Spam, Scrapple & Deviled Ham

In a conversation with a college classmate he interjected a few comments and questions about my Blog. With a questioning tone he asked if I remembered some of our youthful food favorites now that I was writing with an often healthful tone to my posts.

He stimulated the trip down memory lane by mentioning Spam as something he still sneaks into the house a few times a year. I confessed that I have done the same thing from time to time. I take a lot of criticism from my wife when I buy that small can about once every five years. I admit that I still enjoy that very rare trip down the Spam memory lane. I make sure that I do not review the ingredients and nutritional value. That might spoil the moment.

Joe then mentioned some of his youthful favorites which he smuggles into the house occasionally. Deviled Ham, Scrapple and Taylor’s Pork Roll were three other items of food contraband that are quietly brought home occasionally.

Those items were favorites of mine at in my youth, that time, distance, availability and nutritional pressure have eliminated their consumption in our house. The time factor is simple to understand. I have lived for decades during which I have been pleasantly indoctrinated to a sensible eating regimen in a household having a nutritional Czar running the kitchen.

Distance is another factor. I live 2000 miles away from Philadelphia, the center of fast food excellence where nutritional concerns are only accidentally encountered. My friend Joe is not burdened with my distance from Philly. He only lives 15 miles out of town.

My location near Boulder Colorado is an area where excess weight is almost a capital offense. Scrapple is probably considered an illegal substance and if available would hardly sell enough to warrant the space in the market. Taylor Pork Roll, a Trenton NJ specialty, is a past favorite I have not seen since I crossed the Mississippi.

The Deviled Ham is an item of particular interest. I haven’t had that on a Ritz cracker for at least forty years. I’m no longer sure what devils the ham, if I ever knew or cared. I’m not even sure if it is still available. Thinking about it almost has brought back a remembrance of the taste and how much I enjoyed opening that small can of spreadable bliss.

My old college friend has revived pleasant memories of youthful food favorites. I think that the conversation concerning the foods of our youth is a pleasant combination to serve on a snowy winter day. We didn’t even have to set a table.

I think I am about to make a quiet search of the markets to see if I can find and recreate a dangerous moment or two of enjoyable food memorys. This will be a time travel experiment back to years ago when we were only concerned with the taste and not calories, fat content and cholesterol levels. I know that there will be questions raised concerning my apparent loss of good sense and apparent lapse into some form of senile dementia. I’ll take the gaff and see if Deviled Ham is as good as the memory.

Gluten Free Pizza

This post could also be called: Confessions of a Pizza & Pasta Eating, Hoagie Loving, Cheese Steak fan from Philadelphia.

Several years ago when a family member was opening his Pizza restaurant in Boulder I got involved in a conversation about his proposed menu. The menu outline contained an item called Gluten Free Pizza with Dairy Free Soy cheese as an option.

My astute opinion was offered concerning these items. I told him he was complicating his operation by offering a pizza item that nobody would order. I told him that people who had wheat problems would never even come through his door.

Luckily he ignored my advice and put the Gluten free pizza on the menu. He now sells a ton of this pizza. He was the first to offer the product in the Boulder market and has an appreciative faithful audience even though other pizza places are now adding a gluten free offering. I’m not convinced that all those ordering a gluten free pizza have a wheat problem but those that do are especially grateful. Many of those folks have not been able to sit down with family to enjoy a pizza on a Friday night as do millions of Americans.

Gluten free items are extending beyond pizza. I saw a store window with a poster featuring gluten free beer. Gluten Free products are sweeping across the country.

I digress a bit so, lets get back to the pizza. Gluten free pizza is not exactly like a South Philly pizza but serves a need for an important audience. Those who have a serious wheat allergy should take some precautions when ordering a Gluten Free pizza in a pizza joint also serving typical pizzas.

1. The Gluten free pizza must not be cooked on an oven deck that is used for wheat pizzas.

2. The sauce needs to be applied from a container used only for gluten free and has its own ladle. A ladle that has been used on a normal pizza all night will not be good practice. That ladle will carry flour into the sauce and defeat the gluten free option.

3. The pizza maker cannot be the one who does gluten free. If you wonder why, just check out the floured hands and apron of a pizza maker.

4. Gluten Free preparation needs to be segregated in the kitchen from the flour laden area where pizza is hand tossed.

Taste of a gluten free pizza can be improved by the addition of certain toppings. Salty and hot spicy toppings help a lot. Green olives, anchovies, marinated artichoke hearts and jalapeños are some likely candidates.

Real whole milk mozzarella instead of dairy free imitation cheese is a big taste enhancer. If you have both a wheat and dairy problem learn to love anchovies.

A pizza crust of any description serves as a plate for the toppings. If you need gluten free, concentrate on the meal being served on that crust. You are now able to join the family pizza party and maybe even bring along a six pack of that Gluten Free Beer.

