Monthly Archives: February 2012

If you have taken a look at some of my previous posts you will probably notice that I have a love of cheese.  Not just a love, but a love affair.  This love affair has been going on for as long as I can remember.  As a kid I always preferred savory food instead of sweet foods and cheese was my favorite thing to eat (on pizza, macaroni and cheese, plain, etc).  I was the only kid on the block to give away my Halloween candy, but I would wrestle you for a chunk of cheese. Luckily, I grew out of that phase, but I still have a major fondness for cheese.

I could eat cheese at every meal, all day long.  I do realize that if I did that I would have to live at the gym to burn off all those calories.  Yes, cheese is high in fat, but on the flip side it is also high in calcium and protein.  My take is that everything is ok in moderation!  I do have a few rules that I try to stick by.  If I am eating a hard cheese such as cheddar I try to buy a reduced fat version. I stay away from fat free cheese as they are mostly made of chemicals and you really sacrifice on flavor and texture.  Not all reduced fat cheeses are great, but you can find some good ones. If you are going with a full fat cheese then use a really flavorful and strong cheese, like a really sharp cheddar or really pungent blue cheese,  so that you do not need to use a lot of it for your flavor pay off.  Goat cheese and feta cheese tend to be lower in fat than hard cheeses so I feel I can be a little more generous with portion sizes for those.  My final rule is that if you are going to eat cheese – ENJOY IT!

I have recently been buying a lot of Cabot cheeses.  It can be readily found in most supermarkets which is nice and it is kosher (although not cholov Yisroel).  They have a good 50% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar and a Reduced Fat Pepper Jack that has quite a kick.  Their Extra Sharp Cheddar has a great sharp taste and their Seriously Sharp Cheddar is perfect for anyone who really loves the bite of a STRONG cheddar.

I really do not discriminate against any type of cheese and have yet to find one that I do not like.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some personal favorites.

Brie – One of the things that I love about this cheese is its texture.  It is typically from France and is made with cow’s milk.  It has a plastic-like rind on the outside (yes, you can eat it) and the cheese on the inside is creamy, smooth and rich.  It is best served at room temperature so that the middle of the cheese ripens.  You can spread it on baguette slices, crackers or fruit.  Another great way to serve it is baked with preserves or jelly.  Seriously delicious!!

Cheddar – Other than processed “American cheese” (which I do not really consider  cheese) this is the cheese that I most associate with the U.S. of A.  We produce some really good cheddar at reasonable prices in places such as Vermont and Wisconsin.  If you are looking for an imported cheddar then English cheddars tend to be very nice.  I have already said that I enjoy a seriously sharp cheddar.  It is hard to describe the tang and bite that goes along with it.  Again, I do not discriminate and think pretty much any cheddar cheese is wonderful!  It melts really nicely so it is perfect for fondue or macaroni and cheese.  The taste can stand on its own in a cheese sandwich, grilled cheese or with eggs.  It is also delicious in quesadias and in Tex Mex cooking.

Feta – Traditionally from Greece, this sheep’s milk cheese is unique and delicious.  It is brined and has a crumbly consistency.  It is normally sold in blocks and can also be found in crumbles.  It has a tangy and salty taste.  It is commonly found in Mediterranean cuisine and is great in salads (Greek salad), omelets and sandwiches.

Goat Cheese aka Chevre – The name says it all.  This cheese is made from goat’s milk.  It has a distinctive and tangy flavor and is also known for its smooth , soft consistency.   At room temperature goat’s cheese is easily spreadable which makes it perfect to eat with crackers, baguette slices or fruit.  I also spread it on sandwiches and crumble it into salads.   When melted it has a very creamy consistency.  I will stir it into sauces or use it as a filling in omelets.

Gorgonzola – I actually used to have an aversion to the “blue” cheeses.  It was only in the last five or six years that I started to really appreciate them.  I do like a good blue cheese and fell in love with creamy gorgonzola.  I often use it in salads or eat it with crackers and/or fruit on a cheese platter.   It is made with cow’s milk and traditionally comes from Italy.  Yes, the blue veins are a product of mold spores being injected into the cheese, but it is best not to think about that.  Besides mold can be good for you – look at penicillin – right?

Mozzarella  – I had to include this cheese on my list if for no other reason than it is traditionally on pizza, one of my all time favorite foods.   There are two types of mozzarella that you can readily find.  Fresh mozzarella is sold in a brine, is milk white in color and has an almost spongy consistency.  This type is often referred to as buffalo mozzarella.  It is delicious paired with tomatoes and fresh basil for a caprese salad or sandwich.  I use part-skim mozzarella in a variety of dishes.  I like that it is a low fat cheese and that it is easy to find sacks of it already shredded.  It is one of the cheeses used in my Spinach Artichoke Dip.  I often use shredded mozzarella  when making Italian dishes such as lasagna, ziti and yes, pizza!   It also makes a good high protein, low fat snack on its own.

