Storm Eats : Gourmet Meals from a Can

Release Your Canned Inspiration!

We’ve all experienced the lack of electricity, no refrigeration, cabin fever feelings during a storm. We scramble for sliced bread, cases of water, and an array of canned food in hopes to maintain some sense of past normal days until mother nature passes. Between past snow storms and the current days of Hurricane Sandy, we can all relate to the “lack there of” of just about everything. However, just because everything in the kitchen is dry or comes out of can doesn’t mean we can’t take the delicious out of a can too! Here are some of the ways I try to stay fresh in the kitchen with limited culinary resources.

            First off, some of the most common produce that add flavor and substance to many dishes items don’t require refrigeration. From the base flavor of dishes, like onions or garlic, to filling starches, like potatoes or rice, these items can be kept for days on your kitchen counter. When left whole, tomatoes and avocado are unlikely thought to have lying around, but add color and flavor to many gourmet meals. With just a couple of sprinkles of dry spices, a cutting board, and some boiling water, not many would guess you were cooking in the dark.

            More often than not, when most people think of canned food, no one gets very excited. There are some easy ways to add subtle touches to liven up a boring old bowl of canned soup. Take that sliced bread you bought to make that PB & J sandwich, sprinkle it with some garlic powder and olive oil, and toast it in the oven. When broken into chunks, you just created some fresh crostini to lay on top of your soup. A good garden vegetable soup can also emerge from your pantry with assorted canned vegetables and the stock I mentioned earlier. To make it even heartier, add chunks of boiled potato or rice. It’s filling, tasty, and a perfect savory snowstorm dish.

            In the spirit of spicing up a common dish and creativity, consider adding things to traditional mac & cheese from a box. By taking jarred roasted red peppers, canned artichoke hearts, and seasoned breadcrumbs, you can create a cheesy dish that grace the menus of many New York City restaurants. For a little something next to a glass of red wine and wood burning fire, why not put together a small antipasto platter? Many antipasto inspired ingredients are non-perishable items. Italian dried meats, provolone or parmesan cheese chunks, and olives compliment the majority full bodied red wines on the market. 

            Now if you’re looking for a little something not-so-heavy, to snack on while playing a board game, a sweet fruit salad or classic bean salad could be just the thing. By taking canned pineapple, oranges, and peaches, adding a little granola and drizzled honey, a healthy morning parfait isn’t out of reach. A classic bean salad is one of the simplest to create, especially in a time crunch or with limited resources. Draining assorted beans, like chickpeas or kidney beans, add olive oil, salt & pepper, and diced red onion; you have a gourmet bean salad.

            I know a storm can be stressful to say the least, and there are a lot of worries. However with a few of these tips and a little creativity in the kitchen, a delicious family meal doesn’t require all the comforts of a fully functioning kitchen. Spicing up your pantry sure beats putting another puzzle together anyway.

Happy Cooking!

With Love,

Grace

A Post Thanksgiving Feast

Grace Balducci Doria's Thanksgiving Table

 

Thanksgiving Deconstructed: Post Holiday From Breakfast to Dinner

                We all know that the Thanksgiving holiday is a time for family, gratitude and reflection; but most of all a great big feast. There are some brave kitchenites that brave the test of creating delicious dishes from scratch, but then there are others that contact their favorite caterers, hopefully Grace’s, to take the culinary stress away. However your feast is acquired, we all have one goal in mind, deliciousness. The day comes and you have more than enough of every dish, guests who are more than full, and the last thing anyone wants to see is another helping of cornbread stuffing.  Every host of the holiday is wondering “What am I going to do with all these left overs?” I’m here to let everyone know that the old fashion turkey sandwich, although timeless, is so yesterday!

