A mortar and pestle are a duo of tools, when used together, can crush and mash things down. The mortar is the bowl part and the pestle is the club like tool used to crush items inside the mortar.

The usage of the mortar and pestle originally was use. It was used in Egypt thousands of years ago as a medical tool. Eventually, it started to be used as a tool for cooking as well. Bronze was the material of choice for creating the mortar and pestle around the middle ages and Renaissance period. Eventually porcelain was used by the late 1700’s. By the 18th and 19th centuries, a variation called a stone and muller was created to blend and mix paints. In India, another mortar and pestle variation was created and is called a sil batta. While having many different uses and variations, the mortar and pestle is mostly used today to grind spices. Another common use for it is to make a pesto sauce directly in the mortar and combine all the needed ingredients inside with the pestle. This tool has had so many contributions throughout history, culinary history included. While a very basic tool, a lot of people prefer it to more modern tools like food processors or grinders because it is believed this helps release aromatics better from spices and herbs. Whether true or not, many people still prefer a rustic tool as opposed to something that requires lots of disassembling of parts and washing. Whether you want to use a ceramic version to make pesto or guacamole, a marble one to crush spices, or a glass mortar and pestle to mix liquids, there is a variation for any culinary task at hand.

I believe the mortar and pestle is a significant culinary innovation due to how widely it was used all over the world for thousands of years before food processors were a common household tool. It is very traditional to be used to process spices and herbs in certain cultures as opposed to more modern tools too so that in itself shows how it is valued over things like mixers and food processors.

I believe the mortar and pestle accomplished being a culinary innovation from thousands of years of reliability. It is common for older tools and products to be overtaken by a more modern and convenient version. This is not the case for the mortar and pestle.

The mortar and pestle is important because it allows certain cultures to upkeep traditional practices for how they were taught on how to grind herbs and spices. It still allows people who would rather use it and not a food processor the ability to get a “feel” of how their ingredients are coming along as they get grounded.

The mortar and pestle is something that I have always found fascinating. I have used it to make simple things like guacamole and pesto sauce. I think it provides more control when crushing ingredients and it is just a nice alternative to more modern tools in general. I would compare it to the choice of use a gas or charcoal BBQ. Both are great and provide their own unique benefits but either could be argued as better or worse than the other. Having options in the kitchen is always a great thing.

References

Gritzer, D. (2019, March 05). The Best Mortars and Pestles To Buy. Retrieved from https://www.seriouseats.com/2018/08/best-mortars-and-pestles.html

Spices Inc. (2019, July 31). Retrieved from https://www.spicesinc.com/p-8344-the-history-of-the-mortar-and-pestle.aspx

Diets are one of the many ways for people to adhere to certain health conditions, beliefs, or values. A dietary concept that I was interested in is the Ketogenic diet. With this diet, I will try to consume basically as little carbohydrates as possible while prioritizing fat consumption and moderate protein. A good rule of thumb is to be no higher than 20g of carbs a day according to various keto forums online. Following the keto diet, I will also choose soy as a pretend allergen.

A typical daily menu for a ketogenic diet could look something like this:

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and bacon
• Lunch: Grilled salmon and zucchini noodles
• Dinner: Ground beef tacos with cheese, salsa, avocado, sour cream in a lettuce wrap

Here’s an easy recipe for someone who wants to pack a keto lunch to work or school:

Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs with Brocolli and Zucchini

• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 head of broccoli, florets
• 2 zucchinis, sliced thin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400f
2. Combine all spices and reserve
3. Coat chicken thighs in olive oil and then rub spices evenly and place onto baking tray
4. Place chicken in oven for 25 minutes
5. Remove baking tray and add broccoli florets and zucchini slices
6. Cook for another 15 minutes until chicken reaches 160f internally

