I love it when they say "There's Nothing To Eat"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally love it when someone says "...but we don't have anything to cook for dinner.."

 

So me and Pagey cleaned out the fridge...

 

Let's Roast a Pepper...

 

 Break out the flour and that yeast and let's make some bread...

 

 

Oh...I got an idea...let's go pick some Rosemary for the Bread...

 

 

Let's grab that Napa Cabbage and the leftover Pork Tenderloin and throw it together with the Roasted Red Pepper I just took out of the oven...

 

Man, I sure am glad I know how to cook...

Especially when we don't have anything to eat...

LOL



 

End Result

Asian marinated Pork Tenderloin atop of Napa Cabbage with Roasted Red Pepper sauteed in bacon and sesame oil then infused with Sweet Thai Chili

 

And Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Cheffy Rolls



A Horse of Many Names~The Wonder of Little Red, The Great-Great Grandson of Secretariat

A Horse of Many Names
The Wonder of Little Red
The Great, Great Grandson of an American Legend

The red foal dances
As the red sky is dawning

Life begins anew.

A haiku by Sheril Stansberry

A Horse With Many Names by Kateri Nelson

He probably didn’t even have one when he was born on March 29, in Ocala, Florida. In fact all he inherited that day was an umbilical hernia -- a surgery his owner couldn’t afford -- so three months later, the chestnut foal was relinquished to a local rescue.


Taken away from his mother before being weaned, the baby experienced a very traumatic first trip to say the least: he was traveling solo and could hear his mother’s desperate cries for miles. But already he was showing the world how brave he was: in his tiny narrow chest was beating the heart of a champion. You see, our hero had Secretariat’s blood flowing through his veins since his dam, Beautiful Wonder, was Big Red’s descendant. So at the end of June, the brave little foal arrived at Beauty’s Haven Farm and Equine Rescue.

Besides an umbilical hernia, the baby also had a badly infected foot so definitely needed overdue veterinary care. The first days were of course very scary: who were all these people and what did they want from him? But quickly good-hearted volunteers showered him with love and attention and helped him adapt to his new surroundings. The rescue named him “Armani”, for his elegance and classy demeanor. Once his umbilical hernia was repaired and his foot treated, Armani was put up for adoption, finally ready to tackle life.

A few months later, when I was the grant administrator for American Humane Association, I received a call from the rescue asking for financial help for a mare in need of urgent veterinary care. Then, for the following weeks, the rescue kept me posted through their blog on all the horses they were helping, including a beautiful foal named Armani, who was looking for a new home. Of course I couldn’t even think of adopting him: we lived 1,800 miles away which meant several days in a trailer for a very young horse, something that would’ve worried me to death. But I had secretly bonded with him, even from a distance. In all the pictures of Armani posted on the rescue’s website, the young Thoroughbred seemed to float, his feet never touching the ground. Born and raised in Montreal, I had grown around Thoroughbreds; my uncle was breeding them and leaving the muggy city in the summer to visit his farm every Sunday was one of our favorite activities. Later on I became familiar with Secretariat and the famous French Canadians in his life who always made me very proud of my heritage; how could I not be in love with this foal?

A couple of weeks later, I left American Humane but kept in touch with many of the shelters, including Beauty’s Haven. Then at the end of October the rescue and my husband started to plan The Big Trip: Dean was trying to get Armani transported to Colorado and the rescue really wanted the foal to go west, so together they made the impossible journey become reality, without my knowledge.

In early November, on a warm Friday night, Dean proudly announced that Armani had been traveling for three days and would be home in six hours. I couldn’t believe it: the most beautiful foal in the world was coming home and I would finally get to meet the horse I had already nicknamed “Little Red”, in honor of his great, great grandpapa.

Armani arrived in the early hours of the morning. Fortunately he was not alone; he had been traveling with a couple of horses, including a Gypsy Vanner stallion that was going back to Oregon after servicing the ladies in Tennessee. Needless to say, the trailer was fairly large and luxurious. Nothing was too good for our little rescued horse. At least I thought he was little until the driver unloaded him. At the tender age of seven months, Armani was already 14.2 hands and was walking on stilts. In fact, you could almost hear the bugle call when he walked down the ramp; he had the confidence of a champion.

