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Cooking in the time of Covid-19: Left Overs, Left Overs, Send TJ Right Over.

Remember the school yard game Red Rover? I was thinking of that when I was saying the words left overs. I think my husband has come a long way with food. He was never too crazy about left overs and that kind of drove me crazy because in a Trini’s mind, food is food oui, and you should not fuss when you are hungry – just eat. He has gotten more creative and the rare occasion when we have left overs, he comes up with some tasty creations. Tonight it was do something with that plain penne, left over pizza sauce and some cooked ground beef from two nights before.

It’s a simple game plan. Combine meat and pizza sauce and place in a small baking dish. Shred a little mozzarella and mix in. Lastly, top with a bit of 4 year old cheddar and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese crusts. Promise your wife you’ll only eat half the dish then break said promise because it just tastes oh, so good.

 

This pandemic has been difficult at times but it has provided us with some good laughs too. It is really cool to be able to spend more conversation time with our most current man child in his chrysalis state. He is funny, nutty, and does not come from a place of judgement. Mind you, there have been moments when sharing a space have led to some moments where we butt heads but we also have been able to talk things out and get back to a civilized place lol. We have had moments that could have been disastrous but luck was on our side – note here Tom’s singed goatee from a pizza oven incident. He didn’t know the extent of it until he wondered why he was smelling something like burnt pizza crust and realized he was actually smelling burnt beard.

    (Tom has singed body hair before. He has singed arm hair a couple times and most recently after this goatee episode.)

Back to left overs. Sometimes I don’t remember what I have bought and shoved into the freezer in the basement. My latest over purchase over the last 4 months has been cauliflower and broccoli. We have managed to use up all the broccoli and Tom, who re-organized the freezer, in his controlled frustration simply said to me,” Please do something with all this cauliflower,” So I present to you, my attempt at cauliflower fritters.

In a food processor or blender pour in about 6 cups of cauliflower florets. Once they are ground up, add 4 eggs and a 1/2 cup of flour and to keep them light and fluffy I added in a teaspoon of baking powder.

Add the seasoning of your choice. You can use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, or powdered Italian salad dressing or like me you can try buffalo-ranch powdered seasoning. I also added in a pinch of garlic powder and onion powder and sriracha powder (you know how I feel about giving food flavor). Blend it all. If it seems too wet, add in a bit more flower. The consistency should be sticky, not drippy. Cover the bottom of a skillet with olive oil or any oil of your choice (I like using a monosaturated fat). Heat the oil and once it is hot enough, place a heaping table spoon of batter into the oil. Fry on oneside until golden brown then flip and repeat on the other side.

Drain on paper towels. I shredded a little 5 year old cheddar and Parmesan over them and placed them in the oven to keep warm, Served them with last night with steak, corn on the cob and garlic bread bites, to use up a couple left over hot dog buns sitting in the fridge. Of course, Adam, who has his own place and basically sees us as Skip the Dishes during this Pandemic, was upset that it was not steak frites. To give him credit, he did try the fritters – he ate one of two I served him  – left one in tact to make his point and made me promise steak frites on Monday, no variations.

Everyone else who didn’t feel the need to protest, enjoyed the fritters. They were light and tasty and went well with a tangy dip Tom made. I say choose your fave dip and enjoy.

So, in this time of pandemic lockdown, I urge you to try new things, create new recipes by using your noggin and combining ingredients that you think can work together well. But do stay safe. Try not to burn anything, cut anything or break anything. remember, no one really wants a trip to the ER in these germy times and the medical staff already have their hands full. They don’t need more work, so be kitchen and outdoor cooking careful. Stay home. Stay safe. Use up your left overs. ~Daniella and family

 

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Cooking in the time of COVID-19: And then …Tom made Smash Burgers

 