Example 7 day Keto Log

• Day 1
  • Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Bacon
  • Lunch: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
  • Dinner: Steak with Hollandaise and Garlic Broccoli
• Day 2
  • Breakfast: Sausage and Avocado
  • Lunch: Tuna Egg Salad
  • Dinner: Chicken tinola
• Day 3
  • Breakfast: Spinach and Cheese Frittata
  • Lunch: Chicken soup (no noodles)
  • Dinner: Roasted Pork Belly and Cabbage slaw
• Day 4
  • Breakfast: Mixed berries and full fat yogurt
  • Lunch: Lettuce wrap tacos
  • Dinner: Grilled Salmon and Zucchini Noodles
• Day 5
  • Breakfast: Ham, cheese, onion omelet
  • Lunch: Bacon wrapped asparagus
  • Dinner: Roast Beef and Cauliflower mash
• Day 6
  • Breakfast: Strawberry avocado smoothie with almond milk
  • Lunch: Stir fry beef and veggies
  • Dinner: Dry rub pork baby back ribs with green beans and grilled corn on the cob
• Day 7
  • Breakfast: Bacon cauliflower hash
  • Lunch: Oven roasted chicken thighs with broccoli and zucchini
  • Dinner: Pork chops with caramelized onions

Reflection

This was a tough diet to follow. I was able to follow it for some of the meals during the week, but not all. Breakfast was the easiest while lunch and dinner were more difficult to adhere to the diet. My biggest trouble was not including rice since it is a staple in my diet. One noticeable effect I had was reduced bloating. Due to not be able to eat heavy carb junk foods, I felt much lighter. Here are some pictures I took of the food I ate.

Maintaining this diet as a chef will be challenging, but I think can be done. Keto has become very popular recently and I think many modern chef’s like to have a culinary challenge. Carbs are usually found in sides like mash potatoes which can be changed to cauliflower mash or tortillas/taco shells which can be replaced by lettuce wrap. I believe all that a chef needs to have in order to tackle this challenge is creativity. Although I did enjoy attempting this diet, I do not think I would continue with it. I do think I will try and do a less extreme version with a paleo diet.

On June 8th, 2019, I made my way to Sandy Farms located at 10069 Weston Rd in Vaughan. This was my first time ever visiting this farm and I spent a considerable amount of time here looking around.

At the farm, I met a man named George who was busy tending to some crops but took a couple minutes to speak to me. George is originally from Thunder Bay where he grew up and lived on farms his whole life. He moved to the GTA and started his own small farm where he wanted to provide many fresh locally grown herbs, plants, and produce to the public. He said that his main reasoning to come here was to be able to bring the knowledge and expertise he had with farming to a bigger city, thus hitting a wider population. He also said that living in such a big city, most people resort to grocery store chains to buy their produce so he wanted to provide something local and fresh. George said he grows strictly organic because he believes that the produce should not be full of chemicals and should just be natural. I did ask George for a picture but he wanted to keep his privacy.

Here are all of the pictures I took at Sandy Farms. I spent my time looking at herbs and plants that I could bring home.

I was looking to grown my own herbs at home so I ended up purchasing many plants to bring home and grow in the backyard. I bought basil, parsley, rosemary, jalapeno, and tomato plants. Here’s what it looks like in the backyard.

I know that this farm follows the seasons and grows what is appropriate for that season from what one of the staff told me. The prices I thought were pretty fair and will bring much value in the long run. My purchase came to around $20 and i bought about 12 plants. Buying 1 little carton of basil for example at a grocery store would cost about $2.99 plus tax so I think the plants have much more value.

In accordance to the Pillars of sustainability, these products affect it very positively. Growing crops allows people to learn how to tend to plants and how/where their food comes from. Socially, farming can build communities that are all like-minded in supporting local, fresh producers. The economy will grow because without fresh produce, food producers of all kinds will not be able to sell high quality, fresh food to their customers. They supply the demand. And as for the environment, growing organically allows the environment to produce 100% natural, chemical free produce. This makes it easier on the soil, and for the health of the consumers.

I had a lot of fun visiting this farm and talking to a farmer. I ended up buying a lot of herbs that I usually have trouble buying at any grocery store I visit. I enjoyed doing this so much I ended up going to another local farmers market near Downsview. Here are some pictures!

I learned a lot from this experience. When I was younger, I never really had much interest in fresh produce. Now being in culinary school, I think about it more than ever. When I look for herbs, vegetables, fruits, I’m always smelling and feeling everything to make sure I get the best product. It is so important to get the best ingredients because it will greatly affect the quality of the end product.

My chosen cut of meat is oxtail which comes from beef. I have chosen this cut of meat because I think it is not very common in comparison to typical cuts of meat. Also because it is the main meat component of one of my favourite Filipino dishes, Kare Kare.

