Food & Design: Trends of Summer, Israeli Couscous

One of my favorite new food trends that have been hitting the commercial grocers is  Israel couscous. However, it may be a bit late for me to say that this is a new truly trend in American culture because chefs have been experimenting with this type of pasta since the early 1950s. Over the past few years there has been a sudden boom to explore this culinary favorite which is why I put it at the top of my culinary trends for the summer.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS: A HISTORY LESSON
Unlike couscous, its culinary cousin, which has records in cookbooks before the 13th century, Israel Couscous is a recent culinary creation.   Ptitim is the true name for this pasta.  Americans have termed Ptitim “Israeli couscous” but in Israeli it is lovingly nicknamed “Ben-Gurion’s Rice”.  Ptitim was originally invented during the austerity period in Israel. At the time Ben Gurion, Israel’s then prime minster, had to ration food to help with economic times and thus had to find a substitute for an Israeli staple, rice.  Gurion asked Eugen Propper, founder of Osem food company to create a wheat-based product.  Osem food company therefore developed a pasta like substitute made of hard wheat flour and roasted it in the oven.  Becoming an immediate success, ptitim was quickly shaped into small, dense balls which is why Osem deemed it “couscous”.

RESTAURANTS
In Pittsburgh, I have gone to several restaurants who have been using Israeli couscous.  Over the past six months I have seen chefs as well as some of my friends put ptitim in everything from salads, to soups and as a filler for meat dishes.  I especially loved the thought of a friend of mine using it in vegetarian burgers to bind the black beans together.  When speaking with a friend of mine on the subject, he mentioned that Israeli couscous is such a great ingredient to play with in cooking.  He reasoned that the ingredient is still considered “gourmet” and thus has the ability to still people looking for “exotic” items on the menu.

TIPS TO PREPARE ISRAELI COUSCOUS
Think of cooking this pasta in a similar way to couscous or rice and you will have no problems. To give a fuller taste to this pasta, add one diced onion to 1/4 cup of oil in a large sauce pan. Sauté until onion is transparent.  Then add about 3 tablespoon of olive oil to pot with 3 cups of Israeli couscous and saute until couscous browns slightly making sure to stir often (about 5 minutes).  Add either 3 3/4 cups of chicken broth, vegetable brother or water and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until couscous is tender and liquid is completely absorbed. this will take about 10 minutes.

Alexandra Gergar graduates from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in marketing and finance.  Cooking since she was a child, she now has a food blog called Lemons in Water and a local caterer in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Follow me on Twitter: AlexGergar

Food & Design: Trends for Summer, Quinoa

SUMMER TRENDS FOR GRAINS

As a caterer I am constantly looking for the new and interesting ingredients to add in my dishes. One of the most important parts of my presentation to my clients is assure them that I can keep up with current trends. Because of the rise of the health movement in the last few years, more than ever, individuals are looking at the ingredients that comprise their food. Since spring is upon us in the United States, and with summer quickly coming, I have decided to write about several grains that are making their move for pantry space in the average American home.

In my first segment of my discussion, I will talk about Quinoa. I first discovered this grain on a food blog several months ago. Intrigued, I searched for the grain in my local food stores but was at a loss. However, soon this grain popped up in a local Pittsburgh grocer and I immediately started cooking with it.

QUINOA: A HISTORY LESSON
Known for over 6,000 years, Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America.  In stories from Spanish explorers, Incas used to call quinoa the “mother of all grains” or “chisaya mama”.  Resistant to high-altitudes, it requires cooler temperatures and short day lengths, which explains why Peru and Bolivia are the highest producers of this grain.  Completely unknown to the North American region until the 1980s, two Americans discovered the grain and began cultivating it in Colorado.  Since then, quinoa has had a slow discovery throughout North America.

HEALTH BENEFITS
As a vegetarian, it should be my duty to find the best foods for my body.  But, most days I am just looking to fill a hunger than to really nourish my body.  Normally that means something quick and easy, so I find myself lucky to have found quinoa.  The balanced set of essential amino acids give this grain a high (12 to 18 percent) protein content which deems this grain a “super crop” by the United Nations. This is one of the reasons why vegetarians, as well as campers, love this grain.  Quinoa is lighter than meat and is easier and safer to pack for summer-time trips.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Quinoa started to pop up across the web about a year ago in larger quantities.  Food bloggers were first to show globally how to use and prepare quinoa.  However, in the last few months more and more bloggers are talking about it.  National magazines mention the grain and national television shows explain how to cook with it.  This can be explained with the widely growing health and organic movements that is spreading across the United States.

