Recently I accepted a request to create two vegetarian lunches for a group of both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.  The challenge to design balanced menus that would appeal to both palates was one that I couldn’t resist. 

The first menu consisted of soup and salad.  Choosing to use Asian flavors, I planned Chinese Mushroom Soup; Romaine and Spinach Salad with oranges, almonds, stuffed pea pods, Tofu “croutons” and Hoisin Sesame Vinaigrette; and Green Tea Muffins with strawberry butter.  The protein for this menu was the Tofu “Croutons”.  These “croutons” are a mixture of brown rice, ground almonds, tofu, wheat germ and bread crumbs.  Surprisingly delicious, they have an almost meaty texture and nutty flavor that paired very well with the Hoisin Sesame Vinaigrette.  I prebaked the mixture until set and brown and then cut them into 1” squares.  They were re-crisped before serving on the salad. 

I wanted the second menu to be a little more traditional.  White Vegetable Lasagna, Mixed Greens Salad with cranberries, candied pecans, green onion, Asiago cheese and Honey Truffle Vinaigrette; and braided bread fit perfectly within the nutritional parameters.  The lasagna was a combination of ricotta, feta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spinach, zucchini, carrots and herbs with a creamy ricotta sauce.

Both menus were well received.  The most surprising element was the Tofu Croutons.    They are just the recipe to turn tofu skepticism into tofu approval.  When serving this recipe, be prepared to hear ”Oh, wow!  Those are good.”    ;-)

The Christmas Season officially opened today for the teachers at the Key School in Fort Worth. I was commissioned by Rudolph to supply three party trays for the teacher’s lunchroom in time for the 10:00 break. This assignment helped nudge me into the Christmas season also since I had been lingering in Thanksgiving. (In order to dine with all of the sides of the family, we usually extend Thanksgiving all the way through the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day.) The annual Christmas tradition at Key School of not exchanging gifts but rather bringing a plate of treats or basket of small gifts to the lunchroom to share with everyone continued today as the faculty and staff were surprised with a variety of treats.

The first tray consisted of a braided bread wreath with an assortment of three different spreads including Smoky Jalapeno Pimento Cheese, Hummus, and Cranberry Apricot with Rosemary Spread. Next was an assortment of five types of cookies. Finally, a tray of mini Roasted Pumpkin Tamales with Caramel Sauce and toasted pepitas completed the assortment.

Festive Christmas treats are at the top of my list of favorite things to prepare. I wish all the teachers and staff at Key School a very Merry Christmas and hope that they enjoyed snacking on them as much as I enjoyed preparing them. Merry Christmas to you, too, Rudolph!

It was the most intimidating yet exciting class ever. Wine pairing class was definitely an adventure. Prior to the class, our homework was to research wine and food pairings and be ready to taste a variety of wines and prepare dishes that would pair with whichever wine we were assigned. These dishes would be presented to a panel of judges for an evaluation of how well each dish paired with our particular wine.

Our distinguished panel of judges included highly esteemed Chef Walter Kaufmann, who was one of Fort Worth’s first fine dining chefs, Wine Sommelier, Mark Gruntz, of Cafe Aspen in Fort Worth and CSFW’s director, Chef Kurima.

9:00 – Open and taste a variety of eight different wines, white and red, from light to heavy. (Spitting required) Discussion of each one included flavor impressions that were picked up by the nose and in the mouth.

10:00 – My three wine assignments:
2006 Santa Ana Torrontes
2007 Xplorador Merlot
2006 Revelry Cabernet Sauvignon

My three wines happened to be evenly spread on the scale from light to heavy. The Torrontes was light, the Merlot was medium bodied and the Cabernet Sauvignon was the heaviest of our selections. This meant that my time to present to the judges was evenly spread about an hour apart. This was very good news.

11:25 – First presentation window.
The wine – Santa Anna Torrontes
The flavors – sweet, honey, melon, some orange, mint, grapefruit, mildly acidic, mango, papaya, light body with a clean finish
The dish – I chose to do a salad of fresh field greens with Honey Truffle Vinaigrette, cranberries, candied pistachios and goat cheese croutons.
The verdict – The salad and dressing paired nicely with the wine but the goat cheese was too tart and interfered with the wine.

12:40 – Second presentation window:
The wine – Xplorador Merlot
The flavors – spicy, peppery, chocolate, plum, dried fruit, smoky, tobacco, fig and medium body
The dish – Pizza with Italian herb crust, sweet tomato sauce with caramelized onion, mushroom, fresh basil and feta cheese.
The verdict – Nice crust, good flavor and paired well with wine.

1:25 -Third presentation window:
The wine – Revelry Cabernet Sauvignon
The flavors – dark cherries, plum, evergreen, pine, rosemary, tannin and full bodied
The dish – Beef tenderloin stuffed with parmesan, garlic, parsley, toasted almonds and topped with sautéed mushrooms.
The verdict – Steak cooked and seasoned well, stuffing very nice, flavor of mushrooms and other components went very well with wine. Plating did not have enough color. Everything was brown. I should have caught that.

