Gerry Furth-Sides

Fresh Italian Pomi Tomatoes Come Home to America

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The finest tomatoes and nothing else in the Pomi Tomatoes cartons (photo courtesy Pomi)

(Gerry Furth-Sides) I am back to eating tomatoes. And I love cooking with luscious strained tomatoes and chopped tomatoes and finely chopped tomatoes. This is all because of an introduction to Pomi Tomatoes in cartons, straight off the vine in Italy. The Pomi online recipe book helps out with a motivating recipe collection contributed by world calibre chefs, complete with sidebar guidelines on which product’s consistency works best for dishes in each course of an Italian meal. The chef list: Anika Friesen, Anna Ramiz, Dennis Prescott, Jasmine Comer, Joni Gomez, Marcella Dilonardo, Rosalynn Daniels and Elizabeth Emery.

The GET SAUCY online cookbook, complete with guidelines for dishes and sourcing

It actually never really bothered me not to eat tomatoes for almost a decade after doing a detox regime, and chose this and other acidic fruit to delete from my diet rather than alcohol or caffeine. After all, the pricey selection available in supermarkets was fairly tasteless. Then one day Marino Ristorante Chef, Sal Marino, put one on a plate, insisting on dotting it with salt, and I fell in love. But until now it was farmers market, Melissa’s when available or nothing.

Pomi rivals homegrown from Marino Ristorante Chef Sal Marino (here with brother Mario)

Pomi Tomatoes ended this. And they are in a wonderful lined cardboard carton not tinned. The tomatoes are grown from selected seeds, cultivated on over 7,000 hectares between Cremona, Parma, Mantua, and Piacenza in glorious Northern Italy. To guarantee the highest quality for consumers, the tomatoes are processed within hours of picking them, close to the location where they are harvested and with a meticulous respect of the environment. Growers claim, “they offer a freshness that brings a burst of tomato flavor to any dish.” We agree wholeheartedly.

Pomi Tomatoes meticulously grown from selected seeds and harvested in Northern Italy
Nothing but tomatoes and clear, direct information on the cartons.

Even though the Get Saucy book has recipes for each course we found it to be just as adventurous to experiment with the sauce once we tried out the master recipe.

We could not get enough of this sauce made from Pomi tomatoes, which we used on everything from poached eggs to Greek style green beans, and below, our potato tart.

Ingredients for Master Sauce

Mixing up and preparing the master Pomi Tomato on the box, takes a little over an hour
We added added broth for a delectable tomato first course soup.

Ingredients for the Pomi Tomato Potato Gratin Tart

1 (14 oz) can Pomì Chopped Tomatoes 1 tbsp Pomì Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced 

3 tbsp olive oil
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, and thyme, chopped
1 cup Fontina cheese, grated
2 lbs gold potatoes, very thinly sliced 3/4 lb (about 3) Roma tomatoes, sliced 

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Add onions to the hot olive oil and cook for 5-6 minutes, until beginning to soften and become translucent. 

Stir in garlic, Double Concentrated Tomato Paste, and 1 tsp of salt and cook for another 3-4 minutes. 

Stir in herbs, Pomì Chopped Tomatoes, and the remaining teaspoon of salt and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the mixture is thick and chunky and almost all of the tomato liquid has evaporated. 

When you are ready to assemble the gratin, place half of the tomato and onion mixture in an even layer in the bottom of your baking dish. Arrange half the potato and tomato slices in an even layer on top of the tomato mixture, then top with half of the grated Fontina cheese.  Repeat this layering one more time with the remaining tomato-onion mixture, followed by the sliced potatoes and tomatoes, and top with the remaining cheese. 

Bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes until potatoes are fully cooked, and most of the liquid has evaporated. When the gratin is fully cooked, let cool slightly before scooping or slicing. Serve hot. 

Pomi tomatoes make a potato tart “pop”. Plenty of sauce left over from the 26.6 oz.carton

Basic Sauce Ingredients

1 ( 26.6  oz) can Pomì Chopped, Chopped Fine or Strained Tomatoes.  For a silky smooth tomato sauce use Pomi strained tomatoes.  Use Pomi Finely Chopped Tomatoes for a thicker, chunkier sauce.  For more body use Pomi Chopped Tomatoes.   

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra to drizzle on top
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced

1 tbsp Pomì Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, and thyme, chopped
Sea salt, cracked black pepper

Directions 

>Heat oil in a large sauté pan set over a low heat. Add onions to the hot olive oil, season with salt.

Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  

Add the Pomì Double Concentrated Tomato Paste and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Add in Pomì Tomatoes, and stir constantly until the sauce begins to boil.  Lower heat and simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes., and adding in the basil leaves halfway through the cooking time.

Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as desired. 

Our dinner table honoring colorful Pomi Tomato dishes
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Pomi Tomato start the meal with Bruschettas topped with Italian sardines and garlic aioli
“Leftovers!” Pomi Tomato Sauce over minced meatballs, topped with a poached egg
We had a little help from our friends at Melissa’s Product. The heavenly mild elephant garlic contrasted beautifully with the more acidic tomato in the potato gratin tart
The complete line of Pomi products

“101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon” – My New Vinegar

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) Nancy Chen’s new 101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon transforms mainstay spice, cinnamon, into “my new vinegar”. That’s because once aware of the myriad uses of simple vinegar in cooking and cleaning I was “hooked on it as a necessity. This book adds another ancient product into a household necessity. In fact, I finally tossed out the tattered, faded “vinegar use list) held by a magnet on my fridge door that my dad had given me decades before. And with this compact item (with an extra durable cover) , I can always save Nancy’s book.

