Not My Father's Tea: Hot, Iced, and Colorful

Despite my penchant for coffee, it was not served in my home growing up. Tea was the only hot beverage on tap. My father left each morning with a thermos filled with strong, unsweetened Lipton under his arm.

Scottish grocery merchant Thomas Lipton is credited with bringing his custom blended leaves to the U.S. in the early 1900s, produced from his plantation in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. His claim to fame was transforming the common loose leaf tea (shown in the photo below that I purchased in Hong Kong) to convenient mass produced tea bags. Brilliant!

Today, we have a plethora of options beyond Lipton, and it is helpful to know about the various distinctions to consider when preparing a batch for your summer festivities.

One of my favorite tea brands TWG has amazing retail and restaurant destinations in Singapore and Hong Kong. Since they are now in Canada, you can follow them on Facebook to track when they will be arriving in the USA. Click here to follow: TWG Facebook page

Another option is TeaGschwendner a German firm with a shop in Chicago and their tea is shown in the photo below. You can purchase via their online store by clicking this link: Order TeaGsch here

In Asia, tea is king. Beyond savoring as a beverage, various teas provide medicinal benefits. Try not to add sweetener, but avoid adding milk as it changes the medicinal benefits completely. However, when in Hong Kong, black tea is served with sweetened milk (and sometimes from a nylon stocking), but that's another blog post!

Tea is known as camellia sinensis, and it can be broken down into 6 delicious categories:

1. Green Tea is not fermented, and it has the most authentic taste of harvested tea. It can produce yellow or green color tea. Some of the health benefits include protection of the immune system, cholesterol reduction, and anti-aging. 
2. White Tea is slightly fermented producing a light yellow, delicate, sweet liquid. Some benefits are lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation, and improved skin complexion. 
3. Yellow Tea is lightly fermented producing a yellowish green liquid. Some benefits include detoxification, antibacterial, and antioxidants. 
4. Wulong Tea is semi-fermented producing a golden brown color and a rich, sweet aftertaste. Some benefits include aiding in digestion, strengthening the immune system, and helping reduce weight.
5. Red Tea also known as Black Tea, Darjeeling or Ceylon is highly fermented producing a reddish brown liquid that is smooth and sweet. Some benefits claimed are helping to prevent Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, lowering blood sugar, and preventing coronary disease.
6. Black Tea also known as Pu-er, is post-fermented tea that is dark, rich, strong, and smooth tasting. It is known to help reduce blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and help to prevent Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. 

Given all the proclaimed health benefits of tea, this is a great summer time beverage to explore in your grocery aisle, purchase online, and order at your favorite tea or coffee shop. You can serve these colorful options hot, cold, and even to your dad!

TWG Jasmine tea, Lipton loose leaf, TeaGschwendner, and expanding Rose bud Pu-er tea purchased in Singapore.

Tricky: Rice Crispy Treats

Three ingredients, no bake, no gluten, no trouble? These crunchy, perfectly sweetened chunks of nostalgia are my go-to treats for family members avoiding gluten. Topped with a dash of rainbow sprinkles, my grandchildren look at me like the star-worthy chef that I wish I was. . .

Imagine then my disappointment when I found myself up-to-my-elbows in stickiness, as I was throwing together a quick batch last week.

Since I wanted to capture this familiar recipe for this blog, I attacked the recipe on the back of the generic box of cereal with the finesse of a seasoned inspector. The recipe cannot be easier, as listed below, and I've made hundreds of batches over the years. However, I am sharing the things NOT to do when making these All-American favorites.

Here are some useful tips:

• Never make these treats with children! The butter and melted marshmallows are extremely hot and could burn even adult cooks.
• Use a stainless steel, not too heavy, pot to melt the butter and assemble ingredients so you can lift the pot to scoop the mixture to the dish you plan to cool it in.
• Do not use a cup to move the combined ingredients to the cooling dish. See my disastrous attempt in the picture below.
• Always mix these sticky ingredients with a rubber spatula, not a wooden spoon, and use wax paper or parchment paper to protect your hands when pressing into cooling dish.
• Do not refrigerate bars when cooling at room temp for 15 minutes before cutting into bars. After they are cut bars can be refrigerated overnight as they have butter in them. 
• Always cut the bars using a serrated edge knife - a steak knife works perfectly.

