On the day of our slow bicycle tour, the Willy Street area of Madison, Wisconsin, was a global place. We went from East Asia to Ethiopia and then returned to an upstairs Ayurvedic paradise where chai became mandatory.

But that last stop was just me. I freeloaded the chai after the others had already left.

People say never give away the whole thing, the whole story, but with Madison Eats Food Tours, the reveal is necessary. The tour guide met us at Garver Feed Mill and supplied e-bikes, those rentals one now sees in various urban areas. Then he mapped out our journey. It would take three hours, slowly riding through various neighborhoods, parks, greenery, bike trails and urban side-streets, with just a handful of stops in-between for food. An amazing concept, one that certainly existed in other cities, but Madison was a place characterized by miles and miles of bicycle trails. Outdoorsy vibes already seemed to occupy everyone’s psyche. So it was perfect.

As a bicycle enthusiast, I recommend these folks. And I recommend the eastern part of Madison, where residents kept telling the college kids on the other side of town, well, you don’t know what you’re missing out here. It’s true.

In itself, Garver Feed Mill was a masterpiece of historic preservation. Formerly a multistory sugar mill, the turn-of-the-century complex was now transformed and filled up with numerous businesses. I saw bars, lounges, play areas and stages, plus an atrium, a few patios and other groovy configurations. My spy-scope immediately went to Kosa Spa, an award-winning Ayurvedic retreat, which occupied an upper-level spot. But that would come later.

Our bike food tour started at one particular spot in Garver Feed Mill, a place called Roll Play. Tons of board games filled the shelves. Families cycled in, out and through. Some kind of corporate team-building activity was set to unfold. Skewers of meat and rice arrived just for us, followed up with an amazing cup of boba tea. A great way to start.

Then we hit the trails. We rode at a steady, comfortable speed through parts of the Willy Street neighborhood. Willy was short for Williamson. Everyone called it Willy Street. We learned about historic preservation, parks, lakes and residential architecture, even though this was a food tour.

The next stop was Buraka, a Black-owned business in a similar neighborhood, not too far away from where the police shot Corey Ruiz, a killing that vaulted the corner of Willy and Baldwin to the national stage. Buraka was a bar and a restaurant. That is, DJs and Ethiopian food. Yet another amazing place. The owner brought over a traditional spread of Ethiopian digs on Injera bread. The whole plate was insanely spicy in all the right ways.

Then came the beer. An anonymous source joked that nine of the ten drunkest idiots in the country were from Madison, Wisconsin. I didn’t question the claim. Beer shirts were ubiquitous. By the time we pulled our bikes up to Starkweather Brewing, I realized another 100 beer-swilling places were available, but this one was right on our path. Even the root beer was delicious. It tasted homemade.

And what would a leisurely bike tour be without ice cream at the conclusion? Back at Garver Feed Mill, Calliope Ice Cream, another ravishing indie business, supplied whatever we chose. It was all part of the tour.

Foodie tours are especially intriguing for those with a fixation on ingredients. At Garver Feed Mill, one only had to navigate a beautifully crafted staircase to the upper-level catwalk, past the wedding photographer and the yoga studio, right to Kosa Spa. It was like ascending to a higher realm of consciousness.

In the same way I used to walk through liquor stores as a teenager, staring at all the exotic flavors that would take me away from the suffering of life, I now found solace in spa environments, even if they weren’t intended for me personally. I often stared at the products, especially if they were designed for those of us with the Vata type of Ayurvedic mind-body constitution. I once obsessively drank Vata tea, referring to it as “the elixir for a destroyed nervous system.”

The bike tour was now over. The others had gone, and they would probably consider me some woo-woo California pinko for waxing poetic about Vata tea, so I was now in the promised land at Kosa Spa. The lady at the counter gave me a tour, after which I vowed to return.

And when I did return, the very next morning, I walked out with two containers of tea, ashwaganda golden milk and masala chai. The lady behind the counter, the same lady, then spent five minutes discussing with me the various ways to brew the tea, steep it, strain it, and everything else. I think we both learned something.

I vowed to return again, not just to Kosa, but to Madison itself.

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Ringo follows a strict vegetarian diet and refuses to eat anything made from cow’s milk, as the molecules are so big and that a goat’s is much smaller.

How to Make It:

Two slices of toasted bread or toast. A combination of soft, spreadable goat cheese (chèvre) and hard goat cheddar.

Starr doesn’t say that his ideal sandwich must be limited to a single kind of goat cheese, and in his re-creation, he chooses a soft, spreadable chèvre and a firm, grazeable goat’s milk cheddar.

He toasts two slices of bread in a pan until golden brown on both sides. (You can toast the bread in butter, but if you want to stay true to Starr’s preference for no cow products, a plant-based margarine would work well.) He then spreads a thick layer of chèvre on one slice, grates a generous amount of the firm goat cheese over it, and finishes the sandwich with the other piece of toast.

“I love an elaborate sandwich piled high with toppings, but I also love a simple grilled cheese – and I see no reason I can’t make one with tangy, rich chèvre. I also appreciate niche food preferences.”

Ringo Starr’s unique sandwich rationale has earned a permanent place in James Beard’s repertoire of “weird” recipes.

Watch a short demonstration on how to prepare Ringo Starr’s favorite goat cheese sandwich:Ringo Starr’s Favorite Sandwich!

The Beatles and Vegetarianism

What Beatles were Vegetarians?

All four members of The Beatles practiced vegetarianism at various points in their lives, though only three became committed, long-term vegetarians.

