FOOD HISTORY: Dishes named , "a la Florentine".

Dishes listed on a menu or in a recipe as  "a la Florentine" or just "Florentine" are foods, frequently eggs but other items as well, presented on a bed of spinach and topped with a Mornay (cheese) sauce, sometimes sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and browned lightly in an oven. Examples are, Eggs Florentine where poached eggs are placed on a bed of spinach substituting for the Canadian bacon in Eggs Benedict or fish, beef or chicken placed on spinach and topped with cheese sauce." Florentine" refers to Florence, Italy, and the term, as is used, would translate into "in the manner of Florence." The origin of the term comes from an Italian Noblewoman named Catherine de Médici, who was born in Florence, Italy and in 1533, married Henri (Henry), the second son of King Francois I. Henry was the heir-apparent to the French throne and was  known as the dauphin in those days. When Francois I died in 1547, Henry ascended to the French throne and Catherine became the Queen of France. Quite ruthless and justifiably favorable to the the quality of Italian cookery relative to what she encountered in France, she imported her own cooks from Florence and, also, is said to have brought along spinach seeds to grow. She had her cooks make dishes with spinach in the Italian way and this practice became popular enough that it came to be known as "Spinach à la Florentine", to identify the origin of the spinach; eventually, simply as "Florentine" to denote any dish that used a base of spinach in its preparation. Catherine is also claimed to have introduced many aspects of table etiquette to France and to have introduced the fork to that country. Further, her Italian cooks trained what would become the next generations of French Chefs. Her Italian  influence on French cookery  has been credited as to  how French cuisine began to evolve into one of  the great cuisines of the world.

FOOD TRIVIA: About Tea

1) About 165 million cups of tea are drunk daily in the United Kingdom.

2) Britain is the second largest tea consuming nation per capita; Ireland is the first.

3) 98% of British tea drinkers take their tea with milk; only 35% use sugar.

4) Milk was added to tea because early tea cups were made from delicate China and would crack if hot tea was added. Milk was added first, to cool the tea as it was poured into the cup, to prevent this from happening.

5) The British East India Company brought commercial tea production to India in the early 1800's, planting tea in the area of India called Darjeeling.

6) The tea flavored with the rind of the Bergamot orange was named after the British Primer Minister, Earl Grey (1830-1834).

7) During the Battle of Britain, stocks of tea were hidden in secret locations all over Britain to save them from German bombing.

8) While the country which is easily the largest CONSUMER of tea is China, on a  PER PERSON basis, the picture is quite different. The top ten list of tea drinking countries on a PER PERSON basis follows:

1 Turkey
2 Ireland
3 United Kingdom
4 Russia
5 Morocco
6 New Zealand
7 Egypt
8 Poland
9 Japan
10 Saudi Arabia

COOKING TIP: About Salt

Before discussing salt, some understanding about TASTE BUDS must be presented. for many, many decades, we believed that there were only four primary taste sensations; sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Further, it was believed that these four taste elements were distributed in discrete taste  bud positions in the  the mouth. However, in 1908, a Japanese scientist discovered that there was a FIFTH taste which he called, "UMAMI, which was interpreted to mean, "savory", "meaty" or "delicious". UMAMI taste is found in foods containing high amounts of the compound glutamate, the sodium salt of the amino acid, glutamic acid. Thus, we now know that there are five, not four, primary tastes. Some high glutamate containing foods are tomatoes, meat, mushrooms, soy sauce, Asian fish sauce, Parmesan cheese, etc.


In addition, in spite of what we thought about taste buds being "mapped' in specific positions in the tongue, it has been found that taste buds are distributed throughout the palate, although some areas may be more sensitive than others. With this as background, we can learn about how salt (sodium chloride) can influence taste and flavor well beyond just imparting a salty taste.


As you know. our enjoyment of what we eat is enhanced by a number of senses - sight, smell, touch (texture) and taste. In the case of salt, it's use can stimulate several of our senses. A piece of chocolate or a caramel with a sprinkle of sea salt on it , for example, enhances our sight appeal by presenting a contrast in color - white granules on a dark background - on what you are eating. There is a textural difference, as well - a crunch of salt against the rich, soft, melting feel of the chocolate/caramel in your mouth. Further, salt makes certain molecules in your food more volatile, so the aroma is enhanced, thus adding to  your sense of smell.  Regarding the sense of taste, in addition to imparting salty taste to your food, salt also depresses the sensitivity of  your bitter sense perception. Thus, if your coffee tastes bitter, adding a pinch of salt rather than adding more sugar will increase your sense of sweetness. Also, a sprinkle of salt on watermelon makes the melon "taste" sweeter.The salt, itself, does not add any more sweetness to what you are eating but by "dampening" the sensitivity of your bitter taste buds, you PERCEIVE what you are eating is sweeter. Moreover. recent studies have shown that a "sensor" in the taste buds is activated, which allows the sweet taste buds to react more to glucose (sugar), when salt (rather, the sodium component of it) is present. This allows these  cells to register more sweetness. This is why salt is used in candy making to make the candy taste sweeter and why salt is a part of every recipe used in making cakes and other sweet baked items.


We now know, also, for some of the reasons listed above, that the UMAMI taste component of foods containing high amounts of glutamate is enhanced in the presence of  salt. One of the high glutamate foods, rich in UMAMI taste is the tomato.You know that adding salt when eating them intensifies their favor. You know, also, that adding a rind of glutamate-rich Parmesan cheese to a sauce or soup, which always contain some salt, enhances and intensifies the flavor. Now you know why.

