Wedge fries are our kind of “food fun,” combining qualities of fries and baked potatoes.

The outside is a golden crunch, the inside is soft and crumbly like a baked potato.

The wedges are cut into what one of our colleagues called “dill pickle shape.”

They can be baked or fried, seasoned with anything you like or left plain but for salt and pepper.

 
Head below for a super-easy baked wedge recipe.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF WEDGE FRIES, STARTING WITH JOJOS

It seems that in the general category of wedge fries, there was a pioneer called the jojo (photos #5 and #6).

The jojo is a breaded potato wedge fried in a pressure fryer. They are often where fried chicken is served, because the same pressure fryer cooks both (separately, of course).

The resulting wedge has a “shatter-crispy outer layer” with a “precise texture…that mystically sets the jojo apart,” according to one connoisseur.

After these jojos became the rage—in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, a plainer potato wedge trickled down to with who do regular fat frying or bake their fries.
 
 
WHO INVENTED JOJOS?

Several restaurant professionals claim to have invented the jojo.

Whoever the claimant might be, the ability to make jojos was created thanks to the new pressure fryers that food-service manufacturers were promoting in the mid-20th century.

One such was the Flavor-Crisp Pressure Fryer [source].

Three feet tall, it was a vast improvement over the open-air fryers, which required gallons of hot vegetable oil.

The pressure fryer used less oil, and the oil was temperature-controlled.

Thus, super-hot oil allowed chicken to be fried exceedingly quickly. The chicken retained more moisture that resulted in juicier meat.

It was a hit.

As the theory goes, cooks wondered what else they could throw into their new fryers, and potatoes were an obvious choice: Places that sold fried chicken invariably sold french fries.

Fiesta Pizza & Chicken of Akron, Ohio claims that its founders introduced “jojo potatoes” in the mid-1960s [source].

A son of one of the founders said that his dad got the idea of pressure-frying lightly-breaded wedge-cut potatoes after learning the technique from a cook in Youngstown.

His cooks cut the potatoes in fours, but they were too thick to cook through the middle. Cutting them into eights became the way to go [source].

Another Claim

Another source claims that, beyond Ohio, the wedge fry also has roots in Portland, Oregon.

A food equipment company, Nicewonger sold Flavor-Crisp pressure fryers in Portland beginning in the 1950s. The founder’s son says that his father, Paul Nicewonger, was at a restaurant trade show demonstrating the pressure fryer in 1958. His booth happened to next to an Idaho potato booth.

Nicewonger took some of the Idaho russets, cut them up and pressure-fried them. Attendees who grabbing the samples and wanted to know what they were called. Nicewonger called them Jojos, later telling his son that it was the first thing that popped into his head.

Yet another claim comes from a former president of Ballantyne Strong of Nebraska, telling the exact same story—except he gave credit to a former Vice President, Ed Nelson, at a 1961 restaurant show in Chicago.

The truth is out there!

Just remember: If it’s not breaded and pressure-fried, it’s not a jojo [source].

But non-breaded, non-spiced potato wedges, deep-fried or baked, are just as delicious.
 

RECIPE: PARMESAN POTATO WEDGES

How easy is it to make potato wedges? Just take a look.

Instead of the garlic/oregano/paprika mix below, you can blend equivalent amounts of any other seasoning (try 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped, and 2 minced garlic cloves).

Instead of the garlic salt in the recipe, remember to add regular salt and pepper.

You can add less cheese (e.g. 1 tablespoon), or no cheese. You know what you like, so have fun with it!

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

[1] Baked wedge fries with salsa (photo © Potato Goodness).

[2] Baked parmesan, black pepper and garlic potato wedges. Here’s the recipe (photo © Urban Accents).

[3] Baked parmesan and herb wedges. The recipe is below (photo © Taste Of Home)

[4] Black pepper, toasted onion and garlic potato wedges (photo © Lucero Olive Oil [closed 2019]).

[5] Crisp enough for you? Here’s the recipe, made in a T-Fal fryer (photo © Copykat).

[6] Jojo air fryer potato wedges. Here’s the recipe (photo © Project Meal Plan).

2. CUT each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges. Place in a parchment-lined pan, 15x10x1 inches. Spray the potatoes with cooking spray and sprinkle with the cheese mixture. (Note: Instead of cooking spray, we tossed the potatoes in vegetable oil before, then in the seasoning blend, before placing them in the pan.

3. BAKE until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Halfway through, flip the wedges.

[1] Almost ripe, but not quite. Stick them in the microwave! (photo © Waldemar Brandt | Unsplash).