Paul McCartney became a strict vegetarian in the mid-1970s alongside his late wife, Linda, and remained a prominent advocate for animal rights. Paul McCartney has been a vegetarian since 1975.

McCartney and his first wife, Linda, made the choice while relaxing at their 151-acre ranch near Tucson, Arizona. They watched lambs playing outside the window while eating a meal that included lamb chops, noticing the direct connection between the living animal and the food on their plates. He follows a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, meaning no meat and fish, but still eats dairy and eggs.

He frequently works with groups like PETA to speak out against factory farming. He once said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.”

In 2009, he and his daughters launched a global campaign to encourage people to skip meat one day a week to help the planet.

George Harrison focused on a vegetarian lifestyle in 1966, influenced by his exploration of Indian culture and Hinduism, sticking with it for the rest of his life.

His diet was heavily influenced by his embrace of Hinduism and Eastern philosophy.

He connected deeply with ‘ahimsa,’ the Indian principle of non-violence toward all living things.

He often stated that killing animals for food was unnatural, unhealthy, and created bad karma.

Ringo Starr embraced a meat-free diet later on for health and ethical reasons, adopting it more consistently in his later life. He stopped eating meat in 1965 after witnessing a bullfight in Spain.

He generally eats broccoli with almost every meal and starts his mornings with a bowl of blueberries. He is not vegan and, as stated above, consumes goat cheese, though he avoids dairy products from cows.

John Lennon experimented with vegetarianism briefly on and off starting around 1967 (often leaning toward a macrobiotic diet that occasionally included fish), making him the only member who never fully committed to a permanent vegetarian lifestyle. John Lennon was not permanently a vegetarian, though he experimented with vegetarian and macrobiotic diets for much of his later life.

Alongside Yoko Ono, he largely followed a macrobiotic diet focused on whole grains, rice, and vegetables, which occasionally permits eating fish (pescatarian elements).

He never fully committed to lifelong vegetarianism; he regularly lapsed back into eating meat, fast food and junk food or a full English breakfast when it suited him.

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I grew up eating meatballs – but this was not due to having a grandmother hailing from Italy. On the contrary, it was the result of having a Danish/Swedish grandmother on my mother’s side of the family. My Grandmother Stave had a knack for making anything taste good. I’m sure this had something to do with raising six kids during the height of the Great Depression.

Her specialty was comfort food. She could make the cheapest roast from the market as tender as butter. Her secret was to bake and baste for sometimes up to 24 hours. Her mashed potatoes were a thing of wonder; fortunately a culinary gift that was passed on to my mother – of course, doesn’t everyone’s mother make the best mashed potatoes. My favorite dish of hers, though, was her meatballs – a legacy handled down to her from her Danish ancestors.

A Bite of History

The meatball is an iconic food item known throughout the world. The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius included many meatball-type recipes, but today they are known in Italy as polpette. In Greece, fried meatballs are called keftédes, usually served over rice; while in Indonesia, meatballs are referred to as bakso, used in soup. The other Scandinavian versions in Norway (gehaktbal) and Sweden (köttbullar) are most often made with beef.

My grandmother’s meatballs, known in Denmark as Frikadeller, are made with pork, generally served with mashed potatoes and gravy (which my grandmother referred to as ‘the goodness.’) I was in comfort food heaven long before the term existed. On a trip to Copenhagen, I couldn’t wait to sample this sublime but simple dish on its home ground. And sample I did; having them with mashed potatoes, sliced on open-faced bread (smørrebrød), and even carrying a bag around as a snack. Now I know why the Danes are reportedly the happiest people on the globe.

Frikadeller are typically fried, and made out of ground pork, onions, eggs, salt and pepper. They are then formed into balls and flattened somewhat, so they are pan ready.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 slice bread soaked in 1/4 c. milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sage
• 1/4 tsp. all spice
• 1/8 tsp. onion salt

• Chop the onion into fine pieces, and mix meat and onions together.
• Add egg and mix again.
• Add flower, and remaining ingredients.
• Form mix into 6-8 balls.
• Melt butter on frying pan.
• 10 min. on each side medium heat.

Frikadeller can also be served with boiled skinned potatoes with brown gravy, or with cold potato salad.

God appetit!

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This comes to us from Olivia McIntosh via Martha Stewart

Despite the belief that coffee dehydrates you, experts say moderate coffee consumption can contribute to your daily water intake. This is because coffee is mostly water, and its mild diuretic effect typically doesn’t cancel out the fluid that it provides. Here’s what to know about coffee’s role in hydration and how much could be too much, according to registered dietitians.

Coffee’s Effect on Hydration

Coffee has a reputation for dehydrating, but that is largely overstated for most coffee drinkers. While caffeine has a mild diuretic effect—meaning it can make you urinate more frequently—the water in a cup of coffee generally makes up for that fluid loss, Alyssa Smolen, a registered dietitian nutritionist, and Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian, explain. “The diuretic effect tends to be modest and often lessens in people who drink coffee regularly. Problems are more likely to show up when someone goes well beyond that amount, especially if they aren’t drinking other fluids,” McIntosh adds.

Coffee is mostly water, so the fluid it provides does contribute to your daily intake, experts say. However, that doesn’t mean coffee should replace your water intake altogether. Plain water remains the best source of hydration, particularly because coffee also contains caffeine and is often mixed with sugar, cream, or flavored syrups. It’s best to think of coffee as one contributor to your daily fluids, rather than the main or only source.