Despite these warnings - these treats are loved by everyone!!

Read entire recipe and instructions first.

Rice Crispy Treats (makes 12 large bars)

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 packages of miniature marshmallows (20 ounces total - a staple I purchase at the Dollar Tree store)
1 box 12 ounces of generic or name brand Rice Crispy cereal


Method:

In a large stainless steel pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows constantly stir until melted. Remove from heat and add the box of cereal. Quickly transfer the mixture to a 9 X 13 inch pan or serving dish sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Scoop the hot mixture with the spatula and use a piece of wax paper or parchment paper to press the hot mixture into the pan. At this point top with colored sprinkles if you want.

Cool at room temp 15 minutes or longer. Cut into bars as shown in photo.

Enjoy!

Do not scoop with coffee cup! Yep, showing off my Starbucks mug I purchased  in Cannes, France!

Cool in pan at room temp before cutting.

Cut into bars using a serrated knife - DELISH!

Free! Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Cooks of a certain age remember the fake news story well. Years ago, there was a rumor that a customer at the restaurant in Neiman Marcus (serves wonderful food if you haven't been) enjoyed their chocolate chip cookies so much that she asked the chef for the recipe. When her monthly account statement arrived in the mail, she was charged $250. Well, it was not a true story, but it was so ridiculous it spread quickly.

Today, in part to dispel the rumor, the NM website publishes the recipe. You can read if for yourself at the link below (you can shop there, too!).

When Julia Child was living in Paris in the 1950s, and in the 1960s when she stayed at her home in Provence, she traveled with her favorite baking chocolate chips from the USA! They were the one ingredient that she could not find a French equivalent substitution. This recipe from NM showcases the lovely pellets of gooey, rich chocolate that Julia loved!

The cookies are delicious because of the higher content of brown sugar and the addition of powder espresso or instant coffee. As I've said before, chocolate and coffee are a perfect marriage. Baking cookies is an easy and memorable activity to do with children of any age.

One trick I recommend is to double the recipe. Bake half and refrigerate the other half of the dough in plastic wrap overnight. You can get the shape of a log by placing the plastic wrapped dough log in an empty paper towel roll sliced open as seen in the photo below. It forms a perfect shape. . . like the refrigerator cookies people purchase, but better.

The next morning, while the oven is preheating, you can easily slice the cookies and place on the cookie sheet. Even if you prepare the dough and let the children cut the cookies it will make them feel like they are baking. You can also freeze the log just defrost overnight in refrigerator when ready to bake. See my notes at the end of the recipe for changes I made to the original NM recipe here.

Yum!

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the link below)

Ingredients for 2 dozen. Double for 2 batches.

1/2 cup butter softened (one stick)
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda, and salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder (I use instant decaf coffee)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Beat butter and sugars till smooth using mixer. Add egg and vanilla. Add coffee powder. The NM recipe adds dry coffee with the chips. Since espresso powder was made to be rehydrated I tested, and it blends into dough better when added to the liquid portion. Mix dry ingredients. Add to liquid. Turn off mixer and add chocolate chips by hand. Form cookies using a soup spoon for consistent shape as shown in photo.

Bake at 300 for 20 minutes. This is lower temperature than most chocolate chip cookie recipes. Cooks perfectly, but cool on silicone sheet or in pan. Moving them immediately they will fall apart.

A few tips: Let cookies cool on the silicone sheet or pan before removing. Very gooey at first. I use 1/2 chips and 1/2 chopped baking chocolate one 3.5 ounce bar (50 - 65% cocoa) as these cookies have so much sugar the combo of semisweet and dark chocolate is perfect. I also use 1/2 all purpose flour and 1/2 ground oatmeal (by grinding old fashion oatmeal in my mini Cuisinart). Always testing for perfection!


Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies Website

Cooling on mat before eating - using chips and chopped bar leaves speckles of chocolate in every bite!

