Lunds and Byerlys REAL FOOD Fall 2016

real food Lunds & Byerlys fall 2016real food fall 2016

Lunds & Byerlys

COMPLIMENTARY

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FALL 2016

Sweet

Science Delectable baked treats courtesy of chemistry

volume 12 number 3

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DOABLE DOUGH: Family-friendly meals made easy GLORIOUS APPLES: Enjoy in dishes savory to sweet THE ART OF APPETIZERS: Small bites big on flavor

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“LOOK GOOD, FE E L GR E AT W IT H B E AU T I F U L S K I N ” Recognized by physicians and nurses as one of the nation’s leading dermatologists, Charles E. Crutchfield III MD has received a significant list of honors including the Karis Humanitarian Award from the Mayo Clinic, 100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders in the State of Minnesota (Minnesota Medicine), and the First a Physician Award from the Minnesota Medical Association, for positively impacting both organized medicine and improving the lives of people in our community. He has a private practice in Eagan and is the team dermatologist for the Minnesota Twins, Wild, Vikings and Timberwolves.

Dr. Crutchfield is a physician, teacher, author, inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He has several medical patents, has written a children’s book on sun protection, and writes a weekly newspaper health column.

Dr. Crutchfield regularly gives back to the Twin Cities community including sponsoring academic scholarships, camps for children, sponsoring programs for children with dyslexia, mentoring under-represented students from the University of Minnesota, and establishing a Dermatology lectureship at the University of Minnesota. As a professor, he teaches students at both Carleton College and the University of Minnesota Medical School. He lives in Mendota Heights with his wife Laurie, three beautiful children and two hairless cats.

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Those who love to cook make more than food in the kitchen. They make the most of every moment together—sharing stories, creating delicious flavors and simply enjoying the company of close friends. For more than 80 years, Le Creuset has been a part of these special times, and a colorful companion to all who savor food—and life—to the fullest. To learn more about Le Creuset’s classic French quality, and the joys of cooking with premium enameled cast iron, visit www.lecreuset.com.

contents

real food fall 2016

Features 20 Doable Dough A step up on family-friendly meals

BY ROBIN ASBELL

28 Glorious Apples Enjoy more than one-a-day in dishes savory to sweet

36 Sweet Chemistry Delectable baked treats courtesy of science

BY LAUREN CHATTMAN

46 The Art of Appetizers Small bites big on flavor RECIPES BY HELENE AN, JACQUELINE AN, BARTON SEAVER AND JULIA JOLIFF

52 Katie Parla Dishing on secrets of the Roman kitchen

BY TARA Q. THOMAS

Departments 4 Bites Vegetarian dishes for every occasion RECIPES BY MARY McCARTNEY

6 Kitchen Skills Quick and easy refrigerator pickles

BY JASON ROSS

8 Contributors 17 Ingredient Squash: A wide and varied family

BY LAURA SCHMIDT

18 Healthy Habits Diabetes-friendly recipes everyone can enjoy RECIPES BY THE MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN

56 Pairings Beaujolais from brunch to dessert

BY MARY SUBIALKA

2 real food fall 2016

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Our Cover

Tender, Buttery Shortbread (page 38). Photograph by Terry Brennan

PUBLISHER JAMIE FLAWS EDITOR, CUSTOM PUBLICATIONS TAMMY GALVIN EDITOR MARY SUBIALKA ASSOCIATE EDITOR LISA MARCHAND ASSISTANT EDITOR AUBREY SCHIELD SENIOR ART DIRECTOR JAMIE JOHNSON PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGER CINDY MARKING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE HANNAH BORMAN EDITORIAL INTERNS LIANNA MATT AND LAURA SCHMIDT

VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3 Real Food magazine is published quarterly by Greenspring Media, LLC, 706 Second Ave. S. Suite 1000, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 612.371.5800, Fax 612.371.5801. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Real Food is exclusively operated and owned by Greenspring Media, LLC. Printed in the USA. www.realfoodmag.com C

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The pages between the covers of this magazine (except for any inserted material) are printed on paper made from wood fiber that was procured from forests that are sustainably managed to remain healthy, productive and biologically diverse.

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Feasts and Fetes for Friends and Family Simple vegetarian cooking for every special occasion

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meat-free diet does not mean mundane or monotonous—quite the contrary, in fact.

Vegetarian cooking offers up plate after plate of meals so delicious you’ll forget about the old school, plan-your-meal-around-the-meat mentality. Be it Sunday brunch or a holiday fete, carnivores and herbivores alike can love a meat-free meal.

In her second cookbook to date, author and photographer Mary McCartney guides you through a tour of cuisines and special occasions, featuring recipes inspired by her lifelong vegetarian status. Throughout At My Table, McCartney emphasizes the exciting flexibility of vegetarian cooking and the memories made around the dinner table with loved ones, just like those with parents Linda and Paul McCartney.

“Some of my happiest memories revolve around food, and I’ve tried to re-create those memories for my own children,” she says. “When we were growing up as a vegetarian family, we never felt we were missing out at mealtimes.” —Lisa Marchand

MARY MCCARTNEY, PICTURED WITH PARENTS LINDA AND PAUL MCCARTNEY, WAS RAISED AS A VEGETARIAN

Tabbhouleh SERVES 4

This refreshing salad combines lots of chopped fresh parsley and vibrant, ripe tomatoes with a tangy citrus lemon dressing. Traditionally it’s made with bulgur wheat, but I like to use cooked quinoa instead, since I think it works well, and has the added advantage of being a gluten-free superfood.

2⁄3 cup uncooked white quinoa (for gluten-free option), rinsed, or bulgur wheat 3⁄4 cup water 3 medium ripe red tomatoes, deseeded and diced 3 scallions, finely chopped 11⁄8 cups cucumber (approx. ½ cucumber), diced 12⁄3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint (small handful) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste For the dressing 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 1½ lemons) pinch sea salt 1. Place the quinoa (or bulgur wheat) in a medium saucepan, then cover with the water. Bring to a boil, cook for 15 minutes, then take off the heat and cover with a dish towel to absorb the steam. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. Remove the dish towel and fork through—the quinoa should be light with the grains separated. Allow to cool.

2. Meanwhile, put the tomatoes, scallions and cucumber into a large mixing bowl.

3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a cup or small bowl and whisk with a fork for a few seconds until smooth.

4. When ready to serve, add cooled quinoa and the chopped herbs into the large bowl with the tomatoes, scallions and cucumber.

Pour over the dressing, season with salt and pepper, and toss well.

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Tostadas Deluxe MAKES 4 TORTILLAS (1 OR 2 TORTILLAS PER PERSON)

Corn tortillas topped with a chunky bean spread and then sprinkled with cheese, red onion, jalapeño, tomato, avocado and lime. Tostadas are a staple in my home because they’re healthy, quick and easy to make, and so satisfying. In a way, they have replaced toast as a base on which to build a great snack or light meal.

2 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 2⁄3

tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil 14-ounce can pinto or black beans, drained medium clove garlic, finely chopped teaspoon ground cumin small or medium red onion, finely chopped ripe tomato, finely chopped tablespoon chopped jalapeño avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and cut into small cubes tablespoon finely chopped cilantro or parsley pinch sea salt, or to taste tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (approx. ½ lime) teaspoon extra virgin olive oil ready-made corn or flour tortillas, approx. 5 inches in diameter cup goat cheese or feta, crumbled

1. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan, add the beans, and partially mash them with a fork or potato masher. Then add the garlic and ground cumin and fry for 5 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the red onion, tomato, jalapeño, avocado, cilantro and a small pinch of sea salt. Add the lime juice and extra-virgin olive oil, and toss the ingredients together.

3. Heat the tortillas by wrapping them in foil and popping them into the warm oven for about 5 minutes.

4. To assemble the tostadas, spread the bean mixture over the base of each heated tortilla, then spoon the salad mix over the top and finish with a crumbling of cheese. ■

PHOTOS AND RECIPES REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM AT MY TABLE PUBLISHED IN 2015 BY STERLING EPICURE, AN IMPRINT OF STERLING PUBLISHING CO., INC. TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY © 2015 BY MARY MCCARTNEY

TOSTADAS DELUXE

fall 2016 real food 5

kitchen skills

The Lure of the Quick Pickle Make refrigerator pickles in the time it takes to boil and cool a pot of brine

BY JASON ROSS

T

o see a pickle is to crave a pickle. Like chili spice or potato chips, the more you eat, the more you crave the intense flavor. It might seem as if pickles are too much work to make at home, requiring specific expertise or specialized equipment, but quick pickles, or refrigerator pickles as they are also called, are just that—quick and easy. You can make quick pickles in the time it takes to boil and cool a pot of brine, and there are even pickles that take only minutes—just a sprinkle of salt, sugar and a dash of vinegar.

PHOTO BY TERRY BRENNAN; FOOD STYLED BY LARA MIKLASEVICS

6 real food fall 2016

Classic Dill Pickle Spears MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

This is the crowd favorite, the dill spear.

1 2 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ¼ 2

English cucumber tablespoons kosher salt cup water cup white distilled vinegar cup sugar tablespoon roughly chopped dill teaspoon whole coriander teaspoon whole allspice teaspoon red pepper flake whole cloves garlic, skins on

1. Cut cucumber into spears about 4 inches long. Place spears in a medium size mixing bowl.

2. Place remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. Pour the boiling brine over the cucumbers. Allow the pickles to cool in the brine until the liquid is nearly room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.

4. The pickles are ready to serve but can be stored in jars or plastic storage containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Swedish 1-2-3 Pickles

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

This is the classic. When you think of quick pickles—refrigerator pickles—this is the one. Sweet and tangy, they appeal to kids and adults and are perfect for burgers, hot dogs or almost any sandwich.

The ratio is simple to remember: 1 part vinegar, 2 parts sugar and 3 parts water. Use it on beets as in this recipe or get creative and try it with poached shrimp or green beans—or if you want to get really Swedish, try it with herring! Traditionally these are made with high-acid attika Swedish vinegar. The recipe works great with distilled white vinegar, but try adding an extra tablespoon if you like a little extra snap.

1 ½ 2 2 1 ½ 1 ½

English cucumber medium white onion teaspoons kosher salt cups water cup sugar cup plus 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar teaspoon celery seed teaspoon turmeric

1 3 ½ 1 11⁄2 1

1. Slice cucumber and onion half into ¼-inch slices. Toss with salt and let sit for 10 minutes then strain out any liquid from the bowl. Return cucumber and onion slices to bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, bring remaining ingredients to a boil.

3. Pour the boiling brine over the cucumber and onion slices in bowl. Allow the cucumbers and onions to cool in the brine until the liquid is nearly room temperature, roughly 30 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.

4. The pickles are ready to eat, but can be stored covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Brine Pickled Onions MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Here is another pickle worth keeping around for almost any meal. Try pickled onions with grilled foods, on any sandwich or poached seafood.

1 2 1 1 ½ ½ 2

medium white onion tablespoons kosher salt cup water cup white distilled vinegar cup sugar teaspoon whole coriander bay leaves

NUTRITION

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 39 (1 from fat); FAT 0g (sat. 0g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 128mg; CARB 10g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 0g

1. In a medium saucepan, add the beets and 2 quarts water, making sure the water covers the beets—add water as needed— and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook beets about 30 minutes for medium size, until tender. Check for doneness by inserting a pairing knife in the center of beet. The knife should pierce the flesh easily when done.

2. While the beets are cooking prepare the brine. In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Pour the hot brine into a small mixing bowl and cool in the refrigerator.

3. When the beets are done, transfer to a bowl and discard the liquid. Allow beets to cool slightly until they are still warm but not too hot to the touch.

4. Use a paper towel to peel the beets by rubbing the skins off in your hands.

5. Slice beets into ¼-inch slices and place in a jar or plastic storage container. Pour the cooled brine over the beets and cover. If you prefer more of a relish, try dicing the beets instead.

