Food
Easy, heart-healthy sardine avocado toast
The humble tinned sardine has never gotten a fair shake. Tender and a little salty, these tiny members of the herring family typically lack any unpleasant fishy odor or taste, and are packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-12, calcium and other beneficial minerals.
The American Heart Association recommends eating oily fish twice a week, and tinned fish like sardines are an easy, inexpensive, shelf-stable choice. Combined with heart-healthy avocado and a fried or poached egg, sardine avocado toast is filling and delicious. And with fish as the star protein, hungry folks who observe Lenten fasting days can also enjoy it anytime.
Ingredients
4 slices sturdy bread
1 large ripe avocado
4 large eggs
1 tin sardines (we recommend smoked sardines in olive oil)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch garlic powder
Balsamic vinegar
Peel and mash the avocado. Add lemon juice, garlic powder and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside, then open sardines and remove filets from the oil — you’ll need about two filets per slice, depending on the size of the filets. With a fork, break the sardine filets into chunks and discard any stray pin bones you find. Set aside and put the bread into the toaster. While your bread toasts, drizzle oil into a skillet and place over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Fry eggs to desired doneness (or poach in a water bath, if you prefer).
To serve, spread each slice of toasted bread with mashed avocado and top with your desired quantity of sardines. Lay a fried egg on top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Add more salt and pepper if desired and serve.
Food
How to safely deep-fry a turkey
Deep-fried turkey is actually a Cajun tradition and is an increasingly popular way to cook the main course.
It’s not the safest way — in fact, many people have burned their houses while attempting to do it. The number of burn victims from deep-frying reaches into the hundreds each year. The National Fire Protection Association and the American Burn Association discourage cooking a turkey in this manner, but because it produces a more flavorful bird with crispy skin, people continue to deep-fry.
Some advice from Underwriters Laboratories:
* Get a sturdy turkey fryer with four legs and a built-in thermostat, so the oil maintains the proper temperature.
* Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and dry, or you could be spattered with oil and severely burned.
* Fry outside and far away from your house.
* Follow instructions on the size of turkey to put into your fryer and how much oil to use. Splashing oil can ignite and turn your fryer into a flamethrower.
* Wear gloves designed for deep-frying.
* Never leave the fryer unattended.
Food
Raking leaves? You might be missing a treat
Autumn leaves are a beauty — and a chore to rake — in autumn, but in Japan’s city of Minoh, they are also a snack.
According to legend, around 1,300 years ago, a traveler to the Minoo Taki waterfall in Osaka’s Hokusetsu region was so enamored of the beauty of autumn maple leaves that naturally, he decided to fry them. Thus, a new treat was born.
Maple leaves are picked from the tree, soaked in salt water for a year, then coated with a tempura batter, sesame seeds, and sugar before they’re fried in oil.
The first maple leaf store opened in 1910 in Minoh, 10 miles north of Osaka.
Food
Turkish delight: A timeless treat
The Haci Bekir sweet shop in Istanbul has been selling Turkish delight — known as lokum in Turkish — since 1777 when the shop’s founder invented the sweet treat.
If you can’t make it to Istanbul to pick up their version, you can try it yourself at home and impress your holiday guests with Turkey’s favorite candy. You may want a second set of hands to help you with this challenging but worthwhile recipe. Make sure to follow each step carefully to ensure that your Turkish delight sets up correctly.
Ingredients:
4 cups granulated sugar
4-1/2 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/4 cups cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1-1/2 tablespoons rose water or orange flower water
2 drops red or orange food coloring (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
Line a 9 by 9-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the sugar, 1-1/2 cups of water, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, and the mixture boils. With a wet pastry brush, brush down the sides of the pan to discourage crystallization and insert a candy thermometer to track the temperature. Allow the sugar to continue boiling, but do not stir, until it reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer, which will take up to an hour. Meanwhile, gather the rest of the ingredients and start cooking the other components when the sugar reaches about 225. Combine the remaining 3 cups of water with the cornstarch and cream of tartar in a larger saucepan and whisk until the starch dissolves and no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil while constantly whisking — the mixture will become thick and paste-like.
When the sugar syrup reaches 240, remove it from the heat and immediately start slowly and carefully pouring it into the cornstarch mixture while whisking to incorporate. Slow whisking will help you avoid lumps.
Reduce heat and simmer on low for about an hour, whisking every 8 to 10 minutes until the candy turns a light golden color and the consistency is thick and gluey. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rose water or orange flower water and the food coloring. Pour the candy into the prepared pan and leave it uncovered to set overnight.
The next day, dust a clean counter or cutting board with powdered sugar, then lift the candy from the pan using the foil to help you. Flip it facedown into the powdered sugar, then peel the foil away and dust with more sugar. Slice the candy into small squares with an oiled knife and dust the sides of each square with additional powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Eat as soon as possible. Store in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.
Food
Meringue ghosts
You won’t be able to resist these sweet, light, and crispy ghosts. Decorate them yourself or with someone you love.
Ingredients
Yield: 16
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 tube of black or brown gel icing
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 F and prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour about a cup of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. In a large metal bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Place the bowl over the pot of boiling water to create a double boiler. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
3. Heat the mixture, constantly whisking, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Carefully pour the mixture into a pastry or resealable plastic bag with a cut corner.
4. Pipe 16 ghost shapes. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for three hours. Turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar to let the meringue ghosts dry for at least two hours. When the meringues are completely cooled, decorate them with gel icing.
Food
Ratatouille
Have you harvested lots of delicious vegetables from your garden or stocked up on produce at your local farmers’ market? Whip up this fall classic and get ready to enjoy!
Ingredients
Servings: 6
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 10 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 2 yellow zucchinis, cut into thin slices
• 2 green zucchinis, cut into thin slices
• 2 eggplants, cut into thin slices
• 4 Roma tomatoes, cut into thin slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a large oven-safe pan, sauté the onion and 4 cloves of garlic in half the olive oil. When the onion is translucent, add the peppers and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the diced tomatoes and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to create a smooth sauce. Season the sauce with half the basil.
2. In the same pan, lay the vegetable slices flat, alternating to create a spiral.
3. Coat them with remaining olive oil, basil, last garlic clove, parsley, thyme, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
Food
Pumpkin bread: Good anytime
Even pumpkin spice skeptics will enjoy this richly spiced pumpkin bread, which stirs together quickly and makes a tall, dense loaf (or muffins, if you prefer). Use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour for a little extra fiber and a nuttier taste. The loaf lends itself well to experimentation — try some orange zest or a little ground allspice.
Ingredients
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2/3 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Two pinches of ground cloves
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
To finish the loaf:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a 6-cup loaf pan. Stir together pumpkin, oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and stir again. Add flour and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mix on top — this will create a crisp crust. Bake for about 70 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
For standard-sized muffins, bake for around 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
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