According to food historians who study early 17^th century America, few of the foods that we enjoy today were at the original Thanksgiving.  Food supplies were minimal; many of today’s common crops were not even being cultivated in American soil.  Turkeys in New England were wild but rare, and most historians believe they were not incorporated into the first Thanksgiving.  Venison, fowl and shellfish were the prized proteins of the time, and took Turkey’s place at the center of the Thanksgiving table.  Pumpkins were grown and harvested at the time, but unlikely to have been turned into pie.  Sugar in 17^th century England was still a luxury commodity, so the poor English settlers wouldn’t have had it to bake a pie.  Pumpkins weren’t completely absent, however.  Pumpkins and other squashes were served stewed.  Potatoes, another Thanksgiving mainstay of today, were not readily grown in North America at the time of this first feast.  What did they eat for sides, then?  Most historians believe local seasonal fruits of plums and berries, and nuts filled out the meal.

As years passed and Thanksgiving became a nationally declared holiday, (thanks to our 16^th president Abraham Lincoln), different foods were introduced to the meal eventually resulting in what we know today: roast turkey, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.  As food trends continue to change, I can only wonder what foods will be served at Thanksgiving in the next hundred years. How do you think Thanksgiving might evolve?

My children often complain about trying new foods. I have to laugh because they get their reserved eating habits from me. I have had a limited palate almost all of my life.  Growing up, my mom had very few recipes in her repertoire. She could make a terrific meatloaf, and her roast would melt in your mouth.  But otherwise, the dishes she produced were unimaginative and mediocre in taste.  As a teenager, to get me to try grilled shark, my father bathed it in Cajun seasoning and called it chicken.

When I got married, my husband did not understand how I could have such a limited tolerance for finer food experiences.  Having been in the military, he had traveled all over the world and experienced a wide variety of cuisines. I, however, knew what I liked, and was positive that I wouldn’t enjoy certain foods, especially something like hummus. One evening my husband and I made a deal. He agreed to go to bowling night if I let him pick the restaurant we went to beforehand. Hummus was on the menu and at his coaxing, I tried it. From that night on, I have been in love with the incredible treat.

Now, I love to try new recipes, and playing with the flavors in hummus has been a fun adventure. I am particularly fond of the following unique recipe. The cumin combined with dill and Dean & DeLuca’s mild pimenton give this hummus a flavor that is out of this world. The creamy yogurt combined with tangy lemon juice coats your mouth and lets your taste buds absorb the smokiness of the cumin and pimenton. And, the slight hint of barbecue throws your tongue for a loop.  With toasted pita chips, veggies or even tortilla chips, this hummus is by far the best one my husband and I have tried.

Ingredients:

• 2 (16-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for pita
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill leaves, plus extra for garnish
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons pimenton (mild), plus extra for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 pita pockets

Directions:
Special equipment: Food processor
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor add 1 can of beans, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, cumin, and paprika. Pulse until smooth. Add the second can of beans and pulse until beans are incorporated but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Cut each pita into 6 wedges and place on a baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake for 5 minutes or until crisp. Serve with hummus garnished with dill and paprika.

Check out the gift ideas. We’re proud that Dean & DeLuca’s TWG teas and Sir Francis Bacon Peanut Brittle made Florence Fabricant’s list of some of this year’s best new products for eating, drinking, cooking and reading.

The combination of peanut butter and jelly may take you back to your childhood or remind you of a school age child’s lunch, but jam is versatile and can be used in many different ways. Jams, preserves, marmalades and fruit spreads are flourishing; it seems that almost any fruit is being turned into one form of a spread or another.  Cassis and Blackcurrant, Peach Apricot, and Tawny Orange are a few that I recently discovered in Dean & DeLuca’s SoHo market.

What is the difference between a jam, preserve, marmalade and fruit spread?  Historically they were distinguished by the amount and consistency of fruit used (whole, juice or parts), and the use or lack thereof of pectin (found naturally in fruit, it binds cell walls together), and sugar.  Jam includes parts of the fruit, and sugar, and pectin may or may not be used.  Preserves use the whole fruit, which is cooked with sugar and pectin. Marmalades are made only from citrus fruits; the rind of the fruit that is included characterizes it.  Today the lines between jam and preserves seem to bleed together.  Fruit spreads, which are not easily classified, seem to be the current catch all. The addition of spices like green pepper corns and cassis to the fruits is also adding to the new complexity of this group of condiments.

