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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France and Germany are renowned for the outstanding wines made there.   That beverage is ingrained in French culture.  The majority of the German varieties come from small family-owned vineyards.

The succulent spirit has been produced in the United States since the 1500s, and the quality has earned it a number of international awards.  California leads in viniculture,  accounting for some 80 percent of the total that is made and bottled.  Next, but far behind in volume, are New York and Washington State.

Many people are surprised to learn that wine is made in all 50 states.  Some of them seem unlikely locations for growing grapes.

As you travel close to where you live, or further away, opportunities exist to drop by vineyards and tasting rooms to sample vintages that may be new to your palate.

Of course, many oenophiles rank California first on their list of must-see, must-sip states.  A number of them head for St. Helena, where the Hall Rutherford Estate is tucked into the mountainsides of the Vaca Range, four miles east of downtown Napa. 

The caves at Hall Wines in St. Helena are an integral component of its winemaking process, providing a stable temperature and moisture level which are perfect for aging and storing wine in barrels.  The major attraction in the Chandelier Room where a massive suspended light which is dressed with hundreds of glittering Swarovski crystals.

The Jarvis Estate winemaking facility is entirely contained within 45,000 square feet of a cave tunneled into the scenic Vaca Mountains.  Due to the invariant temperature and high humidity of caves, wineries typically have used them for  barrel aging wines. Jarvis Estate was the first in the country to tunnel a cave so large that it contains the entire winemaking operation.  Water from a spring that flows through the cavern controls the temperature and moisture levels.

A very different vibe greets guests at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery.  Along with wine offerings, it has a restaurant swimming pool and room devoted to the many Academy Award-winning films that Coppola directed.  A favorite among visitors is the Godfather Room.

During dry spells, the 50-plus wineries located in Fredericksburg , Texas hill country would welcome some of the water from Coppola’s pool.  By some counts, this ranks among the most popular wine destinations in the country.  Added attractions are bountiful barbeque and melodious country music.

Another surprise sipping state is Missouri.  Its wine region takes in the resort town of Branson and the sprawling Lake of the Ozarks reservoir.  The main attraction is the Ozark Mountains AVA (American Viticultural Area), which is a grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding territory.

Two of the earliest AVA areas in the Unites States are located in Missouri.  German settlers began planting vineyards there nearly 200 years ago, and the Augusta AVA was the first one to be established in the United States.  It was recognized and registered several months before any area of California’s Napa Valley achieved that honor.

Willcox, Arizona, about an hour drive from Tucson, is home to wineries that produce good products for a state usually associated with sand and searing heat.  Vineyards are perched on mountainsides where hot days, cool nights and rich soil provide  a welcome environment for grape vines.

If wine is your passion, there are numerous opportunities to combine travel with tastings.  Some are available in well-known viniculture destinations, others offer a welcome surprise.  Whether you’re a would-be sommelier or a tenderfoot taster, there are wines and wineries to meet any and every preference.

For an extensive list of wineries throughout the Unites States, log onto winerelease.com.

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New England Patriots

Slow Cooked Boston Baked Beans

Ever wonder why Boston baked beans are called “Boston” baked beans? It’s the molasses, stupid. Boston has been tied to molasses since colonial days, when the city was a trade center for rum from the Caribbean. Molasses is used for rum production, a by-product of sugar refining, and was easily available to the colonists. Baked beans were also popular with the religiously observant Puritans who were forbidden to cook on Sundays. So they made a big pot the night before, and the baked beans were hot and ready the next day.

So why not go for tradition? After all, Boston is the nation’s most traditional city. Disregarding basic fire safety, cook the beans start to finish in the oven overnight. All you have to do is combine the ingredients in a Dutch oven, cover it, and bake it for hours upon hours upon hours. Toward the end, if they got too dry, you’d need to add a splash or two of boiling water, but otherwise, that’s about it. If you intend to soak dry beans overnight first, the next morning you’ll find that the beans have been inflated, so stick to the recipe. Boston baked beans make a perfect accompaniment to hot dogs, submarine sandwiches, and can even be used as a dip. For Bostonians, they are the city’s most patriotic dish. You’ll make Pats’ fans as happy as the first day of fall foliage season.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (2 to 2 1/4 cups) dry white beans such as Navy beans or Great Northern beans
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/2 pound salt pork (can sub bacon), cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, (1 1/2 cups) chopped

What to Drink: Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Is there any question? Samuel Adams Boston Lager helped lead the American beer revolution, reviving a passion for full-bodied brews that are robust and rich with character. A flagship brand of the Boston Beer Company, Samuel Adams was named in honor of Founding Father Samuel Adams, an American revolutionary patriot who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Now that’s patriotic. A second cousin to president John Adams, Samuel Adams inherited his father’s brewery on King Street (modern day State Street). Some histories say he was a brewer, while others describe him as a maltster. Established in 1984, Samuel Adams Boston Lager uses only the finest hand-selected ingredients to create this perfectly balanced and complex brew.