My husband wasn’t taught to cook, do his laundry or iron his clothes before he left home for University. When I met him, he had figured out washing colours and whites separately and when to wash in hot water and when to wash in cold. When it came to food, he ate like a student — Kraft Dinner, cereal, fast food (subs, hamburgers, hot dogs) and he lived in a condo building above a Taco Bell. Tom ate there so much that he earned himself a hat and t-shirt from the restaurant. The more I got to know him, I learned that instead of trying to diversify his palette, his parents pretty much gave in to him at meal time and proceeded to draw attention to his fussy eating habits at the table in front of their friends and in my presence as well, even though he was an adult. I always felt what they were doing was disrespectful and cruel and I was concerned that he would not be comfortable around my family at mealtime. I am a Trinidadian and my culture revolves around food. We are all about cooking and enjoying a variety of food and flavors and I was not about to dull down my cooking to accommodate his basic palette but try and introduce new flavors to him, slowly and comfortably. In Tom’s defense, he didn’t grow up eating flavorful food. Back when we would eat at his parents’ home, my mother-in-law’s food was not terrible but she certainly is a salt and pepper only cook. To quote my husband, his “DNA was screaming for something different” and so, he chose to be with me. Wow! On so many levels other than cuisine, that was quite the avant garde move for him. He chose a a Heinz 57 wife, fathered two Heinz 57 sons, and not only eats all kinds of food, he makes a repertoire of meals that are as flavourful and spicy (sometimes spicier) as anything I would cook. I made it clear to my family that he was not to be singled out at the table. I did not tolerate any verbal Trini observations about his uncertainty around our food and my family and I never forced him to try different foods and flavours in our early years together. As time went by and a trip to Trinidad at Carnival occurred, Tom tried many different kinds of food. My husband, the son of a salt and pepper cook, eats doubles, roti, pelau, callaloo, curried everything, roast beef, Jamaican patties, samosas, a variety of Italian food, fried rice, Oriental styled chicken and beef and Korean food, thus ending the running “joke” of the little boy who only ate peanut butter sandwiches and hamburgers. And while he is not versed in what are my staple Trini dishes, the food he does make are his signature meals and he keeps adding to his menu every two to three months. Not only does he cook a variety of things, he has now added kitchen gadgets to the other gadgets out there that interest him. Tom is a reader and a researcher and not only can he build his own computers, brew his own beer and dabble in making his own music, the man has purchased some tools to help him cook what he knows well and try new creations as well. It is with great pride that I add Tom’s recipes to my Cooking in a time of COVID-19 Blog Series.

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When the kids were little, Tom made eating fun for them. Not wanting them to be picky like him, he not only made tasty and nutritious food, he made food fun and bestowed zany names upon everything he made for them. I remember picking up Logan from Kung Fu and Adam from somewhere else and asking them what Daddy made them for dinner. I was also giving a co-worker a ride home and she was appreciating their answer as much as I was when they both said, “Crabby Patty Explosions” with salad. They were big Sponge Bob fans at the time and Tom stole the name of the burger on the show, made their burgers with thick patties, melted cheese and a slosh of ketchup that went not only on the burger but smeared onto the plate much like if the burger exploded. He kept the top bun off and made putting the lid on the burger the boys’ job. That was just one of the many kookie meals he made for them when I was not home to cook. Adam ( albeit autistic ) and Logan ate pretty much everything we made for them and still do. Now young men, the Crabby Patty Explosion no longer exists but in honour of the important role this Daddy made burger had in their mealtimes, I give you my husband’s delicious-as-all-get-out, Smash Burgers.

As we entered our period of isolation because of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, we realized we had more than enough food for our meals. Happy that this would cut down the time we spent in public, we started cooking food pledging to use everything we had and substituting ingredients wherever we could. This also allowed us to keeping an on going list of grocery items until we ran out of until it was a long enough list to warrant a shopping trip. Just before the isolation period came into effect, Tom had ordered another gadget he had his eye on that is now an integral part of our cooking adventures.

To make smash burgers, you need regular sized hamburger buns because you don’t excess bread that will fill you up too quickly and prevent you from thoroughly enjoying every crumb of this burger. You will need 8 strips of lean bacon and about a pound and a quarter of medium ground beef (Tom uses a scale as he is a more precise cook than I am).

We get our meat from a local butcher and they taught us over the years that you need a little bit of fat in the meat in order to make a good burger. For those of you are afraid of what I just said, all I can tell you is exercise before you eat your food. get your quota of movement to balance your quota of food intake, okay? Okay, next…get your toppings ready. Sometimes we use tomatoes and mushrooms or peppers, but in keeping with our isolation rule of using all that we have before going out to shop, we just had onions and American cheddar slices. Next, form the ground beef into mid sized balls. Tom puts 2 patties on a bun so he makes a total of 8 to feed us. Tom has also made his own burger sauce which really gives the burger that Mom and Pop burger joint taste.

