Marinades/Sauces -

by ML

Why America Eats Shit

If you’re a tv junkie, you may have seen it.

It may have burned your corneas.

TLC has paired up with Ragu “sauce”, endorsing the product through the above pictured Hayes family. The Hayes star in the new series “Table For 12” (you know, the Jon and Kate replacement, now that shit hit the fan). There’s even a commercial with the busy family, with the tagline “more of the good stuff,” conveying the message that you can eat well for less if you buy Ragu sauce.

I admit, I eat jarred sauce from time to time. But not this shit. Personally, I think Ragu tastes like canned tomatoes covered in sugar packets, which is no surprise considering its third ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. It also contains “spices” and “natural flavor”….what??

Sure, I get it. Ten kids, busy mom, blah blah blah. But is Ragu really that affordable compared to homemade sauce, and is it really easier? I think opening just one of those jars is a bitch, more so if I was feeding twelve fucking people. I’d rather just throw some tomatoes and spices in a pot and let it cook. But of course, the media is endorsing the “moms (or dads) are too busy to cook” doctrine. Again.

Bottom line: if my roommate and I could make a batch of her family’s sauce while hungover (or still drunk) in between classes in our college apartment, so can anybody. Families don’t have to be subject to this torture, not even the big ones.

Who wants to film a public service announcement?

by gansie

Partially Legit Pesto

I’ve stumbled upon this dilemma before, even though BS provided a fairly clear answer. But after my latest pesto abortion (above), I decided to actually be the writer I strive to be and investigate.

Deducting from The New Food Lover’s Companion, the main tenets of a pesto come from the Italian origin of the name, “to pound” and the cooking method, well, is the uncooking method. The ingredients of a pesto should be crushed together to create a raw sauce. The pulveration of the sauce can be through either a mortar and pestle or a food processor. And the uncooked part, well, I guess the sauce is not meant to be warmed by fire.

My newest “pesto” therefore is only partially legit. I used my mini-food processor, but with the bitey combination of raw garlic and arugula (so plentiful at the farmers’ market!), I felt the need to heat it through, for really just as long as the pasta cooked and it surely helped with the sting of the sauce.

And just to stick it to TVFF and all you other multi-way haters, I went for a dual usage of the arugula – in the pesto and then added an overwhelming handful to swim with the noodles.

Unorthodox recipe post jump.

in Cheese / Featured / Recipe 8 comments

by Maids

Pardon Us, Mr. President

Some of you are probably Obama-burgered out. But we had to report on this new tidbit on Dijon-gate. You know how Sean Hannity totally dissed the Prez’s codiment choice last week, implying the decision to put grey poupon on a burger was as commie/unAmerican as Nikita Khruschev?

Well watch out Hannity, Kraft foods totally has the Prez’s back! TOTALLY! They’ve issued the following press release that we just had to feature for the delight or disgust of ESers everywhere:

May 8, 2009

The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Dear Mr. President:

We applaud you, Mr. President, for exercising your freedom of taste when recently ordering a burger with Dijon mustard. We’re always happy to see people use Dijon mustard to add flair and flavor to their favorite foods. The right to choose condiments freely is quintessentially American and embodies the spirit of our democracy.

So we urge you to respond to “Dijon-gate” by issuing a “pardon” to any American who has ever been criticized for putting a liberal spread of Dijon mustard on a burger or a conservative dollop on a ham & cheese sandwich. These “Pardon Me for Loving Dijon” proclamations will empower the millions of Dijon mustard-loving Americans to ask for their favorite condiment with pride.

Respectfully yours,

The GREY POUPON Team
www.greypoupon.com

Pic: Grey Poupon Pardon

Let’s put it to the people: Is yellow mustard more inherently American than Grey Poupon? Discuss!

in Politics 20 comments

by tvff

One Trick Pony

There’s something great about doing one thing and doing it well. That’s why I love Pommes Frites.

Yes, this is coming from the same guy who nearly blew a gasket last week about chefs reworking one ingredient into three preparations. But this is different.

Pommes Frites is a postage stamp-sized shop on 2nd Avenue in the East Village between St. Marks and 7th that specializes in Belgian french fries. And when I say “specializes,” I mean that it’s the only thing on the menu.

