Ecotourism: The Feel-Good, Do-Good Vacation

The escapes here promise everything from sea turtle photo ops in Bora Bora to a Green Concierge in Santa Monica, California, who will snag you a hybrid taxi.

The Maple Leaf’s ecotourism cruise includes stops for wine on uninhabited islands. Photo © Maple Leaf Adventures.

The Maple Leaf is a 92-foot schooner with a low carbon footprint (thanks to onboard recycling and composting). This new route through British Columbia’s Inside Passage features plenty of whale and dolphin sightings.

On the menu: Halibut, salmon and rock cod reeled in directly from the boat. From $4,600 for nine days; mapleleafadventures.com.

This ecotourism trip includes river rafting by day and comfortable lodge stays by night. Photo © Rouge River Lodges.

Instead of the usual freeze-dried dinners, paddlers have locavore meals. In addition, a portion of the trip’s profits support the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, which helps maintain the Rogue River.

On the menu: Wild-caught sole, Willamette Valley wines and Rogue Creamery’s famed raw-milk blue and Gorgonzola-style cheeses. From $1,199 for four days; rowadventures.com.

In 1917, this six-story department store was Panama’s tallest building. Renovated as a hotel, it will be the most luxurious place to stay in the Casco Viejo neighborhood when it opens this summer. The developer is also committed to building affordable housing in the area.

On the menu: Guacho, a Panamanian seafood stew. Doubles from $220; conservatoriosa.com.

Outside the eco-conscious Shore Hotel. Photo courtesy of Ryan Gobuty, Gensler.

This minimalist hotel has a Green Concierge to help guests find hybrid taxis and plan eco-activities.

On the menu: Tacos from a new outpost of local brunch spot Blue Plate. Doubles from $250; shorehotel.com.

© InterContinental New York Barclay/Photo by Casey Kelbaugh

The Vanderbilts once had a 17-room apartment in this 1926-era hotel, which now uses sustainable heating, cooling and lighting.

On the menu: Dishes by chef Serge Devesa, made with produce from the rooftop garden. Doubles from $259; ichotelsgroup.com.

Le Méridien’ draws many ecotourists. Photo © Le Meridien Bora Bora.

This South Pacific resort has over-water bungalows and amazing sunsets, but the hotel’s real stars are the sea turtles, says general manager Denis Le Nohaic: “They are our local celebrities.” After spending $12 million to update 99 bungalows, the resort is building a $1.8 million turtle observatory and ecological center, where staff will rebuild damaged coral and restock endangered fish.

On the menu: Local mahimahi with a lime-and-toasted-coconut crust. Doubles from $732; lemeridien-borabora.com.

A staff marine biologist leads educational ecotourism expeditions. Photo © Hualalai Resort.

It’s always Shark Week at this 865-acre property on the Big Island, where a staff marine biologist leads educational expeditions to see and feed the predators, as well as turtle-tagging outings and eagle-ray feedings. After restoring nearby coral reefs, the hotel is lobbying the state to create a marine preserve along its coastline.

On the menu: Shrimp from the resort’s own aquafarm; an oyster farm is next. Doubles from $635; fourseasons.com.

This ecotourism resort is set in the middle of an untouched cloud forest. Photo courtesy of Mashpi.

A passion project of one of the wealthiest men in Ecuador, this super-eco-lodge (powered by its own hydroelectric plant) is set in the middle of an untouched, Avatar-like, 2,800-acre private cloud forest. A staff biologist leads walks to view neon-colored frogs, giant wild orchids and hundreds of bird species. Guests can also glide above the jungle canopy in an open-air gondola.

On the menu: Sea bass baked in a banana leaf. $1,552 per person for three days; mashpilodge.com.

Mayan ruins near ecotourism center Belcampo Lodge. Photo courtesy of Belcampo.

A recent renovation has turned this 12-suite rainforest jungle lodge (also close to fishing spots and Mayan ruins) into a place for the artisan food set. An agritourism center whose partners include Blue Bottle Coffee, St. George Spirits and Vosges Haut-Chocolat gives guests the chance to roast coffee beans, distill rum and make their own chocolate bars.

Inside scoop: Belcampo Belize is the brainchild of Anya Fernald, founder of Oakland, California’s massively popular Eat Real Festival.

On the menu: Pastured-chicken tamales. Doubles from $330; 011-501-722-0050 or belcampoinc.com.

Search engine istaygreen.com vets hotels and ranks them on a scale of one to five “leaves.”

Book eco-volunteer trips, like working at a panda reserve in China, at goeco.org.

Calculate your carbon footprint and then purchase C02 offsets at travel-green.org.

Ecotourism around the world, including a memorable sail through British Columbia’s Inside Passage. Photo © Maple Leaf Adventures.

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Opening a Wholesale Food Business

People who love gourmet food are always interested in sharing their knowledge and the most interesting and rewarding way to do this is to open a wholesale food business and invite friend and relatives to come and sample some on the first day of business.

The best way to do it is to avoid imploring them to buy even if your food is very good. Just relax and let them taste the different types of dishes freely in order to get them interested. This is a clever way of catching customers and retaining them; for after enjoying the food free of charge, they will surely feel like coming back for more.

Another way to get as many people as possible to sample your best dishes and create interest is by volunteering to feed people at a school function. This time you will need to display a number of different gourmet food items that can catch attention.

