written by Ilene Ross
Photo by Gina Weathersby/Kiwi Street Studios
Chef Jose Salazar
 
We are very pleased to announce the addition of yet another talented chef to our roster of contributors here at 513{eats}. Chef Jose Salazar, Executive Chef of The Palace Restaurant at The Cincinnatian is hands down one of the Queen City’s top culinary minds. After earning his stripes in some of the country’s most illustrious restaurants, including Jean Georges and Thomas Keller’s legendary Per Se in New York, he went on to become Food and Wine magazine’s “People’s Best New Chef: Great Lakes.” We’re delighted that Chef Salazar –a native New Yorker-has made Cincinnati his home and added his serious game to the Queen City food scene, and we’re delighted that he’s sharing his vast amount of knowledge and talent with our 513{eats} audience.
One of Chef Salazar’s first contributions is this absolutely superb recipe for a white gazpacho. Typically, gazpacho is a tomato based, raw vegetable soup, enjoyed throughout Spain and Portugal. It’s served cold, and is extremely popular during the warm summer months. Chef Salazar’s excellent version –more characteristic of the ancient Arab style- omits the tomatoes and relies on a bread base. Whichever variety of gazpacho you choose to enjoy, the great part about this refreshing dish is that not only is it delicious, it’s extremely healthy.
This leads me, unfortunately, to some very sobering statistics. Recently, The American Heart Association released their 2012 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics report. I’ve highlighted the link so that you can access it yourself, but the ones that caught my eye are; among children (2 to 19 years of age), 23.6 million are overweight or obese and 12.6 million are obese. Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight adults. This increases to 80% if 1 or both parents are overweight or obese. As stewards of our young people, it’s important that we teach them early about good food in moderation, exercise, and I believe the most important thing of all, how to prepare their own food. When children know how to cook, they take an interest in what they are preparing, and are more likely to eat foods that they wouldn’t necessarily try. So, bring your children into the kitchen with you and cook together. It’s important for your physical health and its quality family time as well.
Need some quality ME time? On Thursday, May 24th, Actress Andie MacDowell will be here for the SmartTalk Connected Conversations Series. Along with acting you can find her dedicating her life to healthy heart awareness, including teaming up with “Time to Talk Cardio” which helps you get the most out of your medical visits, and we have 2 tickets to give away! Email your favorite heart healthy recipe to me at ilene@513eats.com, and the winning dish will be featured in our “Your Dish” segment of the September 513{eats} magazine, and the tickets are yours! *must be received by Tuesday, May 22nd.
White Gazpacho
Yield: 3 quarts
8 cloves garlic confit
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups. crustless cubes of white country bread
4 cups green seedless grapes plus additional for garnish
4 cups hothouse cucumbers peeled, seeded & chopped
1 ¼ cups Marcona (or any good quality) almonds plus additional for garnish
500g. plain Greek lowfat yogurt
¼ cup plus ½ cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Smoked paprika to taste
Sherry vinegar to taste
Kosher salt to taste
White pepper to taste
To make garlic confit: place garlic cloves in small pan with vegetable oil over very low heat until soft and light brown in color. Drain oil and save for another application (garlic bread perhaps).
Meanwhile soak bread in cold water. Once moistened squeeze out excess water.
Using a blender, puree the garlic, bread, grapes, cucumber, almonds and yogurt (do this in several batches, so you get a smooth puree and don’t over work the blender)
During the last batch and with the blender still running drizzle in remaining ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil until emulsified, and add honey.
Pass soup through fine mesh strainer pressing on solids (if any).
Season with, salt, white pepper, and sherry vinegar to taste. Serve with shrimp and garnish with quartered green grapes, rough chopped Marcona almonds, a drizzle of good olive oil or reserved garlic oil and a pinch of smoked paprika.
This recipe is best prepared a day in advance to let the flavors marry and to thoroughly chill. Thin with cold water if needed to get desired consistency.