Unfortunately our unseasonably warm weather didn’t last long; a few days later, our new adoptee experienced his first snow. Quite a shock for the young Floridian!

Over time, his personality blossomed. He showed more and more assertiveness, and developed a mischievous side directly proportionate to his great intelligence. Armani quickly found his place in our little herd of three horses and rarely needed to be reprimanded by his elders, even today. Fortunately for us he exhibits a similar behavior with humans. In fact, I’m still amazed that despite his painful early life and the long trip to Colorado, Little Red is as confident as he is. The son of a king, he deserved a name reflecting his noble birth and his great courage. So Sir Tristan of the Round Table became the obvious choice, especially for our 9-year old son. Since he arrived, our horse with many names has picked up a few inches -- just yesterday, three weeks or so before his first birthday, we measured him at 15.2 hands. The veterinarian thinks that he will reach 16.2 or 16.3 hands at maturity. Then Tristan will hopefully calmly carry us on his back despite the bugle call that will resonate in his head, and the beating of hooves pounding deep in his heart.

All photographs courtesy of Kateri Nelson

 

Secratariat's Meadow Tours

For Immediate Release

SFVA to Offer “Secretariat’s Meadow Tours” for Groups and General Public
Proceeds will benefit future Museum of the Virginia Horse

  Doswell, VA (February 1, 2011) - Fans of Secretariat soon will be able to enjoy guided tours of the very grounds where the immortal 1973 Triple Crown winner was born. This spring, SFVA, will begin offering tours of “Big Red’s” famed birthplace, The Meadow Event Park, in Doswell, Virginia, just north of Richmond.  

  There will be two types of tours:  customized tours for groups which may be booked from March to December; and a limited schedule of tours for the general public.  The customized tours are available for groups renting The Meadow Event Park facilities for meetings, trade shows, horse shows and other functions, as well as for groups such as historical societies, civic and alumni organizations, book clubs and the like. The basic cost is $10 per person, $5 for children 12 and under, with a 40 guest minimum; other special features can be added to the tour. The basic tour takes about an hour. 

  General public tours are slated for March 27, May 7 and July 23.  The public tour cost is  $10 per person, $5 for children under 12, with a 40 guest minimum. Advance registration is required. More public tour dates may be added to the schedule as demand warrants.  

 Secretariat’s Meadow Tours will be narrated by Leeanne Meadows Ladin, award-winning co-author of the best-selling pictorial history, Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend.  She wrote the book with Kate Chenery Tweedy, the daughter of Penny Chenery (Tweedy), owner of Secretariat. Ladin will share behind-the-scenes stories about the circa 1805 farm, its famous stallions and broodmares, and the people who lived and worked there during its heyday. Highlights of the tour will include seeing the foaling shed where Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970; the yearling and training barns with the stalls where Secretariat and  Riva Ridge (Meadow Stable’s first Kentucky Derby winner) stayed as young colts; and much more.

 Secretariat’s Meadow Tours involve a tram ride, some walking and an indoor presentation featuring video clips of Secretariat’s 1973 Triple Crown races.  Tour guests have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of Secretariat’s Meadow.  Proceeds from the tours will benefit the future Museum of the Virginia Horse to be built at The Meadow.

 For additional information on the customized group tours and the public tours, please see www.meadoweventpark.com. The Meadow Event Park is located off I-95, exit 98 to Doswell, 1.5 miles east of King’s Dominion.  

To book a group tour, please contact Leeanne Ladin at 804-363-1683 or email: laladin@verizon.net.  For more information about the book and authors, please see www.secretariatsmeadow.com.

To register for the public tours on March 27, May 7 or July 23, please contact Sue Mullins, 804 994-2744, smullins@statefairva.org.

###

SFVA (State Fair of Virginia, Inc) is located at its permanent home and year-round rental facility,
The Meadow Event Park – Birthplace of Secretariat.