After succeeding with this, the next thing will be to accept invitations to host small parties like birthdays or house events. Within in no time at all, you will see many people beginning to show greater interest and these will help to set up a good clientele for you.

Anytime you get an invitation to attend a dinner party, offer to bring something along. Very soon you will find that you have built a good list of wholesale gourmet choices that can fascinate your friends.

Many will notice and they will begin to be excited at the selfless contribution you are making and observe how tasty they are. It will be your chance to make a discreet offer. If you can succeed to be bringing some extra popular dishes most of the time, it will really improve your chances of making sales.

Another wonderful way of promoting what you do will be to join some community events to help you increase your circle of friends or if you like, customers. It might just be offering to run a booth at a fundraiser, either for a school, church or a community center. It will help to showcase your best food items.

Remember not to waste food even if you want people to familiarize so much with your dishes, but use modest portions that you can afford to give them at reasonable prices in order to cover your costs. These will eventually be made up for in the future when the business begins to pick up.

If you like hosting at parties, eventually people will begin to associate with particular foods that are your specialty.

Beer making supplies include the stainless steel juicer.

Ali Wentworth: A comedian thinking Guide for the parties

In the new memoir Ali in Wonderland, comedian Ali Wentworth shares fun stories about growing up as the daughter of the White House social Secretary. Here, she tells F & W Christine Quinlan, as she and husband of George Stephanopoulos talk.

My goal is for simple elegance with mood. No matter, the Group - and we have the gamut family, people, the secret service be protected from must - mean husband and I to talk the same way. We always cooking and served Family-style at a long table - the more crowded, the better. At one point we lived in a brownstone Georgetown and had 100 guests for a dinner buffet. Of course, we could not all with us at the table space, so we had people hunkered down on cushions on the floor of the fire, and in the sit on the stairs, which was a lot of fun.

I'm big on presentation; I can be excessive with decoration. In the summer, I use mussels and wild flowers. the winter is Mercury glass Votives and pine cones; Spring is all of tulips, baby nests with chocolate eggs. My kids love make place cards.

Usually classical or jazz. I really like Rachmaninoff, but do get a little strange at parties. Occasionally, in the summer, I try the grateful dead, but this never works. Sometimes my kids have their music in the CD player in the middle of a party, we suddenly an explosion of Lady Gaga get.

George cooks or I do. We cook together, because we both have a tendency to very alpha in the kitchen. He will change the temperature of the oven on me, or I will tell him that he too thick the onions cut is.

We make no heavy hors d'oeuvres. We, only from Moroccan Spiced nuts or raw food. We have usually cocktails and wines; George is a great wine. Beef Bourguignon or chicken Marbella would like to serve. I recipe for the chicken, but I'm using the silver palate there have my own over the years by using less capers and much more wine. If there is a small group, such as just my friends, I will do a pfefferschnitzel only three on each side in the Pan minutes.

No family, because you get a free pass with them basically. If we a group of people who know each other, not, which have to be hard. But we try to introduce guests, things in common: "Oh, you both take care Orphans…" It is the opposite of, if I over a few of my girlfriends have and there are a lot of red wine, and we laugh hysterical and get in trouble.

When George and I got married, was his side of all political men and Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters. My page was Hollywood people, such as Marisa Tomei. I remember me, arrangement of seats to confuse the pages I thought, it would be interesting for all. I sat next to a Greek nun Mike Nichols.

"When I was five years old, I a have at a tap dance for Henry Kissinger at one of my mother parties." "I remember feeling, Ooh, I like perform."

"I may be a large block of really good Parmesan cheese or, if I equipped for the weekend, a basket with towels and Molton Brown remained SOAP or lotion." moltonbrown.com.

"I am very Waspy." I'm so happy in jeans and a Blazer Ralph Lauren. "I tried to be hip, but it goes against my nature."

"I use many votive candles because rejuvenated people block ads themselves." "I try to keep everything even flowers, very low."$5; westelm.com.

Comedian Ali Wentworth shares secrets of her party. Photo © Ted Sabarese.

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Omelette all'italiana

Ingredienti :

3 uova

un bicchierino di latte

una presa di sale

olio per ungere la padella

un etto di prosciutto crudo

una mozzarella da gr. 200

Preparazione :

Le omelette sono un piatto tipico francese a base di uova; possono essere dolci o salate e farcite nel modo più vario. Oggi ne vediamo una variante con prosciutto e mozzarella (antipasto classico definito all'italiana)...di qui...la nomenclatura da noi scelta

Per la preparazione, sbattiamo le uova in una ciotola e vi aggiungiamo il latte

Versiamo il composto in una larga padella antiaderente unta con un filo d'olio

Facciamo rapprendere la frittata su entrambi i lati

Adagiamo su una metà le fette di prosciutto

e le fette di mozzarella

Chiudiamo poi la frittata a mezzaluna piegandola a metà

Cuociamo altri 2 minuti, il tempo di far fondere il formaggio e...il piatto è servito!

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Fruit Club deliver one fresh Spin on the traditional Gourmet Gifts

What you get for the person who has everything? Not all need another tie, and if you're not careful gift cards may indicate a lack of thoughtfullness or poor planning. For years, alcohol was often the thing to give when you need something that is awesome, but I really don't have a clue where to start. Unfortunately, if you do not know the recipients tastes well, choosing the right liquor can be just as difficult. Luckily, there is a gift that everyone can appreciate and enjoy gastronomy!