6. The beets are ready to eat but can be stored and refrigerated covered for up to 1 week, in jars or plastic storage containers. ■

The Quickest Pickles

1. Cut onion into ¼-inch slices and place in a medium sizemixing bowl.

2. Place remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. Pour the boiling brine over the onions. Allow the onions to cool in the brine until the liquid is nearly room temperature, roughly 30 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.

4. The onions are ready to serve but can be stored in a jar or plastic storage container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

CLASSIC DILL PICKLE SPEARS: PER SERVING: CALORIES 15 (1 from fat); FAT 0g (sat. 0g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 203mg; CARB 3g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 0g

pound fresh beets tablespoons kosher salt cup white distilled vinegar cup sugar cups water bay leaf

This is super fast and versatile. Try atop salads, burgers and more. Slice ¼ red onion and ½ English cucumber into thin 1⁄8-inch slices. Place in large mixing bowl and toss to coat with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Pour in ¼ cup white distilled vinegar and toss to fully coat. Transfer pickles to a jar or a plastic storage container. They are ready to eat within 10 minutes, and will store covered and refrigerated up to 3 days. (Makes 6 to 8 servings.)

BRINE PICKLED ONIONS: PER SERVING: CALORIES 14 (0 from fat); FAT 0g (sat. 0g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 203mg; CARB 3g; FIBER 0g; PROTEIN 0g

SWEDISH 1-2-3 PICKLES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 42 (1 from fat); FAT 0g (sat. 0g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 354mg; CARB 10g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 1g

THE QUICKEST PICKLES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 5 (0 from fat); FAT 0g (sat. 0g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 102mg; CARB 1g; FIBER 0g; PROTEIN 0g

fall 2016 real food 7

contributors

Robin Asbell

spreads the word about how truly delicious and beautiful whole, real foods can be through her work as an author, cooking teacher and private chef. She likes to create delicious dishes that range from meat and seafood to beans and grains using global flavors. Her latest book is Great Bowls of Food: Grain Bowls, Buddha Bowls, Broth Bowls and More. She is also the author of The Whole Grain Promise: More Than 100 Recipes to Jumpstart a Healthier Diet; Juice It!; Big Vegan: Over 350 Recipes, No Meat, No Dairy, All Delicious; The New Vegetarian; and Gluten-Free Pasta.

Jason Ross

is a culinary instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Minnesota and has worked as a consultant to help develop menus at many Twin Cities restaurants. He grew up in New York City but now calls St. Paul, Minn., home, where he lives with his wife and two young daughters.

Tara Q. Thomas

intended to be a chef when she trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, but got sidetracked by wine. She has been writing about it for nearly 20 years now, most prominently at Wine & Spirits Magazine, where she is Executive Editor.

Author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine Basics and a contributor to the forthcoming Oxford Companions to cheese and to spirits, she also sits on the advisory panel for the International Culinary Center’s Sommelier Training Program. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., juggling a laptop and two small children—and still cooks nearly nightly, albeit for a smaller crowd.

Lauren Chattman

Lara Miklasevics

began her food career on the other side of the camera, cooking at the renowned New French Café in Minneapolis, Minn.

Today her work as a stylist is in demand at corporations including Heinz, Target and General Mills, as well as with many magazines. She prides herself on using her experience as a chef to make food as appealing on the page as it is on the plate.

8 real food fall 2016

is a cookbook author, freelance writer and former professional pastry chef.Her recipes have appeared in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Cook’s Illustrated and The New York Times. She is the author of 14 books, including The Baking Answer Book Cake Keeper Cakes and Cookie Book, Swap!. She has also co-authored several books, including Dessert University with former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. With artisan baking expert Daniel Leader, she is the co-author of the International Association of Culinary Professionals award-winning Local Breads. With Susan Matheson, she is co-author of The Gingerbread Architect.

Her collaboration with YouTube star Maangchi, Real Korean Cooking with Maangchi, was released spring 2015.

Maangchi

Terry Brennan

is an award-winning photographer who has worked for General Mills, Pillsbury, Budweiser, Target and many national advertising agencies.

“My real passion lies in editorial work,” he says, “in which a photographer’s freedom to create a story or look through the photograph is much greater.”

Lunds & Byerlys welcome

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Extraordinary food and exceptional service— online or in store

H

ockey legend Wayne Gretzky once famously said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

For me, those 15 words so succinctly express the value of forward-thinking and the importance of Lunds & Byerlys not only meeting your needs today, but also being ready to meet your needs in the future.

We are always looking for ways to be available to you when and where you need us, even when you’re on the go and seemingly have little to no time to shop for groceries. It’s the key reason we launched our online grocery shopping service nearly 10 years ago. At that time, we were one of just a few such services in and around the Twin Cities. Today, competition has increased, which is not surprising given life’s busyness and our want and need for added conveniences.

That is certainly the case for my family.

With our kids’ activities, work commitments and everything else that needs to get done in a day, finding time to get to the store can be challenging. For us, the ability to quickly place an order at night and have the groceries arrive the next day has proven to be incredibly convenient and a significant time saver.

If you haven’t used our online grocery shopping service before—or haven’t used it recently—I would encourage you to visit shop.LundsandByerlys.com and give it a try.

We recently launched a new online shopping site designed to make it even more convenient to shop for the products you

want and need for you and your family. We offer more than 25,000 products—and they are all at the same prices as in our stores.

That includes hundreds of weekly sale items.

Tres Ever y order is Lund fulfilled by a personal shopper who selects items just as if you were shopping in the store. By adding a note to any product you choose, you can tell the personal shopper if you would like your bananas more ripe, if you want your deli meat sliced thin for sandwiches or any other specific instructions you might have. You can then choose to use our drive-thru pickup service at select stores or have your order delivered right to your home or business. To learn more, see the story on page 13.

The next time you’re running short on time but don’t want to sacrifice extraordinary food and exceptional service, try our new online grocery shopping service.

We hope you continue to enjoy Real Food. And we thank you for choosing to shop with us.

Sincerely,

Tres Lund President and CEO

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LUNDSandBYERLYS.com real food 9

Lunds & Byerlys community support

Growing Local Organic Agriculture, Together Lunds & Byerlys and Organic Valley help farmers on the road to organic farming

O

ur country’s demand for organic food continues to rise at a dramatic rate as more and more of us are seeking foods produced by organic family farmers who work in harmony with nature without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, pesticides or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). As demand rises, so does the need for organic farms.

Converting a farm from conventional to organic is no easy task and often presents a financial hardship to the farmers. They have to stop conventional production and work

10 real food fall 2016

the land according to organic regulations for three years before they can become a USDAcertified organic farm.

In an effort to support farmers during the difficult transition period, we’ve partnered with Organic Valley, the nation’s largest organic farmer cooperative, to establish a Lunds & Byerlys Organic Farming Transition Grant. Organic Valley matched our $6,500 donation and we awarded our first $13,000 grant to the Steve Reuter Farm in Stillwater.

It’s a third-generation family farm with Steve’s grandparents, parents and uncle

operating the 55-acre farm since 1934. Today, the family milks about 50 cows, the majority of which are Holsteins.

On a recent visit, we got an up-close look at the farm and the Reuter family’s passion for farming in a way that respects the cows and the land. “We pasture our cows in open fields the old-fashioned way,” Steve said. “Given we were already 80 percent of the way toward organic farming, it was a natural next step for us to go all the way and become a certified organic farm.”

When asked what the $13,000 Lunds & Byerlys Organic Farming Transition Grant will mean for his family’s farm, Steve said, “This will be a big help, no doubt about it. We plan to use some of the money to purchase a rotary hoe to help with growing organic corn to feed the cows. It will also help us build more fencing to expand the space for our cows to be on pasture, and it will help offset some of the organic certification fees.”

The Lunds & Byerlys Organic Farming Transition Grant will help grow the organic landscape in the Midwest by providing the necessary support our local farmers need to be certified organic. We are grateful to partner with Organic Valley in this effort, and overjoyed to be able to support our local farmers. ■

PICTURED ABOVE HANS EISENBEIS, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT ORGANIC VALLEY, BEA JAMES, DIRECTOR OF BAKERY AND NOURISH AT LUNDS & BYERLYS AND STEVE REUTER PHOTOS KRIS KAISER, LUNDS & BYERLYS

BY BEA JAMES, DIRECTOR OF BAKERY AND NOURISH

LUNDSandBYERLYS.com real food 11

Lunds & Byerlys family meals

Quick and Easy Family Dinner This September, celebrate National Family Meals Month with this sweet and spicy chicken dish your whole family will love.

Garlic Chili Chicken with Grilled Pineapple Salsa MAKES 4 SERVINGS, ADAPTED FROM JUST BARE CHICKEN

For the chicken 2 to 3 (14 ounces) boneless skinless chicken breasts ¼ cup Lunds & Byerlys Honey Ginger Teriyaki Grilling Sauce

NUTRITION

1. Heat grill to medium-high. Brush chicken with Honey Ginger Teriyaki Grilling Sauce; place on grill.

Arrange pineapple slices alongside chicken. Cover and cook about 15 minutes. Turn once and brush chicken with sauce once more. Grill until chicken is no longer pink in center and pineapple is browned.

2. Remove chicken and pineapple from grill. Finely chop pineapple; mix with remaining salsa ingredients. Serve with chicken. ■

CHILI CHICKEN W. SALSA: PER SERVING: CALORIES 200; FAT 3g (sat. 1g); TRANS FAT 0g; CHOL 70mg; SODIUM 410mg; CARB 18g; FIBER 2g; SUGARS 13g; PROTEIN 24g Nutrition content of this recipe is calculated by a registered dietitian nutritionist. Due to variations in ingredients and measurements, values are approximations. Nutrients provided for this recipe represent values based on the best available information. This information is not intended to treat or diagnose. Please consult your physician for diet recommendations specific to your personal needs.

12 real food fall 2016

RECIPE ADAPTED FROM JUST BARE CHICKEN

For the salsa 4 (¾-inch thick) slices fresh pineapple ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 serrano chile, seeded, finely chopped (add another chile for more heat) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice ½ teaspoon toasted cumin seeds

Lunds & Byerlys online shopping

Save time. Shop online.

Our new online shopping platform makes shopping convenient while offering the same great products and exceptional service you know and love in every Lunds & Byerlys store

BY AUGIE SCHAUER, ONLINE MANAGER

B

etween work commitments, our children’s activities and everything else on our to-do lists, it can be difficult to get to the grocery store each week. But have no fear; we have a solution that will fill up your fridge in no time.

Our new online shopping platform is designed to make your shopping experience convenient and hassle-free while offering you the same great products you know and love. In fact, when using our online shopping service, you will receive the same extraordinary food, exceptional service and passionate expertise offered in every Lunds & Byerlys store.

The online shopping site features personalization across the entire shopping experience. This means at each step of the shopping journey—from the homepage to product collections and recommendations—the platform will display the most relevant items for shoppers based on their individual purchase history and items already in their basket.

As you begin to fill your online shopping basket, you will notice you can select from more than 25,000 products, including hundreds of weekly sale items at the same price you’ll find in our stores. And, in an effort to make shopping easier, you can organize and browse our entire product catalogue using any combination of filters such as “on sale,” “organic,” “gluten free,” “local” and more.

Additionally, there are many other ways to shop within the new platform. If you’re in the mood to browse, you can shop by aisle or department, as well as by curated collection. Customers also have the ability to sort through products based on popularity, personal relevance, date of last purchase and pricing.

Before finalizing your order, you can add a note to any item in your shopping cart. For example, you might indicate you prefer green bananas or you would like your artisan bread sliced. No problem! Just leave us a comment under the item in your cart and we’ll be sure to fulfill your request just as if you were shopping in the store yourself.