Beyond sandwiches and cookie fillings, jams, preserves and marmalades lend themselves to a variety of savory dishes. Staud’s Strawberry Fruit Spread with Green Pepper is a delicious match to Parmesan or Manchego cheese.  Adding a fig jam with balsamic vinegar to a glaze for duck also marries well.  Or choose an orange marmalade to baste your next ham.  Additionally, turning a jam, preserve or marmalade into a glaze over roasted nuts is a satisfying pairing, especially as the weather gets colder and parties at home beckon for a tasty snack.

The recipe below can be used as a guide.  The pecans can easily be substituted for walnuts or almonds.  The marionberry jam can be replaced by fig, strawberry, or blackcurrant.  Explore the expanding world of this spread; it’s not just for sandwiches anymore.

Marionberry Jam Glazed Pecans
1 cup raw pecans
3 Tbs. marionberry jam
2 Tbs. butter, melted
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 375˚
Mix the jam, butter, vinegar and seasonings in a small bowl until combined.  Add the nuts, stir to coat. Place nuts on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes until nuts are toasted.

I love when summer turns into fall because squashes, tubers, and apples are now in season. Of all the fall foods, pumpkin is the one that is most often over looked for its culinary value.

Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) are a gourd-like squash, one of four major species in the genus Cucurbita, (also included in this family of plants are melon, watermelon, and cucumber). The name is thought to have come from the Greek word pepon which means “melon.” The French adapted that to pompon, which was changed again by the British to pumpion, and then finally to pumpkin. The pumpkin is one of less than 20 plants that originated in America. Pumpkins require a warm soil to germinate, are usually planted in July, and have a long growing season, typically lasting 3 – 4 months, resulting in an October debut in the markets.

Recipes abound for acorn and butternut squash, but not for pumpkin. Why? Are people intimidated by its size? Do they only think of it in its typical form, the pie? Pumpkin is as versatile as its acorn, butternut or hubbard cousins. Steamed, roasted, baked, or boiled, most parts of the fruit are edible. The fruit has an earthy taste that can be enhanced in either sweet or savory applications. Roasted with other root vegetables, seasoned with garlic, rosemary and thyme, pumpkin is a logical addition to a classic side dish. Outside of desserts or soups, pumpkin is often found in Italian dishes: stuffed in ravioli, or mixed into risotto. But pumpkin also lends itself to classic Mexican ingredients and spices; mix with lentils, or black beans, Cotija cheese and cumin for another interesting flavor profile. Enjoy the following recipe for Roasted Pumpkin and Black Bean Tostadas, a familiar Mexican dish, but with an updated seasonal addition.

Insider tip: If the pumpkin you purchase is large and/or you’re intimidated by the thought of having to cut into the gourd, take it to the butcher counter and ask to have it cracked open. You’ll save yourself a lot of effort at home.

Roasted Pumpkin and Black Bean Tostadas
Serves 4 – 6

5- 6 Tbs. olive oil
½ pound roasted pumpkin, mashed
1 (15oz can) black beans
1 cup corn
2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbs. chili powder
8 – 10 corn tortillas
1 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup Queso Fresco crumbled
¾ cup shredded green cabbage
cilantro & lime wedges for garnish
salt & pepper 

Quarter the pumpkin; clean out the seeds and interior pulp. Cut into wedges. Drizzle with 3-4Tbs. olive oil, and season generously with salt, pepper and chili powder. Roast in a preheated 375˚ oven for 40 minutes until fork tender. Allow to cool, scrape out pulp into a bowl and mash. Set aside. If the pumpkin is dry, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Place corn in the hot pan, add cumin, salt and pepper to taste.

Sauté until caramelized. Add the black beans to the corn, sauté for another minute to warm the beans through. Remove to a bowl and set aside. To prepare the tostados: heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot enough to make the edge of a tortilla sizzle. Add 1 tortilla at a time to the oil, pushing down to submerge, fry for 15 seconds. Using tongs, turn tortilla over and continue frying, pushing down into oil with a spatula to keep as flat as possible. Turn the tortilla again if necessary. Fry until the tortilla is a deep golden color, about 1 minute more. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (Tostada will crisp as it cools.) Fry remaining tortillas 1 at a time.

