taking selfies at the Beard House recently, it only makes sense. I spend on average 40-50 days out of the year here. So that’s about 6 hours times 40-50 times every year. That’s a lot of time spent in one restaurant! Why didn’t I think about doing this sooner? I should’ve taken advantage of the mirrored bathroom earlier. I love taking photos of myself making faces in different poses! Ha!

Takeda Farms Reserve Wagyu Beef Crudo with Fermented Corn, Farm Radish, Smoked Foam, Red Fife Bread Crumbs, Shaved Bone Marrow, and Farm Corn Shoots

Takeda Farms Reserve Wagyu Beef Crudo with Fermented Corn, Farm Radish, Smoked Foam, Red Fife Bread Crumbs, Shaved Bone Marrow, and Farm Corn Shoots

Getting back to the dinner last night. We had our stomachs filled with Wagyu beef from the Moon. I usually don’t like the taste of any red meat crudo, however this one sang in my mouth. It could’ve been the crisp fermented radish paired with it, with the crunchiness of the corn, and little bits of foamy stuff going in there as well.

Chicken and Mushrooms > Chicken Sausage with Crispy Chicken Chips, Local Oyster Mushrooms, Housemade Ricotta, Salsa Verde, and Fennel Fronds

Chicken and Mushrooms > Chicken Sausage with Crispy Chicken Chips, Local Oyster Mushrooms, Housemade Ricotta, Salsa Verde, and Fennel Fronds

After that we had this chicken sausage, that came with a very crispy pork skin or chicken skin? It tasted really good. The sausage itself was a bit salty- overall most of the dinner was on the saltier side. It’s meant to be consumed with all the wines I figured, although I prefer more whites and rose wine these days.

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Mangalista Pork Skin Noodles with Housemade ‘Nduja, Manila Clams, Sherry Vinegar, Cracklings, and Farm Herbs

The Mangalista Pork Skin Noodles were a big fustian mark. I wasn’t a fan of the noodles and I loved the clams in the sauce. It sang in my mouth. The clams were barely touched by fire and I watched as the chef sautéed those little guys and drowned them in white wine in a flambe afterwards.

Flambe the clams

Flambe the clams!

Joseph Decuis Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye with Sunchoke–Chestnut Purée, Potato Confit, Farm Carrots, Spinach Purée, and Demi-Glace

Joseph Decuis Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye with Sunchoke–Chestnut Purée, Potato Confit, Farm Carrots, Spinach Purée, and Demi-Glace

I felt like a real voyeur last night, one whom graduated from being a seer to a creator of something new, you now see the images of the chefs from a cook’s point of view. I started taking my shots in angles that would only come from someone who’s actually in the kitchen cooking or working the line. I started calling out “behind”, “corner”- like the good old days. I miss cooking like this.

Joseph Decuis Farm Wild Pawpaw–Persimmon Sorbet

Joseph Decuis Farm Wild Pawpaw–Persimmon Sorbet

This persimmon sorbet was everything. I’m hungry today thinking about it.

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And finally the finale was this spectacular-spectacular Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Wafer Crust. I can still taste the crispy wafer crust and melting meringue in my mouth. I should’ve finished it last night but there’s that diet I keep talking about. Oh well- maybe I’ll really start it tomorrow.

I’m off to the market now to buy some fish for Daniel. I got a sudden urge to make brussels sprouts with a white fish and butternut squash.

Until we meet again Mr. James Beard. (Literally next week)

 

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Buddhist Tea with Corinne Trang, Holistic Teacher, Yogi, Author

  • Dining with Outlaws has High Tea with Corinne Trang
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I met Corinne through the Mealthy Team whom I got a chance to work with a few months ago as their recipe editor. Corinne’s recipes caught my attention and I started following her on Instagram, and then there was a day that we needed her to resend some images, and the rest is history. I was thrilled to be invited to visit her in her home upstate. It was over an hour for me to drive there but worth the trip.

