It's been over a year since my last post, for this I apologize! I promise to write a commentary soon!
07/30/2010
01/24/2009
Numbs the Word!
Yesterday, I tasted the hottest pepper in the world, and lived to tell about it. It started out slow, and about 15 seconds later, it eventually numbed my tongue, the roof of my mouth, and my lips for about 15 minutes. Not really painful, but really warm. There really was no particular flavor. I swallowed very little of the actual pepper, but it was enough of a preview to know, what it would be like to partake of a larger portion, not a good idea. : > ( Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper)
Yes, it’s the real deal. Confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest pepper in the world, Bhut Jolokia has a Scoville rating of just over 1 million units. This is twice as hot as the previous record holder, the Red Savina. This chile is also known as Bih Jolokia, Borbih, Dorset Naga, Ghost Pepper, Mirch, Mircha, Naga Morich, Naga Moresh Nagahari, Raja Chilli, Raja Mircha, and Tezpur. These chiles are light, and there are approximately 9 peppers in a 1/4 ounce.
The pepper is used as a spice in food or eaten alone. One seed from a Naga Jolokia can produce sustained intense pain sensations in the mouth for up to 30 minutes before subsiding. Extreme care should be taken when ingesting the pepper and its seeds, so as to not get it in the eyes. It is used as a cure for stomach ailments. It is also used as a remedy to summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration.
In northeastern India the peppers are smeared on fences or used in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.
It's definitely the spice that keeps on giving, which isn't necessarily a good thing. If you like really hot food, then definitely give it a try. I tried a dried version, a fresh version may be even be more intense. But remember, in this case, less is more, so just cut a little piece, microscopic in size worked for me. "One small lick for man, one giant lick for mankind!"
11/26/2008
Schäufele, popular Black Forest dish
No English letters have umlauts, so our family name went through a few spelling changes in the United States. Below is a German dish that is very popular, especially in the Black Forest region, bearing our family name in it's original spelling. Thanks, to my Son, Tyler, who is stationed in Wiesbaden, for the info, and says it taste great.
Schäufele, Schäuferle, Schäuferla or Schäufala the southern German name for the flat pork shoulder in Switzerland and South Baden is the piece called Schüfeli. Name is associated with the meat, schaufelförmige scapula.
As Schäufele are also traditional dishes from the flat shoulder means:
For the Frankish Schäufele when raw piece with shoulder bones and rind the rind crosswise eingeritzt the meat with salt, pepper and cumin spiced, rolled on root vegetables and diced onions in a roaster
that some meat broth and possibly dark beer and add everything for a good two up to three hours in the oven fried. When finished Schäufele should easily from the meat and bones to solve the rind crispy and golden brown. It is served with dark Bratenjus, Kartoffelklößen and Mittelfranken with mixed salad, in parts of Upper with sauerkraut or less with blue cabbage and in Unterfranken mainly with kale.
The Baden Schäufele is cured and smoked pork shoulder. It is in a brew of water, white wine and a little vinegar with onions, bay leaf and cloves, just below the boiling point two to two and a half hours cooked. Baden Schäufele served with a potato salad, with the cooking broth and salt, pepper and vinegar was turned on. The traditional court since the 1990s and also pre-sold in plastic box. It must then be heated only.
The Swiss Schüfeli is also gepökelt and smoked and comes with thicknesses beans or cabbage cooked. It is there a traditional Christmas dinner.
09/06/2008
Cookbook Wars
The recent lawsuit by Missy Chase Lapine, author of "The Sneaky Chef" against Jessica Seinfeld, author of "Deceptively Delicious" got me thinking. The claim is that Mrs Seinfeld stole several ideas from "The Sneaky Chef" to write her cookbook. I say this is crap, and here's why:
Cooking is extremely universal and similar techniques are used world wide. Cooking is not proprietary, we all do it, and nobody owns it. There is 1000's of ways to make a dish, and some of the steps and ingredients will be identical in those 1000's of ways, but each individual puts their signature on it, even if it is only one small thing, it is still their contribution to it's uniqueness. That is why we are inundated with several 1000 cookbooks.