To assemble:

Spread a generous 3 Tbs. mashed pumpkin on each tostado. Top with 2-3 Tbs. warmed black beans and corn. Add the shredded cabbage and cheese on top. Garnish with cilantro and a wedge of lime.

Shredded chicken, pork or grilled shrimp are also good additions.

“I first tasted the Brandt Beef Patties when they were fresh off the grill.  Since my taste test confirmed their delicious, tender characteristics, it seemed reasonable to assume that the Beef Patties would enhance any recipe into which they were incorporated. A package of habanero pasta inspired me to concoct a meatball recipe to compliment the pasta’s spicy flavor.  This was also the perfect opportunity to try out the D&D Cilantro Lime Butter and toss it with the pasta.  The results for both exceeded expectations!”

D&D BRANDT HANDMADE BEEF PATTY MEATBALLS

Makes approximately 45 generous one-inch meatballs.

Mix thoroughly in standing mixer:
1 pound D&D Brandt Handmade Beef Patties
1 finely chopped, canned Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce
1 tablespoon dried cilantro or 3 tablespoons fresh chopped
¼ cup very finely chopped onion
¼ cup shredded Parmegiano/Reggiano
2/3 cup finely ground, fresh breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Horchata (Mexican rice and cinnamon drink) or other milk
1 finely chopped jarred fig in sweet sauce
1 minced garlic clove
¼ cup roasted and salted, shelled Pepita seeds
1 egg
freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Form into meatballs and place on slightly oiled baking pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, taking care not to over bake.  Give the pan a shake or use a spatula to carefully rotate meatballs for even browning.

Cook approximately 12 ounces of your favorite spicy pasta, al dente, and toss lightly with three portions of D&D Cilantro Lime Butter and salt to taste.

Serve meatballs over pasta.  Sprinkle with Parmegiano/Reggiano and fresh, chopped parsley and/or cilantro.

A side of steamed, cubed zucchini seasoned lightly with D&D Margarita Salt pairs nicely.

Destination Soho, New York and the finest gourmet food store in the country. My mission: to immerse myself in all things Dean & DeLuca and get a real sense of the brand. Needless to say, one seat on the red eye and a cab ride later and I’m in true food heaven.

From the moment I stepped behind the counter at their flagship Soho store and donned the signature Dean & DeLuca chef whites and hat, my senses were overloaded. Alongside my happy pillaging of the store’s shelves to put together a few meals for my friends in the Big Apple, the clear highlight of the week was meeting Giorgio DeLuca. If you want to get a real sense of the origins of a company and its philosophies, talk to the founder. Along with his partners Joel Dean and Jack Ceglic, he co-founded Dean & DeLuca’s first store in 1977. Over a glass of wine with Giorgio at his kitchen counter in his Tribeca home, he shared with me the story behind of how it all began.

A former school teacher, Giorgio’s first steps to becoming a culinary trailblazer were as an owner of a small cheese shop in Soho. At that time in the early 1970’s before its re-gentrification, Soho was far from the commercialized shopping district it is today. Its abandoned warehouses had recently become home to artists looking for large spaces for their studios, their blacked-out windows with dark shades shrouding them and their work from passersby. It was an unlikely setting for a cheese shop, but Giorgio spotted the opportunity. “There goes the neighborhood” was the initial cry from the residents when Giorgio opened his store. Over time, however, he won the approval of his peers.

As his store grew in popularity, Giorgio’s entrepreneurial spirit spurred him to expand past the small cheese shop. He found someone else with big ambitions, a friend and customer of his, Joel Dean. Together, they set out to create a store with the ambience and products they loved – basically, a shop they would buy from themselves.  Dean, along with Jack Ceglic, considered every design detail from the famous Dean & DeLuca logo to Mozart and Bach background music.  

After describing the initial team, Giorgio talked about how they set out to create a store that stood alone, separate from the rest. Exotic food was to be the main draw. Giorgio travelled across Europe bringing back the cheeses, charcuterie, oils and seasonings that New Yorkers and America had never experienced before. He recognized and appreciated that the farmer and his small olive grove or herd of sheep was not just producing food, but creating an artisanal product, an expression of the farmer himself.

