A Spoonful of Sofrito: Peach Gazpacho with Toasted Almonds!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Daniel Humm's Peach Gazpacho with Toasted Almonds

Sofrito Lovers,

ChowHound has done it again!  Another delicious recipe to try for the weekend! Summer is almost upon us and that means that the stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, etc...) are in season.  Why not enjoy this season's peaches with a Gazpacho?

I've never prepared this recipe, but I'm excited to try it.  The picture alone has me salivating, I bet the dish will be sweet, tart, and earthy!  I'll let you know how it tastes!  Challenge yourself and make a yummy stone fruit gazpacho!

Read it, prepare it, and taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

Daniel Humm, the chef at Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, has a way with gazpacho, his Go-To Dish. He follows the seasons, and makes the soup with whatever fruits or vegetables strike his fancy at the markets. Late-summer peaches shine in this version. Chop the ingredients, let them marinate, blend it all up, and your light lunch is ready.

Adapted from Daniel Humm

Check out the recipe here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Have you ever eaten Boiled peanuts?

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of Advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Have you ever eaten Boiled peanuts?

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Boiled peanuts are an amazing Southern Treat!  I've only tasted them once, when I went to Georgia and encountered them in a small general store.  They were sold in small Styrofoam cups for $5; I was told they were a Southern delicacy.  It was love at first bite!  The peanuts are soft, savory, and have an incredibly unique beany flavor that's hard to describe.

Below I've posted a video from Emmymadeinjapan, one of my favorite YouTube sites, which features a recipe on how to make Boiled Peanuts.  The first time I saw this video, I knew I had to blog about it because Boiled peanuts are such an unknown incredible treat.  Why should Southerners have all the fun?  it's time we all had some delicious Boiled peanuts, please enjoy!

Watch it, cook it, and taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nqe4aR_LM4

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen Soft-Opens on Columbia Street With Hot Chicken Galore

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen Soft-Opens on Columbia Street With Hot Chicken Galore

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Here's another awesome reason to visit Brooklyn: Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen has finally opened!  It features Craft beer, Bomshakalaka chicken, and Nashville Style Hot Chicken! What more could we ask for from Top Chef Alum and NYC's most favorite Chew co-host Carla Hall?  

I don't know about you, but this weekend I'm making my way to Brooklyn to enjoy some awesome Nashville style Southern comfort food!  I hope to see you there!

Check out Eater.com's article on Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen below!  Read it and then head to the BK, ASAP!  ¡Buen Provecho!

Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen Soft-Opens on Columbia Street With Hot Chicken Galore

by Patty Diez May 31, 2016, 2:58p @pattydiez

  

Don't miss stories. Follow Eater NY

 

It's the chef's love letter to Nashville

After months of anticipation, Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen soft-opened yesterday in the old Whiskey Soda Lounge space. Located across the street from Andy Ricker's Pok Pok NY, Carla Hall's fast-casual restaurant is serving Nashville-style hot chicken. This is the TV chef's first official, standalone restaurant — she has a comfort food stall at Barclays Center, and she previously operated a counter in the temporarily closed Gansevoort Market.

Check out the rest of the article.

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Quick and Easy Sancocho (Puerto Rican root veggie soup)!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Quick and Easy Sancocho 

(Puerto Rican root veggie soup)

Sofrito Lovers,

This weekend, I cooked a delicious, quick, and easy Sancocho (Puerto Rican Root Veggie soup) for my partner David.  He's been feeling under the weather and I thought a nice, nutritious, and yummy soup might lift his spirits and make him feel better. 

I used my recipe for a quick and simple sancocho.  It's quick and simple because I use Jamon de cocinar (smoked ham steak), Sachichon (cooked salami), or Chorizo (Spanish sausage) instead of the usual beef ribs, chicken parts, or pork pieces. 

     

Usually those meats have to be boiled for an hour or more, but with this recipe your sancocho is ready quicker.  I brown the jamon, sachicon, or chorizo, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook.  It really is quick and easy!

Below is my recipe for Sancocho; cook it, taste it, and ¡Buen Provecho!

Quick and Easy Sancocho

Ingredients:

2 or 3 small potatoes

1 or 2 platanos

1 medium chayote

Cilantro bundle

1 medium onion

2 medium sized carrots

2 ears of corn

1 piece of Yucca

1 piece of Yautia

1 piece of Calabasa

Jamon de cocinar, chorizo, or sachichon

Seasoning:

1 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp sofrito

1 tsp of salt or adobo

1 packet of ham seasoning/cubito de jamon

4oz of tomato sauce

1 Packet of Sazon

2 tsp of powdered garlic

1 tsp of onion powder

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 Tbsp of Oregano

1 Bay leaf

Directions:

Wash, peel, and chop all the veggies into medium to large chunks.