There's nothing like a "special delivery" to make a person feel important, so if you need a gift, you should seriously consider a result of membership of the month. Here are some of the benefits of a subscription to a monthly fruit club.

Products collected directly from the farm just

Sign up for them a club membership, and your loved ones will have the opportunity to taste the sweet taste of seasonal crops like never before. Many companies choose gourmet gift and club selection right there at the farm of packets so each harvest comes straight from the farmer. Products don't get much cooler than that! Nutritious, ripe and juicy, this is a gift that satisfies both the taste buds that all nutritional needs for good health.

Newsletter illuminates and educates gourmets

A gift of fruit of the month club also helps consumers connect with their food through a newsletter packed with information that explains the selection and compilation processes and suggests even recipes to inspire budding chefs. These newsletters are a good opportunity for members to gain a deeper understanding of the production of high quality, they sampled that month.

Enjoy a generous delivery that is more than just fruit

Nealy all of the companies that have the fruit by mail also clubs have other food deluxe membership Club offering gourmet expertly curated cheeses, cured meats as well international or decadent desserts such as chocolate finish.

If you really want to impress your friends, colleagues or even a boss, then a luxury gift gourmet club month should be at the top of your list for gift ideas. A club of fruit quality by mail is one of the most memorable gifts you can give to your loved ones. This type of monthly gift club fills a critical need for a healthy diet, as well as a desire for great-tasting food and edibles serving a collection of collected products which are available only from farms and orchards premium badge.

Read all about monthly fruit Club for gourmet foodies in your life to BestOfTheMonthClubs.com, a blog about ideas unique gift of the month .

Penne rigate con gamberoni

Ingredienti :

Per 4 persone:

400 grammi di penne rigatemezzo bicchiere di vino biancouna cipolla rossa tritata750 ml di salsa di pomodoro12 gamberoni peperoncino2 spicchi d'aglioprezzemolosaleolioPreparazione :

Prepariamo un primo piatto semplice, veloce e davvero squisito: PENNE RIGATE CON GAMBERONI.

Iniziamo subito da un semplice brodo. Mettiamo le teste dei gamberoni a bollire in acqua salata.

In una teglia piuttosto larga ma dai bordi non molto alti, verso dell'olio (che sia sufficiente da ricoprirne la base), aggiungo la cipolla e l'aglio e lascio il tutto soffriggere.

Quando il soffritto sarà pronto, aggiungiamo i gamberoni, senza farli sovrapporre. Facciamoli scottare per circa cinque minuti a fuoco vivace.

Versiamo il vino e il peperoncino e lasciamo sfumare. Insaporiamolo con del prezzemolo e del sale.

Aggiungiamo la salsa di pomodoro e lasciamo cuocere per altri 10 minuti.

Possiamo anche unire un pò di quel brodo che avevamo preparato con le teste dei gamberoni, non solo per rendere il tutto più saporito ma anche meno compatto.

Facciamo bollire le penne rigate e scoliamole al dente.

Uniamole al sugo e facciamole saltare per lasciarle insaporire.

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The perennial plate of great American road trip

With cross-hatch little more than a video camera and a laptop, the couple behind Web documentary series the perennial plate America on an incredibly, indie food adventure.

Some important parts of the food revolution will be transferred not on television. But these days you can it to develop online, and a good starting point is the perennial plate.

CALIFORNIA After gathering crabs off the coast, a Mixtec community garden for tacos visit Ventura County, Mirra fine. Photo © Daniel Klein.

Every week for the past two years has published a new Webisode of this documentary series about "adventurous and sustainable food." 29-year-old filmmaker Daniel Klein Work on a shoestring with a camera and a laptop, perfected a style of indie filmmakers that can draw their own conclusions viewers Klein. While some rates select non-controversial issues, such as the positive effects of community gardens, you show other steps in the farm to table travel, that are disconcerting to see: we meet fight Strawberry farm workers in California, see wild boar caught and shot in Texas and witnesses the slaughter of rabbits, chickens, squirrel, bison, and dozens more creatures. Other videos challenge brave our definition of "sustainable". We take for example the roadkill collector, edible insect broker and the beer chugging Mississippians, the land with the hands as bait Wels. Adventurous? There is no doubt. Sustainable? This is us regarding the question that small will.

The perennial plate first season explored Klein's home state of Minnesota, kicking off with a video shows him kill a Thanksgiving Turkey Turkey with the help of (visible conflict) family members. As many of his videos, introduces the episode with a Disclaimer: "If we eat meat, animals die." "If you don't see it Happen…it can be time to rethink dinner."

MINNESOTA Small, a Thanksgiving slaughters Turkey Turkey in front of the camera, a sight which is fine, to be a vegetarian. Photo © Mirra fine.

If you this advice, surprisingly, the same person is noticed, the perennial plate most recordings movies: Mirra fine, Klein's girlfriend and production partner. After the first Turkey episode shooting, she became a vegetarian.

You make an unlikely Duo. Klein grew up on three continents. his mother runs a bed and breakfast in England, where she teaches cooking classes. He inherited their culinary skills and worked in some of the world's top restaurant cuisine: the fat duck and St. John in England. Mugaritz in Spain; Bouchon and craft in America. Fine the parents a kosher home in Minnesota kept; Her dentist father lamented sweets and published photos of rotting teeth in her kitchen. As a student activist of from New York University Klein campaigned successfully to Coca-Cola from the campus banned; Coke is fine the guilty pleasure.

