(photo by Rick Tango)
We prepared this classic for our family and friends at American Feast’s New Orleans Night Party. We learned the recipe at a class called “Taste of New Orleans” presented by Chef-Instructor Ann Rossi at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. The talented Chef Rossi taught us well and we’ve been serving up Jambalaya to our guests ever since.
Ingredients for 16 Servings
* 4 lb. of Andouille Sausage - Cut Lengthwise in Half & Then Cut Crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
* 16 oz. of Tasso Pork - Small Dice
* 8 Boneless Smoked Duck Breasts
* 8 tbsp. of Soybean Oil
* 4 Cups of Spanish Onion - Medium Dice
* 4 Cups of Celery - Medium Dice
* 4 Cups of Green & Red Peppers - Medium Dice
* 4 tbsp. of Garlic - Minced
* 2 Cup of Tomato Sauce
* 4 Cups of Tomatoes - Peeled & Diced
* 10 Cups of Chicken Stock
* 4 Cups of Uncooked White Rice
* 4 lb. of Crawfish Tail Meat
Dry Ingredients
* 10 Ct Bay Leaves
* 2 tsp. White Pepper
* 2 tsp. Black Pepper
* 4 tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
* 4 tsp. Oregano
* 4 tsp. Garlic Powder
* 2 tsp. Sea Salt
* 4 Cups of Diced Scallions for Garnish
Preparation
1. In large heavy-bottomed pot heat oil & saute Andouille until brown.
2. Add in Tasso & continue cooking another 5 minutes.
3. Add in diced onions, celery, peppers, garlic & smoked duck breasts.
4. Cook lightly.
5. Add in dry ingredients & rice & stir until coated.
6. Add in tomato products & chicken stock.
7. Bring to a simmer & cover.
8. Cook-simmer on top of the stove or in 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed & rice is cooked.
9. Stir & check rice consistency - add in more liquid if necessary.
10. Adjust seasoning to suit taste & stir in crawfish tail meat.
11. Let sit before serving.
12. Serve garnished with chopped scallions.
If you're near NYC & would like to see a great selection of cooking classes go to: Institute of Culinary Education
The media today will have a field day with headlines like "New Study Finds Vitamins Will Kill You!" but, as usual, the reports are misleading. I've culled through a number of stories this morning and have found one that reports the information in a non-hysterical format. What's the bottom line? The study shows that anti-oxidants help you when you consume them in food, not supplements.
Antioxidants Don't Help You Live Longer - abc NEWS HEALTH
1 1/2# Pork Tenderloin
1 # new red potatoes, halved or fingerlings (lightly tossed in olive oil)
2 large sweet onions, sliced thin
2 tart , firm apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 C. Jersey Mary sauce
2.T canola oil
salt and fresh pepper (Optional for the Garlic Lover)
2 or 3 large cloves garlic, crushed (Another option)
3 T. Port wine or Marsala
Salt and pepper pork and rub with garlic if using. Place in gallon baggie and add 1/4 C. Jersey Mary and marinade from 2hours to overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil for easy clean-up and coat with cooking spray. Place pork in the pan and surround with the potatoes and put in the oven. Baste both with Jersey Mary every 15 min. Roast about 45 min. until instant read thermometer is 150 to 155. Let rest 5 min. before carving. While the roast is in the oven, saute the onions in oil in a heavy skillet, over medium heat. Stir occasionally until dark golden brown, about 30 min. When the onions are almost done add the apples to wilt slightly. (If you are using the wine now is the time to deglaze your onion pan, cook in the wine out about 10min.) Add 1/2 to 3/4 C. Jersey Mary to the pan and heat through. Slice pork on an angle arrange on a platter with the potatoes and top with the compote.
Serves 4. Enjoy!
To order one of the finest BBQ sauces we've ever tried go to: Jersey Mary's Barbeque/Baking Sauce
As you know, nutritionist Lisa Maffucci has written a five part series on the benefits of engaging your brain in your weight loss efforts. Last week, in part one she suggested you change the way you think about diets. Here's Installment two.
Suggestion 2: Learn to recognize hunger and satiety.
Research shows that people who lose weight by following diets almost always regain the weight. That is because they are eating (or not eating) according to someone else's directions. They are not eating in response to their internal hunger cues and they are not stopping because they have had enough.
