Eat. Drink. Memory.

The CIA instructs: Zucchini Pancakes with Tzatziki Sauce

Looking for different ways to utilize all those wonderful garden cucumbers and zucchinis this summer?

The chefs at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) have a delicious suggestion: crispy zucchini pancakes with a yogurt and cucumber sauce that the Greeks refer to as tzatziki sauce. Throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, tzatziki is considered both as a salad as well as a sauce.

Cucumbers are one of the oldest cultivated vegetables and are believed to have been native to India. Extremely popular in Europe during the late 1400s, the vegetable was brought over to the New World by Columbus.

Available in many varieties—ranging from pickling and slicing cucumbers to those that are yellow in color—the cucumber has a refreshing texture and taste that makes it well-suited to warm summer weather.

Black Soul, Jeweled Heart : Soul of The Sea Kilauea Black Solar Sea Salt from Hawaii Kai

CONTRIBUTING WRITER   Maura Alia Badji

Black Soul, Jeweled Heart         

 

I admit I had never tried black sea salt before encountering the pearl-like grains of Soul of The Sea’s Kilauea Black glistening in its 12-ounce jar.    One of the few black sea salts available, Soul of the The Sea's hand-crafted version of this exotic seasoning is made with mineral rich hand-harvested Molokai sea salt and activated charcoal—a proven anti-toxin/digestive aid.   

 

Soul of The Sea has also received the prestigious Star Diamond Award for Outstanding Quality from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, the only gourmet salt ever to do so.

 

Intrigued by the ebony salt’s dramatic luster and rich aroma, I noted that Kilauea Black has been prized by international chefs as a finishing salt to enhance vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry, and as a complement to the most sophisticated recipes.   

 

It seemed fitting that such a jewel-like seasoning was routinely used as a finishing touch— a flourish to complete a culinary picture. 

 

Yet, the rich aroma of the solar salt hinted that it could readily be combined with other seasonings and spices in the body of recipes, both simple and complex.   I found that in both cases a little bit of Kilauea Black goes a long way to enhance flavors.   On grilled salmon and vegetables, a finishing sprinkle added just the needed salty top note to the slight sweetness of fish, Vidalia onions, and match-sticked zucchini.  

 

While perusing Hawaii Kai’s website,  I found an Asian-inspired eggplant and ground pork dish, which proved that these black crystals can meld beautifully with other elements, yet still impart a distinctive, complex flavor.   I played with the recipe, included below; it can easily be further tweaked to suit different palates, for instance tofu can be substituted for the pork, and other Asian vegetables may be added. 

Spicy Eggplant and Ground Pork with Black Sea Salt

Ingredients

1 tbsp. canola/olive oil blend
.5 lb. (one-half) ground pork
1 lb. diced eggplant (Chinese eggplant works best)
1 tbsp. tamari sauce
1 tsp. Black Sea Salt plus .5 tsp for finishing garnish
2 tsp. black bean paste with chili
1 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 tsp finely chopped ginger

1 tsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp raw sugar
.5 cup (one-half) vegetable broth
2 tbsp. sesame oil
.25 cup (one-quarter) chopped green onion for garnish

Method

Heat large wok and add 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Add eggplant and all remaining ingredients except sesame seed oil & garnishes
Cover wok, bring to a boil and simmer until eggplant is tender
Add sesame seed oil and toss to combine
Garnish with green onions and  finish with sprinkle .5 tsp of black sea salt

Serve over rice or soba noodles.

Yields two servings

 

Hawaii Kai’s Soul of The Sea salts and other products are available online at www.hawaiikaico.com and at many gourmet food stores.   These distinctive salts are available in a rainbow of other flavors, including Haleakala Red (with purified and refined Red Alaea clay), Papohaku White (the basis for other Soul of the Sea varietals),

and Hanalei Green (with certified bamboo-leaf extract). 

 

 

Maura Alia Badji is a writer, poet, teacher and mother who lives and works in the Seven Cities of South-Eastern Virginia.