Dough ribbon stage includes dry coffee before flour

Add flour and dry ingredients

Add chocolate by hand

Make log using paper towel roll for cutting cookies

Ready to refrigerate

Ready to bake 300 for 20 minutes

Cookie log slice and bake YEP using the $1 bench scraper from this post click link:
Julia Child Must Have $1 Kitchen Tool

Notre Dame

The world grieved as our Grande Dame suffered the tragic fire last month. People of all faiths appreciated her place in history and her endurance during countless social and political upheavals. I share my hommage below, the pièce de résistance of my teapot collection, in remembrance. We can all  look forward to the restoration and reopening years away.

Until that day, when we can see her memorable facade in the skyline gliding down the Seine on a Bateau Mouche, I offer a perfect tourist stop at Notre Dame in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As seen in my postcard below, the Basilica Notre Dame garnered a gothic revival style when it opened in 1682, after 10 years of construction. Many of the original architectural features remain, as well as some improvements including a bell tower. For more information select the link below.

Like the city of Montreal itself, French is the primary language for Mass, which surprised me when I was there last spring. There isn't an entrance fee to attend church services, but guided tours are reasonably priced, and you will be approached at the door for that service. In the evenings, there is a great laser display show projected inside the church for a nominal fee.

In London, Westminster Abbey has an admission fee and St. Paul's Cathedral charges 20 euros per person. It makes sense to keep these historical buildings in good repair. Nearly 14 million tourists a year visited Notre Dame Paris. If there was a visitor fee that could have generated 280 million euros (at 20 euros a person) - a healthy sum to maintain such a treasure. I predict that when Notre Dame Paris reopens there will be an entrance fee to fund needed maintenance.

While in Montreal, you will enjoy a vibrant food scene. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time. A great place to stay is the former Hyatt Regency, now a Doubletree (link below),  a short walking distance to Notre Dame, Chinatown, and Old Montreal. It is connected to one of the wonderful underground malls and transit systems.

Montreal is a great walking city with delicious neighborhood spots, such as Schwartz's Deli, click link at end. Shown in the picture below, their famous smoked beef (like corned beef) sandwiches will make you cry - they are that good! Around each corner you will find vibrant art displays like the quirky image below on a neighborhood building.

Great food, great shopping given the conversion rate to the dollar, and a quick flight from Chicago, New York, or Florida, make a compelling case to visit Notre Dame Basilica Montreal and to keep the spirit of Notre Dame Paris alive in our hearts.

Notre Dame teapot

Enormous Smoked Beef (like Corned Beef) Sandwich 

Quirky Artwork on Building near Schwartz's

Links:

Notre Dame Montreal

Doubletree Montreal

Schwartz's Deli Montreal

Best Pie Crust Ever by David Letterman's Mom: No Joke!

With Easter and Passover cooking a fond memory, nothing sounds more delicious than a simple, fruit-filled pie! With a fresh crop of strawberries ready to pop up, or if you have a few pounds of last summer's frozen blueberries nearing retirement, just grab 4 cups of your favorite fruit and you are ready to roll!

Now, we can tackle the most delicious and fool-proof pie crust recipe ever thanks to David Letterman's mother, Dorothy Mengering. In her book, Home Cookin' with Dave's Mom, published in 1996, the pride and joy of Carmel, Indiana, and frequent guest on her son's talk show, Dorothy's cookbook is one of my favorites. The recipes are simple, authentic, and the photos and stories capture charming memories in Indiana with her family and famous son.

Dorothy credits many friends and family for the recipes she shares. Her pie crust recipe appealed to me as it included egg yolk and lemon juice components of my grandmother's excellent pie crust recipe from childhood on her aunt's farm in Lowell, Indiana. I knew Dorothy was on to something! As you will see below, you do not have to chill the dough before rolling, and you do not need a food processor or any tools beyond a fork and a rolling pin!

Vegetable shortening is the centerpiece of this recipe, and even Julia Child's pie crust calls for 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening, but Dorothy's recipe takes the cake, so to speak. The fat content just makes pie crust crispy - it's a must. Pie crust is so versatile besides fruit pies, you can make quiche by partially pre-baking a pie shell before adding eggs, cheese, and vegetables.

This truly is one recipe to keep handy, and it is definitely a Letterman's Top Ten!