Signs You’ve Had Too Much Coffee.

For most healthy adults, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day—about three to four 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee—is generally considered safe. If you regularly drink that much coffee each day, it’s unlikely to meaningfully affect hydration if you consume other fluids throughout the day.

Still, your body may signal when you have had too much coffee and not enough other fluids. Trouble sleeping, anxiety, jitters, or frequent trips to the bathroom can all be signs that it’s time to scale back on coffee intake, Smolen says. Problems are more likely when someone drinks large amounts of coffee while not drinking enough water or other fluids.

Who Should Be More Cautious With Coffee as Hydration

Some people may need to take a more careful approach to caffeine. Pregnant people should generally limit caffeine to 200 milligrams per day and prioritize water for hydration. Those who are particularly sensitive to caffeine, as well as people managing certain heart, blood pressure, bladder, kidney, or fluid-restriction concerns, may also want to avoid relying heavily on coffee.

If someone is taking medication or has been told to monitor their fluid intake, they should check with their health care provider, Smolen says. For those without specific health concerns or conditions, coffee can fit into a balanced hydration routine.

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When in doubt, as the sports adage goes, PUNT!

In the kitchen, scratching my head and wondering what to prepare for dinner, I usually PUNT! and rely on my favorite homemade remedy, PIZZA.

No muss, no fuss. Just plain and simple pre-packaged, store-bought ingredients from my Italian supermarket thrown together like scattered landscape in the tornado’s path, and, Voila! — a mouth-watering, quick-and-easy dinner for the guy, or gal, who has absolutely no clue around the kitchen; or, like me, both clueless and, admittedly, just plain lazy. Sure, I could easily walk down the street, turn right at the corner and order a professionally prepared wood-fired pie to take back home, or simply pop a frozen one in the microwave. But what’s the fun in that?

Honestly, I hate more than anything the cleanup that follows a big galley production, so with this simple recipe I limit the dirty dishes and can wipe up while my casual culinary work of art bubbles away in the oven.

Since I’ve become a frequent visitor to Rome – usually one trip a month – I’ve come to enjoy pizza bianca, literally white pizza sans the base tomato sauce. Instead, when I want tomatoes I use pomodorini (cherry tomatoes), cut in half or left whole, and dot them around on top. In addition to white pizza, I’ve also totally converted over to the thin and crispy alla Romana style that so many Romans enjoy. Forget all the thick, soft, deep-dish types of pies that leave your plate full of Lincoln logs when you’re done, I’ll take my pizza thinner than a runway model any old day.

No arduous kneading of dough, my homemade versions are made with Italian flatbread, Piadina Romagnola from the Emilia-Romagna region. These flatbreads measure about the size of a standard pizzeria pie, but without any crust whatsoever. And, sacrilegious as it may sound, I do not use Mozzarella on my homemade pizza. Instead, I spread on a nice thick layer of Stracchino cheese as my base and build from there.

To demonstrate, I’ll explain the steps involved in bringing my Lazy Person’s Pesto Based Flatbread Pizza – topped with tomatoes, black olives and salami – to the table.

_________________________________

Lazy Person’s Pesto Based Flatbread Pizza

Ingredients (per person):

• Parchment baking paper or aluminum foil
• 1 Piadina Romagnola (or similar large flatbread)
• 60 grams (2.10 oz.) of Stracchino cheese (or Crescenza or Robiola)
• 45 grams (3 tablespoons) of Pesto Genovese with garlic
• 1.25 grams (1/4 teaspoon) of crushed/ground red pepper (more or less depending upon your threshold for heat)
• 4 thin slices of Salame Milanese (Milano style salami)
• 14-16 small or 1 dozen medium sized Datterino cherry tomatoes
• 14-16 oven baked whole Moroccan style black olives
• 15-20 grams (3-4 teaspoons) of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Prep time: 10-minutes
Cooking time: 15-minutes

_________________________________

Step-1: Pre-heat over to 200C (390-400F)

(While the oven pre heats)

Step-2: Cover your oven tray with parchment baking paper or aluminum foil

Step-3: Place the Piadina on the paper/foil

Step-4: Stracchino cheese – Spread the cheese all around the piadina

Step-5: Pesto Genovese – Spread the pesto over the top of the cheese

Step-6: (Optional) Sprinkle Red Pepper on top

Step-7: Salame Milanese – Place slices, evenly spaced, on top

Step-8: Cherry Tomatoes – Cut in half or placed whole (depending on size)

Step-9: Black Olives – Place whole olives around and in between the tomatoes

Step-10: Parmigiano-Reggiano – sprinkle the cheese until the pie is fully covered like Monte Bianco in winter

Step-11: Place the Flatbread Pizza in the oven, wait 15-minutes, then remove

Step-12: Plate the Pizza and serve with your favorite Mixed Green Salad

Wine Pairing: Savardo Pinot Nero Superiore (DOC) – Cantina Beato Bartolomeo – Breganze, IT – A balanced and elegantly refined dry, full-bodied medium-to-deep ruby red Pinot. Fruity to the nose with hints of spice.

Feel free to vary the ingredients to satisfy your tastebuds. Substitute cooked ham for the salami; drop the pesto and spread black olive pate’ instead; use red, yellow and orange bell pepper slices vice the tomatoes; use French Brie cheese in place of the Parmigiano-Reggiano; or, top off whatever it is you’ve created with a good helping of Arugula (Rocket) leaves. The combinations are endless.

