Dr Sharon McKenna, said,  “These exciting results suggest that scientists could develop curcumin as a potential anti-cancer drug to treat oesophageal cancer.“

Note:    curcumin is a component of tumeric,  which, in turn is part of the ginger family.  Fresh ginger is a marvelous thing, try a bit of it raw.    For a real treat sample some  crystallized ginger,   Vernor’s Ginger Ale,   or  Altoids Ginger, >>>> ( purchase here )

Years ago my experience with curry was limited to food prepared using curry powder from my spice collection.  It didn’t rock my world.

There came a day, however, that found me in an Indian restaurant with friends.   I am an adventurous eater, but my previous episodes with the powder-in-a-can had left me with a blase attitude toward curry.

Fortunately my table mates were of the share and taste it all variety.  WOW !, was I amazed.  this stuff bore no resemblance to the powder – I was hooked.     I was soon into each dish on the table;  eager to learn more about the wonderful tastes and flavor layers.

If you aren’t familiar with curries the yellow is a great place to start.  The flavor is milder than some due to the use of coconut milk, ( there are hotter  curries).

I’m still learning about Indian food.  Thailand  and  Africa use spices and herbs in a similar fashion.  Moroccan is a favorite.  There is something about the use of spices that we associate with sweet baked goods that really excite my taste buds when used in savory food.

There are curry powders,  pastes to buy and paste recipes, and garam masala.  This link provides a tutorial for Indian spices.

Go on a search for Asian , Indian, or African cuisine  and let your imagination loose.  Your tongue will thank you.

Fresh pumpkin can be used for so many things.  I like it coarsely grated then sprinkled on salads,  or quickly sauteed with s&p and a bit of garlic,  or added to pancake/waffle batter and topped with apple butter and maple whipped cream.

Then, of course there are the more traditional pumpkin favorites,  pie and breads.

Most of us pick up a couple of cans of pumpkin puree at the grocery, but it really isn’t much trouble to make your own.

The first link here is to a post in the blog Chef in You and features a whole grain pumpkin pie that is as good to eat as to look at.  The site also has Indian and other ethnic recipes.

The Thin Chef found a pumpkin in her CSA box,  and fortunately for us,  walked us through the process of turning the pumpkin into delightful cupcakes.   The addition of cream cheese frosting and a bottle of champagne took it over the top.

Before you toss out the seeds from your pumpkin check out this recipe for apricot, almond, and pumpkin seed granola.

Pickled pumpkin rind, ( Peter Pipers favorite part - sorry, I couldn’t resist ), is good too.  A note: try cantaloupe and winter squash, too. My first experience was pickled watermelon rind – thanks, Mom.

Try Pumpkin butter with this recipe. A note at the top mentions pumpkin pecan cheesecake, I’m all for that !!

For the seeds you might try Mole Pipian.  I really like them as pepitas.  This recipe is great, but I like them as well with only a sprinkle of salt.

Don’t forget to save some for planting next years crop.

I also came across a recipe for pumpkin leather.     I think it sounds like a great snack.

10/16/09

MSN Delish – 12 Weirdest Pumpkin Recipes

Interesting take on pumpkin curry from The Chef from Hell

NOSHTALGIA  -  Pumpkin Butter – I love apple butter, this is a winner.

The only part of the pumpkin I haven’t been able to find a use for is the stem.  Ideas are welcome.

* 4,600 Cases of food borne illness, approx.

* 65   Food outlets shut down.

* 60  Cases of food poisoning .

* 40 Cases involved take-out

* 4    Deaths, ages 8, 5, 4,  and 2

Praveen Menon, reporting for The National, brings the seriousness of sanitation in food service to the fore in this article.

“Inspectors who visited the outlets found food being served uncooked, food left out at room temperature, untrained managers and staff, and poor personal hygiene, including workers failing to wash their hands.

The offenders included cafes, restaurants, canteens and grocery stores.”

DUBAI // Sixty-five food outlets were shut down by Dubai Municipality in the first half of the year because of food safety violations, officials said yesterday.

Chef Lenny Russo,  proprietor of Heartland Contemporary Midwestern Restaurant & Wine Bar in St. Paul,  wrote about a recent trip to New York City,  a lawsuit supported by  the Center for Science in the Public Interest,  and a lawn mower incident,  to make a point about the role of personal responsibility in the choices we make.

Read the article, I Ate Too Much; I’m Suing You.

“At Heartland, we have a standard procedure when we take a reservation.  We always ask the question, “Do you have any dietary concerns or constraints that we need to be aware of?”  We need to know if someone is lactose intolerant or has a nut allergy or, for that matter, is on a sodium restricted diet. Why do we do this?  We do it because we care about the health and well being of our guests, and we make a concerted effort to respect their food choices.”

Compliments to the Chef !!

I recently received a gift box of some of my favorite noshes, a fantastic collection of bar chocolates and a big bag of pistachios.  The chocolates now decorate my waistline, but the pistachios……………………..they sit on my counter, untouched.   I adore pistachios but they now fill me with terror.

There have been so many outbreaks of food poisoning that prudence demands that I dump them.  Food poisoning is a problem not only for the suffering consumer, but for the food service industry, too.

Produce-related illness incidents are on the rise, with cantaloupes, nuts, tomatoes, and hot peppers being cited as the most recent outbreaks.

An MSNBC article on food safety reports that 87 million cases of illness were reported last year.

