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Moong Dal, Chocolate, Smoked Habanero, Kitchari easy recipes and more at chefshop.com/enews |
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The Mung Bean For both Savory and Sweet dishes! The mung bean. It is a bean that is everywhere, except perhaps in your pantry. History tells us that India was the first to cultivate the bean in 1500 AD. The bean then spread to the diets of East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Today, it is widespread, although not common here in the animal protein dominant U.S. Moong dal is the mung bean split in two, either with or without its skin. With the skin the bean is green, and without it is a pale yellow. Either/or can be used in recipes, with only the cooking times adjusted for the difference. In Indian cooking, out of all the beans, Moong dal is perhaps the most popular. Considered to be easily digestible and according to Ayurveda, the Mung bean is “tridoshic”, (a quality that is a supremely rare quality in a human). Tridoshic is described as an equal balance of Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas; the elements responsible for mental, emotional and physiological health. Though my knowledge of Ayurveda is minimal, I find it quite interesting. Food is a key ingredient to one's health, what’s not to like about that! This weekend we are sharing recipes that are classic and use Moong dal as the base. One of the big benefits is that these recipes include some of my favorite nostril filling spices. So you get the potential benefits of Moong dal mixed with spices that all have wonderful health properties, as well. (Keep in mind, I think all food is good for you, especially salty and sweet!) Shop Now for Organic Moong Dal! |
Cumin A food of a thousand years It’s a pretty fascinating spice. It has been an ingredient in foods for thousands of years. It's mentioned multiple times in the Bible, it's been used for medicinal purposes, and - get this - it's been used for preserving bodies in the mummification process in Ancient Egypt. All this from a tiny, skinny seed. Cumin (origin -Sumerian - gamun) comes from a flowering plant in the Apiaceae family, commonly known as the family of carrot. Native to the Mediterranean and India, ours comes from Morocco and the same spice “shop” in the Agora of Casablanca that our Saffron does. Kept handy like salt and pepper by the ancient Greeks, it is still part of the table setting in Morocco today. When this spice arrives at the warehouse the shop is instantly filled with the smells of the Agora! This ground Moroccan cumin is fresh and was ground by hand with a mortar and pestle! Shop now for Ground Cumin! |
Cumin Cumin Whole Seeds Whole cumin is grown in the fertile valleys to the west of Marrakech, between Chichaoua and Essaouira on the Atlantic Coast, and it is some of the most flavorful cumin in the world. It has a spicy-sweet aroma, and a pungent, powerful, sharp flavor with a slightly bitter finish. Along with coriander and anise, cumin is one of the most essential spices in the kitchen. And yes, it is good to have both types of cumin on hand...as many recipes call for one or the other or both! Shop now for Whole Cumin! |
Organic Whole Coriander Coriander! Its flavor is warm and sweetish with strong overtones of citrus, especially orange peel. Along with cumin and anise, coriander is one of the most essential spices in the kitchen. Shop now for Whole Organic Coriander! |
Black Mustard Whole Seeds! The little black seeds (Brassica nigra) are hard when you roll them around with your fingertips and in your mouth. When you bite they collapse like a hollow basketball or ping pong ball. Each seed varies in intensity of flavor with the tip of the tongue telling you "mustard". These tiny little black seeds pack a punch. Black is not nearly as bitter as white/yellow and the brown seeds have a more earthy in flavor. Once the most popular mustard seeds, Brassica nigra are hand harvested because the pods fall off when they are ripe. On the other hand, yellow and brown can be harvested mechanically and are more readily available. The enzyme myrosin is what gives mustard its mustard flavor and it is “excited” by the submersing of the seeds in a water-based liquid. Using wine, beer, vinegar or even soy sauce can make unique and exciting mustards. Keep in mind that you can justify eating a ton of mustard for it has a long list of possible healthy effects. Including healing and fixing conditions like eliminating intestinal parasites, bronchial issues, flatulence, bladder issues, or you can just soak your feet in a bath to promote circulation. Make your own beer mustard, or fry them in a little oil and add to a sauce. These little guys pack a flavorful punch! Shop now for Organic Black Mustard Seeds |