Flaky Pie Crust (Home Cookin' with Dave's Mom page 150, adapted)

Makes top and bottom for 1 pie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening (I use Crisco at room temp see photo)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cold milk

Method:

Combine first four ingredients in a bowl chopping in shortening with a fork as shown in photo. Separately, combine egg yolk, lemon juice and milk. Pour liquids into flour mixture to form a ball. Divide ball in 2 (using the bench scraper you bought for $1 at Dollar Tree see this post  Must Have $1 Kitchen Tool ). Roll one of the dough balls to place inside the pie plate you will be baking in. It just fine if you need to patch it in no one sees the bottom! Add fruit filling, suggestions below. Roll out the next ball of dough to cover top. Slit top for air to escape.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 450 degrees.
Reduce heat to 350, and bake 35 minutes. If crust becomes too dark, add a collar of foil to the edge when you reduce heat to 350.

Filling suggestions:

4 cups of fruit, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour. For blueberries add 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Strawberries 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. For apples, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg. Play around with other fruits fresh or frozen. Frozen bring to room temp before combining these ingredients.

YUM!

Fruits of your labor!

Step 1 mix dry ingredients with Crisco

Step 2 add liquid with fork form a ball.

Divide dough in half using your $1 scraper!

Rollout one portion of dough on floured surface with floured rolling pin.

OK if you need to patch the crust into pie plate! No shame it is delicious.

Crisco vegetable shortening comes in easy to cut sticks like butter.

Blog Milestone: Guess the Most Popular Post?

Thanks to all of you, my blog has been viewed 1,000 times!

I thought it would be a perfect moment to let you know a little bit about the community of readers that have found this cyber spot. Viewers are from 10 countries around the world with the USA being the largest contingent. More than half of the viewers use an iPhone which is why I chose to use a dark background with white text. This color scheme helps reading in sun light, and it also limits blue light.

The most popular post was the Baileys Irish Cream story about the production in Ireland, places to stay in Cavan County, and the two easy recipes using the product. It had twice the number of views as any other post. Since that original posting, I added more photos.

I also renamed one of the recipes. . .  Bailey-os . . . take another peek! It is delicious, easy, and an attractive presentation using Baileys, Cool Whip, and Oreos. It is MY completely original recipe. As you will see in the photos, the mixture of Baileys and Cool Whip by itself can be used as a topping to fruit, ice cream, pound cake, or as a light version of Irish Coffee by adding dollop to a cup of coffee.

You may be looking for a great adult Easter Dessert. It needs to sit overnight for the cookies to meld into a soft cake-like texture. Truly magic and delicious! Click the link below to go directly to that post.

Finally, thank you very much for taking the time to follow my Meandering blog and for the positive, clever comments you have shared with me along the way! Please continue voting with your fingers by sharing this blog with your friends and family. Let's cook!

Baileys blended into Cool Whip - add a dollop to coffee for Light Irish Coffee!

Click here to go to:

Baileys Irish Cream Blog Post

Must Have $1 Kitchen Tool: Thanks to Julia Child

Julia Child gets much credit for bringing cooks into the kitchen in a period of time when frozen convenience cooking was popular in the 1960s. I believe her greatest introduction was the use of handy tools to make cooking less intimidating. She was known to be quite the gadget collector, a habit I, too, have picked up over the years.

During one of her early The French Chef series Julia shows the audience how to use a French pastry scraper OR she suggests picking up a putty scraper at the local hardware store for about $1! She shows the audience the two scrapers, and they are similar. In the 1960s, I am certain few kitchens stocked a traditional French scraper. I received my scraper shown here as a gift 45 years ago, and it has held up. Today, the tool can also be called a bench scraper, bench knife, or dough scraper.

This is such a handy device that can be used for pastry, bread dough, or cutting brownies, Rice Krispies treats, and bar cookies. The best part is you do not have to spend $25 + on this JC recommended tool. You can find an all steel version, which you can run through a dishwasher, for only $1 at the Dollar Tree store! If you are not near this store (a little gem of hidden gourmet finds) you can order a case of 24 on line delivered to your home at the link below. After keeping a couple for yourself, you can make 20+ friends and family members very happy by gifting them this must have tool, along with the Julia Child story. Easter basket stuffer?

