THINGS I LIKE: German Shredded Salads

In my former  scientific career, I had the opportunity to travel to countries around the world for meetings, research presentations and to confer with colleagues. Many of these travels took me to Germany where I found a way that they made a dish that I had never seen before - shredded salad.  Carrots, beets and white radishes were shredded (rather sliced into very thin strips) and were prepared using a  a variety of vinaigrette dressings. Small portions of each  salad were placed  on some lettuce leaves and presented as  totally refreshing and very attractive, three colored salad. I enjoyed them enormously and found three very simple recipes to prepare them, which are presented below. Since every German Chef and home cook seems to have their own recipe for making these salads, what I have given below  is only a basic recipe for each salad. Salads can be made to your own taste by the modification of the amounts of the ingredients listed or addition of other ingredients*.

WHITE RADISH SALAD

 Diakon (Chinese radish) or White Icicle radish, shredded*
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4  C red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
TT  Freshly ground back pepper

Mix all ingredients, chill and serve alone or as part of a mixed salad plate.

CARROT SALAD

10 oz carrots, shredded*
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C lemon juice
TT salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix and serve, as above

BEET SALAD 
 Whole beets, fresh, boiled, roasted or canned, shredded
1/3 C rice wine vinegar
1/8 tsp sugar
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
TT salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix and serve, as above.

*You can modify any of the the dressings to your own taste by adding sugar or a little honey  if you like your dressing sweeter, various herbs that you enjoy, horseradish for a more spicy salad or by using different acidic ingredients (other citrus juices, different flavored vinegar's, etc)

** To shred vegetables, use any slicing device such as a Mandoline that has attachments to cut vegetables into thin strips.I use a Japanese implement, called a Benriner slicer, which is easy to use for a variety of slicing tasks; cutting paper thin slices or cutting strips of various sizes, etc. They can be found at any good kitchen supply store or on line and are an excellent implement to have available in your kitchen. The largest holes on a box grater can be use in a pinch, also.

THINGS I LIKE: Susan's Pulled Pork

I have always loved almost everything  pork - ham, fresh and cured, bacon, chops, ribs, loin, etc.. The one exception was pulled pork, a  popular sandwich, topped with cole slaw, on a bun. It's a big favorite of my wife Susan, however. Recently, she did some pulled pork recipe research in preparation for a party we're having for our friends visiting from  California. Taking ideas from different recipes she looked up, she came up with her own recipe including the Cuban idea of using citrus juice in the marinade. I tasted what she prepared and now have become a fan of pulled pork; but only the one she makes. Below I share her recipe with you.


Ingredient

8 lb. pork butt

Marinade

1/2 C sugar
1/4 C kosher salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
2 C orange juice
5 cloves crushed garlic




Procedure

Day 1:


Score fat cap on meat, place in a lock top plastic bag. Add marinade, squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag. Place in refrigerator overnight, turning occasionally.




Day 2:


Preheat oven to 275 F.


Remove meat from marinade and place in a pan lined with heavy duty aluminum foil.


Cook 6 - 8 hours until fork tender.


Remove from pan, allow to cool for a few minutes and shred with two forks or, very carefully, with your fingers


Serve on a bun with your favorite BBQ sauce and cole slaw










Line a pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, remove meat from marinade

FOOD HISTORY: Sweetened Fried Dough

 Dough, fried, sweetened and used as food, has been enjoyed for many, many centuries. However, it took two independent, historical events to make this possible. The first was the invention of clay pottery. Before clay pots were invented, cooking was done only by roasting food over hot coals. The second development was the Chinese discovery, in 8000 - 5500 BC, of the stone grinder which allowed grain to be pulverized into a fine flour that could be made into a dough. The dough could be baked or fried in a clay pot filled with oil. In the 2nd century BC, the Roman writer, Cato, described a dish called Scriblita, which consisted of moist dough spooned into hot fat and allowed to steam into random shapes. This may have been the precursor to both fritters and doughnuts. A 15th century cooking book - Harliean manuscript of 1430 - described a yeast batter using egg whites which were run down the fingers of the cook into hot fat where they "set" into tangles. When cooked, they were served sprinkled with sugar. It is believed that the art of deep frying came from China to Japan in the 7th - 8th century. However, cooking oil was very expensive so the only places that served deep - fried food were in Buddist temples. It was only in the 17^th - 18^th centuries, that vegetable oil was produced in enough quantity in Japan to be readily available to all people. It was then that the Portugese, who had been trading with Japan from their colony in Macao since 1549, introduced the method of deep frying food to the Japanese. Tempura, the famous Japanese dish of fried seafood and vegetables was a dish adapted from the early Portugese traders in Japan. Further, in 1878, Portugese workers were solicited in Hawaii. The Portugese always influenced the cuisines of the new countries where they worked, settled or traded. In the case of Hawaii, the Portugese workers brought recipes for their fried dough dish, "Malassadas" with them where they became a standard dish still eaten in Hawaii. (In Hawaii they are spelled with only one "s" - Malasadas ). The same was true when Portugese people settled on the East coast of the United States where "Malassadas", known as "Flippers" in Cape Cod, Massacuchetts, are eaten today. Thus, trade and immigration certainly were one of the means by which the knowledge of recipes for sweetened, fried dough dishes were transported around the world. An additional possibility for the development of these treats  arising  world - wide is that they developed independently in different countries using the taste preferences of each country.  Be that as it may, sweetened fried dough dishes are known, eaten and enjoyed the world over. There are probably few countries that do not have a fried dough dish, plain or filled, sweetened with sugar (sometimes other spices), sugar syrup or honey. Some of the more well -  known ones are: Malassadas; Portugal, Hawaii, east coast of US; Bienets - France; Churros - Spain/Mexico; Fritters - world - wide; Loukoumades - Greece; Zeppole - Italy; Oliebollen - Netherlands; Lokma - Turkey; donuts - US/ world - wide; Bamieh - Iran

FOOD TRIVIA: Louis XIV's Dinner

Think you eat a lot!


