Be careful, the pepper is hot!

A chef friend of mine is in the process of opening up a restaurant in the Dallas area. The theme of the restaurant will be upscale Mexican cuisine and I am looking forward to my next trip to Texas to check it out. BTW, good luck Fernando with Anejo (opening next month)

After we talked I got to thinking about spices and the different types of peppers used for cooking. I still remember the hottest pepper I ever ate during a meal; it was on a trip to Haiti when a colleague of mine took us to his favorite place in Port au Prince.

The meal was typical Caribbean fare, it was a fish and rice plate served with beans. The sauce was a wonderful blend of heat, spices and sweetness but it was served with a warning. The warning was not;

" be careful of the hot plate", but "be careful of the hot peppers".

Since I was living in Texas at the time I thought that I could handle the heat of peppers and did not heed the warning. Maybe it was that cockiness, or maybe it was the Haitian dark rum drinks that were being served one after another, but when I bit into what I thought was a bit of conch, I discovered what a wallop a Habanera pepper can pack. After I drained my drink and recovered. I became interested in the many different types of peppers that are available.

From the relatively bland bell pepper to the mouth burning scotch bonnet, most of us know that peppers add heat and taste to dishes. Some even claim that they also provide health benefits and they certainly are popular in hot climates to help cool off. But did you know that we should all thank Wilbur Scoville for the work he undertook on peppers in the early 1900’s. Scoville devised a scale; that is still in use today, to measure the heat of peppers. Although his methods were not precise, his theory was to measure the amount of diluted sugar water that was required to hide the heat. Therefore a green pepper required no dilution and hence was zero on the Scoville scale. The hottest peppers such as the habenero and scotch bonnet required several hundred thousand units of dilution and were rated in the 250,000 – 300,000 range.

How does this relate to the real world? Well when cooking with peppers, be sure to take into account the Scoville scale of the pepper. If a meal is too hot, it can ruin the taste for your guests. Add a little at a time when cooking and remember that not everyone likes the heat. You can always add some later on but it’s hard to tone it down if it’s too hot.

Sometimes I have to remind myself of this as I like spicy foods and was trained in Southwestern cooking where heat is expected. What may be considered a mild bowl of Chili in Texas may be hot in New England. Know your audience, cook to their likes and dislikes, not yours. Have fun cooking and thank you Wilbur

Healthier eating for kids

This Monday we celebrate Patriot’s day in Massachusetts, and for those who are not sure of what that is, it is the anniversary of the “Shot Heard 'round the World” - the start of the American Revolution. It is a state holiday here, and also the beginning of a week long vacation for local schools. That provides me with an excellent chance to talk about this weeks topic, feeding kids.There is always a difficult decision to make around dinner time or when packing lunch and snacks. What can we do to help kids eat healthier, yet ensure that they actually eat what we prepare? A lot of parents are not sure how to address this dilemma. Today I offer a few suggestions, and also a recipe that you may want to try.I have found that the best way to get kids involved with healthy eating is to make them part of the process of helping prepare dinner. Some of my fondest memories of growing up are sitting in the kitchen and watching my mother cook. It was there that I learned not only the techniques and shortcuts of cooking, but also the reasons behind what was being done.I did not know it at the time, but while I was watching my mom cook I was watching the food pyramid in action. Dinners always had a protein, a starch and one or two vegetables on the plate. This was something that parents had taught to children for generations, and we did not have to see a chart to tell us this was the proper balance of food,The first step is to continue that process. Talk to your children about nutrition at an early age, and build the foundation that they will carry through life.The next step is to make sure that they eat vegetables at an early age and continue to do so throughout life.Pop Quiz: What would you rather have right now? A nice portion of French fries from your local fast food joint, or a plain baked potato? Chances are you chose the McFries. Is it no wonder that kids would also make the same decision? Yes, the fries taste better, but we know deep down that the baked potato is a better decision for our health. We need to present kids with the knowledge that while it okay to have unhealthy foods now and then, we should eat healthy most of the time and save the unhealthy choices as treats. Also, a plain baked potato is healthy, whereas a baked potato loaded with butter, sour cream and cheese is not. Try substitutions for flavor such as BBQ sauce or Salsa.We should also get children to eat vegetables at an early age. Find the veggies that they like and serve them often. If you have trouble getting them to eat vegetables, try “hiding” them in other snacks such as Zucchini Muffins (recipe follows) or ants on a log (celery, peanut butter and raisins). It is even better if you let them make some snacks themselves as this participation will help add fun to an ordinary task.We should also start adding more whole grains and fiber to the family diet. Start by buying whole grain breads and pasta, and then use whole wheat flour in baking when you can. Sure, it may not be applicable to a use it for cakes or pastry, but what about pancakes or quick breads?It is never too late to start eating healthy and while it may take some adjustments, most kids will follow along once the changes have been made.

If you are not comfortable in the kitchen and would like to get your kids more involved in hands on cooking, Park Hill Chefs offers in home cooking classes for kids of all ages.

