The Cook’s Kitchen

When growing up, BBQ was a Weber Kettle Grill and Kingsford briquettes. I’m sure propane grills existed, but I don’t recall seeing many as a kid. Now the kitchen has literally moved outdoors with sinks, gas burners, refrigeration, and more. 2007 was a record setting year in the BBQ industry. 2008 looks to be even bigger.

HEARTH, PATIO & BARBECUE ASSOCIATION REVEALS 2008 INDUSTRY TRENDS FOLLOWING RECORD-BREAKING SALES
Industry Trade Show Features Hundreds of New Products and Unveils Top Sales Drivers for 2008

Atlanta, GA (February 28, 2008) –Announcing a record-breaking year in 2007, the barbecue industry kicked off the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association’s (HPBA) HPBExpo, North America’s largest indoor-outdoor trade show February 28 in Atlanta. The highest the industry has seen in more than 20 years, grill shipments exceeded 17.4 million in 2007. The annual show sizzled with excitement as barbecue manufacturers, retailers and industry experts unveiled the newest industry trends and hundreds of innovative, new products that will drive sales in the coming year.

“Offering grills and accessories for every budget, every occasion and every personality and style, manufacturers recognize the need for convenient, easy to use, yet sophisticated state-of-the art products,” said Leslie Wheeler, HPBA Director of Communications. “With the highest shipment numbers in more than 20 years and the majority of consumers grilling year-round, the industry continues to live up to the challenge of producing products that will further enhance the grilling experience.”

Trends to Drive Sales

Top trends to drive sales in 2008 were revealed at the premier of HPBExpo.

• “You”nique Grills: Manufacturers are honing in on the individuality and needs of grillers by adding distinctive features. Attachable sushi bars, portable woks, cast iron griddles and advanced control tools, such as a grill-surface temperature indicating when to flip and serve, are emerging as popular features which allow consumers to prepare a variety of new and favorite foods on the grill. And grillers can even go as far as personalizing add-on features; for example, the legs and handles of portable woks can be customized to feature favorite animals, characters or building shapes.

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I love Trader Joe’s. Despite my attempts at locavorism, I have a hard time resisting the low-priced imported gourmet goodies at Trader Joe’s. I’ve found a way to keep me out of their stores, though - I moved half an hour away from the nearest TJ’s. With gas prices being what they are, there’s really not much savings if I’m making a special trip to stock up at Trader Joe’s.

I do, however, live near a Cost Plus World Market. While I’ve always been a fan of their Pier One-meets-gourmet-shop concept, there’s recently been something else drawing me to their store. Among the imported food goodies, World Market has taken on the Trader Joe’s idea of selling imported gourmet basics under their own label, sometimes with minimal packaging. World Market doesn’t offer the fresh and frozen items that you’ll find at Trader Joe’s, but they’re definitely creating some competition in the realm of dry goods.

A recent trip to an Illinois suburban World Market yielded such store-branded goodies as veggie chips for $2.29, 24-ounce bags of whole bean coffee for $7.99, varietal gourmet chocolate bars for $1.99, 3-litre bottles of imported olive oil for $22.99, quarts of Gravenstein apple juice for $1.99, and tubs of cookies for $3.69. All of these items have similarly-priced counterparts in the St. Louis-area Trader Joe’s stores without the extra commute.

World Market, always a good source of good-quality, inexpensive wines, has also introduced their own bargain line of wine to compete with TJ’s Charles Shaw (or “Three-Buck Chuck” to the TJ die-hards). Their Foodies line contains easy-drinking Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet. Alas, they’re priced twice as high as good ol’ Chuck. Regardless, it’s still good to have an alternative closer to home, especially when World Market regularly offers 10% off coupons to their online newsletter subscribers.

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Growing up, many of our moms had the old style pressure cookers with the valve that rattled and hissed and sounded as if it was going to explode. The main thing I remember my mom making in hers was hot dogs and sauerkraut. I know other people whose moms would send them out of the room because their cooker would often “explode” and send food flying up to the ceiling. I know that these stories were the first thing I thought of when a friend of mine told me I just “had” to try one out.

I was still hesitant to jump on the Pressure Cooker Bandwagon as visions of the old style cookers were still popping into my head. My friend had taken a cooking class at a local cooking school and bought one on her way out that night. She told me how simple it was to use, and that you can make many dishes in an extremely short amount of time. So, I decided to take her up on her offer, since I am always looking for ways to make dinner quickly on busy nights.

The dish she made was Spinach and Pancetta Risotto. Now anyone who has made risotto knows that this is a time consuming dish that requires a lot of attention and constant stirring. Well, if you make it in the Pressure Cooker, you will have the most incredible, creamy risotto in just 6 to 9 minutes at high pressure. Yes, you read that right, 6 minutes. No stirring required! I was sold immediately, and my husband bought me a pressure cooker back in December. I have been referring to a cookbook by Rick Rodgers and Arlene Ward, Pressure Cooking for Everyone and each recipe I have tried has been wonderful. The possibilities are endless; for example, you can make chicken stock from scratch in about 30 minutes and mashed potatoes in about 15 minutes.

I must tell you, that today’s Pressure Cookers are far imroved over the older ones that you may still find at garage sales. They have safety valves that won’t allow you to open the lid while there is pressure inside the pot. When you first begin using a Pressure Cooker it is suggested to begin by not cooking for the full suggested time, in order to test if the dish is done. You can easily bring it back to high pressure quickly for another couple of minutes to ensure that the dish is fully cooked. I have the Fagor Duo Combi 5-Piece Pressure Cooker Set which is a stove-top model and have been thrilled with it each and every time I have used it. It really is simple to use, and the manual explains everything really nicely. This is one kitchen appliance any busy parent should have in their kitchen.