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$59 for One-Month Unlimited Pass to Bikram Yoga

Whether you're a yoga vet or just yoga-curious, today's Groupon is for you. For just $59, you get a one-month unlimited pass to Bikram Yoga Studios. With four locations throughout Manhattan and more than 250 classes offered each week, Bikram's convenience and variety make it easy to fit yoga into your busy schedule.

So what exactly is Bikram yoga? It's a series of 26 Hatha yoga postures and two Pranayama breathing exercises designed to challenge and rejuvenate you no matter what your fitness level. This 90-minute class is conducted in a heated room to let you detoxify through perspiration. During that hour and a half, you'll strengthen your body inside and out by working every muscle, tendon, ligament, joint, and organ. Imagine how good activating those muscles and joints will feel after years of neglect.

As always, read the fione print.

I love the butcher at Brighton Bazaar

Not only is he an expert with the cleaver, he could give lessons in customer service (Ladies, in cured meat and cheeses, please take note.)

He's never too busy to explain his product and what product it is -- dark marbled lamb chops, pale skinless D'Artagnan rabbits ($5.99 a pound), plump-breasted chicken. 

Beautiful glistening mounds of meat greet the carnivores at his ultra-clean counter in a gorgeous display of excess. 

No order is too small (like yesterday's pound of ground beef mixed with pork when what I really wanted was a lovely rabbit).  He is too kind to make any disdainful observation about your market basket and gently dashes your hopes of rabbit with the average price of $30 for a mature roaster. 

I breezed in from the beach, body still tacky with sea salt and hair unkempt, to shop for a few comestibles to take home - pickled mushrooms, a sour cherry and clabbered cream parfait,
the Russian version of ravioli made with veal, latkes, Challah, blackly ripe sweet Bing cherries, smoked chicken.

I love shopping the aisles with the Russian women dressed like they just stepped from the pages of Vogue - even if I feel slightly frumpy by comparision.  Yesterday I negotiated the aisles beside a stunning brunette - with that perfect skin cultivated only in Eastern Europr it seems - in a floor length, fitted white dress and spike heels that could put an eye out.

But my butcher treats me like one of the glamourous women, giving me a courtly bow and pretending to think I'm Russian by greeting me in his mother tongue then fluently switching to English to accommodate the foreigner in Little Odessa.  He is chivalrous when it is not necessary to be so, and since it is a quality I find sadly lacking in modern life, I lap it up like sweet cream.

And even when he knows (the way a good salesman knows the depth of his customer's pockets) that my choices are utilitarian rather than frivolous, he asks if there isn't something else he can get for me. He assumes there is a day when I will spend more.

Thank you, my beautiful butcher.

Context Florence goes behind scenes at major restorations

Ever wonder what goes on behind closed doors in Florence?

Context Florence is brushing away the shrouded mystery by teaming with Friends of Florence to give visitors a peek at several of the nonprofit's ongoing restoration projects, including the Tribuna of the Uffizi Gallery and the San’Antonio cloister at San Marco.

Context, the network of scholars who lead critically acclaimed walking tours in several major world cities, is partnering with esteemed non-profit organization Friends of Florence on this  unique collaboration, "Salvaging Art."

The walk will take place on July 8^th, 2009 at 9:30AM and is part of the biannual Out of Context series, which offers special lectures, site openings and events in our cities, providing unique and exclusive experiences far off the beaten track. This event marks the first collaboration between Context Florence and Friends of Florence, founded in 2002 by Simonetta Brandolini D’Adda, organizations both widely regarded for their dedication to mitigating the negative affects of mass tourism on Florence’s precious landmarks and artwork.

The walking seminar will first start at the Tribuna of the Uffizi, the octagonal display room that has held many of the masterpieces of the Medici ducal collection for over 400 years. The group will then move on the San’Antonio cloister, nestled in the placid San Marco complex, which boasts some imperiled Renaissance-era frescoes.

At both spaces, we will discuss not only the history behind the structures but the science and technique behind their current endangered states and their ongoing restoration.

Founded by National Geographic writer Paul Bennett and graphic designer Lani Bevacqua, Context is a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals – including art historians, writers, architects and gastronomes – who organize and lead didactic walking seminars in several world cities: Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, Paris, London, New York and Istanbul.

