Epiculinary

2009-08-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

PANZANELLA
This is a simple, delicious salad that can also be served as an antipasto. One or two-day old bread coarse white country bread (unsalted) to which very fresh vegetable are added along with excellent olive oil and good vinegar. To select only best quality is the secret of this dish! This is the basic version but there are many local versions of Panzanella (depending on the vegetables to your disposal) Better if prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for several hours. Remove from refrigerator about half an hour before serving at room temperature

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Italian unsalted country style bread, 2 days old, in slices
2/3 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
3 T good quality red wine vinegar (to taste)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 lb fresh, firm, ripe tomatoes, cubed, about 5 cups
1 small onion, thinly sliced
15 fresh basil leaves, washed, drained on paper towels and shredded, a few extra for garnish
salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Soak the bread in cold water to cover for about twenty minutes
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing of oil, the 2 vinegars, salt and pepper: whip with a fork to combine thoroughly.
Remove bread from water, squeezing out as much moisture as you can (help yourself with a clean white cotton dishcloth). Coarsely crumble the bread into a large serving bowl.
Add the tomatoes, the onion and the basil. Add a little dressing at a time till all ingredients are well coated. Test for seasoning. Garnish with a few whole basil leaves. Buon appetito!

For more information on Walking & Cooking in Italy

Blogging your way to profits?

2009-07-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

I recently was offered two free bottles of Country Bob's all purpose sauce both to try and to blog about. I'm one of those people who are true to their word so here I am blogging.

About the sauce: well it's like a Heinz 57 but a little more intense. We tried it as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken. Not bad, but as I said a little bit strong. I think it would make a good ingredient in recipes rather than a stand alone sauce.

What intrigues me most about this product is not the actual taste but the marketing. If you google Country Bob's you'll find several blogs on the product. These were presumably all people who were offered free product and asked to blog about it. I wonder what the success rate on that? How many people take the product and blog about it compared to those who just say yes to a freebie without the write-up? Don't know but it seems to be an effective way to get the search engines to find your name.

So here I am blogging about Country Bob's. Not raving about the sauce...but I'm sure this blog will show up in the search engines.

Pisco Sour...the new Mojito?

2009-07-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

Seems like everywhere you went over the past couple of summers the drink of the moment was the Mojito. From the traditional recipe to variations made with 7-up (horror!) and other ingredients Mojitos seemed to be the "in" cocktail. (Remember Cosmopolitans?) Well move over Mojito...there's a new cocktail in town and it comes from one of the hottest culinary destinations in the world. It's the Pisco Sour.
Originally from the town of Pisco, pisco is a distilled liquor is made from a range of eight different grapes. Often times it is mixed with fruits and spices to create delicious cocktails. The most famous drink is the Pisco Sour. Epiculinary's tour to Peru includes a Pisco Night in which you enjoy a Pisco tasting and learn to make delicious pisco drinks.

INGREDIENTS
3 parts Quebranta pisco
2 parts sugar syrup
1 part lime juice
1/8 of an egg white

Ice
3 drops of Angostura bitters

DIRECTIONS
Place all the ingredients, except fo the bitters, in the order listed in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 15 seconds. Strain and serve in a chilled glass. Add 3 drops of Angostura bitters.

The Accidental Activist

2009-06-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

It was my first time in Cusco, or Peru for that matter, and I found myself knee deep in a political matter of local concern. Funny thing was, it happened to be a “matter” which affects my business…that is, travel.

We had just arrived in Cusco and after a nap and some cocoa tea the first order of business was to take a city tour with a stop at the cathedral. Our guide, in addition to explaining about the city’s history, also informed us that there was a fight going on in congress regarding the certification of Peruvian guides. According to our guide, one congress person had proposed doing away with any sort of education for licensed guides. Currently guides must undergo 4-6 years of higher education to become certified of licensed.
As he’s explaining the situation our driver arrives at the plaza in front of the cathedral and we emerge from the van to the shots and whistles of a huge crowd of a hundred or more people. I quickly glean that these are tour guides and their catcalls told me that we were going to cross the picket line with our guide. I’m thinking this is not good, so I just sort of hide behind my sunglasses.

