Kitchen Wisdom

 Egg Dish

Egg Dish: photo by Cliff Hutson

You always have a meal when there are eggs and leftovers.

Just Good Food: Soup

 Winter is coming!

And, I am thinking about soup.

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

Reading Log: March 2024

 Better late than never?

March 2024 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories," Elmore Leonard

"The Seed Detective," Adam Alexander

"The Secret," Lee Child and Andrew Child

"Basketball for Dummies," Richard "Digger" Phelps, et al.

Potager Garden

A French Kitchen Garden

Radish: photo by Cliff Hutson

The French kitchen garden or potager, has mixed vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs dates back to medieval times. It is, at heart, basically an ornamental vegetable garden that is productive yet ornamental. Often flowers (edible and non-edible) and herbs are planted with the vegetables to enhance the beauty. The goal is to make the function of providing food aesthetically pleasing.

Plant What You'll Eat

A potager should be designed to bring beauty into the utilitarian food garden, so start by planting what you like to eat and cook.

These are some of the plants that we have used over the years:

Radishes

Garden Fresh: photo by Cliff Hutson

Radishes come in numerous varieties, varying in size, flavor, and color. They can be eaten fresh, roasted, sautéd, or pickled.

Basil

Basil: photo by Cliff Hutson

Basil is a fragrant herb that tastes great in many dishes—especially homemade pesto. 

Chile de Arbol Peppers

Chile de Arbol Peppers: photo by Cliff Hutson

Chile de Árbol means "tree chili" in Spanish, a name which refers to the woody stem of the pepper. They are small and thin Mexican peppers, growing to 2-3 inches long and less than a ½ inch wide. When they mature to a bright, vibrant red, they are ready to be used.

Chives

Chives in Flower: photo by Cliff Hutson

A perennial plant that is a small relative of the onion. The leaves and flowers are both edible. 

Eggplant 

Eggplant Basket: photo by Cliff Hutson

An annual vegetable, few vegetable plants are handsomer than eggplant. My favorite way to consume the fruit is Eggplant Parmesan.

Parsley

Bolted Parsley: photo by Cliff Hutson

Parsley is a popular herb often used in American, European, and Middle Eastern cooking. Not really all that attractive when it flowers, the leaves of many varieties can be quite ornamental as well as tasty.  Use them to elevate the flavor of dishes like soups, salads, and fish recipes.

Squash

Summer Squash: photo by Cliff Hutson

This edible annual comes in two forms:  Summer squash which is picked and cooked in an immature stage such as scalloped white squash, yellow crookneck, and zucchini. And, winter squash which have hard rinds. We prefer the former. 

Tomatoes

Tomatoes: photo by Cliff Hutson

The tomato is a gift to Europe from the "New World" as a part of the Columbian Exchange . (The Eastern Hemisphere got tomatoes, chili peppers, cacao, peanuts, and corn. The people living in the Americas got smallpox, measles, typhus, and cholera. But, that is another post.)

It is difficult for some of us to think of life without tomatoes. They may be the most widely grown garden plants edible or otherwise. As my Aunt Dagmar was won't to say, "There are only two things that money can't buy. One is true love. The other is homegrown tomatoes."

Tomato Flower: photo by Cliff Hutson

 

National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

  National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day 

Grilled Cheese Sandwich: photo by Cliff Hutson

April 12 has been set aside to observe National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day in the US of A. As this sandwich will go well with everything, soup, salad, corn chips, or what have you, why not go ahead and have one to mark the occasion?

Simplicity Itself

Really, all that is required for a classic grilled cheese is white bread, butter and Cheddar cheese slapped together and heated in a nonstick pan. (Although, as can be seen in the accompanying photos I am fond of using a grill pan.) Just proceed as follows:

• Spread one side of a slice of sandwich bread with butter 
• Place bread buttered side down with cheese on top in skillet
• Butter the another slice of bread and place on sandwich buttered side up
• Cook until crisp and deep golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes per side
• Flip sandwich back to first side to re-heat, about 15 seconds
• Serve

Variations

Grilled Cheese with Tomato: photo by Cliff Hutson

There are various ways to to add a little pizzazz to the basic sandwich. An easy one would be to use mayonnaise instead of butter to coat the bread. The bread can also be changed out, I like to use sourdough.  And, an additional filling such as tomatoes, vegetables, or a meat can be a plus.

Grilled Jarlsberg & Turkey Sandwich: photo By Cliff Hutson

Although, now that I think about it, my Grilled Jarlsberg & Turkey Sandwich could arguably be called a Turkey Melt instead of a grilled cheese.

Save the Date

Bologna Sandwich: photo by Cliff Hutson

You should plan ahead to make a bologna sandwich for lunch on October 24 as it is National Bologna Day.  

A Diet to Stay Healthy and Happy?

