NOV 30, 2020
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TOP 10 OF THE BEST LIKED CUISINES
HOW TO PREPARE TOM KHAA (DELICIOUS THAI CUISINE) Q&A WITH WITH CHEF OMAR BEN-HAMMPU
CONTENT TOP 10 OF THE BEST LIKED CUISINES.....Pg 3 With a new restaurant serving Cuban cuisine, these food truck owners put down roots in McKinney.....Pg 6 Taste award-winning Italian cuisine at Station Square in Liberty..... Pg 7 Café Bubamara is delighting the senses of New Jersey with the taste of Balkan cuisine.....Pg 8
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How to Prepare Tom Khaa (Delicious Thai Cuisine).....Pg 9 Q&A with Chef Omar Ben-Hammou.....Pg 11 Shopping Menu..... 13 TASTE OF THE NATION SAN FRANCISCO, A BENEFIT FOR SHARE OUR STRENGTH.....Pg 15 UW brings ‘Italian cuisine in the world’ series to campus..... Pg 18 Greenest: India’s First ‘Hyper-Realistic’ Plant-Based Shami Kebabs Launch In Delhi.....Pg 19 2
TOP 10 OF THE BEST 10. United States This may be because most of the popular foods in the USA originate in some other country. The pizza slice is Italian. Fries are Belgium or Dutch. Hamburgers and frankfurters? Likely German. But in the kitchens of the United States, they have been improved and added to, to become global icons for food lovers everywhere.
9. Mexico f you were only allowed to eat the food of one country the rest of your life, it would be smart to make it Mexico. The cuisine of the Mesoamerican country has a little bit of everything -- you’ll never get bored. Amongst the enchiladas and the tacos and the helados and the quesadillas you’ll find the zestiness of Greek salads and the richness of an Indian curry; the heat of Thai food and the use-your-hands snackiness of tapas. It is also central station for nutritional superfoods. All that avocado, tomato, lime and garlic with beans and chocolates and chilies to boot, is rich with antioxidants and good healthful things. It doesn’t taste healthy though. It tastes like a fiesta in your mouth. 8. Thailand Street eats are a Thai attraction. Flip through a Thai cook book and you’ll be hard pressed to find an ingredient list that doesn’t run a page long. The combination of so many herbs and spices in each dish produces complex flavors that somehow come together like orchestral music. Thais fit spicy, sour, salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy and slippery into one dish. 7. Greece Traveling and eating in Greece feels like a glossy magazine spread come to life, but without the Photoshopping. Like the blue seas and white buildings, the kalamata olives, feta cheese, the colorful salads and roast meats are all postcard perfect by default. 6. India When a cuisine uses spices in such abundance that the meat and vegetables seem like an afterthought, you know you’re dealing with cooks dedicated to flavor. There are no rules for spice usage as long as it results in something delicious. The same spice can add zest to savory and sweet dishes, or can sometimes be eaten on its own -- fennel seed is enjoyed as a breath-freshening digestive aid at the end of meals.
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T LIKED CUISINES 5. Japan Japanese apply the same precision to their food as they do to their engineering. This is the place that spawned tyrannical sushi masters and ramen bullies who make their staff and customers tremble with a glare.
4. Spain Let’s eat and drink, then sleep, then work for two hours, then eat and drink. Viva Espana, that country whose hedonistic food culture we all secretly wish was our own. All that bar-hopping and tapas-eating, the minimal working, the 9 p.m. dinners, the endless porron challenges -- this is a culture based on, around and sometimes even inside food.
3. France If you’re one of those people who doesn’t like to eat because “there’s more to life than food” -- visit Paris. It’s a city notorious for its curmudgeonly denizens, but they all believe in the importance of good food. Two-hour lunch breaks for three-course meals are de rigeur. 2. China The people who greet each other with “Have you eaten yet?” are arguably the most food-obsessed in the world. Food has been a form of escapism for the Chinese throughout its tumultuous history. The Chinese entrepreneurial spirit and appreciation for the finer points of frugality -- the folks are cheap, crafty and food-crazed -- results in one of the bravest tribes of eaters in the world. But the Chinese don’t just cook and sell anything, they also make it taste great. 1. Italy Italian food has enslaved tastebuds around the globe for centuries, with its zesty tomato sauces, those clever things they do with wheat flour and desserts that are basically vehicles for cream. It’s all so simple. Get some noodles, get some olive oil, get some garlic, maybe a tomato or a slice of bacon. Bam, you have a party on a plate. And it is all so easy to cook and eat.
