Gerry Furth-Sides

Future Global Slow Food Model: Mediterranean Prud’homies

Comments Off on Future Global Slow Food Model: Mediterranean Prud’homies

A project to support the fishermen of the Mediterranean Prud’homies Slow Food Presidium was presented on the www.terramadresalonedelgusto.com online platform. These fishermen represent a collective system of food production that perfectly matches the founding values of Slow Food. This is why Slow Food picked them as a necessary model of change to cope with the challenges of the health and environmental crisis and thus, with the support of FPT Industrial, has decided to finance the next actions of this collective to accelerate the innovative processes they are putting in place.

Prud’homie, which also consists of young members, is trying to strengthen the local production chain, and this requires that the processing and preserving facilities be renovated as well. This is where FPT Industrial, from the CNH Industrial group, comes in. Daniela Ropolo, in charge of sustainable initiatives for CNH Industrial, stated: “We have decided to encourage and speed up positive change, with the support of this project. We are proud of this outcome, which will surely promote sustainable transformation, with projects that are being implemented thanks to Slow Food. FPT shares Prud’homie’s values of social inclusion, respect for marine landscape and the environment as well as defending biodiversity”.

In practice, this funded project aims to improve the short production chain and cold chain efficiency, by improving the fishermen’s unloading practices, to have suitable, safe and efficient handling, processing and sorting practices. These funds will be used for the refurbishment of an old public building, close to the town port, and to provide this facility with refrigerated chambers and tools to process the catch of the day, thus generating further employment. “This is an essential project for our future” says Didier Ranc.

Didier Ranc, Patron Pêcheurs de la Prud’homie, interviewed by journalist Elisabeth Tempier on Seyne sur Mer – Saint Mandrier pear (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) stated that: “Prud’homie is an old organization through which our local common goods, especially fishing, can be managed: a set of standards for a local community, establishing when each fisherman can go fishing and in which specific areas. This collective management of fishery resources guarantees a sustainable income for the fishermen as well as the environmental sustainability of those same resources. The Slow Food Presidium also shared more about collective management, a methodology practised by a fleet of small boats that is going against the prevailing policies, especially European ones, which promote industrial fishing practices and are based on privatization of quotas and resources.”

Paula Barbeito, Slow Fish campaign coordinator at Slow Food, stated: “We have decided to create the Resilience Fund to ensure a real support to our producers and have better conditions for the communities. We have chosen Prud’homie since it plays a crucial role in the protection of marine resources, for example, by setting thresholds on the amount and the types of fish to catch. These fishermen are closely connected to their land and the sea, and keep both a local economy and an old social and cultural tradition alive”.

Another initiative that Slow Food picked and launched, with the support of FPT Industrial, is focused on the creation of a food forest in Sicily, on land confiscated from mafia, which includes working with vulnerable individuals: this is the Valdibella and NoE cooperatives project.

New Grain Traders on Fairfax Offers International Ethnic Health Fare

Comments Off on New Grain Traders on Fairfax Offers International Ethnic Health Fare

(Gerry Furth-Sides, content and photos courtesy of Grain Traders) Grain Traders, a good food company originally founded in Singapore, opened its doors of its first US location just south of the intersection of Fairfax Ave and Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood. It is at the end of the business end of the Fairfax street famous for Jewish restaurants and markets, such as Cantor’s and Diamond Bakery at the opposite end of the famous street. For more details please see //www.graintraders.com

The expansive new restaurant is repurposed from an automobile repair shop and soft opened in the Fall of 2020. It has since complemented its produce-forward market concept with a coffee and tea shop with plans to include a forthcoming dessert bar.


Speaking to his decision to debut Grain Traders in Los Angeles, Founder, (Mr.) Javier Perez explains: “The Grain Traders concept was born through the experience of fresh ingredients and food I experienced in Los Angeles. The concept was presented with love to the cosmopolitan community of Singapore where it has since been interpreted and developed by an international team, absorbing culture and culinary inflictions from Asia to South America. Coming back to Los Angeles feels like we’ve come full circle.”


The restaurant offers an evolving menu of nourishing dishes composed of whole grains, fresh vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, plant-based and lean proteins inspired by the season’s bounty. Food is served ready for enjoyment and guests are empowered to compose their own plates from the day’s selection along with a variety of housemade pickles and sauces. Ingredients and spices are procured for their wellness benefits utilizing grass fed, free-range and organic where possible. Dishes are rotated seasonally, accommodating a variety of dietary preferences and sensitivities.

From top right: Grain Traders dishes include Heirloom Tomatoes and Spring Onion with Yuzu Dressing, Spiced Lentil Salad with Mint and Lemon Baby Carrots and Feta Cheese, Sambal Salsa Verde, Yellowfin Tuna Tataki Marinated with Citrus, Barley Risotto with Shiitake Duxelles, Smoked Chickpeas


Signature dishes include the Yellowfin Tuna Tataki, perfectly seared and served in a citrus marinade, and the Gochujang Tofu Steaks, grilled and topped with tempeh crisps. The grain selection features a variety of organic whole grains including the Forbidden Black Rice mixed with Caramelised Leeks and Onions. Plant-based entrees include composed salads such as the Green Papaya Coleslaw, tossed with fresh herbs in an Asian-inspired peanut dressing, to warm hearty dishes like the Green Curry Casserole that’s studded with generous chunks of braised eggplants.


From top right: Green Papaya Coleslaw with Herb Salad and Peanut Dressing, Seasonal Fish with Lemon, Butter and Curry Dressing, Tricolor Quinoa Hainanese Style, Cauliflower, Carrot and Curry Leaf Pickle, Activated Mixed Nuts with Turmeric and Black Pepper, Japanese Cucumber and Kaffir Lime Pickle, Chili Romesco

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

In her words: “This is my first time living in Los Angeles and I wanted to create recipes that celebrate the amazing produce and producers. Salazar-Golding added, “The community here is so incredibly diverse, and the palate so worldly, that it feels like the perfect platform to showcase some of my favorite recipes from my heritage and travels.”


