Author: Salt and Pepper

I love to eat good food, I love to cook good food. I believe that each ingredient should be treated with the highest respect it can be paid, good preparation. Eating good food is relishing dishes that which someone else, be it a Michelin Star Chef or a home cook, has prepared with skill and respect, and that it is well seasoned and thoughtfully presented. Cooking good food is taking my time, putting in the effort, to do the same. I prefer to be known as a "Foodie Wannabe". The term Foodie is too serious. You see, as "Foodie Wannabe" I can make mistakes and I do not have to know if the sauce is one of the five "mother" sauces¹ or a "little sauce". I do not have to define a gastrique² on the spot, spew culinary terms, or know the recipe for egg pasta³ off by heart. I can express my love for, and opinion of food unfiltered. Make no mistake, I am still open to critique, dare, and roasting, but eating and cooking are passions, not my job. As travelers, once my wife and I, have picked a destination, the immediate next step is to search for places to eat. Yes, the trip is planned around the dining. We are known to have picked destinations because of their restaurants, and come to think of it, that is mostly what has been the case. Authentic cuisine is what we are after, local dishes prepared by locals, ranging from street food to high-end dining. The dining experience is heightened if we are joined by family and friends who are fellow food lovers. My motto is BYH: Broaden Your Horizons™, and doing it all with passion.

About Us | SaltWorks

I recommend this site, and I know you’ll be there for some time.

 

“SaltWorks is an American Salt Company, founded in 2001 and based near Seattle, Washington (USA). We supply premium grade specialty sea salts to the wholesale, retail, and consumer markets throughout the world.”

Source: About Us | SaltWorks

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Motivated by Motifs

This article is going to make me pay attention for sure, whether watching a movie or reading a book.

The Daily Post

When faced with a difficult decision, it’s tempting to ask the universe to send us a sign. While life isn’t black and white, the pages of literature are. In real life, it’s impossible to be completely sure of how a decision will turn out. Authors, on the other hand, can sprinkle signs and motifs throughout their work to guide their audience and characters to an end result.

These motifs give us, readers, a taste of omniscience. I’ll never forget my high school film teacher explaining his theory on the use of oranges in The Godfather movies. Each time we see oranges on the screen, he explained, that’s a foreshadowing that someone is going to die or be killed. Once I became aware of this tidbit, it was impossible to not see oranges throughout the movie, and I subsequently reveled in my prescient glimpse of what would happen next.

As inspiration this week, explore the…

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Salt, and more Salts: The First Crystal

 

Promising that this may not be an exhaustive site, but hoping to share something new or interesting, one or two salts at a time.

Iodized sea salt in black plate
Iodized sea salt. Photography by Wayne Stanley.

Let us start with sea salt and table salt.

Sea salt is produced by the evaporation of water from seawater or saltwater lakes, and little processing. Table salt is mined from subterranean salt deposits.

The differences between sea salt and table salt can be found in their coarseness, color, processing, taste, and texture. Notably, the more processing, the more trace minerals, and elements, are extracted.

Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value, despite the fact that sea salt is often promoted as being healthier. The sodium content is about the same in sea and tablet salt, but most table salt also has added iodine, that helps maintain a healthy thyroid. Table salt usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Use both, and you’ll be fine.

Salt never gets old, so it can be stored for years. Bacteria don’t grow in salt. In fact, salt has been used for centuries as a preservative. 

The earliest recorded history of salt use, in 6000BC,  is by the Chinese, and Lake Yuncheng gave birth to the earliest salt works.

The Egyptians also highly valued salt, and put it to a myriad of uses, from preserving food to mummification. Salt from the Natrun riverbed, they called Netjry, and Natron as we know it. These archived records reach back to 4000BC.

The power of love, laughter and… persillade

This is a heartwarming story. It resonates with my passionate pursuit of sharing good food, that is well seasoned (love the persillade), with good companions.

Source: The power of love, laughter and… persillade

Thank you to Stéphane at My French Heaven. Take a look.

 

Probiotic Foods

Probiotics are the live bacteria and yeasts that are essential to maintain our health.They are essential for our digestive system. A question that crosses our minds, is that bacteria and yeasts are associated with illnesses, which is true. However our bodies have both good and bad bacteria and yeasts, and probiotics are the good ones.

Probiotics are usually taken as supplements, but consider that there are foods that are probiotics.

These foods include aged cheeses, miso soup, sauerkraut, Kimchi, and Tempeh. Continue reading “Probiotic Foods”

Gastrosexual

So here is a trending gastronomical term, gastrosexual.
The Urban Dictionary defines gastrosexual, as “A term used to describe men who cook, taking the household chore part away from it, and turning it more into a hobby, used to impress friends and prospective partners. More and more, women are finding a partner’s ability to cook as important as other attractive features (looks, personality, status, income, etc.)”
 My own definition: “To cook, the man likes, and happy, his wife is.” it helps if you imagine Yoda speaking.
Am I gastrosexual? “Certainly, I am.” Surely, this makes me worth my salt?
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