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CHEF’S TABLE NOW STREAMING
With a new restaurant serving Cuban cuisine, these food truck owners put down roots in McKinney Food truck owners Onel and Pam Perez and their daughter, Mariah, briefly appeared on “The Great Food Truck Race” on the Food Network in 2015, but their stint lasted one episode, when the truck was sent home after a rocky start in the competition. The road to establishing their own brickand-mortar restaurant has been somewhat smoother.
The longtime McKinney residents criss-crossed North Texas with their food truck for eight years, but knew that McKinney was where they wanted to be. (The duo also operates Sir Frank’s Fancy Dog & Sausage Truck.) “We chose this location because it was the p”erfect size with the opportunity to grow plus it allows us to keep our food truck and the restaurant,” she said.
Last month, after years of operating their food truck, which serves Cuban delicacies like ropa vieja and fried plantains, The Guava Tree Cuban Cafe & Cantina opened at a permanent address, albeit one where their food truck can still park right out front, around the corner from McKinney Square. “We have been looking for the right space for about three years,” Pam Perez said. “In March of this year, right before COVID, we found our current restaurant space and knew it was perfect for our concept. It was a challenge opening during COVID but the risk was definitely worth it.”
With its festive happy hours on the large patio (frozen mojitos, anyone?), just inside of one month, the restaurant has already made itself quite at home.
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Taste award-winning Italian cuisine at Station Square in Liberty
Station Square in Liberty offers a big menu filled with a variety of award-winning Italian dishes to please anyone. They offer one of the biggest wine selections in the area and one of the largest bourbon selections, with over 50 types to choose from. They are also hosting special events and live music. On Nov. 15, they are hosting their 13th annual Fall Lobster and Clam Bake. There will be limited seating. For Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, they will have a special menu available for guests. Every month Station Square hosts a wine tasting night. On Dec. 3 they will have a champagne tasting and sushi. Station Square has indoor seating with dividers to help with maintaining social distancing during the pandemic.
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There is also a newly-renovated patio that guests can enjoy year round. For the winter months, they have sealed off the patio and added warmers that make you forget you are even outdoors.
Not only do they have gift cards, but they also sell handrolled cigars and wine bottles, which make great holiday gifts as well.
To make a reservation or ask For those who don’t want to go out about catering options, call and eat, Station Square offers their (330) 759-8802. entire menu for carryout, includStation Square is located at ing all bar beverages. 4250 Belmont Ave. in Liberty. They also offer catering for all sizes of parties, from small to large, they have you covered. For Small Business Saturday, Station Square is offering $50 gift cards for $35, starting Black Friday on Nov. 27. They will also have gift cards Saturday, Nov. 28 and Monday, Nov. 30, or until supplies last. There will only be 3,000 gift cards sold at the discounted rate.
Café Bubamara is delighting the senses of New Jersey with the taste of Balkan cuisine Café Bubamara is delighting the senses of New Jersey clients with the authentic taste of their Balkan cuisine. The family-owned restaurant, located in Clifton, New Jersey, has been carefully curated to give customers an atmosphere that transports them to the glory days of former Yugoslavia. “We have people from Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Turkey; and everyone likes our dishes because we are coming from a location where the food is similar,” said Alex Milic, owner of Café Bubamara.
The pies, which are made in-house from scratch every day, originate from the Ottoman Empire and are typically served with homemade yogurt.
Through their signature dishes, the Milic’s are connecting their community, many of whom travel from Connecticut and New York, to enjoy their Balkan traditions, culture, and cuisine.
In addition to the Burek, other popular dishes at Café Bubamara include the Cevapi, a grilled dish of minced meat served over traditional flatbread, as well as the Ustipci, which are fried dough balls served with feta cheese and honey.
The Burek, a staple of Balkan cuisine and one of the signature dishes at Café Bubamara, is a flaky and savory pie that can be filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables.
“While the region may sometimes feel divided, our traditions and food tend to bring us together and my family wanted to create a space where we can all come together, meet, and enjoy some traditional comfort food while listening to some music from home,” said Andjela Milic, daughter of Alex and Snezana Milic. Ultimately the goal of the restaurant is to bring a sense of “home” to their Balkan friends and neighbors, and the Milic’s welcome everyone to visit and get a taste of their cuisine. “This is the perfect place to come and taste our unique culture,” said Snezana Milic, owner of Cafe Bubamara.