As we walk to the entrance of the cathedral our guide speaks with one of the leaders of the movement. I do not know what he said as I do not speak Spanish. But he then hands me the bull horn and tells me “They want you to talk Catherine.” My reaction was not to say no. Not to say I can’t do it. No, my reaction was to ask again for him to summarize the issues. I repeat them silently in my head, grab the bull horn and turn to the crowd. My fellow travelers are looking at me with dumfounded, altitude induced wonder. (In other words they had no idea what was going on). For a minute I am nervous but tell myself, ‘You are good at public speaking.’ (Yea, right.) Then the words spill forth…” HELLO! WE ARE FROM THE UNITED STATES. (pause…silence…the catcalls and whistles stop) WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE PROPOSAL BEFORE CONGRESS AND WE DO NOT AGREE WITH IT.” The crowd erupts in cheers, waving their signs. Then, seizing the moment and maybe feeling a bit of the rush that some other South American female political leaders have felt before a crowd, “WE…ARE WITH….THE …TOUR GUIDES!” The crowd cheers, applauds, waves their signs. I, feeling even more empowered, raise my fist in triumph. And with that, I return the bull horn and we go into the cathedral.
Needless to say both I and my travel mates were shocked and humored by what had happened.

We went into the cathedral, saw the silver, gold and art, and started to wonder if maybe I might become a political target! (JK) We also figured that by offering me to speak we successfully crossed that picket line. Meantime, I found it difficult to concentrate on the guide’s words because in my head, I was silently composing my next political speech. I mean, you never know when you might be asked to lead a crowd…

The next day, my people (the tour guides) were camping in the square, ready for their next protest. We meet our guide for the visit to the Sacred Valley. Apparently I made the local news. He told us that part of my speech was used as a sound bite in a report on the protest. The reporter indicated that my views were what American tourists think. Oh really? Well I guess that as the owner of a tour company I believe that educated, licensed guides, are extremely important. I just wasn’t ready for my new role as leader (albeit for five minutes) of an organized political protest. Hmmm…it was fun. I wonder if they want me to come back. I’ve got my second speech ready.

"Voluntourism" Popular New Way to Travel

2009-03-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

President Obama recently called Americans to action, saying that we as Americans have a duty to serve our communities and fellow citizens. That call to service has reached all the way to the travel industry as we see more and more travelers wanting to combine vacations and volunteer work.

The newly coined word for this travel niche is "voluntourism" and I recently had a chance to participate on a trip to New Orleans. While there at the Education Travel Conference, I and a few dozen other participants paid a nominal fee to volunteer in the 9th ward for the day. The neighborhood was devastated by hurricane Katrina and three and a half years later continues to struggle to return to normalcy.

Our day started with an introduction to the volunteers of a non profit organization called OnSite Relief whose mission is to provide relief to families devastated by natural disasters. They also aim to provide not only a fulfilling volunteer experience, but an exposure to the culture and allure of the cities that the organization aids.

A bus took us to the 9th ward where we met James Brown, a homeowner who was in the process of making his home habitable again. Most of the group stayed at Mr. Brown's house either painting the exterior or cleaning up the rubble in the yard. Several others were sent to another work site to help dry wall. Within six hours the yard was clean and the entire outside painted with at least one coat. Mr. Brown was so appreciative and we all truly enjoyed the cultural exchange. His stories about the hurricane and the friends he lost brought the catastrophe up close and personal.

Later we met a family who had been bilked of their relief money by an unscrupulous contractor and left with their home unfinished and uninhabitable. Onsite helped the family and we were able to hear both their gratitude and their stories of the volunteer crews that helped them.

The conference was great but the experience I had volunteering really resonated and in fact, friends and family asked about that the most as opposed to Mardi Gras or the cooking class that I took.

As more and more Americans answer the call to service volunteering is becoming a wonderful way to give back but also to interact with local cultures and people on a very personal level, especially when travelling. In fact if you are interested Epiculinary will arrange volunteer experiences for our participants wherever possible. By the way, we were told that it will take 10 more years for New Orleans to really recover. At this time, Galveston is in serious need of help.

Here's a link to Onsite Relief, one of the many volunteer agencies working in New Orleans:

http://onsiterelief.com/

Saving the Cala

2009-02-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

cala[kah-LAH]

The word "cala" comes from an African word for "rice," and refers to a deep-fried pastry made with rice, yeast, sugar and spices. Calas resemble small, round doughnuts without a hole and are usually sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Well that's the official definition, but what I learned recently in New Orleans is that the humble cala can be any type of fritter that is composed of rice and other ingredients. They can even be of the savory sort and do not have to include yeast.

At a recent cooking class with Chef Frank Brigsten in New Orleans our first course was crawfish calas, made with baking powder instead of yeast and accompanied by a delicious homemade Russian dressing. They sort of reminded me of hush puppies made with rice.

It seems that the dish was almost extinct but Chef Brigsten and others are trying to resurrect it. I heard that it has been nominated or else is already on the Slow Food Ark . Anyone know the status of that?