The next time you find yourself in the kitchen scratching your head wondering what to prepare for dinner as the “game” clock winds down, don’t sweat it. Just do what I do, PUNT!, then make a homemade flatbread pizza. Do let me know how your creation turns out.

Article was originally published in 2017.

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Since my visit to Asturias, Spain, last October, I’ve been dreaming about a rustic chicken dish I was served there. I was visiting for the natural paradise that is Asturias, with hiking, climbing, horseback riding, kayaking, even coal mining on my itinerary. But all that exercise led me to explore the fantastic kitchens of the region too.

Since that Asturian trip I’ve researched recipes for Pitu Caleya only to learn that, as is so typical of true rustic dishes, each household has its own way of making it! The version I was served was a rice-centric dish with all the flavors of chicken but no big pieces. The recipes I found online were more formal, featuring chicken pieces and rice ranging from a risotto consistency to a crusted paella style. Below I combined the best recipes to deliver the great chicken flavor I remembered with a rice somewhere between the two. I’ve made it several times now and really like the fragrance, texture, and taste. I even included a shortcut so the dish can be made in one day if you are short on time.

A note about the spelling: Pitu caleya is the Spanish version. Pitu Calella is the Asturian version, with the double “ll”s pronounced as “l”, not as a “y” in Spanish.

Pitu Caleya – Asturian Chicken “Paella”

Ingredients – serves four (with the best leftovers!) to eight

• 4 each chicken drumsticks and thighs, (eight pieces) bone-in, skin-on
• Marinade:
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 1 ½ tbsp sugar
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil – more as needed
• Braise:
  • 10 sprigs thyme
  • 1 garlic head, cut in half
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups whole apple cider
  • 2 cups Sidra (Spanish cider) Preferably Trabanco, but in the US Angry Orchard would do.
  • 2 cups chicken stock or broth as needed in braise or paella
• Paella:
  • 5 tbsp butter (or more as needed)
  • ½ cup flour
  • extra chicken stock or broth
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 medium carrot diced
  • 1 medium red pepper diced
  • ¾ cup Calasparra rice
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, chives) to garnish

Instructions

• Stir the salt, black pepper, and sugar in the oil until sugar dissolves, then drizzle over the chicken legs and thighs in a zipper plastic bag and rub chicken through sides of the bag to fully moisten and refrigerate from six hours to overnight. (Alternately, rub the marinade on the chicken and proceed to the next step.)
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken skin side up in a 9×12 baking pan, add thyme, garlic, and bay leaves, pour in the cider and sidra, (the liquid should be halfway up the chicken – if not, add enough chicken stock to get there) and braise in the oven uncovered for about 1 -1 ½ hours. The chicken should be tender, golden and caramelized on top and the liquid should have reduced by about half. Allow to cool enough to handle. 
• Remove the meat (skin attached) from the chicken drumsticks in pieces while keeping the thigh intact as you remove the bone.Set aside the thighs and garlic, strain and defat the liquid, mashing the roasted garlic back into the strained braising liquid. Reserve liquid and set aside the bones for your next stock.
• In a large sauté pan or paella pan brown the butter. Toss the pieces of chicken leg meat and skin (not the intact thighs) in a plastic bag with the flour and the remaining salt and add to the brown butter. Cook until the chicken becomes golden brown and crispy. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
• Then add the chopped onion, carrot, and both diced and dried red peppers and saute’ until soft, 3-4 minutes, adding more butter as needed. Return the chicken legs to the pan. Add the rice, stirring to moisten, followed in a minute by the remaining braising liquid from the chicken and, if needed, enough extra stock to make 4 cups.
• Cook over medium heat until the rice absorbs most of the liquid, stir, trying not to disturb the bottom layer of rice as it begins to stick to the pan – about 30 minutes. Taste the rice and adjust for seasoning, especially salt. Preheat the oven to 350.
• Arrange the reserved chicken thighs (halved if serving eight) on top of the cooked rice in the pan and finish cooking in the oven for ten minutes. Garnish with chopped herbs and set on the table. Serve on warm plates each with a thigh on top of the rice. Pass a salad.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get chef Noé Alvarez’s recipe for pitu caleya, of Castillo Del Alba Hotel, but this slightly fancier substitute will still deliver the delicious flavor while being true to the traditional regional specialty. I hope you enjoy it!

Note on accommodations: In the old quarter of Aviles, my hotel, the Palacio de Aviles, is a converted palace with centuries of history and beautiful, formal gardens to relax in. From there it was an easy walk or short drive for the culinary adventures described above. All but Pitu Caleya. I stayed at the Castillo Del Alba Hotel for that meal.

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Piranha I Caught in Peru’s Amazon. Eat ‘Em Before they Eat You, My Motto.

By Skip Kaltenheuser

Catching piranha is the ultimate fisherman’s no-brainer, though it does give one pause when taking a quick cooling-off swim in the same spot. The hardest part is hook removal. In the Amazon they use a hand-carved wooden phallus to pry open the mouth and hold the jaws open so one keeps one’s fingers.  It’s not the easiest image to get out of one’s mind. Here’s the occasion that took me there. The primary spice on my fish was a local pepper called Aji Pinguita, loosely translated to little monkey-dick, nine on the hotness schedule. The piranha were an interesting prelude to the quest that came after. We also ate varieties of catfish, of which there are a zillion species (at least over 1,300) in the Amazon, from armored ones that can waddle from one stream to another to ones big enough to swallow a small pig to the dreaded 5 mm candiru.

