Sans Alcohol

Having obtained eligibility of health insurance at my current J.O.B., I went bananas and made all my doctors appointments after having not seen any of them in a year and a half. All the ailments I thought of, I saw each corresponding doctor. Even if it was a hint of a problem, I made sure I got an opinion. After all, how are we to be sure of the security of our jobs in this economy- access to affordable health insurance is tied to being employed, unfortunately.

There are many perils of working in the food and wine industry, one of them is eating. Yes! Think about it- food in the danger zone, under cooked meat, contaminated produce, unwashed hands, dirty water, the list goes on and on...

In the past year and a half, I have traveled to many places, drank fine wine, ate great food and had some funky dishes mixed in-between. Along the way, I began to notice I had some interesting stomach issues. ( I will spare you the details and not discuss them here.) With my insurance activated, I went to see a G.I. not Joe but a Dr. Jim the gastro-internist.
"Stomach infection," was what Dr. Jim told me. It could have come from something as simple as drinking tap water in NYC to the food I ate in San Francisco, Italy, Guam or where else I've been.

Rx: antibiotics for 7 days. If I don't feel better, "more tests." I'm praying I feel better, I don't like the sounds of the tests he's talking about. The thing about traditional medicine practice is they like to hand out pills for every ailment, every disease you can think of. The warning of these pills came with: Do not consume alcohol while taking this medication, it can cause you to be violently ill, cause seizures, heart palpitations, metallic taste in your mouth, shortness of breath = death. OK. Point taken. I WILL NOT DRINK for a week.

Here's the conundrum, had I not have insurance, I would have went on with my life with these symptoms and live with it for God knows how long?! How many people in This country have more serious ailments than this and just deal with it? Boy, all this thinking and I can't even have a drop of wine. I'll just sit here and sip my cranberry juice and ponder it some more.

The status quo of This country's health care system may never be solved in the next three years. But, I pray everyone gets a chance to be well.

Be well my friends.

A Three Hour Tour...

I find myself sitting in my apartment deciding what to eat for lunch today. Barely anything is in my fridge except a couple of eggs, bottles of wine and champagne- I just arrived from my trip to Italy two days ago. I'm fooded out. I don't want to replace the memories of the wonderful, mind blowing food that has touched my tongue and soul. Pretty dramatic eh? You bet.

One day my partner took me to this seafood restaurant that was supposedly the best in Calabria. Great, I think- the only island girl who doesn't care too much for seafood to begin with. I'm about to have a seafood extravaganza. Yikes. I think of the time my pops told me to close my eyes and swallow the last 3 bites of food- my mother had prepared this fuzzy squash & shrimp dish and I wasn't allowed to leave the table until my plate was cleaned. Now I'm thinking I would have to resort to the 10 year old tactics so not to seem a picky "American" diner.

Act One: The appetizers came fast and furiously. We were served this amazing octopus carpaccio served with just a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. I have never tasted octopus this fresh and unbastardized, it melted in my mouth piquing my taste buds, I was ready and open for the seafood experience. Sweet shrimp better than any Ama Ebi's you've had in your life. Silver fish that were practically still swimming and taste of the fresh Ionian Sea. Swordfish stuffed with breadcrumbs, white fish and fresh herbs were grilled to perfection. The chef/owner came out periodically to make sure we were eating well, and yes, we were. Stewed octopus. Grilled prawns and Rosa Marina fish cakes trailed thereafter.

Act Two: The owner of the seafood company came by for "coffee" but ended up staying and joining us for lunch. We had toured his facilities on a previous trip so I know exactly how well they treat their products and how fresh everything is. It is an immense operation dealing with delicate seafood and its care- the place was spic and span- you knew you were getting top of the line, fresh out of the ocean caught 3 hours ago seafood. I digress. So, here comes Zio Frank- watching, making sure we were eating every dish being served. Oysters served without the abductor muscles cut so when you squeeze lemon on them they were still moving, not for the faint of heart. The clams were so sweet and tender. Mussels, not my favorite- pass. The most sublime frito misto platter- everything was coated with batter so evenly, fried to golden excellence. I must have been in seafood heaven. Everything was "numero uno."

Act Three: Three hours later and 4 bottles of wine we were still shooting the shit and eating. Does it ever end??? Ahh dessert! Beautiful lemon cake served with an aged yellow grappa followed by a clear, smooth grappa. I think I'm gonna pass out- food coma. Nope. No time for a siesta. We were off to the Gattuso headquarters for espresso.

Act Four: Being the only woman in the bunch, I was told that this is how the boys hang. Damn it, I was determined to break in this boys club and participate in the activities. Hahaha, I have been secretly drinking water for the past 2 hours and been pouring off my drinks to unsuspecting companions. 9 hours later, I was cranky, skipped dinner and later that night had dreams of fish swimming in my head. LMAO. I don't think I'll be hanging out with the boys anytime soon but, will participate in the eating and excuse myself exit stage left the next time. oh, and they still smoke like chimneys at the table. My hair and clothes!