THINGS I LIKE: Adobo - Filipino Chicken

When I was taking my Master's degree  at night at Brooklyn College, CUNY, I was working full-time during the day as a research assistant in the Burn Research Laboratory of Dr. Charles Fox. The lab was located in New York's  Bellevue Hospital and was serviced at that time, jointly, by  New York University, Cornell and Columbia University Surgical Departments. Dr. Fox was part of the First Columbia Surgical Division at Bellevue. I joined his lab after getting my BA degree,  taking additional courses required to get into the Masters program and serving in the Army. Thus, I was older than most new, young research assistants in his lab; my age being closer to the age of some of the  surgical residents who were getting research training in Dr. Fox's lab, as well.  Two of these were  from the Philippines: Drs. Ramon DeJesus and Ben Zamora. We became fast friends and they introduced me to the pleasures of Filipino food. Fortunately, probably the only Filipino restaurant in New York City (whose name escapes me) was within walking distance of the hospital. Ramon, Ben and I spent many lunch hours there, where I was introduced to Filipino dishes: Lumpia, Filipino spring rolls filled with pork or shrimp that rival any from Chinese restaurants, Pancit, a wonderful fried, thin rice noodle dish with  meat and vegetables, Flan, a very rich caramel coated dessert custard that differed from Spanish/ Mexican Flans by being more dense, having been made using more egg yolks and condensed milk rather than fresh. The BEST OF ALL, however, was the Filipino national dish, Adobo; chicken or pork braised in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. Simple, easy to prepare with fabulous taste! Recipe follows.




INGREDIENTS


3 Lbs chicken, cut up, or thighs
                    or
1-2 inch squares of pork belly, shoulder or butt


1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 c vinegar*
2 cloves garlic, minced
TT black pepper, freshly ground






PREPARATION




Mix soy, vinegar and garlic in a bowl. Add chicken or pork. Mix to coat. Marinate 15 minutes in refrigerator. Place chicken or pork, with marinade, into a heavy cooking pot. Bring to a boil, mix, lower heat to simmer, cover pot and simmer 20 minutes. Uncover pot and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens and the meat is done; 15-20 minutes more. Add black pepper to taste.






Serve with rice.






* I use white vinegar but rice or wine vinegar, red or white, can be substituted. Each will give a subtle change in the taste but all will give an equally delicious dish.

THINGS I LIKE: Farro Salad

When taking a cooking class with the famous Chef/Salumeria ( one who makes sausages),  Cesare Casella, I was introduced to the ancient grain Farro. The Chef had us make a risotto using Farro instead of rice. The grain was chewy, nutty and totally delicious. In addition, it is very nutritious. It has become one of my favorite grains. In the warm summer weather, my wife and I eat more light dishes, such as salads, rather than our usual much heavier winter dishes. One of the salads I particularly like is Farro salad. The following recipe is one I have put together combining several elements I have liked in some different recipes I have tried.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 C Farro
1/2 C diced red pepper
I/2 C sugar snap peas*, sliced diagonally into 3-4 pieces
3/4 C corn kernels**
1 C cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, both white and green parts
an assortment of various fresh herbs, eg., parsley, basil, chives, tarragon (or others you like), chopped

DRESSING

3/4 C extra virgin olive oil
Zest from one lemon plus 3 Tbsp. juice
1 Tbsp. chopped shallot
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


DIRECTIONS


Fill pot with 1 1/2 quarts of water with 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt. Bring to boil, Add Farro and cook for 15-20 minutes.*** Drain thoroughly.


While Farro is cooking, Make dressing by adding all ingredients together and mix or whisk until completely combined.


Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss with dressing.


Serve cold or at room temperature.




* Blanched 2-3 minutes in boiling water, drained and plunged into ice water until cold; then
dried.


**Sliced off from about 2-3 freshly cooked ears.


*** Cook Farro to your taste. I like mine 'al dente" (with a little chew); if you like it softer, increase the cooking time

THE FOODIES" COMPANION"S COMMENTS.

This recipe was made to suit my taste. It can be used, as is, for your salad or it can serve only as a guideline, as, well. As I have said in many recipes posted on my blog or presented in my second book, "The Foodies" Companion II", most recipes (except for those for baking) are only guides that you can change to suit your own personal taste. For example, if you like Greek flavors, add cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber,diced red onion, slices of Kalamata olives and crumbled Feta cheese to the Farro. Dress your salad with a lemon juice/Greek yogurt dressing and chopped mint leaves and what do you get?  GREEK FARRO SALAD -  OR -  add chunky Salsa (home made or store bought) to your Farro, Add crumbled Cotija cheese and dress with olive oil and lime juice. Garnish with cilantro leaves and you have - MEXICAN FARRO SALAD.  EXPLORE, INVENT, BE ADVENTUROUS, MAKE IT YOUR OWN.

FOOD TRIVIA: Berries

Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit. Antioxidants are responsible for neutralizing free radicals in the body, which can affect aging and contraction of diseases.




The strawberry is the only agricultural product that bears its seeds on its outside.




flavor.

COOKING TIP: Onions and Garlic

To avoid your eyes from "tearing" when cutting large amounts of onions, put the peeled onions in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting. Time carefully: do not let the onion get too hard in which case it may make you work a little harder to slice, dice, etc. The "flash" of cold prevents the release of sulfuric acid which is the compound in the onion that makes your eyes tear. When finished cutting the onion into the shapes you want - slices. dice, etc. - allow the onion to come to room temperature before using. Freezing in this manner will not affect the flavor of the onions.








Making guacamole or salsa? Tame the "heat" of  chopped onions by running boiling water over them just before adding them to your preparation. This treatment will make them more mellow.








Wiping your cutting board with vinegar before cutting onions will help prevent your eyes from watering when you cut them.


To remove garlic odor from your hands, rub them, vigorously, on stainless steel sink or other stainless sink items, eg; faucets, for 30 seconds before washing them