Saturday, May 18, 2013
A recipe from food columnist Bob Leo that centers on the grain like seed quinoa.
Quinoa, pronounced Kee-nwa , is not a the guteral sound eminated by karate enthusiasts. Although I guess it could be, KEEEE-NWAAA ! Okay I'm getting a little carried away now. What quinoa actually is, is a grain like seed in the true grass family. It is related to plants like beets and spinach . Weird how that works, a beet you eat the root, spinach the leaves and quinoa the seeds. Quinoa leaves are edible but very bitter . It's the seed most people are after. Quinoa was originally cultivated some 3 of 4 thousand years ago by the Andean peoples of South America. The Incas held it sacred. It was for this reason the Spanish Conquistadors scorned it as Indian food, not fit for European consuption. It was also an arduous task removing …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Food columnist Bob Leo explores the intricacies of a new cocktail.
First of all, before I even start this column I’d like to make note that I am no spring chicken. When I first came onto the “scene “ the drinking age in Massachusetts was 18. Drinks like the Scarlet O’Hara , the California Root Beer, and the Godfather were all the rage. Boy have things evolved! I’m gonna skip over all the x-rated drinks that I personally would be too embarrassed to ask a barkeep for and cut right to the high octane stuff with 5 or 6 liquors in them . Drinks like Red Death, Voodoo Punch, and Long Island Ice Teas. Some of this stuff is like drinking kerosene with airplane glue. Once in a while something comes along that I actually would enjoy. For example, recently Judy over at TCC requested some Gosling’s Ginger Beer. …
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Food columnist Bob Leo has big plans for his favorite day in May.
One of my favorite days of spring is rapidly approaching. Sorry Mom, it’s not Mother’s Day. It’s Kentucky Derby Day. Believe it or not, I am a bit of a horse race enthusiast. I’ve had some luck on Derby Day and generally start following the field well in advance. But what’s this all have to do with a food column? Well, the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, is also famous for its official drink, the Mint Julep. The Mint Julep consists of four very simple ingredients, Kentucky Bourbon, sugar, water, and of course mint. The first step is to muddle the mint and sugar together. Just place a few leaves in the bottom of a cup with a teaspoon of sugar. Then muddle! A muddler looks like a miniature baseball bat but if you don’t have …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
It's seafood season and food columnist Bob Leo has everything you want to know about everyone's favorite crustacean.
I recently ran into an old friend of mine who makes his living selling lobster. He has a small warehouse with waterfall style tanks. These enormous bins sit on top of railroad ties and cascade over into each other with a pump on the bottom returning the treated seawater to the top. It was a long hard winter for my friend. Frigid weather and an abundance of storms kept the local lobster fleet docked for much of the season. But spring has finally sprung and prices are finally down. This past month has created an abundance of the spiny buggers and deals are a bound by everyone from your local grocer to the seafood restaurants that are famed for the NE delicacy. Keep in mind, however, not all lobster is created equal. The most sought after …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
What's a person with a sweet tooth to do?
“Sugar (do-do-do-do, doot doot, oh, honey honey, you are my candy girl........ “ Please, tell me I'm not the only one who remembers this classic from the Archies? Ok, how about this one, “Pour some sugar on me”? Really, the list of songs with sugar in the title goes on and on and on. From the Mills Brothers’ “Sugar Sugar” to the Stones’ “Brown Sugar” to 50 Cent’s “Sugar” and hundreds in between. The truth is this sweet, granular substance that dates back to the 3rd century isn't as desirable as songs would have you believe. Sugar, a simple carbohydrate composed of hydrogen and oxygen, is a leading cause of obesity, diabetes, dementia, and cardio-vascular disease. It is an empty food that has high caloric energy but absolutely no nutrients…
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Food Columnist Bob Leo speculates on what Jesus and his disciples may have eaten at The Last Supper.
Did you ever notice some people just have curious minds. You know the type, heads full of useless information. I must admit I'm one of them. Indulge me for a moment if you will. I'm discussing plans for Easter Brunch at TCC with our chefs. The conversation led to barley and almond salad. Sounded Biblical to me. I think I wrote a piece on Biblical Foods a year or so ago, and that got me thinking, I wonder what Christ ate at the Last Supper? So here we are. Of course nobody knows for sure as none of us were there. The obvious reference book would be the Bible. I started there. I found out talapia is known as St. Peter's Fish and according to Luke 24:42 "they partook of broiled fish and honeycomb" so I'm guessing talapia, which is still …
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Food columnist Bob Leo takes a look at the history of wine that had been overlooked for many years.
Isn't it funny how things come into vogue. Recently I have had a number of requests for Muscato wine. Now, historically Muscato was a cheap party wine, popular on college campuses and inner city barbeques. Nowadays most of your trendy establishments carry some type of Muscato. Made from the Muscat varietal this wine comes in a host of shades but the most popular is blush or pink. I recently sampled a few different brands (way to sweet for me) and it got me thinking. I remember when I was a little squirt my Nana would always have a glass or two of Cold Duck on the holidays. The original recipe for Cold Duck was combining the dregs of big reds with champagne. This happened in Germany around 1937, originally called Kaltes Ende or cold end …
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Turns out an Italian chef knows quite a bit about Irish food.
Top o' the mornin' to ya and the rest of the day to myself. Sorry, just get ready for the original green holiday. Over here at TCC a lot of work goes into St. Paddy's Day. I know what you’re thinking, what's an Italian guy from the North Shore know about Paddy? Well, let me tell you this -- I, Robert Geraldo Antonio Leo Jr., personally make every loaf of Irish soda bread that is served with all our traditional Irish meals on St Paddy's day, and have for years. And each and every one of those years my counterpart Judy tells me the story of her old Irish Grandma and her green ceramic baking pan with the little chip in it. It's become a little tradition and always concludes with " and make sure you use caraway seeds! ". So let me tell you a…
Sunday, March 3, 2013
A healthy lifestyle goes beyond simply what we put in our mouths.
Just for the record, in the 50 or so years I've been placed on this earth, I have owned four dogs, Clover, Simba, Sasha, and Curly Q. I have owned seven cats, Salem, Willow, Peaches, Max, Kaiya, Nala, and Smokey. Smokey had a tumor on his front left leg and had to have an amputation. He adapted nicely with three legs and still maintained his good nature. For twenty-three of those fifty or so years years I have maintained a 55 gallon aquarium. I have owned anoles, hampsters and hermit crabs. I have a Russian Turtoise name Frank Sinatra ( he has a long skinny neck). Hence, I am very much aware of the difference between pets and livestock. For the record I have never eaten any of them ! I do, however, understand the need to mass produce …
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Food Columnist Bob Leo tackles the controversial topic of horse meat as a food source.
I'm sure by now most of you have heard about the big horse meat scandal sweeping " the continent". It makes you wonder how long this has been going on and just what's in that Whopper you ate last week. And just why aren't horses eaten anyway? Our illustrious President Obama recently lifted a ban on FDA inspections of horse meat. This would now make butchering horses legal in the good ol' U.S. of A. In fact in many Asian and European countries horse is widely accepted as a food source. The top 8 horse meat producing countries butchered 4.7 million pounds last year. I'm not talking third world nations here, although certainly developing nations like Mexico, Mongolia and Kazakhastan make the list, so do Brazil, Canada, Poland, Italy, France …
BethanyKasey Huff
11:54 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
My sister and I make a yummy vegan quinoa and veggie stew: http://yummyvegancreations.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/quinoa-and-vegetable-vegan-stew.html It is warming, filling, easy and delicious more ›