01.30.09
It’s a party, so it must be disturbing
Cliff Jette / The Gazette
The Avocados from Mexico group sent me an e-mail about a video winning a $5,000 grand prize. According to the news release: “The video follows three avocado puppets as they cope musically with a crisis: Which one will be sacrificed as an avocado pie for the party?”
Does this not bother anyone else? These avocados are sacraficing a friend to make a pie for a party. That’s like a cow eating hamburger. It’s just wrong. But it is the best of the videos, all of which you can see on the site.
Oh, and there are some recipes floating around too, which might be handy for this weekend’s big game.
More salmonella news
Gazettefood photograph
Hy-Vee is on the stick. They’ve pulled more items from their shelves that may contain contaminated peanut butter. Below is the lasted news release from the grocery chain.
Also, if you want more information on salmonella in general, the Center for Disease Control has a comprehensive Web page on salmonella and this current outbreak. Likewise, the Food and Drug Administration also has a very informative page on recalls in general with the current peanut butter recall at the top of the page.
Here’s the newsrelease:
Hy-Vee Inc. recalls two bakery products with peanuts distributed in seven states due to possible health risk
WEST DES MOINES, IA—Hy-Vee Inc. is voluntarily recalling its freshly made party mix and peanut brittle because the products contain whole peanuts that have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. All sell-by dates are included in this recall. The products are sold in various types of packaging and have a Hy-Vee price label attached. The items should be destroyed or returned to Hy-Vee for a full refund.
The action was taken immediately after Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) expanded its recall to include whole peanuts. Earlier in January, the company recalled a number of lots of peanut butter and peanut paste because of a nationwide outbreak of salmonella. An FDA investigation has since identified PCA as the source of the bacteria.
Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare cases, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses, such as arterial infections (i.e. infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The party mix and peanut brittle are sold in Hy-Vee stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota. The products have not been directly linked to the salmonella outbreak and there have been no reported cases of the illness.
Hy-Vee Bakery Manufacturing of Des Moines, Iowa, supplies many of the products sold in Hy-Vee store bakeries. In mid-January, the company recalled all freshly made products containing peanut butter including cookies, people chow and truffle fudge. Subsequent FDA and independent lab tests on the peanut butter used in those items were negative for salmonella.
The removal of the party mix and peanut brittle as a result of the expanded recall is simply precautionary. Company officials also said it will not resume making fresh items containing peanut butter until it is confident the issue is fully resolved.
Customers with questions should call their local store.
Forkcast: The Wedge Downtown
Gazette photo by Brian Ray
Hey folks, go to Gazette Online to read this month’s “Forkcast” on The Wedge Downtown in Iowa City.
I’ll gladly take suggestions for the next Forkcast. The restaurant has to have been open for at least six months as well as not have been profiled recently. Send me an e-mail at cecelia.hanley@gazcomm.com
Chicken wing malfunction
There seems to be much kerfuffle about the possibility of a lack of chicken wings or Buffalo wings for the Super Bowl. Personally, I’d go with pizza or sandwiches, or as Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council in Washington, suggests – nachos.
I’d like to show you the video, but WordPress won’t allow Java Scripts or Shockwave. So, here’s a link.
01.29.09
Are you ready for some football food?
If you’re looking for some new ideas for food this Super Bowl Sunday, check out “Tailgates to Touchdowns; Fabulous Football Food.” Nina Swan-Kohler, a local a culinary professional and cooking instructor, released the book about tailgating recipes a few years back.
If you’re interested in buying it, go to this Web site. And linger a bit. Swan-Kohler has posted a few recipes such as Sweet and Salty Snack Mix, Honey-Glazed Pigskins and Football Snack Bars.
It’s easy to get a feel for the cookbook while browsing the Web site. Swan-Kohler also offers up some healthy recipes to stuffing ones face with the usual fatening fare.
01.27.09
The real Iron Chef show
I’m at home sick today, and I know I’m sick because I’m trying to watch the Food Network and it’s not making me feel any better. However, I am following with interest the New York Times coverage of Bocuse d’Or Competition.
The French team, of course, has already won the pastry competition. Follow the New York Times coverage of the competition. I wish it was on TV somewhere! The representatives from the U.S. is Thomas Keller from the “French Laundry.”
Pesto is the besto
pesto2, originally uploaded by gazettefood.