When their first season for the perennial plate closed, they realised the couple that interests may independence from advertising in some of the food industry to explore more rise to controversial topics - farm labor practices, genetically modified crops - with a level of culinary cinema verite, television can not (or would not cars) meet.

This led to launch an even more ambitious second season last March with Klein and fine under the perennial plate across the country. Supported by a campaign kick start, was it a 8 route around America in a borrowed Toyota Prius, looking for new topics in the corners and folding of the country. As they are with their laptops and a stack of portable hard drives, drove, edited episodes. Comment-friendly sites like the Huffington Post and Grist.org began reposting your videos, and show the audience grew. A more graphic episode about the hunt for frogs in the Arkansas backwaters, for example, showed one is the amphibians to the death against the bank cards hit the boat. It drove many online readers to share their thoughts on invasive species, cruelty to animals and the best way, FRY frog legs.

MISSISSIPPI A local fisherman goes for Wels, noodling reveals how to they can start small with bare hands as bait. Photo © Daniel Klein.

"People will often enter that what we are is not perfectly sustainable," so small. "But 'sustainable' can mean different things to different people." "Sometimes it means to remain simply feeding themselves in life or preserve a culture." In fact, many of the perennial plate topics from suggestions written viewers come from. "Without active audience, we should be a much harder time topics can be found" small says. "It is easy to find an urban farmer or ethical Fischer, but we want to show a supported and less obvious side of American food." "Many of our themes don't even know that what they are doing is sustainable."

However, not every Webisode with moral ambivalence, firearms, or Amphibicide is verfrachtet. It is also amazing food: small peppers videos with recipes and teams up with famous chefs - including Sean Brock, to throw massive dinner parties on the way Paul Kahan and Gabrielle Hamilton-.

Florida Daniel Klein Mirra fine grey mullet with a Sarasota area fishermen catch, and teaches it eat it raw. Photo © Nick Fauchald

Klein's combination of curiosity and culinary chops helps him to make a difference in the lives of those films he. In an episode on fishing in Florida, for example, he convinces a Fischer - who's network and food gray mullet giant pot for years - his Fang (including its ROE) try raw, for the first time. It is delicious. "So is your map via strange food?" asks the fisherman's wife. "No," replies to Klein. "But eat everything part of which is sustainability"

Nick Fauchald, former editor of F & W, is Advisor to New York as a cookbook author and content.

The perennial plate Daniel Klein and Mirra fine. Photo © Nick Fauchald.

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Sustainable Seafood

Trying to sort out the world of sustainable seafood is trickier than figuring out the tax code. To make it easy, we offer simple advice, encouraging news and eco-friendly recipes.

A type of sea snail, whelks are making their way onto restaurant menus.

Like abalone, whelks are gastropods. There are more gastropod species (over 60,000) than bird and fish types combined.

Fishermen used to catch whelks by accident in lobster traps, but the rising demand means that fisheries have begun seeking them out.

As wild seafood stocks dwindle, fishermen and chefs are looking to diversify. Whelks are both abundant and easy to harvest.

Whelks are briny and a bit chewy, like clams; they’re good in chowder or simply steamed on their own. You can find them in Asian markets.

Tony Maws, the sustainability-minded chef at Craigie On Main in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serves whelks with striped bass and a daikon broth. Ben Pollinger of New York City’s Oceana makes whelk chowder with apple and pumpkin.

This 27,000-acre fishery produces seafood that meets the exacting standards of chefs like Thomas Keller. More similar to a nature preserve than a fish farm, Veta la Palma is a holistic ecosystem: The fish and shrimp eat naturally occurring plankton and algae instead of industrial feed. A hit with Spanish chefs, Veta la Palma’s sea bass and mullet are now imported to the US by Browne Trading, which sells to restaurants and home cooks. brownetrading.com.

“One of the best ways to fight overfishing is diversity: People must be willing to cook and eat species besides the most familiar ones, like cod, tuna and salmon. There are great alternatives out there, and they are often more affordable, like wild red drum fish and snook in the South, and arctic char, which is farmed in pens and is a great salmon alternative. Chefs can prime the pump by serving lesser-known species, but people have to be willing to order them. Try cobia on Monday, arctic char on Tuesday, branzino on Wednesday. Mix it up!” —Chef Rick Moonen of RM Seafood in Las Vegas

Paul Greenberg explains how the overfished red snapper is returning from the brink.

The first and only time I caught a red snapper, I was on my last leg—and, actually, so was the snapper. In the winter of 2001, I tore my Achilles tendon and moved to my grandfather’s retirement community in Palm Beach, Florida, to recuperate. After a month of physical therapy, I fled to the Gulf Coast for a fishing trip. I felt a savage strike on my bait and reeled in a gorgeous red snapper. The mate glumly released it. “Out of season and overfished,” he said. Over the last 50 years, fishing has depleted Gulf red snapper populations by 98 percent. And when they got scarce, all kinds of imposter fish ended up on menus in their place.