Seattle Seahawks

Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon

Totem Smokehouse is a family-owned business that has been handcrafting wild smoked salmon for over 40 years in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market.

During their early years, Totem perfected its famous smoking process. Their decades of experience smoking fish using their secret Native American-inspired recipes has satisfied customers from all over the world. They have a variety of house-smoked fish and also offer pâtés and gourmet bites. Ideal for Super Bowl parties.

Wild Sockeye Salmon Profile

Sockeye Salmon, also known as Red Salmon, is one of the most popular salmon species around the world. The species of salmon is known best for its wide array of nutrients, natural bright red coloring, salmon-forward flavor, and its firm texture.

What to Drink: George Town Beer

Georgetown is an independently owned Seattle craft brewery and maker of Manny’s Pale Ale. In May of 2017, after 14 years selling beer, we went from a draft-only production facility to canning select full-time beers (hey, we always said “never say never”). We now offer pints in our tasting room in addition to kegs, growlers, and cans to go. Or you could be social and get out to your favorite local watering hole. The only thing that hasn’t changed, we’re still focused on one thing … brewing darn tasty beer.

The post Super Bowl Eats appeared first on Traveling Boy.

Article by Fyllis Hockman. Photos by Victor Block for TravelingBoy.com

Enjoying our first dinner during a group tour of Sicily, I turned to our guide and told him that the meal was excellent. This being Sicily, the reply was not all that surprising. “You can steal my money but don’t touch my food,” Alessio remarked. He followed that remark by claiming: “If lunch or dinner doesn’t have at least five courses, it’s just a snack.” I suspect the largesse ahead of us was a paltry morsel.

So yes, food plays an important role in the lifestyle of Italians. Very important. Portions often approach gargantuan in size. And growing, harvesting, cooking and eating hold a place of near reverence in their daily lives.

Of countless repasts I have enjoyed at home and abroad, several stand out because of what they demonstrate about the locale and the people who live there. They range from gourmet spreads set out in a romantic setting to everyday street fare consumed by local inhabitants. All linger in my memories, if no longer on my taste buds, because of what they taught me about the lifestyles of those who prepare and share local favorites.

Of the many meals I experienced in Sicily, from lavish lunches to picnics among Phoenician ruins, one that stands out was billed as A Day in the Life of a Sicilian Family. Because family is the only thing that equals food in importance in Italy.

The up-front instructions from Alessio were clear: relax, cook, set the table, sing, dance, and be open to being part of the family despite the language barrier. A tall order, despite Alessio’s efforts to teach us Italian — though admittedly his emphasis on hand gestures — which cover a multitude of sins — weren’t that effective. But considering the emphasis on food by Sicilians throughout the trip, a visit to a farm where they grow and make their own seemed appropriate. We were introduced to the family and their captivating history going back generations — both of the farm and of themselves — before trying our hand at preparing our meal from scratch.

Parents of both the owner, Jean, and his wife plus assorted aunts and cousins all took part in teaching us the finer techniques of kneading bread and rolling pasta, all of which we consumed with gusto. Part of what made the meal even more memorable was the connection with the extended family who helped us create it. One heart-warming story told by Jean’s mother about her first kiss with her soon-to-be husband below the property’s huge Mulberry tree at the age of 12, was one Jean sheepishly claimed he had never heard before. A wow moment — especially for Jean. It was that kind of day!

And from Sicilian farmhouse to island inn, a marked change in venue and recipes but no less memorable. I’m not accustomed to trussing up and skewering the night’s main course, a practice not for the faint-hearted, before it was spit-roasted on an open-air fire pit for eight hours. But so it is with the Wednesday night pig roast at the Hermitage Inn on the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis. A very large head-to-tail pig on a very large spit, to be exact.