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How to Prepare Tom Khaa (Delicious Thai Cuisine) Aside from being the most famous of all Thai soups, Tom Yum offers many health benefits due to its potent combination of herbs and spices. With its collection of ingredients like lemongrass, garlic, lime leaves, and coriander, this Thai favorite is said to have both immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. Making it a wonderful go-to option when fighting off a cold or stomach ailments. This version of the soup includes coconut milk (which officially makes it “Tom Khaa�), adding both richness and flavor while still keeping the soup super healthy. Spoon the soup over steamed white rice if you like; this is how the dish is traditionally eaten in Thailand. Ingredients: 1 stalk lemongrass, 3 to 4 cups chicken stock , 3 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed chili (or to taste), 3 makrut lime leaves, 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (sliced thinly), 12 to 14 medium or large raw shrimp (shelled), 1 green or red bell pepper (sliced), Optional: 1 handful cherry tomatoes, 1/2 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (or to taste), 2 tablespoons fish sauce and Garnish: sprig fresh cilantro (roughly chopped).
04 Reduce heat slightly to achieve a nice simmer. Add garlic, chili, lime leaves, and mushrooms to broth. 01 Gather the ingredients. Continue simmering for another 5 02 Prepare the lemongrass: Fine- minutes. ly mince the lower third of the 05 Add shrimp, bell pepper, and cherstalk and keep the upper part ry tomatoes (if using). Simmer 5 to 6 whole. minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and plump. 03 In a deep cooking pot, pour the chicken stock and turn heat to medium-high. Add prepared 06 Turn down the heat to low and add coconut milk and fish sauce. Tastelemongrass to the pot, includtest and adjust as needed. ing upper parts of the stalk you didn’t mince. Boil 5 to 6 minutes, 07 Serve in bowls with fresh cilantro or until fragrant. sprinkled over as a garnish. Enjoy. Steps to Make:
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How to Adjust the Soup to Taste One key to this soup is to adjusting it to suit your taste. After the coconut milk and fish sauce are added, test it, and make the following additions if needed: To make it spicier, add a little more chili. Rather than salt, add fish sauce for a saltier soup. Add a squeeze of lime if it’s too salty. If it’s too sour, add 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Make the soup richer or creamier by adding more coconut milk. This also fixes a soup that’s too spicy.
Tips Makrut lime leaves are available fresh or frozen at Asian food stores. If you can’t find makrut lime leaves, use fresh lime juice instead. It will alter the taste slightly. Use a gentle hand when stirring coconut milk to avoid clumping or curdling. Avoid bringing the coconut milk to a full boil.
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Q&A with Chef Omar Ben-Hammou
We sat down with chef Omar Ben-Hammou of Her Name Was Carmen to celebrate the SoHo restaurant’s first anniversary. Ben-Hammou’s pan-Latin menu reflects his world travels and family culinary traditions. His supportive family has visited him from Peru everywhere he’s cooked from New York to Australia. Interview by Sarah Strong The Chef ’s Connection: How did you end up deciding that you wanted to go to culinary school and pursue cooking as a career? Omar Ben-Hammou: Well I always liked cooking. In my family it’s a big thing, the way that we show affection is by cooking so my mother cooks, my grandmother cooks, my sister is an awesome baker, so I was always involved with that kind of environment. But I also come from a family that went to college and had degrees and stuff like that, so I always thought that was my path, which I followed in the beginning. I went to law school, but then after a couple of years I realized that it wasn’t for me. I always kind of refused the idea of being a chef. My mother had a restaurant so I pretty much grew up in a restaurant ,and that was like my last you know choice, but then I made a trip. I met some people, older people than me, and they kind of shared their experiences with me about the importance of doing something that makes you happy instead of following different ideas from family or society. So after that trip I decided to come back to Lima and give it a shot. Obviously it was my second option because everybody told me, “you should cook, you should go to culinary school, you’re always cooking, you’re always eating.” I said, “no, no, no,” I have to be like my sister, I have to be like my dad. So then I came back and did one more semester and then after that I talked to my parents and I switched to culinary school, and my mother told me, “I told you so.” TCC: What makes cooking here unique? OBH: Everything is challenging, everything is too much, it’s very intense. I always thought that New York City was a city that I wanted to live in. When I first started my career, I always dreamed about being one day in a three Michelin star restaurant in New York, just to see what’s going on. I’m very lucky, I met the right people and I worked a lot to get to my goals. TCC: What are you inspired by? OBH: I love history, I love anthropology and I love traveling, so when I quit law school I always wanted to see the world and discover. I’m not a person that learns in a classroom; I learn by touching, by feeling, by smelling, by exploring my senses. Traveling allowed me to have a big picture of what’s going on. I spent my whole twenties traveling and living in different countries and learning different languages, too. I speak four: Portuguese, Spanish, English and French, it’s not very decent butI can make it happen. I think traveling was the key to where I wanted to go with my career, what I wanted to achieve, seeing different realities, working with different people with different tempers, with different languages and different ways to show the culture through the dishes. Eating is culture, so I every time I have a young cook and they don’t travel i kind of have a sit down with them, have some beers and say travel, just go. TCC: Is there anything that you won’t cook with, that you hate?