  SFVA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization not affiliated with state government.  In a world where Virginia’s open land and traditions that shaped our culture are rapidly vanishing, SFVA’s goal is to keep cherished ideals and experiences alive in the Commonwealth.

Glycogen and Fitness

Glycogen and Fitness

When considering a fitness program, for some, it is very important to understand how gluclose affects and supplies our bodies with necessary fuels for us to recieve the maximum benefits from our dieting and fitness programs.

To be physically fit you need to develop enough flexibililty and muscle strength along with muscle and cardio-respiratory endurance to allow us to meet the demands of life with energy left to spare. This energy (fuels) that support physical activity are derived from glucose (from carbohydrates), fats (from fatty acids) and in a limited capacity, amino acids from proteins. While resting, our bodies depend on fatty acids to provide us with over half of the energy it needs.

Glucose is stored in our liver and kidneys as glycogen. Our glycogen supplies are limited which is why the fatty acids are vitally important. Our muscles can only store up to 2000 kcalories as glycogen while fat can contain up to 70,000 kcalories of energy, so when our physical activity is strenuous, especially for endurance athletes, the glycogen stores can get depleted rather rapidly, and once depleted our bodies depend on the fat and fatty acids to provide our muscles with the necessary glucose it needs.

The rate at which glycogen stores are used depends on two things: the duration of the exercise and the intensity of the exercise. As a general rule, people that work out for more than 45 minutes should pay attention to the amount of glycogen it stores and generally for those that exercise moderately or under 45 mins a good, sound diet is usually sufficient to maintain our glycogen storage. This is why it is often recommended for endurance athletes to consume at least 50-100 grams of carbohydrate immediately following a workout or other strenuous activity.

As stated by Bodybuilding.com, all carbs are not created equal. I could not agree with this more and in order to develop the glycemic index it is important to consume smart carbohydrates that offer a high glycemic index. Bodybuilding.com offers some good advice on the glycemic index and offers several lists on high versus low glycemic index foods depending on your overall goal of your fitness program. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/zaino14.htm

Some foods that contain a high glycemic index include potatoes, short grain rice, white bread, pancakes/waffles, cornflakes and watermelon. With that being said, one of the best choices when involved in a fitness program is to choose a high carbohydrate diet, but keeping in mind that not all carbs are created equal. If you are going to research carbohydrates that may be beneficial to your fitness program I recommend that you look for carbohydrates that are listed as "high-impact carbs", there are several good sources on the internet that cover this subject, bodybuilding.com being a very good one.

Many athletes use a method called "Carb Loading" before an event. Basically, carb loading can nearly double the muscle carbohydrate concentration. The athlete will taper off training 7 days before the event and carb load three days prior to the event going from consuming 5 grams per weight pound to 10 grams per pound.

In speaking with Robin, she recommends that her clients pump up on high glycemic carbs to build up the glycogen levels before, during and after working out.

If this subject or anything contained within concerns you please send me an email and I can attempt to answer any questions that you have, and as I always say, please keep in mind that I am not a dietician, nutritionist or have a medical background, I am just your happy little buddy that happens to know a little bit about food and dieting....
Peace, Hugs and Cookies,

Chef Mike

Glycogen and Fitness--Part One

I had gotten a conversation about the importance of Glycogen and Fitness with a good friend of mine, Robin Powell. Robin owns P3 Fitness in Anderson, SC and I  had always intended on finishing this article and finally getting life on an even keel and have the opportunity to talk about something that should be very important to all of us.

Robin pumping it out at P3 Fitness

Check out her website

Technical Definitions for the Glycogen Articles

Before I get into the CheffyBabbles I thought it would be a good to give technical definitions to some of the phrases/words that we are going to discuss in this set of articles. These may not make sense now, but hopefully when this series of articles is complete you will. If this is of special interest to you I would recommend you print this page out for reference.

Glycemic Index- ratings of the effect on glucose based on the carbs upon food ingestion (GI). The lower the GI ranking, the lesser the effect on the glycemic effect.