When I asked Giorgio what the tipping point was, when he knew they were onto something big, he smiled and answered, “Balsamic vinegar”.  A young German girl came into the store one day back in 1978. She described a vinegar from Modena, Italy that she had tasted. Giorgio, ever the entrepreneur, was intrigued and saw potential business. He placed an order for 120 cases, the minimum he could import. His father told him he would take a few cases off his hands, but when it arrived he changed his mind. Giorgio had a lot of expensive vinegar on his hands. Fortunately, his local newspaper, The New York Times, featured Giorgio’s balsamic vinegar in the food section, and needless to say the sales followed. The rest is history: a vinegar no one knew about is now an everyday household ingredient. 

Beyond food, the store differentiated itself with house wares. It was Dean’s idea to bring house wares to the store, to offer New Yorkers beautifully constructed copper pots and pans, the cooking utensils they desired but were not available in the city at the time.

Giorgio and Diane

As Giorgio poured the last few drops of wine into my glass, I realized that I had definitely developed an appetite. We left his loft and walked across the street to his restaurant Giorgione, his latest endeavor into New York’s culinary world. Giorgione is a neighborhood Italian restaurant with a relaxed local vibe. From the eye catching raw bar to the wood burning fire place, Giorgio has once again created a warm, stylish environment for locals and visitors alike to hang out and enjoy top quality, simple food. It had Giorgio stamped all over it. As I finished my last bite of risotto, I realized I had been given a very personal insight into how this man with a passion for food and life parlayed it into a successful business and luxury lifestyle brand. I also realized it was more than that: it was about three friends in Soho who changed how people in their neighborhood cooked and ate. Thirty years later, their influence can still be felt every day in markets and on dinner tables across the nation.

Years ago, I travelled to Mexico with my mom and sister to visit my grandmother.  While there, my cousin Cynthia’s cook, Raina, prepared meals for us and shared her recipe for Mexican rice. We all crowded in the kitchen comparing our different versions of making rice. All had these common ingredients – oil, rice, cumin seed and chicken bouillon.  Returning home, Dean & DeLuca’s cumin spice turned out to be the perfect ingredient to complete my mother’s homemade Mexican food.  I’ve blended Raina’s recipe with my mom’s creating a wonderfully aromatic and flavorful combination.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 large slice of onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

 Preparation

• Heat the oil, rice and onions in a large frying pan over medium heat.
• Continue stirring until the rice is a light brown color, about 15 minutes. Keep stirring the rice and don’t let it burn.
• Meanwhile, blend the tomatoes, garlic, 1 cup of the water and the bouillon in a blender or food processor until well-mixed, about 30 seconds.
• When the rice and onions are the right color, add the tomato, garlic, water and chicken bouillon mix carefully to the pan of rice and continue stirring.
• Add the cumin seeds and the final 1 cup of water. Taste the liquid blend. Add more chicken bouillon, if needed.
• Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is done, stirring once or twice.

Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

By Maggie Radzwiller

Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is far more than just intensely rich flavor, it’s good for you and easy to prepare. Line caught wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon, as compared to farm raised salmon, is a very vibrant red color, more flavorful, and richer in healthy nutrients. A single portion has seven times more Omega-3’s than any fish oil capsule available, and triple the daily requirement of vitamin D. Its benefits are praised by chefs, for the flavor and dermatologists promoting anti-aging, alike. We’ve found a great source for you – the Iliamna Fish Company.

The Iliamna Fish Company is a family owned business that dutifully travels to the most pristine waters of Alaska, Bristol Bay, for several months each year to catch the Wild Sockeye Salmon at the most magical time. The fish are caught, bled, frozen and placed in cryovack to preserve their freshness. This produces a product that allows us to enjoy this product all year round, while still preserving the sustainability of seasonal production.

Don’t fret about how to prepare a whole fish. Our recipe is so simple that you’ll have plenty of time to spend with your guests.

One Whole Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, completely thawed as per instructions
Six pieces of Dean and DeLuca Cilantro Lime Butter

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees
Double foil line a roasting pan with pieces 6 inches longer than the pan
Place the fish on a diagonal
Put three pieces of Cilantro Lime Butter into the cavity of the fish
Place three more pieces on top

Roll the foil in to a pouch. Crimp the edges to create a seal. Place in the oven for thirty minutes and then turn to cook for thirty more minutes.  Running behind with your cocktail hour? No worries, your salmon will “rest” perfectly for at least half an hour out of the oven in the foil.

Pull the meat off of the top half of the fish in chunks. Then pull out the bone and create chunks by hand of the other half on to a platter. Pour the pan juices over the fish.

The fish is packed with flavor and incredibly moist.