101 Things To Do with Cockroaches

By Ed Landry

I am thinking of a filthy, disgusting creature that wasn’t invited into your home and just won’t go away.  No, this is not a lawyer joke nor am I thinking about your uncle.  Because of the types of places I have gone, particularly third world destinations, war torn countries and disaster sites, I have come to expect cockroaches to be one of my traveling companions or at least my welcoming party. But at least let me begin with some good news. There are no cockroaches in Antarctica. If I come up with anything else I will let you know.MORE

Rattlesnake

By Richard Carroll

I was on assignment in Northern Arizona and booked at a hotel where a Native American Executive Chef was working. A confused Rattlesnake slipped into the kitchen and met his demise. A small piece of grilled rattler tasted like chewy chicken. I felt sorry for the snake and for sure that was my first and last snake tasting experience.

Fried Grasshoppers – Cooked to Perfection

By Ed Boitano

For me, traveling to a destination is to immerse myself in the local culture. This includes, of course, sampling regional cuisine. On a recent press trip to Mexico City, I stumbled upon a restaurant that specialized in pre-Columbian food items. When I saw the Aztec dish of Fried Grasshoppers on the menu, I knew it was to be a match made in happen. Yes, they were crunchy, but also a strong source of protein. Slipping them into a tortilla, slathered with guacamole (the avocado also from Mexico) and a little salsa, made my dining experience a delightful pleasure. And, of course, everyone at my table wanted a taste of the critters before their transition into the tortilla. It proved to be nice moment of bonding with my fellow travelers.

Okra Soup

By Richard Frisbie

Its base is the typical combination of pork and beef broth served to locals in Curacao, with shrimp and some fish added, then thickened to an almost mucous consistency with lots of okra. My table companions turned their noses up at the delightfully fragrant bowl of soup because it was a thick as honey and stickier. It looked most unappetizing. I learned that to eat it, the trick was to rotate my spoon in circles on the viscous surface, slowly raising it to break the bonds of the slimy, clingy liquid. Still, strings like melted mozzarella on a pizza slice stretched with the spoon to my mouth in a sticky web bursting with flavor. If the okra soup wasn’t so good I wouldn’t have worked so messily hard to finish it.

Fried Bees

By Fyllis Hockman

Fried bees are a delicacy in China but I was still surprised to find a plate of them on our banquet table. Having already tasted duck feet webbing and grimaced at some jellyfish, I figured how bad can a fried bee be. But when I picked one up with my chopsticks, I demurred. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat something with whom I had just made eye contact. I blinked first….

Bowl of Chinese Soup

By James Boitano

This is not the strangest food I’ve ever encountered on a trip. I’ve had snake in China, whale in the Faroe Islands and kangaroo and crocodile in Australia. But none of those were actually that exotic tasting. But one of the most surprising things I ate earlier this year was a simple bowl of soup noodles in Beijing. I was on a 10 hour layover there and decided to take a city tour of the Forbidden City. Arriving at 5:00 am from an overnight flight from Kazakstan, I spent the next five hours on a tour of the city. By late morning I was exhausted and most of all famished. The tour included a ‘traditional Chinese breakfast.’ I was ecstatic when I found out it was one of my favorite things: soup noodles.  I was led into a modest traditional restaurant where I was the only foreigner and the guide helped me order a traditional bowl of noodles.  Ready to savor the meaty broth and thick satisfying noodles, I tucked in… and it was tasteless. It tasted exactly as if you added boiling water to top ramen without the flavoring packet: limp noodles in hot water. I tried to add some spice to get some flavoring out of it but was admonished by the guide. No, we do not eat spicy for breakfast. I gave up after that, and thought I’d settle for tea. Oh, no, my guide told me. We do not drink tea for breakfast. So what did they have? A sprite. I know, I know: I was just another barbarian visiting the Imperial City. The city’s tastes were obviously much too refined for me.

Pickled Grasshoppers & Beetles Snack

By Raoul Pascual

When I was still in the Philippines, we had a friend who came from the Ilocus region (which is the northern most part of the Philippines). The Ilocanos (as they are called) are known for their industrious spirit and frugality. They survive even the worst drought. It is no surprise that they have this delicacy. I had never heard of it. One day our Ilocano friend received a gift from home – a jar of black juice with insects swimming inside. When I asked what it was, she readily handed me a soft, fermented grasshopper. The soup had the consistency of dirty water on its early evolutionary stage to becoming oil so it had the darkness of used motor engine oil. It smelled awful like soaked forgotten socks but my friend was excited to see me taste her favorite snack so how could I refuse? I took a bite and ripped its crunchy head off. It tasted like mowed grass dipped in a sewer. It wasn’t spicy – so there was nothing to deaden the taste. It was simply repugnant. I chewed it a couple of times hoping there would be a redeeming flavor in the mix. None came. I imagined its tiny antlers and little legs scurrying excitedly at their new home. I retched it out. My friend laughed. I had to gargle. Worst food in the planet.

Pizza Napoletana: Naples’ Gift to the World

By Ringo Boitano

My dream was about to become a reality. Based in Los Angeles, I was used to taunts from my otherwise wonderful East Coast friends, who were never shy about battering me with people in Southern California don’t know what REAL pizza is. Though I had eaten my way through New York, Boston and Philly in the past and had sampled their delicious pies – I would ask my friends countless times why it was a REAL pizza and others were not. The standard reply was It’s just better.