Glycemic Effect- how food raises blood glucose and elicits insulin

Insulin-a hormone excreted in response to high blood glucose.

Glycogen-is made and stored in the liver and our muscles as a form of glucose. Found in animals in only a limited amount and not present in plants at all. We store most of our glucose in our liver and muscles and is released when our blood glucose falls (like in between meals or when working out)

Glucose-Blood sugar/energy. A monosaccharide; the root for disaccharides and polysaccharides. Our bodies primary energy source.

Lactate- During intense activity muscles excrete lactate into our bloodstream which is then filtered by our liver and in turn released as glycogen.

VO2 max- VO2 max refers to the maximum volume of oxygen consumed.

Physical activity benefits the body's nutrition by helping regulate the use of fuels, pushes the body compostion more towards lean, and helps us increase our daily kcalorie allowance. Physical Fitness and weight training helps us to manage or prevent several chronic diseases, enhances our physical and psychological well being, improves posture, strengthens our back and helps us maintain and maximize our bone mass.

So what's not to like????

Physical activity lowers your blood pressure, slows your pulse rate & raises your "good" cholesterol levels. The math really isn't that hard to do...


It saddens me to think that approximately 25% of adults in the US are completely inactive or sedentary if you will...pretty pathetic statistic...
People that know me know that I am and have always been a little guy, and when offering dietary advice some people kind of frown on the skinny kid that won't ever have to worry about being fat giving dietary consultation. The fact is that I won't ever have to worry about being unhealthy either. Not because I am a little guy but because I live my life, although not seriously active, I am active.
I take my walks everyday, attempt to do my Tai Chi at least once a week, ride my bike around 30 miles a week, spend more time on my feet than I do on my butt, etc. It really isn't about the intensity of your exercise, it is the point that you are getting your exercise, burning calories, eating right and enjoying life. When you exercise not only do you feel better about yourself and those around you, but you look better, your behaviors are more positive and people notice you for that "positive you"...It's a win-win situation. The Dietary Guidlines for Americans 2005 states that we need to spend a minimum of 30 mins out of our day in some form of physical activity.
When you exercise your option of being more active you allow yourself to become more flexible, build up your cardiovasular system and muscle strength to allow you the endurance to face the needs of day to day life with more energy to spare. Again, what's not to like???
Anyway, my point to this little preface before I get into the CheffyBabbles is just to ask everyone to stop for 30 minutes out of your day for you...go for a walk, work in the yard, take your kids on a bike ride, not only will you feel better about you but your world will become a much happier place to be...

Casseroles-Recipes-Seafood

Casseroles-Recipes-Seafood

(Short Ribs with Chipotle/Roasted Garlic BBQ, Roasted Garlic Potato Puree and Summer Vegetable Cheddar Casserole)

Being a child of the sixties, a point in history that was well known for the housewives in America feeding their families casseroles of some sort or another, especially when you come from a family as large as mine (9 siblings), I have had my fair share of casseroles.

Not a big fan of casseroles since those days at home, but I find myself often making them in the real kitchen; who doesn’t love a potato dauphinoise or au gratin??

Here are a couple of the recipes that I really enjoy, stay tuned there is a lot more to come…

The first one is from Sonia Martinez. Sonia is an accomplished cooking instructor, food writer, consultant etc…she so rocks…this recipe I got from her quite a while ago for a Shrimp Casserole,

“Casserola de Camarones Enchilados”

2 cups shrimp, cooked and peeled
2 cups crushed canned tomatoes
1 onion, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked white rice

Saute the onion, garlic and green pepper in the butter. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Stir in the canned tomatoes. Add the cooked rice. Place in casserole dish and bake at 375oF for 30 minutes

Pretty straightforward isn't it? Not only is this dish quick and simple it has a very neutral and great flavor so it gives you a lot of room to play and add things to this dish…mushrooms, chipotles, roasted vegetables, different types of rice, utilizing herbs and spices, blah, blah, blah…is a great dish….Thanks Sonia....

