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Monday, February 29, 2016

HERBS AND SPICES 18: KOREAN: Gochugaru!!: PART 1

GOCHUGARU - (pronounced:  go choo gah roo)

VIDEOS ABOUT GOCHUGARU
(several options available on Amazon.com)

From The Kitchn

An essential ingredient in Korean cuisine, gochugaru (or kochukaru) is a coarsely ground red pepper with a texture between flakes and powder. Traditionally, gochugaru is made from sun-dried chile peppers, and versions that are prepared in this manner are still considered the best tasting. The flavor is hot, sweet, and slightly smoky. Substitutes like crushed red pepper or cayenne just don't compare! Use it in Korean recipes for kimchi, galbi aka kalbi (korean barbecued short ribs), and and tofu, or in any dish where you'd like a bit of fiery red heat. It's a staple in our favorite dipping sauce. 

The best gochugaru we ever tasted was a handmade version made by a family friend in Korea. Second to that was a $17 bag we purchased at a local Korean grocery store. A one-pound bag of gochugaru can range from $2 on up, and we were curious whether the more expensive one was worth it. Indeed, the flavor and fragrance were superior and our boyfriend's Korean mom read the label, confirming that this gochugaru had been harvested and prepared in the traditional way. So our advice is to buy the best gochugaru you can find from an Asian market or online.




Thursday, February 25, 2016

AMERICAN: 150 PLUS chicken recipes from COOKING LIGHT - QUICK LINK

















French Food 1975 Part C - Provence UPDATE WITH PROVENCAL VIDEOS











Missed French Food 1975 Parts A and B UPDATED?  Alsace and Bordeaux? SEE LINKS DIRECTLY BELOW:

PART A – ALSACE       


PART B – Bordeaux          

Photos of Provence and recipe links and ideas below:

  



  


From Montelimar in the Rhone Valley to the Mediterranean shores of the Cote d'Azur, this province is France's sunniest, most varied and enchanting.  Cities: Aix-en-Provence with its main street, Cours Mirabeau shaded by an arcade of plane trees, Avignon once the seat of the papacy and Arles famous for ampitheater and the fact that Van Gogh painted a lot there!!!! Provence is lushly colorful and has lured other artists such as Cezanne, Renoir, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso and Braque, etc.  Paintings below:

  

  


Except for occasional nerve-fraying blasts of the mistral winds, Provence is a luxuriant Eden of pear, peach and fig orchards, olive groves and truck farms producing eggplants, zucchini, peppers and onions which, along with olive oil and garlic, make up the region's best known dish ratatouille (this author's favorite to make and serve with garlic bread and Parmesan-Romano).
  

  

  


 


Other foods:  fish specialties, tender lamb flavored with thyme and lavendar.

  



Flowers and perfume:  Gardens of roses, mimosa and carnations provide the raw material for the perfume essences, distilled in Grasse and the bouquets that are sold in street markets! (and yes those are artichokes with their flowers!!)

  

  

NOW LET'S GET TO THE FOOD TODAY!!!  Recipes are current day recipes found on Internet

Eggs Provencale


Two links below: 




Roast Lamb with Herbs of Provence




What are Herbes de Provence?  A combination of the following herbs:

  




You can buy the herbes de provence (middle photo) from Williams-Sonoma but I have also found it at the grocery store or specialty store AND of course on AMAZON. 

OR if you want to make your own here is Emeril's recipe:


Tian of Zucchini and Rice






Strawberry Parfait with Candied Roses and Violets
(no photos of this exact dish with the candied flowers)

 



Just throw a few edible violets on top!!


MORE PHOTOS and VIDEOS OF PROVENCE BELOW!!!