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We had a traditional Chinese gong fu tea service that lasted approximately 2 and a half hours. There were four teas that we drank, each steeped several times. You start by pouring the hot water into a vessel called “gaiwan”—meaning cup and lid—and the tiny teacups to warm them up. Then you pour out the water into a large discard bowl. Then you add the tea leaves in the gaiwan and pour water on top, pouring out the water immediately into the discard bowl again. That step rinses and awakens the leaves. This is an essential step to serving oolongs and black teas, but green teas don’t generally need rinsing. Then you add water on the wet leaves again and steep for about 5 to 10 seconds (yes that little!), depending on the tea. The infusion, referred to as “soup,” is decanted into a glass “fairness” pitcher, insuring that each serving has the same balanced flavor. Corinne generously poured every single tea, offering several steeps for each type, as the leaves can be reused several times, about 7 to 9 times on average. The experience showed her beautiful humility, acquired over time from studying Hinduism, Buddhism, and The Way of Tea.

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The first tea was green tea called “Mao Jian,” therefore not oxidized, and its 2nd and 3rd steeps were the most intense., the first just awakening the leaves. It was steeped in a gaiwan. The water used in steeping tea has a ph level of 6.5 to 7, ever so slightly acidic, like tea, to neutral.

 

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She followed that with a semi-oxidized tea (about 40%), aka “oolong,” called “Chi Ye”. It is from the Phoenix Mountains in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Unlike the vibrant, grassy green tea, this one had a deep floral note. She steeped that one at 93°C. The first steep was 5 seconds. We steeped it 3 times, the flavor intensifying a little more with each steep. The third steep brought out the true characteristics of this tea at its peak. In the spiritual practice of tea, Cha Dao, steeping the tea until it returns to water allows you to experience the arc of the tea all the way to the end, appreciating the journey. Corinne carries this technique when selecting teas from the new harvest, in order to understand the tea fully, from aroma to taste and mouthfeel. Drinking tea this way also allows you to slowly release the energy of tea, which in turn allows you to maintain energy throughout the day. The experience is both stimulating and relaxing.

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Corinne brought out some special fermented tea called “puerh,” at the end. She explained you can actually get “tea drunk” if you drink too much and especially if you are not used to it. Again, drinking it slowly over several very short steeps, will offer a pleasant journey. Some of these teas can be steeped at least 12 times and often more than 15.

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The 4th tea we had was made in the year 2009. “Purple Tip” “shou,” or cooked, puerh. It was musty and sweet and very calming. We agreed to set a future date for another tea party event and I can’t wait to have tea with Corinne again! I was pretty high by the time I left.

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CORINNE TRANG
Award-winning Author, Chef, Consultant, Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor, Tea Purveyor
Skype: “corinnetrang”

Cell: 917-657-0193
Email: ct@corinnetrang.com

www.corinnetrang.com

http://amzn.to/pev7hE

www.liquidgoldtea.com

Corinne Trang is the award-winning author of several books including the most recently published “Switch It Up: A Fresh Take on Quick and Easy Diabetes-Friendly Recipes for a Balanced Life” (2017), “Asian Flavors Diabetes Cookbook” (ADA, 2012), “Noodles Every Day” (2009), “Curry Cuisine” (2007), “The Asian Grill” (2006), “A Food Lover’s Companion: Vietnamese” (2006),” “Essentials of Asian Cuisine” (2003), and “Authentic Vietnamese Cooking” (1999), and has contributed to many more including “The Encyclopedia of Food & Culture” (Scribners & Sons, 2006). She has served as spokesperson to various national brands and commodities such as Kame and Thai Kitchen. Dubbed the “Julia Child of Asian Cuisine” by the Washington Post, she is a frequent television and radio guest and has appeared on national, regional, and cable network including NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Early Morning Show, PBS, FOX News, ABC, CNN, Lifetime, Discovery, Food Network, Sirius, Business Talk Radio, National Public Radio, and Bloomberg to name a few. She has written for numerous publications including Saveur, Food & Wine, Fine Cooking, Islands, Gourmet, Cooking Light, and Bon Appetit, and has taught and lectured internationally. She has worked as a food consultant to not-for-profits, developing mindful cooking workshops for children and adults alike. She maintains a holistic health and nutrition practice integrating yoga, meditation, and mindful food practices. Trang is also the founder of Liquid Gold Tea,  a wholesale and retail source for handcrafted premium whole leaf tea, Gong Fu Cha tea service, Cha Dao meditation, private instruction and custom tea events.
Corinne Trang is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, NY Chapter. 

