Cooking with Canned Soup ~ Not that Brainy...

When I was growing up just about everyone was cooking with canned soup. It was a heyday for canned soup makers. But, cooking with canned soup is not really healthy for you. Its better to make your own stock and use it to make a variety of soups throughout the week.

The Brainy Gourmet has always advocated making stock and turning it into one soup or another. Read past blogs on doing just that. Go to the Brainy Blog and in the Search Box, type in Soup, or Stock and get cooking!


Info ~ Canned soup is notoriously high in salt. Why? Because, it is necessary to bring out the flavor and make the soup palatable and although it’s convenient, it’s still nothing compared to homemade chicken soup. A half-cup serving of a popular brand’s condensed chicken noodle soup contains 37 percent of the recommended daily allowance of sodium. 

* Source ~ https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/you-won-t-believe-how-much-salt-these-26-common-foods-slideshow

Simple and Frugal... Soup with a Sandwich!

Being frugal is key to being a brainy gourmet. Its knowing what can go into the pot.

Having said that, you know that I always start a soup from a meat stock; either chicken, turkey, beef or pork. And, yes, even pork can make a good stock as well as can an onion or leek.

I like to use the pork butt or picnic cut. It always has tender meat and though it has tasty fat, it is really leaner than you think. Besides, a little saturated fat is not bad for you. In fact, our brain is composed of nearly 60% fat.

·  Liver Health: Saturated fat encourages the liver cells to dump their fat cells, which helps the liver to function more effectively .

·  Immunity: Saturated fatty acids, especially the kinds found in butter and coconut, help white blood cells to recognize and destroying invading viruses and bacteria. Go get ‘em, boys!

·  Hormones: Eating saturated fat tends to increase free testosterone levels, which helps to repair tissue, preserve muscle, and improve sexual function.

So, if you have your stock, then just add one tube or small can of tomato paste. Stir and toss in some fresh dried herbs, cover, simmer on med heat for 30-40 min. As it bubbles away, prepare rice or any pasta that you prefer.

As for the grilled cheese, using sourdough bread is a favorite. I make em the brainy way or like  grandma used to make. Which means that even though its literally a sandwich to hand, it should be buttered on both sides of the bread.

Put one slice in the skillet, butter (olive oil or coconut oil can be substituted) side down. On top of that slice of bread, lay on two slices of Sharp or Medium Cheddar cheese or Gouda. Cover the cheese with another slice, butter side up. Cover and let them sizzle.

Make a stack of sandwiches, put the soup on the table and call everybody around.

~ Tutti a Tavola!


*Source on fat for the brain ~  https://greatist.com/eat/healthy-fats-best-foods-for-brain-health and https://greatist.com/health/saturated-fat-healthy

Brainy Simple Food ~ Brainy Simple Pleasure...

Pierogi

So, simple and so so tasty. I learned to make this dish while I was in eastern Europe. Pierogi is basically a filled dumpling made from flour and generally contains a potato/cheese filling. You can boil or fry them.
















To begin, you will need to buy a package of potato/cheese pierogi unless are make your own from scratch. For those who just want to be brainy simple, buy the frozen or fresh made at the deli counter.

To cook, just boil in salted water until tender. Serve with lots of sour cream or if you fried them, top with a few crispy bacon pieces or crumbles and a little sour cream on the side....Jest Bardzo Smaczny!


~ Tutti a Tavola!

*In the above photo, the pierogi are served with cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage; you can also use unseasoned ground pork and or bacon.

Use Color in Your Cooking...

 

The un-color has its place too on the color 'palette' ... plate ;-)

Aside of knowing your taste preferences, you need to make use of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Especially, smell and sight... it seems that the best taste starts there.

I rely on all my senses but when it comes to cooking sight and smell are my go to. In the context of using 'sight', color plays into my brainy cooking style. You can try and should experiment with color; because, practice makes perfect. The simplest color enhancers provide flavor as well. They tend to be the brightest colors: red, green, purple, yellow and orange.

