What do you feel like eating? And where? Comfort old friend ingredients! Plus More at chefshop.com/enews
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restaurant: Barn Joo Nomad - Silky Tofu
What food are you thinking about?
Home Cooking or Eating out?
I am mixed (confused) about what I want to do when it comes to food that I eat these days.
Part of me wants to go out and eat, to try new stuff, support the wait staff and the Chefs we know and even those we don’t. See what is cool and trending, basically just get out there.
I would also like to eat comfort food at a diner, even go to International House of Pancakes. I wouldn’t really do that, though I would go to a Waffle House if one was nearby.
On the other hand, I really enjoy cooking and making things I have not made before, trying new ingredients in the hope of having success amongst all the failures.
For instance, I am trying to make a nut mix, somehow appropriate in the current political climate, that my friend made. It was addictively, hand-fully delicious to eat, and she claims is it easy to make. Sadly, I have had zero success so far. When I do I will include it in the newsletter.
All this confusion to satisfy my brain (and my stomach) reminds me of foods of my past (like the Waffle House) that I have great memories of from a long time ago, and of more recent - and equally fond - memories.
The back-in-stock, just-in-time (like the cherries being picked) items in this week's letter conjure up memories of good meals, great taste, and success in the kitchen.
Like the soy sauce, or in this case, the correct vernacular, shoyu from Japan, has become an ingredient I reach for often and like to have more than one “version” available. I never shy away from using more than one soy sauce at a time to flavor the same dish as I have found they will each contribute in their own way.
Jaggery is a sugar shift, like the ever-so-popular Japanese brown sugar, that is healthier than the average processed white sugar we grew up with; it has a personality that is plain delicious. Even with its flair of character, jaggery can be substituted in almost all recipes that call for processed sugar.
Oatmeal really is a good superfood. Though I am not eating it every morning like I used to, I am definitely moving in that direction. There is a comfort in making and eating oatmeal that is hard to beat.
Creating new, exploring new, either eating in or out, there is something safe and comforting about food. And in the end, a big chunk of the memory of food is the company, the location, the timing. No matter if it is the pizza in Iowa or in New York, it is the best tasting right at the moment. And that is what matters!
One of the founding members of ChefShop had a rule: he considered that every meal he ate could be his last, so he had to make it good!
Click Here To See Everything Featured in This Newsletter!
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Sweet Pepper Piperade
recipe
This is the Piperade part of the recipe above.
Heat the oil in a 12” sauté pan until shimmering. Add the onions and sauté until transparent. Add the peppers and cook until they’re soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add vinegar to the mixture and stir well. Add the sugar and stir again to combine. Remove from heat and add the capers and kalamata olives. Stir, remove from heat, and cool.
Click here to see the Sweet Pepper Piperade Recipe!
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Kishibori Shoyu - Back-in-Stock
Soy sauce from traditional Japan
This soy sauce has been a favorite for years, and like the Yamaki Jozo Organic Shoyu, it has a strong following. Though they are comparable in all ways, each has a personality. Personally I like both, have both and use both all the time. How do I choose which one? It depends, really, on my emotional moment at the time.
How many soy sauces do I have sitting at the ready? Less than 12! About the same number of bottles of vinegar I have on hand.
There are, of course, many artisan soy sauce (shoyu) producers all across Japan. But the finest and most unique Japanese kishibori shoyus are produced by small- and medium-size, family-run shoyu breweries that use traditional ingredients and traditional, labor-intensive production methods.
JAPANESE KISHIBORI SHOYU is manufactured by Takesan Company. Takesan was established in the early 20th century by Yoshiji Takebe. It is located on the small island of Shodoshima in the Seto Inland Sea, 1 of only 14 artisan brewers like the Shodoshima Island-based family-run shouyu brewer featured in the Netflix series "SALT FAT ACID HEAT".
Shodoshima is located between the main Japanese island of Honshu and neighboring Shikoku and has a 400-year-old history of artisan shoyu production. Takesan is one of only 14 traditional shoyu member brewers of the Shodoshima Shoyu Association.
Shodoshima, which is a 60 square mile island, is the second largest of the more than 700 islands in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. Since the 14th century, the Seto Inland area has been known as a salt producing region. As a result, many shoyu brewers began production there in the 17th century, using the island's high quality salt.
Shodoshima is the fourth largest shoyu production region in Japan, with over 30 factories on the island, but only 14 are established members of the Shodoshima Shoyu Association.
Takesan Company only uses the finest quality whole soybeans, wheat and sea salt. The steamed soybeans, toasted wheat, salt and mineral water are left to ferment in traditional and well-seasoned cedar barrels for one year. The barrels themselves have been in use in the production of artisan soy sauce for more than 100 years.