Once you place an order, your work is done. Personal shoppers in our stores hand-select your order to ensure you receive fresh, high quality items. Then our delivery drivers bring your groceries directly

to the front door of your Twin Cities area home or business. Or, if it’s more convenient, you can opt for drive-thru pickup at select stores or the self-service lockers at Lunds & Byerlys Kitchen. For drive-thru pickup orders, there is a $4.95 pick fee. Delivery orders are $9.95 ($4.95 pick fee and a $5 delivery charge).

We strive to provide a unique shopping experience for every single customer, and we’re confident our new online shopping platform will help us provide that experience for you. ■

Visit shop.LundsandByerlys.com to try our new online shopping site today.

LUNDSandBYERLYS.com real food 13

Lunds & Byerlys

what’s in store

ROBERT ROTHSCHILD FARM SAUCES For more than 30 years, Robert Rothschild Farm has been making products from scratch using time-honored techniques such as slow cooking in small batches. Their updated collection of sauces, preserves, condiments and dips is a foolproof way to jazz up your favorite meal.

Tip: Upgrade your cheese and crackers by topping them with hatch chile jalapeño jam or try the raspberry honey mustard as a zesty marinade for chicken.

CIDEROAD ORGANIC SWITCHEL Take your taste buds on a joyride with this healthy, refreshing concoction of simple, whole-food ingredients. CideRoad’s proprietary combination contains apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and ginger, which offers a perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors with a splash of ginger. Flavors include original, blueberry and cherry.

Did you know? Originally a staple of colonial farmers’ diets, switchel is now known to be a healthy caffeine alternative, similar to kombucha, but without the carbonation.

OZERY SNACKING ROUNDS AND MORNING ROUNDS Everything made at Ozery Bakery is inspired by the philosophy that you can eat well and feel healthy. Each product is made without artificial flavors and colors, preservatives and GMOs. These tasty, nourishing fruit and grain snacks are a whole new way to enjoy bread.

Tip: Enjoy them as a snack, toasted and topped with butter for breakfast, or chop the cranberry orange snacking rounds to make a hearty cranberry stuffing perfect for cozy fall nights.

14 real food fall 2016

Lunds & Byerlys what’s in store

JUST COOK FOODS SPICES A husband and wife team joined forces with a professional chef to create a line of unique spice blends inspired by the bold flavors of their worldly travels.

Their goal is to take the fuss out of cooking while delivering flavors that make meals extraordinary.

Did you know? Just Cook Foods began as a passion project for the couple after returning from a four-month, four-continent trip where they experienced cuisines from around the world.

OUR BAKERY MUFFINS Breakfast just got better—and easier—thanks to our Lunds & Byerlys bakery muffins. These fresh muffins come in multiple sizes and delicious, fun varieties. Our new recipes feature more fresh ingredients, including fruits, nuts, seeds and Guittard chocolate chips.

TRUE DOUGH PIZZA CO. PIZZA DOUGH Crafted right here in Minnesota, True Dough Pizza Co. makes USDA-certified organic frozen pizza dough from wholesome, local ingredients. The additiveand preservative-free dough is allowed to rise naturally, which results in incredible flavor and texture.

Look for flavors such as wild blueberry, almond poppy crunch, beautiful morning, banana chocolate chip and strawberry banana smoothie in your favorite Lunds & Byerlys bakery. And don’t miss our seasonal fall muffins, which include apple orchard, pumpkin patch and nutty professor pistachio.

Did you know? Our research and development pastry chef, Sharon Carlson, created the new recipes for these delicious muffins, which are available only at Lunds & Byerlys.

Did you know? True Dough started when a pair of sisters couldn’t find affordable, high-quality pizza dough in stores. After experimenting, they came up with an economical, health-conscious option everyone loves.

LUNDSandBYERLYS.com real food 15

So quiet, it screams German engineering

Operating at a virtually silent 38 dBA, the Bosch Benchmark is the quietest dishwasher* in North America; so quiet that it features InfoLight® — a small red light that projects onto the floor to indicate the dishwasher is in use. Our Appliance Specialists will find the right choices for your kitchen at a price no one can beat.

Enter to win this dishwasher

text DISH to 55955 or visit lundsandbyerlys.com/dishwasher

available at

MAPLE GROVE MINNEAPOLIS EDINA WOODBURY APPLE VALLEY ROCHESTER COON RAPIDS

ST. PAUL SHAKOPEE

*Based on sound ratings in the Normal cycle. Model SHX9PT75UC is valued at $1999. Visit LundsandByerlys.com/dishwasher for contest rules and alternate forms of entry.

ingredient

All in the Family Every member of the squash family is different, but we love them all

W

ith a wide and varied family tree, every individual squash variety contains its own unique flavors and personality. Some are sweet and nutty while some are on the dry side, but like family, we love them all for different reasons.

“Squash” derives meaning from a Massachusett Native American word for “eaten raw,” and despite the origin of its name, squash can be eaten either raw or cooked. With high water content, squash make a low-calorie, filling food choice. In addition, squash are a great source of vitamins A and C, antioxidants and more. These nutritious superfoods can help lower blood pressure and are as versatile as foods come.

With a diverse range of squash varieties available in the fall and winter months, it is easy to find one that fits your recipes and taste preferences.

In fact, squash is such a broad category that there are varying flavors, textures and sweetness to each type. Wintertime offers some of the best squash options that tend to be larger and stay fresh longer. However, most winter squash have thick skin that needs to be peeled before eating or cooking.

What can you make with winter squash? Just about anything. The simplest recipe would be to roast the squash and eat with brown sugar or garlic. Otherwise, squash can be made into anything from soup or frittata to risotto. The only limit to squash is your imagination and innovation. So let’s get the peeler out and figure out which squash you need for your next meal. —Laura Schmidt

CUT BUTTERNUT IRINAGRIGORII - FOTOLIA.COM

ACORN Sometimes mistaken for a gourd, the acorn squash is typically dark green in color, and its shape resembles an enlarged acorn or a spinning top. The acorn squash will last for months when stored in a wellventilated space between 50 and 55°F. The bright yellow flesh has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor, making it great for baking or as a soup base.

BUTTERNUT One of the most popular squash, butternut has a hearty sweetness and is very easy to cook. The pear-shaped body and light skin hide a bright orange flesh that has a distinct nutty flavor similar to a pumpkin. The best part of butternut is how versatile it is: From desserts and salads to pizza toppings, butternut squash can make a great fall addition to your menu.

BLUE HUBBARD The hubbard squash is probably the largest squash you will see—that is, if you can find it whole.

Usually it is sold in quarters or halves because the squash can weigh up to 20 pounds. Its golden flesh is great for roasting with spices for a savory dish or can be used with veggies for a delectable soup.

JACK BE LITTLE Sometimes mistaken for mere decoration, this little squash is so much more. Pop it in the microwave whole, cut off the top and remove the seeds, and you have a single serving size. Season it with fresh herbs or try it stuffed with rice or apples.

KABOCHA A squat-looking fellow, the Kabocha squash is an Asian variety, sometimes called the Japanese Pumpkin.

Widely available in the U.S., the Kabocha has a nutty and incredibly sweet flavor, making it a toothsome treat when roasted or baked into a pie.

SPAGHETTI Unlike most squash, the spaghetti squash has no distinct sweetness. Oval in shape with a yellow exterior, spaghetti squash is great because it can be used as a substitute for pasta due to its stringy, spaghetti-like strands.

Place the strands, sprinkled with water and spices such as parsley and sage or cumin and cilantro, on a baking sheet. Cook at 375°F about 45 minutes. Top with pesto or marinara sauce to serve. ■

Yield: • 1 pound winter squash = 1+ cup cooked and mashed • 1 pound raw spaghetti squash = 4 cups cooked strings, loosely packed

fall 2016 real food 17

healthy habits

Guilt-Free and Gratifying Diabetes-friendly recipes for everyone at every meal

P

erfecting a well-balanced diet can be challenging enough, but for those with diabetes, thoughtfully crafting a meal plan involves an added dimension. And if you cook breakfast, lunch or dinner for family and friends, whatever graces the table should satisfy everyone’s appetite—and your dietary needs. Paying close attention to carbohydrate, sodium, fat and sugar levels in meals pays dividends for glucose levels; keeping these components low does not have to dilute the tastiness of any dish. For those without diabetes, of course, whipping up a nutritious, delicious meal is the end goal as well. In Mr. Food Test Kitchen: Guilt-Free Weeknight Favorites, you will find more than 150 diabetes-friendly recipes that can help maintain desired glucose levels for every meal of the day—yes, even dessert. Helpful tips about portion size, sugar and skillfully reading nutrition labels will also help you make the best decisions possible in the grocery aisle and the kitchen. —Lisa Marchand

Simple Butternut Squash Cake SERVES 15

1 (16-ounce) box angel food cake mix 3⁄4 cup frozen mashed butternut squash, thawed 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 cup frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed cinnamon for sprinkling 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. In a large bowl, prepare angel food cake according to package directions. Gently fold in squash and pumpkin pie spice. Spread batter into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.

4. When completely cool, cut into 15 pieces.

Dollop each piece with 1 tablespoon whipped topping, sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve.

Did You Know? Butternut squash not only adds a rich nutty flavor to this cake, it’s also the secret to keeping the cake super moist.

Choices/Exchanges: 2 carbohydrate

18 real food fall 2016

PHOTOS AND RECIPES REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM MR. FOOD TEST KITCHEN: GUILT-FREE WEEKNIGHT FAVORITES FROM THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION. COPYRIGHT © 2015 AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION.

Turkey & 3-Bean Chili SERVES 8

1 tablespoon canola oil 1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casing removed 11⁄2 cups chopped onion 1 (15.5-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, drained 1 (15.5-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, undrained 1 (15.5-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, undrained 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth 1 cup frozen corn 3⁄4 cup picante sauce 1 green bell pepper, cut into 3⁄4-inch pieces 1 red bell pepper, cut into 3⁄4-inch pieces 1 to 2 drops hot sauce 1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, heat oil. Break up the sausage and sauté with onion until sausage is browned and onion is tender; drain. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately.

Good for You! We love our beef and pork, but did you know that turkey sausage traditionally has less than half of the fat and calories of classic sausage? So it’s a natural choice for dishes like this.

NUTRITION

Choices/Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean protein, 1⁄2 fat ■

SQUASH CAKE: PER SERVING: CALORIES 130; FAT 1g (sat. 0g); SODIUM 230mg; CARB 28g; FIBER 0g; PROTEIN 3g 3-BEAN CHILI: PER SERVING: CALORIES 280; FAT 7g (sat. 1.5g); SODIUM 530mg; CARB 33g; FIBER 9g; PROTEIN 20g

fall 2016 real food 19

BÁNH MÌ BUNS (RECIPE PAGE 25) AND SALAD PIZZA WITH LEMON AND LOX (RECIPE PAGE 22)

20 real food fall 2016

Doable Dough Fresh family-friendly meals are realistic options for busy nights when frozen dough comes to the rescue

BY ROBIN ASBELL

H

ow often do you make pizza dough from scratch? What about pastries? Probably not as often as you eat pizza or enjoy a baked treat. Sure, we all wish we had time to lovingly

make, shape and chill a pastry dough or make pizza dough from scratch, but in practice, you are more likely to bake when puff pastry and frozen dough are on hand in your freezer.

The fastest pizza dough at your fingertips is in the form of frozen roll dough. It comes in two sizes: dinner roll (11â „4 ounces each) or Texas roll (2 ounces each), which you can press together to make any size pizza or calzone. This makes it easy to count out as much dough as you need, and the small pieces thaw in the refrigerator within eight hours or in less than an hour at room temperature. You can take them out when you get home from work, warm up the oven, prepare your toppings and fillings while they thaw, and pop a homemade pizza in the oven 45 minutes later.

Frozen puff pastry is equally convenient. Thaw the package in the refrigerator for several hours or just set it on the counter for 40 minutes. If you unwrap it, separate the two sheets and place each under plastic wrap on the counter; they will be pliable in 30 minutes.