Brown the jamon/chorizo/sachichon in a large size caldero under medium high heat

until the oil and moisture are released.

Once the meat is brown, add the veggies, and enough water until the veggies are covered.

Turn the heat to high and add all the dry seasoning, the tomato sauce, and sofrito. 

Mix well. Taste for seasoning and use cubito de jamon and a few sprigs of cilantro.

Bring to a roaring boil, then cover, lower heat to medium-low, and let cook for 20 minutes.

A Spoonful of Sofrito: One Pot Pasta Primavera!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

One Pot Pasta Primavera!

Sofrito Lovers,

I am a one pot wonder lover!  Being an amateur cook, anything I can do to make the cooking experience easy, fun, and less complicated is for me.  Tasty Videos publishes these awesome recipes that are exactly what I am looking for.  
No fuss, no muss!  Just an easy, quick, and fun way to prepare a dish without having to manage several burners at once or tire me out with a million steps.  Check out this awesome video on a One Pot Pasta Primavera.  IT WAS DELICIOUS!

Watch it, cook it, and taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: What Everyone Should Know About Eating To Fight Inflammation!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

What Everyone Should Know About Eating To Fight Inflammation

Sofrito Lovers,

Recently, I was diagnosed with Trigger Finger in my left hand, which is a tendon inflammation issue that prevents me from closing my hand properly.  I've been using a special splint on my finger to help me regain some mobility, but the real issue is how my body is dealing with inflammation.  I've decided to alter my diet a bit to help me find a way to correct my finger deformation.

I've been researching what foods help fight inflammation and came across the article posted below from Mindbodygreen.com.  Blueberries, Ginger, and Green tea are a few foods that can be easily added to your diet to help fight inflammation, arthritis, and other related issues.  Certain vitamins and minerals can also help any immune system calm inflammatory issues and help boost a person's overall health.

If you're dealing with inflammatory issues, then you'll find the article posted below really interesting.  Read and learn!  ¡Buen Provecho!

What Everyone Should Know About Eating To Fight Inflammation

By Dr. William Cole    May 12, 2016   4:00 am

Inflammation is not inherently bad. After all, we need inflammation to fight off infection and heal. We would all be goners without healthy inflammation levels. But as with everything in the body (and the world, really), it's all about balance. 

When inflammation runs wild without stopping, it becomes associatedwith many modern diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

Check out the rest of the article here.

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Crazy, hypocritical vegans are driving me insane.

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of Advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Crazy, hypocritical vegans are driving me insane

 

Sofrito Lovers,

As much as I poke fun at my vegan friends, I love them and their commitment to life, the environment, and health.  Veganism does have it's benefits and can be a socially conscience and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

BUT, like most humanity, Vegans can be a bit overbearing and sanctimonious about their dietary decisions.  Not to say that we omnivores are perfect because we are far from it, but Vegans can really be a handful when they start lecturing about the benefits of their veganism and how "unenlightened" others are for eating the way they choose to.  sometimes, they can be very judgemental and "holier-than-thou!"

Posted below is an article, written by Steve Cuozzo from the New York Post, about the dangers of Vegan hypocrisy and introduces us to SciBabe, a blog that debunks nutrition myths.

By no means is this vegan bashing or an attack on homeopathic medicine, this article provides insight into another aspect of the vegan discussion and gives us a more holistic look at the lifestyle and culture.  Nothing is perfect and discussing different aspects of a culture allow us to learn more about it.

Read it, go eat something healthy, and ¡Buen Provecho!

Crazy, hypocritical vegans are driving me insane

By Steve Cuozzo

May 18, 2016 | 4:16am-New York Post

 

To anyone fed up with full-of-themselves vegans, it was delicious to learn that Sarma Melngailis, the former owner of vegan-food mecca Pure Food and Wine, had ordered a cheese-filled Domino’s pizza before she was arrested last week for alleged fraud and grand larceny. Cops had hunted her for nearly a year since she vanished after being sued for not paying employees’ wages.

But Melngailis — whose Gramercy Park restaurant was holy ground to those who shun not only meat and fish, but “animal-derived products” such as dairy and even honey — was merely the latest vegan hypocrite.

Check out the rest of the article here.