Cuisine – Sporting Road

Anchovies and Capers

Anchovies are best when they are cured in salt, compared to oil (which often turns rancid quite easily and they are often packed in so tight that they are broken). I find the Spanish ones to be of the highest quality. You have to soak them in water to get rid of the excess salt, then take out the bones, and pat dry. Then you can either marinate in a good olive oil, a little vinegar, and some chopped herbs, serving as a part of a antipasto or whatever dish you have at hand. Capers add a unique and pungent flavor to dishes. We use them in the traditional pastas and antipasti, but also meat and fish. The best capers hail from the islands of Salina and Pantelleria off Sicilia, with volcanic soil and a hot climate. Capers are tiny tight flower buds of a shrub, Capparis spinosa, and they grow in trenches dug to hold them firm and protect them from the strong winds. Like saffron, capers are harvested by hand in the late spring, before they begin to open. Like olives, they must be cured, as they are too bitter to eat as they are. They are usually sun dried a few days and then layered in salt or oil. Again, the salt cured ones are best. Look for them in specialty markets.

By Sporting Road|February 3rd, 2026|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes, Uncategorized|Comments Off

The Book of Spices – Book Review *** (3/5)

The Book of Spices by Alain Stella Paris, 1993. While the book was somewhat disappointing for lack of recipes, it was an interesting history and catalogue of the world's spices. Some of favorite excerpts from this book include: In the beginning there were regions of Franche, each with their own way of cooking, their own produce, eating habits, rituals, and landscape. Then came the kings who united the provinces, and French cuisine made its entrance at court. A mirror is held up to the period and to a kingdom, royal courts were receptive to fashion, to the arts and to those foreign influences on which the history of France is built. So was it that European ports starting out as springboards to discovery, turned into sounding boards for countless far-flung-cultures. The ever-curious cooks who, in their thirst for knowledge, unearthed with each new discovery of the flavor of spices from foreign lands. The book mentions Bluebird spices, but we think our spice mixes every bit as good. From the cinnamon of mysterious and ancient origins perfuming the Mediterranean coast for three thousand years coming from Sri Lanka, to cardamom a most valuable seed of southwest India infused in everything including teas and coffees, to cloves a perfume of Ambon in the Moluccas to the studding of a whole orange with it to make a pomander imparting a delicate fragrance to clothes in a laundry or the scent of potpourri or perfume bouquets, to cumin and cardaway seeds from their ancient haunts in the Middle East, to the ginger of Asian origins and famous now served pickled with sushi as a mild garni, to nutmeg now condensed into Ecstasy but famous for its own personal graters in England, to pimentos chilies and paprikas of Mexican, Indian,

By Sporting Road|February 3rd, 2026|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes|Comments Off

Ital is Vital

Your diet is not only what you eat. It's what you watch, what you listen to, what you read, the people you hang around... be mindful of the things you put into your body emotionally, spiritually, and physically. This is the Rasta way of thinking and a big part of their spiritual way of life which is very much connected to the earth, as much or more so than Native Americans, as they also largely live off the land. The ital diet, also spelled I-tal, is a diet celebrated by members of the Rastafari movement that emphasizes eating fresh, organic, and preferably homegrown produce. The goal of the diet is to increase "life energy" or livity by eating foods that enhance it. Livity is the belief that an energy or life-force flows through all people and living things. The diet has some universal rules, including: Avoid chemically modified foods Avoid foods with artificial additives Avoid added fats and salts No salt No meat No dairy No metal or plastic cookware No alcohol Moderate white foods Natural sugar Most expressions of the Ital diet include adherence to a strict vegetarian diet. Some adherents to Ital diets are strict vegans, as they do not consider dairy to be natural for human consumption either. Many also avoid pork, shellfish, caffeine, and artificial additives. And, since alcohol is toxic to nearly every cell in the body, you can see why they forbid it, and turned to ganja instead. Ital Tea Caribbean ginger tea is a potent, traditional, and often spicy herbal drink used for warmth, digestion, and cold relief, typically prepared by boiling fresh ginger root with cinnamon, star anise, and sometimes lemon, then sweetened to taste. It acts