From there, the sky is the limit. Pizza, calzones, breadsticks, and both savory and sweet pastries are suddenly realistic options for busy nights. So skip the frozen pizzas and pick up frozen dough for a fresh and family-friendly meal.

PHOTOGRAPHY TERRY BRENNAN FOOD STYLING LARA MIKLASEVICS

fall 2016 real food 21

Salad Pizza with Lemon and Lox

Deep Dish Sausage and Mushroom Pie

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

This is a stuffed-crust deep-dish pie, the kind New Yorkers may refuse to call “pizza.” With a dense mushroom and sausage filling and a top crust crowned with pizza sauce and cheese, this is almost a double decker pizza.

Your frozen dough will make quick work of it, and the buns will thaw in the time it takes to make the filling and open a bottle of red wine.

The salad pizza is a hybrid, as if you combined your first course salad and pizza into one dish.

It’s a lively contrast of textures and flavors—a chewy, warm flatbread is topped with fresh lettuces, bathed in zippy lemon vinaigrette, and studded with smoky lox. It’s a little messy to eat, but so worth it.

6 (2-ounce) whole-wheat roll dough balls or 10 (11⁄4 ounce) traditional rolls 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus 2 teaspoons for pan and topping 1⁄4 small yellow onion, slivered 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1⁄2 teaspoon coarse salt, divided 1⁄2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, divided 2 ounces (4 cups) baby romaine 1 large tomato 4 tablespoons crème fraîche, lightly salted 2 ounces lox or smoked salmon fresh dill, torn 1. Remove dough balls from freezer and thaw about 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 8 hours before baking.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 3. Spread 1 teaspoon olive oil on a pizza pan or large sheet pan. (You can also use a pizza stone and peel.)

4. On a lightly oiled counter, press the dough balls together to form a disk, and flatten with your fingertips. Let rest for 5 minutes if the dough is stiff and resists when you press it. Shape the dough to make a 12-inch round. Transfer to the pizza pan or sheet pan (or spread cornmeal on your pizza peel and place the dough there.) Top with onion slivers and drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil.

5. Bake the pizza crust for 13-15 minutes, just until golden and puffed. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes.

6. In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest, juice, 1⁄4 teaspoon of the salt, 1⁄4 teaspoon of the pepper, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the baby romaine and tomato and toss to coat.

7. Stir the remaining salt and pepper into the crème fraîche, and spread on the warm crust.

Top with lox and salad, sprinkle with fresh dill, cut in quarters, and serve immediately.

22 real food fall 2016

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1 11⁄2 1 2 8 8 1⁄2 1⁄2 1⁄2 6 2 1⁄2 2

pound white frozen dough, or 12 dinner roll portions, divided tablespoons olive oil, divided large yellow onion, diced cloves garlic ounces mushrooms, sliced ounces Italian sausage, crumbled teaspoon salt teaspoon pepper cup fresh basil, chopped ounces (2 cups) Asiago cheese, shredded, divided ounces (3⁄4 cup) shredded Parmesan cheese, divided cup pizza sauce, prepared tablespoons parsley, minced

1. Place the frozen dough balls in a lightly oiled tub large enough so they are not touching. Cover and thaw at room temperature for 1 hour. Prepare a 10-inch cast iron pan or a 9-inch deep cake pan by rubbing it with 1⁄2 tablespoon of the olive oil, and set aside.

2. Prepare filling. In a large sauté pan heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir. Sauté onions until golden, reducing the heat to low as they soften. Add the garlic and mushrooms and raise the heat to medium high, and stir the mushrooms until they are deeply browned and shrunken, about 8 minutes. Push the mushrooms to one side of the pan and add the sausage to the open area and cook until browned and cooked through. Stir in the salt and pepper and transfer to a large bowl to cool. When cooled, stir in the fresh basil and half of the Asiago and Parmesan cheeses.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 4. For the top crust: Place 4 dough balls close together on a clean countertop, and use your fingers to press them into a disc of dough. Press them out to a 10-inch circle, letting the dough rest for a few minutes if it becomes difficult to stretch.

5. For the bottom crust: Place the remaining dough balls in the prepared pan and press them to flatten, pinching the edges together (don’t let the oil come between them or they will not stick together). Press out to cover the bottom of the pan and make a 1-inch high crust at the edges.

6. Transfer the mushroom and sausage mixture to the crust and pack it flat, smoothing the top. Place the 10-inch round of dough on top of the pie, and pinch the edges of the top and bottom crusts together.

7. Bake on the bottom oven rack for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread sauce atop crust and top with remaining cheese and parsley.

Return to the oven for 20 minutes on the top rack. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

DEEP DISH SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOM PIE

fall 2016 real food 23

SHRIMP, RED PEPPER AND FETA MINI TARTS

24 real food fall 2016

Shrimp, Red Pepper and Feta Mini Tarts

Bánh Mì Buns

MAKES 6 TARTS

Bánh mì is the favorite sandwich of Vietnam—a fusion of the bread from French influence with the fresh sweet and sour pickles and traditional Vietnamese nuances. This is an even simpler version in which a folded bun lightly cradles the bánh mì filling, and cool, crispy shredded daikon pickles and cucumbers are added after baking.

These pretty mini tarts are easy to make thanks to frozen puff pastry, and the squares of dough look like flower petals when baked. Substitute chicken for shrimp if desired.

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (or 4 ounces raw chicken breast) 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 2 large scallions, chopped 2 medium roasted red bell peppers from a jar, drained and patted dry, chopped 1⁄ cup parsley leaves, chopped 1⁄4 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 1 large egg 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2⁄3 2⁄ ⁄3 sheet puff pastry 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 2. Lightly oil 6 muffin tin cups and reserve.

3. If the shrimp were thawed from frozen or damp, wrap them in a double layer of paper towel and dry well. Chop the shrimp (or chicken) into ½-inch pieces.

4. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, add the scallions and stir for 1 minute. Add the chopped shrimp or chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes for shrimp. When the shrimp is pink (or the chicken cooked through), add the roasted peppers and parsley and stir, just until the pan is dry. Transfer the shrimp (or chicken) mixture to a medium bowl and let cool.

5. When cooled, stir in the feta, egg, thyme and black pepper.

6. Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured counter and roll the rectangle out slightly to make an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in 6 4-by-4-inch squares. Place each square on an oiled muffin cup and gently press the center to meet the bottom of the tin, leaving the four corners draped over the top of the pan. Scoop a heaping 1⁄4 cup filling per serving into the cups.

7. Bake 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is set and firm. Cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before using a paring knife inserted between the tart and the pan to slip each tart out onto the rack or a plate. Serve warm.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS (2 BUNS PER SERVING)

8 2 1⁄4 1⁄4 33⁄4 1⁄2 2 1 2 8 1 2 1 4

large frozen buns (Texas style) tablespoons sugar cup rice vinegar teaspoon salt cup shredded daikon radish cup shredded carrots teaspoons canola oil cup chopped shallot cloves garlic, chopped ounces chicken, chopped teaspoon five-spice powder tablespoons soy sauce tablespoon sugar tablespoons mayonnaise Sriracha sauce, to taste 1 cucumber, cut into 16 1⁄8-inch thick slices

1. Remove buns from freezer and place in an oiled cake pan and cover with plastic wrap. Thaw 2 hours at room temperature before serving time.

2. Lightly oil a sheet pan.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F. 4. In a medium bowl, mix sugar, rice vinegar and salt, and stir in the daikon and carrots. Let stand until ready to serve.

5. In a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil for a few seconds. Add the shallots and stir 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and stir 1 minute. Add the chopped chicken and five-spice powder and stir, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes to brown the chicken pieces. Drizzle in the soy sauce, add the sugar, and stir. Cook, stirring, until the pan is nearly dry. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl to let cool.

6. Place each bun on the countertop and spread and flatten it with your fingers to make a 6-by-4-inch oval. If the dough becomes hard to stretch, let that piece rest for a few minutes while you stretch another one. On each dough oval, cover the half closest to you with 1⁄4 cup filling. Pull the other half of the dough over the filling to almost cover the filling. Do not join the top with the bottom; the bun should be open. To keep the bun folded over, pin it closed with a toothpick inserted gently through the top, holding the bun slightly ajar. Carefully place on the prepared sheet pan.

7. Let the filled buns rise for 15 minutes at room temperature, then bake for 15-17 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

8. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Carefully open the tops of the buns and smear each with ½ tablespoon mayonnaise and a drizzle of Sriracha sauce.

9. Drain the daikon mixture, and stuff 1 heaping tablespoon into each bun.

Slide in two cucumber slices and serve immediately.

fall 2016 real food 25

Tips and Tricks: FROZEN ROLL DOUGH • Keep bags of frozen roll dough in the freezer and thaw only what you need, then reseal the bag for another day.

• As long as you are making pizza, make a few Parmesan breadsticks, garlic rolls or buns for breakfast.

• Thaw dough in a lightly oiled container, covered, so the top of the dough balls will not dry out.

• If you are shaping the dough for pizza, you can start pressing it into a disk as soon as the dough is soft, then let it rise for a few minutes after it is shaped.

• When working with roll dough, press it out until the dough starts to resist, then let it rest for a few minutes.

The dough will relax and be easy to stretch again.

FROZEN PUFF PASTRY • Puff pastry should be cold when you work with it. If it comes to room temperature, put it back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

• When rolling out puff pastry dough, don’t flatten the edges too thinly or they will not give an impressive puff.

NUTRITION

• When sealing the edges on filled pastries, gently press but don’t flatten the dough, or it will not puff as much.

SALAD PIZZA W. LEMON & LOX: PER SERVING: CALORIES 596 (211 from fat); FAT 24g (sat. 6g); CHOL 21mg; SODIUM 1748mg; CARB 71g; FIBER 11g; PROTEIN 26g

26 real food fall 2016

Pear and Crystallized Ginger Turnovers MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Pears have a fruity flavor and perfume that is enhanced by the slightly peppery taste of crystallized ginger. These are fantastic with a cup of tea in the morning—if you have any left after serving them for dessert the night before.

2 2 1⁄4 2 1⁄ 1⁄2 2 1 2 2⁄3 2⁄ ⁄3

large Bosc pears teaspoons canola oil cup turbinado sugar, divided teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot cup (21⁄2 ounces) finely chopped crystallized ginger teaspoons lemon zest large egg yolk teaspoons water package puff pastry, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2. Line 1 large sheet pan with parchment. Set aside a second sheet pan with a rim for the pears.

3. Slice the pears in half lengthwise, then pare out the core and seeds. Slice each half in four long slices, then cut across the slices into 3⁄4-inch chunks.

4. Place the pear chunks on a sheet pan. Drizzle with canola oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar. Toss to coat and spread the pears on the pan. Roast for 20 minutes; the pears will be tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from oven and let cool. Sprinkle with cornstarch or arrowroot, and toss to mix well. Add the ginger and lemon zest and mix well. Reserve.

5. In a cup, whisk the egg yolk with water and place a pastry brush in the mixture.

6. Lightly sprinkle the counter with flour. Unfold a sheet of puff pastry and place on floured surface. Roll the pastry out to a 9-by-9-inch square. Use a pizza wheel or chef’s knife to cut into 9 3-by-3-inch squares. Brush two edges of each pastry square lightly with egg mixture.

7. Place 1⁄8 cup filling in each square. Fold the pastry over the filling and press the edges together to seal. Mark with a fork, if desired. Transfer the turnovers to the parchment-lined pan.

8. Use 1⁄3 of the second piece of pastry to make 3 more turnovers. (Tightly wrap and either refrigerate or freeze the remaining dough.) Repeat filling steps.

9. Brush the filled turnovers with the remaining egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with the remaining turbinado sugar.