[2] Hard avocados? The microwave awaits! (photo © Erol Ahmed | Unsplash).

[3] Turn your now-soft avocados into bacon-avocado-tomato crostini, delicious with a glass of wine or with an appetize Here’s the recipe (photo © Calvo Growers).

February 23rd is National Banana Bread Day.

To ripen bananas or any fruit more quickly, most of us know the trick:

Enclose them in a paper bag with an apple.

Apples give off ethylene gas, which hastens ripening. The fruit could be ready by the next day.

But what if you need to use the bananas now, to bake banana bread or banana cream pie, or whip up a banana pudding with Nilla Wafers?

Ditto when you need to quickly ripen avocados for guacamole or avocado toast.

The answer is: microwave them.
 
 
IMMEDIATE RESULTS RIPENING HACKS

To Ripen Bananas

 
To Ripen Avocados

 
 
MORE TIPS

 
 
KNOW YOUR FOODS

February 22nd is George Washington’s birthday, so per convention, we’re bringing out the cherries*.

There are endless recipes for cherry pies, cakes, muffins, brownies and bars, even cookies.

But our focus today is on ice cream.

Alas, we are nowhere near fresh cherry season, so here are some easy-to-serve options that don’t require waiting—or turning on the oven.
 
 
15 QUICK & EASY CHERRY TREATS

You can find cherry-flavored products, or create your own, e.g., by mixing dried cherries into oatmeal or yogurt.

 
These are only for starters. Think about what you can create with canned, dried, frozen and jarred cherries, until fresh ones arrive at the store.

[1] Make a cherry sundae with pie filling. You can also use it to top pancakes, waffles and yogurt (photo © Webstaurant Store).

[2] Premium cherry pie filling from Brownwood Farms. The company also makes cherry salsa. Get them from iGourmet (photo © iGourmet).

________________

*Washington’s biographer, Parson Mason Weems, made up the “Father, I cannot tell a lie” myth about young George chopping down the treasured cherry tree. He should have thought ahead and picked a fruit that would be available in February!

[1] Treat yourself to soda made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup (photo © Hank’s Beverage Company).

[2] A selection of Hank’s Gourmet Sodas (photo © Hank’s Beverage Company).

[3] Better sodas make better floats (photo © Shag Photo | iStock Photo).

[4] Incorporate Hank’s sodas into cocktails, like Caribbean Recipe Ginger Beer in a Moscow Mule (photo © Arch Rock Fish [now closed]).

Hank’s Gourmet Sodas were launched in 1996 in greater Philadelphia.

Initially, the line was sold primarily through bars and restaurants, as a tastier alternative to mass-market, HFCS-sweetened brands.

The quality carbonated beverages were a success, and the line grew in size and popularity.

Soda lovers—and we are related to a few of them—loved them when we shared our samples. We, too, became fans.

Made with cane sugar, the craft soda line has eight flavors (one is sugar-free), plus two fall seasonal specialties.

They’re sold in 12-ounce glass bottles:

 
The pure flavor leaps out of the glass, whether straight from the bottle, in a glass or in an ice cream soda.

As a feel-good bonus, the beverage orders are processed by SpArc Philadelphia, an organization that helps people with disabilities.
 
 
FOR YOURSELF? FOR A GIFT?

The website sells 12-packs of individual flavors, plus a variety pack.

We sent a some as Valentine gifts.

Get yours at HanksBeverages.net.
 
 
WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS)?

High-fructose corn syrup is an artificial sugar made from corn syrup. It’s a common sweetener in sodas and fruit-flavored drinks.

Excessive consumption of fructose or HFCS can lead to insulin resistance, a condition that can result in type 2 diabetes.

According to the Mayo Clinic, as the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has increased, so have levels of obesity and related health problems.

Per the CDC, as of 2018 10.5% of the US population—had diabetes. 34.1 million adults aged 18 years or older—or 13.0% of all U.S. adults—had diabetes.

More than 34 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10); approximately 95% is Type 2 diabetes.

That’s the third-highest rate in the world, after China and India [source].

Type 2 diabetes most often develops in people over age 45, but more and more children, teens and young adults are developing it.

Experts have attributed some of this to the HFCS in soft drinks, as well as other eating habits.

Here are more potential risks of HFCS.