But red snapper may be on the mend. Beginning in 2007, the National Marine Fisheries Service instituted a “catch share” program in which commercial fishermen are preassigned a quantity of snapper they can land, ending the free-for-all frenzy of the past. Now, red snapper numbers have more than doubled. And a new program, “GulfWild,” guarantees authenticity by allowing consumers to trace an individual fish back to the boat that caught it. True, the recovery is ongoing, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch still gives the fish an “Avoid” tag. But someday, red snapper may just swim its way out of the ER, and I might be able in good conscience to catch—and keep—another one.

Paul Greenberg is the author of Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food.

Over 36 million copies of the aquarium’s Seafood Watch pocket guides are in circulation. The free app has been downloaded around 500,000 times. Six regional editions are updated every six months and include alternative picks for each species. There is also a version designed for people going to sushi restaurants and a glossary of fishing terms, like ”trolling“ and ”longlining.“ montereybayaquarium.org.

The MSC stamp on fresh or packaged seafood (which you’ll see at Whole Foods, Target and Costco) means that the contents come from a sustainable fishery that has passed the Council’s rigorous, often year-long assessment. msc.org.

Free of scientific jargon and full of recipe ideas, the institute’s guide (available via iPhone or text message, the Web and a PDF) is a smart pick for home cooks. blueocean.org.

Weber’s delicately wired new model has compact handles that fit inside a covered grill. From $25; weber.com.

A fishing boat is optional with Thomas Paul’s Anchor Napkin. $16 each; velocityartanddesign.com.

Proceeds from designer Thomas Mann’s silver and pearl earrings go to Gulf of Mexico relief efforts. $130; thomasmann.com.

Caskata’s platter has a shimmering school of fish, accented in gold and platinum. $138; michaelcfina.com.

An oversize spatula with a sharp serrated edge is perfect for large fish. $8; josephjoseph.com.

Courtesy of Casa E. Di Mirafiore

A tannic red works well with smoky roasted fish. Eric Larkee of Michael’s Genuine in Miami often serves the 2009 Casa E. di Mirafiore Langhe Nebbiolo with whole fish dishes that have been cooked in the restaurant’s wood-burning oven.

A buttery white is a natural for New England classics like lobster rolls. Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli of Boston’s Island Creek Oyster Bar likes the 2008 Nino Negri Vendemmia Ca’Brione Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio, a white blend from Lombardy.

“My go-to is the 2010 Dr. F. Weins Prüm Estate Riesling,” says Chuck Furuya of Hawaii’s D.K. Restaurant group. “It’s like biting into a cold slice of pineapple; it counters salt and spice and cools the palate.”

In the kitchen, we respect fish the same way we respect pig, by using the whole thing. For instance, we make fish headcheese, because there’s so much natural gelatin in fish heads. Sometimes our charcuterie board is entirely fish; we’ll put out a bluefish pâté, dogfish pastrami and bass headcheese. And if you deep-fry monkfish skin, it’s just like pork cracklings.” —Chef Richard Garcia of 606 Congress in Boston

A guide to the complex world of sustainable seafood. Photo © Kate Mathis.

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Crema pasticcera

Ingredienti :

3 uova

100 gr di zucchero

80 gr di farina

500 ml di latte

un baccello di vanillina

buccia di limone

Preparazione :

La crema pasticcera è una preparazione base nel campo dei dolciumi. Può essere utilizzata per farcire bigné, crostate, crepe...Ne esistono molte varianti, anche perché dagli ingredienti impiegati, ne dipende l'aroma e la densità in base all'utilizzo. Si pensi alla crema al limone, alla crema inglese, preparata senza farina, perché da servirsi liquida in coppette...

Vediamone ora insieme una versione base semplicissima. Mettiamo a riscaldare 500 ml di latte con una buccia di limone ed un baccello di vaniglia. Nel frattempo, in una terrina, lavoriamo insieme le uova intere con lo zucchero

Amalgamiamo al composto la farina, mescolando

e versiamo a filo il latte caldo

Trasferiamo il tutto in un tegame antiaderente ad addensare a fuoco dolce

Ecco pronta la nostra crema pasticcera per essere utilizzata nel modo che preferiamo!

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Add A Gourmet Taste With Cilantro

Cilantro is a common ingredient in salsa and Mexican dishes but did you know it dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians? Coriander seeds which stem from the same plant as cilantro have been found in Egyptian tombs and writings involving coriander can be seen in Sanskrit which dates from around 1500 BC.

Cilantro is a versatile herb that is is commonly used in salsas, dips, dressings and sauces. This aromatic, citrus flavored herb is a member of the carrot family and can be used dried or fresh. The seeds from this herb are harvested and dried and are known as coriander. The green stems and leaves are the herb known as cilantro.

Cilantro is sometimes sold in the grocery store as something else and if you can't find it in your supermarket try looking for Mexican parsley. Since cilantro is commonly used in Mexico and Mexican cooking, it is often called Mexican parsley but it is good in other types of cooking as well and you can even find Chinese recipes calling for Chinese parsley which is the same as cilantro.

When looking for cilantro in your supermarket look for nice fresh bunches much like bunches of parsley. In fact, you will probably find it right next to the parsley in the produce section. Don't purchase the parsley by mistake though because it is not the same thing! You can easily tell the difference between cilantro and parsley by inspecting at the leaves and smelling the herb. The leaves of cilantro are wider than parsley and cilantros scent is very aromatic.