Because of the mild winters in the region (the temperature does not go below 50°F), the shoyu continues to ferment all year round. The end result is a delightfully complex shoyu teeming with organic acids, and a wonderful flavor. Unlike mass-produced shoyu, KISHIBORI SHOYU soy sauce is not treated with additional alcohol or preservatives and does not have any additives or preservatives - it doesn't need it. The filtered shoyu is just pasteurized and bottled, leaving all its natural umami intact.
A Gem!
"This is the real soy sauce, rich tasting and aromatic. The saltiness does not overwhelm, the way commercial soy sauce does. When you try this product, it's hard to go back to all the artificial-tasting ones."
-- mary
The best!
"Hands down the best soy sauce I have ever eaten. The flavor is fantastic. Mild and yet so complex with flavor. I find that I use less sauce because of the intense flavor profile."
-- mike
Shop now for Kishibori Shoyu!
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Soy Sauce and Butter
recipe
A famous French chef was asked once what his favorite "sauce" was and he said simply "soy sauce and butter".
Called Asian-Fusion Soy Butter in the hip world of modern cooking, this is most likely a combination recipe that has been around since soy sauce was invented in the third century, combined with the formula for butter which was carved out some 4,500 years ago.
It is this wonderful marriage of two “can’t live without” ingredients, that combines into a wonderful rich and hearty sauce, that when used on a white fish to both, marinate and cook will create bliss.
We have taken the basics and have experimented and tested. What we liked is this. Keep in mind that this a baseline and modifying to match your personal taste as well as the “dish” you are making should be the norm.
We like a mix of equal parts of good butter to a combination of Ketjap Manis and Soy Sauce. We like 75% Ketjap Manis with 25% Soy Sauce (3/4 cup Ketjap Manis 1/4 cup Soy Sauce). This means 1 cup melted butter and 1 cup soy sauce mix.
We then whisk in 1 tablespoon Dark Muscovado Sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of Sesame oil.
An option - for adding depth to protein - is the addition of minced ginger and a sprinkling of chopped green onion in the final stages of cooking. We also have used the sauce on plain rice with wonderful satisfaction. The key here is the better the ingredients the better it is.
See the simplest Soy Sauce and Butter recipe here!
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Unrefined Jaggery Powder
from Jaipur Avenue - Seattle!
I have been out so long, I forgot how simply great this is. Right away, a simple taste and it all comes flooding back. When you make your own chai this is the way to go! This is the perfectly sweet way to add sugar to a recipe. It reflects the taste of white sugar, yet has its own personality; this unique cane sugar is just more.
Jaggery (which you may know as Guda or Indian Gur sugar) is a whole, unrefined sugar that is as pure as any sugar from sugar cane can be. Compared to most sugars, especially refined white sugar, Jaggery has great properties.
Jaggery is made by boiling down raw sugar cane juice until it solidifies and is formed into a block. From there it takes on different forms for consumption.
According to Ayurveda, pure Jaggery powder has Ushna (hot) properties and eating some daily after meals improves your digestion and can prevent constipation.
Though Jaggery does not meet your daily iron needs, it is an excellent source of plant-based iron and can be a good daily step to ward off anemia.
The Jaggery with its antioxidant and mineral properties can work to clear the mucus in lungs and help the digestive system to function better by giving cytoprotection to your cells.
All these properties help with your immune system, a good thing to have in the winter when you are out playing in the snow, or at the beach, warding off the flu or whatever might be out there.
And for some it might even curb your desire to eat more cookies.
Jaggery has a rich aroma of molasses and sugarcane. Jaggery powder is like a wonderful perfume of sweetness.
At ChefShop we have a crushed form, that has little round globe-like pieces as well as finer granules. Eat the little globes with your fingertips to get a shot of adrenaline and a hit of flavor, even regularity.
If you like sweet like I do, you should consider adding some Jaggery to your life! Use as you would white sugar and eat it with abandon, just like you would like life to be. All out!
Sweet and happy, this is a sugar I have to have in my personal essential pantry!
An excellent alternative to sugar!
"I first became familiar with jaggery during one of my several visits to India. On the sub-continent jaggery is frequently used in place of refined sugar in both sweet and savory dishes and is considered to have health benefits. That seems reasonable, because jaggery is a "non-centrifugal" sugar derivative, meaning the molasses component of sugar cane, which contains a number of nutrients, is not spun out during the manufacturing process - as would be case in producing refined sugar. I have for many years used jaggery in place of sugar in my morning chai, on cereals such as oatmeal, and in baking. I find Jaipur Avenue's product to be an excellent jaggery in every respect. The taste is sweet and flavorful, more nuanced than sugar or many other sweeteners. The color is a light golden brown, which in India is preferred over darker brown varieties. I highly recommend this product."
-- john
Shop Here for Unrefined Jaggery Powder!
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Alford Oatmeal Superfood
It's what's for breakfast!
Getting into the habit of having a good breakfast of any kind is good for your mental health! Bacon, Eggs and toast is wonderful, but 6 days a week might be too much for even a die hard protein craver.