Sitting in the Great Room awaiting its theatrical entrance, I couldn’t help but reconnect with the plantation owners and their guests of yore who feasted on roasted pig and its many local dishes over 300 years ago: Plantain and rabbit pie, Bar-B-Q chicken and curried chick peas, fish in cream sauce and tomato salad, with a special shout out to the Johnny Cakes, of course…

Such elegant fare was replaced by more traditional techniques as we prepared our own meal at the Village Restaurant in Thit Ael Pin, a tiny town inhabited by farmers and fishermen in Myanmar (also known as Burma). It’s home to the Danu people, one of 135 distinct ethnic groups that are officially recognized by that country’s government, each with its own customs, traditions and food preferences.

A chef presided over the activity, and we each had our own personal assistant who instructed, and helped, us to add the pre-prepared ingredients to the cooking pots. The nine-course luncheon began with vegetables tempura prepared in the local style, went on to steamed fish wrapped in cabbage leaves and tea leaf salad, and titillated our taste buds with a desert of crispy fried banana with honey. The food was paired with glasses of Myanmar-produced red and white wine which we found to be surprisingly good.

As immersed in everyday appreciation of all things culinary as are the Italians, nowhere in the world is fine food approached with more reverence than in France. A barge trip along a shallow canal in the Burgundy area of France sponsored by French Country Waterways epitomizes that tradition. All the senses are satiated, but taste and smell predominate, with wine and food the focus of the trip.

Sure, the tree-lined towpaths, medieval villages, stately chateaux, and rolling fields where magnificent, pure white Charolais cattle graze were also appealing, but we’re talking about French food here. Fresh breads and buttery croissants are brought on board each morning, still warm from the village bakery. Both lunch and dinner, exquisitely prepared and presented from products from the local farmers’ markets hurried on board to maintain freshness, are accompanied by a select red and white wine. The de rigueur Plat de Fromage, a selection of three different cheeses, is served up with as much reverence as the wine.

Each bottle of wine is tenderly caressed as its characteristics are lovingly described prior to serving. The table is hushed as it learns of the wine’s vintage, heritage, blush, fruity nose, supple taste, sweet aroma, lightness, elegance, finesse, its children, hobbies, indiscretions — whatever.

Comparable homage is paid to the cheese. There’s always your basic cow’s, goat’s and blue varieties, farm fresh, 5 months old, 2 weeks old, square curd, penicillin rind, pasteurized, unpasteurized, mild and nutty, light and fresh, tangy and robust — this is a cheese we’re talking about! But once I returned home, I found it hard to look at a glass of wine or wedge of cheese without wanting to know its entire history.
The French take their wine and their cheese very seriously. No doubt, if the barge were to sink, the crew would save the wine and the cheese first. Fortunately, this is not a concern in four feet of water.

Back on land, in a world far away, a famous chef visiting from New York City toils in a Pennsylvania kitchen several days a week. The three meals a day are scrumptiously prepared, visually appealing, enormously filling and, oh yes, so delicious you hear murmurs of appreciation at every sitting. Not unusual for any fine restaurant. But when the calorie count for all three meals ranges between 1200-1600 calories, if you factor in the two snacks available on a daily basis, the meals — every one of them — takes on new significance. Welcome to the Deerfield Health Retreat and Spa in East Stroudsburg, PA, where you may come for the exercise — virtually round the clock options — but you stay for the food. And for the very comfortable homey atmosphere where both the guests and the staff members return year after year.

After gallivanting and gourmet-dining around the world, we end with a tiny snack shack in the United States. The Pine Tree Frosty has been serving light bites and ice cream in the tiny western Maine town of Rangeley since 1964. My husband and I have a summer home there and tend to hang out a lot at the modest establishment.

The setting alone — perched at the edge of a small lake which is the seasonal home for several dozen ducks and an occasional loon — is worth a visit. But it’s what we rate as the best lobster rolls in Maine, where that tasty treat is a time-honored favorite, which keep calling our names.

For the uninitiated, the dish consists of a New England-style hot dog roll, which is split at the top instead of the side and has flat sides, filled with delectable lobster meat. At the Frosty, the rolls are buttered and toasted, and overflowing with 5 ounces of luscious lobster meat (more than the standard 3-4 ounces) dressed very lightly with a touch of mayonnaise. After gorging ourselves around the world, such a simple repast is especially appetizing.

The post Memorable Meals: Edible Milestones from Around the World appeared first on Traveling Boy.