Do you remember when you were a child? And you had to be bribed - usually with dessert- to finish what was on your plate? Do you remember saying "But I'm not hungry!" (How long has it been since you said that?)
Today, we eat for every reason other than physical hunger. We eat when we're stressed, tired, sad, angry, lonely, tired, and happy. We eat when we're with friends. We eat to celebrate. We eat when we're bored. We eat because food smells good. We eat for reasons that have nothing to do with physical hunger. And when that happens, we are taking in calories that we don't physically need, and they are stored as fat.
So, commit to re-learning to recognize physical hunger (hint: it's in your stomach). Before you eat, practice rating your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 is not hungry, 5 is hungry, and 10 is very hungry. Remember, this is based on how you feel physically, NOT on how much you want to eat. Learn to recognize the difference.
Next, learn to recognize satiety. This is the feeling of being satisfied without being stuffed. This is a comfortable feeling, not a need to unbutton the top button on your pants. To do this, stop eating when half of your food is still on your plate. Pay attention to how your stomach feels. Again, rate your satiety on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 is still hungry, 5 is satisfied, 10 is over full. Practice stopping at 5. Remember, you can eat again when your hunger returns.
The object of this exercise is to separate physical hunger from emotional hunger. Eating for any other reason than physical hunger is emotional eating. This doesn't mean you can't eat socially or that you can never attend a dinner party again. It means that you learn to eat in response to your internal physical hunger, and not your emotions.
Look for part three next Monday!
Published in the Journal of Agricultural Food, a study at Hanyang University in Seoul, shows that black soya beans are a health powerhouse.
DIETERS URGED TO EAT SOYA - DailyRecord (Scotland)
Black soy help control weight, lower fat and cholesterol levels and prevent diabetes - CHINAdaily
If you think removing trans fats from cookies and french fries makes them health food, you'd better think again. According to this aricle from USA Today, too many people are being lulled into a false sense of security.
Trans fats are not the only villain in American diets - USA Today
[thanks, Jeff!]
As you might know, Scoville Heat Units (SHU) are used to measure a food's "hotness". Up until now, the hottest food on record has been the Red Savina chile pepper with about a half million SHU rating. We thought we had a new champ with the Bhut Jolokia at 1,002,304 SHU. But right on the heels of the Bhut Jolokia victory comes word of a new winner. The Dorset Naga Chilli at a whopping 1.6 million SHU!
World record set for hottest chili pepper - boingboing
Did you know that John Deere was a real guy? Not only that but did you know he was a blacksmith and plow innovator that changed the face of America's agricultural history?
As Johnny Carson used to say, "I did not know that!"
Watch this 5 minute video from Farmers' Almanac TV.
Farmers' Almanac TV: John Deere, The Man - Farmers' Almanac TV (via Google Video)
Allison Goldberg of the New England Cranberry Company offers this recipe using one of their natural, innovative products created with the American Cranberry, native to their state of Massachusetts.
Ingredients
* 1 Small round of Brie cheese
* New England Cranberry Pepper Jelly
* Ready to use pastry dough
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Unwrap and unroll ready to use dough, then roll it out so it is big enough to completely cover cheese.
3. Place Brie round in middle of dough and spoon New England Cranberry Pepper Jelly on the top surface.
4. Bring corners of the dough to center of the cheese to cover and seal.
5. Any extra dough can be rolled out, cut with cookie cutter designs and used to hide pastry seams.
6. Slide onto baking sheet and bake in oven for 15 minutes.
If you'd like to purchase one of the New England Cranberry Company very popular jelly go to: Cranberry Pepper Jelly
To read about the New England Cranberry company & the great health benefits of cranberries go to: New England Cranberry Company
Bring a bit of New Orleans home with this recipe using the famous chicory coffee from the Cafe du Monde.
Ingredients
1 4" cinnamon stick
12 whole cloves
Zest of 2 oranges
1 whole orange (optional)
Zest of 1 lemon
6 lumps of sugar
8 oz. cognac
2 oz. Curacao (optional)
1 quart of Cafe du Monde Coffee & Chicory
Preparation
1. In a brulot bowl or 2qt. chafing dish, warm and mash together the cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, lemon zest and sugar.