10. Bake 20 minutes, until the turnovers are golden brown and puffed. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, and serve warm. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Cook’s Note: This recipe uses 11⁄3 sheets of puff pastry, which means you have 2⁄3 of a sheet left over. The Shrimp, Red Pepper and Feta Mini Tarts (page 25) will use that up perfectly, or you can simply sprinkle the remaining puff pastry with shredded Parmesan cheese, cut it in ¾-inch wide strips, and twist them gently before placing on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 375°F for crunchy, flaky cheese sticks. ■

DEEP DISH PIE: PER SERVING: CALORIES 506 (240 from fat); FAT 27g (sat. 12g); CHOL 51mg; SODIUM 1346mg; CARB 42g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 24g

SHRIMP & FETA TARTS: PER SERVING: CALORIES 255 (151 from fat); FAT 17g (sat. 6g); CHOL 71mg; SODIUM 376mg; CARB 17g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 9g

BÁNH MÌ BUNS: PER SERVING: CALORIES 496 (185 from fat); FAT 21g (sat. 3g); CHOL 46mg; SODIUM 1149mg; CARB 62g; FIBER 5g; PROTEIN 18g

PEAR & GINGER TURNOVERS: PER SERVING: CALORIES 224 (103 from fat); FAT 12g (sat. 3g); CHOL 15mg; SODIUM 76mg; CARB 28g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 2g

PEAR AND CRYSTALLIZED GINGER TURNOVERS

fall 2016 real food 27

28 real food fall 2016

Glorious Apples Whether sweet and tender or crisp and tart, everyone’s favorite apple varieties mix up great meals from breakfast to dessert

T

he fruit that is at the core of sayings about health and love to serving as inspiration for the theory of gravity, is also inspiring in the kitchen. More than a deliciously healthy snack, apples

are equally at home in savory dishes alongside garlic and onions as they are with sweet sugar and cinnamon. Plus, on the practical side, this versatile fruit really may help keep the doctor away. It is a good source of fiber and vitamins A and C as well as antioxidants. Research suggests antioxidants in apples and apple products play a role in reducing risks of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Apples are also linked to decreasing the risk of heart disease and type two diabetes, improving gut health and symptoms of asthma. They also have staying power: If you refrigerate apples as soon as possible when you bring them home, it will slow ripening and maintain flavor so they can keep from four to six weeks. Then you will be sure to have them on hand for a great variety of recipes. —Mary Subialka

RECIPES AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE U.S. APPLE ASSOCIATION

Apple Pancakes with Maple-Apple Sauce MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Pancakes 11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour 1⁄ teaspoon baking soda 1⁄3 3 teaspoons baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 egg 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup milk 1 cup apples, grated oil for griddle or pan, as needed

Smoky Apple & Butternut Squash Soup MAKES ABOUT 7 CUPS

1 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 1⁄2 1⁄2

tablespoon olive oil tablespoon butter large onions, finely chopped (about 41⁄2 cups) teaspoon chipotle chili powder pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (about 6 cups) pound sweet apples, peeled and cut into chunks (about 31⁄2 cups) cup apple juice (more if necessary) cup chicken broth teaspoon salt teaspoon ground black pepper toasted pecans, for garnish, if desired sour cream, for garnish, if desired apple slices, cut thin, for garnish, if desired

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil and butter over medium heat; add onions and chili powder; cook and stir until onions are tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Add squash, apples, apple juice, chicken broth, salt and pepper; bring to boil.

3. Cover and cook on low heat until apples and squash are very soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

4. Puree with an immersion blender or a food processor; return to saucepan.

Add additional apple juice or broth, if needed.

5. Garnish with toasted pecans, sour cream swirls and thin apple slices, if desired.

30 real food fall 2016

1. For the Pancakes: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and nutmeg.

2. In a small bowl, mix egg, butter, vanilla and milk.

3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until just blended, being careful not to overmix. Fold in grated apple.

4. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. When batter is full of holes, turn to brown on other side. Turn pancakes only once while cooking.

5. For the Maple-Apple Sauce: Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add apples and dash of salt and sauté until just brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Add maple and corn syrup to apples and stir gently. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture thickens. Serve over pancakes.

PREVIOUS SPREAD JULES KITANO - FOTOLIA.COM

Maple-Apple Sauce 2 teaspoons butter 2 large apples, peeled, cored and diced dash of salt 1⁄4 cup maple syrup 1⁄ cup dark corn syrup 1⁄8

APPLE PANCAKES WITH MAPLE-APPLE SAUCE

fall 2016 real food 31

Pork Fajitas with Apple-Cilantro Salsa MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Apple Salsa (makes 21⁄2 cups) 3 unpeeled apples, cored and diced 1⁄2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered 1⁄2 ripe avocado, peeled and diced 2 tablespoons sliced green onion, including top 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon minced garlic 1⁄ teaspoon black pepper 1⁄8 1⁄4 teaspoon salt Fajita Marinade 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 tablespoons water 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice 6 large cloves garlic, finely minced 3 teaspoons fresh cilantro leaves, minced 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon salt Pork Wrap 1 pound pork tenderloin or lean pork roast Fajita marinade (above) 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas 1. For the Apple Salsa: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours to meld flavors.

2. For the Fajita Marinade: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

3. Place pork in large sealable plastic bag and pour in marinade.

Cover and refrigerate 11⁄2 hours or more, turning occasionally.

4. Preheat grill. Drain marinated pork, saving excess marinade.

Place pork on grill and brush with leftover marinade (discard any remaining marinade). Grill over hot coals (or medium heat for gas grill), turning frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 155-160°F. Remove from heat and place on a clean plate. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

5. Wrap tortillas tightly in foil and heat on upper grill rack for 10 minutes.

6. Cut pork diagonally across grain into thin slices. Arrange oneeighth of pork slices and 2 or 3 tablespoons salsa in center of tortilla. Fold bottom half of tortilla over filling and overlap sides on top. Arrange on serving plate.

32 real food fall 2016

PORK FAJITAS WITH APPLE-CILANTRO SALSA

EASY APPLESAUCE Think homemade applesauce is only the work of skilled canners and chefs? Think again. If you can cut up apples and put them in the slow cooker, you can master the art of making it. Apples are a very special fruit because they contain pectin, which is a natural thickener. Let the slow cooker gently simmer the apples until they are tender and falling apart, and then mash or puree to the desired consistency. For added fun, create an applesauce toppings bar and customize with your favorite toppings. The possibilities are endless.

Serve applesauce alongside little bowls of toppings such as chia, flax seeds, hemp seeds, toasted walnuts, sesame seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, fresh berries, cinnamon, pie spice, honey or maple syrup.

Try 1â „2 cup serving of applesauce with a sprinkling of these combinations: Chia + cinnamon Blueberries + honey Flax seeds + maple syrup

Slow Cooker Vanilla Applesauce MAKES 33â „4 CUPS

3 pounds apples (about 8 medium apples), peeled and cut in chunks 1â „2 cup sugar, optional 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 pinch salt 1. Place the peeled apple chunks in the slow cooker and sprinkle with sugar, lemon, vanilla and salt, then stir to mix.

Cover the cooker and cook on low for 4 hours.

2. Uncover the cooker and use a potato masher to coarsely mash the apples, or if you want a really smooth sauce, you can puree in a food processor or blender. (Be careful when handling the hot apples and juice; cover the lid of the processor or blender with a folded towel and hold it closed as you turn on the machine.)

3. Transfer the applesauce to sterilized jars and let cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

34 real food fall 2016

Apple-Hazelnut Cheesecake Tart MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Crust 2⁄3 cup whole hazelnuts, unpeeled 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt Filling 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 large egg 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt 1 large tender-sweet apple, such as Fuji or Gala, peeled, cored and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices

NUTRITION

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts until they have the texture of coarse sand. Add the butter, sugar, flour and salt, and pulse again until the mixture comes together and forms a dough.

2. Gather the dough into a ball, then press into the bottom and sides of a 10- or 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Transfer to the freezer and chill for at least 15 minutes.

3. Set oven rack to the lower position and preheat oven to 350°F. 4. Rinse out the bowl of the food processor, set it back on the base, and add the cream cheese, sugar, cream, egg, vanilla and salt.

Process until evenly mixed, about 1 minute.

5. When the crust is chilled, set the tart pan on a baking sheet and pour the cheese mixture into the shell. Arrange the apple slices around the tart, pressing them lightly into the filling. Transfer to the oven and bake until the filling is set and the crust is lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe right).

APPLE AND SQUASH SOUP: PER SERVING: CALORIES 130; FAT 4g (sat. 2g); CHOL 5mg; SODIUM 290mg; CARB 23g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 2g

Salted Caramel Sauce MAKES 2 CUPS

3⁄4 1 1 1⁄2

cup water cup granulated sugar cup heavy cream teaspoon kosher salt

1. Pour water into a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and set over high heat. Add sugar in a mound in the center of the pot.

2. Cover the pot and cook until sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble.

Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the mixture turns pale amber, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not swirl or stir during this time.

3. Remove lid and watch the caramel closely. When it turns a darker amber color, remove it from the heat and carefully add heavy cream—there will be a burst of steam, so be careful.

4. Add kosher salt and stir. Serve warm. ■

APPLE PANCAKES W. SAUCE: PER SERVING: CALORIES 500 (120 from fat); FAT 14g (sat. 8g); CHOL 85mg; SODIUM 1490mg; CARB 89g; FIBER 5g; PROTEIN 9g

PORK FAJITAS W. SALSA: PER SERVING: CALORIES 690 (230 from fat); FAT 25g (sat. 5g); CHOL 105mg; SODIUM 960mg; CARB 73g; FIBER 8g; PROTEIN 44g

VANILLA APPLESAUCE (NO SUGAR): PER SERVING: CALORIES 74 (2 from fat); FAT 0g (sat. 0g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 24mg; CARB 19g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 0g

CHEESECAKE TART W. SAUCE: PER SERVING: CALORIES 481 (237 from fat); FAT 27g (sat. 14g); CHOL 85mg; SODIUM 305mg; CARB 57g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 6g

fall 2016 real food 35

PHOTOGRAPHY TERRY BRENNAN FOOD STYLING LARA MIKLASEVICS

36 real food fall 2016

Sweet Chemistry Elements of science combine to create your perfect treat

BY LAUREN CHATTMAN

P

eople say that cooking is an art, while baking is a science. But how much do you actually know about the chemical and physical reactions involved in producing a chewy chocolate

chip cookie or a fudgy brownie? You don’t have to work in a lab to become a better baker, but understanding a few scientific fundamentals about ingredients and the way they interact will take some of the mystery out of baking, giving you more control over the outcome of your baked goods to produce those you like best.

When your cookie or other dough is placed in the oven, the reactions described in the “Element” sidebars (see as you read on) occur all at once. Air cells created during creaming expand, making balls of dough rise and spread. Sugar caramelizes, providing a crisp and delicious exterior. Protein strands in eggs and flour stretch and then solidify, allowing the previously soft mixture to expand and hold its new shape when cooled. Courtesy of science, you now have delectable treats.

CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES (RECIPE PAGE 40)

fall 2016 real food 37

Tender, Buttery Shortbread MAKES 16 WEDGES

Making good shortbread is all in the chemistry. Getting your butter, flour and sugar to react in just the right ways to produce a light, tender, buttery cookie rather than a dense, crumbly, greasy one requires some special handling. Temperature is crucial. Chill your butter before combining it with the dry ingredients. You want it to stay solid long enough in the oven to allow the water molecules to evaporate, creating tiny air pockets for light texture. Start baking at a high temperature to encourage quick evaporation. Then, turn the heat down to give the dough time to bake through without burning at the edges.

Protein gives baked goods structure, but too much protein will result in tough cookies. Replacing some flour in the recipe with cornstarch lowers the protein content of the dough. Since kneading and rolling encourage gluten formation, it is better to gently cut the butter into the flour mixture with the paddle attachment (rather than warm hands, which will melt the butter), and then press the dough into the pan rather than rolling it out.