While not a hit at Brigsten's restaurant, the recipe was a definite delight at the cooking class. I wolfed mine down and would have eaten more but needed to save room for the etoufee and jambalaya. I will definitely make it at home! (Recipe to follow...sorry folks but I left it in New Orleans in the hub bub of Mardi Gras)

MONGOLIA...GOURMAND'S PARADISE?

2008-08-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Food is where we find it. Whether traveling to Lyon France or to the far away Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, the intrepid culinary traveler always seems to stumble upon a food adventure worth tasting and talking about.

Normally my travels take me to those culinary capitals that are on every gourmand’s list…Florence, Paris, Napa and even to more exotic destinations like Bangkok and Saigon. Trust me, I love my job. But when I’m not staying in gorgeous villas and being wined and dined by the best I pay good money to rough it. Yes, I actually pay people to keep me away from everything that we love about the 21st century.

With this in mind and coming up on a big birthday, I informed my partner that we would spend two weeks in Mongolia over the summer. His reply? “I don’t get it. But I trust you. Let’s go.” Thankfully he didn’t need much more convincing than that. Other friends of mine were equally perplexed which led me to wonder, why DO I want to go to Mongolia? It wasn’t for my job as owner of a culinary tour company. No, this trip was for my love of wide open spaces, horses, and adventure.

First of all, let’s get this out of the way. I do not eat meat. A gourmet who doesn’t eat meat? Yes…it is true. But, traveling to a meat eating culture? Yes…that too is true. So I diligently packed my protein bars and vacuum packs of tuna and set off on an adventure of a different sort. Food was not supposed to be on the agenda. Little did I know…you can’t escape it.

We set off on a five day camping expedition in the Terlj National Park, north of the capital. Leading the trek were a horseman, our guide Bulgaa, and a cook. While I was finally given his name at the end of the trek, we all called him “the cook.” Cook worked tirelessly from sunrise to sunset preparing all sorts of local dishes. On the first morning, I was awakened by the familiar sound of a knife chopping on a cutting board as our cook prepped for the day’s menu. After chopping a variety of root vegetables we watched him roll out dough which was then cut into noodles for what was called Mongolian “noodle soup” or Guriltai Shul. The same dough was transformed into meat pies or Khuushuur. These tasty meat pies (mine was made with fruit and cheese) are sold on every corner in the capital and seem to be very popular at wrestling matches. For us, they were a part of a picnic taken on a horse trek high in the mountains where we explored a crumbling monastery.

A word about Mongolian cuisine. While Mongolia is the least populated independent country on the planet, with plenty of wide open green space, the summers are short and there’s not a lot of time to grow vegetables. Harsh winters dictate that the Mongolians, a nomadic culture, eat a lot of protein and fat. So the traditional dishes are filling and hearty.

In the summer, when milk is abundant the nomadic diet centers on dairy products. I had read about airag, or fermented mare’s milk, and of course jumped at the chance to try it. Killing tie as we waited for a truck to pick us up on Terij, we set off on a walk across the steppe. Bulgaa spotted a ger with mares and foals and decided to take us for a visit. Hospitality is a big part of the nomadic culture and we were immediately invited in the family’s tent for a taste of airag and some snacks. Tradition dictates that visitors be offered a cup of airag upon arrival at a ger. Most Mongolians will drink the entire cup but thankfully it’s only necessary to take one sip before returning the cup to your hostess. What does it taste like? Think of the sourest, gamey yogurt in a liquid form and you get an idea. Along with the mare’s milk we sampled salty tea (Suutei Tsai), cheese curds (Aruul), clotted cream (urum), and some homemade biscuits.

We also were able to watch and learn about the process of making the airag. First the mares are milked. This is quite a project as one person has to hold the foal so that the female horse thinks the baby is nursing. The whole family got involved, even the teenagers home from university on summer break. The milk is then placed in a large leather open sack, which is then stirred often for a couple of days so that it can ferment. The stuff almost holds a mythical place in Mongolian culture. Our guide’s father goes to the countryside every summer just so he can drink mare’s milk for his health.

As we returned to the capital, we saw many roadside stands selling airag in liter bottles. Cars crammed with families and bearing the Mongolian flag crowded the road as practically the entire population migrated to UB (Ulaanbataar) for Nadaam. Herder’s trucks loaded with goats and sheep were stopped alongside the road as buyers came to pick out an animal for slaughter. No meat processing plant here…the livestock was slaughtered on the side of the road and prepared for sale or for a family celebration in the city.

UB was hopping the night before Nadaam. We threw our backpacks in our room, hopped in the shower, and set out for a well deserved meal at an Indian-Mexican restaurant. After five days on the steppes, the prospect of dinner in a restaurant was mouthwatering. You can find a surprising number of international restaurants in the capital, serving everything from Korean to California cuisine. While the idea of fusing Indian and Mexican cuisine is novel, it works for Los Bandidos. I feasted on Ghinggiss beer and Saag Paneer while my partner enjoyed lamb stuffed burritos and a margarita.