Complementing the all-day dining is a beverage program featuring sustainably sourced, locally-roasted coffee from City Bean, as well as custom blended craft teas from Taiwan. The breakfast menu features a variety of dairy-free, gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan options such as jackfruit empanadas, coconut oatmeal porridge, quiche with sweet potato crust, and avocado toast made-to-order.


Perez is a huge proponent of art, design and culture who strongly believes in creating inspiring spaces for people to enjoy. Design is such a huge part of that and we wanted to create a space that people would appreciate,” says Perez. “Convenient, healthful food is often served in very clinical settings. We want our environment to mirror our food–vibrant and full of energy. We also wanted to surround ourselves with a community that was rooted in arts and culture, which made Fairfax the perfect destination.”

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.

My Glamour TV Job of Thanksgiving Cooking and Planned Overs

Comments Off on My Glamour TV Job of Thanksgiving Cooking and Planned Overs

(Gerry Furth-Sides) When people learn that I was a food writer who cooked on TV, they invariably say, “Oh, I wish I could be doing that.”  And, a second glance followed because people knew me more as a happy restaurant guest and guidebook writer than a cook behind the stove.  

Well, on camera cooking turns out not to be the most important requirement at all.  So for all of you thinking about a glamorous culinary career in the media, let me tell you my story before you decide.

A write up in a nationally syndicated column

My west coast tour involved creating new recipes made with Mrs. Cubbison‘s stuffing.  This meant testing them (which I later got chefs to do), booking the shows for a guy who would have me do three shows a day even if they took place at the same time and in different cities, transporting product and finished dishes on the plane with me, shopping for fresh produce and checking local turkey prices on the road before prepping and transporting everything to the station, doing the segment which ranged from 3 minutes to 30 minutes, and then getting a tape of the segment and taking my own picture if possible.

Turkey, sweet and white potatoes were the stars along with Mrs. C.  I had to work in the sponsor stuffing without mentioning the brand – “melba toasted stuffing” was the key.

The first year I made a large cioppino .  When I prepared a big batch in my Austrian dad’s immaculate motor home kitchen in Tucson, tomato sauce appeared on every counter top. But my dad was so proud I was on TV, and especially on this show with his favorite news anchor’s show, that he was just waiting to clean up.  We all happily went out to dinner together that night to a Janos Wilder restaurant in a historic house, and happily did this for years to come.

And with years came simplicity:  my signature dish became a salad of Fresno partially-dried figs, jumbo Mexican shrimp and marinated artichokes, a head of California Romaine and chopped walnuts. Western Research Kitchens said, “ugh” when I mentioned it and it turned out to be their favorite recipe and the most popular recipe with the public. (I also got more recipe requests from viewers than all the other cooks in the country combined.)

After decades of working with the stuffing I used to joke that I could make tables and chairs out of it.  And, in fact, I came close with stuffing “cut outs” of dishes and tables atop a sweet potato casseroles as the highlights of a typical trip to 10 northwest and southwest cities. 

Here are the highlights of a typical trip to 10 northwest and southwest cities.

One week prior to leaving, I stood in the middle of the office and yelled,” there is not one more thing anyone could possible ask me to do.”  Thus the phone rang and it was Mitzi Cutler of the Southern California Culinary Guild. She was delighted to let me know that the organization would do my idea of a food and fashion show –  smack in the middle of the tour schedule.   So, of course, I had to fly in for a day to do be a part of this happening.

With NBC-Tv Tucson, Arizona anchor, Lupillo Murillo (photo by Lee Furth)

So the trip began. Well, it began with the day of departure also being the day of a surprise birthday party for my high maintenance 80 year-old aunt.  I was the coordinator on behalf of her out-of-town brother while she was hell-bent on doing her own party as usual.  I only got her to the Century City Hotel by telling her I was being honored at a ceremony.   And somehow all I can remember is having potential guests still peppering me with invite requests on the phone the day of the event, and riding my bike to pick up plants for the trip after dropping my car off at the hotel.  And that it was a smash success. 

1) Departure was historic with a new Tumi suitcase with wheels.  Was I more in love with my first suitcase on wheels, or the smart cart?   I would consider it an eternity’s worthy of achievement had I either invented this or wrote  “Hotel California.”  Big smile on my face: the skyap loves my  homemade cookies so much he waves me  through with an extra box, but when it was x-rayed, I had to repack “sharp objects” in my suitcase.  

I realize cowboy boots work better than high heels for traveling.  

2) People are so friendly on the plane.  Wow, is it me?  No, it’s the bunch of pepper flowers I am carrying.  The man across the aisle turns out to own Fred Meyers and presents me with a gift certificate and a brand new $2 bill for luck.  He gives me directions to his Fred Meyer’s market that is open late at night.

3) I’m astonished at the warm, sophisticated Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City after knowing the “box on the plains” only from 1800 adverts on Interstate 80 letting you know how much more ahead it would be.  Night clerk points me in the right direction to Fred Meyers Market for shopping.  It closes just as I get to the door.

4) I find fresh turkey after midnight at Smith’s!  This turns out to be the only fresh one the whole trip.  Added stroke of luck:  the boxboy gives me the empty Mrs. Cubbison box he is about to throw away after only a little duress. 

5) Memories of Salt Lake on preceding ski trips were of cute Mormon boys who drank lots of beer, and ice cream at Fendalls and Snelgroves. This trip make a childhood dream come true:  ice cream for three meals in one day.  Other than a licorice shake at Fendalls.  