This week at www.gazetteonline.com/food, Chef David Horsfield of the Kirkwood Community College Culinary Arts Center demonstrates how to make pesto.
Pesto can be drizzled on pasta or even pizza. Keep a container of the sauce in the fridge to liven up weeknight meals.
We film four or five Kitchen talk episodes at once. I drizzled the pesto over the polenta Chef David prepared for Kitchen talk and it was delicious.
POLENTA
1 ounce pine nuts- toasted and cooled
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, rough chopped
1/4 ounce fresh basil leaves, rough chopped
2 cloves Garlic – rough chopped
1 tablespoon Parsley leaves – fresh and rough chopped
2 3/8 fluid ounces Olive oil
1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese – grated
1/2 ounce Romano cheese – grated
Salt to taste
Ground white pepper to taste
Toast the pine nuts in a skillet. This does not take long. As soon as you smell them, remove from the heat immediately.
Once pine nuts are cool, add to a blender with the herbs, garlic and half of each the cheeses and a little salt and pepper.
Add half the olive oil and blend quickly. Add a little more olive oil if consistency is too thick. Scrape down the sides of the blender to ensure an even blending of ingredients. Blend again.
Add the remaining cheese and while blending, steadily add in the olive oil to form a medium-paste consistency.
Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Chef David recommends using extra Parmesan cheese if Pecorino Romano (aged sheep’s milk cheese) is unavailable.
01.25.09
Happy New Year!
(This is the story that ran last Tuesday in The Gazette. Since the Lunar New Year is Tuesday, here’s a little refresher.)
New Year’s Day has passed. The final bars of “Auld Lang Syne” are just fading from memory, and what confetti was thrown should be long on its way to Mount Trashmore.
Liz Martin / The Gazette
But Vietnamese communities in Eastern Iowa on Monday will celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year, Tet Nguyen Dan, or simply Tet. It’s a festive time, traditionally lasting three days but abbreviated in stateside Vietnamese communities. (That’s right. Think a New Year’s party that goes a weekend straight.)
It’s a time for family, wishes for luck and prosperity for loved ones. There’s even money, given to children in red envelopes signifying luck.
People just don’t stop celebrating, laughed Ro Ngo, a retired Cedar Rapids Washington High School social studies teacher. “They go back to work on the fourth day, but they don’t work well. They’re still partying,” he beamed.
It’s a celebration punctuated by good food, centered on family and friends and governed by traditions passed from generation to generation.
Click through to see some examples and tips on where to go to enjoy the culture’s cuisine in Eastern Iowa.
Year of the Ox
Liz Martin / The Gazette
2009 is the Year of the Ox or water buffalo, according to the Chinese Zodiac. The calendar, which follows a cycle, assigns a different animal each year for 12 years before starting again. People born under the Ox are believed to be patient and hardworking — they see a task through to its end, but can be stubborn. The last century saw nine years under the Ox: 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985 and 1997. Vietnamese communities generally follow this calendar.
Banh Chung
Banh chung is an understated delight. A mixture of pork and mung beans is packed in a sticky rice and wrapped in banana leaves, then steamed for at least a day, traditionally over a fire. It’s sweet and tender, but finishes with an unexpected pepper kick. The dish is also known as banh tet in southern Vietnam.
The dish has an interesting history. As the legend goes, Vietnamese King Hung Vuong VI challenged his 22 sons to create a dish to celebrate the coming of Tet, promising to pass his throne to the son whose dish was most delicious. The sons searched for exotic dishes to present, all except Lang Lieu, the 16th son, who traveled to the nearby countryside. There a genie visited him in a dream, delivering the recipe for banh chung. The king declared it the most delicious and decreed the recipe be shared with all commoners.
During the Tet celebration, Ngo said, people aren’t supposed to do chores or work, so the food, including banh chung, is prepared well in advance. “You can’t even use a broom, you can’t do laundry, no work for three days. You pray for luck and you don’t want to sweep it away,” Ngo said.
Liz Martin / The Gazette
Hung Pham, owner of the Saigon Market, 803 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, plans to sell the sweet cakes through the Tet celebration, though the portions get smaller — and less celebratory — after Tet passes.