Nadaam was all that I hoped it would be. While it is an athletic competition, it is also an incredible display of Mongolian pride and tradition. Watching soldiers carrying the state flags on horseback and hearing the drum beat of war, it was easy to imagine the days of Ginggis Khaan and past glories of this now small independent nation. From Mongolian wrestling to horse racing and archery we got a special look into the culture and history of the country.

What better way to cap off a day at Nadaam than to have dinner at California restaurant? While I normally wouldn’t chose to eat in an American restaurant, it was on our tour itinerary and I thought it would be fun to see how our cuisine is interpreted by other cultures. The menu offered hamburgers and French fries, club sandwiches, grilled chicken sandwiches, and smoothies. Our guide told us the restaurant is particularly popular with young Mongolians who like to go there to make contact with Americans.

After Nadaam we headed to the Gobi desert, a vast barren land that covers a good portion of southern Mongolia. It seems like to go anywhere in the desert you have to drive three hours. And it is not easy driving…our Soviet vehicle handle the terrain well (there are no roads) but I soon found out that the padded 70esque ceiling was more than just decoration. There are a few towns in the Gobi but most tourists stay in ger camps which are sprinkled across the desert. At our first camp we enjoyed a lunch of steamed dumplings and carrot salad. As a non-meat eater I received double portions of the potatoes and carrots. That night we had more meat and potatoes. I had purchased a bottle of Chinggis vodka…Bulgaa and our driver were happy to share a shot while I enjoyed a vodka tonic.

One of the must see sites in the Gobi are the singing sand dunes where you can climb to the top and also experience a camel ride at the base. The herding family who owns the camels graciously offered more airag…interesting to taste as the horses in the desert eat a different type of grass. In fact I was surprised that they are a lot fatter in the desert. The herder explained that the reason is because motorcycles are now being used to herd livestock and the horses aren’t being worked as much. The other theory is that the grass is richer in the Gobi. Either way, the airag wasn’t as strong and a little more palatable. Could it be that I was getting a taste for it? Nah…..

We had to delay our camel ride as a sand storm blew in from the north. A mix of rain, wind and sand, the storm created amazing colors against the sand dunes. While the herder battened down the hatches of his ger, I stayed inside playing with a week old goat that the family was keeping safe until it grew bigger. It turns out wolves are a very big problem for herders in the desert, eating livestock even during the daylight hours.

Our last night was in what was billed as a five star ger camp. There was a bar, a nice shared shower room with incense and candles, a spa, and in our ger our very own box of dung to burn in the stove. The food was traditional with a fancy spin on it. I would say it was just ok.

We flew back to the capital and were delighted to put on clean clothes and go out for our farewell dinner. This time it was in Hazara, a northern Indian restaurant serving what it called frontier food. We order plates to share…naan, curried chicken, grilled chicken shish kabob with lemon ginger, and tsatsiki. It was absolutely delicious and a welcome change from the ubiquitous meat and potatoes.

With free time the next day before our flight to Beijing, we wandered the city and stumbled on Luna Blanca, a restaurant that advertised itself to be vegetarian. While I was dubious, my partner encouraged me to check it out. It was really cute and at 11:30 already had a big table of customers eating lunch. I said we would come back but the hostess advised it would be filled and noisy within an hour. We stayed and what a great find it was! I was finally able to taste some of the traditional dishes that I longed to try but couldn’t due to the meat factor. So I ordered the Mongolian plate with buuz (small steamed dumplings), bansh (larger boiled dumplings), and khuushur (meat-less fried pies). They were all filled with a vegetarian protein along with onions and some spices. I ate half and took the rest on the plane with me to Beijing. We also ordered vegetarian kabobs and a traditional soup with dumplings. All delicious. We were so starved for vegetables that we ate the garnish!

Having fulfilled my need for vegetables I did not head straight to the salad bar at our airport hotel in Beijing. No, the only thing I really needed at that point was a glass of chardonnay…or two. We toasted our adventures, from horseback to Russian vehicle, and dreamed about our next getaway. Whether we plan it or not…somehow it will involve food.

Eating My Way Through Vietnam

2006-09-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am an expert at combining the pleasures and passion of food and travel. In fact, it’s my job. From prosciutto and pasta in Italy to tapas and tortillas in Spain, I’ve eaten my way through many hill towns and villages. While life on the culinary road is never boring, it was time to try something new. I needed an inspiration. Asia beckoned. But not Thailand or China. No, those culinary byways have already been explored. It was Vietnam that called to me. So I gathered a group of like-minded adventurers and we hit the gastronomic road and took off for what is soon to be one of the hot travel destinations for food lovers.