Curiously enough, many people attribute its birthplace to the nation of Italy. Most dispute this claim, and credit the Caesar Salad’s creation to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in both the U.S. and Mexico. Cardini lived in San Diego, but also worked in Tijuana where he could avoid the restrictions of Prohibition. His daughter, Rosa, recounted that her father invented the dish in 1924 on the Fourth of July after a rush of thirsty and hungry American tourists depleted the kitchen’s stock in the wee hours of the morning. Cardini made do with what he had left in the restaurant’s refrigerator, adding the theatrical flair of the table-side tossing by the waiter.

Julia Child wrote that she had eaten a Caesar Salad at Cardini’s restaurant when she was a child of nine-years-old in the 1920s — thus making the creation world-famous.

“I am probably one of the few people around who saw the real Caesar Cardini making his salad. I was about 9 when my parents took me to his restaurant in Tijuana, just the other side of the border from San Diego. They were so excited when big jolly Caesar himself came to the table to make the salad, which had already been written up and talked about everywhere. And it was dramatic: I remember most clearly the eggs going in, and how he tossed the leaves so that it looked like a wave turning over.

In her classic, “The Way to Cook,” Julia Child remembers: “According to Chef Caesar Cardini’s daughter, with whom I talked at length before doing this recipe for our TV show some years ago, the original contained no anchovies. However, you may certainly add them if you wish, mashing them into a puree with a bit of olive oil and tossing them in before adding the cheese. When Caesar Cardini first served his famous salad in the early 1920s, he used just the hearts of the romaine lettuce, the tender short leaves in the center, and he presented them whole. The salad was tossed and dressed, then arranged on each plate so that you could pick up a leaf by its short end and chew it down bit by bit, then pick up another. How-ever, many customers didn’t like to get their fingers covered with egg-and-cheese-and-garlic dressing, and he changed to the conventional torn leaf. Too bad, since the salad lost much of its individuality and drama. You can certainly serve it the original way at home – just provide your guests with plenty of big paper napkins. And plan to be extravagant.”

Julia Child’s Recipe for the Caesar Salad

This version is quite close to the original, and you can see it is really a very simple salad. Use small, tender whole leaves, real Parmigiano-Reggiano – none of the fake stuff – and the 1-minute egg for creaminess (though you can substitute 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise for the egg). But you don’t want herbs and anchovies and things like that – then you have adulterated it.

Yield: 2 or 3 servings

18 to 24 crisp, narrow leaves from the hearts of
2 heads of romaine lettuce, or a package of
romaine hearts (about 1 pound)
1 cup Plain Toasted Croutons (recipe follows)
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup or more excellent olive oil
Salt
1 large egg
Freshly ground black pepper
1 whole lemon, halved and seeded
Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese,
imported Parmigiano-Reggiano only
Academia Barilla Parmigiano Reggiano

Special equipment: A large mixing bowl; a small frying pan

Preparing the salad components:

You will probably need 2 large heads of romaine for 3 people – or use a commercially prepared package of “romaine hearts,” if they appear fresh and fine. From a large head remove the outside leaves until you get down to the cone where the leaves are 4 to 7 inches in length – you’ll want 6 to 8 of these leaves per serving. Separate the leaves and wash them carefully to keep them whole, roll them loosely in clean towels, and keep refrigerated until serving time. (Save the remains for other salads – fortunately, romaine keeps reasonably well under refrigeration.) To flavor the croutons, crush the garlic clove with the flat of a chef’s knife, sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and mince well. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on the garlic and mash again with the knife, rubbing and pressing to make a soft purée. Scrape the purée into the frying pan, add another tablespoon of oil, and warm over low-medium heat. Add the croutons and toss for a minute or two to infuse them with the garlic oil, then remove from the heat. (For a milder garlic flavor, you can strain the purée though a small sieve into a pan before adding the extra croutons. Discard the bits of garlic.) To coddle the egg, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Pierce the large end of the egg with a pushpin to prevent cracking, then simmer for exactly 1 minute.

Mixing and serving the Caesar:

Dress the salad just before serving. Have ready all the dressing ingredients and a salad fork and spoon for tossing. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the romaine leaves and toss to coat, lifting the leaves from the bottom and turning them towards you, so they tumble over like a wave. Sprinkle them with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper, toss once or twice, then add the lemon juice and several drops of the Worcestershire, and toss again. Taste for seasoning, and add more, if needed. Crack the egg and drop it right on the romaine leaves, then toss to break it up and coat the leaves. Sprinkle on the cheese, toss briefly, then add the croutons (and the garlicky bits in the pan, if you wish) and toss for the last time, just to mix them into the salad. Arrange 6 or more leaves in a single layer on individual plates, scatter the croutons all around, and serve.