Enjoy the party!

The photo is from a Celiac oriented site with good information for those with wheat problems.

Vanilla- Not Jusy Plain

Vanilla is the addition to pastry, cakes and sweet things that often makes them special. I wonder how something like vanilla happens and winds up in my cupboard with such an important place in so many things that we bake.

Vanilla comes from a tropical vanilla orchid and is thought to have first been used by the Aztecs. They added vanilla to their hot cocoa drinks. It was not much different from the way news of interesting food items spreads today. Vanilla was soon being used in baking and in sweet drinks in far flung cultures with little connection to the Aztecs.

I suppose that the Spanish Conquistadores took vanilla and vanilla orchids back to Spain where it’s use expanded rapidly. As with other food related items discovered in the “New World" trade moved vanilla around much of the known world. The growth of world trade after Columbus, can be tracked by the appearance of food items around the world that were found by explorers in the Americas

There are now artificially created vanilla products on the grocery shelves but there are none that compare to the natural product. Marcy Goldman is a source for vanilla information from whom I have liberally extracted much information. Marcy has tracked what she believes are the sources of the finest vanilla available. Those premier vanilla sites are Reunion Island (off the coast of Madagascar), Tahiti, Uganda and Veracruz Mexico.

Since about 1840 the pollination of vanilla orchids has been done with a bamboo stick . This technique has minimized the bees pollination requirement and has stabilized production. The weather and labor costs involved have made vanilla one of the most expensive of flavor sources. The cost is a secondary consideration when the natural goodness of vanilla becomes part of your baked treats.

I do not pretend to have the expertise to rate the various vanilla blends but do know one important part of using vanilla. Do not use an artificial, man made product. Only use the natural vanilla extract. Your baked goods will know the difference as will those who are enjoying your baking effort.

Marcy Goldman was a valuable source of the vanilla information used in this post. She is the author of The New Best of Better Baking.com and a Passion for Baking( Oxmore House-2007)

Steak a la chicana

Each year a neighbor in our section of the Colorado Mountains holds a themed Dead Of The Winter party. This year there was an Immigrant theme with each couple challenged to bring a dish from the nation of their family’s origin and to dress as their immigrant forebearer.

Our host provided a dish that I have enjoyed previously called “Steak a la chicana” There was an additional surprise this time since he has shared the recipe. There were Swedish, German, Norwegian, Irish and Italian dishes at the dinner and it all worked well but the “Steak a la chicana” was a stand out.



Rich’s Steak a la chicana for a party

Ingredients:

Tri-Tip strips (the large package from Costco)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cans "Stewed tomatoes."
Red chili powder, 2 tablespoons
1 or 2 chopped jalapeno peppers (check to see how hot they are before deciding on 1 or 2)

Preparation:
Step 1. Brown the tri-tip on the grill and seal in the moisture.
Step 2. Remove from grill and slice into 1/2 inch thick small pieces.
Step 3. Put into a crock pot at a high setting
Step 4. Add the remaining ingredients and start cooking. Stir every hour.
Step 5. Use a the high setting for 2 hours and then set to low for about 3 more hours
Step 6. Taste along the way after 3 hours in the pot. The meat should become tender.
Step 7. Add 1 0r 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce

Serve by itself or inside a burrito with a slice of Jack cheese.

At the party the service was as a Burrito. Included in the service, was several minutes of instruction as to how I should correctly roll my R’s when saying burrito. I almost have it

If you are not having a party and the big Costco package of Tri Tip strips is too much, a Skirt Steak will also work well.

Linda's Apple Compote

My friend Linda sends me a recipe from time to time and they always are special and have an surprise ingredient. This chunky apple offering is a fresh compote that is a sure winner at the meal in which it is served. Hot or cold works as a dessert or as a tart accompaniment to a pork dish.

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups water
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7 medium size Granny Smith or other firm tart apples
½ cup good Sauternes
6 tablespoons red current jelly
2 cinnamon sticks
grated zest of 2 lemons
½ cup shelled chopped walnuts
½ cup raisins

Preparation:
Step 1. Mix half of the water and half of lemon juice in a bowl
Step 2. Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1 ½-inch chunks and place in water
Step 3. In a medium size saucepan combine the remaining water and the Sauternes
Step 4. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add apple chunks
Step 5. Partially cover and cook gently until apples are tender and remain whole
Step 6. With slotted spoon transfer apples to a bowl, add current jelly and cinnamon sticks to the remaining syrup.
Step 7. Set on medium heat bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by one third
Step 8. Pour the syrup over the apples. Stir in walnuts and raisins

Service: Warm or cool The recipe makes 6 portions
Sweet tooth folks add 1/3 cup of sugar but Linda feels that it is perfect without the additional sugar and so do I