While you are shopping at Dollar Tree, not just for their amazing selection of balloons, check out this imported Basil Pesto made in Italy that is delicious on pasta or gnocchi. It is great served on top of breaded chicken cutlets or as a condiment on grilled panini sandwiches. It's only $1.

Another great find is this Himalayan Pink Salt, at 7.5 ounces it is packed in South Africa and can't be beat for $1. Both of these items I have given as unique and useful hostess gifts.

Bottom line, if Julia Child could send cooks to the hardware store for a pastry scraper, let's not be uncomfortable heading to our local dollar store for some great kitchen devices and random, unexpected surprises along the way!

Bon Appétit!

My 45+ year old pastry scraper (bread made this morning - a future blog!)

Great use of tool and note this price available from King Arthur Flour website.

A steel scraper - a STEAL at $1 at Dollar Tree!

Guess what the bunny is gifting?

From Dollar Tree store Basil Pesto & Himalayan Pink Salt each $1.

Shop for scraper on line at Dollar Tree:

Dollar Tree Scraper

Easy Fresh Pasta: No Tech Tagliatelle Two Ingredients (+ bits of salt and water)

Cooking technology has grown dramatically since Julia Child entered our homes on The French Chef in 1963.

Like many, I purchased the pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer, which is great for making large quantities of pasta. This recipe requires NO technology only a rolling pin. If you don't have a rolling pin - I've seen people use an empty clean wine bottle as a rolling pin. Sometimes reverting to "old-school" methods just makes sense and requires less clean-up.

In cooking classes in Verona and Venice, both cities used similar measurements for delicious pasta. The pasta can be shaped into any style you like once combined including lasagna sheets and ravioli. Tagliatelle noodles are long and about 1/4 inch wide, pictured here that I made in both locations. This recipe serves two people, and it can be doubled or tripled for up to six servings.

(Larger portions would be easier using a pasta machine or mixer attachment. If using a pasta machine or the Kitchen Aid attachment (photo below), instead of rolling the two pasta balls, put through the machine six times to arrive at the proper thin thickness before cutting noodles or using mixer attachment. The rest of these instructions are the same from that point.)

Fresh pasta cooks much faster in boiling water than purchased pasta. Also, fresh pasta has much less salt, so it is necessary to heavily salt the boiling water before placing the noodles in. The water should "taste" like sea water. There is no comparison in taste between handmade, fresh pasta and boxed - you owe it to yourself to make this once to be convinced!

Read all directions first.

Pasta alla Venice and Verona
(serves 2, time required about 90 minutes with resting and cooking, can be made same day or day before)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
pinch salt
1 tablespoon room temp water (at a time)

Method:

On wood or stone surface, place all the flour make a hole in the middle of pile.

Place egg in middle of flour hole, add pinch of salt and the tablespoon of water.

With a fork, begin by beating the egg mixture and slowly draw in the flour to form a ball. Add small amounts of water if too dry.

A ball should form quickly.

Kneed the ball for 10 minutes. Try not to add too much flour to surface the dough should be sticking together like Play Dough texture. Kneeding is important as it releases the gluten from the flour to prevent noodles from rising during cooking. Be rough! You can throw it down on the surface. It needs a complete 10 minutes to make the perfect noodle.

Place ball in plastic wrap leave at room temp and let it rest for 30 minutes (you, too)

Divide the ball into 2 portions.

Rollout each into a rectangle shape very thin. Italians say you should be able to read the newspaper through your dough then it is thin enough for shaping noodles. Leave uncovered on work surface.

Rest for 10 minutes.

Shaping for Tagliatelle:

Fold the rectangle starting with the short end until it forms a strip see photo below.

Cut into 1/4 inch strips as shown in photo. Puff them up gently in air and let them dry out on a piece of floured parchment paper. In Venice the noodles were left overnight, and in Verona they were boiled  after resting 30 minutes. Both methods worked just fine. If leaving overnight, place tray of pasta uncovered in the refrigerator to continue drying. This is the difference between using eggs in Europe and eggs in the USA. I'll skip the science.

