Gas vs. Electric

I can't believe this is even a debate. cooking on a stove that uses natural gas is a luxury. There is so much more control over the heat using gas and instant on/off compared to electric (smooth-top, coil or even radiant). And, how can you be flashy when cooking on an electric stove....you can catch things on fire. We've been slowly remodeling our kitchen. Last year we replaced the dishwasher and refrigerator. This year we are replacing the electric stove with a nice gas one. It will have 4 main burners, a center oval burner, convention oven and warming draw (mini-oven). We had some guys out to plumb for gas and 110V. So all we need now is the stove to be delivered in two weeks!!!!

Travel is glamorous…not all the time

For those of you who think my travels are glamorous, you are right, it can be. However, it can also be a real pain in the rear. I am now missing an evening at home and getting in at midnight because of flight delays and a missed connection. Unlike the food in Geneva, I had a cheap on-board cheese sandwich and not too much else….just a pear and a small croissant in the airport 7 hours ago. I think I am going to forage for food in the airport..

Farwell Grocerystore meat

I am almost finished reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma. Like “Heat” this book has opened my eyes, this time to how the industrial food chain has shaped American’s diets and how unnatural it is. Ok, so lets be realistic will I still buy food from Marsh, Meijer’s and Sam’s Club? Yes, because more often than not it is the only choice. When I have an option I will choose the healthier and more sustainable path.

Laura and I already get produce delivered everyother week from Farm Fresh delivery (http://www.farmfreshdelivery.com/). We are now going to try to get some meets from the Apple Family Farm http://www.applefamilyfarm.com/. Its amazing that the cost is about what you would pay in the grocery sotre, but is naturally raised and better quality. You can find other suppliers on http://www.eatwild.com/products/indiana.html

It may sound crazy, but these choices of fresh, natural and healthy meets and veggies are actually no more expensive than the grocery store.

Give it a try…it can’t hurt you :-)

Viva Fondue

I finally took the plunge (no pun intended) and went out for Fondue last night. It was a cheese covered night of over indulgence with bread, dried meat and pickles.

Despite all the good food, I can't wait to get home.

Switzerland

Hello from Switzerland!

Its been fun eating my way around the city. I find it amazing that in today's world I can eat so many ethnic cuisines within a 3 mile walking distance. There are so many choices, in fact I haven't even had Swiss food yet....although I must have some fondue before I leave.

So far I have had French, Italian, Thai, Spanish and Indian.

The French was quite good, we went to La Boeuf Rouge http://www.boeufrouge.ch/. I had duck pate, steak with blue cheese sauce and chestnut cake! On another day we went to a different French resturant and I had fresh perch and fries. I am hoping that all this rich food doesn't mean that I gained a bunch of weight, of course I have been walking all over.

On a non-food note, Laura and I watched a film recently about what will happen in the USA when gas reaches $10. It discussed how we will need to change our habits and how things that we are accustom to will change. For instance we probably won't be able to get fresh Asparagus flown in from Chili if gas is $10. So what brought this to mind while in Europe? Well, if you want a glimpse of what $10 gas is like all you need to do is look at Europe TODAY. Gas here is $12 per gallon (diesel is about $7). Everyone has a small car or scooter. No big SUVs !!!! The bus and trams (light rail) are not for the poor or homeless, but are for business people and families. In fact, on Saturday I saw a family bringing home their new 50" Plasma TV on the tram!!!!

Wake up America, high gas prices will happen and its not the end of the world, just change your habits.

Back to food. At the Italian restaurant I had Pizza. It was nice pizza with anchovies. You can't find pizza like this in the US......

The best meal so far was the Spanish food. We returned to a restaurant we found last time called the three kings "cafe trois rois." The best part of the meal was the appetizer. They take shrimp and sauté them with roasted garlic, pepper and salt. The shrimp are great, but mopping up the sauce with bread is the best part. I then had Paella http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paella which was far too much to eat, but ooooohhh so good.

Anyhow, great food and company on this trip. More later

Beware the German Chicken

I recently flew a Lufthansa flight from the US to Germany. Since I am not home I can't adhere 100% to my diet. So when offered Chicken or Pasta, I went for the chicken since protein is better than fat/carbs, right. Well, I have no idea what part of the chicken it was....but it seemed like a piece of bone with skin.....yuk!

At least once I landed and made it to Switzerland I was able to get a great sandwich from a Boulungerie. It had dried ham, cheese and butter on a pretzel roll. I ate it on the 15 min. walk to the meeting. So, travel is not always glamorous...at least not all the time.

A word about Hash

Laura and I went to Cheesecake factory for beunch and I had a fantastic crab hash. Similar to Cornbeef hash, but with yummy crab.

Not only was it great because it had crab, it was the potato preparation. They used red potato and made sure they were crispy. This is in stark contrst to most of the hash out there that is essentialy mashed potato with pieces of meat.

I plee to you....stop the mashed hash!

Peposo Notturno “Pepperiness by night”

Peposo Notturno “Pepperiness by night”

2 Beef Shanks
4 heaping T of pepper
1 T Sea Salt
1 bulb Garlic
1 btl. Chianti

Put everything in a pot.
Put pot in hot oven.
Turn oven down to 200 deg. F
Cook for 12 hours
Server with rustic bread and wine in good company.

Ragu

Ragu

I picked this recipe out of the pages of "Heat".

5 lbs. Cheap Beef Meat (Stew meat)
4 giant onions (red, white, yellow....whatever)
bunch of carrots (with greens if possible)
1-2 bunch of celery (with greens)
Garlic
4c Milk
1 btl. white wine
6-12 Tomatoes (I used a double pack of cherry tomatoes since the flavor is in the skin)
Cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves & lemon zest

1. Dice all the veggies
2. Sauté the onions, add garlic, celery, carrots. cook until they start sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the meat. It will froth up a bit. Stir the meat to make sure everything has separated (no giant chunks). Stop stirring and cook until it sticks a bit to the bottom.
4. Add wine. Stir to get all the caramelization from the bottom dissolved in the liquid. Cook until liquid is gone.
5. Add milk. Stir. Cook down.
6. Add tomatoes. Cover & slowly cook down. Don't let it burn this time.
7. Add spices and serve over pasta!

Just Finished "Heat"

So for my first post I want to tell you what has re-ignited my passion for cooking. I just finished reading "Heat" by Bill Bufford. It's a book about Bill Buford's transformation from a writer to a chef and his friend Mario Batali. The two coolest things I found in this book are what it is actually like to work as a chef in a high-class restaurant. It was really interesting to understand the business and social aspects. Now I know why my sister loves and hates (at times) her career as a chef.

The second cool thing in the book is Bill's time in Italy learning about real Italian cooking and the passion for ingredients. As a culture we have become so accustomed to junk we eat in mass produced supermarket food and chain restaurants. I've always loved to cook, but fell into a bit of a rut in the past few years. I had forgotten how easy it was and how much of a high a simple dinner preparation brings me.

So off to the kitchen, its time to cook. It may not always be complicated, it will be unique, it will be fresh and it will always be fun!