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Chai, Coconut and Critters

IMG_5385What better way to spend a rainy day than visiting the San Francisco Fancy Food Show. This past Tuesday, I fought my way through over 5000 stands showcasing a wide range of domestic and international food products including many of the newest trends that will hit the shelves of our neighborhood super markets soon. Read and see what I liked best, including chai teas, new and improved superfoods, all things coconut and yes, why not, critters. Come and cook with us!

Matcha teas, powders, blends that can be consumed by adding water or your choice of milk. Brands included DoMatcha, Teapigs, Aiya Matcha and many others. In general, the whole tea category was very inspiring with Marin’s very own Republic of Tea featuring one of the most complementary collections. When it comes to tea innovations, we like to highlight Leaner Creamer a coconut-oil-based all-natural blend that aims at “cleaning up the way we drink coffee”. I leave it up to you to decide if you’re ready for the creamer revolution. Certainly keep an eye out for Tea Drops. This new way to make and enjoy teas on the go is a sure winner. The drops come in little fun-shaped ground tea pellets that make away with tea bags and their packaging. I loved the rose earl grey heart-shaped drops but there are more flavors available in cute gift packages on the company’s website. I already ordered a stack!

Chai teas deserve their own section. There were so many different options and I loved David Rio’s and also Tipu Chai‘s 4th generation recipe that was absolutely delicious. Turmeric-based teas and other products were all the rage as well, standing out was Rishi’s Turmeric Ginger Chai, a “naturally caffeine-free botanical elixir”.

When it comes to snacks, sit back and enjoy what food gurus have come up to satisfy our – and our kids’ – insatiable desire to snack throughout the day. Whether Gourmet Superseedz, Nu Life Market‘s popped sorghum, super pretty Dardimans California Crisps fruit slices and Organic Gemini Tigernuts, the options are too many to be listed. Most are in line with the latest trends of gluten-free, vegetable-based, high-nutrient, low-sugar alternatives.

The other big hit is beef jerky, puffed pork skins and all the other juicy meat bits. Smokey, handsome and bold were the stands manned by equally strong and handsome studs enticing our inquiring palates to taste what they had on offer. How could we say no! Some of my favorites included KRAVE Jerky, Epic Bars, Perky Jerky, Lawless Jerky and Three Jerks Jerky. I mean, really, could you come up with better names? For sure is that jerky is clearly dominating the snack category.

Another trend was one-meals in cups, including breakfast cereal bowls from Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods and the deliciously nutritious line of Dr. McDougall’s soups and whole grain oatmeal cups. Of the gluten-free options, we liked Simple Mills almond baking mixes and RP’s Fresh Pasta the best. And we also loved the little ready-to-use spice mixes from Just Cook that help turn home-cooked meals into amazing dishes as well as new super foods like Pure Moringa that can be used in shakes, sauces, soups and more. Finally, our friends from New Zealand featured their dairy-based protein powder kura that makes for a great addition to morning breakfast shakes.

No line-up of fancy foods would be complete without chocolate: there were many stands and we loved tcho, dagoba and poco dolce’s tiles and dairy-free bittersweet chocolate bars to name just a few.

That leaves the best for last. On my way out, I spotted a small stand right at the entrance with a lonely girl sitting and waiting for customers. I couldn’t figure out what she was offering. Oh boy, was I in for a surprise. Not one to shy away from culinary experiments, I happily accepted her offer to try one of her spiced roasted superworms. It was delicious. And if you live in the vicinity of the ferry building, Don Bugito: Prehispanic Snackeria’s little critter pouches can be purchased at La Cocina. I dare you to try it! Come and cook with us!IMG_5312 IMG_5358 IMG_5351 IMG_5303 IMG_5349 IMG_5338 IMG_5329 IMG_5400 IMG_5322 IMG_5391 IMG_5393 IMG_5325

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Vacanze e Gnocchi alla Romana

IMG_5232The beauty of Europe is the density of different countries, all within a day’s travel. Being able to board a train or get into your car and ride for a few hours to arrive to a completely different town, country and culture is one of the most appealing aspects of living in Europe. For example, when the combo artificial snow/number of tourists on the slope dipped against our favor, we decided to make the most of our holidays by visiting Rome. Less than four hours on the fast train Freccia D’Argento and we were sitting at a trattoria that offered mouth watering, lip smacking and absolutely delicious food. This week’s Gnocchi alla Romana are inspired by this trip. Come and cook with us!