The Mayo Clinic offers a chart on food poisoning causes and the time frame for the onset of symptoms.

eMedicine also has an extensive list in an article by  Roberto M Gamarra, MD. ( scroll down about half way).

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There doesn’t seem to be any consensus on the causality of the problem. Indeed, there is plenty of speculation and finger pointing.

The bottom line is that food service operators, and retail food suppliers, are on the front line in the battle against food-borne illness as the last stop before consumption and are responding to the problem with increased ServSafe(r) training for their staff.

Howevuh,  seeins’ how I’m from New Hampsha,  I’d likely be rode out of town on a rail after being tarred and feathered if I weren’t to mention Boston Baked Beans from the get go.   So,  the first thing I did was to Google just that – Boston Baked Beans.   The very first link on the results page has a wicked good list of recipes for B.B.B and a pretty nifty history lesson to boot !  ( side note: Boston Baked beans – the candy you ate as a kid)

Kim Knox Beckius authored the article for About.com and has a whole mess of good stuff on her blog Kim”s New England Travel.

I digress.

Let’s start with the Wikipedia entry for beans.   Along with the usual history, cultural, and anecdotal information,  I found two notable references.

The first,  a link to the children’s ditty,  “Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit”,  noting that it correctly identifies beans as a fruit, and giving no less than 14 variations of the the damn thing which I can’t get out of my head now.

The second is to be found in the section titled “Flatulence” and mentions the addition of vinegar to beans.   I sprinkle it on my cooked beans to this day thanks to my grandmother Rose and her daughter Ruth,  who did this just prior to consumption at the dinner table.   It adds a wonderful counter-flavor to the beans.

I digress.

These specialty beans have unique flavors and textures.  I’ve had great pleasure exploring them- tasting and trying new recipes.  I offer the links below to help you find and experience new beans.

Heirloom beans have hit the big time and afficiandos are buying them up like,… well,… hotcakes.   Seed Savers.org offers certified organic beans for your pot and Rancho Gordo has a pretty good list, too.   Purcell Mountain Farms has 3 pages of beans,  with pictures, too.

Steve Sando’s book Heirloom Beans not only looks good on the coffee table, but has stories, pics, and some pretty fair recipes, too.

A very interesting article  “Tending a legacy – Gardener toils to save vintage seeds for new generations”

A tip for bean cookery by Mark Bittman can be found at The Zest in a post titled “Magic Beans“.

Aesop is quoted as saying,  ” Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.”

If someone has an allergy or sensitivity they need only make that known when placing the reservation, and should expect accommodation or look elsewhere.

The effort to legislate the addition of nutritional information to menus seems to me an effort to treat the symptom rather than the disease.

There are a lot of reasons for childhood obesity and obesity in general :

1) We can think about Madison Avenue and Saturday morning advertising to children.

2) We can see the suggestive placement of certain foods by the grocers on shelves where kids can readily see them.

3) We must realize that lower income levels cannot afford a lot of the more nutritional and more expensive foods, (i.e. salmon as opposed to sausage).

4)There is a lack of time, and loss of experience, for the art of home cooking due to the need for both parents, (if there are two) to work.

5) A Google search for school cafeteria menus gives us a look at what kids are eating.

I believe we would be better served by concentrating on nutritional education in the home and at the elementary school level.

There is also the issue of high fructose corn syrup,  but ………………..that’s another post.

O.K.  It’s a bit tongue in cheek, (sorry),  I actually do like Spam. My diet these days is based mostly on chicken and fish, but I treat myself to the occasional cheeseburger,  gyro,  Philly steak sandwich,  and Spam Hot & Spicy.

According to the official Spam website more than 122 million cans are sold yearly with 90 million of those passing through check-out counters in the U.S.

Hawaii folk consume more per person each year than any other state,  6 million cans per annum,  using it in everything from sushi-style rolls to salad.  After reading this Today article you may feel compelled to try some, too.   There are 11 varieties,  including oven roasted turkey and a lite (sic)  version.  You will find history,  recipes,  and entertainment at the Spam site here.  The Wikipedia page offers some interesting info on the pythonesque applications of Spam

Give this Spam game a whirl.  The English were beating the French witless when I last played.   Getting the cow in the basket is a breeze,  launching the trebuchet effectively is the real challenge.  If you’re really into trebuchets you can engineer and launch your own here.

The lead paragraph above sets the philosophy of Jack Black as he begins a four part series on bread at ChefTalk.com

I love everything about bread.  The smell of the yeast,  the feel of it while working it prior to baking,  the amazing aroma that escapes the oven, and the textural adventures on the tongue created by the myriad ingredients that lend substance and taste.

No bread machines and expensive mixes for me, thanks.  It takes so little time to put it together and slip into the oven and when it comes out it is a trophy attesting to creativity and love.  Check out this series, learn how to loaf, and join the upper crust .

Jack Black also offers this list of resources and books for bakers.

Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Bread Bible, The Cake Bible and Roses Heavenly Cakes, (and featured in my blogroll), offers a great bread primer in  Bread Basics,  on Epicurious.com including a look at ingredients and must-have tools.

Wikipedia has a great batch of information on bread and its attendent constituents, too.

For all the home baked wonders I have had the pleasure of ingesting I wish to thank, in particular, my mother Ruth, my grandmothers, Rose and Grace, and Billy, too, a patient mentor, and incredible basket maker and table tennis artist.