 To learn more about Context, visit its website at: www.contexttravel.com

Melt executive chef Patrik Landberg creates serious food without attitude

Sixteen hour shifts and six day work weeks are the province of the young, upwardly mobile chef.  There seems little time to balance work with life outside of the restaurant.

Remarkably Melt (440 Bergen Street, Brooklyn NY 718.230.5925) executive chef Patrik Landberg manages both. On a sunny spring afternoon, the kind that promises heat but delivers a breezy chill instead, Landberg met with me at the stylish neighborhood restaurant with big ambition, owned by Muguette (pronounced “Mu-Get”) Siem A Sjoe.

Landberg is amazingly fresh for a new father who works the long hard hours required of the executive chef of a small promising neighborhood restaurant. He is easy-going, open and pleasant.  The word authentic seems an apt adjective to describe Landberg.

A native of Sweden, he went to culinary school at age 15, studied his craft for two years, learning French technique.  The cuisine at Melt is best described as eclectic modern America, infused with hints of his own Swedish heritage.

Originally, Melt was a bar and the kitchen later was added to reinvent the space.  The small restaurant, about 60 seats, has an even smaller kitchen. Landberg and the two chefs on his team work in a row and in synchronized, economical movements, a must in a kitchen where an open dishwasher blocks passage. It boggles the mind to see the amount and quality of food that is turned out of this tiny space.

The focus at Melt is seasonal, inventive and fresh daily. Landberg is often at the local produce markets in the morning before coming to work in his kitchen. 

"It's very important to follow the seasons. The vegetable is going to taste so much better in season," he said, noting the challenges of balancing a menu that supports sustainability and yet also offers customers the items they desire.  "You have to do what you have to do for business. Brunch requires berries."

Melt's menu contains mainstays like Aged Boucheron Goat Cheese Salad, Yellowfin Tuna Tartar, and Kobe Beef Burger, but Landberg likes to rotate items off the menu as the seasons change. Weather affects the palate and is one of the things the executive chef follows when thinking about what to create for his menu.

"Weather can change everything.  In the spring, it's tricky," he said.

Melt is gaining a bit of a reputation for its tasting menu as well.  The five-course tasting menu is $25 (and additional $20 for paired wine tastings) and is served the first Tuesday of each month.  Landberg and his team of chefs create a menu based on the best of the market for that day.

A recent tasting menu featured a lobster theme with a Lobster Broth and Buckwheat Noodle consomme reminiscent of Thai lemongrass fragrant Tom Yum Goong, but not as pungent; Boston Bib Lettuce Wrap, a lobster tail, pickled carrot and cilantro wrapped in Bibb lettuce leaves; Surf and Turf Kobe Beef Slider served with Chipotle sauce and crispy fries; and Lobster Ravioli with a Sweet Onion Fondue and Buerre Blanc.

Executive chef at Melt since 2007, he arrived in the US in 2000 with the intention of staying only a summer and has been here since. Landberg has cooked at  the now closed Meet in the Meatpacking District, Ulrika's (also shuttered) and The Roger Smith Hotel, where he followed Ulrika Bengtsson, who took over as Food & Beverage Manager after closing her eponymous Scandanavian restaurant. 

Landberg understands the balance between satisfying his own creative impulses and imagination and satisfying the customer.  He is not a slave to his ego.  He wants to make the customer happy.

"We're in the service industry," said Landsberg, noting reasonable requests are always honored. "This is what I created. I'm here to please you. Why shouldn't I make you happy?

Get the grill out: it's burger time on Fourth of July

 Usually when I grill, I get this overwhelming desire to throw every meat imaginable on the fire.

Lately, however, I've taken a more single-minded approach.  I'm thinking about simplicity, about the beauty of a classic: the burger.

For the Fourth of July, when the skies cloud with blue and aromatic smoke all across these United States, I wanted to share a few burger recipes that I'll be sampling in my quest for the perfect juicy all-meat patty.

I love the rich flavor of lamb and what could be cooler and fresher than a chutney of English cucumber, yogurt and mint. (Epicurious)

Leave it to Emeril to kick it up a notch.  Here's Lagasse's Tuna Burger for the seafood lovers in your crowd.