Mix a bit of ketchup, mustard, relish and mayonnaise and set aside to spread onto the burger buns later. Tom makes a jar of sauce. He stores in it the fridge in a small, sanitized former Smuckers jam jar for future burger use. As with anything in cooking keep adding the ingredients gradually, mixing them and tasting to ensure good flavor. Oh, another thing to remember, if you are serving fries with your meal, you have to decide how to time that out so that they are ready to be served with your burgers. We use a Tefal Air “Fryer” that takes about 25 minutes to make the fries. We also don’t use the recommended table spoon of oil when cooking with it as you really don’t need to. The surface of the pan is non stick, easy to clean and it can cook anything from fries to chicken and anything you would ordinarily fry in oil. It can even cook vegetables if you want it to. By not needing oil you get healthier prepared fries that are just as tasty and crispy as those fried in oil.

 

We now use a Blackstone propane griddle and really enjoy cooking everything on it at the same time. When you have a hungry 17 and 20 year old to feed, you want things done quickly and efficiently so that you can keep the hunger beasts that live within them at bay. The griddle is one stop tasty cooking because it allows us to adjust the heat on parts of the grill to accommodate what we are cooking. If you want to try this and you don’t have a griddle (or crazy husband who will wear a coat and set this thing up in the garage because smash burgers can’t wait until spring) you can certainly use a frying pan on a stove top and toast your buns in the oven or a toaster. You can also cook your bacon in the microwave to utilize your time well.

First, Tom toasts the buns and fries the bacon and sets them aside before the real fun begins.

 

The heat is equalized across the grill and the meat balls are equally spread across the surface. After they sear for about 20 seconds, the balls are ready to be smashed (he he he).

Add salt and pepper and let continue to cook for another 30 secsonds. Look at the juiciness of the burger and the crust that forms on the surface that traps the flavor in the meat. Flip the burger and cook the other side for about a minute. The grill is hot and the meat is pressed thin so it will cook fast so be careful not to over cook or burn. Top with cheese and allow to melt.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, I spread the burger sauce on the buns.

Tom placed the burgers on the tray and brought them into the kitchen where we topped with bacon, onion rings and the buns with the burger sauce. We added the fries to the plate and served another quick and tasty lunch on another isolation day. Our time together at the table was not very long but we did manage to exchange a few words between moans of sheer delicious delight. I’m not sure I will ever eat a burger from a restaurant again. This burger was just too damn good. It was the right flavor, the perfect size and it was made in a clean environment and made out of love. With lunch devoured, digested and done, we looked towards dinner. My turn again hmmm…I’m thinking Trinidad stewed chicken and pigeon peas with macaroni pie. That should make them smile.

Feel free to try this and share your recipes as well. I like to think the more we share ideas and use the time to cook and create, the easier this time of home isolation might be. Stay healthy, stay home and try and enjoy your time at home.

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Cooking in the Time of Covid-19: Baking an Old Favourite from the Naparima Girls School Cook Book.

You know a recipe is a well loved tradition in your family when the page of the cookbook you are using is stained  and kind of crispy and a little yellowed.

  I am not sure if this is still a thing, with technology being so easy but I don’t know a Trini cook who does not own a Naparima Girls High School Cookbook. I have the edition with the bright pink cover and I know there was another fancier edition since then but I am in love with the one I have so I never felt the need to upgrade.

    Whenever I doubt myself about a recipe and I can’t get a hold of my mother, I refer to this book. Before the internet and when the only way to get anything on line was by e mail, I referred to this book. When the kids were toddlers and I wanted to cook for them using recipes from home, I used this book. I remember a lentil pie I made for Adam and then again for Logan when they had those little peg teeth and I was so happy they devoured it. I had large monster babies, both 10 lbs plus at birth and I wanted them to develop a taste for my heritage cuisine.This book, especially in the middle of winter, and especially when I was far away from my Toronto based family, gave me comfort and pride and confidence to cook some dishes from my homeland that I never tried make.  Nothing makes an expat feel happier and less lonely than something from their mother country that they can eat. And so, I cooked and these toddlers grew up and from the moment they started school, theytook their mother’s cooking to school in the array of textures and colours, rarely taking sandwiches and never taking anything from a can to school in their lunch boxes.

Tonight I realized with all this cooking, I did not yet make a banana bread. I made cookies (from the packaged dough) and pies (with filling from the can and the ready-made pie shells) but not banana bread. I will begin by telling you I prefer cooking to baking. I don’t have the precision or patience for baking and will happy refer anyone to my friend Ronnie, or Leslie and even my husband Tom, when it comes to information on baked goods but I do enjoy making my Naparima Girls banana bread. So let’s begin.