Oatmeal offers the perfect respite from hectic mornings. Easy to make and easy to make it just the way you like it, the stirring early in the morning with a cup of coffee (tea or juice) in your hand is a great way to wake up.
And a great way to test all the sugars you have accumulated over the last 6 months...though not a good place to test vinegar or soy sauce :(
Every list of “super foods” has oats near the top. You’ve seen the commercials - eating oats is known to lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Oats are an excellent source of fiber and they even help stabilize blood sugar - at any time of day.
The unusual flavor and texture of these amazing Scottish pinhead oats may be attributed to the final drying process, carried out in the old fashioned 'flat kiln', which is believed to be the only one of its kind used in Britain today. The oats are dried in the kiln for four hours, during which time they’re turned twice by hand shovel. It is this very specialized process, perfected by the miller, which makes the flavor and texture unique.
The distinct oat grains are then stone-cut into small pieces - smaller than Irish "steel cut" oats - thus the name “pinhead.” Unlike “old-fashioned” oatmeal, they’re not steamed and rolled flat.
As part of a low fat-diet, oatmeal can help reduce cholesterol levels, and it is a natural food which contains NO additives, preservatives or colorings.
This oatmeal is amazing!
"I never thought I'd find oatmeal that surpasses my love of steal cut oats, but this is not only tastier, but also cooks faster. Love it with toasted almonds and berries."
-- jennifer
Am I back in Scotland?
"Reminds me of B&Bs in Scotland. Easy and surprisingly quick to prepare and almost toasty/nutty. If you do toast them before cooking for a few minutes in a 325 oven or on the cooktop in a heavy pan, they are very nutty and extra flavorful. Add raisins or other dried fruit just before they're done and you'll have a wonderful start to your day."
-- deHart
Shop now for Oatmeal, Organic Stone-Cut from Scotland!
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Meatloaf with Pinhead Oatmeal
recipe
This Meatloaf with Oatmeal recipe calls for adding pinhead oats to a blend of beef and Italian Sausage. The flavor is brightened by Worcestershire Sauce and Hawkshead Black Garlic Ketchup. The pinhead oats provide good texture – a satisfying and really delicious combination.
Oatmeal and breadcrumbs have long been used in meatloaf as extenders and to keep the meat moist. Using breadcrumbs will yield a soft, tender texture, while the pinhead oats produce a firmer loaf.
See the Meatloaf with Pinhead Oatmeal Recipe here!
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Yamaki Jozo Organic Shoyu
Traditionally Made - Founded in 1902
Soy sauce is like great wine or olive oil, with many, many complex flavor profiles. And not all soy sauce is created equally.
Yamaki Jozo Shoyu was founded in 1902 in Saitama Prefecture, about 2-1/2 hours by train from Ueno station in Tokyo. They have three main rules they live by: living and working in the natural environment; using only traceable ingredients grown in Japan; and using traditional manufacturing methods.
Yamaki Jozo is situated in the countryside, surrounded by mountains which provide an ample supply of clear mountain spring water for the production of their Shoyu.
The quality is exceptional, and it starts with ingredients they or their neighbors grow to make miso, tofu, pickles and shoyu.
Yamaki Jozo have organic certifications from Japan, the EU and the US and are Kosher-certified.
These are the many reasons why Yamaki Jozo organic shoyu soy sauce has become our new favorite for everyday all-around use.
Shop now for Yamaki Jozo Organic Shoyu - Soy Sauce here!
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A classic horseradish sauce
fit to crown the King of English roasts!
Hawkshead Hot Horseradish Sauce. This is a chunky, hot and delicious horseradish condiment that is the perfect accompaniment for roast beef and surprisingly good with smoked fish, too.
I like this one. This Horseradish Sauce is hot, but not so much that it is un-palatable. Add it to a roast beef sandwich or an English roast. If you want a hint of heat add a little and it’s just right!
Some horseradish is more stringy or chunky, this is a more sophisticated “spread”, a sauce. This horseradish reminds me of roast beef and yorkshire pudding when in London. It’s a great taste memory.
Easy to make the basic sauce, it is much harder to create the taste one remembers. This Horseradish Sauce makes me want to have a slice of Roast Beef, potatoes and carrots! It’s the perfect summer condiment!
Shop now for Hawkshead Hot Horseradish Sauce!
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This Week's Recipes |
Mashed Potatoes Flavored with Horseradish and Porcini Oil Recipe
Mashed Potatoes go with almost everything, you just need to add the right notes to pair it well with some dishes. This particular version goes great with lamb, steak, or even a dish that needs a side that's going to add some flare to your meal.
Fried Yellow Polenta Sticks Recipe
A great alternative to french fries - and much more beautiful (because we eat with our eyes, too!). Here we suggest dipping them into a tomato-based sauce - like a marinara sauce or a Classic Smoky Romesco Sauce - as an appetizer. But, it's just as easy to eat them "plain" as an alternative to french fries.
Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon & Pecans Recipe
The tangerines adds a citrusy twist.
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