Now, as I stood on the shores of Naples, I was about to experience the real REAL THING. I had prepared myself with plenty of research for this sacred occasion. The word pizza was first documented in AD 997. Baker Raffaele Esposito from Naples is often given credit for creating the first such pizza pie. Unlike the wealthy minority, Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza, sold by street vendors or informal restaurants, met this need. The early pizzas (known to the world as Pizza Napoletana) consumed by Naples’ poor were prepared with simple and fresh ingredients: a basic dough, San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius, a splash of olive oil and some salt with no cheese, basil and fancy toppings. The pie was then baked in a wood-burning oven made of volcanic stones from Mount Vesuvius. MORE

Hot Goat Meat of Andhra Pradesh, India

By Ed Landry

My friend and I really love hot food. It was 1987 and we were on assignment in Southern India with a group called The Bible League. We had visited remote villages in the interior and had returned to Andhra Pradesh and needed a rest. This particular region of India has the reputation of having the spiciest and most deadly cuisine on the continent. Dog and I (yes, his nickname is “Dog”) were looking forward to a good meal. We needed a break from the village food, especially the rancid Ghee we ate sitting on dirt floors with cats crawling on our food. By the way, Ghee, when it is fresh, is clarified butter but Indian Ghee that has aged in the heat for years sitting open on a shelf has the flavor and texture of dog vomit so we were ready for a change of diet. It was good to get back into a city.

Recipe … if you dare!

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My friend and I really love hot food. It was 1987 and we were on assignment in Southern India with a group called The Bible League. We had visited remote villages in the interior and had returned to Andhra Pradesh and needed a rest. This particular region of India has the reputation of having the spiciest and most deadly cuisine on the continent. Dog and I (yes, his nickname is “Dog”) were looking forward to a good meal. We needed a break from the village food, especially the rancid Ghee we ate sitting on dirt floors with cats crawling on our food. By the way, Ghee, when it is fresh, is clarified butter but Indian Ghee that has aged in the heat for years sitting open on a shelf has the flavor and texture of dog vomit so we were ready for a change of diet. It was good to get back into a city.

Dog said he wanted to eat some of the famous hot goat meat of Andhra Pradesh. I told him I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. But, he asked our guide where the hottest food in the region was to be found and we were led to this dilapidated, hole-in-the-wall eatery. As we were walking in one of the customers was being dragged out either drunk or unconscious with what looked like severe facial burns. It was really disgusting. His friends were all laughing. I reminded Dog that I REALLY didn’t think this was a good idea at all.

When we sat down Dog made it quick and simple. He ordered the hottest thing on the menu. Our guide was impressed. I was scared. I was sweating before we even started to eat. There was something acidic in the air. As a former firefighter, I remember thinking as we walked in that there must have been a fire next door in a battery acid plant. My eyes were burning just sitting there and it was getting hard to breathe. The waiter smiled as he carried out the food and gave a high five to our guide. Half the restaurant stopped eating and watched us since we were Americanos and no hotter food existed. Dog said, “Wow, let’s do it.” Oh, what the heck. How bad can it be? We dove in.

I want to try to describe the experience without scaring off potential travelers. But first, something needs some explanation. There is a pepper grown in India which is called Bhut Jolokia. In 1987 it was the hottest known pepper in the world. We call that pepper the Ghost Pepper in America. OK, back to our story. He ordered the hottest Ghost pepper, goat meat dish that they made. If you ever travel with a man named “Dog” don’t let him order lunch!

We began. By the time the first bite of the hot goat meat reached my stomach, I felt like I had just gargled Drano. You could actually feel the skin peeling off the throat and falling in sheets into the stomach. My bowels started cramping just for practice knowing they would be called on big time shortly. It soon developed into a rebellion of the entire body. I kept eating. Macho Ed was not going to wimp out. It wasn’t long before salty sweat stains covered my shirt and pants.

Limca soft drinkLet me introduce a very important word at this time – Limca. Limca is an Italian soft drink similar to a lemon-lime soda. Since they don’t often have refrigeration in the interior of India the bottles are kept covered in cow dung to keep them cooler. I gulped down the entire bottle in one breath. Chunks of dried cow dung flaked off onto my sweaty shirt. I restrained myself from drinking another Limca and decided to try some of the rice to calm my gurgling stomach. I like rice. This wasn’t rice. This was chunky style paint remover. There were pock marks on the ceramic plate. I went back to the goat meat. But before I started again I ordered another Limca.

I looked over at Dog and he was looking pale and his smile was gone. “You OK, Dog?” He looked kind of scared and then in a quick, manly recovery said, “Sure no problem.” But his voice broke and he sort of squeaked the words out.

I took another bite of the goat stew. At the table next to us a man had fallen to the ground unconscious and his friends were pouring beer all over him. I made a mental note. I don’t drink alcohol but somehow, I could see this happening to me. I kept eating…

I think it was the next bite that melted my lips off. If you have eaten extremely hot food you learn it is wise to observe how the locals do it. They never let the food touch their lips. Anyway, it didn’t matter now, I had no lips. My biggest concern began to be brain damage. I finished my next Limca without taking a breath. Our guide said he had never seen a Limca consumed that quickly. It was also the first time he had seen someone shake the carbonated beverage and hold his thumb over the bottle while spraying it all over his face. I was able to buy an ice cube and just wiped it over and over on my throbbing, missing lips while moaning. The pain and insanity increased for the rest of the meal.