By Sporting Road|April 2nd, 2024|Categories: Cuisine|Comments Off

Whole 30

We have been following the Whole30 diet recently and have lost a lot of weight, gained back energy and are having less issues in general. It is mostly what I try to follow anyway, eating non-processed foods and limiting sugar. But this goes further. The Whole30 diet is a month-long elimination diet designed to promote health and well-being. Here’s how it works: Change the food you put on your plate. Purpose: The premise of the Whole30 program is that certain common foods in Western diets—such as sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, legumes, and specific food additives—can be harmful to overall health, energy levels, and well-being. The goal is to eliminate these potentially problematic foods for a month to allow the body to heal and repair itself. What You Can Eat: Allowed Foods: During the Whole30 plan, you focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods, including: Animal protein Vegetables Fruits Nuts Healthy fats Herbs, spices, and seasonings Avoided Foods: You must avoid the following: Grains Legumes Dairy Added sugar Artificial sugar Alcohol Certain additives Rules: Strict Guidelines: The rules are simple but strict: Eat moderate portions of meat, seafood, and eggs. Consume lots of vegetables and fruits. Include plenty of natural fats. Choose foods with few, pronounceable ingredients or no ingredients because they’re whole and unprocessed. Avoid the restricted foods completely for 30 days. Reintroduction Phase: After the initial 30 days, the off-limits foods are slowly reintroduced one at a time to observe if any trigger adverse reactions. Good Food Standards: Foods allowed on the Whole30 plan must meet the diet’s four “Good Food” standards: Promote a healthy psychological response Promote a healthy hormonal response Support a healthy gut Support immune functions and minimize inflammation Remember that the Whole30 diet is not just about weight loss; it’s

By Sporting Road|March 4th, 2024|Categories: Cuisine|Comments Off

Dinner with David Chang

Meals, mishaps and culinary secrets unfold as chef David Chang throws down in the kitchen for celebrity guests on Netflix. We're fans, here are some of his recipes which look interesting: Recipes From David Chang's Cooking Show 'Dinner Time Live' - Netflix Tudum David Chang’s Pea and Mint Soup If fresh peas are in season — a very small window in the spring — go with those. If not, frozen peas are more than adequate as a substitute. For the mint, use whatever cool, fancy fresh mint you can find. Except peppermint. Peppermint is too strong. For the show, we used chocolate mint leaves from the farmer’s market. Pea and mint soup recipe: David Chang’s Truffled Egg Toast This dish is inspired by the signature dish at ’Inoteca, one of my favorite restaurants in New York. At the restaurant, they used truffle oil, but for the show I used truffle butter from Regalis. It’s not complicated, but takes some doing (and some shopping) to execute. I start by taking thick slices of white bread (we used milk bread from a local Japanese market), and used a spoon to press a little nest for the eggs into the center of each slice. Lay the bread slices on a sheet tray, then slather with truffle butter and top with grated fontina cheese. Slip an egg yolk into the center of each slice of toast, then slide the sheet tray into the oven. In a separate pan, I sauteed sliced asparagus in olive oil, with a little salt and pepper. Once the cheese is melted (and the egg yolk is warm but not cooked through) pull the toast out of the oven. Transfer the toast to plates and

By Sporting Road|February 20th, 2024|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Wild Game is Anti-Inflammatory

I just had a really interesting conversation with one of the most respected cardiologists in the nation. He was saying that recent studies have shown that feed-lot raised beef is inflammatory and high in fat. Whereas pasture beef is not high in fat and not inflammatory. And wild game meats have even more health benefits when compared to meats from domesticated or farm-raised animals. Examples of wild game include venison, bison, rabbit and elk. The fact that wild game animals eat their natural diet and are very active in the wild contributes to the lower fat content of the meat. Additionally, eating greens in the wild contributes to a lower content of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and a higher content of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Furthermore, wild game meat is a good source of protein and minerals such as iron and zinc. So, in fact, wild game has good fat and is anti-inflammatory. A recent article over at https://www.livestrong.com/article/349448-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-wild-game/ also echoed the same: Low Fat Content Wild game meats tend to have a lower fat content, as animals tend to be more active in the wild. Additionally, wild game eat a natural diet as opposed to grain or corn, which is often fed to domesticated animals, contributing to an increased fat content of non-game meat. Lower Omega-6 Fatty Acids The feeding of corn and grain to farm animals not only increases the total fat content but also the omega-6 fatty acid content. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, omega-6 fatty acids increase markers of inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is associated with health conditions including obesity, diabetes, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Wild animals eat more grass, green leaves and plants than their domesticated counterparts, which