These are just a few of my favorite cheeses.  What are yours?

In honor of Valentine’s Day next week I thought I would post about one of my favorite topics – chocolate! Although I have a personal opinion that Valentine’s day is a contrived holiday and do not care much for it, I also find it a good excuse to eat some chocolate.  Really, I do not need an excuse to eat chocolate, but if there is a day that lends itself to some choco indulgence then who am I to argue?

As you have probably already gathered, I loooooooovvvveee chocolate!  I never understood people who do not like chocolate.   If milk chocolate is too sweet then you have the option of dark.  If dark is too bitter then try milk!  There are so many brands and ways to prepare this tasty confection that I cannot imagine that someone could not find some kind of chocolate that they would like.

For centuries cultures all over the world have been processing chocolate.  I am not sure who came up with the idea of  harvesting the beans from the cocao tree and adding milk and sugar to it, but whoever it was, they really were a genius – thank you!

I used to believe that chocolate was naturally sweet. I was wrong.  In its raw form it is actually quite bitter.  Chocolate is produced from the beans of the cacao tree.  The cacao beans are dried, cleaned, roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are ground to produce coco mass. The coco mass can be processed into cocoa solids and cocoa butter.  Depending on how the cocoa is processed from there will depend upon what type of chocolate you get.

Dark chocolate – This is made up mostly of cocoa solids.  In Europe they even have stipulations as to how much cocoa solids must be in the chocolate to deem it “dark chocolate” .  This is actually my favorite type of chocolate.  However, that was not always the case.  I used to find it too bitter and much preferred milk chocolate.  Then one day I was watching Dr. Oz talk about the health benefits of dark chocolate and I was intrigued.  Could eating chocolate actually be good for you?  I had to learn more.  I discovered that eating a small amount of dark chocolate often is good for you because it is so rich in flavenoids which act as antioxidants.  This was music to my ears!  I then made a concerted effort to eat dark chocolate as opposed to other types of chocolates and I gradually became used to the more bitter taste.  Nowadays unless I am eating really good milk chocolate I am finding that I actually prefer the dark.

Milk Chocolate – Is a combination of cocoa solids, cocoa butter (or other fat), sugar and a milk product.  This is the most popular type of chocolate consumed in the U.S. today.  Not everyone has gotten on the dark chocolate bandwagon – yet.  Some of my favorite uses for milk chocolate include fondue and eating it in candies and chocolate bars.

White Chocolate –  White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.  Because there are no cocoa solids many people do not even consider it chocolate. Trivia – the cocoa butter that is in the popular creams that you rub on your dry skin is the same cocoa butter in white chocolate.  I find white chocolate to be very sweet and do not use it often.  Because it is white it can be mixed with different colors  and used in homemade candy making.

Cocoa Powder – Cocoa powder is the cocoa solids without being mixed with fat or sugar.  It is actually low in fat and also has a bitter taste on its own.  The nice thing is that it is very “chocolatey” and is perfect for baking cakes and brownies.  Another great use for cocoa powder – hot chocolate!

A great combination chocolate is semi-sweet chocolate.  It is not as bitter as dark chocolate and not as sweet as milk chocolate.  Whenever I use chocolate chips I use semi-sweet.  This is used in my recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies which is the ultimate cookie!

Nowadays you can find some really impressive chocolates from all over the world in local grocery stores and markets.   My personal favorite is chocolate that comes from Belgium.  I am not sure what they do in Belgium to make their chocolate so good, but whatever it is they need to keep it up!  I really do also love chocolate from all over the world.  There are many terrific artisanal chocolate shops popping up.  Then there are restaurants dedicated to chocolate.  I love Chocolate By The Bald Man which now has locations in a few cities.   Then there are some shops that specialize in some tasty chocolatey treats. One thing I really miss from NYC is the hot chocolate at City Bakery.  If you are ever in The City and want some great hot chocolate this is a place to go.  Of course there is also the famous frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity which is a New York tradition.

Regardless of where you get your chocolate, or what type is your favorite, I think it is a great way to say “I love you” to a person, or yourself and not just on Valentine’s Day 🙂

Herbs and spices play an important role in cooking.  They can make the difference between a totally blah recipe and one that knocks your socks off!   Almost every culture has a distinctive blend of herbs and/or spices that they often use in their food.   I love that herbs and spices can frequently be the telltale sign of the region from where the dish originates from.

There are some people that believe you should only use fresh herbs in your cooking. I disagree in that there are many herbs that have a really nice flavor dried.  Dried herbs also have a much longer shelf life than fresh.  I would not advise switching out fresh herbs for dry in a recipe unless you adjust the measurements.  Most of the time dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor than fresh herbs.  I have a friend who was once making tomato soup.  The recipe called for a quarter cup of fresh basil.  She did not have fresh basil in the house and instead used a quarter cup of dried basil.  It was so bad she had to throw the whole pot of soup away!

