Month: April 2004

Of 14 potential lunches and dinners a week, New Yorkers cook less than half — 5.4, according to the 2004 Zagat Survey — skipping the rest, or turning to restaurants for dine-in or takeout. National statistics are no more encouraging. According to the NPD Group, which surveys eating patterns, less than a third of main dishes are made from scratch, down 16 percent in the last decade. Little more than half of all suppers require use of a stove top, a 21 percent drop since 1985. And dinner parties are on the wane — we garnered 16 invitations on average in 1990; 12, in 2003. If dinner parties do happen, takeout tins often litter the kitchen.

It seems a bizarre paradox. The popularity of food porn — TV programs presenting not-always-realistic recipes and cooking techniques — continues to grow while most of us remain whiskless. And it’s not only an American trend. According to a recent survey published in the London Times, the British are also suffering a bit of fry-pan phobia, with restaurant spending there up more than a third in the last five years. [Amodio]

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Amodio, Joseph V. “Celebrity-Chef Backlash.” The New York Times. 28 March 2004. <www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/magazine/magazinespecial/SECELEBCT.html> (3 April 2004).

I thought that this was a little wierd, but Amazon.com has some really good Tips for Entertaining and of course, that means food.

I have not had a chance to explore it fully, but it looks like Purdue University has a nice Guide to Medicinal and Aromatic Plants at their Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture site.

We are making refried beans (frijoles refritos) today.

Frijoles Refritos

• 1 pound dried Pinto Beans
• 2 strips Bacon
• 1 large Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Salt

1. Pick over and rinse the pinto beans. Place them in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans and bring to a boil over a high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for an hour.
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet. When done, remove the bacon and drain on paper towel, reserving the rendered bacon fat.
3. In the reserved bacon fat, sauté the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and continue sautéing until lightly browned.
4. Add the sautéed onions and garlic, along with any remaining bacon fat to the bean pot, along with the chili powder, cumin, and salt. Cover the bean pot and bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer until the beans are tender — about an hour. Keeping track of the beans and add more water if you need to to keep them from scorching.
5. Eat the bacon.
6. When the beans are tender, drain off any remaining liquid, then mash them with a potato masher.

These freeze really well. Form about a cup of the beans into a patty and stack them, separated by wax paper, in a zip-lock bag in the freezer.