Culinary Fiction & Food Talk with Stacey Ballis (#26)

Culinary Fiction & Food Talk with Stacey Ballis (#26)

Sep 17, 2018 | Culture, Food, Jewish, Podcast

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Guest: Author, Stacey Ballis

I’m in conversation with author Stacey Ballis of culinary literature fame. In this episode I learn about Stacey’s most important food mentor and how she managed to publish her first novel seemingly with little effort. Who does this? And she shares a great recipe for Tomato Pudding with me. All in all a fun conversation.

Tomato PuddingTomato Pudding
Serves 8

2 cups dried bread cubes, crusts removed
1 stick melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup orange juice
1 large beefsteak tomato or 3 roma tomatoes, sliced thinly
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the dried bread cubes in a casserole dish. Pour melted butter over them; toss to combine. Combine brown sugar, tomato puree, orange juice in a saucepan. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour hot mixture over bread cubes. Layer a thin layer of tomatoes over the top, and sprinkle with salt. Bake until puffy and the corners of the bread cubes are browned, 35-40 minutes.
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Recipe from this Episode
Happy Anniversary to The Big Schmear! (#24)

Happy Anniversary to The Big Schmear! (#24)

Aug 13, 2018 | Culture, Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:10 — 18.7MB) | Embed

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Guests: Be Surprised!

August marks The Big Schmear’s 1 Year Anniversary. Why not celebrate by sharing some great moments from a year’s worth of fun episodes with all of you. Join me for a trip down memory lane…and thank you all for listening. I’ll have more to share later in the month too. It’s been a great year.

 

In a Jam? (#23)

In a Jam? (#23)

Jun 25, 2018 | Culture, Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

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Guest: Emily Paster

Emily has been such a fun guest. In this next episode she talks with me in more detail about making preserves and then she shares the story of her other food projects -the food swap and her very excellent food blog.

The photos above are from a preserving class I attended with Emily as instructor. I got so excited about making preserves after my conversation with Emily that I decided to sign up for one of her classes to find out more about preserving foods in a hands on situation. I had a great time- she’s a super teacher. I even brought home some pickled carrots that I made in class. They were a huge hit! The next step is buying a few basic supplies and then I’ll pick out a recipe -that’s the fun part- I’m really going to try my hand at making preserves.  Wish me luck!

 

 

Preserving Foods with Emily Paster Part 1 (#22)

Preserving Foods with Emily Paster Part 1 (#22)

Jun 11, 2018 | Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:50 — 15.0MB) | Embed

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Guest: Emily Paster

I can’t think of a better time to find out about preserving foods than summer when farmer’s markets are teaming with beautiful produce. Emily Paster has so much enthusiasm and passion about canning you can’t help but get caught up in her story.

She explains preserving from a Jewish food history perspective and gives us the down low on canning methods. And of course she shares a great recipe with us. I think I might even try this myself at home!

Recipe from this Episode
Part 2 with Sonat Birnecker Hart on Koval Distillery (#21)

Part 2 with Sonat Birnecker Hart on Koval Distillery (#21)

May 28, 2018 | Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:57 — 15.1MB) | Embed

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Guest: Sonat Birnecker Hart

Sonat Birnecker Hart is back! We hear about the award winning labels on Koval spirits and we even give you an audio tour of the distillery! Taking your own tour is a must do when you are in the Chicago area.

I had a super time talking with President of Koval Distillery, Sonat Birnecker Hart. I’ve known about Koval Distillery and Sonat for probably close to 8 years and I’ve had fun watching the company grow. They have an amazing story and I think you’ll enjoy learning about them as much as you will love experiencing their product first hand. Koval’s spirits are available everywhere.

Recipe from this Episode