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR
This grain will not be as popular as rice or pasta has become stateside.  At least not in the next year or so.  What you will see is smaller restaurants mixing this into their options for side dishes or as a complement to better-known dishes to add a bit of originality, generating interest and new ideas for the preparation of quinoa.  This will, in turn, help grocery stores across the nation fulfill a demand for this product. Then, when I need to find this grain to make as a side dish or to help give a much needed substance to a dish, I can go to a larger chain which I visit more frequently than to a smaller health forward store which I only use for specialty goods.

TIPS TO PREPARE THE GRAIN
Quinoa can be cooked in a similar fashion as common jasmine rice.  A good rule of thumb for the “mother of grains” is a 2-to-1 method, 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa.  After the water has boiled in a 2-quart saucepot, turn down the heat and cover for 15 to 20 minutes to produce a side dish with a unique light, chewy flavor.  Because of the fast cooking period, quinoa is a favorite for a quick and hearty breakfast, especially in the winter.  Since we are nearing the end of winter here in the States, it is also a perfect addition to vegetable salads and cold dishes for the summer picnic.

Alexandra Gergar graduates from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in marketing and finance.  Cooking since she was a child, she now has a food blog called Lemons in Water and a local caterer in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Product design is a conversation with your audience, why not blog in the same manner?

Follow me on Twitter: alexgergar

Web Marketing: VanAmburgGroup.com

THANK GOD OUR NEW SITE IS UP

Over the years, we created and managed a lot of websites for clients, and focused on creation of MutualGravity’s software platform, leaving some of our own sites to collect dust.

Until a few weeks ago, VanAmburgGroup.com was untouched since 1999. Yet that was our public presence, our 24/7 communications with the world. If you saw the old site, you probably thought we were on a long cruise or something.

So this quarter we revamped the the entire site:

1. To share hundreds of pages of practical research, planning and marketing information,
2. To communicate some of the exciting projects we’re working on, and
3. To bring in some of our global partners.

In this process, I’ve committed to being transparent with our site development and search optimization.

Starting today, every Monday I’ll share some of our related accomplishments and challenges. On Wednesdays, we’ll offer web design and SEO nuggets for your use.

THE BLOG SCHEDULE

But before I jump in to the site development discussion, here’s what to expect with the Thinking Big Works blog.

For the main site:

• Check the chart above for the full schedule. We’ll also add posts beyond those categories and days.
• To simplify your reading experience, every post will have a category header, so you can easily choose which ones you want to read. The first line of each post will give a bit more information on what it’s about.
• Author Judy Berg now posts daily. As of today, I’ll be posting daily. Noted management consultant, Greg Pashke will begin regular posts next week. And SEO specialist, Jody Resnick, will be sharing his insights beginning in January.

Read more about current and upcoming site features below the fold.

HERE’S WHERE WE ARE WITH THE SITE

For the main site:

• We’ve completed about 70 pages of information most with charts, and will add 5-10 a week, and post the new ones every Monday.
• We’ve completed about 50% of our search optimization. We’ll share that wonderful process on Wednesdays.
• Friday of this week we’ll launch a video tour of the site to help you access the practical info you need.
• Starting next week, we’ll add white papers, slide overviews, and other detailed info for your research, planning, marketing, and web marketing use.

WHY ENLIGHTENED ORGANIZATIONS

On Mondays and Tuesdays, Judy Berg and I will be sharing a public conversation about one of the most exciting trends you will witness in the worlds of business and government.

We all experience the daily revelations of greed, corruption and other mistakes made by individuals in the recent past. There are enough news and commentary outlets discussing examples of these sad affairs. You may have lost 50% of your retirement savings so far, but we’re all just beginning to experience the fallout of these actions. Yes, there will be more.

But our focus is what comes beyond the chaos that fixates the nightly news. There are amazing people who have created amazing organizations over the past 30+ years. They are the ones who will redefine our economy, our world society, our reality – and not in a few generations.

Starting in January:

• We’ll be interviewing 100+ of the leading thinkers on the planet.
• You can join in on our Enlightenors’ Cafe online conversations, which we’ll announce soon.

Want more on our near and medium-term projections for the economy and how it will affect your business? Keep reading Thinking Big Works. Thanks.

Best wishes,
David