Cooking with fresh cilantro is a great way to make gourmet foods and the longer you keep your bunch of cilantro fresh the better! When you bring cilantro home from the supermarket put the bunch in a glass of water like a bouquet with only the stems submerged. Loosely cover the green leaves with a plastic bag which will help keep your cilantro fresh.

When cooking with cilantro, remember, it is best when you crush the tender leaves with a mortar and pestle. This helps to release the full bodied flavor. Always add the cilantro towards the end of cooking. The delicate nature of cilantro does not hold up to heat so waiting until the very end will insure the best taste from the versatile and aromatic herb.

Lee Dobbins writes for Online Gourmet Foods where you can learn more about gourmet eating.

Food and drinks are social pleasures

Two of the things in this life that none of us can do are without food and drink. We must have food and drink to survive, but also play an important role in our social life. Interactions such as family reunions, dating or just sitting with a friend for a drink or a cup of coffee. And how many business deals, large and small, are consumed over a lunch or dinner? The answer is "plenty". Restaurants offer the atmosphere for social gatherings and business meetings. After all, a great number of our parents had their first date in a restaurant and got to know each other on food and beverages. They had not done so, then some of us might not be here today.

In several countries in the world, with all our cultural differences, food and beverages are what bring people together. Have the Luau In Hawaii, the Oktoberfest, Germany has the Easter feast has Russia, Mexico has Cinco de Mayo and your own hometown has the police officers at the donut shop. Imagine what life would be like if we ate only because we had to. There would be no festival, no gala dinners and social gatherings. Of course, we would still see the police officers at the doughnut shop because .... Well, simply because.

Let's face it. We just eat. We took great pains to ensure that our food always taste delicious and is readily available. Gourmet food is a good example. We can also buy gourmet food gift baskets. And take it from one who knows, are a special treat. In fact, getting a gift basket of food to someone is a good idea. Come to think of getting one for yourself could be an even better.

Being a RitzyShopper that you have at your fingertips restaurants, gastronomy, food gift baskets and beverages such as wine and tea. From a look and let your appetite guide you.

By the way, I only could resist kidding the police just a little bit. I have a police officer in the family and have a great respect for people who have put their lives on the line everyday so I can sit here and write this article. Thank you.

Steve Francis writes articles mainly to [http://ritzyshopper.com] is a nice job getting to write on various topics related to products sold by merchants of superior quality. This particular article dealt with food and drinks. Visit [http://RitzyShopper] for gourmet food, grocery baskets, chocolate goodies, restaurants and much, much more!

Food Trucks: From Fad to Fixture

America's latest food craze really isn't so new. Just go back to your childhood summers when the only thing that could break up baseball games or pool parties other than a mom's voice was the sweet siren call of the ice cream truck rolling into your neighborhood.

Take that image - except replace kids with business professionals and switch out the ice cream man for a gourmet chef - and you have food trucks, coming to a city near you...if they haven't arrived already.

Growing up in Morocco, Yassir Raouli likely never heard an ice cream truck's melody. But after trying multiple ventures in New York City - waiting tables, managing night clubs and opening an online clothing shop - Raouli came up with an idea, Bistro Truck, that could carry him to retirement.

"I did research, and I wanted to start a restaurant. I always wanted to have my own place," he says. "What made sense was the food truck."

If you still haven't caught on, the food truck is exactly what it says it is. An entire restaurant, from the kitchen to the cash register, is self-contained in a truck or van. Food truck owners, who often double as the chefs, drive their restaurants to the people rather than letting the people come to them. From there you start to notice differences.

There are food trucks that cater only to the lunch crowd, and others to only the dinner rush; some do both. A number of food trucks are nomadic, posting a week's-worth of locations on sites such as Twitter and Facebook and making them reliant on their customers' Internet savvy to guide them to their current locations. Others, like Raouli's operation, are parked daily at the same spot in the same neighborhood.

It's the emphasis placed on the quality of food that defines the current wave of food trucks. Aside from the venerable ice cream man, people have been eating street food in the United States for decades - at hot dog carts in Chicago or brat stands in Boston. But over the last few years customers across the country have had the pleasure of myriad gastronomic options. Los Angeles has a kosher taco truck (Takosher). Kronic Krave Grill serves South American arepas four days a week in downtown Austin, Texas. And, not surprisingly, in Portland, Ore., owners pushed the politically correct limit with Kim Jong Grillin', a Korean BBQ food truck named after the controversial North Korean dictator.

"I think we kind of revolutionized it," Raouli says of Bistro Truck's menu, whose daily specials feature items like chilled watermelon soup, kofta kebabs and strawberry panna cotta. "We were one of the first to offer gourmet food."

Whether Raouli spearheaded the gourmet food truck revolution may be arguable, but the success of his Bistro Truck is definitely not. In late August 2010, on the one-year anniversary of its opening, Bistro Truck was named one of five finalists for New York City's annual Vendy Awards, a food truck competition whose quirky name belies the competitive seriousness of the event.

Bistro Truck's nomination should give the business some much-needed notoriety that can offset the obstacles facing food trucks. For example, at traditional restaurants any mishap can be mitigated by a dessert or cocktail on the house. Food truck owners, however, are often limited to a first impression. Patrons get in line, order their food, make the payment, grab their food and go. There's so little time for interaction with the customers that the vendor must nail the experience to ensure repeat business and positive word of mouth.