Louis XIV (1635 - 1715) was recorded to eat, “four soups, a pheasant, a partridge, a plate of salad, sliced mutton with garlic, two lumps of ham, a plate of pastries, fruits and preserves.” at one sitting.


And this was long before "All You Can Eat" buffets appeared on the scene.

The Foodies' Companion II: My New Book

My new book, "The Foodies' Companion II' is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If anyone would like a signed copy, send a check for $20 (cost plus postage) to Ian Alan Holder at 206 Branch Ave, Red Bank, NJ 07701. Include the name to whom you want it inscribed (please print so I can get it straight) and the name and address of the person to whom it should be mailed. I will send it by post within one day of receiving your order. If you like the book after reading it, I would be most grateful if you would write a review for either Amazon, Barnes and Noble or both. Thanks.

The Foodies' Companion II: My New Book

My new book, "The Foodies' Companion II' is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If anyone would like a signed copy, send a check for $20 (cost plus postage) to Ian Alan Holder at 206 Branch Ave, Red Bank, NJ 07701. Include the name to whom you want it inscribed (please print so I can get it straight) and the name and address of the person to whom it should be mailed. I will send it by post within one day of receiving your order. If you like the book after reading it, I would be most grateful if you would write a review for either Amazon, Barnes and Noble or both. Thanks.

THINGS I LIKE: Meatballs

When I was a teenager, I had two best friends, Kivy Gordon and Bob Roberti. Bob's parents were immigrants from Naples in southern Italy and, while they had been in the US for many years, they still retained some of the "Old Country" traditions. Among them was the, after church, Sunday "dinner"  at about three in the afternoon. The multi - course meal, the main part of which Mrs. Roberti had "simmering" for several hours, consisted of 1) antipasto, a small plate with  Italian salami's, prosciutto, provolone cheese, or similar items, 2) macaroni* (NOT PASTA) covered with the tomato - based  "GRAVY" **  in which  meats (beef chunks, pieces of pork, sausage, braciola, and meatballs) were cooked, 3)  the  meats cooked in the "GRAVY", as a separate course,  4) some salad or vegetable, eg. broccoli or spinach sauteed in garlic and olive oil and, finally, 5) some biscotti or Italian cookies. Kivy and I were lucky enough to be invited to these "dinners" on numerous occasions. Mr. Roberti's home made wine was served to the adults throughout the meal while the boys had their wine diluted in  half with Coca Cola. They were all memorable meals but for me the best part, the thing I still  remember most, were Mrs. Roberti's meatballs - light, juicy and delicious. Subsequently, I have eaten huge amounts of  meatballs in peoples homes (Italian and non- Italian) and in restaurants but have never had one equal to Mrs. Roberti's. I have researched meatball recipes, extensively, and, finally, using  ideas from several recipes, have come up with one that comes close, but never equals, those from my youth. With that in mind, the recipe follows.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lb. ground meat (1/3 each, beef (80/20), veal, pork)
3/4 C fresh bread pieces (Country White or baguette)
1/2 C fresh whole milk, more if needed
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 garlic clove, mashed
1/2 C grated Parmesan or Romano cheese***
2 tsp dried oregano
TT salt and freshly ground black pepper

PROCEDURE

Heat oven to 375 F.

Have sauce (gravy) simmering.

Soak bread pieces in milk until all milk is absorbed. Gently, squeeze milk out of bread, then  mix everything together.. I use my CLEAN, WET hands to get a thorough mix. Form into balls the size a golf ball or whatever size you choose.**** Place on baking sheet or other heat proof container and bake for 10 minutes. Drain any fat that has accumulated and add meatballs to whatever sauce (or gravy) with which you are going to serve them Cook until the meatballs are fully cooked;  20 -30 minutes. Serve with sauce/gravy over the pasta (macaroni)) of your choice

.ENJOY!

* The modern word, "macaroni" derives from the Sicilian (southern Italy) term for kneading dough vigorously since early pasta making was a laborious and long procedure. Perhaps this was why some southern Italians referred to the pasta dish in Sunday dinner as "macaroni" rather than “pasta”

 **In Italian, the word "salsa" translates, in English, to "sauce" as in "Salsa di Marinara" (Italian); Marinara sauce (English). Salsa (sauce) has a light, fresh flavor, frequently using garlic, olive oil and tomato. The word, "sugo" translates to "juice" or “gravy" when meat is cooked in a sauce and their juices blend into the sauce. Gravy takes much longer to cook, has a more dense consistency, is more complex and, frequently contains various meats. Thus, the “Sunday Dinner” sauce in which meats were cooked may have been considered, “gravy” not sauce by many southern Italians. An alternate suggestion was that when southern Italians first arrived in the US, they wanted to assimilate and started calling their "sugo" the same thing as other Americans called their meat sauces – gravy.

*** If you are using Romano cheese instead of Parmesan, remember that Romano is more salty than Parmesan so adjust your final salting accordingly.

**** Before forming the meat mixture into balls, take a small portion, flatten it into a patty, fry and taste. By doing this you will know, better, how to adjust the final seasonings before completing the making of the meat mixture into balls.