Kitchari Recipe The mixing of two grains Food that tastes good is important, critical actually. Eating food that is good for you is also important for longevity, for clarity and wellbeing. Combining the two into a dish is fun and joyful! This recipe is from our friend, John, who says he is not much of a cook and yet he seems to make food all the time and bakes a killer sourdough bread. This is, he told me, "A dish you have all the time at meals", when he visits his friends in India. His "recipe" is a list of ingredients with an emphasis, make sure you have enough water to cook the moong dal and basmati rice. While you are cooking the rice, chop your veggies and add them about half way thru the cooking of the "grains". Zucchini, asparagus, carrots are nice to add. Brussel sprouts, yellow squash and sweet potato works, too. Then, while it is all cooking together, happily heat some ghee in a pan and add the spices: Cumin, turmeric and black mustard seeds are a good place to start. Coriander, salt, and ginger work, as well. See the Kitchari Recipe here! |
Ground Turmeric Organic Think of this as a "fresh" product. It was just hand ground with mortar and pestle in the market in Casablanca and air-shipped in to the chefs. You can tell it is hand ground by the fact that it is not a fine powder. Tur•mer•ic Organically grown, freshly ground. Tur•mer•ic is one amazing, aromatic perennial herb of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family. This tuberous rhizome (root) is a flowering plant that grows in tropical locales and is most often ground fresh like wasabi, or boiled and dried, and ground to make a powder. Once upon a time it was called Indian Saffron (in fact, it is still used to dye impostor saffron) for its deep orange color. It is also know for its powerful health benefits that Indian Ayurvedic medicine and Chinese medicine have been using for 4000 years to reduce inflammation, help with toothaches, and jaundice. Perhaps its success is how it helps with flatulence and digestive issues. Like a high-quality fresh olive oil, turmeric is showing that it might also be a fighter of Alzheimer's and diabetes (caution for diabetics as it can thin blood, so always ask your doctor). Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, and it is curcumin that is believed to destroy mutated cells associated with prostate, breast, and colon cancers. It’s not just these reasons to have turmeric in your cupboard. It should be in your food for its palette enhancing, pleasing bold color. And its not just palette pleasing, it is also palate perfect for your lentils, to sprinkle on veggies, or use to brighten your eggs up. Simply add it to your favorite dishes like Moroccan Fried Rice or Singapore noodles. It seems that turmeric is a good “preventive” food, enhancing dishes and in turn, your body! Though it is also used in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, it is cultivated and eaten most frequently in India. Turmeric is peppery, woody, warm and musky with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. It is at once peppery and citrusy, with a hint of the gingerroot it resembles. Curries, pickles, pilaus and spice mixtures would be absolutely bereft without the color and flavor of turmeric. Its very mild taste lends itself well to rice, vegetable and pulse dishes. Shop now Organic Ground Turmeric! |
Moong Dal The Basic Recipe There are many names for moong dal, usually prefaced with exciting words like Indian Style or Excellent, or finished with words like Mumbai Style or Spicy. What you need to know is that it is easy to make, includes lots of ingredients without any work, and it tastes good. Check out the Basic Moong Dal Recipe! |
The Sweetness of Sardinia 100% Pomodoro of Sardinia We like these. The tomatoes are whole and nice inside the can. The flavor is tomato, the way a canned tomato should be. Use as a base to your next dish, with no added elements, so you are in control. For almost 20 years we have had one favorite canned tomato from Italy. So when this can of tomatoes came into our lives one day, I was hard pressed and a bit stubborn to change. And then I used them in my basic tomato sauce and knew this would become my new favorite! Consistently sweeter tomatoes, a richer, fuller color, and with nice soft ends. These tomatoes worked perfectly just as they should, adding to any dish, without being too strong. Perfect. Just 3 ingredients - tomatoes, tomato juice (juice from processing), and citric acid. No salt added, Non GMO, Gluten Free, BPA Free, Pesticide Free. 100% Pomodori Sardi Tomatoes from Sardinia. Like all great ingredients, there is a definite difference, in this case, from one brand to the next! These are truly good tomatoes. Shop now for Posardi Sardinian Whole Tomatoes! |