                Let’s start off with the pounds of turkey you have sitting in your fridge. Turkey can be as universal as you want it to be. The classic turkey sandwich is always a good choice. With just a little bit of your favorite stuffing, some cranberry conserve, a whole ladle of piping hot gravy, and freshly toasted bread, there’s a meal in itself. But let’s go a little beyond the obvious, because I like a little challenge in the kitchen. Think of it this way… Turkey is just a leaner form of chicken; any savory dish of chicken can be made with turkey. Just to name a few: Turkey Pot Pie (getting rid of veggies too), Omelets with fresh Turkey, Turkey Milanese, and Turkey Paninis w. Brie and some left over Apple Pie filling.

                As far as the vegetables go, meaning all the green beans, asparagus, carrots, and the list goes on and on… Going back to the turkey, you make Turkey Pot Pie or soup; all you need is a little chopping action and some broth. It’s a perfect cold winter night’s meal. In ways of breakfast, a lean veggie omelet would hit the spot right after a heavy holiday meal. A classic Italian favorite of mine, frittata, would be ideal post this holiday. My mom used to say, in Italian of course, a frittata is the perfect way to get rid of everything in your fridge without being wasteful.

                Now for the potatoes, which I consider even more useful than the bird! Roasted potatoes can be a great breakfast tool. They can be thrown into almost any egg concoction that would make any vegetarian satisfied. And of course home fries… Who doesn’t love a crispy helping of home fries?! How about some homemade French fries? Mashed Potatoes, which are more prevalent on the holiday table, can be made into a delicious croquette; use yesterday’s turkey gravy as your dipping sauce! Sweet Potatoes can be substitutes, and used in almost any traditional recipe.

                Being the matriarch of a family where the holidays consist of cooking for no less than thirty hungry bellies, I never know if I have enough, so leftovers are always an issue. And year after year, when everyone has gone home, I let out a big sigh and wonder what to do with everything. But when I look back on it, doing my shopping and menu planning, I’ve come to realize a repetitive, yet humorous theme. This whole time, I wasn’t thinking about what I’m serving on Thanksgiving; I was looking forward to all of the fun, pseudo- dishes I would get make afterwards. It’s not like a good portion of the family group won’t help out with the post feast… 

Happy Cooking!

With Love,

Grace

Post Thanksgiving Menu

Turkey Breast – Turkey Pot Pie, Omelet w. Fresh Turkey, Turkey Milanese, Turkey Panini, Sandwiches and Wraps

Assorted Vegetables – Turkey Pot Pie Filling, Vegetarian Omelet, Soup Vegetables, Italian Frittata, Stuffed Mushrooms

Potatoes – Assorted Egg dishes, Home Fries, French Fries, Croquettes 

Summertime Grilling

After a long cold winter, summer is finally here! It’s time to open up the pool, dust off the patio furniture, and most importantly fire up that grill. Whether you’re the “hostess with the mostess” like me, or a simple party planner who serves a couple of beers and a nice chip and dip platter, here are some guaranteed tips to make any gathering a delicious one. From stocking up the fridge, to easy prep, parties can be just as fun for you as it is for your guests, not to mention you’ll impress a couple of palettes as well.

1.       In the fridge

As far as the fridge is concerned, some good dips (homemade or not), and a little assortment of beer and soda, you can’t go wrong. In all the parties I have thrown, if there’s one thing that I’ve noticed is that no matter what kind of guest, everyone loves snacking rather than making heavy plates. When you put food out in smaller bites or quantities, hungry guests are less reluctant to pick it up. Putting the same exact Mozzarella Caprese salad on Crostini instead of platter makes all the difference. And with Beverages…One domestic beer, an imported one, a light beer, and a couple of sodas, you’re set. Sure you can get into the mixed drinks and wines, but maintenance comes into play, and everything gets overwhelming for the host. Backyards are informal so keep it simple.

2.       The Pantry

Chips and Crackers, Chips and Crackers, and did I mention…Chips and Crackers. I cannot stress this enough to any host, a pantry should always have some form crispy accompaniment. Chips are a classic snack, and crackers can be dipped and scooped any way you like. No need to go over the top, a classic plain chip, or any flavor of choice; same goes for the crackers. Try not to get too unique though, not everyone appreciates the exotic flavors.