I've met my seafood quota for the season.

City Living- Concrete Jungle

Living in New York affords you the opportunity to experience things that you can't otherwise in other places, or so I think... This morning I was at the local coffee house reading my paper, sipping my cup o' joe minding my business. It was a rather warm day for early Spring in Ny so I decided to sit outside and get some fresh air/lovely car exhaust from traffic.

My point: Right next to me were a couple of potted plants and a few trees. One pigeon flew by and sits on the ground, another nearly misses my head and lands on top of the first pigeon. Next thing you know, these crazy things are making noise and wait a minute- pigeon sex. What? why me? I don't need to see that. hahaha. Yes, kids pigeon-let me get that-early in the morning. Great- perfect accpmpiant to my coffee, I am now wide awake.

Mama always taught me- sharing is caring. Now you too know what it looks like. :0

If you want a closer look at the animal kingdom, the Museum of Sex has an exhibit of animals behaving badly...

Old Mother Hubbard

Since my last outing in someone else's kitchen, I have decided to compile a list for simple but, necessary items to be stocked in your pantry so that one may be able to whip up a decent meal on the fly without too much fuss.

The Basics:

-Sugar -Salt - Black Pepper -Flour -Oil - White Vinegar -Catsup -Mustard -Mayo -Honey

-Dry Pasta -Rice -Beans, canned, dry -Canned Tomato -Any favorite Canned fruits & Veggies -Cereal -Oatmeal -Coffee -Peanut butter -Jelly -Chocolate, bars, hot chocolate mix -Dry Spices -Bouillon Cubes -Baking Soda & Powder -Asst. Basic Canned soups -Canned Tuna -Tea

Steppin It Up:

~Sherry, Balsamic, Red Wine Vinegar ~E.Virgin Olive Oil ~Olive, Canola oil

~Bergamot Olive Oil ~Kosher, Hawaiian, Fleur de Sel, Rock Salts ~Whole Grain Mustard

~New Zealand, Combed Honey ~Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Fusilli, Bucatini etc...

~Couscous, Quinoa ~Chickpeas, Capers, Roasted Peppers, Pickles

~Siracha, Tabasco, Bbq sauce ~Red & White cooking wine

~Chicken, Beef, Vegetable Stock ~Yeast ~Fresh Herbs ~ Herbs de Provence ~Elephant Garlic

Pantry made for a Chef:

*Saffron *Cognac *Katsuobushi *Kombu *Chickpea, Bread, Cake, Semolina Flour

*Black and White Truffle (when in season) *Jasmine, Sushi, Risotto *Nori

*Whole Nutmeg, Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Every Spice you can imagine...

*English Breakfast, Green, White, Jasmine, Rooibos, Peppermint, Chamomile

*All those molecular gastronomy stuff you care to experiment with

There is so much that we have yet to learn and discover with all the different cuisines in the world. Let me know what you'd like to add to the list, I'm sure I missed even the basic ones.

Good Cookie Gone Bad.

Of all people, I should know better when it comes to the art of cooking. Operative word: should. For the people who know me best, namely- my family and good friends, they know better to use that language around me. I despise the word 'should', and yet I am using it on myself. Aghhhh... So here's the story of the- Jean should know better...

This weekend, I had the opportunity to leave Nyc for the Hampton's to relax and help out some friends do some minor work. While I had no part in grocery shopping and what was to be on the menu for the next couple of days, I had volunteered myself to do the cooking. Actually, forced my way into that position because the kitchen was of nice size and I knew no one would question what I was doing or making. (my Manhattan apt does not afford me to make elaborate dishes with multiple pans going on at once without haggling for space.) I was in a happy space, Zen- if you will.

Every meal went off without a hitch except the one night we decided that dessert was needed. My sister's bf asked me to make one of my cakes- every cook has a couple of recipes in their head for these occasions... Being that the pantry wasn't fully stocked as the summer season hadn't started, we used what was available to us but, the only baking supply available was eggs and butter- I had no choice, I had to use the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie dough. I'm not one to poopooh prepackage stuff, they do have a time and place for its use however, since I have not used this product I was unsure of its results. Yup- I should have known better. Let me just beat myself right now. I do get very defensive and protective when it comes to my cooking, yes, yes, I know that I need to relax its only food but, its not that often that I fuck something up.

