mélange
“...having bowed to the inevitability of the
dictum that we must eat to live, we
should ignore it and live to eat...”
― M.F.K. Fisher, An Alphabet for
Gourmets
Alchemy
Never eat more than you can lift.
Miss Piggy
Classico indicates that the wine comes from a
restricted area-Colli means hilly area
Chianti must contain at least 70% Sangiovese to be
considered Chianti. Chianti is always an excellent
choice because of its smooth taste and it pairs well
with tomato based dishes such as pizza, lasagna and
even tomato soup and yes it pairs well with a fondue
too.
20th Sangria Day………
For it to be authentic sangria it must come from Spain or Portugal
(or the recipe at least). And don’t skimp on the fruit, use what is in
season and fresh, apples, oranges or lemons. In the summer
berries are wonderful. Skip the egg nog this season and make your
own sangria.
Before sitting down to dinner the Italians take a “passeggiata”
evening stroll. And then they enjoy the meal sometimes for hours.
Americans spend less time cooking than people from any other
country………
We need to get cooking!! It is truly one of the greatest joys in life!!
Cacao
is
the
bean,
cocoa
is
the
product
made
from
it.
Every
stage
of
cocoa
production
is
done
by
hand;
planting,
irrigation,
harvesting,
fermenting
and
drying.
So
paying
for
the
best
quality
is
worth
it.
The
trees
need
to
be
planted
next
to
taller
trees
so
that
they
are
protected
from
direct
sunlight.
Cacao
is
the
purist
form of chocolate that can be consumed.
Cocoa
is
derived
from
the
Aztec
word
cacabuatl.
Legend
has
it
the
cacao
tree
was
the
most
beautiful
tree
the
Aztecs
had
ever
seen.
They
believed
it
could
appease
hunger
and
thirst,
give
people
universal
knowledge
and
even
cure
sickness.
The
Aztecs
also used cocoa beans as currency.
For
authentic
European
hot
chocolate
you
need
whole
milk,
cream
and
at
least
70%
chocolate.
It
takes
longer
to
make
and
you
can’t
zap
it
in
the
microwave
but
it’s
worth
the
effort.
Real
is
always better than fake.
A sampling of culinary terms to celebrate being a culinarian……
A la grecque-served in Greek style such as with olive oil, lemon juice
and seasonings…..
Effiler- to remove the string from a bean or to thinly slice almonds….
Mise en place- the preparation of ingredients before you begin
cooking; such as dicing vegetables or measuring spices…
Oeuf- French for egg…….
A simple but delicious recipe…….
Blend 3 cups of Kalamata olives (or any olive really) with about ½ of a
cup of good olive oil; process till you reach the consistency you want;
serve on some crusty bread and pour a glass of wine and it’s all good…
December 12th Cocoa Day……
