food

I’m cooking for two these days (for how long?) and it’s taking me more time but I am learning a few things. You know I hate to throw out food so of course I have to cope with more leftovers, especially as I am not doing my own shopping and am dependent on the largesse of Costco (via my other son and daughter-in-law). I’m pretty good at it: broccoli is not a problem but the overage of brussels sprouts presented a challenge. I ordered a ham steak for Easter dinner but I got a small ham (6 to 8 pounds) and I had to work at it. (The definition of eternity is two people and a ham —from The Joy of Cooking) Yeah, yeah, ham sandwiches; ham (aka pork) and beans (I had some old molasses to use up); ham, sweet potato and spinach frittata (using up spinach and three disks of sweet potato waiting to be baked); and—loverly—ham and pea soup (I had a half bag of pea soup mix).

My light reading now is the food column in the Manchester Guardian by chef/food writer Yotam Ottolenghi. He is currently offering lockdown recipes using food from the pantry, which i do, but his pantry and my pantry are very different. That is the reason I am writing this blog, to tell you foods (staples) I didn’t know about. It keeps me (very) humble, and very grateful to Google Chrome and my online dictionary.

Cavolo nero is curly kale’s tall, dark Italian cousin. Originally hailing from Tuscany this black kale, or black cabbage, as it is sometimes known, is packed full of vitamins and iron. Its robust texture and attractive leaves make it a popular choice with chefs looking for a slightly sweeter cabbage substitute.

harissa noun 1 a hot sauce or paste used in North African cuisine, made from chilli peppers, paprika, and olive oil. 2 a North African and Middle Eastern dish consisting of ground meat and couscous or bulgar wheat, served or prepared with a chilli sauce and other spices. ORIGIN from Arabic.

halloumi noun, a mild, firm white Cypriot cheese made from goat's or ewe's milk, used especially in cooked dishes. place the strips of halloumi on a lightly oiled tray. ORIGIN from Egyptian Arabic ḥalūm, probably from Arabic ḥaluma ‘to be mild’.

labneh  Tangy, thick, and creamy, labneh (also known as labnah or labne) is basically yogurt cheese. Just like Greek yogurt, it is made by straining yogurt until it loses most of its liquid. If you think of Greek yogurt as strained yogurt, labneh is extra strained  yogurt. 

I could go on but I’m going to bed.