History of Coffee: Part III - Colonisation of Coffee
September 30, 2007
History of Coffee: Part III - Colonisation of Coffee
by: James Grierson
By the 17th Century, with the popularity of coffee ever increasing in Europe, the interest of the then World Superpowers - Britain, France, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain - also grew. Up until this point, coffee imported into Europe had come from the Arabian Peninsula, over which none of these nations had any control. The Europeans had sample coffee and liked it, and now they wanted to start producing it for themselves. The race was on to establish their own coffee plantations in their respective colonies.
It was the Netherlands who took an early lead in this race. In 1616, Dutch spies successfully managed to smuggle a coffee plant out of Mocha (Yemen). Although, to begin with, they were only involved in small scale cultivation. This changed in 1658, when they defeated the Portuguese to take control of Sri Lanka. Very soon coffee plantations spread all over Sri Lanka and into Southern India. Then, in 1699, the Dutch started production in Indonesia, when cuttings were successfully transplanted from Malabar (India) to Java.
Cappuccino Machines With An Italian Touch
September 29, 2007
Cappuccino Machines With An Italian Touch
by: Clinton Maxwell
Cappuccino began in Italy where it is still a delight of the morning routine. The Italians can tell a tourist from a native though because only a tourist will order a cappuccino after noon. It is considered a morning beverage in Italy, but in other regions of the world it is served throughout the day.
The Steps to Making a Cup of Cappuccino
Cappuccino is a tricky drink to master. It is divided into 3 parts: the espresso, the steamed milk, and the frothy or foamy milk. These layers created at the perfect proportions, textures and temperatures are what make the ideal cup of cappuccino. It used to take highly skilled chefs to create this concoction, but with the advent of the cappuccino machine, most of the guess work is taken out of it.
How Cappuccino Machines Work
Cappuccino machines are designed to brew and dispense the espresso coffee. Many can also do the step of grinding the coffee beans for an ultra fresh brew. When the espresso has been dispensed into the cup, the machine then adds steamed milk. These two steps are relatively easy, even though milk temperature and the strength of the espresso are important ingredients in this recipe.
Sicilys Great Eggplant - Tomato Stew
September 28, 2007
I ran into a friend yesterday, who tells me that he should be harvesting eggplants from his garden any day now. Of course, this got me thinking about Caponata, the famous Sicilian eggplant and tomato stew.
This is a terrific ‘contorno’, vegetable course, and also a great topping for ‘bruschetta’, Tuscany’s grilled bread. Of course it’s one of the quintessential Italian antipasti too. And when you can walk into your own garden and harvest the vegetables to put it together, Caponata becomes all the more magical.
Italians have a particular fondness for ‘le primizie’, the smallest of the first crop of vegetables. So if you have access to a garden-either your own or a friend’s-or if you can get to a farm stand, now is the time for you to be thinking about caponata too.
The recipe below is excerpted from my first cookbook, “La Cucina dei Poveri.”
My Grandmother’s Caponata
When the garden was in full swing during the summer, Noonie (my grandmother) would harvest-well, more accurately, she would direct Pop (my grandfather) to harvest some eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers for this delicious antipasto that she referred to as ‘Caponatina. My recollections fail as to how she served it, but I’m betting that it was over a piece of Italian bread that Pop had fried in olive oil.
Restaurants: How to Get the Best Food and Service in Your Favorite Restaurant
September 27, 2007
Restaurants: How to Get the Best Food and Service in Your Favorite Restaurant
by: Patricia Robbins
I have been a waitress for many years, working in all different kinds of places. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is that working with the public is never dull. You really have to like people and enjoy talking to them if you’re going to make it in any profession that deals directly with the public. I have found that 99 percent of the people you come in contact with are just as nice as could be. Just watch out for that other one. He or she could ruin your day. The purpose of my writing this article is to share some thoughts from the “other side of the table.”
Save Time in the Kitchen - Cook Pasta the Way Restaurant Chefs Do
September 27, 2007
Have you ever wondered how a restaurant can get a dish of pasta to your table in about four minutes when you know it takes ten minutes just to cook the pasta? Does the water on their stoves boil at a higher temperature than the water on yours? Do they know a trick that you don’t? As a matter of fact, they do.
They parboil, or partially pre-cook their pasta; so when an order comes in to the kitchen, a cook can turn out a dish of perfectly ‘al dente’ pasta in a minute or two. Pre-cooking is a worthwhile technique for home cooks, because it enables them to pull together a great sit-down meal in practically no time, no matter how busy their day may have been.
It’s also a great method to use when you plan to serve pasta for a crowd. I once catered a party for fifty, where I had a “pasta bar.” With the assistance of one helper, and two propane burners, I served fifty portions of freshly cooked pasta (al dente) without holding anyone up in the buffet line.
How to Choose or Grow the Perfect Tomato
September 26, 2007
How to Choose or Grow the Perfect Tomato
by: Gary Nave
The best part of summer is a fresh, sun-warmed red juicy vine ripened tomato. Depending on where you live this can be a long or short season.