Nancy Chen’s new 101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon

The little paperback covers so many ways this simple spice can improve your health, your home, and of course, your food From improving memory to aiding digestion to supporting a healthy garden it is conveniently divided into tabbed sections for each category. There are new, enticing recipes, such as Winter Sangria and Paled Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, but ideas for using cinnamon in syrups, pastes, spreads, dog foods (!) and even as a meat flavoring and food preservative. It turns out that cinnamon essential oil has been shown to help prevent bacteria and other microbes from spoiling food due to its high antimicrobial properties. Nancy suggests that, “if you are creating preserves at home (such as jam), you can add a cinnamon sprinkle to your recipe to help extend the food’s shelf life.

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Nancy Chen makes a cocktail with versatile cinnamon from 101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon

French Toast: possibly the most popular use of cinnamon of all. Variations are found in Nancy Lin Chen’s 101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon (photo courtesy of Tim Bair)

101 Amazing Uses series gives practical advice following the the trend of more organic but effective solutions using nature’s non-commercial, easily accessible and easy to store centuries old remedies. Other books in the series do, indeed, include apple cider vinegar, as well as aloe vera, ginger, essential oils, and more.

Nancy Chen makes a cabbage dish with cinnamon from  101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon

We loved the easy ideas in “Cozy Up Your Breakfast” that included Breakfast Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes. We actually substituted the coffee paste for the oatmeal topping. It sparked our daily cereal with both sweet and spicy because of the honey and cayenne i it. It was delicious. The paste can be stored, and even used as a novel gift idea at holiday time when packaged in a mini canning jar.

Topping oatmeal with a cayenne and cinnamon paste from 101 Amazing Uses of Cinnamon by Nancy Lin Chen

The best way to use cinnamon is in both ground cinnamon that can be sprinkled into recipes, as a topping, and in various homemade household cleaners or beauty products. Different essential oils are needed to prepare a lot of these cleaners or beauty , nutritional supplements.

Cinnamon sticks are recommended to mull wine to “lend its sweet flavor and aroma to the liquid it is sitting in.” It is also an attractive addition to any drink. However, the sticks impart less flavor than the powder. Also, Nancy reminded readers that “it’s best to use a carrier oil due to essential oils’ high potency – something we never know.

Cinnamon is a bark so it is ground up or rolled up, and each has a little bit different shelf life. Cinnamon stored in a container is effective for about six months but it does not go bad. Cinnamon sticks last a little longer. Both should be kept in a sealed glass jar and away from heat and light.

All cinnamon types get their flavor and tantalizing aroma from cinamaldehyde, an organic compound found in Cinnamomum trees. This compound is responsible for man of the spice’s benefits, such as its antimicrobial and anti fungal properties. Its most concentrated form is in essential oils made from cinnamon bark, which is 90% cinamaldehyde.The most important thing I learned right first off was the difference between cinnamon from Sri Lanka, which is the source of the famous Ceylon cinnamon.

We were also tantalized by the idea of cinnamon as a plant healer. The cinnamon, as it turns out, prevents fungus from growing on a plant that is struggling to survive from a “wound.”

Cinnamon coming to the aid of a struggling plant as advised in 101 Amazing Uses of Cinnamon by Nancy Lin Chen

101 Amazing Uses of Cinnamon by Nancy Chen ($12.95) is part of the “101 Amazing Uses Book ” series published by Families LLC. For more information, please wee www.familius.com. We highly recommend it!

Eat Like You Give a Fork’s Mareya Ibrahim

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“Eat Like You Give a Fork,” effervescent author Mareya Ibrahim ( St. Martin’s Press) is known as the Fit Foodie – celebrity chef, holistic nutrition coach, speaker, award-winning entrepreneur and patented inventor. 

“Eat Like You Give a Fork,” author Mareya Ibrahim with her EAT CLEANER products

We stored Mayera’s little zippered cloth lunch box until it looked a little worn. But it had a new life as soon as we used it all during the December holiday season when we worked out in the field in East LA and so many of our favorite Mexican restaurants were closed entirely or too far away for us to do a pick-up. The little “lunch box” has net side pocket for fruit and another front pocket for napkins or paper forks and knives although we found the interior to be surprisingly roomy. It is a far cry from doing lunch at a research field job for LAUSD in South Center and the westside for over a year when we lunched solely on protein bars until we looked at the label one day and were appalled.

Mayura is the author of “The Clean Eating Handbook,” a signature chef to the NY Times bestseller “The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life” by Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mark Hyman and a contributor to Recipe Rehab.She is the founder of Grow Green Industries, INC. and is the co-creator of the eatCleaner® line of products, featured on HSN and QVC.

Her podcast, “Recipes for your Best Life,” shares enticing food for thought and interviews with notable change makers.  Mareya was a featured chef on the Emmy-nominated show Recipe Rehab, and is featured in hundreds of Livestrong and eHow videos.  Mareya is a Signature Chef for the New York Times bestseller “The Daniel Plan” with Dr. Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mark Hyman.  Her column, “The Fit Foodie,” appears in Edible Orange County Magazine. 