So staying along the seafood thought process…

I don’t know where I stole this recipe from, maybe it was Chef Roy but I’ve had it forever, and have made it a bunch but I know that I didn't invent this one.  I always substitute the first couple steps with using fresh seafood instead, this really is an awesome dish and makes for a good special when you are trying to move product.

Seafood au gratin
"Fruits de mer au gratin"

1 pound frozen cod filets, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 pound pre-cooked mixed frozen seafood
2 tablespoons butter
1 leek, cleaned and sliced in rounds
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
 pinch of cayenne
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons very fine dry bread crumbs

Bring a large pot of water to simmer and add the cubed cod. Simmer just until done (this should only take two or three minutes). Add the frozen seafood and simmer just until thawed (about 1 minute). Remove from heat and drain immediately.

Melt the two tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven or sturdy pot on medium heat. Add the leeks and the mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are soft (about 8 minutes). Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of flour and cook, stirring for one minute to thoroughly coat the vegetables with flour.

Pour on the white wine and stir well to combine. Then mix in the milk and cream. Heat until thick and just below the boiling point, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the seafood mixture.

Pour the mix into a 9X13 inch buttered baking dish. Mix together the parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs and sprinkle this evenly on top of the casserole.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. Serve your seafood casserole piping hot with rice.

Another very neutral dish that gives you room to play...the possibilities are endless...

Well, standby I have more coming including my process and a story about Chicken Etouffee, and of course the inevitable potato...

Oldest Casserole Recipe I found...

I am finding this very interesting due to the fact that I am mixing my love for history along with my love for food...

This is the oldest casserole-type recipe that I have found from the book Apicus (not to be confused with the gourmands Apicus, the book is assumed not to be written by any of the three gourmands named Apicus, but may be a treatise of a combination of the works that they have done in the name of gluttony)

PATINA DE PISCICULIS (Soufflee of Small Fishes)

(Apic. 4, 2, 30)

Ingredients:
------------
500g      boiled fillet of small fishes or whole sardelles
150g      dried raisins (sultanas)
1/2 tsp   freshly ground pepper
1 tblsp   Liebstoeckl
1 tblsp   oregano
2         small diced onions
200ml     oil
50ml      Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt
some cornstarch

Instructions:
-------------
Mix raisins, pepper, Liebstoeckl, oregano, onion, wine, Liquamen and oil
together and put in a casserole. Cook until done. Then put small boiled
fish fillets or boiled small whole fishes into it. Thicken with a bit of
cornstarch and serve.


It took a little bit of doing to decipher some of these ingredients but this is what I came up with and I may not be right, but this is as close as I could come...







---Liebstoeckl:  In Latin it's called 'levisticum officinale'.  The closest I could figure was Lovage in being that Lovage's stalks are eaten much like celery and the roots/seeds/flowers are used today mainly in confectionery.

-- Liquamen: a salty fish sauce. closely resembling Nahm Plah (Thai Fish Sauce)

Casserole-The Pot Itself

Vessels and Jars found at the excavation site of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Casseroles-The Pot

As many that have grown to know me or follow the inevitable CheffyBabbles knows that I have a deep passion for both Asian and Spanish foods. When Andrea started asking questions about casseroles it brought me to asking questions about casseroles in a deeper sense because after all, I am an information junkie when it comes to food and the Asian and  European cultures are two of the oldest cultures known to man.

My first thought was about the origination of casseroles, cazuelas, terra cotta and a million other ancient cooking vessels that have withstood the test of time. Last night when I wrote the ‘Casserole History’ article I really got around to thinking more about the vessel instead of the food itself. When you think about the origination of pottery, whether it was the Asians, the Sumerians or any of the other tribes in Mesopotamian civilization, it really triggers a lot of thought into what our ancestors were actually using to cook with…

So a googling I went…Knowing that the Sumerians and Assyrians principally were the forefathers of much of the worlds history I found this article that I thought was very cool, which stated that covered clay cooking vessels were documented in 1700 BCE…a very cool and thought provoking article.