High-fructose corn syrup is chemically similar to table sugar. Controversy exists, however, about whether the body handles high-fructose corn syrup differently than table sugar.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPED OF SWEETENERS, NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL
 
________________

*Wishniak Black Cherry is a Philadelphia thing. Other companies also make it. The flavor was originated by Frank’s Beverages, founded by Jacob Frank in 1885. Frank was a Russian immigrant who sold freshly-squeezed lemon soda on the streets of Philadelphia. When developing new flavors in the 1950s, company president Mulford Frank tried a cherry flavor and said, “This reminds me of a Wishniak.” Wishniak is a cordial made in Russia and Eastern Europe with cherries, and vodka and sugar. The name stuck (although, of course, there’s no vodka in the soda [source]).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

A yummy winter galette recipe is below. You can serve it at brunch, lunch or dinner.

But first, some words about galettes (the term in Italian is crostata).

Galette (from the Norman word gale, meaning “flat cake“) is a French term for a flat pastry, usually round—i.e., a rustic pie.

The filling can be sweet or savory.
 
 
THE FIRST GALETTES

Galettes preceded pies.

Before pie pans became available and affordable, cooks would roll out a large circle of dough, placing the filling in the center. A large border of dough remained to fold up, the folded crust creating a border that keeps the filling in place.

There was and is only a bottom crust.

While the aim was to create a round shape, galettes could be less than a perfect circle but more free-form.
 
 
TYPES OF GALETTES

Modern galettes often use puff pastry as the base; but can also be made from a yeast dough like brioche, or a sweet pastry crust.

Different regions make pastries called “galette” that are different in concept; for example:

 
And there are other variations called galette, no doubt [source].
 
 
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GALETTES PIES & TARTS

We’ve just defined a galette: a free-form single-crust flat filled pastry made without a pie pan. Here’s how it differs from a:

 
As with galettes, pies and tarts can be sweet or savory.

Here’s the difference between pies and tarts.
 

RECIPE: WINTER GALETTE WITH ARTICHOKES & MUSHROOMS

This recipe is a “winter galette” because it uses vegetables that are easily available in the cold weather months: artichoke hearts, leeks and portabello mushrooms.

With lots of vegetables, salty parmesan cheese and a flaky crust, you can serve it for brunch, as a light lunch with a salad, as a bite with wine or cocktails, or as a first course at dinner.

Thanks to DeLallo for the recipe.
 
Ingredients For 4-8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bay leaf and salt and cook gently until the onion is soft and aromatic, about 10 minutes.

2. ADD the leeks and cook, stirring, for three more minutes. Then add the pancetta, garlic, mushrooms and thyme. Cook for 5 more minutes.

3. ADD the wine and allow the mixture to simmer for 3 minutes. Then add the stock and simmer for another 3 minutes to reduce the mixture. Stir in the artichokes and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile…

4. MAKE a roux by melting the butter in a separate pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Add the roux to the artichoke mixture and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until it thickens slightly.

5. REMOVE the skillet from the heat and stir in the ricotta and parmesan. Set aside to cool slightly.

6. TAKE the puff pastry from the refrigerator. Flour your work surface and roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into a 9” circle or keep rectangular. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

7. TOP the dough with the artichoke mixture, leaving a 3-inch border around the edges. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling. Brush the crust with the beaten egg.

8. BAKE the galette for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

[1] Artichoke, portabello and leek galette. The recipe is below (photo © DeLallo).

[2] Another winter galette combines onions and apples. Here’s the recipe (photos #2 and #4 © Good Eggs).

[3] More winter galette: Here, beets and sweet potatoes. Here’s the recipe (photos #3 and #5 © Vermont Creamery).

[4] A summer galette; here, an individual-portion galette of zucchini and yellow squash.

[5] Another summer galette: heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese.

[6] Many galettes are filled with fruit (photo of cherry galette © Uliana Kopanytsia | Unsplash).

> THE HISTORY OF PIE

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PIE & PASTRY
 
________________

*We used plain canned artichoke hearts not soaked in marinade.

†For a pancetta substitute, consider Canadian bacon, prosciutto, smoked ham or smoked sausage. For a vegetarian alternative, olives or cubes of portabello mushrooms are often substituted. Since the recipe already has portabellos, you can add more of them. Also consider chickpeas and Textured Vegetable Protein.

‡You can substitute yellow onions. Yellow onions are preferred for caramelizing, which draws out their natural sweetness. White onions are slightly sweeter, a bit milder in taste than yellow onions and can be used raw with salads and sandwiches. White onions shouldn’t be confused with sweet onions such as Maui and Vidalia. While these sweet onions are also white, sweet onions have a much higher sugar content and a lower sulfur content. The sulfur content creates the pungency in onions.