Christopher Columbus brought cattle to the Americas in 1493. Cattle were mostly used for meat, milk, and labour in the past, but they are mostly used now to provide for meat and by-products like leather, gelatin, china, etc. Over 98% of cattle is used when it is processed to maximize the amount of yield obtained. About 45% of that initial percentage is used for meat while the rest is for by-products. Beef from cattle contains various essential nutrients which include zinc and vitamin B12, while also providing lots of protein. Various of the common beef cuts include Rib Eye, Filet Mignon, Skirt, T-bone, New York Strip, and many more. Oxtail is one of the cuts from cattle that allows the tails from the animal to not go to waste. From the name itself, one might think oxtail comes directly from oxen. Nowadays, oxtail primarily comes from either a Steer (Male cattle that has been castrated and cannot breed) or a Heifer (Young female cattle that has not produced a calf). The tails typically weigh between 7 to 8 pounds and is mostly made up of bone, cartilage, and little meat. Cutting an oxtail provides for gradually smaller pieces due to how a tail naturally tapers. In the centre of the oxtail is bone marrow, which is a delicacy itself. Oxtail is a very gelatinous cut of meat due to the amounts of collagen in it.

The preferred method of cooking this cut of meat is to slowly braise for at least 6-8 hours due to how tough and gelatinous it is. Without cooking it in this method, the oxtail will remain tough and not release the natural gelatin. Braising it slowly will allot the meat to become very tender and almost melt away. I think a suitable cooking method would be to initially brown the oxtail meat to get some colour and flavour, then to add liquid to slowly braise. Other cooking methods would be to use it in soups and stews since those are usually cooked slowly as well.

I have included a recipe of how I would prepare Kare Kare. Please try it yourself if you would like to try something new!

References

Kahn, L., & Cottle, D. J. (2014). Beef Cattle Production and Trade. Collingwood, Vic: CSIRO PUBLISHING. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.gbcprx01.georgebrown.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=760291&site=eds-live&scope=site

I had the opportunity to attend the Supper Club volunteering event at GBC last week. The Supper club was held in celebration of Black History Month to promote community. Chef Suzanne Barr led the event and invoked a fun, easy-going atmosphere. We all worked together with fellow culinary students and non-culinary students in creating delicious Jamaican dishes. After everything was cooked, we all had the opportunity to eat together as well. The standout recipe to me was the Peppa Shrimp.

When I first heard we were going to prepare Peppa Shrimp, my mind instantly assumed it would be shrimp with some sort of spicy pepper seasoning. I was right, but I did not think it would be at the spice level that it was. The peppers that we used were scotch bonnet peppers. I’ve never tasted a pepper that hot before.

Cooked shrimp being tossed with Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

Peppa Shrimp plated with grilled pineapple

5 Basic Tastes

• Salty – The shrimp were seasoned well but not too salty. Probably the least of the tastes achieved.
• Sweet – The scotch bonnet’s, although spicy, did have a slight sweetness to it. The peppers were also sitting in a pickle liquid containg maple syrup. Served with a side of grilled pineapple, the shrimp had a fair amount of sweetness to it.
• Sour – Peppers were submerged in a pickling liquid containing lots of vinegar. The liquid itself and the peppers were used to create the sauce which created a very distinct sourness.
• Bitter – The juice of lemons and oranges and the zest of limes were used as a marinate for the pineapples that were served on the side. It added a nice balance to the natural sweetness of the pineapple by incorporating some bitterness.
• Umami – The shrimp itself has a very umami flavour like most shellfish do. The shrimp were poached in a court bouillon broth which further developed the umami flavours.

Senses

• Taste – The main thing I could taste was the spiciness. I think for the average person, this would be too spicy for them. I enjoy spicy, even if it means I end up with nose sniffles.
• Smell – Very strong aroma of the scotch bonnet and vinegar based sauce. It really cut through towards the sinuses.
• Sight – Bright red/orange colour achieved by the scotch bonnet pepper sauce. Visually it was easy to tell that this dish would be spicy just by looking at it.
• Hearing – The shrimp were cooked with shell, tail, and the head kept on. The sound of snapping the head and peeling the shell were very prevalent while everyone ate.
• Touch – After peeling, the shrimp were very plump and juicy to the touch. The spicy sauce had a very lasting, tingling feeling on my hands as I ate.