Mesopotamian Menus

Other google searches brought up a bunch of other stuff and I read all afternoon about ancient cooking techniques, vessels, periods etc., the brain is in definite overload and can perhaps be a reason for a separate CheffyBabble. I think I have made my point and hopefully piqued someones curiousity…

So anyway, back to my point about casseroles and vessels. The invention of a fire-safe earthenware pot is perhaps several millennia old and logically it is hard to fathom that the ‘casserole’, as a dish,  is a culinary invention that recently came to pass within the past couple centuries.


Some further reading that I found pretty interesting

Casseroles-A little history

This series of posts came from a request from Andrea and Matthew...I believe that Andrea's statement was that she couldn't stomach the idea of the casserole recipes that she was finding that directed her to open up a can of tuna fish and a quart of cream...so here is the beginning of the CheffyBabbles....

 (pictured here...Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Casseroles for 1000 pp)

Cassaroles as we know them today came into light early in the 1900’s, meaning a dish that could be cooked in one pot, generally in earthenware over or in an open hearth. The word casserole, as a noun, comes from the French, meaning ‘saucepan’

In the 16th century (stories vary if this was during Aztecan rule or after) the Aztecans had a dish called “Budin Azteca” which translates into “Pudding of the Aztecs” but is actually one of the first references that I have found that resembles a casserole-type dish. I have served Budin Azteca in several restaurants that I have managed, including on the menu when I was a guest at the International Gourmet Festival in Puerto Vallarta in 2004. I love this dish…The Spanish were very particular about their casserole type dishes, including Spain, Mexico, and most definitely Cuba.

In this series I will share a recipe for a Shrimp Cassarole that was sent to me by my good friend, a cooking instructor/food writer and fellow culinarian Sonia Martinez that I have made on several occasions that is very simple and  just spectacular.

Antonin Careme, the grandfather of modern cookery (1784-1833) has documented several types of casserole dishes, all of which contained rice. Careme’s casserole was cooked rice that was then shaped into small ovals or rounds, topped with a clarified butter and baked. Once the crust was formed on these mounds of rice, the centers were scooped out and filled with a savory filling and generally served with duchess potatoes as a side course.

In 1903, Chef Adolphe Meyer had included several casserole dishes in his book “The Post-Graduate Cookery Book” which basically was a Chicken Stew with potatoes and aromatic vegetables, much like today’s Beef Stew. (New York : Caterer Pub. Co., ©1903.)

According to LaRousse’s Gastrominique from the early 1960’s it states that cassaroles in France were generally rice dishes that were accompanied by some sort of protein and cooked in a ‘cassarole dish’ consisting of two or more ingredients. Although it does not describe this vessel I am assuming that they are referring to a lidded casserole dish much like the one that we use today or perhaps in some sort of dutch oven that could withstand the heat of hot coals.

Today’s version, which can include practically any meat, fowl, seafood, vegetable, root, grain, pasta or whatever probably came into play during World War II when women were the American workforce to simplify matters in the home.




Stay tuned, still a lot more CheffyBabbles to come about Cassaroles...

Stump the Chef Cooking Class-Story and Plates

Last November myself along with NV Salon hosted an event for the American Cancer Society and donated the money in my Jamie's name for Cancer Research.

NV Salon had donated a good amount of time marketing the event for me which was a choice of Sushi Roll along with an Asian Noodle Salad. Everyone that donated money for the event had their name put in a hat to win a "Stump the Chef" cooking class.

One of the women that was instrumental in making the event a success, Stacy Dirr was the winner of the class and I was pretty excited. Not only do I feel that Stacy and her husband Robert are stellar individuals, I was extra excited because she had put in so much time and effort into making the event a success. So anyway, we had the class yesterday (March 21st)

The Menu/Class

Based on Stacy's request, the class had an Asian theme, so we prepared:

Sesame Scented Star Anise Dinner Rolls
Hoisin Mayonnaise from scratch
Smoked Chicken
Asian style Basmati Rice
Asian Cole Slaw (we used the Hoisin Mayonnaise as a base for the dressing)
Redneck Un-Sushi Rolls (smoked chicken, cole slaw and assorted vegetables)
Hoisin and Sesame stir fried vegetables with Smoked Chicken
Snow Peas sauteed in Sesame Oil and Sea Salt

Cutting Techniques

Cutting Methods

Cutting is a generic term for all of the different methods of using your knife to prepare you meats and vegetables. One of the most important things to remember about cutting is to ensure that all of your cuts are uniform in size so that your foods will cook evenly.