Overall, I considered the day successful. There were a couple of glitches but nothing major. Cooking for the judges was not as scary as I first thought. They were honest and their remarks were constructive and positive. This was not Hell’s Kitchen. It was one of my favorite classes and top learning experiences.

There is some really good news for people that eat gluten-free or low carb diets.  Here is the news in two words.  Shirataki noodles.  Pronounced sheer-a-TAH-key, these beautiful white noodles are gluten free, very low carb and very low calorie.  Made from yam flour and tofu, they have only 20 calories per 4 ounce serving with 0.5g fat, 3g carbohydrates, 2g fiber and 1g protein.

Wow! Those are great numbers but how do they taste?  The fact is that they have very little taste.  Like tofu the flavor is extremely mild and takes on the flavor of whatever they are cooked with.  Their texture is somewhat “chewy”.  The “chewiness” is reduced and they become more like the texture of regular pasta when parboiled for 2-3 minutes before adding them to the desired dish.  Parboiling also reduces the unusual aroma you might notice when the package is first opened.  (Parboiling means to pre-cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.)

 These noodles are very versatile and will work in soups, casseroles, topped with traditional Italian meat sauce, or tossed in a sauté.  My husband and I recently enjoyed them for dinner tossed with sautéed leeks and tomatoes.  Use them to replace pasta in your favorite dishes or get creative and experiment with new flavors and combinations.  However you decide to prepare them, you are in for a tasty treat.

Shirataki noodles are available at Central Market in Fort Worth.  They are next to the tofu in the refrigerated section.  Try this quick and easy recipe from the back of the package.

 Tofu Shirataki Noodle Soup

1 (8 oz.) package Tofu Shirataki Noodles

2 ½ cup fat free chicken broth

1 cup diced carrots and celery

½ cup diced onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Place broth, carrots, celery and onion in a medium sauce pot.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low.  Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, drain and rinse noodles thoroughly.  Parboil noodles for 2-3 minutes then drain and dry well.  Once soup has simmered for 15 minutes, add noodles and cook uncovered for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy! (Serves 2 people with approximately 65 calories per serving.)

Fall is in full swing.  As the leaves begin their beautiful autumn display and the days turn cooler, there are certain foods I always look forward to.  Here are some of my favorites.

Apples – Although apples are available throughout the year, fall brings a new crop with lots of varieties that are not seen during other times of the year.  Honey Crisp, McIntosh and Fugi are some of the best.  My favorite things to do with apples include making pies, cooking them with cinnamon red hot candies, adding them to fresh salads and slicing and enjoying them with caramel dip or just plain.  They also make wonderful additions to savory dishes.  Include them in stuffing, salsa, or sauté them as an accompaniment to pork.

Figs – Fresh figs are very much overlooked and often hard to find.  Soft and sweet they have a beautiful red to maroon color inside.  Figs are great to eat alone or add to fresh salads along with blue cheese crumbles or blue cheese vinaigrette.  To find them you need to look at the farmer’s markets or a market that carries specialty produce.  If you are really lucky, you might have a friend that has a fig tree!

Pumpkins – One of the most exciting heralds of fall are the big, bright, orange pumpkins.  It makes me happy just to see them in the stores once again.  They make wonderful seasonal decorations and are even better to cook with.  When cooking fresh pumpkins, it is best to choose the smaller pie pumpkins.  This variety is not as stringy as the larger kinds.  Sweet or savory dishes both work for pumpkins.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and muffins, soups and stews and, of course, my signature tamales are some of my favorite uses for pumpkin.

These are just a few of my favorite fall foods.  There are many more including soup (any kind), hot tea, Southwestern foods (the spicy flavors complement the cool season), cranberries, pears and pomegranates.

As you enjoy the season, look around for the many “treats” of fall.

Autumn Fire Salsa

1 medium green apple – small dice
1 medium red apple or pear – small dice½ cup sweet red bell pepper – small dice
2 medium jalapenos – remove seeds & ribs, small dice (use gloves when working w/jalapenos)
½ medium onions – small dice
2 scallions – sliced
½ cup pecans – chopped and lightly toasted
2 tablespoons fresh mint – chopped
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Combine apples (or pear), red bell pepper, jalapenos, onion, scallions and pecans in a medium bowl.  Toss with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice.  Combine remaining lemon juice, honey, salt and cinnamon in small bowl and whisk to combine.  Pour over fruit and pepper mixture.

Makes about 2 ½ cups of salsa.

This makes a great accompaniment to grilled Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops

Hello, and welcome to the blog of Chef Patti A. Cook!

I will be writing of my events, recipes and specials, so check back soon for current news!