Here are the ingredients:

And here is the method:

I am planning to do the banana bread muffin style. Now, bear in mind I mentioned I am an impatient baker and over the years I have found some shortcuts in the mixing of the ingredients and baking time – hence the muffins as opposed to prepping a loaf pan for a solid loaf. I do suggest you follow the recipe for best results but what I have done does work. You will see that I put the mashed bananas and eggs, salt, sugar ( I use brown sugar)  and baking soda and baking powder (my addition 1 teaspoon) in a bowl.

         

I added the lime juice and zest (my addition as I like to use all of an ingredient if I can) and the milk and fold it all in. I also omit nuts, partly because I did not have any that would work and I usually add a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon because I love the taste.

         

I use 1/2 cup of vegetable oil instead of butter and really mix it in. Once the batter is all blended (I like to blend by hand but feel free to use an electronic mixer)pour it into the papered muffin tins place into an oven pre-heated to 350 F and bake for about 45 mins. Separating the batter into muffins allows them to bake in less than an hour so check them during the baking process so they don’t burn.

     

And there you have it, plus a pumpkin pie that Logan was craving. Give this recipe a try and enjoy for breakfast or lunch or a snack warmed with melted butter or jam of your choice. Stay Home. Stay safe. Try new recipes. Teach your kid to cook. ~Daniella and family.

 

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Cooking in the Time of Covid-19: Logan Whips Up Some Chicken Thighs and Black Beans and Rice

Monday came around again and it was Master Logan James’ time to make dinner. What started perhaps as a non-preferred task has morphed into a a young man speaking to me the night before to discuss the meal and the time he’s going to get started. Today I asked him to do something with chicken thighs.

First, Logan washed and boiled the rice. He ran down to our overflow pantry and grabbed a can of black beans or sometimes they are called Turtle beans. He drained and rinsed them and added them to the rice pot. He put in a dash of oregano, pepper sauce a la Trinidad (every Trini has a bottle of home made pepper sauce in their fridge but you could use Franks or Tabasco or whatever you have on hand). He added some paprika and a little olive oil to the pot so that the rice would be nice and moist without being clumpy.

While the rice and beans were boiling down, he seasoned the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, garlic, onion powder, cayenne pepper and some Frank’s Red Hot with a bit of Worcestershire sauce.

He decided he wanted the chicken crispy but not deep fried. He is very aware of saturated fat and prefers to eat food that is baked or air fried. So, to help him achieve what he wanted I showed him how to combine mustard (usually I use Dijon mustard for this but I didn’t have any) and a little maple syrup. Once the meat was seasoned I told him to pour the mixture over the pieces and let it marinate for about 10 minutes.

  Maple Mustard glaze on seasoned chicken  lightly frying in olive oil

   Logan turning chicken pieces occasionally to get the skin to the crisp and colour he wants.

Fry chicken on medium heat turning occasionally until it stops bleeding and when it attains a golden brown colour. Next, take the time to check your phone for updates and send a quick one word or emoji response. Maybe send a snap. If you are not 12 through 30, put the phone down because this is a skill you cannot do well. Once your message has been sent, lightly moisten a sheet of foil and place on a baking dish

   

   Check your phone again while the next set of chicken thighs brown. Do not miss anything. Also, inform your mother of the latest news headline on Covid-19, to prove to her that your phone is vital to you for more than just staying in touch with friends. Physical newspapers are a thing of the past and too hard to hold. Also, today’s man can multi-task. Mic drop.

The chicken should cook in the olive oil for no more than 10-12 minutes on medium high heat. Place in foil lined baking dish and tent with another piece of foil to finish the cooking process and keep the crisp without burning the chicken skin.

Plate your meal, serve and enjoy. Cooking time an hour if prepping everything from scratch (that is seasoning meat, washing and boiling rice) This rice recipe can be done with left over rice as well. I would suggest using the seasonings Logan used for the rice dish with the beans (which you can cook separately) and fold in once beans are cooked. Stay home, Stay safe. Wash your hands and take precautions when going out shopping. Teach your teen/kid to cook. I am LOVING this time with Logan and while we are happy to share this with you and your family, I take comfort knowing that he can refer to this blog any time in the future should he need help making any of these meals. It also gives him a chance to read the mini stories that go along with them and it will hopefully keep these special moments alive for him for years to come. ~ Daniella and family.