What should we eat?

Healthy Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson

Many experts suggest that a Mediterranean-style diet made up of fruits, vegetables, extra-virgin olive oil, yogurt and cheese, nuts, whole grains, seafood and lean red meat, and the elimination of fried and processed foods is best for us. That diet provides the nutrition our brain needs and supports good bacteria in the gut.

Other Suggestions:

Some nutrients are particularly helpful. Here are some examples, and which foods supply them.

Vitamin B6: An ingredient needed to produce serotonin, the main neurotransmitter that regulates mood and sleep. Too little serotonin is associated with depression. We need Vitamin B6 every day from our diet.

Sources: Pistachios. Garlic. Salmon and tuna. Chicken. Spinach. Cabbage. Bananas. Sweet potatoes. Avocados. Whole grains.

DHA: The main omega-3 fat in the brain. It promotes production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a hormone that protects neurons and promotes the birth of new brain cells.

Sources: Wild salmon. Oysters. Anchovies. Mackerel. Mussels.

Prebiotics: Foods that the good microbes in our gut need to stay alive.

Sources: Onions. Asparagus. Artichokes. Garlic. Bananas. Oats.

Probiotics: Live bacteria and yeasts that replenish the good bacteria in our microbiome.

Sources: Yogurt. Sauerkraut. Kefir. Kimchi or other fermented vegetables, such as turnips, cucumbers or carrots.

However, at bottom, the most important thing we can do is to focus on the overall quality of what we eat, rather than single nutrients or foods. Try to include more nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes and lean proteins. Limit foods that offer lots of calories but little nutritional value.

Food Friday

Two Photos I Really Like

The theme of my Photo-A-Day project this year is "Notice the Ordinary", which was inspired by a quote from Charles and Ray Eames. I had in the back of my mind that it should not include any food photography as that was the premise I used for last year. But, that idea went out the window in a hurry. Then this week I came up with two photos that I think I really nailed and feel compelled to post on this blog.

Vegetarian Noodle Bowl

Vegetarian Noodle Bowl: photo by Cliff Hutson

This is one of those times I am probably feeling too pleased with myself. No recipe was used, I just took what I had on hand and tossed it together in proportions that seemed right to me. It is a real fusion, too. The soba noodles are presumably Japanese, but these were made in China. The soy sauce is a Japanese brand, but the plant is in Wisconsin. And, zucchini and string beans are not very Asian. But, that is OK as I sautéed them instead of doing a stir fry.

Santa Barbara Salad

Santa Barbara Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson

There is nothing too imaginative about this; a mixture of Escarole, Endive, and Radicchio lettuce with tomato and Feta cheese. But, I like the lighting and the depth of field. It was very tasty, as well. 

Food Friday

piatto della pasta

piatto della pasta: photo by Cliff Hutson

Pasta integrale con gamberetti e peperoni rossi

Po Boy

Dining in the Big Easy?

"Po Boy": photo by Cliff Hutson

Another one of my photographs has shown up in an odd context. This article on restaurants in New Orleans uses a photo I took of a sandwich I made as an illustration of a proper Po Boy sandwich.

I have never been to the "Big Easy". But, maybe I should relocate and start my own food truck.

Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Shrimp & Avocado Salad by Cliff Hutson

Shrimp, Hass avocado, and Roma tomatoes on hearts of Romaine lettuce with Italian dressing

Resolutions

I am sure that many of us take a moment or two on New Year's Day to reflect upon the past year and to ponder what's to come in this one. And, of course, it is also a time of resolutions.

My resolution record for 2013 was not so great, abysmal even. I had only a 41.07% completion rate. While .411 would be incredible for a MLB player, it is not so good in real life where one really needs to accomplish some goals to keep moving ahead. Hopefully, 2014 will be better.



It got off to a good start. I got up, exercised, took the dog for her first walk of the year, came home, and cooked a healthy brunch. But, it is always easy at the beginning. The trick is to keep slogging away as the days drag past.

Many others had similar plans about walking, hiking, and biking. The parking lot for the trailhead was  full and the overflow lot was half full. I will bet that by the end of February we won't see that again.

Anyway, here is to new beginnings, and regular updates to this blog.

Travelstart France Blog

I use a tool called "Google Blog Search" to alert me whenever someone uses a photograph of mine from my Flickr site; where I am known as 'The Marmot'. This is a recent occurrence.

The gist of this post, I am told, is that seeing my photograph reminded the author of a great meal the he had in Marrakech (or Marrakesh, as I know it). The post describes the restaurant and notes that it is owned by a group of women.

This photo is of a home cooked meal made by my late wife, and as about as far from Morocco as one can get. Both this dish, and the cooking vessel in which it is traditionally prepared are called Tagine. Susan actually used a Dutch oven as basically a tagine is a slow-cooked stew braised at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce.