Turmeric and Twine

Knife cuts

December 15, 2015Turmeric and Twine3 Comments

Sad mushroom

I moved to Asheville exactly one year ago to start culinary school. For years, I had experimented with cooking, developed a strong palette, devoured culinary knowledge, and worked on my knife skills. But, I didn’t feel like I had enough understanding of how the industry works or even a strong grasp of many of the terms used. I needed a stronger base in classical cuisine and it was obvious that my next step had to be culinary school.

Never one to shy away from a challenge or an adventure, I set the bar high for myself and put in everything I had. I could never have imagined the amount of effort I have had to exert nor how easily and fully I have given my life to this task.

I have never been as busy as I am now. I work in a kitchen full-time and attend culinary school full-time. I am always exhausted. I never have time for myself. I am often alone. My body feels broken. I stand for 10-12 hours a day. I’m almost never free and when I do have a moment, all I want to do is stay at home and be boring with my amazing husband.

Happy crostini

And, I love every minute of it. I have become so much more of a culinary beast than I ever thought I would. I work for a chef who believes in my skills and abilities. I have invited more responsibility so I can learn more about the managerial skills necessary to succeed in this industry. I have maintained a 4.0 at school and (hopefully) impressed upon my teachers how hungry I am for knowledge.

I have learned to approach food and cooking from different angles: from cost control to sanitation and safety, from the chemical reactions of different heat applications to the precision of knife cuts.

The Sassy Chef

I must confess: I have not been as good as I had hoped at photographing my knife skill progress. One knife cut I have managed to document is mushroom fluting.

The fluted mushroom is considered one of the more difficult cuts to master and when most first attempt it, they find that their fingers can’t make sense of it.

My first fluted mushroom. Awful.

First fluted mushroom

Still pretty bad.

…but with a little practice, I eventually produced something sort of refined looking.

Fluted mushrooms

They tasted excellent pan seared with trout.

Pan fried trout and fluted mushrooms

BE WARNED: Some may find some of the following photos disturbing.

Speaking of cutting, I cut off the tip of my thumb two weeks before this past semester began.

It healed remarkably well, and is now almost undetectable.

There are a few people without whom I might not survive this whole experience. You know who you are. Thank you.

Homemade Limoncello + Working Through the Summer

July 21, 2015Turmeric and TwineLeave a comment

This is my first summer in the States since I’ve been back from Korea. I would like to say that I’m spending my time doing interesting, summery things, exploring my new area, and having new experiences. Instead, I’m spending my time being responsible. Boring. I got hired in a kitchen, working with an excellent chef who is “refreshed by my eagerness” to be trained. It’s not an internship, exactly, more like a way to gain experience and pay rent on time. I’m learning a lot: I’m learning how to stand for 10-11 hours straight. I’m learning how to stay calm and navigate the chaotic busy-ness of a large kitchen. I’m learning a lot of new classic French cuisine. I’m learning to quickly convert the outdated and insanely infuriating imperial measurement system that is still used in this country. And so on.

It’s tough sometimes. I work weekends. I’m often too exhausted on my days off to take care of the things I’ve been meaning to take care of. There is little routine to my schedule besides the lengthiness of my shifts. I rarely cook for myself anymore (somehow being elbows deep in giant vats of food turns off some personal desires).

Still, I see this job as an excellent opportunity to get in some of the groundwork I need to succeed in this field. I love cooking. We’ve had a life long love affair.

Due to the summer heat, I’m going to offer you something to cool you off.

Limoncello is a relatively young Italian drink. Its history is just a little fuzzy (must’ve had a few too many). People from Sorrento, Amalfi, and Capri have claimed ownership of the original limoncello recipe since about 1900. It is said that monks or friars invented limoncello because the monastery inhabitants wanted to get a bit tipsy in-between prayers. It has been a well-loved aperitif and digestive all around Italy since its conception and is gaining popularity worldwide. It is extremely easy to make and extremely satisfying to consume. Being made with grain alcohol, limoncello is a strong beverage. I’ve been burned more than once by the tasty lemon flavour that fools me into believing I can keep drinking. You’ve been warned.

Limoncello is best enjoyed cold, so keep it stored in the freezer. So, kick back after a long day of work and beat the summer heat with this refreshing, delicious booze.

Limoncello

Ingredients

12-15 lemons (or limes, tangerines, grapefruit or any combination of citrus you desire)
25-30 ounces (750 mL) 95% or higher grain alcohol (I used Everclear, but vodka will do if it must)
1 cup simple syrup

Directions

Sterilize your mason jar(s) by filling with boiling water. Pour out the water once it is cool enough to touch.

Using a microplane, zest the citrus. It is important to avoid getting pith (the white layer between the peel and fruit) into your zest as the flavour of your limoncello will be bitter if too much gets in.

Put the zest into your jar and pour the grain alcohol in with it. Seal jar and screw lid on tightly.

Shake the jar for about ten seconds.

Write the date you started your batch on a post-it note and stick it on the lid so you can keep track.

Place your jar in a visible place where you will remember to shake it twice a day for two weeks. Make sure to avoid direct sunlight.

After two weeks, put your jar in a cool, dark place and let it hibernate for about a month. During this time, the lemon zest will release an intense flavour that makes limoncello unique.

After a month, stir in the simple syrup, which can be made by boiling water and adding sugar at a 3:2 ratio. For every cup of water, use 2/3 cup of sugar. Let simple syrup cool before adding to the limoncello. Add syrup to taste. Replace in cool, dark place for two more weeks.

Strain the zest using a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Discard the zest.

Store in the freezer.

Pour yourself a shot of homemade limoncello, add a bit of simple syrup and sip that aperitif before meals like a boss or after meals as a digestive like royalty.

Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce + The Lost Family Meal

June 24, 2015June 25, 2015Turmeric and Twine3 Comments

Suppertime was not an especially sacred time in my household while I was growing up. Although we said a grace of sorts as a small reminder to be thankful for the food and family and all the things, I don’t remember if my parents had particular rules about sitting down to the family meal. We put our elbows on the table, chewed with our mouths full, answered the phone if it rang, snuck our brussel sprouts to the dog and did not ask to be excused. If we turned off the TV, it was because my parents found whatever we were watching annoying, not necessarily to encourage suppertime as a time for us to catch up and debrief about our day. Sometimes we sat together in discussion, sometimes we didn’t. Either way, my point is eating together and family time were not deeply instilled.

Since my childhood so long ago, things have gotten much worse. Busy schedules split families up during mealtimes, leaving members (children included) to fend for themselves. TV’s and smart phones hold our attention instead of precious conversation. Ready-to-eat meals are taking the place of homemade meals to make food preparation less of a hassle. As a result of all of these changes, young people are losing valuable life skills such as cooking, conversation and sharing time with others. The American family meal is swiftly being dismantled. In asserting independence from the kitchen, we’ve lost a fundamental key to civil society.

Michael Pollan, author of popular books such as The Food Movement, Rising and The Omnivore’s Dilemma states:

“In a challenge to second-wave feminists who urged women to get out of the kitchen, [Janet] Flammang suggests that by denigrating “foodwork”—everything involved in putting meals on the family table—we have unthinkingly wrecked one of the nurseries of democracy: the family meal. It is at “the temporary democracy of the table” that children learn the art of conversation and acquire the habits of civility—sharing, listening, taking turns, navigating differences, arguing without offending—and it is these habits that are lost when we eat alone and on the run.”

In Janet Flammang’s book The Taste for Civilization: Food, Politics, and Civil Society, the political scientist writes:

“Significant social and political costs have resulted from fast food and convenience foods … grazing and snacking instead of sitting down for leisurely meals, watching television during mealtimes instead of conversing viewing food as fuel rather than sustenance, discarding family recipes and foodways, and denying that eating has social and political dimensions.”

Being an individualistic society, we dropped many of our social formalities long ago. This includes the roles each member of a family must assume. Grandparents are sent to nursing homes, instead of being an active part of the household, single parents struggle to raise children on their own, children are not taught to respect their elders or engage in conversation.

During my five years in Korea, a collectivist society in which everyone strives to be part of the accepted norm, I was shocked to see how differently family members interact with each other, especially in regards to food. Food is shared and enjoyed together. Family recipes have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries and the pride of preparing a home cooked meal can be tasted in the food. Grandparents live with, or close to their children so they can be active in raising their grandchildren and because of this, the young ones learn social skills as well as the art of conversation. Though collectivist societies have many problems of their own, they do family much better than we do.

I’ve thought about this topic a great deal. It disturbs me how easily we have come to dismiss the importance of food and family. When I have children, I hope to designate suppertime as a sacred time. Time I will never get back, so I must use well. After losing my father four years ago, I have learned to take advantage of the time I have and to be conscious of what I must not take for granted. Food and family are both precious and must be treated with love and care.

Slow cookers help. A lot. Slow cooked dishes that you don’t have to fear will burn your house down are always helpful. This large batch of sauce was frozen in smaller batches and used for a multitude of meals: pizzas, pastas, crackers, rice and meats – this sauce goes with everything. Start your cooker before you go to bed or in the morning before you leave for work and come home to a homemade meal for you and your family to share.

Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

15-20 quartered roma tomatoes
1 bulb (about a dozen cloves) of peeled and crushed garlic
2 chopped yellow onions
12 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 diced zucchini
2 tablespoons sea salt
½ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons black pepper
optional: make it spicy with chilies – add to your preference
optional: jerky – your choice (it softens and melts in your mouth)

Directions

Using a 6 quart slow cooker, place all of the ingredients in the crock and turn on low (8 hours)

Mix occasionally… or don’t. The slow cooker will work its magic.

If the finished product is too chunky, use an immersion blender to get a smoother sauce.

Top your plate of pasta with this stuff as well as Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, dip bread or crackers in this sauce for a bite of heaven, use it as a base for your hand made pizzas. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy it with someone you love.

Lemon Zested Bacon Wrapped Asparagus + Finals Week Triumph

May 6, 2015May 6, 2015Turmeric and TwineLeave a comment

Well well well… here we are. It’s happened. I’m in finals week. I made it. My first term of culinary school has just been knocked out and doesn’t know what hit it.

It was a tough winter. I battled with the loneliness of moving to a new place, the challenge(s) of returning to school, a heavy workload, MATH, financial struggles, transportation issues and so on. Our good friend life.

My math grade is teetering on an A- and after my final, may be a B, but in every other one of my required courses (psychology, writing, computer skills and college skills) my grade is an A or A+. I worked my arse off this term and earned the shit out of those A’s.

I feel like a force to be reckoned with… Like a building wind on the plane that finally grew into a tornado. This tornado tore through town and left rubble. I can do whatever I want and no one can stop me. And that’s that.

So, now that I’ve gone on my narcissistic rant, here is a simple, yet brilliant, recipe.

Now that we are in full swing of Spring, my good friend Asparagus officinalis has been making some exciting appearances. Slim, dressed in green and always showing off a stunning and full head of hair, asparagus has the world mesmerized by its delicate flavour and crisp (when young) texture.

Asparagus doesn’t need much preparation: roasted, baked, pan-fried, seared or steamed, asparagus releases flavour for every technique.

Asparagus charms the pants off all seafood and meats. Asparagus compliments everything. Shrimp blushes when asparagus walks by, ribeye cannot stop giggling and bacon… well, bacon can’t stop wrapping asparagus in its arms. In this particular recipe, asparagus and bacon recklessly eloped, leaving their families to start a better life anew. Their romance was full of dangerous passion and lust, which in the end destroyed them (in my mouth).

This recipe is so easy, yet it is very fancy. These little bundles of soft, meaty-green goodness are perfect as an hor d’oeuvres or as a side. Or, as always, just by itself.

Lemon Zested Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients

12 ounces (1-2 bunches) thin, green asparagus
1 12-ounce pack of bacon
½ a lemon’s zest
pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC/Gas mark 6.

Rinse asparagus and shake until mostly dry. Cut off the last inch of the bottom of them stems to avoid the stringy bits. Section them into groups – about quarter-sized circumferences.

Tightly wrap each section with a slice of bacon starting at the bottom, or thickest point and going towards the top, or thinnest point.

Lay your meaty, green bundles in a casserole pan side-by-side. Alternate their direction to fit more in the pan and to make sure the tops get enough grease.

Sprinkle zest and salt over the whole pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes then broil on high for 3-4 minutes. Doing this will prevent the need for turning them over.

The Third Plate: Dan Barber Writes About the Future of Food

April 14, 2015April 14, 2015Turmeric and TwineLeave a comment

The farm-to-table movement has advocates from many walks of life: farmers interested in growing better food, chefs wishing to serve a more flavorful meal, and diners wishing to eat food that has been grown locally. Farm-to-table chefs work with local farmers to serve seasonal produce that is more sustainable than most farming practices in America. Dan Barber, award-winning executive chef of Blue Hill restaurant in Manhattan and its affiliate nonprofit farm Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and celebrated author, was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2009 for his activism in food and agricultural reform. In Barber’s book, The Third Plate, he describes farm-to-table as a “mainstream social movement [in which] success comes with mounting evidence that our country’s indomitable and abundant food system, for so long the envy of the world, is unstable, if not broken.” The farm-to-table movement and the future of food, according to Barber, can be defined as an integrated system of food production that is supported where good food and good farming intersect.

Barber argues that the incredible abundance of food in America has lead to a lack of awareness from Americans. To survive harsh winters, older nations have had to develop traditional ways of preserving local foods and making use of every bit of the food they had. America doesn’t have a deeply ingrained history of preservation, which has lead to wasteful practices. He states that, “Our belief that we can create a sustainable diet for ourselves by cherry-picking great ingredients is wrong. We can’t think about changing parts of our system. We need to think about redesigning the system.” In using seasonal produce, farm-to-table practitioners are forced to draw on known preservation techniques and find ways to redesign their menus in more sustainable ways.

The farm-to-table movement creates its cuisine using ingredients that “reflect what the landscape can provide” rather than using crops that dominate their environment. Barber asserts that American farming practices deplete soil nutrition, diminish flavor, and destroy ecological communities. He says, “Monocultures impoverish life and all its fantastic little ecosystems. They depopulate landscapes.” Agricultural reform of high yielding single crop fields is essential for creating sustainable ecology. Barber includes a quote from organic farmer and agricultural statesman, Klaas Martens, who warns, “Among the hardest lessons to learn in farming is that too much of a good thing isn’t good.” Farm-to-table integrates sustainable farming practices and uses uncelebrated crops and cuts of meat to produce the most delicious food the local environment can provide.

Barber discusses the role of “chef as activist” as being an important factor in restaurant reform. Since the appearance of modern gastronomy, he says chefs “possess the potential to get people to rethink their eating habits” by responding “against a global food economy that erodes cultures and cuisines.” Barber states, “Farm-to-table restaurants promote their menus as having evolved to forage first and create later. The promise of farm-to-table cooking is that menus take their shape from the constraints of local agriculture and celebrate them.” Chefs have the opportunity to be the creative glue behind reforming the American food system by advocating local and seasonal produce grown in sustainable ways.

Dan Barber states, “Taste is a soothsayer, a truth teller. And it can be a guide in re-imagining our food system, and our diets, from the ground up.” Good food comes from more than what can be found on the dinner plate. Good food also can be reflected in sustainable farming practices, visionary menus, and creative efforts in using what foods are available now. He says, “Truly delicious food is contingent on an entire system of agriculture.” Farm-to-table sets a model for good eating in a country that has not been bound to strong traditions. It is shaping a food system for the future, one meal at a time.

Peanut Sauce Soba Noodles With Roasted Zucchini and Wakame + Asheville is Awesome

March 3, 2015March 3, 2015Turmeric and TwineLeave a comment

Since my youth, I’ve understood that food tastes better when it has grown close to home. I remember risking bee stings, thorns, and scorn in order to stuff myself with the neighbor’s raspberries. My mother’s garden produced tiny, knobby carrots that had an incomparable sweetness next to the perfect, yet tasteless, carrots in the supermarket. I’ve consistently preferred the taste of local food, and as I’ve grown, I have noticed numerous other benefits that local farms promote, from culinary to community. Farmers and chefs now work closely to serve the freshest meals from local goods. Citizens of Asheville have benefited from the resourceful ingenuity achieved by the numerous farm-to-table restaurants and locavore entrepreneurs who have built a community, brought us great tasting food and supported the economy by putting this city on the tourist map.

Asheville forms a community around trades, skills, services and goods to support each other in entrepreneurial efforts. Chain restaurants have the option of purchasing their produce from local farms but often times, it is more profitable if they buy their produce from hothouses and factory farms. When I interviewed Chef Josh Widner, Chef du Cuisine at “The Market Place,” a farm-to-table key player in downtown Asheville, he confirmed that restaurants like his source most, if not all, of their products from local farms. “Supporting your farmers is a huge benefit of using local foods. We work hand in hand,” Widner stated. “Ninety percent of my product comes from within one hundred miles of Asheville including meat, poultry, pork, vegetables, dairy and eggs. It really is a community effort.” People of Asheville recognize the value of supporting local entrepreneurs. The efforts of farm-to-table restaurants have created a community-supported network surrounded around bringing Asheville healthy, local choices.

Farm-to-table restaurant chefs follow typical Asheville style resourcefulness by utilizing their craft to the ultimate boundaries of creativity. Without the use of pesticides or genetically modified seed the local, organic produce used by farm-to-table restaurants has a short shelf life and must be used quickly. “An advantage of the culinary aspect of farm-to-table is that you learn how to extend season[al produce] past their season,” Chef Widner stated. “A lot of times [the farm’s] product will not last very long. I’ll have to use that product a lot quicker.” There is usually an abundance of bounty in the warmer months and chefs find themselves swimming in a sea of whatever is in season at that time. To get the most out of their purchase, chefs at farm-to-table restaurants must be resourceful and come up with creative ways to serve and/or preserve their ingredients. “I have local strawberries in house right now and it’s February,” boasted Widner. “I’ve vacuum-sealed some, frozen some, fermented some, and pickled some. So, I have local strawberries that I can still put out on a table right now even though they [were] picked last July.” Asheville is lucky to have chefs like Josh who can produce culinary magic using farm-to-table guidelines.

What makes locally sourced food taste so much better? Any chef would endorse buying from local, organic farms because of the colossal difference in flavor and quality of the product. “The flavor of fresh, local food is night and day compared to non-locally sourced food,” professed Widner. “Sometimes I’ll have a squash come in that is the ugliest thing compared to a perfect and round squash that was grown in California but the flavor is better.” The method of farming used can greatly influence the level of flavor produced in a crop. The farmer who has a few acres of land is better able to closely observe his crop, test the nutrients in the soil and have a hands-on relationship to his product than a farmer with hundreds or thousands of acres. Chef Widner claims, “There is fantastic earth in The Appalachians. [They are among] the oldest mountains… you have a lot of really ancient minerals and deposits here that really encourage growth.” Local, small farms are producing incredible tasting foods by planting an assortment of crops and taking advantage of the rich nutrients in the soil.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses, such as farm-to-table restaurants, have become a major driver of tourism and economic growth in Asheville. I spoke to Diane Hendrickson, Program Developer for Entrepreneurial Outreach of the A-B Tech Small Business Center about small businesses in Asheville and she declared that, “Asheville [residence are] very interested in supporting products, goods, services and business folk that live in the community.” Asheville has gained some national traction recently because the country is recognizing the attractiveness of the entrepreneurial movement. Though entrepreneurship can be grueling and risky, it draws appeal to artists, artisans and craftsmen wishing to monetize their skills. The city has numerous resources available for potential entrepreneurs and is very supportive of those enthusiastic enough to try. “There are so many organizations that exist just to help people start businesses,” Hendrickson confirmed. She continued with, “Popular Mechanics’ did a survey recently and we were ranked number 2 of 14 for being a great place to start your business.” Asheville is making waves as its inhabitants use their creativity to pave their own way with entrepreneurial spirit.

After speaking with professionals, now I know why I had a locavore preference. “For some people, meh whatever, it’s a carrot, but if [diners] are passionate about ‘farm to table’ and the area that we live in, it is a big draw for them. [Our food] is simple and really nicely prepared. It is local and fresh and most diners love that.” With the rising popularity of Asheville and the efforts of its skilled and creative tradesmen, I think most would agree with you Chef Josh.

This peanut sauce, adapted from the Barefoot Contessa, is incredible. When I made it the first time, I couldn’t believe that I was putting together so many ingredients for sauce, but in the end, it was absolutely worth it. With roasted zucchini slices, julienned vegetables, and topped with wakame seaweed, this recipe is a vegetarian’s delight.

Peanut Sauce Soba Noodles With Roasted Zucchini and Wakame (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients

For the peanut sauce:

6 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
½ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup good soy sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon Asian hot chili oil
2 tablespoons dark toasted sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional: black truffle oil

All the rest:

1 8-ounce package of soba noodles, cooked
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
½ of a red onion, sliced
1 carrot, julienned
Fresh fennel bulb, sliced
Dried wakame, rehydrated

Directions

Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC/Gas mark 7.

Lay zucchini slices on an oiled pan. Sprinkle salt and smoked paprika over all the slices.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until soft and slightly brown around the edges. Remove from heat and cool.

While the zucchinis are roasting, mix all of the peanut sauce ingredients together and mix well.

Mix the soba noodles, onion and fennel into the sauce.

Plate the noodles and place two or three slices of zucchini on top. Spoon some wakame on the crown of the dish and top with carrot.

Devour.

Savory Albacore Tuna Steak with Saffron Seaweed Rice and Golden Onions + Being a Student

February 28, 2015February 28, 2015Turmeric and TwineLeave a comment

If I could meet my 15-year old self and talk to her about life I would tell her to not waste her time being so shy, be more interested in things/people/events and to work harder at school.

I really love being a student right now. It is giving me the time to work out my future, is pushing me to challenge myself and enforcing the fact that I can do anything I put my mind to. Also, I’m learning a lot of cool stuff.

My English instructor is having us build a portfolio of essays this term. In the beginning of class, we chose an article from a selection and wrote a reflection essay on that article. From there, we are to write varying sorts of essays that build on the theme. I chose The Food Movement, Rising by Michael Pollan, an easy choice since all I think about is food and cooking. I find myself more and more inspired by the things people are doing to make food better.

My second essay asked me to do some research on Asheville, my new home, and find someone to interview in relation to the topic. Since Asheville is totally on top of the farm-to-table movement, I had a lot of choices. I decided to interview Chef Josh Widner, Chef du Cuisine of The Marketplace restaurant in downtown Asheville. Conducting an interview was a challenge as I have never really done one before, but he was a good sport. I had prepared what I thought were great questions, but during the interview I realized they were novice and redundant. Oops.

I had fun anyway. And I asked him about internship possibilities in the future and got an enthusiastic response. Woohoo!

I will post my essay shortly. For now: Tuna steaks.

This recipe is ridiculous. I first made it up about seven years ago and could’ve eaten it every week since then without getting sick of it. The sauce (butter!) brings out all the flavour in the tuna and the saffron seaweed rice is a perfect compliment. It is a perfect full meal for two and is exceptional for impressing a date. Seriously. This fish is sexy.

Savory Albacore Tuna Steak with Saffron Seaweed Rice and Golden Onions

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the fish and the sauce:

2 tuna steaks
2 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cold butter cut into small chunks
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon minced ginger
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon corn starch

For the rice:

1 cup uncooked basmati rice (rinsed)
2 cups water
5-6 saffron petals
1 cup crunchy Korean seaweed

Sautéed onions:

1 medium to large chopped red or yellow onion
1 chopped clove garlic
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Place rinsed rice into a pot with water and saffron. Cook covered on high until it boils and then turn heat down to low. Keep covered. Do not stir. To check if it is finished, tip the pot to the side. If you see any water or the rice moves at all, it needs to cook for longer. If it does not move, turn off heat.

Preheat oven at 425ºF/220ºC/Gas Mark 7.

Rinse the tuna steaks and dry off excess water. Place the steaks in a baking (cast iron preferable) pan.

Combine all of the ingredients for sauce into a bowl. Mix some, but do not mix very thoroughly so each bite is a slightly different experience. Divide the sauce on the steaks. Bake for 12 minutes and remove from heat.

Heat a pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Toss onions, garlic and butter into the pan. Sautee contents until the onions are soft and lightly browned.

Scoop desired amount of rice into a bowl and mix in the seaweed. Divide the rice onto two plates.

Spoon onions onto the rice and place the tuna steaks on top of their oniony bed. Spoon extra sauce around the plate and on top of the fish.

Light some candles, pour some red wine, breathe in the aromas and gaze lovingly at your plate.

Enjoy every bite.

Vegan Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Potage With Chili and Cocoa Powder For Winter

February 18, 2015Turmeric and Twine4 Comments

Being a student, I am often too busy to spend much time cooking for myself. As a culinary student, I find this a little upsetting because that means less time to experiment with ingredients and techniques. Luckily, the slow cooker is here to save the day.

Winter is the best time to pull out the slow cooker and infuse your kitchen with the rising aroma of a warm, home cooked meal. This simple recipe cooks on low for ten hours, rendering each ingredient incapable of holding any form. A potage is a smooth, uniformly blended soup. The best way to make a potage is low heat for several hours. Using a slow cooker means you can just toss the ingredients in the crock, set the temperature and forget about it until it is done.

It is commonly known that chili and cocoa pair well together. This combination can be found in many desserts, from spicy hot chocolate to chili chocolate tarts. Sauces like black mole and chocolate chili barbecue sauce are excellent to compliment flavours in poultry and meats. Even chili chocolate beer exists. I thought it was time to combine chili and cocoa powder with butternut squash. The deep, density of cocoa brings out the earthy qualities to butternut squash and chili always adds an incredible kick. Those combined with the nutty coconut milk makes a perfect, hearty winter meal. This recipe got me through a week’s worth of lunches (and few dinners on really busy days).

Butternut Squash Potage With Chili and Cocoa Powder

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
2 cups of water
2 cans of coconut milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
¾-1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Remove the skin from the squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Cut the squash into large chunks.

Place all ingredients in a large 6.5-quart cooker and cook on low for 10 hours. I usually start my before I go to bed and forget about it until morning.

When your soup is finished cooking, it is time to turn it into a potage. Using an immersion blender, blend ingredients together until completely smooth.

Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with feta or goat cheese, paprika and cracked pepper.

There will be a lot of soup, so you may want to portion some into containers and freeze for later.

Makes 6 quarts

Flavour Pairing: Yuja Pomegranate Truffles + The Food Movement

February 7, 2015Turmeric and Twine5 Comments

As a lifelong lover of cooking, I have always been passionate about food and food culture. I realize now how lucky I was growing up to have had information about healthy eating practices, access to fresh farm produce and an environment where food actually tasted like something that was plucked from the ground. My desire to cook and make flavor come alive was born from being around food that actually tasted like food and from being embedded in a community culture where food and its origins mattered.

America has always been known as a land of abundance. Unfortunately, where there is great abundance can come great ignorance. We do not have to deeply think about food because its abundance is embedded in the American consumer culture. We shop at supermarkets full of individually wrapped products, pumped full of preservatives to maintain longer shelf life. We see uniform produce, shipped during any season from around the world, stunted of true flavor and lacking nutrients. Ready-to-eat meals are pre-prepared to satiate our assertion of independence from the kitchen. Hefty cuts of meat are laid out in packages designed to make us forget that it was once part of an animal, while undesirable cuts are disposed of. What would it look like if our culture were designed to have us question our food and even beyond that and be genuinely curious about where it comes from and how it might help or harm our health?

Michael Pollan, author of The Food Movement, Rising says, “The food movement gathers around “the recognition that today’s food and farming economy is unsustainable.” Vast expanses of fields containing a single high yield crop saps valuable nutrients from the soil. Our inability to stop the momentum of the system of supply and demand has left our once vibrant and nutrient rich land an assembly line of fast food catering to the needs of the masses. Our bodies have responded to our high sugar, high salt, and bland diets with chronic disease, obesity, diabetes and weak flavor palettes. As a chef in training, I cannot abide.

Pollan aptly defines the food movement by stating that it reflects our “attempt to redefine, or escape, the role of consumer.” This can be seen in the small farms, businesses and markets popping up around the country. Farm-to-table dining was started with the realization that the best ingredients can be found close to home. Chefs are working with local farms and only seasonal produce to achieve the freshest meals possible. Huge growth in Do-It-Yourself (DIY) community has developed as well. People are actively learning how to make food products on their own in small batches with simple techniques. There is a strong urge to take part in the process of making food rather than just purchasing and heating it. The food movement is like beautification for our taste buds and our communities.

To celebrate: truffles!

Korean Yuja (or Yuzu in Japanese) can be called citron in English as it doesn’t have a direct translation.. It is often used in honey teas, desserts and liquor infusions in both countries. The flesh of this citrus is quite tart and an excellent flavour booster for just about anything. I was clever enough to bring a small jar of yuja honey tea back to the States with me. Like all citrus, it compliments the bitterness of chocolate perfectly. And when the whole pomegranate kernels burst in your mouth, you know you can die happy.

Yuja Pomegranate Truffles

Ingredients

1 cup cocoa powder
3-4 tablespoons yuja honey tea (order here)
1 pomegranate
½ cup of heavy cream
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt

Directions

Heat the cream, yuja honey tea, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a soft boil. Stir continuously.

Turn heat off and add coconut oil. Stir until fully incorporated.

Add cocoa powder in small batches and mix until thick and smooth.

Let cool to room temperature.

Form teaspoon sized balls by hand. Poke a small hole in the center and put in two whole pomegranate kernels. Envelope kernels and re-form the truffle into a ball. Dust with more cocoa powder. Repeat.

Store in the refrigerator. They should keep well in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. If removed, they will only last a day.

Makes 20-24 truffles.

One-Pan Roasted Winter Meal

January 25, 2015January 25, 2015Turmeric and Twine2 Comments

It’s cold.

I like to think of this dish as a kind of soup without the broth. Warming, cozy and comforting, I make it all the time when I want something easy. It is kind of a non-recipe and can make good use of random bits of food you have lying around. Put as much or as little of each as you want/have. Improvise. Create.

One-Pan Roasted Winter Meal

Ingredients

brussel sprouts, cleaned and quartered
sausage or tofu (or your protein of choice)
onion, chopped
garlic, lots
sauerkraut and some of the juice
sun-dried tomatoes
mushrooms, halved or quartered
carrots
bell pepper
any vegetable

Dressing:

olive oil
toasted sesame oil
salt
black pepper
lemon
rosemary
cumin

Directions

Preheat oven at 425ºF/220ºC/Gas Mark 7.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

All ingredients are to cleaned and chopped into bite sized pieces. They should be around the same size so they bake evenly. Put everything directly into your casserole dish/baking pan.

Drizzle the dressing all over the ingredients and mix until everything is saturated.

Put the uncovered pan in the oven for about 45-50 minutes. Check every 15 minutes and stir so nothing gets burned. When the carrots (or potatoes, if you use them) are soft, remove from heat.

Garnish with Greek yogurt, hot sauce and more cracked black pepper. Dig in.

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