On the other hand, there is the advantage of intimacy. "We cook everything in front of people, so we have a one-on-one interaction with a customer - better than what we would have at a restaurant," Raouli says.

That's the exact reason Fares "Freddy" Zeidaies - three-time Vendy finalist and the winner of this year's Vendy Cup - got into the business. He has the experience of previously owning a brick-and-mortar restaurant, one that generated solid business but left him unfulfilled.

"I decided I didn't want to do it anymore," Zeidaies says. "It was not fun. It was not me. What I want is to be around the people, not just around the kitchen."

So nearly nine years ago Zeidaies reinvented himself as "The King of Falafel & Shawarma." He started paying rent to a parking meter rather than a landlord. Zeidaies faithfully stations his King of Falafel food truck at the same intersection in the Astoria community of Queens, serving Middle Eastern cuisine. Zeidaies is far more satisfied with his street operation. "I love it when they give me that thumbs up," he says, but he also cautions traditional restaurateurs from naively getting into the food truck business.

Asked if traditional restaurant skills translate to food trucks, Zeidaies says not necessarily. "I thought it was so similar, but not now," he says. "I once had a nice full head of hair; I was healthy. Now I have a bad knee and I'm tired at the end of the day. At a restaurant, if you don't want to go in, you have employees or a manager who can take over. You can call an agency and they'll send you a sous chef. But not at a street restaurant."

In addition, the initial challenge of finding a parking spot notwithstanding, food truck vendors must deal with the natural elements. "You have to get out in the hot weather, the cold weather," Zeidaies continues, which may explain why food trucks are booming in climate friendly places like Southern California.

The elements are only part of the difficulties. Gay Hughes, owner of the Original Mobile Tea Truck, which made its way around the suburbs of Boston for years, actually sold her truck in May 2010 and now operates a successful expanded Mobile Tea Shoppe, a stand she sets up at farmers' markets and craft shows.

About operating the truck, Hughes says, "Each town had its own complicated set of legalities. I often set up at the National Park sites because it was easier dealing with the Federal government than the local agencies - that should say it all." Hughes also notes the arduous physical demands of the job. "All the up and down, bending and lifting...Frankly, it was quite tough on my body."

There are also those tight quarters to contend with. "You've got about eight feet [of space], and each person has to man a station," Zeidaies says, explaining that his truck has one person overseeing the grill, one cooking the rice, another preparing the sauces and a fourth person covering the everything else (the cash register, packing the food, etc.). Limited space also affects the initial prep work.

"With a truck, you have to find parking, and then you have to prep all your food once you get there," Bistro Truck's Raouli says. "It takes about an hour to an hour and a half after you find your spot."

The picture Zeidaies and Raouli paint might scare off interested restaurateurs. Or, just maybe, they want to limit their competition, because they both agree that food trucks, unlike other fleeting fads, will remain a strong, albeit unconventional, presence in the restaurant industry.

"The food truck business, if you do it well, you're going to be very successful," Raouli says. "We live in a city where you have tough critics, and people's expectations are high. The best are going to be here for a long time and the weakest are going to be gone before they know it."

This article originally appeared in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of My Foodservice News magazine (www.mymfn.com).

Jake Shaw is currently a freelance writer in Brussels, Belgium, after spending nearly a decade as a sports journalist in Texas.

Raw Food Christmas Party

So, you've had enough of the conventional unhealthy food you've been eating on Christmas Day or Thanksgiving Day year in, year out? You want to be able to celebrate in style but you desire a different approach in the food department - a healthier approach.

You've decided to have a Raw Food Christmas party for a change but are not quite sure what you can make? Perhaps you are a raw foodist or just like the idea of eating fresh and healthy food for a change. You want to abandon the overcooked stodgy food that makes you feel tired and lethargic afterwards and reaching for the alcohol to digest it (well, acid is a corrosive force!)

The thing about raw food today is that it doesn't have to just be lettuce and fruit. Of course, that is very healthy but in temperate climates your body will eventually demand something more satisfying and filling. The answer is 'raw gourmet food'. There are numerous raw chefs and even novices out there creating a style of prepared raw food that is inventive, classy and delicious. Why not give it a try? All you need are a few basic ingredients: - fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and seasonings. You can elaborate later with raw cacao, coconut butter, raw sweeteners etc.

A raw fruit pie can be made by grinding 1 cup of whole nuts in a nut grinder or coffee grinder and then mixing with ½ cup soft dates. Press the mixture into a lined pie dish. For the filling, blend 2 bananas with ½ cup blueberries and ½ cup cashew nuts. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and blend until smooth. Pour the cream into your crust. Set in the fridge for up to an hour. You can also decorate the pie with fresh fruits. This is a very basic recipe but you would do well to get a raw food recipe book to master the art of creative gourmet raw food. You might also consider attending a raw food class where you will learn all the basics in raw cuisine. It's really quite simple once you become familiar with the ingredients. You can even make your own raw chocolate!

As an experienced plant food eater, what will I be making for my Raw Food Christmas Party this year?

*Apple Spice Punch

*Cream of Parsnip Soup with Petit Pain

*Pecan Nutloaf with Garlic Mushrooms and Pine Nut Sauce

*Honey Walnuts

*Chocolate Torte with Cream

*Festive Mince Pies with (B)randy Sauce

Over the New Year, I will make Mushroom Tarts, Crispy Kale, Cheesy Flax Crackers with Seed Cheese, Scottish Shortbread and Chocolates.

