Cilantro - Hate it or Love it

I figured I would get the 'Ingredients' posts started with a certain ingredient that has given me its share of problems: Cilantro.

My relationship with cilantro has been rocky even in the best of times, and I would probably describe it as more of a hate-love dynamic. There was a time when even the slightest taste of cilantro made me want to gag. Worse yet, it so often polluted my favourite Indian, Mexican, and Thai food. I felt justified in my hatred knowing that Julia Child herself told Larry King in 2002 that even she couldn't stand it. After a couple cilantro-free years, I've decided to give it another chance; and although I'm skeptical, I remain optimistic.

Just for fun I did a little Google searching to see what's what. It turns out that cilantro is quite the hated little herb. Just check out these links:

I Hate Cilantro and Ban Cilantro

Some try to offer a scientific explanation for all the hate: The Obligate Scientist

The discussion has even made it to the Wall Street Journal!

Reading all the hate propaganda actually had me feeling a little sorry for my ex arch nemesis cilantro. Truth be told I've even started to acquire a bit of a taste for it. Don't get me wrong though, if I can taste cilantro as a main flavor in any dish, I will probably still (ever so subtly of course) spit the food into a napkin and slip it into my pocket for easy future disposal. I have also been known to still meticulously pick it out of pad thai with my chopsticks.

That being said, a LITTLE cilantro in the right place imparts what I would call a 'fresh' taste to a dish. Just this past weekend I had homemade pico de gallo, which I devoured, cilantro and all - and it wasn't even because I was being watched. A little cilantro is really nice in salsa too. It can be added to ground beef for hamburgers or added to soups, salads, curries and marinades. I've even seen a recipe for cilantro ice cream! ... Ok maybe I'll still take a pass on that last one.

GG

The Great Bagel Debate (Part 1?)

Bagels are synonymous with the Jewish community and they also always played a starring role at any of our family brunches.

Ask any bagel connoisseur and they'll have their favorite style: soft, fluffy, crusty, or chewy. Some like them plain or with poppy or sesame seeds (and no, onions, cheese, grains, or any other North American addition doesn't count!). They come in all sizes from the smaller Montreal style to the mammoth twister bagel.

Any bagel connoisseur will also likely have more than a few things to say about their favorite type and why the others just aren't up to par. The one other Toronto-Montreal rivalry as old as the original six is the Montreal bagel vs. the 'normal' bagel debate. For those who don't know the difference, a Montreal bagel is smaller, denser and sweeter. Montreal bagels are unsalted and boiled in honey water before being baked in a wood oven. Personally, I like them both but my 'desert island' bagel would definitely be from Toronto.

Gryfe's bagels are a Toronto institution, around since 1957. They are the donut of bagels - soft and chewy with the perfect crust. They HAVE to be eaten fresh and warm. Go soon and go early!

GG

Gryfe's Bagel Bakery
3421 Bathurst St.

Toronto, Ontario

416.783.1552

Tuna Casserole

Ok, so since I mentioned my mom's tuna casserole, let's start with that.

Tuna casserole is just about as North American as it gets. I'm not exactly sure where my mother got this recipe, but I know that any brunch at my house featured one. For me, this is one of the dishes that I definitely start to miss if I haven't had it in a while, and it will always remind me of home.

Anyway, here's what you need:

- 1 box of Kraft Dinner, cheese and all (any recipe featuring KD is good in my books)

- 3 cups of any other noodles, I like half and half of egg yolk noodles and rotini

- 1/2 cup of milk

- 2 tbs of butter or margarine

- 1 can of chunk white tuna packed in water

- 1 79g can of french fried onions

- 1/3 of a 283g brick of cheddar cheese, grated

- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

* Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil

* Boil all the noodles until 'al dente'

* Drain the noodles and return them to the pot

* Add the milk, butter or margarine, Kraft Dinner cheese mix, grated cheddar, drained tuna, cream of mushroom soup, and about 3/4 of the can of french fried onions

* Fold it all in carefully so you don't break up all the noodles

* Spread the mix into a casserole dish, sprinkle the remaining french fried onions on top, and if you like you can put a couple dabs of butter or margarine on top for browning

* Bake it uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes

The great thing about this recipe is how basic it is. You can really add/modify anything you want. Of course light cheese, light cream of mushroom soup, and skim milk are options if that's your thing, but don't use whole wheat noodles, they don't really work here. You can use chicken, salmon, different cheeses, vegetables, noodles, etc. If you're looking to add some green to the plate, just a word of caution that frozen vegetables add too much liquid when cooking and broccoli tends to burn in the oven. If you try this recipe at home let me know how you like it, and if you don't, you must have done something wrong!

GG

The Global Gourmand

Greetings to my myriad of followers!

I guess we’ll start with the obvious introduction. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and grew up in a pretty multicultural neighborhood. My folks are 2nd and 3rd generation Canadians of European Jewish descent, but I had a secular, typically Canadian childhood.

Most of my friends growing up were either 1st or 2nd generation immigrants from just about anywhere. Having good friends of wide backgrounds exposed me to new cultures, customs, and most notably, cuisines. Being a food lover, I’ve always had strong attachments to my family's brand of 'soul food' - a strange medley of classic Jewish and North American food. While there were several dishes from my childhood that I’ll always love, too often ketchup, hot sauce, and salt and pepper were used in our kitchen as spices.

That being said, sharing meals with my Chinese, Japanese, Jamaican, Indian, and Greek friends (just a sample there), quickly showed me that soul food isn’t necessarily defined by a certain recipe for tuna casserole (one of my family keepers), but the feelings and memories that go along with this food. When we think of home cooking we think of home. It’s warm, comfortable, and familiar; even if the beef doesn’t have much flavor and the pasta is slightly overcooked. I’m currently living in Paris and a few thousand miles away from home and my mom’s meatloaf. Even though French food is just about as good as it gets, you still can’t help but miss home from time to time.

These thoughts inspired me to start this thing. My mission is to collect and attempt real, tried and true family recipes from all over the globe and document them all here for you to try. I’m looking for any input I can get here people, so if you’ve got a good family recipe that you want to share, send it to me here along with the stories that go along with it!

GG