Food
What Does It Mean to Be a Foodie? Interests vary from wine tasting to food fads to culinary tourism. by Elaine Slater-Kogler Community contributor I never really thought of myself as a “foodie” until one day someone called me one. This goes back a few years. It wasn’t an everyday terminology used to describe someone and I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not. I remember looking down at my slightly expanded waistline and thinking “hmmm – have I put on that much weight? Did they mean that I ate too much at the picnic? What exactly did they mean by calling me a foodie?” I’m a curious sort, so I went in search to figure it out. Today’s version of the definition: “n. Slang A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet.” I never considered myself a “gourmet” and in my search, I found further information about the definition of a foodie. “A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out for convenience or hunger.” A typical foodie’s interests and activities include wineries, wine tasting, breweries, beer sampling, following restaurant openings, food fads, health and nutrition, cooking classes and culinary tourism. A foodie might develop a particular interest in a specific item, such as the best burrito. There are many publications and websites that now have food columns that cater to foodies and their interests. So, based on this, are you a foodie?
Photo courtesy of Elaine Slater-Kogler
What’s Cooking? Elaine Slater-Kogler is owner of Infused!, a specialty food store at 37 Fennell St., Skaneateles. In business since 2005, Infused! is all about flavor as well as listening to customers. Contact Elaine at elaine@infused.com.
Grill-Marked Steak
Confetti Vegetable Salsa
Top with confetti vegetable salsa.
Great topping for grilled steak.
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare steaks on the grill. Choose a steak of choice: Rib-eye Strip steak London broil Photo courtesy of Elaine Slater-Kogler If frozen, thaw steak and bring to room temperature. While steak is thawing (or, if it is fresh, prior to placing it on the grill), drizzle shitake mushroom olive oil and Maruso Black Bean soy sauce on top of your steak. This will add great levels of flavors without adding large amounts of sodium. Preheat grill to at least 350 degrees. Depending on how you like your steak will depend on how long you cook it. Drizzle any leftover oil and soy sauce on the steak as they cook (this will cause flare-ups, but will also create nice grill marks). Turn the steak for even cooking and grill marks. Let steak sit for a few minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute through meat. Please make sure you reach a 160-degree internal temperature for your steak before enjoying. (For Confetti Vegetable Salsa to use as topping on your steak, see recipe at right).
This is a recipe where you can look in your refrigerator and choose whatever vegetables you have to make the salsa. I usually start with: frozen sweet corn or fresh Photo courtesy of Elaine Slater-Kogler off the cob; 1/4-inch diced green pepper, red pepper, sweet onion; quartered zucchini or yellow squash; string beans (fresh or frozen) chopped; artisan olive oil (I use one of these depending on my mood: blood orange, lemon or lemon garlic). Drizzle your diced vegetable salsa with the oil, toss to coat. Optional: add a pinch of pepper and sea salt. Preheat grill to at least 350 degrees. Place in a mesh grill pan and start the salsa to grilling before grilling the steak. Keep shaking the pan to toss the vegetables for even cooking. Once the vegetables are warmed through, slide to the side of your grill and place your steaks on the grill for cooking (see recipe to left for Grill-Marked Steak).
12 November 2013
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11/12/2013 8:24:06 AM