Here is the 2018 Tea schedule for lessons and events with Corinne Trang:

Get in touch for details…

 

🍵 January 20 & 21 – Pop-up T-Bar & Shop
Northern Grade Barn Days, Bruceville Road, High Falls, NY 12440

from 11 AM to 6:00 PM – free tasting

🍵 January 27 – Healing with Tea

Cook Space Brooklyn603 Bergen Street, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11238

from 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop RSVP 718-230-8400

🍵 January 28 – Cha Dao, The Way of Tea

Whole Sky Yoga10 Old Rt 213, Ste 2S, High Falls, NY

from 1 to 4 PM – workshop RSVP 845-706-3668

🍵 February 1 – The Power of Tea for Good Health
sponsored by The Roundout Valley Holistic Health Community
Stone Ridge, NY Free event

_________

 

bluecashew kitchen homestead

37b North Front Street, Kingston, NY

for details, and to RSVP for workshops, call 845 514 2300

🍵 February 4 – In- store Tea Tasting, 11 AM to 6 PM – free tasting

🥑 February 17 – Oodles of Noodles, 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop

🍵 February 18 – Tea 101: History, Origins & Tasting, 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop

🥑 February 24 – Dumplings and Spring Rolls, 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop

🥑 March 3, 2018 – Wok This Way, 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop

🥑 March 10, 2018 – Yakitori & The Art of Japanese Grilling, 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop

🥑 🍵 March 18 – Cheese & Tea: A Farm To Table Tasting, 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop

🥑 March 24, 2018 – Congee: China to Japan, Vietnam to India, 1 PM to 4 PM – workshop

 

More events coming up!

be sure to subscribe for updates at

www.corinnetrang.com and www.liquidgoldtea.com

 

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The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen

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Cider-Braised Turkey Thighs

I first heard about the Sioux Chef about a year ago when I started following the Standing Rock posts in social media. For me, it’s been an awakening experience- seeing the world through the perception of the Indigenous Peoples of America. After following Standing Rock and the Tribes from North Dakota, I started seeing other Indigenous People from around the world differently. That missing element, the mysteries of the world’s peoples became clearer than I’ve ever known. I’ve always been drawn to different cuisines, native garments, languages, and travel- but for some odd reason I must confess, I’ve never liked American culture. America seemed to lack culture, despite it’s 200-year old history. It needed something beyond the surface.

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Sage and Rose-Hip Roasted Duck; Maple-Sage Roasted Vegetables; Wild Rice Pilaf with Wild Mushrooms, Roasted Chestnuts, and Dried Cranberries; Cranberry Sauce.

I’ve been rebellious against everything I’ve been taught for a reason- something was awfully wrong with the big picture. I finally found that missing element last year when I learned Thanksgiving is actually a celebratory feast of ransacking Native villages. It used to be celebrated all the time, throughout the entire year until Abraham Lincoln dismissed all the little Thanksgivings and turned it into a national holiday. I haven’t looked back since discovering this little secret and can’t help not getting as excited about Thanksgiving anymore. Instead, I prefer to celebrate the beauty of the Native cultures which brings me to introduce to you, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen cookbook authored by Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley. Some of the ingredients were hard for me to source, so I remained to cooking the recipes with ingredients that are easier to find in my neck of the woods- Northern New Jersey. To my amazement, the recipes were easy, simple, and utilized a lot of the vegetables I’ve always used, except everything had an earthiness I haven’t sensed before. I can’t even begin to describe it- you can’t write it into words, it’s something you just sense. I recreated a Thanksgiving meal with a fresh killed duck ordered from Gofle Road Poultry Farm. The spices used include Juniper and Sage. Instead of cooking the traditional Colonial American Sweet Potatoes or Mashed Potatoes recipe, I made Wild Rice Pilaf. Here is where I started to recognize the Indigenous flavors of wilderness and fresh cranberries. The cranberry sauce from the cans and bottles seem rather profane compared to the fresh and natural hunters and gatherers version.

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Amaranth Crackers and a Bean dip I developed and made to accompany it.