First stop, Hanoi. Teaming with cars, rickshaws, and people there is no doubt you have stepped into another culture. The sounds are different; the feel is different, and oh yes, the smells are nothing like what we Westerners are used to. On every corner, there is a street kitchen; each specializing in a different dish. Locals rest on their haunches, holding a bowl of steaming soup or noodles to their mouths. Men share green tea at low tables, sitting on what look to be children’s stools. It’s all I can do not to stop and try the local dishes, but we have diligently read our travel books and know that it would be dangerous to sample food from these roadside cafes.

As I always do in a new city or country, I head to the market to get a feel for the local cuisine and culture. One stand specializes in making rice paper, another in fruits and vegetables. I see exotic produce that I’ve never encountered before…dragon fruit with its bright red spires; Rambutan, which looks like a hairy lichee. Then there are the bowls of squirming eels and exotic fish. Chicken is nowhere to be found as the country had to slaughter most of its poultry due to the outbreak of bird flu.

We had our first taste of Vietnamese cuisine that night at one of Hanoi’s best restaurants. Located on the second story of a former French villa, the Emperor is like walking into another world with its temple style dining room. We were served one delicious course after another; in fact, it was a little difficult getting used to the rapidity with which the waiters delivered the meal. The staff must have thought we were crazy when one member of our group asked them to “slow down!” But we were soon to learn that bringing several courses to the table at once is the Vietnamese way. It was the perfect introduction to Vietnamese cuisine—wonton soup, fresh spring rolls, grilled tiger prawn, grilled beef in Betel leaves, steamed grouper in sauce and fried Water Morning Glory with garlic. Dinner ended as most do, with fresh tropical fruits.

I just couldn’t wait to try my hand at Vietnamese cuisine and I had my chance the next day at the Sofitel Metropole’s renowned cooking school. We were met outside the hotel by the sous chef, who handed us traditional conical hats to wear. After boarding individual rickshaws we headed for the main market to shop for our ingredients. Then it was back to the kitchen to prepare a Vietnamese feast: grilled chicken skewers with lemon leaves, banana flower salad, Hanoi deep-fried spring rolls, sautéed pumpkin branches with garlic, steamed ca qua fish with beer and herbs, and marinated pork grilled in bamboo! The lesson was mostly demonstration but we all had a chance to practice rolling the spring rolls. I was surprised at how easy and delicious the recipes were. A generous tasting followed the lesson. As we were led out of the kitchen, we noticed the blackboard where the menu for a state dinner for the King of Cambodia was posted. We were surprised to learn that lunch at the restaurant was also included (we thought the tasting was the lunch and definitely had filled us up!)

From Hanoi, we traveled north to Halong Bay which is famous for its thousands of monolithic limestone islands. The best way to tour the bay is by junk; these traditional boats with colorful sails dot the water and take passengers among the islands on an incredible two day journey. One of the highlights of the trip was pulling up to a floating village where we visited a family who lives on the water and makes their living by fishing its waters. Meals on the junk featured the freshest seafood you’ve ever tasted. My favorite was crab, simply steamed, served with a paste made of garlic, salt and lime. I couldn’t eat enough of it!

After Halong we flew to Hoi An, a charming riverside town known for the 18th century pagodas, houses and assembly halls built by Chinese immigrants. What I will always remember about the Hoi An is the smell of incense. All along the streets shop owners burn incense and place offerings of food outside their homes and businesses. The town is magical at night, with folk music and lanterns paving the way down its pedestrian-only streets.

The culinary highlight of Hoi An was our visit to Tra Que. This tiny little village is known for its fresh vegetables, which are found in markets all over the country. A guide took us into the fields where we met a local farmer, Tuan, who explained ancient ways of farming vegetables (without pesticides). We were then guests at his house for lunch which featured cold Vietnamese beer (fantastic) and a dish which is only served in Tra Que for special guests called Tam Huu. It’s a type of spring roll with fresh mint, tiny shrimp, and local vegetables. Tuan and his family were delightful; especially the grandmother who giggled and stared at us, telling her son that Westerners looked so different. In addition to farming the family sells handcrafted pillows which are stuffed with an herb to help you sleep. We bought several to bring home to family and friends.

Of course we had to visit the Hoi An market and by this part of the trip I knew what I needed: nuoc mam (fish sauce and the key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine), spring roll seasoning, and maybe one of those special knives they use to carve up the banana flowers for banana flower salad. I decided the knife wouldn’t pass security but stocked up on fish sauce. We went from the market to a charming restaurant on the banks of the Thu Bon river where we had a private hands-on cooking lesson featuring an array of traditional dishes. I began to be most impressed by the delicate flavors of Vietnamese cuisine, its contrasting textures and the use of fresh vegetables. It really is the healthiest Asian cuisine.