Watermelon seeds
During Tet, watermelon seeds are dyed red for good luck. (Red and orange represent good luck in Vietnamese culture.) The seeds are a snack before meals and cracked with your teeth. “It’s like Texas Roadhouse with the peanuts,” Ngo said. It’s a time-consuming snack, but that’s the purpose — to slow down, savor and wait for the meal.
Sweets
Liz Martin / The Gazette
Christmas has the fruitcake. Tet has the candy tray. “Everyone likes sweets,” Pham of the Saigon Market said with a grin. And what sweets there are for Tet. Candied or sugared coconut and ginger, sweet potatoes and winter melon are served bite-sized and displayed on colorful trays. And like most culinary choices, the candy tray has a cultural meaning. “They are candied and sugared to make the new year sweet,” Pham said.
Kumquats Kumquats are central to the Tet celebration. Though candied kumquats (they taste like gooey and citrus-imbued sugar) show up on candy trays, the fruits are frequently not eaten during Tet. According to www.ThingsAisan.com, the tree symbolizes generations of a family, with the fruits representing grandparents, the flowers parents, the buds children and the light green leaves grandchildren. Kumquat bushes are displayed at Vietnamese homes during Tet.
Liz Martin / The Gazette
Interested in trying some Vietnamese food? Phong Lan is at 216 Eighth St, SE, Cedar Rapids, (319) 365-5784. The restaurant will be open for Tet with its standard fare. Owner Tay Tran suggests Pho for a main course and spring rolls for an appetizer. Pho, you say? Pho is a noodle soup traditionally served with beef, but variations include chicken, seafood, veggies or tofu. Saigon Market, which sells much of the food served for Tet, is nearby on the corner of Second Avenue and Eighth Street SE.
01.21.09
A meal fit for a president
The U.S. Inaugural committee held a luncheon yesterday for President Obama. Since the President was invoking all things Lincoln, the menu was a bit of a throw back. There were three courses to the meal:
First Course:
Seafood stew paired with Duckhorn Vineyard’s 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
Second Course
A brace of American Birds (pheasant and duck) served with Sour Cherry Chutney and Molasses Sweet Potatoes, paired with Coldeneye, 2005 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley
Third Course:
Apple cinnamon sponge cake and sweet cream glace paired with Korbel Natural “Special Inaugural Cuvee,” California Champagne
You can even download the recipes for the meals at that link. I have to admit, I’ve never prepared a meal that involved game, so I’m a little intimidated by that. But, to give you just a taste, here is the recipe for Molasses Sweet Potatoes:
Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 2 quarts
Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup orange juice
½ tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.
3. Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes while still hot.By hand or mixer, smash potatoes until all large chunks are gone. Combine the potatoes, butter, salt, orange juice, brown sugar, ground cumin, molasses and maple syrup in a large bowl. Continue to mix all together until all lumps are gone. Adjust any of the seasonings to your specific tastes. Can be made the day before.
01.19.09
This week’s “Kitchen Talk”: Polenta
By Cecelia Hanley
The Gazette
This week’s Kitchen Talk video at www.gazetteonline.com/food, Chef David Horsfield of the Kirkwood Community College Culinary Arts programs demonstrates how to make polenta.
For those unfamiliar with polenta, it’s cornmeal that can be served creamy, or solid, even baked like cornbread. In this version of polenta, Chef David includes vegetables in the mix and finishes it up on a charbroiler, but a skillet or a grill works just as well.
Polenta
serves 8
Recipe ingredients:
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup polenta, fine ground, instant
salt and pepper to taste
6 each basil stalks — 2 inch long
1/2 ounce basil leaf, shredded
6 cloves garlic — fine chopped
2 ounces semi-dried tomato — sliced julienne
1 ounce black olives — rough chopped
Boil stock with garlic, stalks of basil and seasoning. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until stock is fragrant from garlic and basil.
Remove and discard basil stalks. Add semi-dried tomatoes, olives and basil leaves. Add polenta and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Line a half hotel pan or a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with greaseproof paper and spread with polenta, smoothing top surface, to about 1 inch deep. Cool in refrigerator until it is set firm (at least three hours) and slice for service. (Try more than squares; cut this into triangles!)
Lightly rub with olive oil and sear on charbroiler. Use tongs to flip the pieces of polenta. For leftovers, and reheat in the oven.
Next week:
Chef David will demonstrate how to make pesto. (Which tasted delicious over this polenta.)