Helpful Hint: If you have some old fresh bread or maybe pita, throw it on baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. You can even do a quick flip on the grill. You have homemade crusty Crostini.

3.       The Grill & All that goes with it

The grill can be your outdoor kitchen; not only for meat, but vegetables, fish, pizza, and even an oven or toaster. I’ve even been known to throw a frying pan on the grill. I always recommend marinating whatever you grill a head of time. It not only enhances the flavor of any meat, but tenderizes it as well. Steak and chicken are your best bet because they have equal grilling time depending on thickness. The majority of veggies are excellent on the grill with just a little olive oil and salt, especially corn! Burgers and hot dogs are a given so I’m not going to bore you with that. However you can always get a little creative with the toppings, like different types of cheese, spicy pickles, or sautéed onion.

However you slice it, dice, grill it, or flip it, it’s difficult to argue the flavor the grill brings to the table. An ice cold beer and a quality plate of BBQ specialties is a difficult meal to top, but if done right, your house will be the summer destination of choice. 

The Seasons of Graces

The Seasons of Grace's

We’ve all heard the expression “going back to our roots.” In my personal experience, I take this in both a very literal and figurative way. Growing up, Balducci's began when I was just a little girl as a produce market. My father and mother, Louis and Maria Balducci, strictly sold the freshest, highest quality produce, and only that. There was no such thing as a Prime Meat department or Coffee Bar, we sold what we knew, and that was the most delicious farm grown products a New York market had to offer.

If there is one story I like to tell over and over again, it’s the one about my pop and his watermelon.  When I was a teenager, my pop bought this huge watermelon from Chile…the first of its kind in New York City. My mom and I thought he was crazy buying something that no one had ever heard of, but his response was always “whatever I don’t sell, I’ll bring it home to my family.” After that one item, Balducci’s quickly became the go-to market for any and everything of quality and exotic origins.

Nowadays, with both markets in full swing, we still try to maintain the same principles my parents displayed. However we’ve changed a couple of things. When you go to other markets, they carry certain produce items year round regardless of their quality just to say “yeah we have that.” In Grace’s we believe fruit and vegetables are the fashion of nature, everything has a season. Figs, berries, melon; all of these have a height season, where their flavor and texture cannot be disputed as anything but nature’s candy.

Between my late husband and founder of Grace’s Marketplace, Joseph Doria, and his brother Dominick Doria, they only believed in selling the best at its best. In both stores we have a veteran produce staff that is more than willing to help you select the ripest melon or sweetest pear.

I always encourage and stress that all shoppers buy only what’s in season, hence why Grace’s only carries certain produce items respectively. I wouldn’t sell anything to my customers that I wouldn’t serve to my own family. When we start to carry things out of season like some of my competitors, where do you think they are getting their products from? Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica… All places that are quite far from us require a long process of shipping, and not to mention the health risks. I know organic produce is all the rage right now and rightfully so, but what’s point if the product is sub-par to begin with? 

Sometimes you are going to have a craving for something, or have a recipe that requires a specific product, but always keep in mind the seasons. There is always something comparable, always a substitute that you can use and will probably taste better. I personally love figs. Growing up there was nothing better than when my parents brought home ripe figs with a little cheese or prosciutto…it’s the best. But I know it’s a treat you can’t have all the time, and I wouldn’t want to because it just not the same.

So next time you come into Grace’s and you’re looking for a little something fresh, keep in mind, if Grace’s doesn’t carry it at the moment, it’s because we know you wouldn’t enjoy it.

Happy Cooking!

 With Love,

Grace

Pasta

Pasta, pasta and more Pasta

               Where would Italian cuisine be without the timeless classic pasta? I can’t think of a more versatile base of a dish, from all the different cuts, textures, and appearances. I honestly don’t know what my dinner table would look like without it.

                Ever since I was a little girl, pasta was always on the menu. No matter what the season, no matter the theme, if there wasn’t pasta it wasn’t a meal.  It could pair with just about anything my mother made, it was extremely filling for the average hard working Italian family, and above all, it was CHEAP! I remember helping my mother roll out flour in all different shapes, depending on what sauce she was making.  As I got a little older and became more exposed to “gourmet” foods, I came to see that what I was eating at the dinner table every night was becoming more and more in popular demand to the culinary world.