Mayera at a Melissa’s Produce In Kitchen Presentation. It’s easy to see why Mareya can be such a motivating nutrition coach!

Mareya Ibrahim is a TV chef, holistic nutrition coach, author and award-winning entrepreneur and inventor. She is the founder of Grow Green Industries, INC. and the creator of the Eat Cleaner line of food wash and wipes. Her backpage column, “The Fit Foodie”, has appeared in Edible Orange County Magazine for 7 years. Chef Mareya is the host of “The Real Dish” Podcast, was a featured chef on the Food Network, eHow.com, Livestrong.com. and the Emmy- nominated cooking show, Recipe Rehab. Mareya has been a keynote or featured speaker for dozens of events, including the Sustainable Foods Summit, The Green Festival, The California School Nutrition Association Conference, The Fit Expo and The Daniel Plan.

We love Mareya’s recipes because they are classics with a contemporary twist. The Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai is our new favorite that substitutes Spaghetti Squash that is fun on its own because after it cooks, it can be taken out of the gourd with a fork or knife in strands.

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai with Mayura Ibrahim’s version from Eat Like You Give a Fork on the right and our’s on the left

How Joan Nathan’s “King Solomon’s Table” Made me a Star – Twice

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) I keep vowing to feature only one dish at a time but three favorites just about bounced off the page after looking up a recipe for a friend from Joan Nathan’s instant classic, King Solomon’s Table. And the best part is that even I have all the enticing ingredients in the (2 shelf) pantry because we love them and thanks to Melissa’s Produce have the best quality: Malai Corn Pudding; Slightly Sweet and Sour Cabbage; Dates in Brown Butter with Vanilla Ice Cream, Date Syrup and Halvah Crumble (we substituted Danish Cheese). And this dessert dish makes it three times!

Joan Nathan cannot be described as anything other than a force of nature.

Joan Nathan cannot be described as anything other than a force of nature. I describe her and other culinary icons such as Dorie Greenspan as the type of woman who can succeed at anything because of their intellect, drive and passion. If they would be attorney’s they would be on the Supreme Court.

Joan’s recent best-selling instant classic,  King Solomon’s Table is an exquisite extravaganza of recipes and narrative for such appealing international Jewish dishes that could stand alone as a cultural history book.  Or a memoir.  It is truly, as Joan herself describes it, “a work of a lifetime.”  And in addition to being an engaging read as culinary history, it is foremost as a guide for flavor combinations and  for clear, bold, standout recipes.

 

To me, however, who at random picked one recipe in it for a competition as a counterpoint to cornbread and because I had the baking tin in my cupboard.  The result was so special it is now my “signature dish” I’ve made time and time again. Proof is that fellow food writers at the event even let me know weeks afterward that they were incredulous that I made it!  Thank you, Joan Nathan.

Thank you Melissa’s Produce for the gooseberries that make this presentation so festive and special

The Joan Nathan Malai Cornbread Pudding from King Solomon’s Table – with a few tweaks

Malai – Romanian Cornmeal Ricotta Breakfast Pudding inJoan Nathan’s King Solomons Table Book

 INGREDIENTS

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
  • 3 large eggs, divided
  • 2/3 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • Dash of salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 lbs. whole milk ricotta or farmers cheese
  • Fresh berries or cherries, to serve

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch round gratin bowl or similar baking pan with some of the butter.
  2. Melt the remaining butter and cool slightly. Put the butter, 1 of the eggs, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the milk into a medium bowl and mix well. Gradually fold in the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder and mix well.
  3. Mix together the ricotta or farmer cheese with the 2 remaining eggs and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in another bowl.
  4. Spoon half the cornmeal mixture on the bottom of the pan, then pour on all the cheese mixture and finish by spooning and spreading the remaining cornmeal mixture on top.
  5. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden and set. Serve warm with fresh berries or cherries. Yield: 6 servings
 

Then two years later and now a few months back we were looking for new ways to do cabbage, and came across Joan Nathan’s “Slightly Sweet and Sour Cabbage” and were again smitten.  We made it five times before reading the background of this recipe, which comes from Sara Yaech, a woman Joan met on a trip to Havana.  Sara grew up on Turkish and Ladino food. Sara’s father’s descendants are Turkish Jews.  Her mother’s side of the family descended from es who came to Cuba centuries ago, possibly even from Spain with Christopher Columbus when Jews were often stowaways on the ships.  

Joan reports that cabbage is the ” universal ingredient, ” and she views it as a symbolic Jewish food that has traveled the world, even prevalent  in the Cuban Kiosks that serve as supermarkets.  Sara told her that when she prepared this dish for a Jewish woman from Russia, she was told that the lady’s mother made the same dish there.  This one swaps out the Tamarind once used in ancient times for the tomato and sauce used in contemporary times.  I am even more thrilled to read that this dish is one recommended for good bone health and helps avoid arthritis. 