Sometimes dried herbs mimic the flavor of the fresh herb closely.  A great example is   rosemary – dried rosemary tastes almost identical to fresh.  On the other hand there are herbs that taste nothing like their fresh form.  A prime example of that is basil whose taste dried is nothing like the fresh herb in my opinion.

For easy, fast and flavorful cooking I think it is important to have a well-stocked pantry with dried herbs and spices.  Unless you use a herb or spice often do not invest in a large jar of it.  Buy a small or medium size as the shelf life is not indefinite, and most recipes call for small amounts.  It is a good idea to clean out your spice cabinet every six months to a year to ensure that your spices and dried herbs stay flavorful.

I love experimenting with different herbs and spices in my cooking.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Spices

Paprika – This spice is made from ground bell peppers or chili peppers.  It is normally a deep red color and can range from mild to hot and from sweet to smoky.  It can be found as a key ingredient in many Eastern European and Spanish recipes. I often use paprika in spice rubs for poultry or fish.  I love the color it adds and the peppery taste.

Cumin – Ground cumin is derived from cumin seeds.  I use both in my recipes.  I use ground cumin in my Tex Mex cooking and very often in Indian/Iraqi foods for spice rubs and in soups and sauces.  Ground cumin has a dry smoky flavor, while the seeds are more mild.  I mostly use the seeds in Indian or Iraqi dishes.

Tumeric – You will often see this spice used in Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.  It has been known to have anti-bacterial properties and has been investigated for possible benefits for people with dementia and arthritis.  It is bright yellow in color and I caution anyone who uses it to be careful as it stains!  Tumeric can have an almost chaulky taste before it is cooked.  I always put it in early in a recipe so that it has time to cook.  It adds a richness and mild spice to the dish.  I repetedly use Tumeric in my Indian/Iraqi cookery, but because it is so good for you I will experiment and throw it into other types of food preparations as well.  It is an important spice in my chicken soup.

Herbs

Basil – I love fresh basil!  It has such a distinct flavor and sweet aroma. Most people think of basil in Italian cuisine and I am not an exception. I love adding fresh basil to my sauces, making pesto out of it, or pairing it with tomato and mozzarella in a salad or sandwich.  It is a great garnish as well.  Asian basil is also delicious if you can find it.  I think it has a slightly spicy flavor and is used often in Thai and Vietnamese dishes.

I mostly use basil in its fresh form.  As I mentioned above I do not think that dried basil tastes anything like fresh basil; the fresh is SO much better!

Rosemary – is a woody herb with fragrant needle-like leaves.  It is native to the Mediterranean region and is also found a lot in Italian cooking (especially Northern Italian).  The stems are woody so be sure to just use the leaves.  I most often use rosemary with chicken, beef or lamb and in soups, stews and sauces.  I also like adding rosemary to potatoes while roasting them in the oven.  The taste and smell are heavenly! As mentioned above dried rosemary closely resembles fresh to they can be used interchangeable.  Just be sure to use about ¼ of the dried as fresh.

Thyme – This is one of the most versatile herbs that I know of.  Because of that it can be found in a wide variety of cuisines ranging from Spanish to Middle Eastern to Italian foods.  I regularly use thyme with beef, fish and poultry either in marinades or spice rubs.  It is also a key ingredient in many of my soups or sauces.  Dried thyme does not closely resemble fresh thyme, but also has a nice flavor.  The stems are woody and should not be used.

Mint – There is something so refreshing about mint.  Just the smell has been known to increase alertness and energy as well as relieve stress.  I believe it!  It has a very distinctive flavor and is the highlight to my lamb kababs recipe.  It is so versatile it can be found in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian and Indian cuisines. I most often use mint with lamb, in pesto and sauces as well as salads.  The dried version does resemble the fresh version, but I believe the fresh to be much more preferable.

Cilantro – also known as coriander.  This is a fresh herb whose seeds can also be ground into a dried spice.  The fresh leaves, dried seeds and ground powder are often used in Tex Mex, Indian and Middle Eastern cookery.  It is a staple ingredient of most guacamole recipes, including my own.  The fresh stems are very tender and can also be used.  This is a trick I learned from my dad who puts the stems as well as the leaves into soups and curries.  It has a fresh and distinctive flavor and I love it!

Herbs de Provence – This is actually a blend of dried herbs typical to the Provence region of France.  It traditionally contains  savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender.  This is the only herb blend that I buy pre-mixed as I prefer to make my own blends if possible.  The specific proportions of the herbs will depend on the brand you purchase.  I have found some to be better than others so you may have to experiment to find the perfect one for you.  I will use herbs de Provence in spice rubs on fish, poultry and beef.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the spices and herbs that I use.  It is just a sample of the ones that I find most interesting and use the most.  Please share what your favorites are!