Is your mouth watering yet? You too could also create your very own raw festive feast for you and your family this year. Why not make Christmas and Thanksgiving a healthier celebration for everyone involved and include some tantalizing life-giving raw food on the menu? Once you've tried raw gourmet food, you will see how easy it is to eat healthily and still enjoy your food. So go on, try some raw food today. You and your loved ones deserve to be healthy. Have a happy and healthy festive time!

Anabrese Neuman is a Healthy Living Author. For more information visit http://www.rawlifestyle.co.uk or http://rawchristmasandthanksgivingrecipes.blogspot.com

The hungry crowd: Viraj Puri

The newest member of the food & wine which food obsessed community is the eco pioneer: he is a cofounder of a solar-powered, hydroponic roof farm in Brooklyn.

Gotham green roof greenhouse. Photo ARI Burling/Gotham green (copyright).

Viraj Puri says, "2008 Green founded Gotham Eric Haley and began our first crop harvest in May." Our greenhouses are on the roof of the former bowling in Brooklyn, and we grow green and Basil with a light hydroponic system. Solar panels help heat and cool, so that we can harvest 365 days in the year. "Chef Michael Anthony serves our salad in Gramercy Tavern, and our Green are sold in markets like whole foods."

Courtesy of barrier Brewery Co.

"I have always local beer in my refrigerator." I love barrier brewing, a new skill manufacturer in Oceanside, New York. "The reason is my favorite."

"Cooking an ambitious recipe with many pots and pans do not scare me, but then does the idea of the courts for an hour."

"Fish tacos guests are go-to for last-minute my plate." I pan fry tilapia and serve it with a mango cilantro salsa and Pico de Gallo. "It is fast and easy to make."

Gotham Greens co-founder Viraj Puri. Photo ARI Burling/Gotham green (copyright).

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Essential Guide For Smoked Food

È diventato molto popolare a causa del suo sapore distinto, la tenerezza e la facilità di preparazione. Affumicato alimento è cucinato attraverso il metodo "a lungo e basso", simile a quella di una pentola di coccio. Quanto più a lungo e più lenta l'alimento è cucinato, più saporita e tenera diventa. Per esempio, durante la cottura di carni è quasi impossibile per asciugarsi di quando sarà cotto ad una temperatura molto bassa. Questo metodo dà il cibo, il suo sapore incredibile. Carni, pesce, pesce, verdure e formaggi tra altri alimenti possono essere affumicati. Fumare è spesso ciò che dà carni e formaggi loro sapore di cibo gastronomici e li rende popolare per cene e divertente. Uno può fumare cibo a casa o può acquistare alimenti affumicati attraverso alcuni negozi di alimentari gastronomici o negozi di alimentari.

Se siete interessati a cucinare il proprio cibo affumicato in casa, ci sono vari i fumatori sul mercato che sono al sicuro e facile da usare. Spesso, fumare può essere fatto in una cucina di casa fino a quando c'è una ventola disponibili o corretta. Esistono numerosi tipi di fumatori che utilizzano metodi differenti per la cottura, ma qualsiasi tipo di fumatore produrrà risultati deliziosi. Le direzioni sono di solito facile da seguire e simile a quella di cuocere. Inoltre, ci sono numerosi libri di cuoco e ricette che offrono piatti per la cottura e metodi grande affumicato alimenti.

Molti negozi di alimentari di specialità e gourmet venderà carni affumicate e formaggio. Inoltre, uno può essere in grado di trovare qualche cibo affumicato nella sezione specialità alimentari di molti negozi di alimentari. Quasi tutti i negozi offrirà una sorta di formaggio affumicato. Affumicato alimentare può essere un po ' più costosi di quelli regolari, salumi e formaggi, tuttavia, il sapore è vale la pena di extra costi.

Cibo affumicato è un modo delizioso e saporito per intrattenere o di avere un pasto incredibile a casa. Cibo affumicato spesso includono carni, formaggi, verdure, pesce e frutti di mare tra gli altri. Questi alimenti possono essere preparati a casa su un fumatore negozio comprato o possono essere acquistati presso molti negozi di alimentari e negozi di alimentari, per un prezzo ragionevole.

Negozio di gastronomia locale fornirà che fumato cibo che offre un'alternativa decadente alla cucina tradizionale e barbecue.

Brodo di verdure

Ingredienti :

1 lt di acqua

250 gr di carote fresche

200 gr di patate

qualche costa di sedano

una cipolla grande

sale e olio extravergine d'oliva

Preparazione :

Oltre ad essere un piatto di per sè completo da poter essere accompagnato a pasta di piccolo formato o ridotto ad un gustoso passato da accompagnarsi con crostini di pane, il brodo di verdure costituisce una preparazione base per la cottura di risotti col metodo tradizionale.

Portiamo a bollore l'acqua salata e nel frattempo tagliamo a rondelle le carote

e a grossi spicchi le patate sbucciate

Poi, puliamo le coste di sedano dai filamenti e tagliamo la cipolla a grossi pezzi

Immergiamo le verdure nell'acqua appena raggiunge il bollore e lasciamo così cuocere fino al restringimento del brodo

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