Give color a try using: green or red pepper, green beans or asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, spinach or carrots. Also, add zing by adding colorful fruits either fresh, dried or cooked. Use a little or a lot. Scroll down to view some brainy dishes so that you too will get some brainy ideas of your own.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Moroccan Chicken Stew ~ Brainy Style!

Stews... you can find them just about anywhere!

If you know anything about spices, then you know that cumin is a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern, Asian, Mediterranean (including Morocco) and Mexican cuisines, and is one of the main ingredients in curry powder. It is an aromatic spice with a distinctive bitter flavor and strong, warm aroma due to its abundant oil content. Cumin "seeds" are actually the small dried fruit of an annual plant in the parsley family and it is native to the Mediterranean.

For this dish, you will need skinless, boneless chicken breasts, one onion, one green pepper and red grape 'cherry' tomatoes, buttermilk and peanut butter. As you now know, a good cook/chef can cook without following a specific recipe... even for this dish. All you have to know is what your taste buds like in terms of combinations of sweet and savory.

Another way to get used to cooking without a recipe is to cook like an artist... using color to guide you. Sometimes, that is exactly how I start out, using color to help decide what spices and how much.  Saute the onion, green pepper and tomatoes on med. heat in coconut oil, adding some red pepper flakes, garlic powder, paprika and cumin as well as either white or black pepper to taste.

Set aside the onion, pepper and tomatoes, and brown the chicken breast meat cut into chunks in the same skillet adding a drizzle of olive oil. Then return the veggies to the same skillet.

To this, add about 1/4 cup of gourmet buttermilk and 1/4 cup of heavy cream along with 1 tbs of creamy peanut butter. Stir and let simmer on low heat while you prepare a side of mashed potatoes. Once the potatoes are tender, drain and mash with butter and sour cream until thick and smooth. Ladle onto a low lipped plater, pour the chicken stew over the top and serve.

~ Tutti a Tavola

Stew, Goulash or Ratatouille...

 

You may already know that a 'Goulash' is actually a stew of meat and vegetables, seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating from the medieval Hungary, goulash is a popular meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but as well as in other parts of Europe. 

 

And, stew in most cultures is exactly that 'goulash'.. a tasty dish of meat and veggies. Some like it more liquid or fluid or juicy than others who may like it more thick as in heavy being full of rich gravy.

Now Ratatouille, what's that? Well, its a French stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The word ratatouille comes out of the verb touiller, meaning "to stir up". From the late 18th century, in French, it merely indicated a rough or coarse stew as in chunky and stirred up.

 

The modern ratatouille has these basic ingredients: tomatoes sautéed garlic, onions, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, marjoram, fennel (optional) and basil, or bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs.

 

Your ratatouille can be whatever you said it is... but without zucchini squash it just might be goulash.

Serve over pasta, rice and or potatoes!

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Be a Brainy Gourmet Chef at Home...

The Brainy Gourmet has been saying and applying for years what Chef José Andres has always said... "What could you do when life takes an unexpected turn? Friends, my advice: Don't follow a recipe!"

"When we go by the book, we lose our ability to adapt, to be creative. Sometimes you will find yourself without an ingredient or two. It will seem like everything is going wrong. If things don't go as expected, make the unexpected work in your favor.  Change the name of the dish." ~ JoseAndres

Don't follow a recipe. That is still the best advice; unless, you are a beginner. The Brainy Gourmet has always advocated being your own gourmet chef starting by understanding your own taste buds. That understanding comes from utilizing your senses: sight, smell, touch, taste and even hearing.

How can hearing help you cook? Well, first off... the sound of food prior to cooking is very important. You should listen for snap, crackles and pops. While you cook, you should listen for percolating, bubbling, sizzling and swishing.

These sounds will tell you a lot about what is happening to your food as you cook it and aid in adjusting temperature as well as timing. Also, paying attention to those sounds can help you avoid burning food as it cooks as well as aid you in achieving the right texture, smell and ultimately the right taste...

*Source ~ https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/2014/05/life-advice-from-a-chef-dont-follow-a-recipe