Lower cholesterol and salt by substituting
smoked turkey for ham hocks (shown
above). Photo courtesy CVSOP.com. Get the
recipe for bean soup with ham hocks—or
turkey.

But many people don’t eat ham, and many of those who do should cut back on cholesterol and salt.

As we were preparing to make a 12-bean soup this weekend, we recalled a tip from Top Chef audience favorite Carla Hall: Use smoked turkey drumsticks instead of ham hocks.

(If you want pork for your recipe but can’t find ham hocks, substitute two-to-four ounces per hock with: chopped bacon, guanciale [cured smoked hog jowl], cubed ham, chopped salt pork, a ham bone or smoked sausage.)

Carla, a Nashville native, loves Southern food and eats lots of greens. To make them healthier, she uses smoked turkey instead of ham hocks, and adds Brussels sprouts—leaves separated—for extra nutrition.

Another tip: Carla makes a healthy sweet potato mash with olive oil and orange zest.

Things you don’t know about Carla Hall

She’s a CPA! An alumna of Howard University’s School of Business, she worked for Price Waterhouse for two years. She then took a 180-degree turn and spent several years as a model on the runways of London, Milan and Paris. In Paris she fell in love with the art of food, and voilà!

Know Your Pig Parts

What’s the difference between a back rib and a spare rib? Pork belly and pancetta? American bacon and British bacon?

Become a pig parts expert.
  

The company was founded in 1986 by a group of French tea enthusiasts, who went into the tea business so they could have the freshest, highest-quality teas. In handsome packaging, the teas are sold worldwide.

But before we dig in to the tea gifts, here’s a bit of tea history. (Don’t want history? Scroll down.)

A Brief History Of Tea-Drinking In Europe

England is known for tea-drinking; but it actually came late to the game. Tea was first introduced to Europe via Portugal.

*A tea caddy is a small box, can, or chest for holding tea leaves.

The Portuguese infanta, Catherine of Braganza, married to England’s King Charles II in 1662, introduced† the custom of drinking tea to England.

Tea was extremely costly for more than 100 years, due to rarity and taxes. It was kept in a locked chest to prevent pinching by servants and others. But after the 1750s, smuggled tea was widely available, reasonably-priced and purchased by respectable people.

†Catherine also introduced the fork to the England. Amazingly, although it was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the Roman legions occupied England, the fork took many centuries to make the leap.

According to A Brief History Of Tea And Tea Caddies, the word caddy derives from the Malay kati, a measure of weight equal to about 3/5 of a kilo.

And now, for your consideration, some delicious teas in lovely caddies:

Le Palais De The: Gift Canisters Of Fine Tea

 
A canister (caddy), 4.4 ounces, is $25.00.

Taste. Taste is critical to make sure you have the proper balance and flavor in your dish. But you need to cook with all five senses.

Sight. You also cook with your eyes. If you’re browning multiple pieces of beef of the grill, for example, some will naturally brown faster than others. Look for the pieces with nice color and turn them over; leave the other pieces until you are satisfied with their appearance.

Hearing. Listen to the pan. If you’re browning meat and you don’t hear a sizzle, the pan is not hot enough, and you should remove the meat. On the other hand, if you’re sweating onions and you hear an aggressive hissing, your pan is too hot and you should lower the heat.

Smell. If something smells like it’s starting to burn, it probably is. Adjust the flame accordingly.

Here’s the test for meat. It’s how professional chefs test for doneness. Work on your finger-test skills and you’ll have a valuable new kitchen technique—and a way to impress friends and family.

Photo by Martin Walls | SXC.

To remove the skin more quickly, simply remove the cloves from the bulb and soak them in water for a few minutes.

Then, cut off the root end, or smash it with the flat of your knife. The skin should slide off much more easily.

Now, you’re ready to crush the cloves. Just use the flat part of a large knife.

If loud smashing is more your style, lay your soaked garlic cloves on a cutting board. Place another cutting board on top and crush away.

Feel free to use a hammer on plastic cutting boards. Like hitting a golf ball, it’s very cathartic.

Try Garlic Valley Farms’ garlic juice spray. It’s amazing: You can spray fresh garlic flavor onto anything (burgers, eggs, salads, vegetables—you name it).

The flavor is in the juice, not the clove. Each bottle contains the juice of 150 cloves (1000 sprays). It‘s gluten-free and kosher. Get some.

One of the most memorable caramels we’ve ever had (our first bite was back in 2007), they sizzle without taking out your taste buds.

A wonderful combination of chewy, buttery caramel and habanero heat, the reusable gift tin is $19.00.
 
Send them to someone special!

What is caramel and the history of caramel candy.