We could eat this “Slightly Sweet and Sour Cabbage” dish every day of the week. And sometimes we do. We use different colored bell peppers and seasoned vinegars.
Joan Nathan’s Slightly Sweet and Sour Cabbage in the Vegetables section of King Solomon’s Table, p. 199, photo by Gabriela Herman
Our “Slightly Sweet and Sour Cabbage” dish from Joan Nathan’s book, King Solomon’s Table

We have made this dish over and over again, and always with guests asking for the recipe.  This is in addition to me mentioning as an idea for a brunch, lunch or dinner side dish and being asked for the recipe. The red and purple colors are dramatic and enticing.  And sweet and sour flavors, so easy with brown sugar and red wine vine, always delight at table.  The other surprising thing about this is dish is that it is supposed to yield 4-6 servings out of approximately half a cabbage but it turns out at least 8-10.  

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced thin
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
  • 4 cup finely choppedcabsbage, purple or white, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons brownsugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons wine vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
  • 2 table spoons parsley for garnish

Heat a sauce pan with the oil. Add the onions, pepper, and garlic and sauce until the onion is golden. then sir in the cabbage, brown sugar, salt, wine vinegar and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has disappeared and the cabbage is soft. Adjust the seasonings and serve, sprinkled with the parsley.

Joan suggests mixing the purple and the green cabbage in one dish. We also suggest added yellow, orange and green pepper julienned peppers to the purple for the same festive touch. The dish is just as good the second day, and served warm or at room temperature, which is wonderful when you put the casserole on the table.

About the book: There is a controversy about whether the extravagant, King Solomon really existed fades away with tales of his 700 wives and 300 concubines, and his gourmand love of good food.  But one thing we are sure of:  had Joan Nathan been around at the time,  they would be friends.  This is a lady who has to time herself on each slide during her talk because each dish or topic gives rise to so much going on in her life across the globe that a day would not cover it.

For me the recipes that appeal the most are the more middle eastern and Mediterranean ones because the eastern European main dishes tend to be less colorful and rich – made from available ingredients that tended to Joan center on root vegetables and the like. Next up to prepare is the Dates in Brown Butter with Vanilla Ice Cream, Date Syrup, and Halvah Crumble. We already know we would substitute the halvah with a love Danish cheese!

Dates in Brown Butter with Vanilla Ice Cream, Date Syrup, and Halvah Crumble from Joan Nathan’s King Solomon’s Table
The background introduction to Dates in Brown Butter with Vanilla Ice Cream, Date Syrup, and Halvah Crumble from Joan Nathan’s King Solomon’s Table
Joan Nathan at a Southern California Culinary Historians talk

Joan led us through her research process, which started at a university library and led her around the world.  Some of her “insider” fascinating information she shared was how people hid expensive spices in rice when they were transporting other goods. She spoke for close to an hour and half that flew by, knowing that this was just the thoughts for the day when the world is Joan’s research field.

Joan is not unexpectedly a fascinating speaker with profound findings and from in-depth, far sweeping research. An internationally well- respected professional and popular cookbook author for decades,  her books have earned every major prize from the James Beard and IACP Awards to the Julia Child Award for Best Cookbook of the Year.  Joan was the host fate syndicated PBS television series Jewish Cooking in Africa with Joan Nathan, based on the book.  The is a frequent contributor to The New York Times.  

Patricia Rose, cooking instructor, and Joan Nathan at a Southern California Culinary Historians presentation

Casita del Campo to Show Off LA

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) Where to take a visiting Covid nurse to eat authentic, historic food and show off LA at the same time? Casita de Campo and favorite area sites was a natural choice. The patio was relaxing and lively at the same time because of attentive to-go staff and the beautiful plants and fountain. The patio is once again open for dining with protocols in place.

Following a filling, fantastic lunch of Mexican dishes, came a tour of the Silverlake Reservoir and the Griffith Park Observatory before a ride cross town home. I found the “steepest street” off Glendale Boulevard to the reservoir and it is a breathtaking view from the top — nurse Ashley was not impressed! I was happy to walk off lunch with a mile and a half walk!

A reminder of the artist Jose Hernandez who built Casita del Campo
Visiting Covid Nurse Ashley from Saginaw, Michigan at the Observatory
The gSilverlake Reservoir — especially dramatic when approached by way of steep Baxter Street from the east

 The original recipes and cooking practices have stayed the same since the day the restaurant opened 57 years ago. Every morning, fresh vegetables are chopped for the tasty salsa, the guacamole and chips all made fresh daily as evident in the enormous amount of food carried out from the kitchen. The new vegan menu items such as the tacos and fajitas, already popular with customers, reflect the current health-conscious times and neighborhood’s gentrification.

The menu remains the same at Casita del Campo with new vegetarian options available

This Silverlake neighborhood has always been the ideal location for Casita Del Campo.  it was true when the sleepy, artistic area housed Disney staffers and when it became the culturally diverse bohemian equivalent of Greenwich Village in New York and Hyde Park in Chicago.  Locals, such as six of us neighbors, frequented the place at least one weekly.  It was one of our favorite Newsweek staff hangouts, and I remember even to this day trying to nonchalantly “walk” to the door after two margaritas. These days,

These days, sports is as much a theme as the arts at Casita del Campo

It naturally follows that Rudy Martin Del Campo, a dancer from West Side Story, opened sunny, welcoming  Casita Del Campo as a gathering place for his industry friends.  The unique venue that used to be a house continues to feel like his legacy with film photos and original art pieces in every room.  