Here it is. Evidence that Jean needn't be messing around with pre-made cookie dough. LOL. Its simple really: break off square pieces and bake @ 350 degrees for 12mins. Nope. No such luck for moist chocolate chip cookies, we got burnt hockey pucks, they didn't even break out of their square shape into a nice burnt circles- see photo. Next time, I'll be sure to partake in the grocery shopping so that we at least have the essential pantry stock. Also, be sure to check the 'use by date' on packages, it helps.

Olive oil goodness

One of the coolest part of my job besides tasting wine all the time is having all sort of samples practically thrown at me. Part of my research for a project is to find amazing products in which you would probably not find anywhere in The City.

Olive oil. Hot commodity. Just like wine, it is highly volatile; sensitive to heat and most of the time people don't tell you the whole truth as to where it comes from and what its comprised of. My entanglement with the Italians grow deeper as I learn more each day.

Since I have a plethora of olive oil in my home, I decided to see how many ways to use this product in the best application. I've got home made olive oil from Calabria, fancy pants cold first press -extra virgin, Spanish olive oil and to throw in the mix your average Trader Joe's -from Greece.

Being a practical woman in this so-called recession, I decided to use the olive oil as part of my beauty regimen. Deep conditioner for my thick curly sometimes unruly mane. Heat olive oil + a squeeze of lemon juice for 30 seconds in microwave, massage into scalp, cover hair with plastic and keep yourself occupied for 30 minutes while your hair soaks the yummy goodness and allow the oil to work its magic. Let me tell you, I had to wash my hair 3x to get the greasiness out. My hair did feel silky soft and I didn't mind too much the faint smell of lemony olive oil. However, the next day I looked like a grease monkey- the funky monkey. Whoa. It was living in the 80's with super mouse in my hair. This treatment is best for the weekend staying home watching movies with someone who doesn't mind a funky monkey.

Research shows that olive oil does wonders for the skin. I have to agree. Rub it on your cuticles, your rough winter feet. Bingo! You're good as new. Olive oil has natural properties that act as an antiseptic and moisturizer. Gently rub the expensive stuff on your face before going to bed. Believe me or not, I have an amazing glow every morning. Thus far, it hasn't clogged my pores. There must be something to it, just look at those beautiful Mediterranean women-their gorgeous hair and skin. Always smiling. Damn, this must be the secret to happiness.

Finally, lets talk about cooking. I decided to make a Blood orange-olive oil cake. Doesn't sound too appealing right?! Let me tell you, this cake I made the other day, fantastico! It's a bit tricky because when you make the batter, it seems too oily, trust me, that's the way it looks, don't be alarmed thinking you measured out something wrong- follow the recipe and if you're not happy with the results you can always doctor it. (*Be sure to use your best olive oil when baking, you can save the Trader Joe stuff for sauteing or marinating items.) 50minutes later you get this beautiful moist cake with a light greenish hue when you cut into it. (the pic doesn't do it justice, I'm still learning to take food shots) mmmm. The essence of the olive oil is ever so captured and the citrus fruits balances the oil factor perfectly. Enjoy it alone, with jam, a fruit compote, please, please don't drown it with ice cream. It would be lost in translation.

Santos needs a Stimulus Plan 2009

I haven't written lately due to the fact that the past week I was sick with this nagging cold and also, I've been working diligently on my project. As some of you may know I left the restaurant business in pursuit of becoming an entrepreneur. However, I haven't left the business of food and wine completely, my project deals with food and wine, this time to my specifications and ideals.

There comes a time in a person's life when you've just got to give it a go and follow your dream, your bliss. My life, by breath, my passion has been entangled in the simplest thing that a human being needs to sustain life. It's simple and yet complicated. I have dedicated my life with the desire of helping other people understand that there is an art to living: eating for pleasure first.

Culinary school does not teach all it's future chef's this, it only provides the technical skill needed to show what mother nature has given us on our abundant fertile lands. Attending sommelier classes does not teach you what kind of love it requires in making that beautiful glass of Merlot you are sipping tonight. It merely suggest what nuances to detect in each type of grape varietal. And so my point is, it doesn't matter if you hold the highest degree in the land in your professional field. If you have not the passion to live and work happily, then you're in the wrong place.

For me, it happens to be a bit of a slow going snail for my project to come to fruition. First of all, this economy sucks, some of my backers somehow backed out in becoming my partner (a bit understandable, nonetheless it sucks.)

I believe that this is the perfect time to open a business. Food and drugs (the kind from CVS people) are the two things that will always be in need.

So, my dear friends, I am reaching out to those who believe in my passion- my training- my skills- my experience- my never ending quest for perfection and profitability- and perhaps you may want to share in this venture or know of someone.

I have been humbled by this experience in learning what it truly takes in planning my project. Its simple really. It will be an intimate place for friends to gather, have great bites, wonderful drinks and a place to soothe the soul. I've even picked out the perfect spot.

I just need a little assistance. Peace and love.