At one point during this week long cookbook review process- I ventured outdoors to a nearby recreational park looking for acorns but to no luck, I was confronted by hissing squirrels and no acorn supply. I had amaranth in my pantry forever and never knew what to make with it. Here it is cooked (boiled) and then baked off in the oven for about an hour. The end result is a wholegrain cracker like you’ve never had before. I am seeing where the marriage of different cultures stems from after reading and cooking off some of these recipes. I envisioned the Indigenous tribes sharing the three sisters with the Colonists and enslaved Africans. I see the influence in Southern Cuisine, in Mexican cuisine, and throughout Latin American cuisines. It was an absolute delight to see the source of our cultural history and I can’t wait to discover more recipes in the future! You won’t find butter or cattle or even chicken recipes. You’ll find recipes based on the plants and animals that are Indigenous to America, just as they were before the mass immigration wave from Europe began. This cookbook will help you connect to where you’re living if you are here like I am, looking to find new ways of rediscovering your surroundings. For me this cookbook means more than a recipe collection. It’s a piece of America we’ve been longing for and missing. I’ve never felt more American than I do right now, embracing this Indigenous food with the native plants and wildlife that nourishes our bodies.

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Summer’s Vegetable Soup with Wild Greens

The Sioux Chef is cooking off an Indigenous Feast at the Sioux Chef at James Beard House on October 27th. Tickets cost $135 for members and $170 for the general public. You can get a copy of the Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen cookbook via Amazon here.

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Filed under Cookbook Reviews, Dinners at the James Beard House 2017, Recipes, Restaurants, Special Events, Spirit Cooking, Uncategorized

Redemption in Coastal Kitchen at the Beard House and Remembering Matt Haley

 

From Infinity and Beyond!

From Infinity and Beyond!

Chef: “Hey Dining with Outlaws!”

Me: “Hey chefs! Did we meet before?”

Chef: “Yes the first time we cooked here in 2014.”

Me: “Wait- Doug? Yes that’s me! OMG! Hey!”

It feels really great when the chefs remember you, and it’s especially great when you just vibe with them in the kitchen. The energy flows as it should when you’re having a good time anywhere in life. I looked through the photos of that dinner and realized that was one of my first photography assignments at the Beard House. Oh my, my photos have come a long way since. I’ve been using lighting equipment and props since a few months ago and it’s really taken me to the next level of where I’ve wanted to go creatively.

I’ve been practicing interviewing the chefs in the kitchen since that first day I started taking photos. Now I’m gearing up to start shooting videos, documentary film style and I’m playing around with my shooting style at the moment. Which brings me to wanting to travel to see the chefs in action and spend more time with them, maybe a few days at a time to really document their process. I was intrigued to hear so many chefs if not all from last night’s dinner describe Matt Haley as an extraordinary humanitarian, not just for his contribution to the endless non profit organizations, but for bringing them up, one stepping stone at a time. They all told me the same thing: I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for that guy.

Matt Haley was James Beard Foundation’s 2014 Humanitarian of the Year Award Recipient. Once upon a time, he was once a bad guy, or more of a broken guy. He knew the streets and the streets knew him as well. He was a broken human being, who perhaps through self reflection, pain, sorrow and getting in some trouble, found himself in life and found his true calling. He vowed in his life to make a positive change for others and spent it dedicating his time, energy, and money to help those who are struggling. He helped the poor, he helped the hungry, he helped immigrants, he helped the children who were given up by their parents.

One of the chefs told me he spent his entire life getting in trouble until he met Matt. His mother carried a long unresolved trauma of rejection for the man she married. I don’t know what happened inside their family dynamics but I can only imagine it was very difficult not to have the family support you need and want. We connected through our mutual Korean heritage and the fact we both love Kimchi. Who doesn’t love Kimchi? Everyone should love Kimchi.

When I heard of Matt’s passing away last night, I felt somber and I felt chills. I also felt this was a human we need to talk about and I want to know more about his life and his journey in transforming himself and others. I wish I had the chance to meet this great person, but in a way- that nostalgia of never seeing him or knowing him will inspire me to tell a better story of his legacy. Great people are worth remembering. Matt Haley was James Beard Foundation’s 2014 Humanitarian of the Year Award Recipient. Thanks for being you, and for raising such outstanding chefs! Cheers to you big buy wherever you are!

And the dinner was the Bomb! I didn’t get to eat the dessert, ran out of time! It gives me a good excuse to visit all the chefs!

For more infö about SoDel Concepts and the many restaurants started by Matt Haley, click here.