It was then I noticed that Dog was not looking very good. He was bent over in pain with a horrible gas attack. His intestinal track resembled Mount St. Helens and when it erupted three minutes later he literally cleared the table. Two people eating nearby moved to another table.

Then my intestines started to send an equally urgent message. I excused myself to pay a visit to the local comfort room. As I stumbled past the table where the two had moved I grabbed an unfinished Limca from their table and poured it on top of my head. I barely had time to reach the bathroom and sit down when steaming lava erupted from the heart of the earth. We are talking about a Richter 10 caustic explosion. I needed another Limca to wash off but I had none. I wanted to sit on an ice cream cone. My eyesight was almost gone. I barely recognized Dog when I went out. He was leaning over the table waiting for something else bad to happen. His chin looked like he had been drooling paint remover. I think his mouth was totally paralyzed. The entire front of his shirt and pants looked like he had fallen into a restaurant grease trap. He asked where the Limca was and I just told him I was going outside to die in the alley. He said, “OK.” Both our brains were now gone. We had no lips, brains, bowels, or shirts left. We looked like we had been beaten senseless by a herd of rabid monkeys and dumped into a pig trough.

I went to see Dog the next morning in his hotel room. He was half conscious sitting on the floor in the fetal position. I noticed three empty cases of Limca scattered around the room. We both had trouble talking. We ate yogurt the rest of the week. Our lips did grow back and our bowels returned to normal pre-volcanic activity. I have never been normal since. I twitch a lot when I talk. Sometimes I just slobber when I think about it.

Recipe: Hot Goat Meat of Andhra Pradesh, India

To marinate:

• 1½ pounds Goat, cleaned, washed & cut to 1 inch size pieces
• 1½ teaspoons of Red Chili Powder
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice (or 2 tablespoons thick yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon Salt

To grind:

• 1½ inch Ginger, peeled & cut into small pieces
• 8 to 10 Garlic Pods, peeled
• 2 cm Cinnamon Stick
• 6 Cloves
• 2 teaspoons Poppy Seeds
• 1 to 2 tablespoons desiccated Coconut
• ¼ cup Hot Water for grinding

To season:

• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 Star anise
• 2 Kapok Buds (Marathi moggu)
• 2 cm Cinnamon Stick
• 4 Cloves
• 2 Cardamoms
• 2 Bay Leaves

Other Ingredients:

• 1 large Onion, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 Ghost Chili Peppers (Bhut Jolokia), finely chopped (wear plastic gloves)
• A sprig of Curry Leaves
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of Red Chili Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• Required salt
• ½ cup finely chopped Coriander, divided

Directions

• Marinate Goat with red chili powder, turmeric, a teaspoon of lemon juice and salt for about a minimum of 30 minutes. Longer the better.
• Grind ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, poppy seeds and desiccated coconut in a blender to a fine paste, without adding water.
• Then add slightly hot water, soak for a minute and grind to a fine paste. Soaking in hot water aids easy grinding of the poppy seeds.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Once oil is hot, season with dry spices.
• To this add chopped onions, Ghost Chili Peppers and sauté.
• Add curry leaves and stir for a minute. Be generous in using curry leaves!!
• Once onions become translucent, add in the marinated goat.
• Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes..
• Add remaining red chili powder and turmeric powder.
• Now add required water till the goat immerses. You can adjust the consistency of the gravy to suit your requirement. Adjust salt and add in some fresh coriander.
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook over medium high heat for 5 to 7 whistles, then simmer and cook for 5 minutes till the goat is fully cooked, soft and tender.
• Open the lid of the pressure cooker once the pressure subsides.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with finely chopped coriander

The Hot Goat Meat of Andhra Pradesh, India Recipe is done and ready to be served with rice.

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Matzo ball soup gets a glow-up with fresh parsley, dill, chives, and fennel fronds along with lemon zest and edible flowers for color and bright spring flavor.

By Leah Koenig

Active Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6

Seltzer and fresh herbs make these matzo balls light, airy, and springy.

• Edible flowers bring a simple beauty to a classic soup traditionally served at Passover.
• The soup is ready in a couple of hours, but you can get a head start by cooking the matzo balls and making the soup a day in advance.

Passover arrives on the cusp of spring, when the trees are bursting into their annual riot of fragrant buds and flowers. It’s also called chag ha’aviv, which translates from Hebrew to “spring holiday.” With all loving respect to the heavy, brown, slow-cooked dishes of my Ashkenazi Jewish people, after a long winter, my taste buds are crying out for all things green and bright.

What are traditional Passover foods?

For Jews hailing from Eastern Europe like my family does (my mother’s parents were first-generation Russian and Lithuanian), Passover’s classic dishes were shaped by the seasons. The trees outside may have been starting to bloom, but the garden was still bare, and the larder told the story of late winter. With limited produce and other ingredients available, it’s no wonder why dishes like tzimmes (a root vegetable stew), starchy kugels made from potatoes or softened matzo flavored with browned onions, saucy braised pot roasts, and gefilte fish quenelles poached in fish stock and brightened with grated horseradish (another root vegetable), became de rigueur.

In my family, tradition is paramount, especially when it comes to holiday food. Eating familiar dishes offers a chance to connect to our history and heritage in a tangible way. I might be able to get away with skipping the gefilte fish, but if the matzo ball soup is missing? That transgression would hardly go unnoticed. And yet, respecting tradition does not have to mean forfeiting flavor or freshness.

How can I reinvigorate the classic Passover spread?