6) What there is not:  my new favorite food of coffee and espresso.

7) Yikes I leave my mixing bowl to do the stuffing on the “Gabby Gourmet” Tv kitchen set… And after I was so proud of myself that I cooked instead of just showing finished dishes.

8) New airport policy:  no rental car  within 100 yards of the airport. I will be good the rest of my life if I can carry an unwieldy 30 pounds of boxes to the finish line.

When I did bookings on the radio shows for the far northwest, it brought to mind a vast, dark and snowy expanse “somewhere out there.”  A perception, as it turned out, that was absolutely accurate.

Spokane actually is dark in winter by 3:30 PM, especially when it is snowing. I notice this while still inside airport trying to process that my luggage was either still on a plane to somewhere else. Or stolen. I head to lodgings.

9) I am buoyed up by empathetic Errilyn at the Marriott Courtyard while I make literally 37 phone calls to locate luggage.  And a market that is open

10) I start to shop for fresh turkey.  It is now raining.  I purchase a great, cheap umbrella at Safeway and discover a Spokane special, a Stromboli sandwich and espresso.  I perk up. 

11) I defrost fresh turkey in bathtub.  And now it turns out that luggage was “taken by mistake” and returned late at night.  It is less surprising that it is also dark at 4:00 AM. Departure time for tv morning show at a station across town somewhere in the snowy countryside. Actually it is across many hills and dales.  And it actually is outside of town.  

12)When I get to the studio, the heated up dishes that do smell wonderful are received with great enthusiasm and there are many caller questions even at 6 am.  And they have a mixing bowl.   I pinch myself.  Am I in heaven?

13) I realize that my all-weather coat covers any outfit, including sneakers. So becomes the new traveling uniform.  I change after dragging boxes in and setting up, then change back after show to clean up and transport back.

It is 11 am and still looks dark outside in Spokane though I can make out buildings.

Question to ponder while plane is delayed for take off due to storm:  how does rental car company think you can move your luggage from off-airport property car lot to airport counter inside with no humans or Smart Cart’s in between the two?     

12)  Washington.  Seattle.  Espresso country.  I am now half awake around the clock –drive-thrus I need to try, too!  I sink back into memories of wild old days as west coast Peace Corps recruiting campaign “advance man” for six glorious weeks of sunshine and getting engaged to a hippie.   I spend time this go-round with the young, blue-haired son of my college friends there, visiting the graves of Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix in the rain. The last hours take form as a meal of perfection at Rover’s.  The renowned Thierry welcomes us as though we were royalty. I literally leap over cars in traffic to the airpot.

More déjà vu: The Thrifty Car Rental Van Driver scoots me to the airport doors in record time.  I race down the airport corridor, beating OJ’s time, who was still a hero then.  Just as the plane door closes, I fall into the last unoccupied seat of a sold-out Alaska airlines plane. I feel something heavy in the tote I am slinging into the overhead.  Yikes.  I packed Tv station mixing bowl with me.   I land next to yet another foodie who wants my recipes along with a list of my favorite LA restaurants.   The lights and desert air of LA greet us as we hover before landing. Life is good.  Celebrating Thanksgiving is over for me for the year.  It is November 10.

When I was featured as the first female in the Guys and Galleys, after making 500 crepes the night before. (Photo by LA TIMES)

García de la cruz Inspires This Authentic Spanish Thanksgiving in America

Comments Off on García de la cruz Inspires This Authentic Spanish Thanksgiving in America
A Spanish Thanksgiving menu honoring the first actual (Spanish) Thanksgiving in St. Augustine Florida

This year we’re sitting down to a feast of dishes from Spain.   And we will toast to all of it with a Spanish Rioja and a Temperanillo – Already our favorites.  Why?   Archaeologists at Florida’s Museum of Natural History recently  revealed that the first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated in St. Augustine, Florida over 50 years earlier in 1565.  This is much earlier than the 1621 date used for the more Anglicized Thanksgiving that features turkey and pumpkin pie.

Garcia de la Cruz premium olive oil inspired all of this research and since we love all things España, so we are especially “thankful” to them.

Their extra virgin olive oil will enhance our tart, and “planned over dishes.” This includes a marvelous Spanish potato salad with peas, capers and pimento; fat, long sardines from the coast; a chestnut flan with hazelnut nutella. We’ll use the Cubbison classic cornbread for the tart crust on Thanksgiving, and the new artisan version will be used ”do-it-yourself” topping bar for tartlets made from it. 

The early harvest olive oil is so refined and pure, it will only be used in a dish for dipping and tasting.

Mrs. Cubbison stuffing, created by ranch cook and nutritionist Sofie Cubbison in California close to a century ago is our other, American inspiration.
We will be using the stuffing this year as part of our tart crusts
Our ingredients that will star in our Thanksgiving feast: shallots, chestnuts, baby potatoes and pearl onions

On the menu are: a chestnut soup, Tortilla La Espańola with potato and onion, flavored with wild black garlic.  A cheeseboard filled with specialty items from Spain will be offered so guests can choose from savory Salamanca dry-cured Iberico de cebo pork salchichón;  Idiazabal do (Craw Sheep milk smoked basque, aged 60 days); Spanish green and black olives; quince paste  and a roasted garlic tomato to spread onto barra (like a French baguette), and tomatohazelnuts from Galacia. To choose from on the sweeter side:  a dense fig almond cake; almendra garrapiñada (sugar coated almonds), black dried raisins and fresh grapes.

Guests can choose from savory or sweet filled specialty items from Spain

History books document that Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and 800 soldiers, sailors and settlers created the first Thanksgiving feast.  This was long before English pilgrims who had arrived in America on the Mayflower to celebrate in 1621. 