Cooking:

Boil large pot of water. Before adding noodles put 2 tablespoons of salt to the water. Cook until done about 3 minutes sample for doneness first. Drain add a few pats of butter as show. Top with Meatless or Meaty Ragú recipes posted earlier. Here are the links:

Meaty Ragu Recipe

Meatless Ragu Recipe

Finished pasta for 6!

Tagliatelle close up of below line cut.

Tagliatelle cut from line folded pasta.

Tagliatelle dry out before cooking 30 minutes or overnight; 6 servings shown here.

Device for Kitchen Aid no rolling required!

Meaty Ragú alla Venice almost 30 minutes

When you need to please your carnivores, here is a perfect, authentic Italian ragú that has a few more ingredients including ground meat. I am sharing this wonderful recipe I prepared in Clara's charming home in Venice, and she was the ideal chef to help me cook this hearty Venetian ragú.

I did not speak Italian, she spoke a little English, and we both shared a few phrases in French. Our morning began with a bit of pantomime, a huge helping of Google translate on Clara's iPad, and gobs of laughs! We became life-long friends over the delicious food we made on her huge marble table and cozy kitchen ensemble.

The love of cooking expresses itself effortlessly in all languages, doesn't it? Julia and Paul Child found that to be true when they moved to France, Germany, and Norway in the 1950s, and I was lucky enough to find it in an off the beaten path neighborhood in Venice, thanks to Clara.

When I pulled out my iPhone to snap our processes, Clara clearly said, "No photos - cook!" Always the good student, I had to comply. And, this was very hands on with just the two of us preparing ragú, fresh pasta, and tiramisu (easy link to that post recipe after the last picture).

The ragú assembly will take about 10 minutes, and then it will cook at medium heat for 30 minutes while you prepare pasta or polenta. We made fresh Tagliatelle pasta, and I will post that recipe soon. It will deserve your full attention. Clara showed me the tip of boiling water in an electric kettle before  adding it to your pasta pot. Saves at least 5 minutes cooking time. So smart!

Like the meatless ragú recipe, these few ingredients highlight their individual flavors. I like that it makes just enough for one meal instead of making a tank full that lasts days.

NOTICE: NO GARLIC (not a mistake)

Meaty Ragú alla Clara

Ingredients:  Serves 4

1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced shallot (or onion)
Olive oil for pot
3/4 pound ground sirloin or combination beef and pork (needs a little fat)
1/4 cup red wine (something you would serve to drink with this meal, Chianti or Amarone)
1/2 bottle of passata (12 ounces a whole bottle is 24) this is uncooked tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons butter


Method:

Grind celery, carrots, and shallot in a food processor.
Add 4 pips of olive oil in a pot turn to medium heat.
Add the processed vegetables.
Cook 3 minutes.
Add ground beef and brown over medium heat.
Once browned add red wine and reduce heat a bit.
Cook 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 bottle passata tomatoes and the tomato paste. (if too thick you can add more passata now)
Cook 30 minutes until dense and stir periodically.

Add a folded piece of parchment paper or wax paper between the pot and a loose lid. French cooks call this a cartouche, and they use it in place of a lid. Clara did not call it that though, and she used it in conjunction with the lid. Don't put the lid on the whole pot just cover it a bit to avoid steaming. The paper will keep the ragú from splattering, and it will control evaporation.

After 30 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

Add the butter to the ragú before serving allowing it to melt on its own. Lightly blend it in then.

First bridge, second in background to cross on my walk to Clara's Venice home

Chef Clara

Marble work surface ready for pasta production

Tiramisu

Dark Italian Coco powder - lots! Recipe on my post click here:
Donna's Tiramisu post recipe

Meatless Friday: Real Ragù 4 Ingredients in 30 minutes

In Verona, Italy chef and cookbook author, Maria Cristina Tabacchi (shown here) explained to our class that every region of Italy has their own custom for making Ragù or tomato sauce. In the south, sauce cooks all day creating more density and sweetness, as opposed to this northern version that cooks quickly with fewer ingredients highlighting the rich tomato taste.

Across the country, Ragù is traditionally served on Sunday, though this Ragù comes together so quickly it is perfect any day! During this Lenten season, meatless meal ideas take center stage. This recipe is so easy and quick you will never purchase ready made jar sauce again!