Rudy Martin Del Campo

Nina’s son, Robert Martin Del Campo, is the current proud owner along with his wife, Gina Martin Del Campo. Gina, an artist who studied at UCLA, created all the stunning stained-glass patio tables.

Some of the frequent customers even refer to the tables they want to sit at as the name of the picture when the restaurant was open.

We miss the colorful, warm art indoors, and look forward to having it back. she recreated on them, including Frida Kahlo, well known Diego Rivera paintings and portraits from the famed Mexican bingo game, Loteria. These creations bring life to the outdoor patios, a vibe that has truly remained the same as the day it opened.

The Del Campo family would like to continue to sustain this “landmark” for “100 more years” and keep it in their family forever to continue to serve this loving community and family they have created here in Silverlake. We toast to that.

Casita Del Campo is open for take out and delivery. For more information please visit www.CasitaDelCampo.net or call 323.662.4255. The address is 1920 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

Celebrate Bagel Week-end with Bantam Bagels

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I was excited to get an offer of new and original Bantam Bagel frozen products.   Like nine million other viewers of Shark Tank, I first came familiar with founders  Nick and Elyse Oleksak when I saw them on the TV show in 2018 pitching their Bantam Bagels.  

Nick and Elyse Oleksak, founders of Bantam Bagels (photo courtesy Bantam Bagels)

We really liked the “everything bagel stuffed with vegetable cream cheese.   And we know we would love the original flavor of a plain bagel stuffed with cream cheese because we prefer our bagels plain and without onion and poppyseed on them. 

We also enjoyed the bacon and egg bagel bite.  This is also a classic. Nick and Elyse Oleksak, are continuing to expand into even more categories – pancakes and even marinara sauce pizza bagel bites

Owners Nick and Elyse have not changed the description of their product since they first sold it:  “New York City’s original mini stuffed bagels. “Crispy on the outside, cream cheese stuffed on the inside.”   

 

Bantam Bagels (photo courtesy Bantam Bagels)

The couple had a mission from the moment they invented the homemade bagels bites in their Brooklyn apartment.   In less than 4 years they had opened a small, retail shop on Bleecker Street, which had lines when the shop was open  Distribution in over 16,000 stores nationwide , having two babies along the way. 

New Margarita stuffed Bantam pizzas

A year after the shop opened, Oprah Winfrey featured Bantam Bagels on her Oprah’s Favorite Things 2014 list.   Starbucks’s decision to add three of the flavors — original, french toast, and everything jump-started national awareness and accessibility to the doughnut holes of the bagel world even more.

Directions are clear and easy to follow on the back of the Bantam Bagel boxes

 That following January, the Oleksak appeared on “Shark Tank,” where I first saw them along with about nine million other viewers.  Pitching the Bantam Bagel concept to the television show’s celebrity panel of investors with the hopes of winning financialbacking and support for the business venture, was, in their words, “the toughest, most rigorous interview we have ever experienced.” They secured a deal with Lori Greiner, the prolific inventor affectionately known as the “Queen of QVC” shopping network. Ms. Greiner offered the company $275,000 in exchange for 25% equity.  Their decade anniversary update is one of Shark Tanks biggest success stories.

The Shark Tank deal resulted in increased sales from  $200,000 to $2.1 million in less than a year.   Current sales at approximately $20 million with nationwide distribution in traditional grocery, club stores, e-commerce and food service.

Lancaster Colony purchased the company for $34 million last year, to add to their breads and frozen breakfast food portfolio.  The couple still runs the operations, which includes Starbucks and many more institutional food service channels. 

The origin of the bagel, at best contested and murky, still surprisingly similar to that of the croissant.   The croissant’s creation in honor of a victory over the Ottoman Empire in the shape of either a Turkish flag symbol or headband, the Jewish-Viennese baker who came up with the first bagel recipe late in the 17th century designed a small bread in the shape of a riding stirrup (beugel, in Austrian German) as a gift to the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, after the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

So popular from its origin, the beugel quickly went mainstream in Poland, also becoming a traditional gift for new mothers.  It eventually travelled east to Russia, becoming the street-food,  bubliki.  And traveling west, German bakers added the Poppy seeds.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, North American bagels were almost exclusively produced and sold within Jewish communities.  Then, in 1927, Polish-born baker Harry Lender began the bagel’s mainstream journey when he opened a bagel plant in New Haven, Connecticut.  Another revelation occurred by the 1950s, when Lender’s prepackaged bagels became available in non-kosher grocery stores.   By the 1970s, bagels were being mass-produced by machines, frozen, and shipped to supermarkets across America in polyethylene bags by the half dozen.

Oddly enough, Lender’s never really got a stronghold on the west coast. One year to promote bagels, I was the “St. Patrick’s Day Bagel Girl” all dressed in green to visit morning TV shows.  My main “customer” was the indubitable gourmand, Christine Ferrara, who in the parking lot of ABC-TV happily ate three.  I love her still for this.

TheNew York bagelcontains salt and malt and is boiled in water before baking in a standard oven. The resulting bagel is puffy with a moist crust.  The East Coast style bagel, unique because it incorporates sourdough, is still similar to the New York-style.  