The group attended a special thanksgiving mass before sitting down together with local Native Americans for a thanksgiving feast, according to Kathleen Deagan, research curator emerita of historical archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.  Salted pork and typical Spanish products, such as red wine, olives and chickpeas were served.

Typical Caribbean foods that Menéndez picked up in Puerto Rico before his Florida landing were also on the table.  The local Timucuan people may have brought corn, fresh fish, berries or beans.

Potatoes we are serving, common to American Thanksgiving meals, also have a Spanish influence. True, the Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around 8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C. But it was Spanish Conquistadors after conquering Peru in 1536, who discovered the flavors of the potato, and carried them to Europe.  

The theory is that the celebration probably took place along the banks of the Matanzas River, the site of the first Spanish colony in the United States.  Menéndez de Avilés had lost half his fleet on the voyage from Spain, and one of the first things he did on reaching the “New World” was to organize a mass of thanksgiving, followed by a feast.  “So he invited all the local native people who were so curious about them,” said Deagan.

I was delighted to find this history of Spanish Thanksgiving, so obscure it was in only one article on a discontinued blog.  Theories of why this vital part of history has been diminished center on our heavily anglicized past and official origins. Yet facts show that even the first colony was a melting pot and the cultural interactions of the many groups of people in the colony were much more like the US is today than the British colonies ever were,” Gifford Waters, historical archaeology collection manager at the Florida Museum. 

St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. Founded by  Menédez de Avilés, it celebrated its 450th anniversary on September 8th 2015. 

Garcia de la Cruz represents a history of 5 generations working in the cultivation and elaboration of a great extra virgin olive oil.   The oil itself is a product of centuries-old olive trees on the lands of Castile.  The first day of the harvest brings together all the essence and knowledge of so many years of work and dedication.  Even its bright green color reflects the beauty and fullness of the fruit at the time of its harvest, and its aromas and flavor, perfection in the elaboration.  This is not for  cooking, but a separate and special  tasting oil on its own plate

Eusebio and Fernando de la Cruz, fifth generation owner-operators of the Garcia de la Cruz

The extraordinary Premium quality extra virgin olive oil, made from the first olives that harvested while still green makes for enriched organoleptic properties,  rich in natural antioxidants and vitamins. This oil with body, fragrant and aromatic with clear tones of freshly cut grass, slightly bitter and but well balanced. After taste of tomato, freshly cut grass and almond.

Garcia de la Cruz tones are of freshly cut grass, almond and tomato

I represented Mrs. Cubbison stuffing for 22 years on television during the Thanksgiving and easter holidays and still respect and honor this healthy melba-toasted west coast mainstay originally created by Sofie Cubbison. 

By this time in November, I had spent months planning, cooking and going out on my annual west coast tour so I would have been so pleased to have an alternative to turkey. But one thing remains the same and that is wishing a Happy thanksgiving to you! 

A nationally syndicated article on me described it all!

We Celebrate (with) Tenuta Montemagno’s New Dry Sparkling Bruts!

Comments Off on We Celebrate (with) Tenuta Montemagno’s New Dry Sparkling Bruts!
Piedmont, home of the The award-winning TM Brut 36 and TM Brut 24   (photo courtesy of TM BRUT)

Prosecco from northeast Italy has attained such an affection (or affectation depending on the view) that is is always been the first to come to mind when you think of Italian sparkling wine.    Yet the Barbera variety that makes up  TM24 and TM36 shows how a historic, versatile and  charming bottle-fermented sparkling wines made from both native and international grapes can often be overlooked these days.   We loved it, and so did our wine writer and wine expert friends.

The astonishing 24 (TM24) and 36 months (TM36)

 Experts agree “the very idea  to have the Metodo Classico of 100% Barbera that refines on yeasts for 24 (TM24) and 36 months (TM36) is astonishing. They are known to be sparkling wines born “from the synergy of intuition and innovation.”

TM BRUT: 100% Barbera refines on yeasts for 24 (TM24) and 36 months (TM36)

The Metodo Classico made from Barbera grapes are harvested early, hand picking and carefully curated. The perlage of TM Brut 24 is elegant and fine; the bouquet is intense, delicate and generous, notes of yeast and delicate hints of crusty bread, overtones of freshly picked flowers and wild berries. It is fresh and lively on the palate, with a strong, clear and pleasant taste. The excellent underlying acidity and clearly expresses minerality. And the lingering finish presents light notes of wild plum and currants. Therefore, the peculiar traits of  Barbera – bouquet and acidity, are well present almost as if  weaving the warp on which the other sensations intertwine. TM Brut 24 has been rated 92 point by Wine Enthusiast.

The award-winning TM Brut 36 poured at table for wine writer, Barbara Hansen

If the TMBrut 24 is “unexpected” because of its structure, color and pleasantness, the TM Brut 36 is surprising and unique, enough to be awarded with the Gold Medal – category Sparkling Rosé, in the International wine Competition The Global Sparkling Masters 2020.

The TM Brut 36 is so surprising and unique it earned a Gold Medal in the Sparkling Rosé category at The Global Sparkling Masters 2020.

The bouquet reveals an intense fragrance,  delicate and generous. Notes of yeast and crusty bread, overtones of freshly picked flowers and wild berries. On the palate, it is fresh, lively and savoury, excellent underlying acidity with clearly expressed minerality and a light finish of wild plum and currants.

In this sparkling too, the characteristics of the variety are the texture which the other perfumes and aromas are waived on.

These bottlings are produced using the traditional method, known as metodo classico in Italy. Yeast and sugar are added to still wine, which is then bottled with a crown cap. The yeast then ferments the sugar into alcohol, creating bubbles that contain naturally occurring carbon dioxide.