For the full James Beard Foundation dinner information, click here:

  • Remembering Matt Haley and his Redemption Mission at the James Beard House
  • Devilved Egg
  • Lobster
  • I need to get the name of this dish
  • Sommelier in action
  • Chilled Lewes Dairy Buttermilk Soup with Smoked Virginia Oysters, Bay Water Greens Herbs, Cucumber, and Matt’s Curry Spice
  • Chef Douglas Rouley
  • Seared Dayboat Scallops with Chesterfield Heirlooms Tomato Water, Summer Squash Agnolotti, Basil, and Flowers
  • Milk-Fried Softshell Crab with Magee Farms Sweet Corn Butter, Spicy Chowchow, Pork Fat Dijonnaise, and Old Bay
  • Rockfish au Poivre with Cauliflower, Charred Wild Carrots, and Onion Rings
  • Warm Bennett Orchards Peach Upside-Down Cake with Frozen Peach–Thyme Yogurt, Cracked Pepper Honey, and Maple–Peach Caramel
  • When the dinner is finished...chefs party like it's 1999

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September 16, 2017 · 11:49 pm

Food Styling and Photography

I always get asked: How did you become a food photographer by aspiring Culinary Students. It’s refreshing to meet the babies of the culinary world who are not yet jaded, or haven’t experienced showing up to work a few hours early because it’s prep day for the holidays and you know you’ll need the extra three hours to break down all the lamb chops, make all your sauces, prep the vegetable mise en place, and all the hot soups- in addition to your normal prep list for the day. Culinary students are still dreaming of becoming the Next Food Network Star or a contestant on Chopped. They are as I was- eager to get into the Food Network Kitchens. Oh how fate has taken me elsewhere! – We’ll get back to that later on…

While earning my 600 hour Grand Diplome in Classic Culinary Arts from the then French Culinary Institute, I started trailing and assisting a few food stylists. I introduced myself to the right people who connected me to my first job. She was really good and had a solid list of bookings. I didn’t get paid for many jobs before I got my first paycheck. You have to earn that first check. I’ve met some stylists along the way that barely cooked while volunteers and assistants prepped and cooked. The food stylist finished the job by assembling the plates. I was told by my first mentor- I needed one year of restaurant cooking experience. I needed this year in order to rotate all the stations, pick up speed, and most importantly to become disciplined.

I spent my first year after graduating working at a restaurant group in Midtown. Do I have to mention which one? You could ask my coworkers. We’re still friends in Social Media. Once you cook together, you always cook together- unless it’s that shady dude who stole your mise en place because he was lazy. I’ve never heard of him since I left the restaurant and ended up working as an editorial assistant for Saveur Magazine. I learned how to work around an editorial calendar and edit my stories. I learned how to research, even for a small paragraph in the printed version. I learned how to work with digital deadlines vs print deadlines. There is a difference. It’s YUGE! I also started developing recipes for Food2 and learned how to photograph food one recipe at a time. I experimented, I bought props, I collected dozens and dozens of props. My house is filled with props. One version of  everything. I learned how to make your own props- these steps are mostly skipped by regular food stylists since they only cook and style the food.

It wasn’t until I met my real mentor, Francesco Tonelli who works with high end restaurants and chefs- that I really learned my craft. Actually it was the beginning of learning the right way. Before Tonelli- I was studying different styling methods. Yes there is such a thing. Tonelli was different. He had extra layers of experience. He used to teach at the CIA. Before that, he worked at La Cucina Italiana, before that- he worked in restaurant kitchens for 20 years! And he was Italian and who doesn’t love an Italian chef with an accent who loves food? Tonelli was better than all the others before him, because he had the experience of working as an executive chef and you could just tell from the lingo. I almost wanted to call him chef- and we ran his small studio like one. He also cared about feeding his staff. I didn’t realize until recently how important it is to feed others. Even if your boss is a mean boss who snaps at you all the time- if they love to feed you because you work for them- that means they care about your wellness, so you can perform better. Only a chef would call meals, family meal. We didn’t just eat a sandwich or a plated protein, carb, veg combo. We had courses of food. The first time I worked with Francesco- we had pasta, salad, fruit for dessert, with wine during lunch. This seemed like an oddity until I went to Italy and consumed all my meals this way that I realized it was a way of eating everyday- that I hadn’t experienced before.