Pick up a 100 cookbooks, and you may find several hundred recipes that appear in all them. Does that mean 100 authors stole them from each other? NO! The foundation of any standard recipe will be the same, or the end result won't work. Cookbooks are copyrighted, cooking is not. I do not call the author of each cookbook to get their permission to make their dish every time I use it. I also don't call them and say, hey your recipe for funnel cakes is the same recipe in 5 other books I own, did you steal it? No, because the ingredients and steps are the same for funnel cakes and nobody owns the proprietary rules to making this cake and if they don't follow the basic steps, it won't work. Now you can vary how it is made, and claim it is yours and yours alone, but somebody half way around the world may be making it the same way, just because they happened to think of it, too.
If we start suing each other, over who owns the right to make food, we will starve. I am not about to start paying royalties, just to fry chicken or bake cookies.
Maybe I could say to both women, you both stole these ideas from me, I just don't have them written down in a cookbook right now to prove it. If this lawsuit succeeds, the flood gates will open, and we will never see another cookbook, and all the current cookbook authors will be suing each other over the next 1000 years. And it won't stop with cookbooks either.
Give it a rest! When you write your next book, believe in yourself, that mine is the best work and it should sell on its merits, if it doesn't, then blame yourself, don't look for a scapegoat!
07/31/2008
05/28/2008
05/05/2008
A tale of 2 German recipes
My grandmother, Stella on my Dad's side, passed down a recipe call Panhass, which translates in German to Pan Rabbit. The spelling on my Mom's version is Pahnhass and on my Dad's it's Ponicas. I present here both of their versions. My Dad is the only one alive, and he swears his is the correct version. Also, there is no rabbit in either recipe, but you could definitely use rabbit, as a matter of fact, this recipe is so basic, you could just about substitute anything you like. Both versions have different flavors. This is an old German dish and unlikely found in any English version German cookbooks.
PANHASS (pronounced ponus)
My Mom’s recipe from Grandma Scheufele
1 lb cornmeal
5 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt
2 lbs liverwurst
Mix corn meal, liverwurst and salt in boiling water and stir until thick and stiff. Grease a large loaf pan, pour mixture in, cover and refrigerate until hard (overnight). Next day fry 1/3 inch slices in shortening until brown. Top with pancake syrup.
My Dad’s recipe from Grandma Scheufele
1 lb buckwheat
2 cups water
1 small onion (minced)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground clove
3 lbs pork neck bones
Simmer neck bones, onion, salt, and clove together in a covered pot for 3 hours. Remove bones (pork should fall or be pulled off easily). Mix in buckwheat and stir until thick and stiff. Grease a large loaf pan, pour mixture in, cover and refrigerate until hard (overnight). Next day fry 1/3 inch slices in shortening until brown. Top with pancake syrup.
03/24/2008
11/01/2007
Sideways in Santa Barbara County
Recently I visited the Santa Barbara County wine country. Being my first time, I relied heavy on the movie, Sideways, for a sense of bearing. I must say, I was very impressed with the quality of wine from this region. Being Autumn, the leaves on the vines were quite beautiful and there was much activity, as it was harvest time.
Everyone talks about Napa, and I was there in '02, and I was impressed, but if you don't take the time to go to this region in southern California, you are missing out on some real gems. I was also impressed by the knowledge and friendliness of everyone I encountered at each winery I visited.
I was also able to play wine ambassador for the State of Colorado. The Palisades region has some great wines, and I extolled my knowledge on the locals of Santa Barbara, which seemed unaware that Colorado was a vibrant wine region. I always try to promote the many vineyards and wineries in my home State. When people think of Colorado, they think snow and mountains, not wine.
One highlight, was stopping at Fess Parker's and seeing the great Fess Parker checking on his vineyard. I have fond memories of watching Daniel Boone, and it was very cool to see the legend in person. He also owns a huge hotel along the coast in the city of Santa Barbara.
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