The Mechanic CooksMum loved a “Cuppa”. In England that’s what we call a cup of tea. And Mum would drink it constantly. She would always claim it’s medicinal quantities. But, it’s so much more than that, it’s a social thing. Taking a break for a Cuppa, means you sit to relax for a few minutes, engage in…
Living in South Florida I am spoiled by the amount of fresh produce available. Adding to that, there is so much Caribbean and South American influence. It’s no secret that fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy, and here, there is a tremendous choice. So, when a friend gave me a fresh avocado from their yard,…
Lately, I’ve been posting some salads on the blog. It’s no secret that they are healthy, and, I’ve been incorporating them into my diet. I’ve posted recipes for the simple side salad and a dinner salad. But, there’s more to it than that, there are so many different variations, and, it has a long history,…
A picture was presented to me the other day, and along with it came a question; “what’s this?” Well, it’s barley I said, a versatile and ancient grain. As usual, the slightest thing regarding food and I’m off on a journey, both cultural, historic and culinary. Please join me to find out about this wonderful,…
I have a lot of posts using lentils as an ingredient. Most of these dishes are from India, where lentils are called Dahl. And are a National dish. These are usually served with rice and Na’an bread or Roti. But realizing the importance of lentils from a cultural standpoint and their nutritional importance. I feel…
If you’re a reader of my blog, you’ll know, it’s in every recipe. It’s a building block of any savory base. Onion, pepper and garlic are my go to mirepoix. But why? What is it about garlic? Does it have medicinal qualities? And, what about the vampire myth? Why is it so pungent raw, yet…
Cooking has two major components; science and chemistry. The science is using temperature and pressure to change the state of food products. The chemistry of cooking is the reaction of biological and non biological components to heat creating colors, tastes, aromas and textures. And that is what this post is about. It’s called the Maillard…
One day my good friend Rita handed me a package of chicken feet. Of all the parts of the chicken, the feet are not exactly something I run to cook. They’re kind of gross. I vaguely remember a book I used to read to my sons at bed time about chicken feet in a soup.…
As with most people my age, we’re either paying the price of a misspent youth or for the genes handed to us in the womb. In my case a little of both, but, in this post I’m only going to focus on one of those, my genes. Being of Eastern European decent, cholesterol and triglycerides…
The original idea of marinating meat was to preserve it. But we also marinate to impart subtle flavors, and tenderize. This post about marinated chicken breast, is about creating a base meat that be prepared in many ways, baked, pan cooked or even on the barbecue. Cooked alone or with other ingredients, like wrapped in…