Have a great week and spring vacation

3 eggs or Egg Substitute

1 cup plain unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup soft brown sugar

3 cups grated zucchini

1 tsp vanilla

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 T ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions:
Put Zucchini in clean kitchen towel and squeeze out excess moisture
Beat eggs add apple sauce, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. Mix until blended
Add dry ingredients (except nuts) together in separate bowl ,add dry ingredients in thirds to egg mixture.

Add nuts

Spray muffin tins with non stick cooking spray and add batter to fill cups ¾ of the way.
Bake at 325 F for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in center.

Enjoy or freeze for future use

When Potato Salad Goes Bad

This classic Far Side comic by Gary Larsen is a good reminder of the evil lurking around the corner. Now that the weather is getting warmer. we have to beware of the FOOD DANGER ZONE. Yes, the infamous FDZ is just one part of food safety that we should all be concerned with. As a Personal Chef, I am well aware of the dangers of food borne illnesses and ways to prevent them. Now that summer is around the corner, and outside cooking will take place, it is a good time to discuss food safety. Although this is not a complete lecture on food safety there are a few easy things we all can do to make barbecues and picnics safe and fun.

Perhaps the most important way to reduce occurrences is frequent hand washing. This is sometimes difficult to do at outside barbecues but it is a must if you touch uncooked meat or poultry. You may also want to keep some disposal gloves in your BBQ kit to use if and when you do need to handle uncooked foods. Along these same lines be sure to use clean plates when taking the food off the grill.

Another way to prevent what is called "cross contamination" is to be sure to use separate cutting boards when cutting meats and veggies (color coded ones are a good way to keep track). I like to prep my meat first and then move the cutting board to sink or dishwasher before moving on to other foods. Be sure to sanitize the counter top as well and use disposable paper towels. Lastly, DO NOT use marinade as a serving sauce. If you would like to save some, reserve a bit before marinating and use that.

The next important factor to consider is the FDZ.

The danger zone is approximately between 40 deg - 140 deg F (5 deg - 60 deg C.) This is where bacteria spreads the most rapidly and even cooked foods can become unsafe after 4 hours in that range. The simple rule to follow at all times is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. You also must be aware of the time your food is in the car; especially on a hot summer day, you do not want to drive around doing errands with bags of groceries sitting in the car. If you must leave them in the car, take along a cooler to put the perishables into. Along these same lines, be sure to cook meat to the proper internal temperature. For instance, do not rely on cutting into to chicken to check doneness. Use a thermometer to check thickest part and be sure it is over 165 deg F. Beef and pork have less stringent temperature requirements please visit http://www.foodsafety.gov/ for complete information.

The final point to consider is also the present health condition of your guests. Pregnant women, those with immune deficiencies and the elderly are more prone to food borne illnesses so take extra care when cooking for them.

So remember:

• Wash your hands and use gloves
• Avoid cross contamination
• Keep hot food hot and cold food cold
• Cook food to proper temperature

If you follow these simple rules you will be well onto your way to food safety.

Chef Rob has completed the ServSafe Food Protection Management Program and is a registered instructor.

Food Traditions

Easter to many is a time of reflection, celebration and A new beginning, What better time to start my weekly blog posting? Most of my posts will be food or nutrition based, today's post will take a different slant on that aspect. I would like to talk about family holiday traditions and how food is a major part of that. Yesterday, I learned the value of that. We all have memories of Holidays past. We remember the aromas of the kitchen, the anticipation of a delicious meal, the noise of pots and pans. They’re probably are one or two items that are on every table every year. To me, that is part of the tradition.

This year I was almost guilty of breaking a tradition and now that I reflect on Easters past. I am glad I did not. Let me explain. On Friday my daughter came home for the weekend from college. When we started talking about weekend plans, to include dinner she nonchalantly asked, "did you go to Little Poland yet?" You see this is where we get our traditional Polish sausage "Kielbasa".

(This freshly made, garlic laden wonderful sausage has NOTHING to do with the store bought brand in the hot dog section of your local grocer. It is night and day. 'Nuff said.)

When I told her no, she was astonished and said "you’re kidding right?" I once again said no and a look of disappointment came across her. She then said "BUT WE HAVE KIELBASA EVERY EASTER!" I told her that it wasn't every Easter; (we did attend some Easter brunches where I did not cook.) The conversation changed after that and I thought the subject was closed. Later that evening my daughter tells me that she texted my son in TX and he too was surprised about the lack of Kielbasa. It was then that I realized my faux pas. All the hard work I did over the years, fostering this old country tradition of Easter Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, was not in vain. The tradition brought from Poland/Lithuania lives on, and I must keep the flame alive.

Well I did get up early on Saturday and drove to Little Poland (not South Boston this time but Worcester, MA, Check out Golemo's Market top notch European deli and homemade sausages) , picked up Kielbasa and cooked it off last night. I went a step further and made Babka (Polish Easter Bread) as well.

The Easter tradition lives on!

Chef Rob