Dark Muscovado The best "brown" sugar Muscovado is a soft, moist, fine brown sugar. It's also known as Barbados sugar, where it was once made. But ours comes from the island of Mauritius off the African coast. While most brown sugar these days is made by combining already-refined white sugar with molasses-like syrup, this is the real thing, a less processed product with rich, complex flavor. Perfect for Cooking! "This sugar adds a delicious flavor to baked goods as well as sauces. I have found my 'new' brown sugar!" -- jameelah Shop now for India Tree Dark Muscovado Sugar! |
Hey Boo Ghee Grass-Fed Cultured Ghee! Understanding Ghee, in my opinion, takes away the unknown; and having it by the stove at the ready makes a good amount of sense. Ghee is butter which has been cooked over a low heat until the milk solids start to brown, giving it a little nutty caramelized flavor. The process is very similar to clarified butter in how it removes the water but cooks the milk solids. This removal of the water allows for a higher smoke point of over 460 degrees F. It is high in omega-3s and butyric acid, creating goodness for your gastrointestinal tract. In Ayurveda medicine, Ghee is prized for its digestive, anti-inflammatory properties and helps with ones memory. Ghee even has a mythic beginning from centuries ago where the deity Prajapati created Ghee from nothing. We say use Ghee to fry in! Especially potatoes! The high smoke point and its essence of butter flavor, while at the same time being awesome for you is hard to beat. Not all Ghee is created equal. It starts with the cows and what they eat. These grass-fed cows live in the natural pastures of Northern California. They help create a European style cultured butter, which is then slow cooked to produce this Ghee. It is all these elements together that matter, and all of them together is what creates this excellent Ghee from Hey Boo. Try some now and if you haven't tried Hey Boo's, you should! Shop Now for Grass Fed Cultured Ghee! |
Magic 7 Layer Basic Cookie Flashback Recipe! From the can of Borden's Eagle Brand of sweetened Condensed Milk, this recipe has been around forever! And most everyone has made it or eaten it, and it is wicked easy to make! Modify it for your own pleasure. I have been desiring these cookies! Click to see the Magic 7 Layer Basic Cookie Recipe! |
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies Love these cookies for cookie crusts or topping ice cream. Crush and eat 'em! These crunch-filled Chocolate Hazelnut cookies are to die for. Well, perhaps not quite that far. But they are are pretty gosh darn good! Open the package and you instantly get a sweet whiff of cocoa and hazelnut! Perfectly lovely! The bite has a nice crispness to it and as you chew you get chewy bites of the hazelnut bits. I found them hard to resist, eat with contentment. Different than flour-based cookies, the crunch and the bite are a great experience. Raise your expectations to a new plane and you will be happy and filled this holiday with hazelnuts and dark chocolate! Shop now for Primo Pan Drolo Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies! |
Smoked Habanero BBQ Haute Sauce To the nose, it smells initially like a nice BBQ sauce and then you get a second whiff and you can smell the underlying Habanero (and there is a little tickle in the nose, too). To the mouth, it is BBQ'eee, sweet and delicious. Little bits of onion to crunch and a complex, wonderful flavor. Though the name of this BBQ hot sauce might make it appear to be the hottest of the Marshall's Haute Sauces, this smoked habanero hot sauce comes across the palate as the mildest. Ryan, the banker, loved this smoked habanero hot sauce on his hamburger, pouring it liberally even though he doesn't really like hot. See the Marshall's Smoked Habanero BBQ Haute Sauce! |
Dark Fire A love story She was the chef. She had been cooking now for most of her life. Predictably, she starting cooking by standing on a stool next to her Grandfather in his kitchen. She learned how to bake apple pie and paczki. Her favorite thing to make though, was a cranberry citrus cheesecake, only made at Thanksgiving. She loved buying the 2 pound log of cream cheese from the local cheese shop. There was something extremely satisfying she thought, about all that cream cheese united into a bowl with sugar and eggs. He was the traveler. He had loved to travel ever since his parents had taken him on a trip to Dearborn and the Henry Ford Museum. What really grabbed his attention was the Museum building itself. And within the building what he remembered most were the giant columns encircled with radiators to keep the building warm in the cold December winter. She had learned later in life after a painful childhood, that she was allergic to many foods, including dairy. That changed her from being a baker to a saucier. She loved the process, the required rhythmic stirring that often comes with the making of the sauces. Though now, she really just made soups and salads in her small