Setouchi: Japan’s Hidden Sushi Region

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(Content and photos courtesy of Setouchi DMO) Setouchi is the soothing, authentic region of Japan spanning 700 islands and 7 prefectures surrounding the Seto Inland Sea. The abundance of water plus a diverse climate yield some of the quirkiest culinary experiences in this fascinating country. It may look exactly like San Francisco, down to the famous bridge, but it is a planet away in its essence and experience.

Hidden Sushi? Bara Sushi looks simple on sight but turn it upside down and you discover that it’s full of gorgeous ingredients hidden inside. The roots of this sushi date back to the lords of Okada during the Edo era, when extravagance was banned. The people of his territory were not convinced by this, so they put the fillings into the bottom of the bowl then put rice one top of the fillings. In the public, they pretended to eat just rice then turned it over and ate if no one was there.

This is said to be the beginning of “rose sushi”. While the term ‘Bara-sushi’ is a generic term, it can be called different names, such as ‘Kakushi-sushi’ meaning Hidden sushi,’ Okayama bara-zushi’ or ‘Matsuri-sushi’. The name depends on the locality and the shop, but they all use variety of seasonal fish and seafood from the locals. 

The fish that is indispensable for this “Bara-sushi” is a herring companion called “Mamakari” that is often caught in the Seto Inland Sea. The total length of this fish is about 10 to 20 cm, and the body is flat on the left and right like a leaf, and the belly is below the back. The word ‘Mamakari’ is derived from the fact that the tasty fish, especially the pickled vinegar of version “Mamakari ” was so delicious it influenced people to use up all the rice in their house and had to borrow (=Kari) some rice (=Mama) from a neighbor’s.  

Udon Taxis are just one of the truly fun experiences that visitors can have with absolutely authentic but often esoteric culinary finds.  This traditional Japanese noodle is so popular in the Kagawa Prefecture that there are more Udon shops than convenience stores. It’s common to see huge queues of people waiting in line at the most popular. If you want to eat Sanuki Udon locally,  designated drivers of “Udon Taxis” take their fares to the best. These are places not mentioned in guidebooks and that most tour guides don’t know. Along with the ride, drivers tell passengers stories of the history and culture of Sanuki udon, how to order and how to eat it, and other information that only a local with extensive knowledge of Sanuki udon can provide. In order to become an ‘udon taxi’ driver, three rigorous tests must be passed : a written, practical and practical (actual udon making test). And to include more visitors in this experience, there are also English-speaking drivers.

Iya in the westernmost part of the Tokushima Prefecture has temperatures that differ between day and night, making it the ideal condition to grow high quality buckwheat that turns into Iya Soba- rough, thick short noodles found in so many of the region’s eateries.

 Dango is a traditional Japanese confectionery made by rolling and steaming or boiling grain flour with water or hot water, traditionally found in Okayama. Kibi Dango has two meanings. One is a treat of dumpling sweets made from grain millet called “Kibi.” Japanese millet has been a staple food in Okayama since ancient times. Also, in the famous fairy tale “Momotaro” in Japan, it is known that dogs, pheasants, and monkeys are given “Kibi Dango” to get companions.

There are several types of exceptional beef found in the Setouchi region that have gained world renown.

Olive Beef is a rare form of Japanese Black Wagyu beef that are raised eating olives that have had their oil extracted, along with seafood and vegetables

//localfoodeater.com/tag/cooking-wagyu-beef/

Agyu is a Japanese beef cattle breed is derive from native Asian cattle. ‘WAGYU’ refers to all Japanese beef cattle, where ‘Wa’ means Japanese and ‘gyu’ means cow.

OLIVE BEEF-  made from a rare form of Japanese Black Wagyu beef that are raised eating olives that have had their oil extracted, along with seafood and vegetables

Wagyu beef is distinctive because it is highly marbled. Marbling refers to the visible layers of intramuscular fat. … The higher the marbling score, the more flavoursome, tender and juicy the meat is – 100% full-blood Wagyu cattle has the highest marble levels of any beef in the world. For more four articles on this beef, please see //localfoodeater.com/tag/cooking-wagyu-beef/ 

AGYU – a Japanese beef cattle breed – derive from native Asian cattle. ‘WAGYU’ refers to all Japanese beef cattle, where ‘Wa’ means Japanese and ‘gyu’ means cow.

Wagyu were originally draft animals used in agriculture, and were selected for their physical endurance. This selection favored animals with more intra-muscular fat cells – ‘marbling’ – which provided a readily available energy source. Wagyu is a horned breed and the cattle are either black or red in color.

 Hiroshima is home to several famed Sake breweries.  With the advent of a method in the Meiji era, the Japanese Sake brewing industry flourished. The area around the Nishijo Sake Brewery Street, where the sake breweries are lined up, has been selected as Japan’s 20th Century Heritage as the “Nirojo Sake Brewing Facility Group”. One of the most famous sake breweries is “Kamotsuru Sake Brewery” and “Kamoizumi Sake Brewery”, and “Daiginjo Special Gold Kamotsuru” of “Kamotsuru Sake Brewery” is also famous for being drunk by President Obama when he visited Japan.

New International Grain Traders Food Market to Go

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Michael is here to serve at Grain Traders

(Gerry Furth-Sides) A lunch invite to the new Grain Traders Food Market was the perfect answer to the January “blahs,” all the more to pick up the meal after a crosstown drive in the city under lockdown. Despite opening staff glitches, he new restaurant concept meal turned out to be as fresh and inviting, as the boarded up or closed businesses surround it looked glum.