                Today you walk down the aisles of a supermarket, or a gourmet store like Grace’s Marketplace, and how many different brands, cuts, colors, and price ranges of pasta do you see? There are hundreds…so many that even I get lost every once in a while. But whenever I get a little overwhelmed, I just take a step back and immediately bring it back to basics.  From the creation to the cooking process, so many different elements come into play when choosing the right pasta. Do I want traditional or whole wheat? What about an egg noodle? And what about those crazy colored and shaped pastas that are triple the price for half a pound?  Here are some of the things that I have taken with me throughout all my years in the kitchen…

                First let’s start with the basis of the pasta, its only flour, water, and a little finesse. The majority of pasta I have seen are made with Durham wheat. Now even though a lot of pastas are made with this base, it is the machinery and the process that creates different levels of quality. When the pasta is made up of finely processed wheat, and created with bronze-based machinery, that is when the product is at its utmost quality, and of course on the pricier side. These finer pastas are usually paired with lighter sauces, and make a phenomenal presentation, such as a Fernando Pansato or Cipriani. They also have a much shorter cook time.

And how could I forget this new craze with whole wheat pasta… My take on changing the overall chemistry of a good cut of pasta is; it doesn’t hurt any of us to become a little more health conscious. Is the taste and texture different? Yes. Does it alter the dish in anyway? Not really. But does it make all of us feel a little less guilty for enjoying our favorite traditional dishes? You better believe it. Then there are your alternative egg based pastas, which tend to be much richer. The egg pastas are always much heavier because their binding agent has a much greater density than the traditional wheat. I rarely ever use them because I personally don’t like the consistency. But then again, everything is preference.

So now I know what kind of flavor I want, and what kind of dish I’m prepping for, but I have to pick the cut of pasta? I have no idea when all these different shapes, lengths, colors, and crazy combinations of all three flooded the market! When I was young, everything was simple and easy; and if you didn’t find what you were looking for within the ten choices, my mother went home and made it herself. When picking a specific cut, I go back to what sauce I am going to dress the pasta with. Believe me it makes all the difference in the world. Pasta with indentations, grooves, or any type of curving shape are best for thicker sauces. These types of noodles grip the sauce, absorbing all of its savory, hearty flavor. Smoother cuts, such as round and thicker noodles are used for lighter sauces because they are intended to be dressed rather than act as little scooping tools. The miniature cuts of pasta, like orzo or pastina, are used in soups mainly because of their size. They are extremely easy to cook; just throw it in while the soup is cooking. It acts as a thickening/filling agent for your soup, as well as being easy to scoop up with any spoon.

When I take all these factors into considering, the brand that stands out above the rest for my tastes is Montebello. It’s an organic pasta company, for those of you who place that in high regard. It consistently cooks thoroughly, and never sticks to the side of the pot or sticks together. It doesn’t have a doughy consistency, and absorbs the flavor of any sauce I top it with. Montebello is small producer in comparison to your Barilla or DeCecco types; which I think shows they put more care and effort into their product. From the packaging to the presentation, Montebello gives off a very rustic, artisanal presence. It completely reminds me of the pasta I used to make with my mother. I just get this homemade feeling, without a fraction of the labor. Absolutely fantastic!

I guess what it all comes down to is preference. My daughter Maria, who is the executive chef of the store, cooks pasta according to her taste rather than technique or recipes. Of course there are methods, but it all comes down to what you and the mouths you are feeding enjoy. I cannot believe how far pasta has come in the market today. There is always a new shape, an emerging trend,  something different to try and taste. However, the one fact that remains unwavering is the tradition in the cuisine. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason, there is no method to the madness, we all just follow what we have been taught. One thing I know for sure; what was once old in Italy, has become new again. 

                                                       Happy Cooking!

With Love, 

 Grace