So how do you pick a tomato in your local store? One important trait is its smell. If it looks like a tomato and smells like a tomato, it is a good tomato to pick. Choose a tomato with no bruises or cracks. Always try to support your local growers in your community for their fresh vegetables.
There are three different types of tomatoes. They are cherry tomatoes- good for salads and eating, plum tomatoes- good for sauce, soups and canning and don’t forget the slicing tomatoes-great on a fresh bread on those hot summer days. Tomatoes should be left on the counter and most importantly never refrigerate them.
Nutritionist have been saying that tomatoes are good for you because they contain Lycopene. “Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant abundant in red tomatoes and processed tomato products, it may help prevent prostate cancer and some other forms of cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases”, according to lycopene.org.
Safe Food Storage - Refrigeration
September 25, 2007
Safe Food Storage - Refrigeration
by: David McCarthy
Storing Food
Your Refrigerator:
It is many years since schools stopped teaching cooking and domestic science and the result is that few people in the below 35 age bracket are familiar with risks presented by refrigerators. This article is aimed at covering a few basic rules that will help us store food in a safe and hygienic manner.
The average refrigerator operates between 35F (2C) and 44F (7C), which is low enough to stop microorganisms from forming. (Microorganisms include bacteria and mould.) It is NOT cold enough to destroy microorganisms already present in the food; it is up to you to ensure the freshness of food that you buy. The fresher it is the less likely it is contaminated. Therefore you should buy fresh and get it into a fridge as soon as humanly possible.
One of the major problems I see with refrigerators is that the door seal isn’t sealing properly. This places a heavier than normal load on the motor and causes burnout before the expected life span. Also it stops the refrigerator from maintaining optimum performance. The cost of replacing a door seal for a refrigerator or freezer is reasonably cheap and should be done at least once every 3 years. This will:
Frugal Outdoor Cooking
September 24, 2007
Firing up the grill is a great way to cook in the summer! Here are a few grilling tips and a couple of recipes, too.
For great grilled burgers, form the patty gently. Smashing the meat forces out moisture.
Sear both sides of the burger on both sides, then move the burger and cook with indirect heat till done.
Use a meat thermometer to gauge when the meat is done. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
When grilling chicken, remember that dark meat needs longer on the grill than breast meat. Also, bone-in parts cook longer than boneless parts.
Place the pieces that need to cook the longest on the grill first, and then move them to a cooler area of the grill to finish cooking after they have browned.
Again, use a meat thermometer to tell when chicken is done. Bone-in parts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 170 degrees; boneless parts to about 160 degrees.
Tropical Glaze for Grilled Chicken
- 1 small can crushed pineapple
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon mustard
Drain pineapple, reserving 2 tablespoons of juice. Mix pineapple, reserved juice, brown sugar, lemon juice and mustard.
Indian Snack Food
September 23, 2007
Indian Snack Food
by: Liz Canham
Indian children love the Khomcha-Wallah. He wanders the streets, the busier the better, basket of goodies on his head and a cane stool under his arm. When he encounters a likely crowd he sets down his basket on the stool and starts to trade. The basket will contain the half-prepared ingredients of what is known in northern India as chaat - savoury snacks from traditional Hindu cuisine - which may be served in a banana leaf bowl.
One item might be Aloo Chaat which is fried, golden-brown potato cubes tossed with chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala**.
Another, Dhai Baras which are split-pea patties. They will be already fried and softened in warm water. To complete the dish the Khomcha-Wallah may add beaten, creamy plain yoghurt with salt on top, and a choice of spice mixes. One mixture will be aromatic and probably contain roasted cumin, black pepper and dried mango powder, another will be hot a fiery with chillies, another sweet and sour like tamarind chutney.
Peppercorns & Ways To Use Them
September 22, 2007
New and exciting varieties of peppercorns are becoming available to chefs everywhere. Pre-ground pepper out of the tin no longer provides the complex flavors and versatility that great cooks everywhere are looking for. A small collection of different types of peppercorns provides fine cooks with just the right pepper flavors and colors to create perfect culinary creations. Peppercorns crusts, rubs, marinades, dressings, and sauces are just a few of the creative ways these unique flavors and colors can be utilized.
Peppercorn sauces are a great way to present distinct and unique flavors to the pallet while providing a splash of brilliant colors. A rainbow of spicy flavors such as white, green, and pink can easily create an impressive dish.
Green peppercorns are a lively green color with a sharp, fresh flavor. These immature peppercorns are hard to find but well worth the search. Their fresh flavor is a perfect for making meat sauces for pork and beef. Green peppercorns are also a good match with salad dressings and vegetables.
Pink peppercorns are the rarest of the peppercorn varieties but provide an exquisitely unique flavor. These exotic peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor. Pink peppercorns also add a lovely dash of color to all kinds of cuisine. They go especially well in fruit sauces, vinaigrettes, and desserts.