The TMBrut 24 is “unexpected” because of its structure, color and pleasantness. A toast from wine expert Irv Wynuk (right), and left to right: Pam Wynuck, master chefs Lynette MacDonald and Alex Peña.

The wine then rests on the spent yeast, known as lees, which often imparts sensations of bread crust or brioche before the yeast is removed through a process known as disgorgement. In contrast to sparkling wines that are produced through the Charmat method, like Prosecco, where bubbles are formed in pressurized steel tanks, bottle-fermented sparklers typically boast greater depth, complexity and longevity.

Barbera d’Asti is the identity of Tenuta Montemagno, wine producers in the heart of Monferrato. With perspective, it is clear that the precious and versatile Barbera is the variety that most of all tells the story of Tenuta Montemagno, through its 80 years old vineyards, planted on clay and limestone soil with slightly silty marls, Western facing TM24 and TM36 both are spectacular examples of the traditions and innovations of sparkling wines.

Until the 1990s, metodo classico was made mainly in Northern Italy, specifically in Piedmont, around the town of Trento in Trentino, and in Oltrepò Pavese and Franciacorta in Lombardy. With some notable exceptions, quality often underwhelmed and most of the production remained in the country. Today, there’s an array of stunning sparklers made from a wide range of grape varieties available in the U.S. from lively and linear to complex and elegant.

Master Chefs Cook Ethnic Classics in Futuristic “Thermomix”

Comments Off on Master Chefs Cook Ethnic Classics in Futuristic “Thermomix”

(Gerry Furth-Sides) All it took for the Thermomix ® to win me over was watching it transform hard cheese into snowflake like flurries. I I had almost broken other sturdy food processors.  It even weighed them before going into the machine.  And this is only one of so many uses.   Thermomix ® ties together computers, phones, and its own on-machine interface with tons of tested recipes.

Not too long after the first model was produced in 1971,the  Thermomix ® became a global phenomenon just about everywhere but the United States.   Some people guess that this is because it’s a tricky-to-explain object, like a computer.  

But it is more likely because Thermomix ® uses direct sales, (think Tupperware parties).  Experts persuasively prepare about four dishes in an hour and a half live and on-line demos, or home parties.

Engaging Lynette McDonald is one of those experts.  The passionate, accomplished chef is Corporate Education and Culinary Development Manager for Thermomix USA®, and the recipe development team.  You can watch this artist at work, weaving in her world travels into dishes online on her show,  “Cook-I-Doo.” Lynette’s accomplishments include graduating from and teaching at the Le Cordon Bleu in London, England.  She has also cooked for Indin royalty and written a popularIndian cookbook.  She has also owned a restaurant and a catering business to celebrities – a sure sign she knows how to please all palates.

But it seems more likely that it is the advertising competition for store and online purchased products.  Proof of this is that when legendary chef Thomas Keller, known for his exacting nature, bought five as soon as he saw them in operation.  

The biggest Thermomix ® sales are in Italy, where almost every home has one.   Lynette MacDonald told us why: I believe Italy embraced the THERMOMIX because it cooks Italian food perfectly, from risotto to Osso Buco, soups to jams and custards. 

Lynette also told us that in Australia “the Thermomix people who had never cooked before or had a limited repertoire  started following our Recipe platform Cook-I-Doo and impressing themselves and everyone around them.  Word of mouth because so strong among machine owners that Thermomix ® became almost like a cult in Australia.  

“In Italy, the number one item on a bridal registry is a Thermomix ®Italians affectionately call it “Bimbi” (baby) because the little machine makes baby food so fantastically).   Lynette  believes sales in Italy sales are so high because of the Italian passion for good food, and Thermomix ® capability to make quick, easy meals for family and for sharing.   For instance, the Thermomix ® can prep and weigh ingredients for a risotto, and then cook it stirring it perfectly within 12 to 15 minutes (including peeling the garlic).  We saw this!

The Thermomix ® is a blender that cooks. To make a soup out of even the most , say, pumpkin soup, the machine does all the measuring, chopping, blending, adding and even cooking.  It even cooks the pumpkin until it is tender, then purées it.   A touch of the hand on the touchscreen and dial controls heat, time, and blade speed.  

And every part of the machine except the base goes in the dishwasher

And space:  a  large amount of food fits into the two compact levels of steaming baskets. Layers of food fit into different shelves and baskets, and cooks at the same time. 

Besides making soups and sauces from start to finish, the Thermomix can measure ingredients, knead bread and pastry dough; steam rice and grains, sauté vegetables, caramelize onions without stirring a thing, make yogurt, nut milks, smoothies, stock and stock bases, and whipped cream.  And more.  

The evolution from a simple blender to a high-tech home accessory began in 1961 when  a VKM5 universal food-processor came on the market.  Even the initial machine combined seven functions: stirring, kneading, chopping, grating, mixing, milling and juicing.  

The company, Vorwerk, had started making carpets.    But its capability to move with the times was there from the first ground-breaking idea of a mixer that could also heat liquids.

The generations -old company brand has always successfully trained its customers how to use its machine.  It uses customer created recipes and feedback to continually  improve the machine. 

And the machine is the only one to operate on three platforms to integrate store research, recipes, home pantry inventory and market shopping.  This can cover an entire week’s worth of meals, or for a party. The machine holds over 60,000 home-tested recipes, with a range of options for most of them.  The initial annual fee of $39 has been waived. 

