Equine artist Thomas Allen Pauly’s painting featured on commemorative bottle. Photo courtesy Brown-Forman Corporation.

Can’t make it to the Kentucky Derby on May 7th? Treat yourself to a special bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon.

The Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, Woodford Reserve is honoring this year’s “Run for the Roses” with the release of its 2016 Kentucky Derby commemorative bottle. Woodford Reserve has been the “Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby” for 18 years.

The 2016 limited-edition bottle features artwork from award-winning equine artist Thomas Allen Pauly. His painting, “Barreling Down”—two thoroughbreds and jockeys neck and neck—is featured on the front of the Woodford Reserve bottle.

The neck band is Woodford Reserve’s signature copper color with the Kentucky Derby 142 (it’s the 142nd annual race) and Thomas Allen Pauly’s signature sealing the top of the bottle. A neck tag provides details about the product and the artist

The commemorative liter-size bottle is available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $43.99. It also makes nice gift for a race-loving parent (think the upcoming Mother’s Day andFather’s Day).

There’s more about the brand at WoodfordReserve.com.

While Mom always served great meals, a leg of lamb was a special treat. It was the star of our yearly Easter dinner, served with mint jelly and sides of spring peas and roasted potatoes.

When the folks from Aussie Lamb contacted us with the offer to try Australia-raised lamb, they didn’t have to twist arms. The lamb arrived frozen, but it didn’t stay that way for long. We defrosted a different cut overnight in the fridge, and the next day enjoyed an exceptional lamb dinner.

Australia is known worldwide as a producer and exporter of high-quality lamb with a top food safety record. The lamb is 100% free-range, feeding on grass. It is all-natural, free of artificial additives including hormone.

Naturally lean, tender and juicy with superb flavor, the lamb is aged to retain moisture and then vacuum-packed. Our “Lambathon”—three consecutive days of lamb dinners—has made us a big fan. The chops were wonderful, the rack of lamb celestial.

All of the cuts are available, from ground meat and kabobs to shank and shoulder—for special occasions to every day. The lamb is certified Halal.

And, it is half the price of fresh lamb (we checked prices at FreshDirect.com). No one could tell the difference.

Top: Elegant rack of lamb for special occasions. Bottom: Luscious lamb shank for every day. Photos courtesy Australian Lamb.

Lamb is a lean protein with low cholesterol. An average 3-ounce serving is just 175 calories. Lamb is an excellent source of protein, niacin, selenium and vitamin B12, and a good source of riboflavin.

And here’s a surprise: Lamb has three times more iron than chicken and two times m ore iron than pork and salmon. While fish contains the highest level of omega-3 fatty acids, lean lamb is close behind.

Australian Lamb is a healthy choice for any lifestyle—a naturally nutrient-rich food with high levels of zinc, Vitamin B12, iron, riboflavin and thiamin.

In our neighborhood, it is carried by the best markets, Citarella and Whole Foods among them. Here’s a store locator.

There are more recipes than you can shake a tail at, at AustralianLamb.com, along with cooking tips and a video library.

The council will also send you a free cookbook.

Could you ask for anything more?

Today is National Paella Day, one of our favorite foods. It’s a great party dish. It can feed a crowd. It can be served at the table or can sit on a buffet. It can be a special weekend dinner. Any leftovers can be microwaved for lunch at work—but it tastes just fine at room temperature.

Paella can be made on a stovetop or atop a grill. In fact, it was originally a worker’s meal, cooked in the field over a wood fire.

Here’s the history of paella, and a recipe for paella on the grill.

 
DO YOU NEED A PAELLA PAN TO MAKE PAELLA?

Paella pans—called paelleras in Spanish—were developed to meet specific criteria for cooking the dish. If you don’t have a paella pan, you can use a large skillet, of course.

Be sure that it’s a flat-bottomed conventional, nonstick skillet. If you want soccorat, the caramelized rice an the bottom of the pan which many people cherish, it won’t happen in a nonstick pan. (That said, there are nonstick paella pans for those who would rather not scrub the rice off the bottom of the pan.)

The major “pro” for the skillet is that you don’t have to buy a piece of specialized cookware.

 
In sum, the shape was developed over time to be ideal for…cooking paella!
 
OTHER USES FOR A PAELLA PAN

Beyond paella, the pan can easily substitute for skillets, griddles and baking and roasting pans.

 
If you have other kitchen uses for paella pans, we’d love to hear them!

March 26th is National Spinach Day, honoring the most iron-rich vegetable, the reason Popeye was strong to the finish. Many people name Creamed Spinach as their favorite way to enjoy the vegetable—along with a juicy steak. It’s a steakhouse staple.

To help tone down the richness a bit, some steakhouses are making their Creamed Spinach without cream. Chicken stock, flour and butter are substituted for the heavy cream or cream cheese.

Executive Chef Eddie Advilyi from Angus Club Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan is one of the steakhouse chefs turning out Creamless Creamed Spinach (we’ve also had the dish at Benjamin Steakhouse). Chef Eddie shares his recipe with us:

RECIPE: CREAMLESS CREAMED SPINACH

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
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*Chicken base is a highly concentrated stock available in powder or cube form.