In terms of relating this dish to something I’ve had before, I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like this in the past. The shrimp itself was a very familiar flavour but the spice from the pepper was a new experience for me. This dish was unique because it really displayed the love of spice and seafood in Jamaica by combining the two.

Something that I learned about my palate is that I am able to handle a lot more spice that I thought. I also learned that I enjoyed the pairing of sweet and spicy flavours together, it feels almost refreshing to my taste buds. I thoroughly enjoyed this food, especially because it’s encouraged to get dirty and eat with our hands. I would definitely eat this again because it was a new take on shrimp for me. I’m used to having shrimp with milder flavours, but this one packed on the heat.

Scotch bonnet peppers marinating in pickling liquid

Scotch bonnets being portioned out for takeout

My tolerance for spicy flavours has grown the older I have gotten. I have a greater appreciation for all things spicy, so as long as it doesn’t take away from the dish by overpowering all the other flavours. I also do not have much of a sweet tooth, but I can recognize when there is a subtle yet distinct sweetness added to help balance a dish.

This experience allowed me to critically analyze all the different senses being used when eating. It helped me understand the flavours that I am more fond of, and create a further acknowledgement for the ones that I am still not so sure of. This was a very enjoyable event and I hope to use this same evaluation for future dishes that are new to me.

Growing up, I was not the biggest fan of soup. But as a kid, my definition of soup was a broth and nothing else inside it. I’ve actually been enjoying so much soup as a kid and I didn’t even know it. Sinigang na Baboy is easily my favourite soup. Any time I could smell it simmering throughout the house around dinner time, I knew I was in for a treat that night.

Sinigang na Baboy is a sour and savoury soup that consists of whatever cuts of pork you want and a tamarind based broth. I used pork belly and pork short ribs. The soup usually contains tomatoes and onions as the flavouring agents. Below you can see the meat and veggies that I prepared for my soup.

While eating this soup, many various senses are achieved. Looking at the soup, it’s clear to see that the soup has a distinct orange-ish colour due to the tomatoes. The chunks of pork help visualize savouriness as well. As for aromas, a combination of pork and tomato smells fill up the kitchen. Tastewise, the soup tastes sour because of the tamarind and savoury due to the pork. For the mouthfeel, the soup is not too thin but also not too thick. There are no thickening agents added but the fat content of the pork does assist in making the soup have a little more body.

I asked my older brother to taste my soup after it was prepared. He was born and raised in the Philippines so he is very accustomed to this soup. He looked at it to see if it looked “complete” with all the usual veggies and a good amount of pork to which he was pleased. He described the aroma as “strong pork and tomato”. He had hoped for some chillis because he enjoys it a bit more spicy. Overall, he thought it was seasoned well, had a good amount of sour tamarind flavour, and had a good balance of meat to veggies.

While cooking my soup, there were some minor challenges involved. One challenge that I had was deciding on my ingredients. Veggies can range anymore from bok choy, green beans, or kale. Meat could also be commonly substituted with salmon. In that case it would be called Sinigang na Salmon. I chose to use pork because, in my opinion, it is much more visually appealing and suits the sour flavour better.

I think in general, making my soup was a success because it fed my whole family for dinner that night and they were all satisfied. One thing that I would do differently is to add more bok choy. I would also add a few chilis and a little bit of fish sauce. Serving with fish sauce and calamansi on the side works well too.

My experience in cooking and documenting my soup for this blog was very fun. Cooking for the family at home is always satisfying, but having to take pictures and describing one of my favourite foods for you all to experience made it even more enjoyable. One thing I learned is how important having a safe and extensive workspace is. My prep area is extremely small and it’s hard to fit anything more than a cutting board and a couple of bowls. Ingredients were still organized but scattered all over the kitchen.

One thing that I will strive to continue applying to my future culinary endeavours is keeping my ingredients organized. Preparing a Mise en Place feels very rewarding and makes cooking so much easier and coordinated. For my future culinary experiences, I hope to always keep myself organized. No matter how busy I will be, getting all the prep work done and being organized will make my efforts much more efficient.