 

 

 

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Cooking in the time of Covid-19: Logan takes on Rice Noodles with Pork and Vegetables

Young Logan, as I mentioned before LOVES Asian cuisine and after cooking up some pork for him and Adam the other day, I held back a few cutlets so he could do something Asian style last evening. So as usual, here is photos, is Logan using the slow cooker to prepare this meal. I like using the slow cooker with him because when he is on his own, it is a good way for him to make his meals while he is in class or at practice or a game. This prevents him from having to cook when he gets home. After practice or class one can feel tired and when you are tired, the temptation to go out and grab fast food is too great and as an athlete he has to eat well and as a single guy on a fixed budget, he has to not waste his money. When a young person is on their own, a slow cooker, an Instant Pot and a smart oven is the way to go.

The pork was seasoned with a pinch of all purpose seasoning and put into a tightly sealed baggie earlier that morning and left for an hour in the fridge. Next, he cut the pork into strips and placed them into the slow cooker. Then he added a teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice powder, followed by 3 teaspoons of reduced sodium soy sauce.

We keep a fair supply of frozen vegetables on hand. Logan chose the Thai Style Stir-Fry ready veggie mix. He pot them in their frozen state with the port in the slow cooker and he added 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. He covered the pot and set it to low for 2 hours.

Rice Noodles are really easy to make. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Shut off the heat. Pull out the noodles from the package and place them in the pot and stir for 5 minutes. They will become al dente. Drain. Rinse in warm water. Drain and place in a pasta bowl or plate and top with the pork and veg. Enjoy. Smells fantastic. Tastes delicious and is completely satiating.

Stay home. Stay safe. Teach your teen to cook. Have important conversations, silly conversations. Get to know them even better. They are pretty amazing people. This pandemic is a bitch but, it too shall pass. Make the most of the time together. ~ Daniella and family.

 

 

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Cooking in the Time of Covid-19: They Wanted Fast Food – As In Me Cooking Something Fast

It was work out day for my guys. Adam was at his apartment using his heavy bag and Logan was working out in the basement and with work and an afternoon nap, I was running late on my day to cook.The wanted to eat right after they were done. Adam called and said he would have liked it if we could do a delivery at about 6:15 pm, and Logan was looking for his around the same time. So, I needed to cook food fast. Pulled out some pork cutlets, and of course, Adam put in a request for rice and beans.

So, I opened up a can or mixed beans, put a little water in the pot, seasoned salt and a little dash of Trini pepper sauce (you can us any hot sauce you have available to add a little zing). I let that heat on low while I boiled the rice and got the pork underway.

I seasoned the pork with the juice of half a large lemon, stole a pinch of Tom’s Kosher salt. added a few twists of the pepper mill grinder and 2 chopped cloves of garlic and a dash or onion powder. Next, I put some vegan butter in a pan and added the pork. I added chopped parsley and 2 caps of white wine and covered the pan and lowered the heat and simmered the pork. When the pork is slightly brown and tender when poked with a fork, it is done. Pork cooks quickly so pay attention to it. We don’t eat pork cutlets often but I thought it would be a nice change for the boys.

   One meal for here…..

 

   The other to go….

So, if you are looking for something to cook quickly, that will fill up hungry people, try the other white meat for dinner. It can be all done in 25 to 30 minutes.  Logan’s was plated and waiting for him at 6 pm and I did the sliding door social distancing drop off at 6:15 pm at Adam’s apartment. This meal is also a good source of protein for my guys after a workout or anytime.

Stay safe. Stay inside. Be patient. Cook ~ Daniella and family

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Cooking in the Time of Covid-19: Left Overs, Having Time to Bake and Have Breakfast Every Day.

With all the cooking we have been doing at home, we are trying to use up ingredients before grocery shopping. When Logan made his Chinese food, we had quite a few beansprouts left over, we had some pot stickers in the freezer, and left over peas and carrots. Well, this is I suppose pot sticker soup instead of won ton soup but in a pandemic lock-down, a dumpling is a dumpling and we had a nice simple meal for lunch on a chilly day that satisfied.

Soup is pretty easy. Basically you are boiling ingredients together and getting the juices in the liquid and the yum taste in the solids. Obviously you have to have a little zing – a little added flavor so obviously you have to add your pepper, your salt (in this case soy, as we are making an Asian styled soup) your chives, garlic and onion. I added a bit of sesame oil for added flavor. Bring to a boil and stir before lowering heat to simmer the soup for about another 5 to 8 minutes. If you have soup noodles you can add that in as well but it’s not necessary. Stir-frys and soups are great ways to use up left overs and create new yummy dishes. Don’t throw out. Figure it out and enjoy your new creation.