I plan to welcome spring to the Passover table with a collection of dishes that honor familial roots (both figuratively and literally!), while celebrating the holiday’s verdant potential. I’ll dress up a platter of chicken roasted with leeks and potatoes with a zippy gremolata made from toasted pine nuts, garlic, and parsley. I’ll serve a gorgeous and colorful salad that takes late-winter produce like thinly shaved beet and carrot ribbons and matches them with rounds of juicy clementine.

Guests needn’t fret, the chicken soup will be on the table. But bowls of fragrant, golden broth and comforting matzo balls will be enlivened with a tangle of fresh herbs, lemon zest, and edible flowers. It’s a recipe that still honors the iconic flavors of Passover while giving a glow-up that lets them truly shine.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Herb Garden kneidlach soup can be prepared and served on the same day — it’s table-ready in about two and a half hours. If you’d like to get a head start, though, you can cook the matzo balls and make the soup a day in advance. After shredding the chicken in Step 4, simply cover the soup, shredded chicken, and cooled matzo balls separately with plastic wrap (or place in airtight containers) and refrigerate until you’re nearly ready to eat, then proceed with the recipe.

Matzo Balls

• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1/4 cup seltzer
• 1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley, dill, chives, and fennel fronds)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for simmering the matzo balls

Soup

• 12 ounces medium carrots, peeled, divided
• 1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 pound medium-size yellow onions, halved lengthwise
• 1 medium (about 13-ounce) fennel bulb, quartered, 1/4 cup packed fennel fronds reserved
• 2 large celery stalks, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
• 6 medium garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 10 cups cold water
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

Additional ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh dill fronds
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
• Edible flowers (optional)

Directions

1.     Make the matzo balls: Stir together eggs, matzo meal, seltzer, oil, chopped mixed herbs, and salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2.     Meanwhile, bring a Dutch oven filled with generously salted water to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer while you shape the matzo balls.

3.     Using lightly moistened hands, scoop out chilled matzo mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls and roll into balls, carefully adding each ball to simmering water after you shape it. (You will have 18 to 20 balls total.)

4.     Cover Dutch oven; simmer matzo balls until tender and puffed, 45 to 55 minutes. (For denser, less fluffy matzo balls, cook for slightly less time.) To test for doneness, remove 1 matzo ball from water and cut in half. It should be uniformly pale in color throughout. Remove from heat. Remove matzo balls from water and transfer to a plate. Let cool 30 minutes. Proceed with making soup, or refrigerate matzo balls in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

5.     While matzo balls cook, make the soup: Cut 2 carrots in half crosswise and place in a large stockpot. Add chicken, onions, fennel bulb, celery, parsley sprigs, garlic, and bay leaves to stockpot. Cover with 10 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer, partially covered, until chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, occasionally skimming any foam that accumulates. Soup should maintain a very gentle simmer; if it starts to bubble too vigorously, nudge the heat down a little.

6.     While the soup cooks, cut remaining carrots into thin (1 1/2- x 1/16- x 1/16-inch) julienned strips. Set aside.

7.     Remove chicken from stock mixture; transfer to a cutting board and let stand until cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place a fine wire-mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl; pour stock mixture through strainer. Discard solids. Return strained stock to stockpot; stir in salt and pepper. Add julienned carrot strips. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low. Simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

8.     Remove and discard chicken skin and bones from meat. Shred meat into bite size pieces. Return shredded chicken to stockpot and return to a simmer over medium-low. Simmer until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

9.     Place parsley leaves, dill fronds, chives, lemon zest, and reserved fennel fronds on a cutting board; roughly chop mixture, leaving some larger pieces intact.

10. Place 3 or 4 matzo balls in each of 6 bowls; top evenly with soup. Generously scatter bowls with herb mixture. If desired, decorate with a few edible flowers. Serve immediately.

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Sourdough starter ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water or milk
• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons yeast

Combine ingredients and place in large glass or crock with a lid and allow to sit in warm, draft-free location for 4 to 7 days.

Sourdough biscuits Ingredients:

• ½ cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 ½ cups unsifted flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Approximately ¼ cup butter, melted

Mix the starter, milk, and one cup of the flour in a large bowl (the night before if biscuits are for breakfast; if for dinner, in the morning). Cover bowl and keep at room temperature to rise.

Turn this very soft dough out onto 1 cup flour on a board. Combine sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda with remaining ½ cup flour and sift over top. With your hands, mix dry ingredients into soft dough, kneading lightly to get correct consistency. Dough will be soft. Kneading too much will result in tough biscuits. Roll out to ½ inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with a cutter or glass (old sourdoughs just pinched hunks off). Dip each into butter. Place biscuits together (actually, squeeze them together) in a 9-inch square pan and set in a warm place to let rise for about ½ hour. Bake at 375º for about 30-35 minutes. Makes about 14 biscuits (2 ½ inch).

Since you borrowed from the sourdough starter, it’s now necessary to replenish. To the sourdough starter that is left, add:

• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 2 cups warm water (90º)
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Mix well in large glass or pottery bowl. Mixture may be slightly lumpy. Let stand in warm place 24 hours or until bubbly or sour. The sourdough starter is now ready to use again or store in refrigerator.  Do not store in tightly closed container, or it may burst. When the starter hasn’t been used for a while, a liquor will form on top. Just stir it into the sourdough starter. (The Hoochinoo Native Americans liked to drink this liquor; hence, the name “hooch.”)

A sourdough Biscuit Tradition

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