With this it is easy to understand the  they replace 20 other pieces of equipment in the kitchen.  Master Baker Alex Peña feels, “this is a perfect machine to consolidate the number of machines in the kitchen.   Food Writer, Barbara Hansen, was impressed.  “We watched him make bread dough.  He weighed out the flour directly , weighing out the flour by pouring it directly from the King Arthur bag into the mixing bowl, then, one by one, added the yeast, salt, and water. The machine kneaded the dough for two minutes. Everything else—proofing, baking, et cetera—happened on the countertop and in the oven.

Master Baker Alex Peña’s Heavenly Pan de Muerto

Comments Off on Master Baker Alex Peña’s Heavenly Pan de Muerto

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Master Baker, Alex Peña’s Dia de los Muertos holiday bread, Pan de Muerto, may look like dough but it literally looks like a cloud in his hands.   It is considered an honor to be gifted with this confection. The bread is elaborate, decorated with skulls and bones, and sprinkled with sugar or covered in sesame seeds depending on region home, on the ofrendas or alter, along with the statuettes of life and death, one on each side.  Peña’s  would be on the altar.  His is the best.

Master Baker alex Pena’s sesame-covered Pan de Puerto.  Toppings, such as sesame seeds or sugar, differ in the regions of Mexico or Latin America

Dias de Los Muertos is a traditional holiday reuniting and honoring beloved ancestors, family and friends who have passed away.  On November 1, children who have passed away are celebrated.  Adults are celebrated on November 2. The bread and other treats they loved in life are set out on the altar so they can “taste” them again when they return home for a brief visit.

A Pan de Muerto decorated with sesame and with white sugar, honors an adult

Peña grew up making bread.  He was the brother of the three boys in his family who already loved cooking with his mom and grandmother at home.   Alex worked with his dad and his brothers at La Morenita Bakery now closed but still making and distributing their famous tortillas.

His eyes lit us as he told us that the first thing he remembers doing in the bakery as a kid was decorating cakes.  And he has loved it every since.    Alex’s dad was a Renaissance man of many talents, who was equally at ease playing esoteric classical instruments as he was baking, so gatherings of friends and family always meant wonderful music as well as food.  This feeling remains with Alex the minute you meet him.

Alex (on the right) at La Morenita Bakery 

You can still buy pan de muerto at Panaderías and Latino markets.  These days, but these days Master Baker Peña wears a white lab coat not a bakery apron.  He is Director of Research and Product Development for Bellarise, renowned for developing custom non-GMO baking ingredients for commercial and artisanal customers.  These days, due to the intense increase in home baking, products are also available to retail customers.  For the story, please see:   //www.bellarise.com.   The name on the door in Pasadena reads Pak Group, which is the parent company based in Turkey established close to a century ago.

Pan de Muerto and conches fresh out of the oven

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) goes back centuries earlier to the Hispanic cultures of Miso-America.  We are most familiar with the Aztecs and Mayans of this group of indigenous people.  However, the bread only dates from the 1940s when it was created by Basque bakers who settled in Mexico City. 
 

This is only one example of the influence of these Basque immigrants from the province of Navarre, Spain who are credited with originating the bakeries in Mexico.  They arrived from the Spanish Valley of Baztán to live in Mexico City at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Ultimately, they became the most important European influence on Mexico’s commercial bakeries, flour sellers, and yeast purveyors.  Cristina Potter’s rich history of how this took place can be found at: (//mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2018/05/bakeries-and-their-basque-origins-in-mexico-city-please-wash-your-feet-before-entering.html)

Pan de muerto is simply made of flour, butter, lard, eggs, water, cane sugar, salt and of course, yeast.  A unique flavoring employed by the Basques was the very subtle addition of orange flower water instead of the more commonly used cinnamon.  Peña also uses a subtle orange flower water, and found in his research that cinnamon slows fermentation.

After mixing the dough, Alex forms it into rounds  and refrigerates them to ferment, which adds flavor and improves the texture. Handmade decorations resemble crossbones with a skull in the center at the top.

The completed loaf ready to go into the proof box, where it develops for 45 minutes to an hour. The bread is placed in the lab’s revolving oven where it bakes for 25 minutes.

Peña then paints the freshly baked golden brown breads with melted butter, tshen he coats them with sugar.  (see videos below). The custom is to use pink sugar for children and white sugar for adults.   Peña varies some of his loaves  by sprinkling some with sesame seeds and some with sugar.  Different regions in Mexico also each have their own tradition.

The breads are brushed with butter and then sprinkled with sesame seed or finely granulated sugar – “marrying the bread with each ingredients”

Sugar, is sprinkled on Master Alex Pena’s warm pan de muerto after being brushed with butter, pink for children and white for adults.

Master Alex Pena’s pan de muerto, as pillowy to eat as it appears

Watch Master Chef Alex make the Pan de Muerto on the YouTube show Trippy Food (www.YouTube.com/TrippyFood), hosted by Valentino Herrera

Safe! At Our Elegant, Al Fresco Ethnic (Italian, naturally) Dining Choices

Comments Off on Safe! At Our Elegant, Al Fresco Ethnic (Italian, naturally) Dining Choices

(Gerry Furth-Sides) A toast to San Antonio Winery for our first lunch outside since March! Thank you, Barbara Hansen, for a perfect first pre-Halloween restaurant outing to  our last shopping stop before lockdown in March. Now perfectly prepared for safe outdoor dining that makes any day special, owner Santo is on hand to greet us and the staff does everything to please. (How many more times can we adjust this umbrella!) The food and decorations – and wine- are better than ever.

A toast to San Antonio Winery for safe outdoor dining

You can still shop and do tastings at Historic San Antonio Winery from a vast selection of wines from the  family’s estate vineyards in Napa Valley, Monterey County, and Paso Robles appellations.

 

Tastings include a selection of elegant whites, bold reds, sparkling wines and a Sweet and Semi Sweet selection. Walk-in groups under 8 are welcome in our tasting rooms, no reservation required.  Our Artisan Flight features 4 select wines from our estate vineyards for $15.00 per person. 