While locked-down, there has been a lot more treat making – I don’t really bake but there has been time to use out those frozen pie shells I’ve been accused of hoarding. So there has been apple pie, pumpkin  pie and chocolate chip cookies – No wonder the 20-year-old treats us like Skip the Dishes.

One thing I do like about being off the usual clock, is the time to make what you want to eat for breakfast. I like breakfast but I rarely eat it. Now, while we still get up around 7, we have a much more relaxed routine in the morning. Coffee and Latte comes first as always but we sit and watch the news longer. Then we decide what we feel like eating. For me it is usually just the latte or a smoothie to go. The only time I eat breakfast is when we are away on holiday or on business. It’s has been nice having pancakes around here a few times a week, or bacon and eggs and orange juice, or a non-rushed grilled cheese, or actual yogurt and fruit instead of protein powder, water and maybe a l bit of fruit. I love having time.

I love not rushing. This is a very busy family and we remember everything and get it all done and I work very hard at keeping a relaxed vibe in spite of the pace but with no busy schedule, it has been really nice just moving at a slower pace and not always working backwards from the time we are supposed to be somewhere. It sucks to be stuck at home this long but for what it is worth, this virus has given us time back – for ourselves, our loved ones and for the things we never seem to have time for.

Stay Home. Stay Safe. Enjoy the time. We will get there. #Teachyour teenagertocook ~ Daniella and family.

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Cooking in the Time of Covid-19: And the Guy Serves Up Penne with Chicken & Broccoli

MY SON DELIVERED! And man, it was tasty! Logan as you know, has been learning to cook now that we are all at home everyday, pretty much all day. This cooking was supposed to happen in Summer after graduation when he had more time, but the spread of the coronavirus, as it has for everyone, postponed everything in his life, including graduation. Knowing that he would be back at his busy life when we are able to leave the house again, I told him to consider learning to cook now since we are all on pause. Today, I told him to get started in the kitchen by seasoning up some chicken with seasonings he thought would work for a pasta dish. He dashed some Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic powder and oregano and let it marinate for a while.

He started the water for the penne added salt and a little splash of olive oil. Without a prompt he crushed and chopped 2 garlic cloves, measured out how much broccoli he wanted for his dish and once the water boiled, threw in his penne.

With the pasta boiling, he heated a little olive oil in a pot, added his chicken and stirred on high heat. He added his chopped garlic and the broccoli, lowered the heat and covered the pot. Once the pasta was cooked and drained, he put some butter (maybe about a teaspoon) to melt in the pot.

 

We didn’t have any Alfredo sauce so he got creative and used some Caesar’s dressing (like a couple squirts ) and some ranch dressings (again about a couple squirts) and a little milk. This mixture should measure to about 4 oz of liquid,  Logan added the pasta to the melted butter, added the chicken and broccoli and mixed in the dressing. He added in some fresh Parmesan and mixed all the ingredients together.

   

                   

 

 

The taste test apparently told Chef something was missing and he said, “I’m gonna add some salt to bring out all the flavors. I ain’t serving no bland food”. Imagine my pride in this moment as I stood silently and observed as he created this dinner for his family. Once the food was plated he suggested we top with more fresh Parm.

I have to say. I like where this cooking journey is taking us. Stay home. Stay safe. Teach your teenager to cook while we all have the time. ~ Daniella and family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cooking in the time of Covid-19: Chinese Food His Way.

My son and I love Chinese food, Vietnamese, Food, Japanese and Korean…it’s our jam, one of our genetic bonds. Ever since he was little, we’d have a special lunch and he always picked Asian cuisine. I remember he had done something really cool at a group he was in at the local YMCA and he was so proud, he suggested we celebrate over Chinese food. He was just 4. For for six consecutive March Breaks, we have been on the All Chinese food get away. It started as a 3 day trip then it dwindled to 1 day as he got busy with hockey and his life, but we made time for it. We start with Dim Sum and any meal we eat on those three days or that one day is Asian cuisine. We also made a deal with each other that if we ever had anything special to tell each other, we would do it at Rol San on Spadina in Toronto, if possible.