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OBH: Not really. I use a lot of stuff. I think I respect every single product for what it is. I am picky, I pick the best, but I don’t dislike things. I think that if I don’t like something it’s because I think I haven’t the capacity to see how good it is or how I can use it because I don’t know everything, I’m still discovering every day, even when I walk on the street. I love street food, everything comes from things that I like to eat in the street, and I try to recreate flavors in my kitchen. TCC: So when you came on to do this restaurant and you were creating the menu, what were some things you wanted to achieve?
OBH: I didn’t have any expectations. I was like, let’s do it! I wasn’t living in New York at the time, I was just traveling around. I came back to pick up my green card, and summer was over in South America. I was about to open up a restaurant, but the political situation in the country wasn’t the best, so I talked to my family and they were like, “We don’t want you here, go back.” They always say when I leave, you always have a house here and hot food, but you can go. So I came here and met the team and they talked to me about the project, and I said, let’s do it, but no expectations about anything. We didn’t know what was going to happen, to be honest. TCC: What are some things you learned in the past year here? OBH: A lot of things, I learned a lot of things.I learned a lot – how in a year my cooking evolved week by week because I change the menu a lot, actually I’m trying not to because my cooks always complain, but they love it anyways. So I learned a lot about managing. I learned a lot about purveyors and New York. I learned a lot about the city through working as a chef and being here every day, interacting with the customers. I think we develop certain flavor profiles on the menu that New Yorkers enjoy. TCC: Do you have any tips from the kitchen that you’ve picked up that could be useful to home cooks? OBH: I don’t know, to be honest. I think cooking is so free and I like to think that I do it because it reminds me that I’m a free person. So you have techniques, you have certain rules, but I love breaking rules. There are no rules.
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Shopping Menu LAMB CURRY............$21
TORY KENKO YAKI........ $11
VERMICELLI SALAD.......$11
DANISH CHICKEN.......$11
KUI BAKAR........$26
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SHISH KEBABH WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS........ $8
GREEK STEWED CHAMPIGNONS........... $18 SHRIMP IN GARLIC SAUCE....... $15
SAMBAL TEHLUR........$8
SPRING ROLLS........$15
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TASTE OF THE NATION SAN FRANCISCO, A BENEFIT FOR SHARE OUR STRENGTH “I am so full, I don’t think I can eat another bite…” moaned AJ at the sold out San Francisco Taste of the Nation fundraiser event that benefited Share our Strength, a non-profit with a mission to end childhood hunger in the United States. After sampling appetizers like Cotogna’s veal sausage sliders, Boulevard’s black polenta with Dungeness crab, France’s rabbit meatballs, The Cavalier‘s Hen Egg Hollandaise as well as three different types of steak tartare (Marlowe, 1760 and Bourbon Steak all had variations of the classic dish) I can’t really blame AJ. My own pants were feeling rather tight. But as we walked past the Town Hall’s Guinness braised short rib I knew that AJ was going to have one more bite. I can’t blame him. I ended up succumbing to the call of the glistening house cured pork belly sopes by La Condesa. Then we had to call it quits lest we pass out from food fatigue. Taste of the Nation defeated us (or, more specifically, our stomachs). Hopefully they’ll help defeat childhood hunger with the money they raised from the event!