San Antonio Winery and Maddalena Restaurant, 737 Lamar Street, Los Angeles, CA  900311. (323) 223-1401. Open 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. For more information, please see //www.sanantoniowinery.com 

 

img_3449Calogero Drago (shown above right with head waiter Mario, and below) also keeps a sure hand on the front of the house.  The friendly Mario (left) only looks serious and actually began his career with Chef Celestino at the original Beverly Hills location on Beverly Drive.

These days Mario oversees and hosts  the sprawling set of white tablecloth dining rooms and spacious,  welcoming veranda on Lake Street, and back patio.  (photo above and portrait below are courtesy  Celestino Restaurant)ndae8mryaoldhdxzcctwrdbpidjbb76ezhvkqvvliky

Calogero Drago celebrates 15 years on Lake street, the only Drago eatery in Pasadena.  For over twenty-five years, Celestino Ristorante has been Pasadena’s mainstay for fans of its signature house-made pastas and risottos, seafood, organic meats, and the freshest produce.

Super manager  (holding down the fort alone these days),Mario, for creating a blue sky, al fresco Birthday Eve feast for two culinary stars and friends: Food Writer, Barbara Hansen, and Master Baker, Alex Peña. Mario makes it into a dream dinner from phone reservations to toasting the table with my favorite grappa.  As always, we were the first table, and last to leave!

And try as I might to study the outstanding menu and specials, it’s always Sicilian Pappardelle on Fabiano e Morelle (pheasant and morels). Ah. Morel Mushrooms, most commonly found in their dried form, are only available fresh for just a very brief period each year. The rich, meaty flavor and texture of these fresh honeycombed mushrooms are portrayed with simplistic elegance in dishes sI googled it and my own photos came up! Read Celestino Drago’s illustrious story & restaurants, and Drago’s catering commissary take-out options

Over thirty years ago, the famed Drago Brothers set out to make their name in Los Angeles with true Sicilian food and hav become the powerhouses of all Italian cuisine. The crazy friendly and slightly frenetic  Il Pastaio and more sedate Via Alloro perk up Beverly Hills while Drago Centro is a major downtown LA attraction.

 

Celestino Ristorante is open for dinner only.  For Current hours, please see www.Celestino Ristorante.com

 

DSCN8330Q for Quality

“Marino” means “the sea,” and here fish and seafood star among the Neapolitan comfort dishes.   Sal is a familiar face at both wholesale fish markets and also local farmers markets.  And for the past decade or so, he also grew so many tomatoes in his own garden he started hosting “tomato dinners.” This year they were weekly, with the help of curated farms, and our first foray back into restaurant dining.  

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_1835.jpg

Mario and I had daydreamed of an outdoor patio under the sprawling olive tree out back, just never like this!

 

Los Angeles Magazine’s “best” pick restaurant host, Mario Marino, shares responsibilities.  Brother Sal (former owner-chef of Il Grano, La Bottega Marino), oversees the kitchen.  (Marino ristorante) is one of the 31 restaurants in Los Angeles to earn the The “Ospitalita’ Italiana – Seal of Authenticity”, after passing an extensive series of rigorous tests.

Dad Ciro (who passed away in 2009) created Marino Ristorante as an old school formal dining room in 1979.  The menu is respected for being  as fresh as the fish and seafood the brothers continue to carefully pick out each morning at the downtown markets.   Marino,  the first restaurant to feature whole Branzino (Chilean Sea Bass),  still offers it three ways: grilled, Blackened and baked in a coating of sea salt. And these days there are new innovative events to celebrate, such as the Italian Bike Tour dinners, which features menus from the towns visited by the bikers, and champagne meal pairings.

marino ristorante, 6001 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA  90038, (323) 466-8812.  For more information please see (www.marinoristorante.com)

\

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_1802.jpg

Celebrate the World Series and More with Historic Primo’s Donuts “LA Baseballs”

Comments Off on Celebrate the World Series and More with Historic Primo’s Donuts “LA Baseballs”

Celia & Ralph’s celebration  2020 World Series “Dodger Donuts” at Primo’s Donuts

Henry is smiling behind that mask for Celia & Ralph’s 2020 World Series “Dodger Donuts” celebration  at Primo’s Donuts

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Acclaimed Primo’s Donuts, a family-owned LA favorite since 1956, is currently serving “Dodger Donuts” to celebrate the 2020 World Series.  Owners Ralph and Celia Primo, avid Dodgers fans, invite everyone to share their excitement about the Dodgers being in the World Series, which they hope will help the Dodgers being home a  Series victory to Los Angeles.

Ralph Primo Sr. also celebrates his 90th birthday during the World Series, and a Dodgers win would be the perfect gift.

Celia & Ralph’s celebration  2020 World Series “Dodger Donuts” at Primo’s Donuts at home

“We really love the Dodgers, they are our Dodgers,”  say Celia and Ralph.  “We watch every game, and we are there rooting for them like we do every year.  They are going to make it this year, go all the way, and make us very happy.”

Founded in 1956 by husband and wife, Ralph & Celia Primo, Los Angeles staple Primo’s Donuts is consistently ranked as one of the top donut shops in the city since its opening. The family run business spans three generations and 63 years in business.  “Regulars” and destination customers fill the no-nonsense little place for a traditional donut shop experience of daily fresh-baked donuts including the renowned Buttermilk Bar.  www.primosdonuts.com

The famous buttermilk bar and jelly cake donuts at Primo’s Donuts

Primo’s Donuts cake doughnuts come in plain, maple-iced and glazed in chocolate and cherry.  The donut texture has been described as  magnificent—sensationally moist and hardly bogged down by oil, definitely one of the very best cake doughnuts that we’ve ever encountered in our fair city.