Fresh local ingredients in a globally inspired menu support Grain Traders stalwart signs

The gourmet food “market” concept is for customers to pick a protein and build a box around it. The average protein weight is about 3 ounces, which is filling enough judging from our choices of glowing Tuna Tataki and beef that was both tender and textured.

Brianna plating up freshly prepared salmon.
The Grain Trader salmon plate when guests are allowed back to dine in the patio!

Ingredients and spices are chosen for their wellness benefits. Grass fed, free-range and organic products are chosen whenever possible.  And a variety of dairy-free, gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan options can be had with each combination.

So many sounded so good that I asked to try them. When doing this, it is wise to ask for different cartons to box them because of the bold flavors. We had:

Tuna Tataki marinated with citrus; Heirloom Tomatoes and Spring Onion with Yuzu; Chargrilled Broccolini with Hazelnut and Date Butter; Chargrilled Furikake Baby Corn Sauteed with Jalapeno Butter; Japanese Cucumbers and Lime Pickle, and Mixed Mushrooms and Seaweed Pickle. This is definitely a kitchen that favors the fermented and pickled dish!

A Grain Trader plate at home with heirloom tomato salad, broccolini, baby corn, roasted seasonal vegetables and mushrooms.
Our Grain Trader Tuna Tataki in its takeaway box.
The takeaway boxes from the day’s selection at Grain Traders are perforated so that the sides come off and the meal eaten right out of it

Customers order what goes into their boxes from the day’s selection, cafeteria style, with a meal like the one above running a little over $20. The staff behind the counter, dishing it up wears masks and rubber gloves. A variety of housemade pickles and sauces add an extra and unexpected flourish.

Housemade pickles and sauces add an extra and unexpected flourish at Grain Traders

Sauces include (clockwise starting on top): salsa verde, coconut curry, with the pickled cauliflower with shaved carrots), pickled cabbage with kim chi, a heavenly beet with feta and pickled cauliflower with shaved carrots.

Our reward for admiring the last cookie with chocolate slabs in it was getting to eat it. Crunchy, chewy, crispy and just oozing with chocolate, it was the perfect ending to this meal, and we would love it with a coffee.

The chocolate slab cookie at Grain Trader
Layers of chocolate in the Grain Trader Chocolate Slab cookie

Culinary Director, (Ms.) Gisela Salazar-Golding, directs the kitchen. This Venezuelan native developed her culinary skills working in restaurants across Europe and Asia. Her recipes pay homage both to the bold flavors of South American and Southeast Asian cuisine.

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The sleek, organic new Grain Trader complex, beautifully repurposed from an auto repair shop

Grain Traders is a business under the Good Food company umbrella founded in Singapore. This first US location on Fairfax Ave, book-ends the famous street that extends to Ethiopian restaurant row at Pico, and included the historic Jewish bakeries and delis halfway there. The sleek, organic new restaurant, repurposed from an automobile repair shop, complete with the original garage doors, is a welcome addition to the famous neighborly street, now dotted with glaring multi-story new commercial buildings. And, there is plenty of parking, of course. For more details please see //www.graintraders.com.


The spacious building sits on a 10,000 square foot lot with two different outdoor seating areas and onsite parking. It proudly displays features of its previous life, from its cavernous ceilings to the former garage doors. Inside, the space is home to three distinct areas: the market counter, dessert bar, and coffee shop. Art from Argentenian-born muralist Franco Fasoli fills the walls, complemented by natural materials and textures, and accented with pieces personally curated by Perez from Southern California antique stores.

Grain Traders is located at 1010 N Fairfax Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90046 and is open 7 days a week from 8:00am – 4:00pm, with takeout and delivery available via Postmates, GrubHub, and DoorDash.Open document settingsOpen publish panel

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Go Sun’s Ingenious Ancient Methods for the 21st Century

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(Gerry Furth-Sides, photos from GoSun) I have a GoSun solar grill because the novel idea of living off the grid is always appealing.  It turned out to be so much fun to use, especially when there are kids around because they learn the concept of solar power. And I had no idea of the full environmental benefits it brings to the planet.   

It also turns out that this is  actually the goal of the GoSun company.  GoSun creates innovative products that encourage enjoyment and also , resilience and independence  for their customers. GoSun company had a humble start but it grew quickly thanks to our community of committed customers and shareholders, who not only believe in our products, but also use them to bring people together.

This is not to take away any of the fun or satisfaction. For example, the GO SUN designer of solar-powered essential outdoor gear deliver both with their portable, convenient, and highly efficient solar-powered cooker: the GoSun Go. Priced at less than $100, it is capable of producing up to 6 superbly cooked regular hot dogs in just 10 minutes. The GoSun Go is also excellent for summer sausages and other picnic dishes.

New products include  GoSun Brew, an all-in-one coffee maker incorporating a heater, french press and 16oz travel mug.  Brew was available for $59 (retail price $99)

New products include  GoSun Brew, an all-in-one coffee maker

It is no coincidence that home use is key. Patrick Sherwin founded the company  in his small suburban garage in Cincinnati, Ohio,    After a long morning disassembling a solar water heating device,  founder and solar energy expert, , realized that the vacuum tubes sitting next to him might be able to reheat his lunch. When the food came out hot and roasted, it was an epiphany.  With his experience of living  extensively off the grid and working on solar energy projects around the world, he knew that he was on to something.

