vinegar tagged posts

Cretan Diet I: Green Salad

The last few years there is a big buzz about the health benefit of the Mediterranean with Unesco the agent for the national and international heritage recognizing the Mediterranean diet as a distinct way of dieting and nutritional habits. The text of the announcement is not really related to the specific eating habits since the these are completely different between the various Mediterranean culture. It is mostly related to the way of cooking and the general eating habits rather the ingredients. The eating habits include the large consumption of vegetables, little meat, many grains, and a distinct touch of olive oil. The recipes are passed from one generation to the other, among the special bond between mother and daughter. However from one culture to the other there are many different aspects that change completely the ingredients and the methods of cooking making each culture completely distinctive from the others.

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Pork Tenderloin: Spice Galore

This post, long due but finally here never the less, it is not so much about the tenderloin, which is a great piece of meat but mostly for the propper use of spices and marinates/brines. I have spoken about it before but there still some miss conceptions and hazy teritory. And what a better way of talking than a nice juice piece of meat. And soon enough we will see that the selection of the meat was even more suitable.

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The Making of a Legend: Tzatziki

Tzatziki is one of the most widely known greek dishes, served in every greek restaurant and dinner. It is a dish that is served, with, grilled meat, stew meet, fried vegetables, stuffed vegetables, seafood, on its own as an appetizer with ouzo, or even with bread just like a spread. Although a very popular dish, there is no particular story associated with the tzatziki. Its origin is lost somewhere in the area of the middle east & balkans. In turkey there is a similar concoction that is called "cacik" (pronounced "tzatzik") and is a soup with cucumber, garlic and yogurt. All around the Balkans there is a similar dish that calls for yogurt and cucumber.

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Summer Food: Red Onion Salads

I will start today a series of post that will be randomly posted through the summer, highlighting foods that are perfect fro the summer, either because the ingredients are available through the summer very cheap and at the pick of their ripeness, or because they are refreshing and summery. The first one is probably one of the simplest salads I ever conceived and it can be made in matter of minutes. As is true with those dishes, quality of the ingredients maters. Buy fresh, preferably locally and don ‘t fear to shed some extra bucks for organic products. As, typical in this blog, it is really important to take some time and talk about the star of the dish, which is the red onion for today.

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