All posts filed under: Food Musings

Scallops from the Sea

Published by Kathy Hunt

Although I’ve been a pescatarian for over 15 years, I truly don’t have a favorite seafood; there are too many delicious fish in the sea – and lakes and rivers – to favor only one. I do, though, have a few that I turn to when having friends and family over for dinner. These are the fish and shellfish that appear glamorous on the plate and also taste fabulous on the palate. Among these tasty lookers are sea scallops. Generally eco-friendly bivalves, scallops fall into two categories —— the tiny, costly bay and larger, more abundant and less expensive sea. The latter is what you usually see at grocery stores and restaurants. At present diver-caught, Pacific sea scallops are the best choice for consumers. If you want beautiful presentation, you can’t go wrong with sea scallops. Whole, they resemble plump, round pillows perched atop a china or porcelain bed. Cut into them and you’ll find pearl colored, jewel-like, mildly sweet flesh. Just gorgeous! As with most seafood, scallops are a snap to prepare. They cook …

Toast St. Patrick’s Day with Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Published by Kathy Hunt

Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, I thought it fitting to share a recipe inspired by some Irish favorites. No, I’m not talking about fish and chips or Irish stew and soda bread. I mean Guinness, Bailey’s and chocolate. (As an aside, if you don’t think of chocolate as being especially Irish, take a peek at Butlers. And, if you find yourself in Dublin, Cork or Galway, try Butlers hot cocoa and truffles. So, so good.) Considering my enormous sweet tooth, I’ll surprise no one with my choice of dessert over a savory, Irish specialty. Yet, thanks to one of their namesakes, Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes aren’t overwhelmingly sweet. The smokiness of the stout evens out the chocolatey, sugary batter. In turn, the vanilla-infused, cream cheese frosting tempers the tang of the Guinness-enriched cake. It’s the perfect balance of flavors. Along with possessing that ideal taste, these boozy, little cupcakes have an added bonus; they are quite simple to make. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir together. Pour the batter …

A Generous Dose of Minestrone Soup

Published by Kathy Hunt

I, along with pretty much everyone whom I know, have been plodding through this season with a runny nose and sore throat. While friends reach for Neti pots, echinacea or Benadryl to beat the sniffles, I turn to the cold remedies of my childhood — fitful naps, bad B-movies, good books and warming soups. As a kid, I invariably received a course of Jewish penicillin as well as doses of minestrone and stracciatella. Sound unusual? Keep in mind that I grew up in an Italian-American community where my parents’ favorite restaurant, Egidio’s, doled out tasty, Italian soups. Minestrone remains one of my preferred cold cures. Chocked full of wholesome vegetables and soothing broth, it goes down easy and warms me to the core. The minestrone that I make is based upon what chef-owner and cookbook author Laura Pensiero serves at her Rhinebeck, NY restaurant, Gigi Trattoria. Light, wholesome and flavorful, her vegetarian-friendly, Northern Italian soup features diced potatoes, beans, carrots, celery and fresh herbs. Mine does, too. VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE While I prefer using homemade vegetable …

A Love Affair with Greek Cookies

Published by Kathy Hunt

This year Valentine’s Day fell on the very same night that for the past six years my literary fiction book group has met. I had a tough choice to make; eat a romantic dinner with my husband or moderate a discussion of Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot. In the end I did what any lifelong, insatiable reader would do. I baked a batch of Greek cookies, invited Sean to the book group and spent the evening with some of my favorite people, treats and activities. The cookies that I baked are kourabiedes. Reminiscent of shortbread cookies, these crescent-shaped sweets are usually consumed at holidays and special occasions. Hence my decision to serve them on Valentine’s Day. Okay, that isn’t the only reason behind my making them. Flavored with splashes of vanilla extract and anise liqueur and blanketed with soft, fluffy confectioner’s sugar, they have been my cookie of choice since the ninth grade. My addiction started in the home of one of my closest childhood friends. The daughter of Greek immigrants and restaurant owners, Nickie …

dark chocolate truffles

Truffles for Valentine’s Day and Beyond!

Published by Kathy Hunt

Although I am one of the least craftsy people alive, I love making Valentine’s Day gifts. Specifically, I adore homemade, chocolate truffles. Shaped like the plump, lopsided mushrooms for which they’re named, hand-rolled truffles are a snap to prepare. If you can melt chocolate and don’t mind getting the palms of your hands a little gooey, you can create these sweets in no time. Dating back to 19th century France, truffles consist primarily of ganache, a blend of chopped white, milk or dark chocolate, heavy cream and optional smidgen of butter. To make ganache, cream is heated until scalding and then poured over the chocolate bits. Stirred together until smooth and creamy, the mixture is set aside to cool. Depending upon the ratio of cream to chocolate and the amount of time cooled, ganache can be used as a filling, icing or, as in the case of truffles, candy. As much as I like chocolate, I do think that truffles benefit from a dash of flavoring. Liqueurs, extracts, fruit purees or spices lend these bite-sized …