I never stopped working as a weekly contributor to Food Network’s sister site, Food2. This relationship went on for over a year. I began during my time as a culinary student. I learned how to cook vegetables. I learned how to eat vegetables and I learned how to research, find, and write about vegetables. After Food2 got shuttered, I received a call from one of the department executives who hired me at Cooking Channel. I worked on the migration and relaunch project. I did everything they asked me to do and a little bit more. I went to Korea for a week during the Sandy Storm, and while I was enjoying my days tasting my heart away- I set the alarm for conference calls at 1:00am S. Korea time, 11:00 or 12:00pm NY time. I went into my hotel room after the end of the tour day photographing thousands of Korean food photos, uploaded my files and switched over to work on my computer programming work for the Cooking Channel. Yeah- that’s like being on Chopped! LOL…

When I came back from Korea, I went to bed for about four hours and had coffee to go back to programming. No seriously- this is what it’s like when you really want something. During the programming- I was asked to curate food photos. We curated food photos along with all that happy content you see in the front page and back page, and bio page, and recipe page, and oops you’re on the wrong page, pages. We programmed photo galleries, promo pages, banners, recipes, etc, etc, anything with words and photos got programmed. Then came videos, they too get programmed into the website, and then when you think you’re almost done- your boss tells you there’s a problem with the images. They don’t fit into the box. So they need to be fixed. After running through some workarounds and samples- you figure out what’s wrong and how to fix the issue (okay someone else did this job). I ended up looking at thousands and thousands of food images for a few weeks. I’ll recognize any visual content on Cookingchanneltv.com from launch date-2012. I performed similar duties for the Food Network site and looked at those food images for over a year

By the time I left Food Network, I decided I wanted to pursue food photography full time, and lucky me! I ended up working as a volunteer for the James Beard Foundation, covering their tasting dinners. Eating this type of food on a regular basis. My palette is refined. It’s forever changed. I’m a bit damaged now- as I could never go back to eating mediocre food for the rest of my life. I can tell when the food is not properly executed. I can tell when the food is too cold. I can tell when the food is missing something, like salt or butter, or a drop of acid. I can tell when the food was cooked by an angry person. You can feel it in the uneven knife cuts. You can see the mood of the cooks when it’s undercooked or imagine the cook had a busy or bad day when it’s overcooked. When it’s not seasoned properly or not seasoned at all- you wonder what else are they forgetting? I’ve picked up a ton of cooking tips from all the chefs that I met at the James Beard House. I watched the way they sauteed their meats, or scallops, or how long the meat rested on the cutting board. I watched chefs use the one minute microwave tricks. I know who has OCD like me in the kitchen. I know who loves listening to upbeat songs while they cook like me. I took photos of their mise en place. I took ntes with my camera. It’s a very intimate experience and not everyone gets to see what chefs do in the kitchens. Btw- if you go online- you can watch all the archived JBF dinner videos with the sound on.

 

Next Post: A How to Guide for Detecting the Good, Bad, Great, and the Ugly Food Styling Work of a Stylist

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Coastal Florida Feast

JBF-10-2-2015-All-the-Chefs-in-the-Kitchen-01

I’m happy to be celebrating the end of my second year working as a photographer for the James Beard Foundation and I’ll hopefully be back from taking a year long hiatus from this blog. You could say I spent the last year and a half brushing up my photography and eating skills at the James Beard House. So going forward I promise to post more often and you can surely bet the food photos will be spectacular. I hope you’re ready to feast with your eyes.

Here’s the menu of the recent Coastal Florida Feast event that took place yesterday, October 2, 2015.

  • Hors d’oeuvre
    • Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Chicken Kromeskie > Chicken Pâté with Crispy Skin and Port Gelée
    • Florida Spiny Lobsters with Foie Gras and Murray River Salt Macaron
    • Sesame Cones with Red Wattle Pork Rillettes and Mascarpone Mousse
    • Florida Red Shrimp Spaghetti with Red Lettuce Purée and Sarasota Mote Sturgeon Caviar
    • MAURITSON ROCKPILE ROSÉ 2013
    • SWFL LYCHEE FIZZ > LYCHEE-INFUSED FINLANDIA VODKA
  • Dinner
    • Pan-Seared Black Grouper with Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Everglades Tomatoes, Crispy Oyster, and Conch–Orange Butter
    • MAURITSON SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013
    • Free-Range Chicken–Stuffed Pine Island Octopus Ink Ravioli with White Truffles, Homemade Ricotta, Venus Clam Ragù, and Liquid Egg Yolk
    • CHATEAU MONTELENA CHARDONNAY 2012
    • Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Red Wattle Pig Trio > Miso Belly with Radish d’Avignon, Mint Marigold–Tenderloin Saltimbocca, and Confit Shoulder with Butternut Squash
    • DOMAINE SERENE EVENSTAD RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2011
    • Jackman Wagyu Beef Cheeks with Barbecued Hearts of Palm, Charred Corn Cloud Esquites, Boniato, and Preserved Cabbage Leaves
    • CAL BLANCA TORO TEMPRANILLO 2011
    • Chilled Florida Strawberry Consommé with Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta and Lemon Basil Macaron Glacé
    • Bittersweet Chocolate and Tropical Experience
    • TENUTA DELL’ORNELLAIA LE SERRE NUOVE BOLGHERI 2012