By Sporting Road|December 6th, 2022|Categories: Cuisine, Hunting, Wingshooting|Comments Off

How to Use Dried Chiles

Saveur recently published the best online guide to dried chiles. Chiles Negros, Mulatos, and dried Hatch NM chiles are favorites in our pantry, but here is the authoritative guide. Some of our favorite recipes featuring dried chiles follow. 11 Dried Mexican Chiles to Know and Love, and How to Use Them The ultimate guide for how to identify, shop for, and cook with the pantry workhorse of the Mexican kitchen: dried chile peppers. Read in Saveur: https://apple.news/AUMyQB1bZSZu6XVpToDz1vA I also came across this great article on the 7 moles of Oaxaca. Here are our personal recipes of three recipes with dried chiles: https://sportingroad.com/argentine-recipes/venison-carne-guisada/ https://sportingroad.com/fur/chili-mole/ https://sportingroad.com/argentine-recipes/tortilla-soup/ For more great recipes and sources of chiles, visit: https://thespicetrader.ca/collections/chilis https://www.manoymetate.com/

By Sporting Road|March 2nd, 2020|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes|Comments Off

Clay Pottery for Cooking

From Ferenc Recommendations on non-micaceous clay pots: I think Roemertopf ( Römertopf ) pots are the most flexible. They used to be made in Mexico, but are now made in Germany ( again ). The newer pots have a glazed bottom, so cleaning them after cooking is easier now. There's an out of print cookbook, which has lots of very good recipes for it: By the Editors of Consumer Guide Clay Cookery Some of our favorite recipes from it: Wedding Chicken From Crete, Gingered Roast Chicken with Nectarines, Ratatouille. The latter is our all time favorite. This pot is for the oven only. Though not made of micaceous clay, the Emile Henry pots can take a lot of heat. Some can be used on stove tops. You can even use soap to clean them. I use this one mostly for cooking chicken: Emile Henry Made In France Flame Oval Stewpot Dutch Oven, 6.3 quart, Charcoal Micaceous clay: Chamba You'd like the Chamba Cookware https://www.mytoque.com/pages/about-la-chamba-cookware ) soup pots for stews and soups. The Chamba pots are made from black clay. I use them on the stove top, but would work in the oven too. They're functional and beautiful. Güveç It's a Turkish clay pot. ( See for example: https://drojkent.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/istanbul-pots-and-cooking-guvec/ I make Turkish moussaka in it. Got that pot here: https://www.tulumba.com/products/3438-earthenware-non-coated-pot-medium/ But they don't always have it available. When I use clay pots on the stove top, I always use a flame diffuser, which I brought from Hungary. You can get similar stuff here too, of course ( see for example: http://www.bramcookware.com/index.php ). I soak and them scrub with baking soda--never use soap on my clay pots. Because of the different pots I have, I put

By Sporting Road|April 8th, 2019|Categories: Cuisine, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Tête de Moine et le Girolle

Mothers often tell their children, “Don’t play with your food.” But the French have a toy for cheese—a sort of spinning knife with a big wheel of dairy beneath it. They call it a girolle; the rest of us call it a cheese curler or cheese wheel. It was love at first spin. After a visit to get some Tête de Moine, which is a type of cheese manufactured on both the French and Swiss sides of the Swiss Alps, it spins cheese into a mushroom trumpet shape, hence the name Girolle, which is French for the Chantrelle mushroom. They say you can also use Petit Basque on the girolle, which we haven't tried yet.

By Sporting Road|March 4th, 2019|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes|Comments Off

Don’t Bin Your Jack O Lantern-Pumpkin Soup

Over 60% of Halloween pumpkins get tossed in the trash, and the rate is higher in the UK for binning your Jack o lantern. Instead, try this tasty French soup as our French friend, Laurent, describes simply as: Remove the seeds and filaments, dig the sides so you have enough space for the layers : 1 dried bread, or crumbs, 2 crème fraiche or sour cream, 3 mushrooms with a real flavour and again 1/2/3 until the top. 3 hours minimum at 180°Celsius, and you scoop the inside to mix the flesh and preparation. Then an electric hand mixer could help to get a nice creamy texture, or you stick to rustic crumbly aspect. If you do not like the result, if too thick, add chicken stock. Salt pepper. Parsley. Ready.

By Sporting Road|October 25th, 2018|Categories: Cuisine, Recipes|Comments Off