Chopping- to chop means to cut into irregular sizes, not really concerning ourselves with the uniformity of the final product. Good for stocks and sauces, when you want a bite in your final product like stews, foods that are going to be broken down or processed in a food processor or some other means of breaking down your chopped product.

Slicing refers to cutting a product thinly whether it is roast beef, ham, an onion or an apple.

Dicing- to dice means to cut the food in cubes that are all the same size, whether it is a meat or a vegetable

Julienne and Chiffonade- In the traditional sense, julienne and chiffonade mean to slice thinly in long (matchstick) cuts. The difference between the two is that if you hear the term chiffonade it is referring to herbs and spices, whereas julienne refers to everything else.

Parallel Cutting is an efficient method for dicing things like carrots and onions. The idea of parallel cutting is to ensure the uniformity of your food product whether meat or vegetable, by holding your knife parallel to the cutting board and making an incision across then slicing downwards.

Vertical Cutting means to cut the product down its length, such as you would with celery and green onions and then inverting them and cutting down to make a nice dice or mince.

Mincing is basically the same as dicing but is done much finer than a dice. Mincing generally refers to onions, garlic and ginger.

Crushing is a technique that is used best with foods like ginger and garlic. Simply take the side of your knife and lay it on the product and press down evenly on the blade to crush it. This is an easy way to begin the mincing process and is the best way to peel garlic.

Roll and Oblique Cuts- these cuts are nice for presentation. The best way to do it is make a 45 degree angle cut to your product give it a quarter turn and continue the process of the cut and the turn. Roll cuts are basically all the same whereas oblique cuts are all different, you are still turning your product but the degree and the angles of your cuts are different giving each piece a distinct shape.

Shredding and Grating are also methods of cutting and they are easily done in a food processor or on a box-type grater.

Moist Heat Cooking Part One

Basting

Basting simply means applying some form of liquid to the food that you are cooking, whether it is Chef Scott’s Cumin-Chipotle Marinade or brushing BBQ sauce on your burger at one of your backyard barbeques.

The term “basting” generally applies to adding liquid to a protein; this liquid can be fat, marinade, pan juices or some other kind of sauce/liquid. The possibilities are endless; it all depends on the creativity of the cook. Basting can be done whether you are baking, broiling, roasting, barbequing, smoking or any other form of dry heat cooking.

If you have ever brushed a piece of fish with butter or added BBQ to your ribs or burgers then you have basted!!! ChungaChungaBam Baby!!!!

Blanching

Blanching means to par boil or par steam a food (usually vegetables). The idea is to partially cook the food and then quickly cool the product so that it enables you to use it at a latter time.

Blanching aids in the preservation of flavor, color and texture of the foods blanched, hinders the ripening enzymes that can destroy the foods, and is the best way to preserve foods before freezing. Blanching also is the best way to preserve the vitamins and other essential nutrients of the raw food.

The most important thing to remember in blanching is that you are par cooking the product, not cooking it. If you take the product and immediately submerge it in ice water you will stop the cooking process by bringing it down to less than 40 degrees as quickly as possible, which halts the cooking process.

Boiling

Boiling means just that, bringing water or some other form of liquid to a boil and cooking your product until it is finished.

I personally do not recommend boiling vegetables because you lose a lot of the nutrients that Mother Earth had given us in the raw form, I prefer to steam any vegetable I can. But there are things in our little culinary world that must be boiled or at least par boiled, like grains and pasta.

As far as pasta or some any other grain or grain based product that you may have to boil is concerned, I recommend quick cooling, such as the ice bath method I explained in the blanching section, running under cold water or by laying your product evenly on a pan or some other piece of equipment that you can refrigerate in order to halt the cooking process as quickly as possible until it is ready to use.