Our journey ended in Saigon where we enjoyed a half day cooking lesson at the Vietnam Cookery Center. Located in a Saigon residential area, the school’s interior features a traditional Vietnamese kitchen along with individual cooking stations for students. A lively lecture about Vietnamese food and tradition preceded our session, in which we learned to cook spring rolls, sour soup with snake fish, steamed rice in coconut juice, and dipping sauce. Each student ate what they cooked; cold Vietnamese beer was available at an extra cost.

We left Saigon at night, boarding our flight to Narita around midnight. I had packed my market goodies in my carry-on as I always do— this time instead of olive oil and Chianti I was bringing home nuoc mam, spring roll seasoning, incense, & chili sauce. But when we went through the x-ray machine there was a problem. Three security officers wanted to search my bag. What could they possibly be looking for? As they conferred and searched they seemed to have found the culprit…the bottle of fish sauce. They were saying something to me I didn’t understand. They took my fish sauce! Finally someone who spoke English explained that they were checking to make sure it was sealed and wrapped before I was allowed to bring it onboard. It seems there have been more than a few visitors to Vietnam who tried to bring back fish sauce in unsealed bottles and the resulting spill and odor was so pungent it made people sick on the airplane. Convinced that my bottle was properly bagged and sealed, I was allowed to bring the treasure with me. It now occupies an important place in my kitchen cabinet and is essential to the Vietnamese recipes I love to share with friends.
Tagged with
food, travel,
cooking

Panzanella Recipe

2006-06-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

With summer finally here, I thought I'd share a recipe that comes to us from our Walking & Cooking vacation in Italy. While there are many versions of this recipe, Epiculinary's version is the original!

Panzanella Salad (Salad with bread, tomatoes and onions)

Region : Tuscany, Umbria (a summer dish)

Preparation : Easy

Ingredients for 6-8 persons

This simple, delicious salad that can also be served as an antipasto. One or two-day old bread coarse white country bread (unsalted)works best, to which very fresh vegetable are added along with excellent olive oil and good vinegar. Select only the best quality ingredients. This is the basic version but there are many local versions of Panzanella (depending on the vegetables to your disposal) The recipe is better if prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for several hours. Remove from refrigerator about half an hour before serving at room temperature.

What you need :
1 lb Italian unsalted country style bread, 2 days old, in slices
2/3 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
3 T good quality red wine vinegar (to taste)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 lb fresh, firm, ripe tomatoes, cubed, about 5 cups
1 small onion, thinly sliced
15 fresh basil leaves, washed, drained on paper towels and shredded, a few extra for garnish
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soak the bread in cold water to cover for about twenty minutes
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing of oil, the 2 vinegars, salt and pepper, whip with a fork to combine thoroughly. Remove, squeezing out as much moisture as you can (help your-self with a clean white cotton dish-clove). Coarsely crumble the bread into a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, the onion and the basil. Add a little dressing at a time till all ingredients are well coated. Test for seasoning. Garnish with a few whole basil leaves. Buon appetito!

Tagged with:
Italian Recipes,Travel,recipes

For more information about Epiculinary's Walking & Cooking Tour:
www.epiculinary.com/ita_walking.html

Taste of Vietnam: Spring Roll Recipe

2006-01-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

TASTE OF VIETNAM

This year Epiculinary introduces an incredible culinary adventure to exotic Vietnam. Participants will learn to prepare authentic Vietnamese dishes with world renowned chefs as they explore this unique country with a diverse culinary heritage.

Spring Rolls are prepared just about everywhere these days, but we really liked this authentic recipe from our cooking school in Vietnam:

Spring Rolls

1.5 oz. minced pork
1 oz. crab meat
1.5 oz. minced prawns
½ oz. dried ear mushrooms
1 – 1.5 oz. taro (or can be substituted with sweet potato)
A small of amount of chicken stock
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. chopped spring onions
1 tsp. egg yolk
1 tsp. chopped shallots
6-8 pieces of rice paper
1 cup of coconut juice or beer
Cooking oil for deep-frying

For the stuffing: in a bowl, place the pork, crab, prawn, taro and ear mushrooms. Then add the shallots, spring onions, sugar, chicken stock, pepper and egg yolk. Mash them together until the consistency is that of a smooth paste.

Spread a little coconut juice evenly on the surface of the rice paper (but not too much). Fold the edge of the rice paper about 2 inches in towards the center. Then place 1 teaspoon of the stuffing on the space folded. Start folding the left and right side of the rice paper into the center. Then roll up tightly from the bottom edge away to the far end.