The almonds are the star of the show, so be sure to use a good quality brand.
written by Ilene Ross
Photography by Gina Weathersby
As we begin the sixth month of our little labor of love, we’re overwhelmed-and I say this often-with support and love from the community. With that in mind, I’m really excited to announce that we’re expanding 513{eats} far beyond the magazine and blog. Due to your requests, and our desire to always share the finest of our talented food community, we will be adding some really sensational elements to our repertoire.
Cincinnati has the most gifted food professionals, and when we’ve featured them, you’ve asked to meet them. We’ve been on delicious road trips, and you’ve asked to come along. Best of all, you’ve told us, “it always looks as if you’re having so much fun, you have the best job in the world.” Well, we are, and we do, and we want to share our good times with you. We have a lot planned. Are you hungry?
So let’s go! First up, a really superb Summer Wine Series at Clifton’s La Poste Restaurant. Their wine team led by sommelier Bryant Phillips is unsurpassed, and their wine cellar features over 1000 different labels. Chef Dave Taylor’s cuisine is seasonally based, wine focused, and exquisite. The goal of this series is to take you from neophyte to expert in four delicious and fun-filled nights. If wine lists leave you confused, overwhelmed, and intimidated, or even if you’re an expert but you’d like to meet new culinary minded friends, join us for the party.
.
The Summer Wine Series at La Poste Eatery
July 10th 6:30-8:30 Food & Wine Pairing $60.00
The art of pairing wine with food! The possibilities are endless and truly exiting. Join us and quench your thirst with enchanting wines from all over the globe as one of La Poste Eatery’s knowledgeable sommeliers instructs you on the complexity and creative nature of this topic. Light hors d’oeuvres from the La Poste kitchen will be served.
August 7th 6:30-8:30 Old World vs. New World $60.00
Let’s explore one of the most hotly debated subjects in the world of wine-Old World vs. New World. Led by one of our extraordinary sommeliers, you’ll explore the characteristics of wines from all over the globe, including Europe, Australia, and both North and South America. Light hors d’oeuvres from the La Poste kitchen will be served.
September 11th 6:30-8:30 The Grand Tasting $125.00
Your new found wine expertise will be put to good use during this magnificent Grand Tasting. Our sommeliers have chosen the most outstanding offerings from of our extensive wine room to be paired with a sumptuous five course dinner from the La Poste kitchen. This evening will be the culmination of all of your hard “work” and it’s an event you will not to want to miss!
Reduced price for the entire series: $250.00
For more information on the Summer Wine Series, please contact Katherine Purdy, Event Coordinator at La Poste Eatery at:
Phone Number: 513-542-3663
Email: Purdykm@gmail.com
*Be sure to remind her that you’re a part of the 513{eats} community! *
*May not be used for The Summer Wine Series.
written by ilene ross
photographed by gina weathersby/kiwi street studios
Nobody would ever head off to culinary school thinking it’s the ideal place to lose weight, but at 5’11” and 288lbs, Michael Worth knew that his only hope was to start the battle before embarking on his career as a chef. If he could begin losing the weight before he started, the encouragement he felt from his success would lead to a lifelong mentality of healthy living. So, eight months before leaving for the famed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, he began a disciplined regime which consisted of running, circuit training, limiting portion sizes, cutting out dairy, and what might be the most difficult of all for a newly minted 21 year old, the banning of late night drinking.
Initially, his too strict program was met with frustration, and the pounds refused to come off. Discouraged, he relaxed just a bit, and was well rewarded. Off to the CIA he went with his plan in place, spending his time without a car in the pastoral countryside of Hyde Park divided between class and the gym.
Four years and 112 pounds later, Michael is in the exacting kitchen of The Palace-one of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants- as Jr. Sous Chef to Executive Chef Jose Salazar. Working ten hour days in an extremely demanding kitchen is a great work-out routine on its own, though he still hits the gym. “I eat more now than I used to, but I’m not gluttonous, I do taste everything,” he says.
Being surrounded by all of that incredible food on a daily basis could prove to be the undoing of many a healthy eater, but Michael offers up these words of encouragement. “Never get discouraged. It’s [weight loss] not a numbers game. People need to look at it holistically.”