place on a corner in her sweet little neighborhood. The hidden place could be in San Francisco or Paris, but hers was in a small spot in Toronto with a view of nothing. He had taken a job as a salesman, a traveling salesman so to speak. Though he started by selling auto parts, he quickly found out that it limited his travels to where there were automobile companies. Now he was a freelance sales person, who used his big business experience to sell unique products from little companies around the world. He chose who he worked with based on where the sales calls would take him. When he visited Toronto, probably the only city he would consider living in after home, he went to this tiny bistro tucked away down one of the little streets in Old Town. The food was always good. The salads were crisp and the soup somehow transformed from “just a bowl” to something otherworldly. What he loved the most though was having an espresso that came with a broken off bit of a chocolate bar. He was smitten with the heat of the chili peppers ingrained into each bite. And he loved the conversation with the chef who often came out to sit and chat with him about his travels. She always asked him about the food he ate in all the places he visited. And she said that if he ever could bring her a Paczki or fudge from Mackinac Island she would be eternally grateful. He thought it strange she would know, or want foods from Detroit, being from Toronto. She always looked forward to his visits, though she had no idea when he would show up. And it was like Christmas whenever he did, it was like a present of conversation. She loved the stories he would tell of his adventures to different lands, all based on the food he would eat. And it was the cooks that she found most interesting. How they approached the meals and how they all seemed to have learned from generation to generation, like herself. It was pretty cold this time of year and the avenues twinkled with the winter lights. She knew he would be coming this day, he had left a cryptic message, but she had figured it out and was prepared. And this time when she brought out his soup and salad she also had a little package, neatly, precisely wrapped with his favorite, SOMA Dark Fire Chocolate bar inside. And he had his gift box of fudge and Paczki. It was this evening when they shared the foods they loved with each other, that they figured out.... Shop now for SOMA Dark Fire Dark Chocolate Bar and create your own heat for Valentine's Day! |
Penne Rigate Sgambaro Pasta Traditional penne rigate - drawn through bronze, so that the surface is rough, and ready to take whatever sauce you give it. Made with certified locally grown Italian Durum wheat. See the Penne Rigate Pasta |
Parmigiano-Reggiano Summer One way in which Parmigiano-Reggiano differs is the season during which the wheels are started. This is a summer cheese, meaning that it is made using milk harvested during the summer, and the cheese-making process was begun in the summer. Parmigiano-Reggiano is also started in the Fall, the Winter, and the Spring. Each have their own personality through the flavor of the cheese! Summer cheeses are often the most heady and dense in flavor - due to the concentration of strong summer grasses where the cows forage during that time of year. Compared to the milk collected in the winter when the cows are fed a higher concentration of dry hay, creating a sweeter pronounced flavor. Parmigiana cheese "Omg so freaking good can never have any other worth every cent!! It is a MUST !!" -- mary Shop now for Summer Parmigiano-Reggiano! |
ChefShop Cocoa Powder! Hot Chocolate, what a joy it can be! WoW!!!!! " Was using various permutations of King Arthur Cocoas. Just tried this in my usually very good cocoa brownies. I could smell and taste the difference immediately. Revelation! Will never use another cocoa. This is THE BEST! " -- joan Shop now for Cocoa Powder! |
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Got questions? Call or email and we will do our best to answer your questions! We love sharing our taste opinions about all our products. STORE HOURS BACK TO NORMAL: Monday thru Saturday: 10 to 5 Closed Sunday. Please let us know if you would like a private shopping time and we will do our best to accommodate you. We now have multiple HEPA medical grade air filters running 24 hours a day now in the shop. Please keep in mind we are limiting the number of people in the shop at one time and masks are required. Please if you are feeling sick for any reason please choose a different time to visit. We may perform random temperature checks. | |