Deep-fry the spring rolls in a pan over a low heat until lightly browned. Serve with lettuce leaves, fragrant leaves, herbs, rice noodles and fish sauce for dipping.

For more recipes from Epiculinary travels:
http://www.epiculinary.com/recipes.html

Tagged with
food, travel, recipe, cooking

Unwrapping the Bounty of Sonoma

2005-09-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

While the locals think the town has not escaped tourism, I was delighted to visit Healdsburg, California and feel like I was not part of the hustle and bustle of nearby Napa. We went to experience first-hand Epiculinary's Bounty of Sonoma, a four day culinary vacation that takes participants out of the kitchen and into the fields, wineries, and markets for a different kind of cooking experience. Making the trip even more memorable was the fact that the Food Network's popular Unwrapped came along to film an upcoming special on culinary vacations.

Healdsburg is an interesting wine town located in Northern Sonoma. Some of Northern California's most famous wine appellations are here including Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek Valley, and Russian River Valley. Visiting the town plaza on Tuesday night, which is locals night (they have a weekly band and farmer's market on this day, when most of the tourists have returned to San Francisco or parts beyond), I noticed an

interesting mix of wealthy winemakers, Mexican immigrant workers, and fading hippies.

Since the town was packed, we walked from restaurant to restaurant trying to find a place to eat. We finally got a table at Restaurant Charcuterie just off the plaza. Known for their pig collection, the restaurant features down home French influenced cuisine. My partner loved his dish with polenta and local goat cheese. My blackened chicken caeser salad was okay.

We couldn't wait to return to our plump four poster bed at 410 Matheson, an elegant and sophisticated inn just a five minute walk from the plaza. The owners, Larry and Dee, have transformed this former convalescent home into one of the chicest inns in town. The rooms feature Bose cd players, huge televisions, four poster beds and incredible bathrooms.

Next day, the big Unwrapped shoot! We started by visiting Tierra Vegetables, an unusual farm run by a brother and sister team and specializing in sustainable crops. They grow over 20 varieties of chiles and sweet peppers, but our focus that day were the strawberries. Our culinary group picked and ate our quota!

Berries in hand, we travelled via van to our next location, Shyster Creek Vineyard. Ross Stromberg bought the 120 acre property in 1998 and has transformed it into a Tuscan landscape. This is where we had our first cooking lesson with Kevin McKenzie, executive chef of Dry Creek Vineyard. Kevin McKenzie launched his career at the beginning of the California Cuisine movement, working alongside such notables as Jeremiah Tower and Jonathan Waxman. He spent several years in Los Angeles as a caterer and private chef for the entertainment elite, orchestrating such events as the Academy Awards Governors Ball three years in a row.

Forming teams, we tackled Kevin's wine country menu with gusto. The menu took advantage of locally grown products and the best of Sonoma wine country: Grilled Sourdough Bruschetta with Heirloom Tomato Jam and Goat Cheese or Tuscan White Beans and Caponata; Summer Green Salad with Terra Sonoma VerJus and Da Vero Olive Oil; Cedar Plank Ggrilled Sonoma Coast Halibut with Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette and Chardonnay Infusion; toasted Sardinian Couscous with Garden Vegetables; and Bellwether Farms Ricotta and Laura Chenel Goat Cheese Tart with Heirloom Strawberries.

Kevin's enthusiasm and yes, patience, with his cadre of amateur cooks made the morning pass quickly. As we cooked, the crew from Unwrapped filmed, making it a truly festive event. I teamed up with a surgeon from the DC area to make the cedar plank salmon. It was the perfect dish for my cook-mate; she excelled in cutting mathmatically correct dices of the heirloom tomatoes. I seemed to be less skilled; my cutting technique learned from watching my mother chop and dice as she whipped up Southern favorites. This really seemed to make Kevin nervous; I've seen that look of fear on other chefs faces as I have travelled around the world and picked up a knife in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong; I'm a great cook. But my knife skills are serviceable at most.

During the lesson I was pulled aside for my interview with Unwrapped. The entire crew made it easy for me; thanks to them for doing the interview early so I could enjoy the wine that Ross paired with the luncheon! Then it was a la tavola to taste our efforts. The salmon was incredible, if I do say so myself. I'd read a lot about cooking on planks but had never done it at home. The method infused the fresh fish with a woodsy smoke flavor but left the meat uncharred. (Hint: do not use any old piece of wood sitting in your garage for this!) The tart was a fitting end to the lunch; the strawberries so good we ate them from a bowl after the dessert was cleared.