While unsalted butter is preferable in most baking recipes, shortbread is the exception. Using salted butter ensures that salt, which is essential for flavor here, permeates the dough. Because there is no liquid in the dough, added salt would not dissolve and evenly distribute.

1 13⁄4 ¼ 1⁄2 1

cup salted butter, chilled cups (200 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour cup (37 grams) cornstarch cup (100 grams) plus 1 tablespoon sugar teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with a circle of parchment paper. Cut the butter into ¼-inch cubes, place in a small bowl, and freeze for 15 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and ½ cup sugar and beat on low with an electric mixer until just combined.

Add the chilled butter and vanilla and beat until the dough is sandy and holds together when pinched between your fingers, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the crumbs to the prepared pan and spread evenly over the bottom. Use the bottom of a glass dipped in flour to compact the crumbs. Prick all over with the sharp point of a skewer. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon sugar.

4. Bake for 10 minutes, poke the top all over with a skewer, reduce the temperature to 300°F, and continue baking until pale golden, dry and firm all the way through, 30 to 40 minutes.

5. Immediately invert shortbread onto a wire rack and then invert again onto a cutting board. Use a pizza wheel to cut into 16 wedges.

Transfer wedges to the rack to cool.

38 real food fall 2016

ELEMENT: BUTTER All fats, whether solid or liquid, add moisture and tenderness to baked goods and extend their shelf life. Solid and liquid fats can also add flavor but butter will give baked goods an incomparable fresh cream taste, which is why it is preferred in most cookie recipes.

Butter can aid in leavening, while liquid fats cannot. Butter can be creamed with sugar, incorporating air, to help cookies rise.

Liquid fats (including melted butter) do not retain air, so they should not be used for this purpose.

Finally, butter contributes to the tenderness of cookies by coating the proteins in flour, barring them from linking and creating gluten. Shortened baked goods—pie crusts, biscuits and shortbreads are items in which the butter is cut into flour, effectively coating the proteins with fat and “shortening” the gluten strands.

ELEMENT: FLOUR Gluten, a network of proteins, develops when flour is mixed with a liquid. During mixing, the proteins in flour organize themselves into a webbed cell structure made of gluten strands, providing structure for baked goods.

As the flexible walls of the cells expand, cakes, breads and cookies rise. At a certain temperature, the gluten strands solidify, so the baked goods don’t fall as they cool.

Different types of flour contain different amounts of protein. In general, tender items are made from flour with a low protein content. Thus, yellow cake, biscuits and madeleines often call for very soft cake flour, which will develop relatively little gluten and contribute to the tenderness of the finished product. Conversely, items such as French bread require a higher amount of gluten to achieve a bubbly and open crumb along with a thick, chewy crust. With some exceptions, middle-of-the-road all-purpose flour is just right for cookies.

TENDER, BUTTERY SHORTBREAD

fall 2016 real food 39

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Cakey Brownies

MAKES ABOUT 48 COOKIES

The chemical reactions that take place during baking don’t cease the instant that you remove your baked goods from the oven. The cooling period is actually a time when proteins continue to coagulate and water continues to evaporate from dough or batter.

For cakey brownies that are still moist, bake them at a moderate temperature and pull them from the oven while they’re still a little damp in the center, with some wet crumbs sticking to a tester. As they cool, they will finish baking.

One challenge with peanut butter cookies is the more peanut butter you add, the greasier and heavier the cookies become. To get a tender, light cookie that delivers great nutty flavor, don’t add more peanut butter. Instead, mix in chopped peanuts, which won’t react on a molecular level with the other ingredients. Reserving some of the sugar and rolling dough balls in it just before baking is a way to add sweetness to the cookies without adding so much sugar that they spread and flatten.

1 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts 2 cups (225 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (180 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup smooth peanut butter 1. Place the nuts in a food processor and chop fine.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and ¾ cup granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

Add the eggs, vanilla and peanut butter and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chopped peanuts. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. 5. Place the remaining ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it between your palms to form a ball.

Roll the balls in the sugar to coat and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. Press each cookie with the back of a fork twice in opposite directions to make a crisscross pattern.

6. Bake the cookies until they are lightly colored, about 11 to 13 minutes. Let them stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then carefully slide the entire parchment with the cookies from the pan to a wire rack and let them cool.

40 real food fall 2016

MAKES 16 BROWNIES

1⁄2 2 2 1 3 1⁄2 1⁄4 1 2 1 3⁄4

cup (1 stick) unsalted butter ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate, chopped cup (112 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder teaspoon baking powder teaspoon salt cup (200 grams) sugar large eggs teaspoon pure vanilla extract cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with heavyduty aluminum foil, making sure that the foil is tucked into all the corners and that there is at least 1 inch overhanging the top of the pan on all sides.

2. Put 1 inch of water in the bottom of a double boiler or medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.

3. Combine the butter and chocolate in the top of the double boiler or in a stainless-steel bowl and set on top of the simmering water, making sure that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

4. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the nuts, if using.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake the brownies until they are just set in the center, about 25 minutes. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Grasping the overhanging foil on either side of the pan, lift out the brownies and place them on a cutting board. Cut them into 16 squares.

Variation: Fudgy Brownies If your ideal is closer to fudge than cake, you’ll want your brownies underbaked at the center. For the solution, I turned to what Alice Medrich calls “the Steve ritual” in her book, Cookies and Brownies, which is named after an old friend who discovered it.

For Fudgy Brownies: Preheat the oven to 400°F instead of 350°F. Position the rack on the bottom third of the oven. Fill a large baking pan halfway with ice water. Bake the brownies until dry on top, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately submerge the bottom half in the ice bath to stop the baking. Cool completely in the ice bath before removing from the pan and cutting.

CAKEY BROWNIES

fall 2016 real food 41

ANATOMY OF A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

SOFT AND CAKEY VERSUS CRISP AND CHEWY: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE? We often like what our taste buds are used to, whether that is grandma’s recipe—which may actually be from the back of the chocolate chip bag—or a variation. Without straying too far from the classic formula it is possible to play with standard ingredients and techniques to come up with a cookie that will please your particular tastes. Cookie lovers generally divide themselves into crisp and chewy or soft and cakey categories. Here are techniques and key tips to help achieve your favorite and a recipe for each cookie camp.

Soft and Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies MAKES ABOUT 36 COOKIES

21⁄2 cups (336 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon baking powder 1 cup (180 grams) packed light brown sugar 1⁄2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 large egg 2 large egg whites 1 10-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer or a large bowl if using a hand-held mixer, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter, and cream together on medium-low speed until fluffy and light, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla, egg and egg whites and mix until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and mix to combine.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop rounded spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie.

6. Bake until golden around the edges but soft on top, 8 to 9 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool.

Tips and Tricks: Soft and Cakey Cookies • Cream butter and sugar together. This will whip some air into the dough, so your cookies will puff up a bit in the oven.

• ⁄ teaspoon of baking powder along with the soda will provide more lift.

• Subtract an egg yolk and use an extra egg white. Egg whites contain more water than yolks, which when evaporated in the oven, helps cookies rise like little cakes.

• Use twice as much brown sugar as white sugar. Brown sugar, which is slightly acidic, will react with the baking soda in the recipe for a higher rise.

• Add a little extra flour, enough to add structure, but not so much that it will dilute the sweetness of the sugar.

• Chill the dough. Cold dough will spread less in the oven, creating a cakey center.

• Turn up the heat. If a recipe calls for 350°F, increase to 375°F. A hotter oven will allow the cookies to bake before spreading, resulting in cakey centers.

42 real food fall 2016

CHEWY VS CAKEY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies MAKES ABOUT 36 COOKIES

21⁄4 cups (280 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt 1⁄2 cup (90 grams) packed light brown sugar 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 large egg 2 large egg yolks 1 10-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips 1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer or a large bowl if using a hand-held mixer, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter and mix on low. Add vanilla, egg and egg yolks and mix until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and mix to combine.

4. Let dough stand 10 minutes to firm up, and then use a small ice cream scoop to drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie.

5. Bake until golden around the edges but soft on top, 9 to 10 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool.

Tips and Tricks: Crisp and Chewy Cookies • Use melted, not softened butter for a dense and chewy texture.

• Subtract an egg white and add an extra egg yolk. Yolks have more fat than whites, which give cookies a fudgy rather than cakey texture.

• Use twice as much white sugar as brown.

White sugar, which is neutral rather than acidic like brown sugar, will cause your cookies to spread rather than rise. It will also give your cookies a nice crispness around the edges.

• Turn down the heat. A cooler oven will let the cookies spread without drying out.

• Do not overbake. Cookies will continue to firm up and dry out as they cool off, so pull them out of the oven while they still look a little damp on top.

fall 2016 real food 43

Lemon Meringue Cookies MAKES ABOUT 30 COOKIES

ELEMENT: EGGS Both egg yolks and whites are high in protein, which transforms from liquid to solid as it cooks. Here is how it happens: Uncooked protein consists of small individual, tightly coiled strands. Heating these proteins causes them to unravel and then link together with each other, forming a solid mass, or more precisely, separate solid curds. If you stir uncooked eggs into cookie dough, the proteins will do the same thing, linking up with each other to hold your cookies together and give them a solid structure. Think about the difference in texture between a chocolate chip cookie, which contains eggs and becomes solid and chewy when baked, and a shortbread cookie, which contains no egg and has a fragile texture.

Egg whites consist of tightly wound but separate strands of protein, which, during whipping, uncoil and link together with each other, forming a weblike network that traps and holds air. When whipped correctly (and not over-whipped), egg whites remain soft, moist and flexible, so they can stretch as the air trapped within their network expands in the oven.

ELEMENT: SUGAR Caramelization is a chemical reaction that occurs when sugar is heated until its molecules break apart and recombine. Sugar, caramelizing in the heat of the oven, gives cookies a depth of flavor that goes beyond sweetness to include flavors and aromas ranging from sweet or sour to bitter.

Sugar is also a tenderizer. During mixing, sugar absorbs liquid in cookie dough, preventing a portion of it from combining with the protein in flour and thus preventing some gluten from forming.

Sweeter cookies tend to be softer than cookies with less sugar.

Additionally, sugar raises the temperature at which a batter will change from liquid to solid by delaying the coagulation of proteins. So the more sugar in your cookie dough, the longer it will take to solidify in the oven, and the more your cookies will flatten and spread.

44 real food fall 2016

Meringue cookies are a wonderful demonstration of chemistry in baking. To make them, first you have to mechanically break down the protein bonds in egg whites by whisking them until foamy. Then you combine the whites with sugar and build the mixture back up into an elastic network of liquid and protein molecules that can expand to hold air bubbles. A little acid, in the form of cream of tartar, will prevent the proteins in the eggs from coagulating too quickly, allowing more air to be beaten into the mixture before it stiffens completely.

For a fluffy but stable meringue, beat half of the sugar into the whites until it is dissolved, and then beat the other half in briefly so it’s still a little bit grainy. Beating the mixture until all of the sugar dissolves will result in a syrupy rather than fluffy consistency. There is much debate about whether cold or room temperature whites are better for meringues. Room temperature egg whites will whip to a higher volume but their larger bubbles are more likely to pop when the meringue is handled. On the other hand, cold whites produce smaller, tighter bubbles that don’t deflate as easily.

Meringue cookies piped through a pastry bag are pretty, but squeezing your batter can deflate it slightly. For the highest volume, simply spoon heaping teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto baking sheets, using a finger to draw each portion up into a decorative peak.

4 large egg whites, chilled ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar pinch salt 1 cup (200 grams) sugar 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon lemon extract yellow food coloring (optional) 1. Arrange oven racks on top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat to 200°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar and salt and continue to whip until they are white and hold soft peaks, about 1 minute.