Par-Boiling

Par Boiling is basically the same as blanching, but has a wider spectrum. What I mean is that par boiling not only means vegetables, but also grains and pastas among others. The premise is the same though, you are par cooking your product, par boiling generally means that you are cooking your product longer. I prefer to par boil or par steam root vegetables like parsnips, rutabaga, celery root, carrots and potatoes to make them easier to use when it comes time to apply the product to my recipes.

Knife Pictures

 Here are some photographic expressions of the knives that I was talking about in the last article

Chef's Knives in a variety of shapes and sizes. The last three knives are called Santoku knives which in Japanese means "three virtues". I use my Santoku Chef's Knives perhaps more than I use any other knife for a couple reasons...One is the way that they feel in my hands and just as important is the scalloped sides of the knife which allows air between the blade and the product which permits the easy release of vegetables when cutting thin slices and when cutting starchy vegetables like potatoes and rutabaga.

 

The Simitar Knife- named after a Japanese sword of similiar shape, the simitar is great for cutting larger peices of meat based on the shape of the knife, especially with the pointed edge so that you can weave between any bones that you may encounter.

Boning Knives

The offset or Z-Knife, pictured here are two different kinds, the top one I use on cleaning fruits and general knife use when I am not concerned with tearing the product and the bottom on I use specifically for cleaning fruits like cantalope, honeydew, watermelon etc. Both of these knives work equally well as a bread knife.

A bread knife

Slicing knife-good for slicing cooked meats like roast beef etc.

Paring Knives

Knife Selection- Part One of There Is No One Way To Cook

(pic-teaching basic knife skills in a cooking class in Knoxville)

Knife Selection and Cutting Techniques

In today’s world, there are so many choices to consider when purchasing a knife; I am going to attempt to simplify the process some, and I cannot stress the importance of choosing the right knife for the right job, but here are some pointers when trying to decipher what is what...

There are generally two main types of knives, although with the aid of alloys in today’s market there are a thousand variations of each. The two main types of knives are carbon steel and stainless steel. The carbon steel is lighter, easier to sharpen and in some cases can rust if not properly cared for. The stainless steel knives are a denser knife that is not as easy to sharpen. Personally and professionally I use both types, I have some that I seldom use and others that I use all of the time.

If you are going to purchase a set of knives, the most commonly used blades are the stainless steel and here is a list of knives that are important if you are going to purchase a set.

Paring Knife- excellent for a variety of purposes from peeling potatoes to doing intricate fruit and vegetable garnishes.

Chef’s Knife- a large broad bladed knife that simplifies the rocking motion of slicing, dicing, and general cutting techniques.

Boning Knife- slightly larger than a paring knife with a very flexible blade that enables the operator to weave in and out of bones with the flexibility of the blade.

Slicer- A long, thin bladed knife that makes the slicing and carving of meats and the peeling of large fruits easier.

Offset knife (also called the Z knife) -The offset knife is called the Z knife because it is shaped like a Z with a high end handle that slopes down to the thin serrated blade. This is by far my favorite knife in my professional kitchen, it allows me the mobility to rock my knife back and forth, has a serrated edge so that it is efficient in slicing and cutting as well, and is perhaps one of the most versatile knives in the kitchen. The downfall to this is that because it is serrated it can tear a product instead of cutting it, like all the other knives, each one has a purpose and it is up to you to decide which knife is appropriate for which task.

Meat Cleaver- A heavy, thick bladed knife that is used frequently in the Eastern/Asian styles of food preparation, they are good for everything from slicing and dicing vegetables to cutting through bones.

Although there are a huge variety of knives to choose from, personally I feel that these are the most important. One point I would like to make though is that the more expensive a knife is does not necessarily reflect on its quality. Each knife is different. I have knives that are worth several hundred dollars, but I am just as happy with the $25.00 knife I bought at “Cook’s Corner”. Find one that suits you, feels good in your hands and most importantly, will suit your needs. I also recommend buying a sharpening stone and sharpening steel so that you can continue to care for your new purchase.