With this love of the same cuisine, it was only fitting he felt, that I teach him how to make something close to Asian food. That, and the fact we were not able to head to Rol San for March Break this year because of the Covid 19 virus. Logan decided to try making vegetable fried rice, fried chicken and a vegetable dish. There was not a lot of variety in the grocery when it came to the seasonings we would want to use because of the effect the Covid-19 pandemic is having on deliveries. So, we used what I was able to buy along with the seasonings we have on hand and get creative.

I am teaching Logan to cook using all his senses. He smells the food, the seasonings and is able to identify them by smell and sight. He listens for the sound of the oil to know when he can add food to the pot. He touches everything to experience the different textures and he tastes the food as we go along. He is learning the way I learned from my mother and there is so much more than cooking going on. There is conversation and not just about things going on in his life or what is happening in the world with this virus. I’m telling things about other countries, talking about the different currencies around the world. I give him tidbits about history, climate, all the bits and pieces of trivia my mom and dad told me randomly, so that I would know more than just what was in my school books. I’m talking about art and music and he’s listening. You see, I think as parents we get lost sometimes in the boxes we put ourselves and our children into without realizing that the most successful of us were allowed to be creative. We had open, honest conversations and we were encouraged to think and to try and to fail and to try again. sure, Logan is doing his school work but he is learning from us as we have this time together while we are locked down. He is not scheduled to go to college until January and he still needs to figure out where and when he will start playing hockey again and his plans to go out east to university in 4 years  is still in place. We will take his path as we have always taken it – one day at a time and while we wait for this virus to be defeated, we will teach, he will learn and he will be more prepared to venture out on his own.

And Now – Chinese food Logan’s way.

Fried Rice – Boil some white rice. We used Jasmine rice because that is what we had in the pantry. Once done, set aside. Next he put some sesame oil in his pan and scrambled 2 eggs.

   

   

Next, he added in his ginger, mushrooms, peas and carrots, corn and chives and chopped onion and gradually folded in his rice. He mixed in some Soy sauce and a little Hoisen sauce, tasting all the while until he got the flavor and color he liked. The fried rice complete, he set it aside and started on the chicken.

Logan seasoned the chicken with black pepper, garlic, onion powder, ground ginger and cooked it up with some sesame oil in a large iron pot. Once again he added in soy sauce and some black bean sauce we found. He let it cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally adding a little water to the pot if he needed it so that the chicken would not stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. While that cooked, he made a vegetable dish.

  

Looking at what we had to work with he chose the water chesnuts, baby corn, bean sprouts, broccoli and green onion. He tossed them in a pan of peanut oil (any oil will do if you have an allergy to peanuts) and stirred in some orange ginger sauce. Once the veggies were coated he sprinkled with sesame seeds. Earlier, I cooked up some greens that were beginning to look a little sad. I didn’t want them to go to waste so I tossed them up in a little rice vinegar to go with Logan’s meal.

And there you have it – Logan’s homemade Asian meal. It had a great smell and it was full of flavor and most of all it was delicious and he was so proud of himself.  He has impressed us in the kitchen once again and now there is one more dish he can make. By the time he is on his own, he won’t always have to rely on take out when he wants Asian food. I do hope though, that we will continue to go to our favorite Asian restaurants once the pandemic is over, pick up our chop sticks and spend some mom and son time savoring all the flavors we love.

   

 

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Cooking in the time of Covid-19: Humility Served by Logan in the Form of a Fish Sandwich on Good Friday.

There is a certain humility that comes with Good Friday. I was born and raised Roman Catholic in Trinidad and to me and my family, when it came to food, it meant a meatless, egg-less simple breakfast. The fanciest thing we might have had was smoke herring with bake or bake and buljol (saltfish aka cod) or maybe for Daddy mackerel or sardines with bake.  Lunch would have been served late, like between 2 and 3 pm as we would have gotten up late that morning anyhow and Lunch would fill you up until bedtime. My mother would do her salt salmon with her lemon and capers olive oil and onions. She served it thank God, with dumplings and what we call “blue food” so, cassava, dasheen, yam and eddoes which off set that salt.

Sometimes she would do a potato salad as a side with it, or if she felt like cooking, some callaloo that for me helped to off set even more of the fish’s saltiness. Sometimes in stead of a potato salad she might do a green fig salad. That was the way she learned to do Good Friday Lunch and thankfully, some of my cousins still do and I think it is the kind of dish my sister will attempt as she has easier access to the West Indian markets than I do. It was not a favourite of mine but I did eat it and still will, but to say I will carry it on is doubtful because salt salmon is not something readily available where I live and I don’t think my guys will gobble it up. I was even looking on line for a photo but couldn’t find a true Trini Good Friday Salmon plate of food to show you what it looks like, but I had no luck.