While spaghetti, pizza and chicken piccata have made it across the pond, these gnocchi are not widely known outside Italy. They are semolina-based, feature plenty of parmiggiano and are usually served with a hearty tomato sauce or a light salad, depending on the season. They are made from scratch, but unlike potato gnocchi, they are faster, easier and pretty much foolproof to get done. And they don’t only taste great, but also look like a fun dish to make and serve. The gist of it is that you make the dough with milk, semolina, an egg and some cheese, spread it out, let it cool, form, arrange and bake.

So whether you want to take a culinary trip to Roma or are in the mood for trying something new, these Gnocchi alla Romana fit the bill. Let me know what you think. Come and cook with us!

Gnocchi alla Romana

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T’is the Season for Sauerkraut

IMG_4864It’s cold outside, snow is falling, a large pot of soup is simmering on the stove, and i’m dreaming of sauerkraut. Wait, what? Yes, you heard read me right. This time of year, my parents crack open their sauerkraut clay pot and the family comes together to enjoy the hard work of the lacto-fermentation of my parents’ cabbages. Come and cook with us!

Whether it’s sauerkraut, kimchi or miso, there are so many food preservation methods that ancient cultures have created to ensure that fresh produce can be enjoyed long past its harvest. Turning cabbages into sauerkraut is one of them. We’ve talked about making the quick home version before, but my parent’s way is the real one using heavy clay pots that are left in a cold place for at least six weeks but up to a few months. Once the pot is opened, it’s easy for bacteria to slip in, so everything has to be done “just-so” to make sure the kraut continues to hold up.

We eat sauerkraut in many ways. My absolute favorite one is a simple raw salad, which this time of year is on the table more than once per week. Take a packed cup of kraut, mix it with one tablespoon each of minced onion and good quality olive oil. Voilà! Believe me, it tastes like butter! We sometimes add shredded kale, grated carrots and diced avocado. If the taste of raw sauerkraut is too intensive, braised sauerkraut is the way to go. It provides the perfect foundation for sausages, braised pork shoulder or ribs. Give the sauerkraut a try and let me know if you prefer it raw or braised. Come and cook with us!

Braised Sauerkraut

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Bone Broth to Weather the Winter

IMG_4833One of the many perks of being a blogger is that it inspires continued education. Enrolling in a knife skills class, participating in a food writing workshop and attending health seminars are just a few of the interesting adventures I got to experience to be a better informed writer. So when my friend Liz suggested I spend a day in the kitchen of Three Stone Hearth, I was immediately up for it. If you have not heard of this organization before, I suggest you check it out. Three Stone Hearth filled me with lots of inspiration. At the top of the list: bone broth. Come and cook with us!

Three Stone Hearth is a community kitchen located in Berkeley, CA. It prepares, sells and delivers dishes that are prepared following the nutritional teachings of Weston A. Price, DDS and his theory on the Wisdom of Traditional Diets. These diets maximize nutrients by using ingredients from fertile soil, organ meats, animal fats, animals on pasture, raw and/or fermented dairy products, soaked/fermented grains and legumes, bone broths, unrefined sweeteners (honey, maple syrup), lacto-fermented vegetables, lacto-fermented beverages, unrefined salt, natural vitamins in foods, traditional cooking and traditional seeds/open pollination. In fact, perusing their weekly changing menu, one can quickly appreciate the breadth and depth of the products that are offered: stews, soups, salads, grain dishes, sauerkraut and kombucha, to name just a few. All hand-made right there in the kitchen. If any of this sounds appealing, I highly recommend you visit the website and learn more about it.

We are creatures of habit. So while I love to hear people’s views, teachings and convictions, attending a workshop like this does not always trigger immediate action on my side. Well, this day was different. We shared a delicious lunch along with the kitchen crew and I was infatuated with a fall/winter vegetable soup based on a heavy beef bone broth. It was divine. In fact, I kept dreaming about it and translated the inspiration into action: making regular beef bone broth has become de rigeur. Adding onions, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, cabbage and greens made for an excellent hearty soup. We’ve been having different versions of it once a week lately. I hope that you get inspired by the recipe for the beef bone broth, too. As Jessica Prentice, co-founder of Three Stone Heart and author of Full Moon Feast would say, if traditional diets have kept generations before us healthy, why wouldn’t we live according to their teachings. Come and cook with us!

Beef Bone Broth

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