I’ve graduated to eating this kind of food, because about a year ago I would’ve finished each and every bite. I’m a little older and wiser now- taking advise from the Matre ‘D who’s advised me to never finish eating this type of gourmet food. It is called a tasting menu for a reason.

Spiny Lobster with Foie Grais Macaron

Spiny Lobster with Foie Grais Macaron

I also made a bit of an err last night. One of the chefs, Fabrizio Aielli offered me a lobster macaron and I foolishly blurted out “No thanks, I’ve already had two of them”. I’m such a ditz. I can’t believe I said that. It’s like the time Daniel Boulud asked me if I wanted to be a chef or a journalist and I answered “Neither…I want to produce videos”. Well he pretty much black listed me right then, and hopefully Chef Fabrizio is more forgiving of my poor choice of words and rude mannerisms.

The lesson of the day is: “If a chef offers you something to eat in the kitchen he’s cooking in, gracefully accept it and eat it!”

Here are the drool worthy photographs of the food from last nights adventure:

The Cocktail served during the pre-dinner reception

The Cocktail served during the pre-dinner reception

Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Chicken Kromeskie > Chicken Pâté with Crispy Skin and Port Gelée at the James Beard House

Chicken Pâté with Crispy Skin and Port Gelée

Sesame Cones with Red Wattle Pork Rillettes and Mascarpone Mousse

Sesame Cones with Red Wattle Pork Rillettes and Mascarpone Mousse

Sesame Cones with Red Wattle Pork Rillettes and Mascarpone Mousse

Sesame Cones with Red Wattle Pork Rillettes and Mascarpone Mousse

Florida Red Shrimp Spaghetti with Red Lettuce Purée and Sarasota Mote Sturgeon Caviar

Florida Red Shrimp Spaghetti with Red Lettuce Purée and Sarasota Mote Sturgeon Caviar

Bread

Bread

Pan-Seared Black Grouper with Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Everglades Tomatoes, Crispy Oyster, and Conch–Orange Butter

Pan-Seared Black Grouper with Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Everglades Tomatoes, Crispy Oyster, and Conch–Orange Butter

Free-Range Chicken–Stuffed Pine Island Octopus Ink Ravioli with White Truffles, Homemade Ricotta, Venus Clam Ragù, and Liquid Egg Yolk

Free-Range Chicken–Stuffed Pine Island Octopus Ink Ravioli with White Truffles, Homemade Ricotta, Venus Clam Ragù, and Liquid Egg Yolk

Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Red Wattle Pig Trio > Miso Belly with Radish d’Avignon, Mint Marigold–Tenderloin Saltimbocca, and Confit Shoulder with Butternut Squash

Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm Red Wattle Pig Trio > Miso Belly with Radish d’Avignon, Mint Marigold–Tenderloin Saltimbocca, and Confit Shoulder with Butternut Squash

Jackman Wagyu Beef Cheeks with Barbecued Hearts of Palm, Charred Corn Cloud Esquites, Boniato, and Preserved Cabbage Leaves

Jackman Wagyu Beef Cheeks with Barbecued Hearts of Palm, Charred Corn Cloud Esquites, Boniato, and Preserved Cabbage Leaves

Chilled Florida Strawberry Consommé with Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta and Lemon Basil Macaron Glacé

Chilled Florida Strawberry Consommé with Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta and Lemon Basil Macaron Glacé

Bittersweet Chocolate and Tropical Experience

Bittersweet Chocolate and Tropical Experience

Wine

The Wine we drank with our dinner

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