This year Good Friday is taking place at home. There are no stations of the cross to go to, no Masses this weekend, no Christian services and for our Jewish brothers and sisters, a very different Passover. With everyone in isolation to stop the spread of this virus, it has been nice to see that we have gotten creative and are connecting with each other  with IMO, House Party, using the Amazon Echo Show , Facetime, Google Home etc. services are being live streamed and we are sharing in a way that’s uniting us with family, friends and long lost friends more that ever. A lot of good has come from so much bad in a month and a bit and it’s nice to recognize the positive perks when the day gets boring or rough.

This Good Friday, we used the Bassa we had in the freezer to make our lunch. No one wanted to cook a lot but we wanted something tasty and a little different from how we usually serve it. Logan cooks on Mondays and Fridays so that he can learn a new dish with a little supervision from me. Knowing it was fish for Good Friday, he thought that maybe we could do some sort of sandwich. Instead of using Kaiser buns, I asked him if he would be interested in using bake and he was eager to learn how to make it. You must understand that when a Trini says bake, it means that chances are, the dough is fried. Sometimes we call it float as it floats in the hot oil as it fries. Now there are bakes that you do bake in the oven but sometimes to differentiate between the two we call it roast bake which, if if is made with coconut, can be called coconut bake and in some recipe books you will even see floats or fry bake, called Johnny bake. Whatever you call it, they all taste good. So,now that I have confused anyone not from the Caribbean, just try and keep up.

For the Bake you will need – 4 cups of flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, 4 teaspoons of baking powder and some water and enough oil for frying. (if you are looking for 8 bakes then ½ this recipe. This will be enough to make sandwiches for 4 people)

 

Sift your dry ingredients together, add enough water to make a soft dough and knead for about 10 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for ½ hour or more.  Cut in pieces and roll each to 5 to 6 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick. Fry in hot oil turning once and draining on kitchen paper. Place bakes in a dish, cover with foil and put in oven on the Warm setting while you cook the fish.

 

Always, vegetables are served with meals in this house so to make it interesting, I had Logan cut up some carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and cabbage to top the fish and to use up lingering ingredients in the fridge. If you have been following me, you know how I feel about lingerers.

 

How about a Sauce? So, there were two that I did very quickly. The first was poured out of the bottle – lol – I have tamarind sauce and it has quite a hot kick to it so for sure that was a must and the other was a quick mix of mayonnaise, relish and a pinch of salt for a tangy kick for anyone not interested in the heat of the tamarind sauce.

Preparing and cooking the fish. I cut the Bassa into 4 pieces, rinsed them and patted dry. Logan seasoned some flour with thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon zest of ½ a large lemon and added some chopped green onion. He coated the fish with the seasoned flour and covered the bottom of the frying pan with olive oil. Once the oil was hot, he fried his fish turning 3 or four times, removing and draining on a paper towel once golden brown with a light crust. Drizzle the fish with the juice of ½ a lemon.

 

And there you have it. Good Friday lunch served made with just what we had in the house. Logan’s version of a fish sandwich. In my head I was imagining shark and bake however what he did with the Bassa was very tasty. It was simple and humble in keeping with what Good Friday is supposed to mean to Christians. It was a meal that went along with the quiet reflection we are supposed to do on the day Christ died. We reflect on what that means in our religion – the sacrifice and love and compassion and forgiveness it represents and in this time of pandemic, we could use this time in isolation to reflect on how we live our lives, what we are learning to do to achieve our simple goals, such as keeping our students engaged in learning, using the money we have for what we need as opposed to using it for what we want. We are practicing selflessness by staying indoors to prevent not just ourselves but others from becoming ill and we are patiently lining up at the grocery store and showing tolerance and respect for the protocols in place to keep us safe when we have to be outdoors. We are making masks to help those working with the public and we are shopping on behalf of others too compromised to go out. We are showing the goodness we hold in our hearts and it is wonderful to see. This Good Friday was not just part of the usual Easter long weekend, it was exactly what it is supposed to be – a time of selflessness, humility and reflection.

Stay home. Stay safe. Stay healthy ~ Daniella and family.