2. Add brandy and Curacao and ignite.
3. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
4. Add in coffee, slowly mixing until flames die down.
Serve in demitasse cups. Makes 8-10 cups.
If you'd like to purchase New Orleans' most renowned Coffee & Chickory go to: Cafe du Monde Coffee & Chicory
If you'd like to read the history of New Orleans' incomparable French Market coffee stand go to: Cafe du Monde
Even if some scientist proves this wrong in the future, I will still believe it! Isn't that what faith is all about?
Some Cocoa May Improve Brain Blood Flow - Ap via Forbes
Flavanols in cocoa may offer benefits to the brain - PHYSORG.com
When I was a kid, one of my father's favorite admonitions was, "use your head!" While I wasn't always successful, eventually I did learn the benefits of thinking before acting. Nutritionist Lisa Maffucci has written a five part series on the benefits of engaging your brain in your weight loss efforts. Here is the first installment.
This is the time of year that people make resolutions to lose weight and exercise more. And soon after they make them, they are back to their old habits, convinced that they can not make the changes they promised themselves they would. So how can you make those resolutions stick once and for all?
Change your mind.
That's right! You can change your bad habits by changing the way you think about them.
These simple (but not easy) suggestions will help you permanently change your habits so that you can improve your health. Commit to mastering one at a time and you will see results.
Suggestion 1: Change the way you think about diets.
You are not going on a diet. Diets are something you go on, and then you go off. Diets smack of deprivation, hunger, sacrifice, and suffering. When you go on a diet, you are so focused on what you can't eat that you set yourself up for failure.
Your goal in improving your health is not to stay on a diet, but to find a way of eating that you can live with for the rest of your life; a health-supporting way that allows you to eat anywhere, with anyone, without needing six different wardrobes. When you do this, your body finds its natural weight and you stay there (within a few pounds) no matter what.
Dieting puts you in a good/bad, on/off, black/white mindset. It is a rigid way of thinking that makes it difficult (if not impossible) to adapt to your current situation. Remember, your goal is not to only eat the "permitted" foods at the "permitted" times, but to be able to eat healthfully anywhere, anytime. Your diet should not alienate you from your life.
So change the way you think about diets. Diets don't work. Commit to learning how to eat healthfully for the rest of your life.
Look for installment two next week, same time, same station!
From this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, an Ulster University study reveals that eating 85 grams (about 3 ounces) of watercress daily could inhibit the growth of cancer cells and even kill them.
"Professor Ian Rowland, who led the study, published in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, said: "Population studies have shown links between the intakes of cruciferous vegetables like watercress and a reduced risk of a number of cancers. However, such studies don't give direct information about causal effect. "What makes this study unique is it involves people eating watercress in easily achievable amounts, to see what impact that might have on known bio-markers of cancer risk, such as DNA damage."
NOTE: Study funded by The Watercress Alliance, a group of watercress farmers from the UK.
Daily intake of watercress can reduce cancer risk - Food Business Review
A bagful of cress a day may keep cancer cells at bay, study suggests - Guardian Unlimited
Taking the super-gloss out of superfoods - The New Zealand Herald
The government reccomends that pregnant women keep their weekly intake of seafood to no more than 12 ounces in order to protect fetuses from developmental problems due to pollution. But according to a new study lead by Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a U.S. National Institues of Health researcher, that may be exactly the wrong advice. Women who limit their intake to these levels may actually be harming their children by depriving them of essential nutrients important for fetal brain development.
Wanna have clever baby? Eat more seafood - CHINAdaily
Consumer Group: Landmark Fish Study Should Put Mercury Fears To Rest - prnewswire.com
Fish diet leads to smart babies - The Australian
Dane Dr. Bent Skovmand has died at the age of 61 from a brain tumor. Dr. Skovmand was a plant scientist who was involved in creating the largest seed bank in the world. It is located inside a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Ocean.
"Its purpose is to ensure the survival of crop diversity in the event of plant epidemics, nuclear war, natural disasters or climate change, and to offer the world a chance to restart growth of food crops that may have been wiped out."
Bent Skovmand, 61; scientist worked to preserve seeds - Boston Globe
Spitsbergen - Wikipedia
'Doomsday' seed bank to be built - January 2006 story from BBC
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