3. With the mixer on, slowly sprinkle in half of the sugar and continue to whip until incorporated, 1 minute. Turn the mixer to low and sprinkle in the remaining sugar until just incorporated. Add the zest, vanilla and lemon extract, and beat just until incorporated. Swirl a few drops of yellow food coloring into the mixture to create streaks, if desired.

4. Bake until dry and firm, about 1½ hours. Let cool completely on the baking sheets. ■

NUTRITION

LEMON MERINGUE COOKIES

TENDER, BUTTERY SHORTBREAD: PER SERVING: CALORIES 184 (102 from fat); FAT 12g (sat. 7g); CHOL 31mg; SODIUM 92mg; CARB 19g; FIBER 0g; PROTEIN 1g

CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 135 (72 from fat); FAT 8g (sat.

3g); CHOL 18mg; SODIUM 101mg; CARB 13g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 3g

CAKEY BROWNIES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 215 (116 from fat); FAT 13g (s a t . 6 g) ; C H O L 3 9 m g ; SODIUM 62mg; CARB 23g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 3g

SOFT & CAKEY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 156 (74 from fat); FAT 8g (sat.

5g); CHOL 19mg; SODIUM 112mg; CARB 18g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 2g

CRISP & CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 156 (76 from fat); FAT 9g (sat.

5g); CHOL 29mg; SODIUM 105mg; CARB 18g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 2g

LEMON MERINGUE COOKIES: PER SERVING: CALORIES 29 (0 from fat); FAT 0g (sat.

0g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 13mg; CARB 7g; FIBER 0g; PROTEIN 0g

CRISPY CHICKEN SPRING ROLLS (RECIPE PAGE 48)

46 real food fall 2016

The Art of Appetizers Fill your platters with these recipes that promise small bites with big flavor

W

hether you are hosting a small get-together or feeding an army, crafting a delicious spread of starters can be daunting without the proper know-how and inspiration. Make mental notes

prior to preparing your food: How many people are you feeding? What is the overall theme or mood of the gathering? Do any of your guests have dietary restrictions? Keep these things in mind as you construct platters of apps. And, to help you get started, try these recipes from cookbook authors Helene An, Jacqueline An and Barton Seaver. From An: To Eat, the mother-daughter team melds Vietnamese, French and Californian influences for mouth-watering dishes including Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls and Balsamic Chicken Pot Stickers that are sure to impress your guests. Entertaining seafood fans? Seaver’s Two If by Sea draws on sustainable seafood for a delectable Scallop Satay drizzled with peanut sauce.

And a hummus recipe by Julia Joliff mixes in even more good-for-you ingredients with spinach and artichokes. Who knows, your starters may steal the show. —Aubrey Schield

fall 2016 real food 47

Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls MAKES 30 ROLLS, RECIPE BY HELENE AN AND JACQUELINE AN

This is one of our most popular appetizers and has been on our menu from the beginning.

Since it is fried, we like to serve it with our Garlic Lemon Sauce (recipe at right), pickled vegetables and a Vietnamese herb salad to cut the oil, balancing the heavy with the light. pounds ground dark meat chicken pounds white onion, minced and squeezed to remove excess juice pounds carrots, finely chopped pounds jicama, julienned into long strips ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, minced ounces fresh wood ear mushrooms, minced ounces transparent vermicelli cellophane noodles (miên), (miê´n), cooked tablespoons oyster sauce tablespoon fish sauce teaspoons sugar teaspoon sesame oil teaspoon sea salt teaspoon freshly ground black pepper sheets rice paper, dampened and stacked (see box below) cups canola oil

1. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the onions, carrots, jicama and mushrooms. Add the noodles and mix well. Mix in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, oil, salt and pepper.

2. Place one rice paper wrapper in front of you on a hard surface or cutting board. Put 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in a horizontal line about one third of the way up the wrapper from the bottom, leaving a finger-width border on either side. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the meat and start rolling upward, making sure to tuck in the sides as you go. Don’t roll too tightly or the wrapper might tear. Place the roll on a plate and repeat with the remaining wrappers and meat filling.

3. Heat the oil in a deep skillet or wok over medium heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Once the oil is hot, place 5 rolls at time in the pan and cook them until their outsides turn golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer the cooked rolls to the prepared baking sheet to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining rolls.

4. Serve the spring rolls hot along with the Garlic Lemon Sauce.

Garlic Lemon Sauce MAKES ABOUT 52⁄3 CUPS

1 cup sugar 1 cup fish sauce 1⁄3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1⁄3 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon bird’s eye chile, seeded and cut into thin strips, or 1 tablespoon chili paste 1. Add 3 cups of warm water to a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add the fish sauce, lemon juice, rice vinegar, garlic and chile. Stir well.

Cook’s Note: The sauce can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

THE SECRET TO PREPARING RICE PAPER FOR CRISPY ROLLS To make perfectly crispy spring rolls, you’ll need to use several different towels at once and stack them so the rice paper doesn’t dry out. The perfect towel for the job is a small, clean, lint-free kitchen towel that will hold moisture. (Paper towels will break and washcloths hold too much water.) We usually have about 10 kitchen towels on hand for this purpose.

To prepare the rice paper: 1. Fill a large bowl with warm water and soak the towels all together. Remove the towels one-by-one and squeeze all of the water out of each towel. Lay the cloths flat on a hard surface or wooden cutting board, one on top of the other.

2. Take the top cloth off and place it on a hard surface or cutting board. Place one rice paper wrapper on top of the cloth, and then place another cloth on top of it.

Continue making a new stack, alternately layering cloths and rice wrappers until you have covered all of your wrappers.

3. Now flip the stack over so that the rice wrapper on the bottom is now on the top, and use that one first, as it will be the wettest and ready to go.

48 real food fall 2016

RICE PAPER FKRUGER - FOTOLIA.COM SPRING ROLLS REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM AN: TO EAT © 2016 BY HELENE AN AND JACQUELINE AN, RUNNING PRESS, A MEMBER OF THE PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP. PHOTO BY EVAN SUNG.

4½ 4½ 2 2 2½ 2½ 3½ 2 1 2 1 1 1 30 3

Scallop Satay MAKES 4 SERVINGS, RECIPE BY BARTON SEAVER

SATAY REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM TWO IF BY SEA © 2016 BY BARTON SEAVER, STERLING EPICURE, AN IMPRINT OF STERLING PUBLISHING CO., INC. PHOTO BY MICHAEL PIAZZA HUMMUS RECIPE AND IMAGE BY JULIA JOLIFF OF A CEDAR SPOON BLOG, COURTESY OF USA DRY PEA AND LENTIL COUNCIL

There are few foods so naturally balanced in flavor as scallops, and they pair beautifully with all sorts of seasonings. In this marinade I combine the punch and personality of garlic and ginger, the svelte savor of soy, and peanut butter’s hearty richness. This dish is a snap because you do the work once to get the flavor twice, first in the marinade, then in the sauce. For food safety reasons, just make sure that you separate what will become the sauce from what is used to marinate.

1 pound medium untreated scallops salt 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided use 2 tablespoons smooth or chunky peanut butter 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon aji-mirin (or substitute maple syrup) 1 clove garlic, grated 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon peanut oil 1. Season the scallops lightly with salt. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, the peanut butter, soy sauce, mirin, garlic and ginger.

Pour half the marinade over the scallops, tossing gently to combine.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the unused marinade and whisk to make the sauce; set aside.

2. Thread 3 to 4 scallops onto a skewer and return to the marinade.

Repeat with the remaining scallops. Marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight.

3. Heat the peanut oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until shimmering. Add the scallop skewers and cook, without moving, until the scallops develop a darkly caramelized crust, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and carefully flip the skewers and leave in the pan until cooked through, about 2 minutes.

4. Drizzle the skewers with the reserved peanut sauce and serve immediately.

Spinach Artichoke Chickpea Hummus MAKES 4 SERVINGS, RECIPE BY JULIA JOLIFF

A healthy mix of chickpeas, fresh spinach and artichokes is a tasty dip served with warm pita bread, chopped vegetables, chips or crackers.

11⁄2 cups cooked chickpeas (See Cook’s Note) 1 14-ounce can (1 cup) artichoke hearts, drained 3 cups fresh spinach 2 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon tahini paste (sesame seed paste) 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1⁄2 teaspoon salt fresh spinach, chopped, for garnish artichokes hearts, chopped, for garnish 1. In a food processor add the chickpeas, artichokes, fresh spinach, garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, extra virgin olive oil and salt. Pulse until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally.

2. Place in a bowl and garnish with fresh chopped spinach and artichokes, if desired. Leftovers may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cook’s Note: To cook dry chickpeas, place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover completely with cold water.

Soak overnight, about 12 hours. Once soaked, drain chickpeas and transfer to a large cooking pot. Cover with water twice the amount of beans and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for approximately one hour.

Taste-test to make sure they are tender enough for your liking. Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Once chickpeas are cooled they are ready to be used.

Cooked chickpeas can keep covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.

fall 2016 real food 49

Balsamic Chicken Pot Stickers MAKES 48 POT STICKERS, RECIPE BY HELENE AN AND JACQUELINE AN

This recipe gives a traditional Asian dish a little European flair. Juicy chicken dumplings are pan seared like traditional pot stickers and balanced with a balsamic reduction for sweetness. A touch of butter at the end of the cooking process adds an extra flavor boost. cup (about 1½ ounces) dried wood ear mushrooms cup (about 1½ ounces) dried shiitake mushrooms cups chopped white onion teaspoons oyster sauce tablespoon fish sauce teaspoon sugar teaspoon freshly ground black pepper teaspoon salt pound ground dark meat chicken cup finely chopped carrot (about 5 ounces or 1½ carrots) (12-ounce) package dumpling skins or wrappers canola oil, for frying unsalted butter

For the balsamic reduction: 1 cup balsamic vinegar ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar

1. Soak the mushrooms in warm water, until they soften and expand, about 1 hour. Drain the mushrooms and set aside.

2. Put a medium pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened and fragrant.

3. To make the pot sticker filling: In a large bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and salt. Add the sautéed onions and ground chicken and mix well. Fill a larger bowl with ice and set the bowl with the filling inside. Cover the bowls and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. In a food processor or blender, grind the reconstituted mushrooms with the carrots. Stir this mixture into the chilled stuffing.

5. To make the dumplings: Fill a small bowl with cool water. Place a dumpling skin in front of you on a hard surface or cutting board.

Place 1 full teaspoon of chicken filling in the middle of the dumpling skin. Moisten the edges of the dumpling skin with water. Fold one edge of the skin over to cover the filling, overlapping the other edge. Press the skin firmly around the filling to eliminate any air bubbles and press around the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining dumpling skins and filling.

6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In batches, add the dumplings and cook until they float to the top of the pot, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate.

7. To make the balsamic reduction: Pour the vinegar into a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar until it is dissolved.

Continue cooking until the amount of liquid in the pan is reduced by half. Set aside.

8. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200ºF. Line a large baking sheet with paper towels.

9. To fry the pot stickers: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add 6 cooked dumplings (or whatever will comfortably fit in your pan without overcrowding) and sauté them until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté for another minute. As they finish cooking, transfer the pot stickers to the prepared baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Repeat until all of the dumplings are fried.