A cake donut is made with a sweetened dough that’s leavened with the help of baking powder, and is extruded into oil to cook. It’s firm, often with a slightly crunchy exterior and a soft, cake-like interior.  The jelly donut below is what the best cake donut looks like.  (A yeast donut made with a yeast dough is cut out into a shape before being fried. They’re light and airy, but have a chew and slight yeast flavor.)

The Primo’s Donuts jelly (cake) donut inside

This celebration follows more good news from the summer. Primo’s Donuts recently announced they have a planned opening of a new shop in the former Stan’s Donuts location in the heart of Westwood Village this fall.  According to Ralph and Celia Primo, “We were so upset when we heard that Stan’s had decided to close its doors early due to COVID-19. There aren’t many family-owned mom and pops like us left that bake donuts fresh every morning, and we have always felt that we shared the same type of customers and vision for our businesses. The location in the heart of Westwood Village is so iconic, and we are honored to have a chance to open our doors here. We wish Stan the best in his retirement.”

Celia & Ralph’s 2020 celebration includes opening a Primo’s Donuts location on the site of the shuttered Westwood favorite, Stan’s (photo courtesy Primo Donuts)

The Primo’s own story is just as sentimental.  Celia and Ralph Primo “happened to” purchase the failing doughnut shop on a whim back in 1956. The story is that one spring day, the family was driving down Los Angeles’ Sawtelle Boulevard when their toddler spotted a  giant plywood donut sitting atop a nondescript strip-mall storefront. He insisted on having a donut.  So Ralph Primo went in to buy donuts for their son, and came out an owner.

Celia & Ralph Primo on their wedding day over seven decades ago.  (photo courtesy Primo Donuts)

The Primos had been on their way home after a disappointing day of house hunting, one of their first steps in  “fulfilling their American dream”.  At the time, Ralph Primo was a night student, looking to take on a second job for the summer.  When he asked the shop’s owner about being hired part-time, owner, Paul Hodges, told him the help he needed after failing for six months in the business, was a new owner. Primo remembers asking the price, which Hodges told him was $2000.

When he returned to the car with the bag of donuts, Primo told Celia they had just bought the shop. The plan at the the time was to “run the business for a year – build it up – then sell it and we’ll get a better house, ” according to Ralph.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Primo’s Donuts, 2918 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (parking in back lot).

Slow Food Conference 2020 Offers Virtual Seminars

Comments Off on Slow Food Conference 2020 Offers Virtual Seminars

(Gerry Furth-Sides, content and photos provided by Slow Food Conference 2020) The ongoing health crisis has refocused everyone’s attention on the central role of food and the importance of the food chain, in all countries around the world.

On World Food Day, it is necessary more than ever to think about the food system, food production, food distribution and methods of consumption – globally, and also individually.

The Slow Food network engaged in the discussion and shared it by way of successive online events they offer online for viewing for six months on the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2020 platform. In addition to the online events, many physical events will take place around the world. To find out more, click here.

My beloved LaVazza I am thrilled to know is “one of the good guys,” a presenterTerra Madre network

This reflection is absolutely necessary, in view of the scale of the health, environmental, economic, social and, specifically, food emergency. But Covid-19 can and must also be an extraordinary opportunity to open our eyes and find solutions: to the climate and environmental crisis; to the economic crisis caused by a development model based on unsustainable, endless growth; to social injustice and to unequal distribution of wealth; to large sections of the population being denied their fundamental rights; to the migrant crisis, and so on.

Nourishing the Terra Madre network around the world, by bringing together delegates, members and activists around the most important Slow Food projects, and maintaining a high level of public awareness around these issues is the objective of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in the time of Covid.

 

The first few days after the start of the event confirmed that the intuition of the organizers – Slow Food, the Piedmont Region and the City of Turin – who accepted the challenge of holding an event that has been revolutionized in terms of times, locations and formats, was right.

One of the most significant contributions published in the last few days is the video talk by Fritijof Capra, an Austrian physicist, economist and writer, who opened the Food Talks series with an analysis of Covid-19: “The coronavirus must be seen as a biological response of Gaia, our living planet, to the ecological and social emergency that humanity has brought upon itself. It arose from an ecological imbalance and it has dramatic consequences because of social and economic imbalances. […] Ethical behavior, which means behavior for the common good, becomes an issue of life and death in a pandemic. Because a pandemic like Covid-19 can only be overcome by collective, cooperative actions.”

There has been no shortage of stories and suggestions from the Slow Food network: “I live in India, I work in India and in my world we can see the impact of climate change happening in our lives. It is affecting the poorest, it is affecting the most marginalized. Let’s be very clear: if the poor are the victims of climate change today, the rich will also be victims of climate change tomorrow” pointed out Sunita Narain, an Indian environmentalist and activist, and Director General of the Center for Science and Environment, who participated in the Asian episode of the global relay.

“We have to urgently rethink this model of society, because everyone agrees that the best, most nutritious dish is the one that’s rich in variety and color. But the same logic isn’t applied on a social level. And we are afraid of monoculture. And “monoculturization”. Because any type of monoculture kills” stressed Célia Xakriabá, indigenous leader of the Xakriabá people, speaking from Brazil in the South American episode.

“Since the beginning of civilization, food has always been thought of as precious and, all of a sudden, it’s not anymore. Food should be cheap and it should be easy to eat. And so this is the starting point of our Slow Food revolution, food that regains value and is built on the values of stewardship, nourishment, equality and diversity. There’s no better place than the public school system” said  Alice Waters, an American cook and author, and a food education activist, during the North American episode.

Cuisines

Authors