Chef Cristina's philosophy is the fewer the ingredients, the better each flavor can be showcased. You will agree!

Verona Ragù

Ingredients: (4 generous servings)

Passata bottle (690g)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of one bulb garlic chopped or smashed
8 basil leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried if desperate

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Note: Various Passata brands shown like the one below can be found near the can tomatoes at the grocery. Passata is uncooked tomato sauce requiring cooking. Can tomato sauce is precooked and doesn't taste as fresh.

Heat oil medium heat in frying pan to create a larger cooking surface than a pot. Add garlic chopped or smashed and heat, but do not brown it will become bitter. Add 4 basil leaves. If using dried wait and add dried with passata. One minute or less.

Add bottle of Passata, stir and heat until it bubbles. Add dried basil if not using fresh. Reduce heat to medium. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 4 more basil leaves to sauce before serving. Cook 25 minutes.

During this time cook pasta. A quick tip is first heat water in an electric water kettle. This will boil in 4 minutes as opposed to stove taking at least 7 minutes. Pour hot water into pot, add hearty sprinkle of salt to water and prepare pasta as direct.

Delish!

Raw tomato passata small fresh garlic bulbs compared to one large store garlic bulb

Chef Maria Cristina Tabacchi

Verona Italy cooking school

Aldi & Trader Joe's: Carnaroli Rice, Wine and more in France, Italy, Ireland, and Your Neighborhood!

Aldi Ireland was a familiar site driving through Cavan town in 2017. I stopped to grab bottled water and to checkout the offerings. Known for modest prices, limited, specific stock choices, and little advertising the German-based grocery store with gross revenue above $50 billion (10 times more than McDonald's gross revenue) has been in the U.S. since 1976. Three years after arriving on our shores, they sent over their offspring, Trader Joe's. If you were unaware of their relationship, now you know, and you can give parent Aldi their due respect!

The Irish Aldi had similarities to the U.S. family and fascinating differences as well. First, the eggs  are not refrigerated as in most European  grocery stores. There is science for that which I will skip, just know it's safe. You can purchase magazines and newspapers along with the usual fare and local favorites like a full line of Cadbury products cookies, candy, and hot chocolate. Their shopping cart system requires a refundable 2 euro coin unlike the 25 cent coin here. Foreigners beware!

At the Verona, Italy Aldi I purchased so many goodies I had to make three trips. Complete with a 0,50 euros coin operated modern espresso machine in store (shown here),  I found Italian carnaroli rice, used in my risotto cooking class in Verona for 1,89 euros for 1kg. On Amazon, a box this size sells for $10 or more. The wine selection was so vast they handed out this 67-page booklet. . . I'm still reading it!

Aldi in Grasse, France, had its own unique twists. I am certain they offered more wine than food items. The selection and quality of cheese surpassed the many shops in tony Antibes, AND they had golden fresh croissants. I could not pass up these almonds sold under the Trader Joe's brand. Like Italy, France carried my favorite Dolce brand of LavAzza ground coffee not available for sale in the U.S. I grabbed a few bags at 2,79 euros knowing they would pass TSA inspection.

Today, Aldi has 1,600 stores in the U.S. and a growing presence in suburban areas including a recently announced partnership to open inside some Kohl's locations. Now, every trip to my local Aldi takes me back to great memories of my European shopping sprees, as I pack up my goodies in my Aldi Italy grocery bag.

People collect Trader Joe's reusable grocery bags ($1) from different cities in the U.S. It's a thing. I bought the TJ's Chicago bags for Christmas gift bags, and they were quite popular and practical. I was happy I picked up this bag from Italy (1 euro) and regret not buying them in France and Ireland. When you are lucky enough to find yourself in a foreign city, look up Aldi and stop in for your memory shopping bag, and I bet you will find treasures to fill it up!

Wine Italy booklet 67 pages in-store selections 

Espresso coffee machine inside Aldi Verona Italy
LET'S PETITION TO BRING TO USA!

Aldi perfect cappuccino for 0,50 euros!

Only 1 euro buy a few!!

Grasse, Provence, France

France selling Trader Joe's almonds

Aldi's sold Dolce by LavAzza in Italy, France