As a complete aside, yes ladies of Cincinnati, Michael is single….
Words by Ilene Ross
instagrams by Gina Weathersby
Surprisingly, or maybe not so much, a food magazine isn’t always about the food. There are props involved. Silverware, plates, fabric, linens, and surfaces on which to photograph the food and props are just as essential as the starring character. As far as we’re concerned, those details make all the difference in our publication. We go through quite a lot of them in our quest to come up with extraordinary “food porn.” Some are one offs, photographed once and put back on the shelf, but certain special pieces are called upon frequently, an inanimate muse, lovingly showing up shot after shot. And, while it might seem easy to just head to the local big box store and grab up everything in sight, we prefer our pieces with history, depth, and heart. We can’t help it, we’re suckers for rich patinas, worn woods, and old crockery.
Sunday was the opening day for the Burlington Antique Show in Burlington, Kentucky. Celebrating 31 years, this gathering of over 200 antique dealers draws people on the third Sunday of every month, April through October from hundreds of miles around looking to find furniture and vintage collectibles. After a rain soaked Saturday, Sunday’s early morning sun was a much welcome sight as we headed down South; ready to refill the 513{eats} coffers in our never ending pursuit for fresh eye candy.
We were amply rewarded. We loaded up on rustic kitchen implements, delicate silver serving pieces, and some really sweet old wooden boxes. Most often, boxes like this aren’t used to hold anything, but re-purposed as a surface on which to photograph food. This sort of “outside the box” thinking comes in handy in our never ending search for original and uncommon surfaces. We shock a lot of people when we put food on the floor to take advantage of some exquisite century’s old hardwood or tile. No five second rule necessary for art’s sake. We also came across a few vintage linens. They’re excellent for use as backgrounds, table cloths, or napkins. All that’s needed is a little imagination.
Finding resources for the magazine or is only half the fun of spending a gorgeous weekend day scouring these charming markets. We also find beautiful pieces for our homes. Peruse with a cup of hot or iced coffee, depending on the season, and when you become peckish, -as we always do- food trucks are prevalent, or make a date with friends for a pre-brunch stroll. Of course, socializing is de rigueur. Chat with the vendors and learn their story and the history of your find. One of our favorite things to see is small children inspecting the tables for toys of generations past, so bring the whole crew; these are hands down some of the best family outings. We’ve thought about tailgating-of course we’re thinking about the food- but we need all our car space for found pickings.
In addition to Burlington, you’ll also find us treasure hunting at the Tri-State Antique Market at the Lawrenceburg Indiana Fairgrounds, held every first Sunday, May through October, Second Sunday in Covington, and of course Cincinnati’s own delightful City Flea, opening its second season on May 19th. Consider adding them to your own calendar this season.
styling and photography ©Gina Weathersby/kiwi street studios
One of the many wonderful reasons I love visiting the market are the visual delights. On this day, the marigold color of meyer lemons called my name…loudly.
I admit it may have been subliminal, a I’ve been spying many a meyer lemon tart recipe for weeks now. Either way, I left the market with baking on my mind.
Meyer Lemon Rosemary Tart
(originally from eat boutiques blog)
Ingredients:
- 2 lemons, scrubbed clean and dried
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon Morris Kitchen preserved Meyer lemon syrup
- powdered sugar, for garnish
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 325.
- Place the pre-baked tart crust on a cookie sheet.
- Slice the lemons in half and remove the seeds. Place the lemons and sugar into a food processor and chop until the lemons are very fine. You will need to scrape down the sides to combine the sugar and lemon pieces.
- Add all of the ingredients except the butter and syrup; pulse until mixed well.
- With the food processor running add the butter and then the syrup; blend until creamy, about 2 minutes. Pour into the tart pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then increase the heat to 350.
- Bake for an additional 25 – 35 minutes, just until lightly golden and slightly jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven. Let cool to room temperature.
- Dust with a light dusting of powder sugar. Serve. Eat.
« Older posts
Newer posts »
|
no comments