 
Preparation

1. BOIL or steam the chopped spinach and drain well.

2. ADD the other ingredients. Mix until it becomes creamy, about 5 minutes.
 
 
MORE WAYS TO ENJOY SPINACH

Top: Creamless Creamed Spinach at Benjamin Steakhouse. Center: Ribeye steak with Creamless Creamed Spinach at Angus Club Steakhouse. Bottom: Fresh spinach from Good Eggs.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), is native to central and western Asia (think ancient Persia). It is a member of the botanical family Amaranthaceae, which also includes amaranth, beet, chard, lamb’s quarters (mache) and quinoa, plus numerous flowering house and garden plants.

At some point, spinach was introduced to India and subsequently to Nepal. It arrived in China around 647 C.E., where it was known as “Persian vegetable.”

It became a popular vegetable in the Arab Mediterranean, and in 827 was brought to Italy by the Saracens. It arrived in Spain by the latter part of the 12th century, and in Germany by the 13th century.

Spinach first appeared in England and France in the 14th century and quickly became popular because it could be harvested in early spring, when other vegetables were scarce.

Spinach was supposedly the favorite vegetable of Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589), wife of King Henry II of France. Dishes served on a bed of spinach are known as “Florentine” after her birthplace, Florence. Florentine dishes are sometimes served with Mornay sauce, a béchamel sauce with cheese (usually Gruyère and Parmesan).

Top: Scallion cornbread from Good Eggs. Bottom: Cream Chipped Beef On Toast from RecipeTips.com. Here’s the recipe.

That’s not a problem. We make four loaves at once and freeze three of them. If you avoid gluten, you can find a recipe that’s all cornmeal.

You don’t need a plate of barbecue or grits and eggs to enjoy its pleasures. Serve cornbread anytime:

 
Cornbread doesn’t last 48 hours in our home; but if you have cornbread that is drying out, make toast or:

 
Some cornbread recipes are so sweet, they taste like corn muffins. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if you try to avoid unnecessary added sugar, take a look at this recipe from Good Eggs. It uses only one tablespoon of sugar.

It also layers extra flavors: scallion, jalapeño, cotija cheese. The heat of the chile bits brings the already-wonderful sweet corn and butter flavors to a new height.

We also added corn kernels; the texture adds delight.

RECIPE: QUESO FRESCO & SCALLION CORNBREAD

This recipe, baked in a skillet (you can substitute a round cake pan), requires 15 minutes active time and 30 minutes baking time.
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°. Using clean hands or a rubber spatula, spread one tablespoon of ghee all over the bottom and sides of an 8-10” cast iron skillet. Fit the bottom of the skillet with a disk of parchment paper by tracing the shape of the skillet on parchment with a pencil and cutting out the circle.

2. COMBINE the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together to blend. Add the milk to the dry mixture and mix well with a fork.

3. MELT the remaining 4 tablespoons of ghee and add it to the batter. Finish by adding the eggs, 1¼ cup of crumbled cheese and most of the scallions, the optional jalapeño and corn. Mix the batter until all of the ingredients are well-combined.

4. GENTLY POUR the batter into the skillet and bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Garnish with the remaining queso fresco, lime and scallions and serve.
 
THE HISTORY OF CORNBREAD

Corn is native to Mesoamerica, and was used to make flatbread (tortillas) by the Mayas, Aztecs and other cultures. They did not have leavening and didn’t bake loaves of bread. Americans of European descent used cornmeal to make hoecakes and porridge like Indian pudding.

They also had no skillets or baking pans before contact with Europeans. The tortillas were fried on hot rocks. Berries, nuts and sunflower seeds could be added.

Top: Ghee is clarified butter: The solids have been skimmed off melted butter so the butter doesn’t burn (photo courtesy Ten Speed Press). Center: Tortillas: the original corn bread (photo courtesy Anson Mills). Bottom: Modern cornbread is often baked in baking pans and cut into squares (photo courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board).

The most basic hoecake was made with cornmeal, fat, water and a pinch of salt. It was made in a skillet without leavening resulting in dense corn pancakes. As ingredients and disposable income became more plentiful, butter, buttermilk, eggs, milk, molasses and sugar were incorporated into recipes. Wheat flour was added to lighten the taste and density of breads made only with cornmeal. [Source]

By the 1840s, chemical leavenings such as pearlash (potassium carbonate) and saleratus (potassium bicarbonate) were generally available to American cooks. In 1843, British chemist Alfred Bird invented baking powder (sodium bicarbonate). Modern commercial yeast was not available until the late 1800s, and the granulated active dry yeast we use today was invented during World War II by Fleischmann’s.

Finally, all the elements were in place to make modern cornbread. However, as a result of America’s modern taste for sugar and more sugar, most modern cornbread recipes are sweeter than those used by prior generations.
 
WHAT IS GHEE?

Ghee is similar* to clarified butter: It is butter that is melted and strained of its solids. It returns to a soft solid at room temperature.

Ghee has less moisture than butter, and for that reason is preferred in some recipes. It is also valuable when you want to pan fry in butter. By removing the milk solids, ghee has a much higher smoke point.

But if you’re making cake or cookies, you don’t want to use ghee: The buttery flavor largely comes from the milk solids, and the flavor will milder and less buttery.

Ghee is shelf stable (no refrigeration required). It lasts a good while on the shelf, and a very, very long time in the fridge. When you make it, you can make a double batch and stick the extra in the fridge. Or, give it to a friend who cooks: It will be greatly appreciated.

Here’s more about ghee.
 
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*Traditional ghee is made from butter churned from cultured milk, somewhat different from European clarified butter. A few Indian dishes call for using both ghee and sweet butter.