#1 Best Seller Last Week! Romeo & Juliet Chocolate It was a cookie story. One that had taken on different shapes and sizes. Lots of spices and flavors, although the favorites always ended up being the simple sugar cookies. They had been friends a long, long time. Almost forever it seemed. Living close together (figuratively,) and sharing the important moments in life with each other. She was an artist, a creative who spent a lifetime making money and was only now coming to fruition and to terms with her own personal work. He had traveled the world for various “agencies” and reached his limit for being on the road, so had settled down. Strangely, even though they were super close, they had only come together once in a blue moon. With so much to talk about (everything) when they did. And they also loved to cook together. Making elaborate meals, trying new recipes all the while chatting non-stop. This year, they had planned to get together and the timing was going to be Valentine's Day, (or at least around that time). She was a big planner and he was a thinker, they discussed the symbolic importance of cookies and chocolate in life. The debate became, "Are cookies with chocolate the same as a chocolate Valentine's day gift?" She said, "yes of course it is." He said."No. Chocolate bonbons in a heart shaped box was what it was all about." She challenged him and asked, Have you ever done that?!" Of course he had not. He challenged her, "Have you done a box of chocolate?" She had not. She had though made cookies once as a gift. “How did that go?”, he asked. She shrugged and said, “I don’t remember”. Before it went down the rabbit hole of a discussion that would have no good outcome, they went back to what cookies to make once they got together. And then the conversation turned to chocolate, roses and the latency effect of males needing to buy a gift on the way home. Of course it was the discussion of chocolate that garnered the most time and heated debate. Though the bonbons and chocolates that were filled with interesting flavors were wonderful, as a gift it was always a hit or miss. They lacked personality. And no mixed box of chocolates will ever have a 100% success rate. And thus the conversation turned to bars. Bars of chocolate, single origins, meaning chocolate made from beans conched to perfection. Each expressing its character of terroir. And bars of chocolate that are intertwined with flavors, fruits and most importantly personality! It is this part of the chocolate that was wide open for discussion. It was the personality that was interesting. It was like discussing how it all worked out in your mouth, not the actual individual flavors. It wasn’t about which was better, ok, so maybe it was, but it was also about which one came across in totality as best. They agreed that the wrapping and even the name mattered, though the name was not a game changer. And she said that what the bar looked like was part of the package, too. He was like, “What?”, scoffing, "they are just bars”. She said, “Hah, they are not all just plain Jane”, and cited a bunch of bars that looked great, hot even sometimes once you unwrapped them. Each with a wonderful taste and each having a terrific personality, these bars were special. She said, “I will show you what I mean when we bake cookies next....” You can see some of the bars Jane was alluding to here. Shop now for Romeo & Juliet Chocolate Bar - perfect for Valentine's Day! 
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Store Hours - Monday thru Friday 10 to 5, Saturday 10 to 5 If your order has been confirmed as "ORDER READY FOR PICKUP" in email (or you were called) and want it brought to you in the parking lot, call us when you arrive and we will run it out to you. 206-286-9988 ChefShop.com 1425 Elliott Ave W Seattle, Wa 98119 206-286-9988 Our bigger parking lot is north of the shop and next door (south of) Champions Party Supply. Easy to reach and wide open parking lot. Click here to see the map. |
| This Week's Recipes |
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Pasta with Garlic & Olive Oil Recipe So simple and, oh, so good! The key, as with all simple Italian recipes, is having the right ingredients -- the right olive oil, the right garlic, and the right pasta! Baked Coconut Oat Pudding Recipe The flavor of the baked pudding is more mellow and less sweet than the stovetop version, and is very easy to do, providing you can be at home for 3 hours while it cooks. The pudding will thicken as it cools. You can use “light” coconut milk in these recipes if you prefer; it tastes just as good but the pudding will not be as thick. Spaghetti con Acciughe Recipe Known in Italian as "Spaghetti con Acciughe," this recipe is quick, easy and oh, so good. A classic Neapolitan dish, this Spaghetti and Anchovies recipe is a great way to get not only your anchovy fix for the day, but also to use up some of those stale breadcrumbs. |
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Salami, Romeo & Juliet, Chocolate Diet Food, French Jams, Rigatoni, Recipes Best Finds of 2020 |
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