Since them GoSun has spent 1,000’s of in-kind hours in the development, research and partnerships to advance low-cost, widespread solar cooking and other solar solutions for developing countries and institutions serving sustainable development goals.  GoSun engineer creates solutions to create and meet real market demands with low-cost, durable and high-performance solar products.  

Even though GoSun is a small entrepreneurial business it has always worked with dozens of nonprofit organizations to provide discounted solar cookers and other solar products to those that need them most.

While volunteering with non-profits in Haiti and Latin America, Patrick experienced first-hand the vulnerability of energy poverty. Touched by the resilience and happiness of those living on just $2.00/day, he spent years facilitating technology, energy and social innovations in the developing world. These efforts, including many failures to introduce typical solar ovens, led to the realization that his solar hot dog cooker invention could be something more, serving a great need in emerging markets.

GoSun has provided funding to support the efforts of the California Fire Foundation, TheHouston Food Bank, Global Giving, and Operation BBQ Relief. We have made donations to The American Red Cross and World Central Kitchen to assist in Hurricane Florence relief efforts and to the California Community Wildfire Relief Fund. We provided 1,500 solar cookers to the American Red Cross to assist with relief efforts due to Typhoon Yutu.  We also donate money to Trees for the Future every year to help combat climate change. So far, we’ve helped plant over 50,000 trees.

Here are examples of GoSun Empowerment.  Around one billion people do not have access to electricity and over three billion people still cook on dangerous, polluting stoves that run on dirty fuels: wood, charcoal and petrochemical fires.  The World Health Organization estimates over four million premature deaths occur annually due to respiratory diseases directly related to smoke inhalation. 

GoSun has shipped products to over 70 countries throughout the world to all continents. We have donated over 1,000 units for the advancement of solar education. Plus, GoSun has provided over 2,500 units at substantial discount to NGO’s throughout the U.S and the World.

Porto’s Bakery Creates mini Rosca de Reyes for 2021

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Rosca de Reyes is a traditional, sweet bread enjoyed in honor of Epiphany/Three Kings Day, which is celebrated throughout Europe and Latin America. The Rosca de Reyes has an oval shape to symbolize a crown and is covered with dried, candied fruits to symbolize the many jewels on a crown. 

The rich bread in the form of a ring is a special food for Three King’s Day, known as “Día de Reyes” in Spanish, and celebrated on January 6 in Mexico and in Latin communities around the world. “Rosca” means wreath and “Reyes” means kings or combined, “Kings’ Wreath.” The religious origins of the Rosca de Reyes is that it represents the Wise Men’s search for the King of the Jews with their gifts when Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar, the Three Kings from the East, traveled to Jerusalem following a star.

Traditionally, on January 6th the rosca is cut and dispersed among family, friends, or co-workers. Each person who is participating is given a piece. Whoever gets the plastic toy in their piece is tasked with throwing La Fiesta de La Candelaria.

For our story on why Porto’s continues their excellent products with at-home baked goods, please see: //localfoodeater.com/portos-bakery-at-your-door-and-in-your-oven/

Porto’s makes the Roscita with their buttery brioche dough with bits of homemade candied orange peel throughout, topped with an almond paste or “pasta seca” and topped with strips of candied orange and guava.

The candied orange and guava strips on the mini-Rosquita de Reyes at Porto’s Bakery

Beginning the week after Christmas, many small, individual owned bakeries and Latino markets stock the Rosca de Reyes. Porto’s Classic Rosca de Reyes is transformed here as mini version of the larger traditional one, or Mini Rosquita de Reyes. The price is $2.45. WThe intention of the smaller size is that it is perfect size to enjoy individually to respect the idea of no large gatherings this holiday season. So Porto’s created this individual item that did not involve purchase of a large cake to participate in this tradition.   The larger Rosca de Reyes cakes are also available.

Porto’s makes the 2021 Rosquita de Reyes with their signature buttery brioche dough

   

The classic Rosca de Reyes at Porto’s Bakery
A close up of the classic Rosca de Reyes at Porto’s Bakery

Savoring scrumptious at-home baked goods available from Porto’s Bakery since last summer continues lifetime memories of the wildly popular establishment. It started with an after-hours tour of the downstairs bakery in Glendale that left me speechless after passing the jammed, iconic hangout for years, with regulars at all hours spilling out into the street seated around the first outdoor tables in town.

Not surprisingly, Cuba-born founder, Rosa,  grew up inspired by the smell of sweet creations made from recipes brought by her mother, who was originally from the Galicia region of Spain.  Years later,  her beloved Cuba suddenly fell victim to communism, which resulted in dire circumstances for Rosa and her husband Raul Porto.  Out of this family nightmare arose the legendary bakery. It began when Rosa began selling her cakes to friends, family and neighbors until they were granted permission to emigrate to the United States, then to friends and family once they arrived in Miami, Florida.

In 1976, Rosa opened her first Porto’s Bakery on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, California.  Her husband and then family eventually joined in the growing operation.  Today Porto’s has five locations in Glendale, Burbank, Downey, Buena Park and West Covina.

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