Of course, the doyenne of domesticity, Martha Stewart, weighs in with this big Best Beef Burger packing little more than the ground chuck. This all-beef biggie is the one for the purists.

Finally, for the artist lurking in the dark heart of my little kitchen, the Scratch Burger. Labor intensive, this recipe takes on every tiny detail from grinding the beef fresh to making the perfect bun. (The Washington Post).

Let them eat Fancy Foods

The global economy may be uncertain, but people undeniably need to eat. 

If the turnout at the Fancy Food Show that ended June 30th is any indication, retailers are responding to consumers' desire to eat well - even if it means they're doing more cooking and entertaining at home. 

Last year, according to the show organizers, specialty food accounted for 15.9 percent of all retail food sales, up to $48 billion, an 8.4 percent increase in annual sales. 

While new product production declined last year, there was a significant increase in products made to satisfy cravings.  Chocolate and confectionary products, desserts, ice cream and alcoholic beverage rollouts all grew significantly, show organizers reported.

With 250,000 products representing 81 countries, there was far too much to sample and see in three short days.

The emphasis seemed to be on artisanal products - small batch, hand crafted products running the gamut  from pastas, olive oils, cheeses, and dry cured meats to honey, chocolates and  confections to dry rubs and spices.

From small domestic producers came products as diverse as O Olive Oils citrus based organic oils - blood orange and Meyer lemon - and Edwards Virginia Hams Surryano dry cured ham, a domestic alternative to Serrano and Prosciutto to award-winning John Kelly Chocolates Truffle Fudge Bites - Dark Chocolate with French Grey Sea Salt, which was a sublime melt in your mouthmix of sweet and salty.  

The Italian and Spanish purveyors offered a dizzying selection of cheeses, cured meats. olive oils and vinegars. 

Leonardi, noted for its fine Modena Balsamic vinegars since 1871, introduced a novelty sour-sweet condiment Balsamo Oro, unique for its flakes of gold alimentary leaves. 

Skin care expert gives anti-aging tips

Today's post introduces skin care expert Vladimir Byhovsky, who will be appearing as a guest columnist with tips on how to better preserve and care for your beautiful skin.

Even if  you don't see it happening, your skin sheds 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells roughly every minute. 

Daily the skin loses a layer of these dead cells and renews itself about every 28 days.

While it is the body's largest organ, our skin is often taken for granted.  We forget beautiful skin is not merely an accident of genetics, but can be cultivated through proper nutrition and nurturing.

Skin care expert Vladimir Byhovsky says any anti-aging regimen starts with sun protection. "If you want to prevent premature wrinkling or skin discolorations, you need to first stop exposing yourself to the sun," says the medical professional and spa owner.

Byhovsky, whose Studio Esthetique is a premier NY medical spa and skin rejuvenation center, recommends limiting your time in the sun and using the highest SPF sunscreens in addition to a routine skin maintenance regimen.

"If you do not protect from sun, you are jeopardizing your skin’s health," says Byhovsky.

Skin cancer, wrinkles, freckles, age spots, dilated blood vessels, changes in the texture of the skin, blotchiness, and the prune-like skin texture you see in elderly sun worshippers are all results of an overexposure to the sun, he says.

The sun produces ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays that are responsible for such common skin problems as sunburns, premature aging, pigmentation and skin cancer.

UVB and UVA rays are part of the sun’s spectrum wavelengths that are shorter than visible light. UVB rays are more active in the summer months. UVA ray are more constant throughout the year.

The shorter UVB rays quickly burn the mid layers of the skin. Depending on the skin type it takes anywhere between 10 – 30 minutes. The damaged cells send signals to the bottom layer of the epidermis, which responds by forming melanin. Melanin is what makes the skin look "tan".

To be effective, Byhovsky says, sunscreen - minimally 30 SPF - should be reapplied at least every two hours. 

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends seeking shade when possible, avoiding sunbathing, and wearing wide-brimmed hats as well as sunglasses and protective clothing.