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UW brings ‘Italian cuisine in the world’ series to campus UW Department of Italian hosts a variety of events dedicated to Pellegrino Artusi, father of Italian cooking Food is often the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Italian culture. Week of Italian Cuisine in the World is a festival that celebrates Italian food and culinary traditions as a hallmark of Italian cultural identity. It also celebrates how Italian culinary influence can be seen internationally. For the past four years, Week of Italian Cuisine in the World has taken place all over the world in cities such as San Francisco, Hong Kong and Chicago. UW-Madison’s Department of Italian has hosted a variety of events centering around a theme. Due to COVID-19, the 5th annual Week of Italian Cuisine in the World at UW-Madison will be held virtually. This year’s Week of Italian Cuisine is dedicated to the author of “La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene” or “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well,” and father of modern Italian cuisine, Pellegrino Artusi. This year marks the bicentennial anniversary of his birth. Monday, Nov. 16, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: “Quanto Basta” (“As Needed,” 2018) directed by Francesco Falaschi. “Quanto Basta” is the story of a friendship between Chef Arturo, who had been imprisoned and is serving community service at a center for young adults with autism, and Guido, one of his students with a passion for cooking. The film is an homage to Pellegrino Artusi. This film will be screened in Italian with English subtitles. Contact gmeneche@wisc.edu about accessing the film. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: “The Italian Way: Mediterranean Diet vs Food Waste” by professor of International and Comparative Agricultural Policy at the University of Bologna Andrea Segrè. His lecture will be about the Mediterranean diet and its health benefits, especially during the current pandemic. He will be discussing characteristics of the Mediterranean diet and its sustainability. This lecture will be in English and hosted over Zoom. Contact santucci2@wisc.edu to view this lecture. Wednesday, Nov. 18, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: “In the Kitchen with Chef Roberto Caporuscio” will be a cooking demonstration featuring UW students. Caporuscio, who is originally from Italy, currently works in New York City and is one of the leading Neapolitan Pizza makers. He will be demonstrating how to make focaccia de San Giorgio, which originates from the Genoa and Liguria regions of Italy. This demonstration will be in English. Contact gmeneche@wisc.edu to join. Thursday, Nov. 19, 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: “Conversazione con Laila Tentoni.” Laila Tentoni is the president of Casa Artusi, the first gastronomic culture center, dedicated to Italian home cookery. Tentoni will discuss the cultural significance and international impact of Pellegrino Artusi’s work, as well as the role of Casa Artusi in preserving Italian cultural tradition in Italy and abroad. This conversation will be in Italian. Contact vmorello@wisc.edu to join.
Greenest: India’s First ‘Hyper-Realistic’ PlantBased Shami Kebabs Launch In Delhi Indian plant-based startup Upstablish Food Technologies has just launched the country’s first line of “hyper-realistic” plant-based meats under its brand Greenest. The range consists of high-protein plant-based alternatives to kebabs and is now available in Delhi. Looking ahead, the company will be launching its new line in more cities and has set its sights on expanding its offerings to include more plant-based products tailored to get “smart protein on India’s plates”.
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Announced on Saturday (November 14), Upstablish has launched its new Greenest brand of plant-based meat alternatives. Founded in 2017 by Gaurav Sharma, Kannan Krishnamoorthy and Dinesh Jain, the startup is one of India’s emerging group of alternative protein food techs on a mission to address the protein and nutritional needs of India amid rising challenges from climate change to zoonotic diseases.
The company’s new Greenest line of vegan Shami Kebabs have just launched in the Delhi NCR region, available through the brand’s direct-to-consumer website, coming in five varieties of flavours including salt and pepper, moroccan spices, zesty tandoori, puraani dilli and peri peri. Made primarily from soy protein, split roasted chickpeas and natural flavourings, Greenest says that the new products are the first homegrown plant-based alternatives that are deliver on mouthfeel and brings a “hyper-realistic” taste of real meat, but without the environmental or ethical concerns of its animal counterparts.
Greenest also boasts a clean label, amid the rising consumer appeal of healthy meat alternatives, containing no preservatives, artificial flavourings, GMOs, cholesterol or trans fats, while still providing a high protein content with more than 10-grams per serving. “We are on a serious mission, a mission to get smarter protein on India’s plates,” said co-founder and CEO Gaurav Sharma. “Humans are truly at a junction where the world’s food chain can be re-examined and re-engineered to completely exclude animals from it.” “We are keeping our ears to the ground and are working on products which people tell us that they need. [Until] now, we seem to be doing a good job at it as our consumers tell us the Kebabs taste surprisingly similar to meat,” Sharma added
In the future, Sharma told Green Queen that the company plans to launch Greenest in more major cities across India over the next few months, as well as expand its range of plant-based meat alternative products that are tailored to Indian cuisine and local tastes and is able to replicate the qualities of real meat without animals. “At Greenest, we understand what goes into making a consumer’s meat experience great and then we work our way up to recreate that experience without getting the animal into the picture. We understand the finer nuances about texture, fibres, chew, juiciness, fat, meaty [and] umami notes and flavours.” Speaking about the opportunities that lie ahead in the massive Indian market for alternative proteins, Varun Despande, the managing director of nonprofit Good Food Institute India (GFI India), said: “India remains a promising yet nascent frontier market for the category. The incredible, delectable culinary diversity across the South Asian subcontinent is fertile ground for plant-based meat innovation, and the Greenest shami kebabs are a great example.”
“We’re looking forward to consumers, producers, and planetary health benefiting from more plant-based entrepreneurship emerging from India.”