Pancetta & Spinach Risotto
by: Arlene Ward - Adventures in Cooking

Servings: 2 (but, those are VERY generous… we figured it was more like 4 main course servings)

Ingredients
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 lb. Pancetta, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp chopped garlic
3/4 cup Arborio rice
3 fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and diced (I forgot to peel the tomatoes this time, and didn’t really notice a difference)
1/4 cup white wine
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
salt and peper to taste
1/4 lb fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup cooked white cannellini beans
1/2 cup Parmegiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 lb. Fontina cheese

Directions
In a 4 qt. (or larger) pressure cooker, heat the butter and add the chopped pancetta. Slowly saute the pancetta until it renders out and becomes slightly colored. Add the onion and saute lightly. Add the garlic. Add the rice and coat it with the butter. Add the wine and reduce until it is absorbed (this won’t take very long at all). Add the diced tomatoes, stock and seasonings. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring the cooker to high pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain the pressure. Cook for 6 minutes. Release with quick release and remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. Taste for a firm texture. Quickly add raw spinach and replace the lid on the pot. Do not turn the heat on. After a few minutes, open the lid and stir in the spinach. It will wilt from the heat in the risotto. Add the cooked beans and the Parmegiano Reggiano and the Fotina cheeses - stir to allow the melt into the risotto. Serve immediately. Remarks: This recipe can be scaled up to make more servings easily.

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We eat a lot of salads with our dinner, so I had to jump at the opportunity to try a new line of dressings. I am already a big fan of Wish Bone’s Spritzers because you can put just enough dressing on the salad to get the flavor throughout without drowning the lettuce in a sea of dressing. Now, Wish Bone has created a new line of salad dressings, Bountifuls. The idea behind these new dressings is that the dressing is the main component and the rest of the salad is made to compliment it. Bountifuls are different because they incorporate bits of real fruits and vegetables in the dressing.

Bountifuls are another low-calorie dressing option for those looking to have a nice healthy salad without going overboard with the dressing. For 2 tablespoons it’s only 35 calories and 1 gram of fat. That’s something I can appreciate! There are 4 different dressings to choose from based upon the type of salad you are in the mood to serve: Tuscan Romano Basil, Hearty Italian, Berry Delight and Simply Santa Fe.

First, I tried the Berry Delight as an addition to my low-fat yogurt and granola afternoon snack. It has nice chunks of fruit in it and added a whole new dimension to the yogurt. I think this dressing could be used as a simple topping to ice cream or even a slice of pound cake with a bit of whipped topping. It’s full of summer flavor.

I used the Hearty Italian on my salad at lunch one day, and the flavor was a sharper than what I typically like for an Italian dressing. I would use it as a marinade over grilled chicken rather than as a traditional salad dressing. However, the Tuscan Romano Basil makes a wonderful dressing for even the simplest salad of Romaine lettuce and tomatoes. I would also imagine this one could be used throughout the summer as a marinade or as a simple addition to grilled vegetables.

My least favorite was the Simply Sante Fe. I have to preface this by saying that there is cilantro in it and I am one of those people who just can’t handle that herb. The dressing has a bit of spice to it and bits of corn, red peppers and tomatoes in it. I can see this being used as in a spicy pasta salad or even a taco salad. It has a lot of flavor, but the cilantro was a bit overpowering for me.

Overall, I think Wish Bone has created a fantastic new line of dressings. There are a lot of possibilities, and you can get some great recipe ideas on how to use these dressings by visiting Wish Bone. You can now find Wish Bone Bountifuls in your grocers salad dressing aisle. Also, watch out for 2 new additions to the Wish Bone Spritzers: Ranch and Honey Mustard Buzz; they should be available this spring.

Photo courtesy Wish Bone.

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Anyone who knows me would say I am a pasta fanatic. I adore all types of pasta, and will eat it simply with a bit of olive oil or with a flavorful sauce. So, when the opportunity to taste a new brand of pasta was presented, I jumped a the chance. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the package from Garofalo Signature Pasta and it included four different pasta shapes. The clear cellophane packaging allows you to really see the beautiful cuts of pasta.

Background on Garofalo Signature Pasta:

“Garofalo Signature pastas are created from only the finest durum wheat sourced from across the globe by owner Massimo Menna. Durum wheat used to create Garofalo Signature pastas must meet the highest standards for protein content and color quality to guarantee a product with superior aesthetic and flavor that will perform consistently whether prepared by a professional or home chef. ”

I was very interested to try the Whole Wheat Rotini since I have been trying to incorporate more whole grains into my meal planning. Rather than cover it in a sauce, I wanted to really taste the flavor of the pasta and just used a little extra virgin olive oil on it. I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted very much like traditional pasta. It cooked up perfectly using the package directions and the color was much lighter than what I have seen with other whole wheat pastas. I think that this whole wheat pasta would easily be incorporated in just about any traditional sauce and no one would even realize they were eating a healthier pasta.

There was an interesting cut of pasta that resembles calamari rings, Calamarata. This has to be one of the most interesting pastas I have ever seen. Garofalo recommends a mushroom sauce to go with this pasta, but after making the pasta I think it would be paired well with any thick and creamy sauce. The Fettucine served with an Alfredo Sauce was another winner with my family. The Penne Rigate is unique in that it not only has ridges on the outside of the pasta, but also on the inside. This allows the pasta to grab hold of more sauce, which makes it different from the Penne Rigate I have seen at my local grocery store.

Overall, Garofalo pasta went over very well with my family. Right now, it is currently available at Costco stores on the West Coast, Piggly Wiggly in the South and Midwest, as well as A&P and specialty grocery stores in the Northeast.

Photos courtsey of Garofalo Singature Pasta

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