The Best Carrot Cake Ever

Published by Kathy Hunt

My husband likes to say that he’s a simple man but I’ve never known anyone to have a more complicated relationship with carrots than he. Just try sneaking an orange sliver into a stew, pot pie or casserole. With the quick flick of his spoon the offending veg flies off his plate and onto mine. Forget about slipping raw, julienned carrots into a salad or slaw. The cat, who eats anything, ends up eating them. However, if you ask Sean what his favorite dessert is, his answer will be carrot cake. If you like to cook and live with someone who has a favorite dish, chances are that you’ve tried to perfect it. Such is the case with me and carrot cake. After countless years and cakes I found perfection yesterday in the following recipe. I’d love to claim that I conjured up this winsome sweet on my own but I can’t; the recipe comes courtesy of my husband’s aunt, Nancy Haberberger. Sweet but not cloying, moist but not soggy, flavorful but not overly rich, …

Perfecting Pita

Published by Kathy Hunt

I’d call this my winter of eating globally but, truthfully, my interest in world cuisines started early and largely as a result of my Western Pennsylvania hometown. A former steel city, New Castle boasted of an array of ethnic backgrounds and extraordinary foods. Forget bland white bread, burgers, tomato soup and apple pie. I grew up eating such exotic, Mediterranean specialties as spinach pie (spanikopita), stuffed grape leaves (dolma), pasta fagioli and tiramisu. A childhood favorite that I still adore is pita. Unfortunately, depending on whose you’ve eaten, this Mediterranean flat bread is either an ethereal vessel for falafel and souvlaki or a dry, tough disc that’s impossible to chew. In recent months, as markets and Mediterranean cafes change their bakeries, I’ve been stuck with the unappetizing kind. Because I love the tag team of hummus and pita — I could eat it every day of the week — I’ve become annoyed, really annoyed, with the lousy pita supply. Enter homemade pita. Soft and airy, it’s a far cry from stale, store-bought bread. Plus, it’s …

Simmering Heat of Szechuan Pepper Shrimp

Published by Kathy Hunt

Another week into the new year and I’m still fixated on lighter fare. Although Asian cuisine continues to dominate my dinner menus, right now it’s not so much a specific dish as it is a spice, Szechuan pepper, that I crave. With its mildly hot, slightly piquant tang Szechuan pepper brings a clean, wholesome warmth to my winter cooking. Contrary to its name, Szechuan pepper doesn’t belong to the peppercorn family or even grow on vines as peppercorns do. Instead these reddish-brown berries come from prickly ash trees. Originating in the Szechuan province of China, they also appear in parts of Japan, India, Tibet and Indonesia. Dried, the aromatic berries are sold whole and in powdered form. With a little searching I can find both whole and ground Szechuan pepper at Asian markets and well-stocked spice shops such as Kalustyan’s. Cooks often use Szechuan pepper to dress up spare ribs, pork loin or duck. Because I’m not a pork or beef eater, I add it to my favorite protein source, seafood. When tossed together with …

Fortify the New Year with Pho

Published by Kathy Hunt

Like many, I’ve been in a post-holiday slump. Endless days of cooking, baking and eating rich, heavy dishes have left me apathetic about food. Want lunch? Pour some milk over a bowl of Cheerios and dig in. Yeah, I’ve felt that uninspired. Since I can’t live on dry, oat cereal alone, I’ve turned to a delicate dish favored by my husband’s Vietnamese step-father, pho. Part soup, part entree, this Vietnamese specialty boasts of clean flavors, fresh ingredients and satisfying portions. Pho’s wholesome simplicity and ease of preparation make it a wonderful antidote to the food funk into which I’ve slipped. Pho begins with a clear stock made from beef, chicken or pork, water and a bouquet garni. Cooks pour the heated stock into bowls filled with blanched rice noodles, strips of meat or fish and sliced spring onions. To this they may add mint, cilantro, bean sprouts and/or chilis. To add a little zing, they may serve pho with a splash of lime juice or fish sauce or dab of chili paste. Appetizing and light, …

Books for Readers and Cooks

Published by Kathy Hunt

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a voracious reader. Fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, cereal boxes . . .. Thanks to my not-so-secret addiction and a gravitation to the culinary world, I consume a lot of good — and not so good — food writing. Below are the best of what I read in 2012. Other than having well-written, well-researched, engaging text and being great holiday gifts, there is no common theme for these selections. Nonetheless, you may notice several America-centric books as well as two with “fork” in the title. These are pure coincidences. Next week, noteworthy baking cookbooks. Taco USA by Gustavo Arellano (Scribner, 2012) Rest assured – this is not just about tacos. Gustavo Arellano discusses a host of Mexican imports including such beloved foods as salsa, tortillas, burritos and, yes, tacos. He includes profiles of such disparate characters as the founders of Frito-Lay, Old El Paso and Chipotle and the creator of the frozen margarita machine. As you might expect from the title and aforementioned figures, Taco …