10. Serve them warm, drizzled with the balsamic reduction.

NUTRITION

Cook’s Note: This recipe makes a large batch. Freeze the extras to have a quick meal on hand for the future. To freeze, put uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet, making sure none stick together, and sprinkle them with flour. Freeze them until they’re solid, then transfer them to freezer bags. To reheat the pot stickers, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the frozen pot stickers, and boil for about 15 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Drain. At this point, you can either eat them as dumplings or fry them into pot stickers. ■

CRISPY CHICKEN SPRING ROLLS W. SAUCE: PER SERVING: CALORIES 272 (104 from fat); FAT 12g (sat. 2g); CHOL 39mg; SODIUM 1022mg; CARB 32g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 11g

50 real food fall 2016

SCALLOP SATAY: PER SERVING: CALORIES 136 (56 from fat); FAT 6g (sat. 1g); CHOL 23mg; SODIUM 537mg; CARB 7g; FIBER 0g; PROTEIN 13g

SPINACH ARTICHOKE CHICKPEA HUMMUS: PER SERVING: CALORIES 244 (122 from fat); FAT 14g (sat. 2g); CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 430mg; CARB 25g; FIBER 9g; PROTEIN 8g

BALSAMIC CHICKEN POT STICKERS: PER SERVING: CALORIES 95 (45 from fat); FAT 5g (sat. 0g); CHOL 10mg; SODIUM 75mg; CARB 10g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 3g

POT STICKERS REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM AN: TO EAT © 2016 BY HELENE AN AND JACQUELINE AN, RUNNING PRESS, A MEMBER OF THE PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP. PHOTO BY EVAN SUNG.

½ ½ 2 2 1 1 1 ½ 1 ¾ 1

BALSAMIC CHICKEN POT STICKERS

fall 2016 real food 51

Secrets of the

Roman Kitchen Katie Parla weaves practical meal ideas with tales of food and culture in the Eternal City

BY TARA Q. THOMAS

There are two kinds of cookbooks: the sort that focuses solely on “What’s for dinner tonight?” and the sort that provides an escape from the everyday dinner grind, focusing instead on faraway cultures. The latter tends to be the type you save for weekend cooking, or even just bedside reading—rarely do the two types mix. But that is why Tasting Rome, a new book out from Katie Parla and Kristina Gill, is so compelling.

Parla is the go-to source for countless food-obsessed travelers to Rome, Italy, where she lives, including food-world royalty Mario Batali and Andrew Zimmern, who she recently led around for an episode of Bizarre Foods. She is also a soughtafter writer, the author of more than 20 food and travel books for the likes of National Geographic, Fodor’s and the Rough Guides, and writes frequently for The New York Times, Saveur, Food & Wine and Bon Appétit, just to name a few of her American outlets.

Gill is a photographer from Nashville, Tenn., who has lived in Rome since 1999, shooting pictures of her adopted hometown as well as exotic locales for a host of food and travel magazines, and covers food in words and pictures for the website Design*Sponge.

I missed Gill when she came back east this past spring, but Parla landed for a tour of what amounted to the best Italian restaurants in the U.S.—from Frankie’s 570 Sputino in New York City and Frasca in Boulder, Co., to Tratto in Phoenix, Monteverde in Chicago, Locanda in San Francisco and many more. When I caught her one morning, she was pausing for some downtime

in New Jersey, where she grew up. “Next time I do a book tour, I have to remember I’m not 22,” she says dryly.

She is actually not even 40, which brings me to the question: How did a woman from New Jersey become a font of knowledge about Italian cooking—and so quickly? It is true that her dad runs a restaurant, Clydz, in New Brunswick, N.J., but the place specializes in wild game, not Italian food.

She laughs and admits she can’t really explain what drew her to Italy in the first place, but the attachment is strong.

“When I landed in Italy for the first time—as a [high school] sophomore in 1996—it was an immediate reaction,” she says. “I have to admit it wasn’t exactly logical—this was Fiumicino airport, which was a disaster back then—but it was almost like it was something about breathing the air; it was an instantaneous reaction.”

Back in the States, Parla went on to study art history at Yale, and returned to Rome to continue her studies. “But I immediately got distracted by food and wine,” she laughs. “Growing up in an Italian-American family, food was always at the heart of everything I did. It translated quite easily when I moved there.” She got in at the right time, too, she adds. “The euro had just been introduced and the dollar was strong; even a recent grad could afford a pretty nice meal.”

While the density and complexity of Rome can throw many visitors off, Parla found it only drew her in more. “There are roughly 125 districts, each with its own reality. And I loved the idea that you can really only know a handful; unless you live

fall 2016 real food 53

“The idea that there are no historically documented recipes for what we consider Roman cooking is proof that we can make our own choices in the kitchen.”

—Katie Parla

54 real food fall 2016

there, your knowledge will remain only superficial.” Parla delved in deeply, befriending butchers and bakers, fishmongers and chefs.

When she discovered she could even take formal academic courses in Italian food at the University of Rome, she jumped at the chance.

“I didn’t even know you could study [food] as an academic!” She ended up focusing on the influence of Arab agriculture and irrigation on Sicilian food culture, and graduated with a Masters in Italian Gastronomic Culture.

In many ways, though, what Parla has learned over the years is that the reality of life for Romans isn’t in fact all that different from Americans. The idea that everyone shops at farmers markets and butchers, for instance?

Parla sighs. “There’s a huge number of romantic stereotypes of Rome,” she says. “The farmers markets lead you to believe there are these tight connections between farmers and the city, but in fact, there was a big shift in the 1970s when supermarkets were introduced as an option. Now the vast majority who shop in produce [farmers] markets are 50 and over.”

(Except, of course, for Parla, who is in there chatting all of the sellers up, and Gill, who is busy capturing them in photos.)

There is also the idea that Roman cuisine is a stable concept that is steadfast in the face of globalization. There are, Parla says, certainly

customs that have held on, such as Giovedi gnocchi, which is eating gnocchi on Thursdays—a tradition both home cooks and restaurants still embrace. But it is the changes she finds exciting as well. For example, she points to the Jewish quarter, where Pope Paul IV segregated the city’s Jews in the early 1500s.

Between their religion’s dietary rules and poverty, they developed their own distinct take on Roman cuisine. To this day, you will find dishes that hark back to those days—inexpensive vegetables such as artichokes were turned into delicacies through deep-frying, and tough cuts of meat were used in long-simmered stews. But some surprised Parla. “I noticed other dishes that kept popping up, like these aromatic spiced cookies that look as though they are right out of a Sicilian pastry shop window,” she says.

“Only after research did I realize there are Jews from Sicily here, too.”

She and Gill devote an entire chapter to cucina ebraica, documenting the cuisine as new immigrants added their own flavors to the mix such as the vinegar tang of fried and marinated zucchini, which is the lasting influence of Spanish Jews who arrived in 1492. And Libyans, who took refuge there in the 1960s, brought the cumin, caraway and hot pepper that flavor a fish couscous.

Even more recently, Parla says, you can see the cuisine evolving. “Over the last decade, even the structure of meals has turned pretty dramatically,” Parla says. “Ever since the euro was introduced, the disposable income has really dwindled, and it’s only exacerbated by the youth unemployment rate.” At the same time, people still want to go out. “So now when you go out for a meal, rather than going out for a full-blown meal, people get just a couple of dishes. And the restaurants, to compete, are blowing up the pasta dishes in size.” It used to be that five ounces of pasta fed two people, she explains; now that is a serving for one.

The normal reaction is to blame the American tendency to super-size everything, but Parla says this is purely locally driven.

“Initially, to me, it felt like an American influence, but over time I’ve realized that really it’s arisen out of an internal change in local culture.”

You could live in the past, regretting what was lost, or you could embrace the positive aspects of the change—like Parla and Gill have—extending the variations on rice balls in their book to three (including a purpletinged radicchio and blue cheese), and celebrating the genius of the trapizzino, a

three-cornered portable sandwich made of pizza bianca, which was invented at a pizza joint in 2009, and they consider it already part of the Roman culinary canon.

The most important take-away for Parla and any reader of Tasting Rome is, in fact, the personal realization that comes out of understanding that “authentic” is, in a healthy, thriving culture, an ever-morphing concept—one that leaves room for personal interpretation. “The idea that there are no historically documented recipes for what we consider Roman cooking is proof that we can make our own choices in the kitchen,” Parla says. People may argue over whether spaghetti or rigatoni in your carbonara is “correct,” but in fact, there’s no right or wrong; Gill and Parla’s favorite recipe uses a highly unusual but foolproof technique for getting the eggs to coat the pasta rather than clump—and suggests saving some of the pork fat for making a Carbonara Sour, a cocktail they teased out of the barkeep at a Roman bar called Cocktail & Social. Is either dish less Roman for being a modern interpretation?

Well, consider this: Carbonara—that quintessentially Roman dish—has in fact been around for little more than 50 years. If you want something with a longer history, Parla says, it would be spaghetti alla gricia, one of the simplest recipes in Tasting Rome, an uncannily satisfying mix of rendered pork fat and cheese.

In her own private Rome, however—the one that consists of a busy working life in a bustling, ever-changing city—the dish that she whips up most often is cacio e pepe pepe— pasta tossed with grated Pecorino Romano cheese. “It’s super-fast, primal and basic,” she says. “It’s basically mac and cheese.” ■

PHOTOS AND RECIPE REPRINTED FROM TASTING ROME: FRESH FLAVORS AND FORGOTTEN RECIPES FROM AN ANCIENT CITY. COPYRIGHT © 2016 BY KATIE PARLA AND KRISTINA GILL. PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT © 2016 BY KRISTINA GILL. PUBLISHED

BY CLARKSON POTTER/PUBLISHERS, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE LLC.

Leonardo Vignoli’s Cacio e Pepe MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Cacio is the local Roman dialect word for Pecorino Romano, a sheep’s-milk cheese made in the region since ancient times. Like carbonara, cacio e pepe is a relative newcomer to the Roman repertoire, first appearing in the mid-20th century. Pasta is tossed with an emulsified sauce of Pecorino Romano and black pepper that is bound by starchy pasta cooking water. Depending on the cook, the results range from dry to juicy. We love Leonardo Vignoli’s saucy version at Cesae al Casaletto.

He uses ice in a hot pan to obtain a creamy sauce, but we have adapted his recipe to obtain more consistent results in a home kitchen. Finely grated Pecorino Romano and very hot water are essential to a smooth sauce, while fresh, coarsely ground black pepper gives flavor and texture. The most important component of a flawless cacio e pepe, however, is speed. If the water cools before melting the cheese, the sauce will clump. sea salt 1 pound spaghetti or tonnarelli 2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt the water. When the salt has dissolved, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1½ cups of the Pecorino Romano, the pepper, and a small ladle of pasta cooking water. Using the back of a large wooden spoon, mix vigorously and quickly to form a paste.

3. When the pasta is cooked, use a large strainer to remove it from the cooking water and quickly add it to the sauce in the bowl, keeping the cooking water boiling on the stove. Toss vigorously, adjusting with additional hot water a tablespoon or two at a time as necessary to melt the cheese and to obtain a juicy sauce that completely coats the pasta.

4. Plate and sprinkle each portion with some of the remaining Pecorino Romano and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

fall 2016 real food 55

pairings

The Beauty of Beaujolais Lively and easy to drink, Beaujolais can make a match at most any meal

BY MARY SUBIALKA

I

n the southernmost portion of France’s Burgundy region is Beaujolais, where wines are made with the Gamay grape. No other area in the world has been able to make wines with this grape as well as here. A distinctive fermentation process, known as carbonic maceration, produces this lightstyle red wine with low tannins and heightens its fresh fruity flavor, which is often described as including black cherry and raspberry notes with hints of peach. This makes for an easy drinking wine that pairs well with a wide range of food.

Wines simply labeled “Beaujolais” have more substance than Beaujolais Nouveau, which is the especially young wine released only a month or two after harvest that receives a fair amount of hoopla around its release (always on the third Thursday in November).

There are good values with wine labeled only as “Beaujolais,” or a step up the quality trellis is “Beaujolais-Villages.” Another rung up are more complex wines with a specific village name such as Côte de Brouilly, Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent, for example.

Versatile Beaujolais pairs well with food from quiche or Brie and cheddar cheese to roasted chicken, pork or turkey to Thai curry dishes and pizza. Its hint of earthiness also plays off the flavor of mushrooms and bacon while its fruity flavors can top off a meal alongside berry desserts. ■

PHOTO BY TERRY BRENNAN; FOOD STYLED BY LARA MIKLASEVICS

56 real food fall 2016

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