I was still full that night, but with only two nights in Healdsburg, we had to try Willie's Seafood, a hip tapas bar that features fresh seafood tinged with a Latin flavor. First on my list to sample was the Tuna Tartare. It lived up to its reputation; the combination of jalapenos, cashews, ginger and coconut milk provided the right mix of hot, sweet and crunchy. We also noched on a wine country cheese plate and some really good fried calamari washed down with a Russian River Chardonnay.

The next day we were off to another cooking lesson, this one in the Roshambo Winery. I guess I'm a little behind the times because I did not know that "roshambo" is California slang for "rocks, paper, scissors." The winery uses that theme cleverly in their marketing materials. The first thing we did when we walked in the winery was to check out their tee shirts and hats. With pulsing rock music behind us and surrounded by contemporary art, we tasted Roshambo's wines and were very pleased with the Zin and the unoaked Chardonnay.

After a tour of the vineyards we returned to the kitchen for a cooking lesson with Chef Nitsa Knoll, who worked at the Ritz Carlton as lead cook and trainer in both the restaurant and Garde Mange kitchen. She has instructed at the California Culinary Academy, set high tea for British Royalty, and, most recently, established a catering business called Sonoma Culinaire specializing in intimate gourmet occasions. Our menu again, took advantage of Sonoma's bounty and featured the following: Smoked duck with Mango Relish on Crispy Won ton; Mixed green salad with Roasted Peaches, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette; Brined Roasted Pork Loan with Roasted Summer Vegetables; Crepes with Chardonnay-Poached Figs. Besides learning some fantastic recipes, Nitsa gave us some great time-saving tips that we'll all use at home. Making the crepes was the most fun; we all became experts in a matter of minutes and had a lot of fun doing it. Lunch was served on Roshambo's terrace overlooking the vineyards, and accompanied by Roshambo wines.

I've been to a lot of cooking schools in a lot of places as I scout for new Epiculinary vacations. But I have to say that I was really impressed with the effort our partners at Relish put into this trip. The logistics of a "moving classroom" are very difficult but there wasn't a glitch. It added another dimension to the experience to be out of the classroom and among the growers and winemakers who create the ingredients that go into Wine Country Cooking.
Tagged with
food, travel, cooking

How to Choose a Culinary Vacation

2005-08-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's start with the obvious...you've dreamed of learning to cook pasta in Italy or making the perfect mole in Mexico. You are on the Internet and you are inundated with all the choices out there. How do you choose a cooking vacation from the myriad of choices out there?
First and foremost there's the question of budget. What are you willing or able to pay? Cooking vacations range from a few hundred to several thousands of dollars. Have an idea of what you want to spend.
That said, price is driven by accommodations and inclusions. Do you want to stay at a five star hotel, or are you the type that wants a simple farmhouse with few amenities. Be careful here. Staying in a converted goat barn might sound romantic, but when it comes down to it do you mind waking up to the sound of roosters or having a couple of towels to use for the whole week. Do you HAVE to have Internet access (be honest) or are you willing to give up e-mail in exchange for a little village with one bar that serves as its post office, town hall, and the only place to grab a quick cappuccino?
Next question and this is a biggy...what type of cooking lessons are you hoping for? Do you want to experience the thrill of cooking side by side with a Michelin star chef? Or are you looking for a grandma with generations of familiy recipes she wants to share? Do you want to have your lessons in a restaurant kitchen (which can be very small in a lot of our locations) or in a private home.
Finally, are you willing to drive or do you want transportation included. Private cars and drivers (or even larger vehicles for groups) can really drive up the price of a tour. For some, it's worth not having to worry about navigating foreign roads and that nasty trip back to the hotel after too much Bordeaux. Others like the idea of venturing out on their own during free time.
Other inclusions that can drive the cost of a culinary vacation are guided tours, wine tastings, visits to markets, and meals.
While the cost of a culinary tour is traditionally higher than many guided tours keep in mind that if you paid for all those items on an a la carte basis you'd be payiing a whole lot more. There are also the intangibles of being able to have dinner in stone mas in Provence with a local family, to taste the first pressed olive oil (and maybe help pick the olives), or to taste a home brewed batch of pulque. These are experiences that you cannot put a price on and often they are the stuff that creates the incredible memories our clients come home with.
Next up...I'll share some of my own experiences on the culinary road. Tell me about yours!

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Epiculinary joins the world of blogging!

2005-07-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am launching my very first blog. As the owner of Epiculinary I have the unique privilege of designing incredible cooking and wine vacations for passionate cooks around the world. I am excited about sharing my experiences and advice on the world wide web.

Stay tuned for weekly postings on culinary travels and tips for the food and wine adventurer.