Homemade Croutons

“Homemade croutons are essential for our Caesar salad and a fine addition to a basic green salad as well as soups. You can enrich the cubes with melted butter before toasting, if you like, or flavor them after with garlic oil, as in the Caesar recipe. It’s easy to make a large batch and freeze any croutons you are not using the same day. Reheat frozen croutons in a low oven until crisp.”

Plain Toasted Croutons (makes 4 cups)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the crusts from 4 or more thick slices of home-style white bread and slice bread into 1/2-inch strips and then the strips into 1/2-inch cubes, to make 4 cups. Spread the cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and set in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until lightly toasted on all sides. Spread the cubes on a tray to cool before using or freezing.

The Caesar Salad – According to the Hotel Caesar’s Recipe

• whole leaf romaine or cos lettuce
• olive oil
• fresh crushed garlic – often in olive oil
• salt to taste
• fresh-ground black pepper
• wine vinegar
• lemon juice or lime juice – fresh squeezed
• Worcestershire sauce
• raw or coddled egg yolks
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• freshly prepared croutons

Prepared table-side, ‘natch.

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The late stand-up comedian-slash-social critic George Carlin once observed, “The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity.”

You know, George was right. The poor lumbering caterpillar did all of the heavy lifting, actually lots of eating, just so he/she could eventually go into total isolation encased in a silky cocoon awaiting his/her rebirth as a butterfly, then flutter away with a whole new identity – kinda like entering the witness protection program.

My alter ego short-order cook, Lazy Person (LP), a big fan of Carlin’s by the way, has a metamorphosis of his own going on in the galley involving butterflies of a different sort.

What LP has captured in his culinary net is what you may know as bow-tie pasta; but here in Italy, where they come from, they’re known as farfalle (butterflies). And some of the very best you can consume are readily available in the pasta section of your grocery store. They’re from the pasta house of Garofalo, a landmark brand from Gragnano in the province of Naples, that’s been making exquisite strands and other shapes – like the farfalle – from semola di grano duro (durum wheat flour) since 1789.

By adding some frozen baby spring peas and pancetta (bacon) into our pasta-based chrysalis, these golden-yellow butterflies will explode out of their metamorphosis, dripping wet in a very tasty way.

If you’ll grab an apron AND a net, we can head into the kitchen and give LP a hand with this fluttering dish. It should take us less that 30 min. to “capture” or YOU DON’T PAY.

Step-1: Fill a medium size pot with water, cover, fire up to HIGH and bring to a boil.

Step-2: In a skillet, add the olive oil and butter and fire up to MEDIUM to melt and merge.

Step-3: Add 2-3 peeled onion sections to the skillet, brown to a paper-bag color then remove.

Step-4: Add the pancetta to the skillet and let it cook until it browns.

Step-5: Add the peas and 1/3 glass of white wine to the skillet and continue cooking for 10 min.

Step-6: Pasta water is now boiling, uncover the pot, add 1 tbsp. of sea salt to the water drop the pasta down. Let it cook for 10 min.

Step-7: Pasta is now al dente. Drain and place back into the skillet with the peas and pancetta mixture.

Step-8: Add 2 tbsp. of grated cheese and sauté for 1 min.

Step-9: Plate, topping each dish with 1 tbsp. of the remaining grated cheese and serve with crunchy artisan nut bread.

Step-10: BUON APETITO!

Recommended Wine Pairing: Kalterer See Weinland DOC – Ritterhof Winery – Lago di Caldaro/Kalterer See (BZ), Italy

Situated in the village of Kaltern (Caldaro), in the heart of the South Tyrol of Italy’s northernmost region of the Alto Adige, you’ll find the small Ritterhof Winery run by the Roner family. One of many wineries that dot the famous Weinstrasse (Wine Road), Ritterhof produces and markets three separate lines of bottled grape: Ritterhof, Crescendo and Kalterer See (Lago di Caldaro). It is the later line’s namesake blend that we find our wine pairing.

The Kalterer See Weinland DOC is a blend of Vernatsch with subtle additions of Lagrein and Pinot Nero. Ruby red to dark garnet in color, this wine has a pleasant, distinct fruity bouquet. On the palate, it’s dry, mild and harmonious with hints of bitter almonds.

The Kalterer See Weinland DOC is a remarkably versatile, any time wine that pairs well with a variety of light meals, red meats and poultry. It did well complimenting our farfalle pasta dish and has sampled well alongside one of LP’s signature flatbread pizzas.

SALUTE!

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