They make fantastic fries. They appear to be pre-blanched and finished to order, and then they’re served in paper cones. The extremely limited seating consists of benches and low tables that have holes drilled in them into which you can put your cone of fries (illustrated in my shitty iPhone photo above). The holes for the cones are charming beyond belief.

Good fries are always worth seeking out, but what is it that makes Pommes Frites so good that I dragged Mrs. TVFF down there for a special birthday treat, despite it being nowhere near our intended destination? Without a doubt, it’s the sauces.

Just how exciting can dipping sauces be? Well, let me tell you…

in Rants & Raves / Restaurants 6 comments

by tvff

The Name Says Purgatory, But it Tastes Like Heaven

A couple of weeks back, I mentioned (much to my chagrin) that I had recently used a jar of store-bought tomato sauce. In the interest of full disclosure, it was Wegman’s Food You Feel Good About Four Cheese Pasta Sauce, which isn’t too bad as far as these things go.

The point of that post was that I had a foolproof recipe for a super-quick marinara sauce. There was one night, however, that I was going to be eating alone and I had absolutely no interest in putting any effort into cooking; making even the marinara recipe seem like a chore. So rather than swing by the local fast food establishment, I grabbed a crusty roll on the way home, broke out the jar of sauce and whipped up what may be one of the tastiest simple meals that a trained chimp or lazy home cook can prepare in ten minutes or less.

Behold, in all it’s glory, Eggs in Purgatory.

How simple is it? Well, even if you go to the trouble of making the sauce from scratch, you’re still talking about a meal ready in under 15 minutes. And if you have some store-bought or pre-made sitting in the fridge, you’ll be eating in no time.

Let’s roll up our sleeves, shall we?

in Cheese / Eggs / Recipe 17 comments

by tvff

Yo No Soy Marinara

I have a confession to make.

I used jarred tomato sauce a little while back. In my defense, the sauce wasn’t terrible and I was actually aiming for the laziest meal preparation ever, so it fit the bill. (We’ll cover this in depth in a future post.)

Jarred sauce never, ever factors into a pasta preparation in the TVFF household. I think this is genetically impossible, considering my Italian heritage. Plus, there’s just no reason for it.

We make a lot of pasta at home. It’s the main menu item at least once a week, and I like to rotate in a couple of interesting sauce combinations (leeks/sausage/cabbage/fontina, puttanesca, broccoli/anchovy/butter). But with both of us working full time jobs (her in NYC, me in Philadelphia) the urge for a dish that requires very little prep and cooking time…in other words, a sauce that can be done in the time it takes to boil the noodles.

All you need is a lock-solid recipe for a simple marinara sauce and you’re set for life.

in Recipe 6 comments

by gansie

In Defense of Ketchup

Editors Note: I’m quick to talk shit. I freely admit that. But I’m also willing to change my mind. Our friend Nick over at Macheesmo is on a mission to clear the name of my least favorite condiment, ketchup. ES fans agree: 54% of you voted mustard over ketchup.

Let Nick plead his case.

Let me start this defense by being very honest: I hate ketchup. I would rather not have fries then be forced to eat fries with ketchup. If I ever owned a restaurant, I don’t think I would even offer it as a condiment. Strangely though, in the comments on the ES post The Anti-Ketchup Brigade, I found myself defending the stuff.

The reason why I was defending it is because ketchup never gets a fair chance. People compare Heinz to gourmet mustards which is like a Little Leaguer at bat against Johan Santana. It’s not going to be pretty. And for some reason, gourmet ketchups have never really caught on (Fancy ketchup is not fancy and is barely ketchup). People have grown accustomed to the HFCS-laced stuff and now that has become the only ketchup people know.

If you are going to judge ketchup though, you should at least try the real stuff. The homemade stuff. It is totally different: lots of vinegar, spices, chiles, and just a bit of sweetness. I made this batch in about 90 minutes.

The recipe is pretty straightforward, but you will need some equipment: cheesecloth, a medium-sized sauce pan, a food processor or submersion blender, a wire mesh, and a storage vessel. As long as you are using the ketchup in the next few weeks (you will), no need to can it or do anything crazy. It will keep fine if your jar is sealed nicely.

Recipe and alternative recipes post jump

in Rants & Raves / Recipe 27 comments

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