Isn't Sumac Poison? Not Sumac, The Spice!

Today's Dine In 2Nite dish is Sumac Crusted Skirt Steak.  Now you might be thinking "Sumac? I've heard of that.  Isn't it poison?" Well, no.  The poisonous plant (aka poison oak) is closely related to the non-poisonous sumac, but they are not the same.  Sumac, the spice, is a berry that grows on a bush that grows wild in Mediterranean regions, and is a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine. I first encountered Sumac when I roasted lamb with the spice mix, zaatar (of which includes sumac along with oregano, sesame seeds, and thyme). With this recipe from Dine In 2Nite, I now have a reason to learn more about sumac, which provides the characteristic tangy taste to the zaatar that I love so much. According to Mediterranean cooking expert Paula Wolfert, sumac "is bitter, tangy, sweet, salt. In all very intriguing."

Sumac, a berry, has been used in the Middle East as a souring agent for centuries. However, according to Wolfert, unlike lemon juice or vinegar, which could accomplish the same thing, “sumac adds another dimension that lemon juice does not,” It also adds a lovely red ting to a dish.

Sumac is sold as dried berries and ground. Please be aware that you need to buy this from a store and must not pick the sumac growing on the roadside in places as some of those varieties are poisonous. Wolfert advises storing the berries in the freezer and the ground sumac in the fridge.

This spice is a fantastic tabletop condiment, to be sprinkled on such dishes as salads, baked chicken, hummus, boiled eggs and more to provide that extra zing. For cooking, Wolfert suggests adding some water to the berries, allowing the mixture to sit for a bit and then draining the berries. Using the sumac water will allow the spice's taste penetrate the dish (as opposed to just adding powdered sumac or sprinkling the sumac as a garnish). Sumac goes well with chicken and fish. Even though lemon or vinegar can't be substituted for it effectively, the reverse substitution -- sumac instead of lemon or vinegar -- can work wonders in kebabs, broiled chicken, fish, stews, salad dressing and more. Sumac can be used during the cooking process and then also sprinkled on top of the final dish.

Home Meal Replacement

The Home Meal Replacement (HMR) industry - of which Dine In 2NIte plays a part - was created by savvy retailers and grocers in the mid-90s to help them compete more effectively with the restaurant industry. This was in response to the fact that restaurant total annual sales had surpassed those of grocery retail. What started as an off-shoot of the deli and bakery departments has expanded to become an entirely separate entity within the grocery store. Now, in response to slowing traffic counts, restaurants are increasingly getting into the act to regain share of stomach and share of sales. And many of them are putting their own unique twists on the concept.

Livin’ Smart with Luby’s Culinary

As a recent article in Food Management magazine reports, Houston-based Luby’s Culinary services took a healthful approach when it developed and launched eight pre-packaged meal choices, selling them under the company’s Livin’ Smart wellness brand. Recipes were developed by company chefs and dietitians. The meals are made onsite, and are packaged with complete nutritional information. Each contains fewer than 600 calories and less than 30 grams of fat.

Luby’s has offered the Livin’ Smart line in two company-run noncommercial locations in Texas since November, 2009, and it has received rave reviews. The foodservice unit at Baylor College of Medicine was selling over two dozen a day, one month after the program was introduced. The entrees were so popular the company had to double production after only four days. Todd Coutee, division vice-president for Luby’s, told Food Management editors ‘Surveys show that customers wanted choices that were mobile, quick and healthful. Now, we’re finding some customers buying one at breakfast to have later as lunch, and some who buy them to take home for dinner.’

From Madison Avenue to the Mediterranean

While some foodservice operations provide all parts of the meal – entrees, appetizers, desserts – others choose to leverage their unique point of difference. Pera Mediterranean Brasserie in New York City is an upscale and Turkish-focused brasserie. It’s best known for serving Eastern Mediterranean classics such as shish kebab, lamb ribs and soujouk, a spicy Turkish sausage.

Recognizing the popularity of these specialties, the operation created the Pera Online Store. This mail-order program offers items that are prepared, flash-frozen and vacuum-packed in the kitchen of the Madison Avenue restaurant. It’s proven so popular the restaurant dedicates one line to lunch and dinner orders and a second just for preparing the mail-order meats. The selections range from Chicken Shish, Lamb Ribs, Pera’s signature Adana Kebabs and three more items priced from $6.95 to $13.95. Each package comes with tips from the culinary team for outdoor grilling and home broiling.

Bringing the Outback to You

Customers of Outback Steakhouse can ‘Live Adventurous’ without ever getting out of their car. Since 2007, the chain has been offering customers an online-ordering, curbside-delivery program that’s faster than an ostrich crossing the Great Victoria Desert. Full takeout menus are posted on the company website and offer everything from the iconic Bloomin’ Onion appetizer to a variety of entrees, sides and desserts. Consumers place their order online with the nearest Outback location and enter a desired pick-up time. When they head to the Outback, they are met curbside by waitstaff with their order.

Programs like these have proven so appealing to customers that many independent restaurants are following suit in order to compete with chains. Rosie O’Grady’s in Ferndale, Mich., started its curbside program last fall. 

It’s clear that foodservice operators have heard consumers’ cries for convenience, value, variety and flavor – and that they’ve delivered in a range of ways. But this does not mean that the retailers that pioneered the category are sitting back and letting restaurants take over the business of HMR.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

The first time I looked into Parmesan Crusted Chicken, I landed on an unfortunate mayonnaise-based recipe from Hellman's (Best to those of us living in the west). Unless you are using artisan raised heritage birds (and, really, who is these days?), most chicken is a blank palate for flavor, and crusting is certainly a great way to get flavor into every bite.  Parmesan cheese is a great option for crusting.  It creates wonderfully deep, earthy flavors, with a saltiness, and a terrific crispy textural contrast to the protein inside.

Breading (or crusting) is nothing new.  In fact, the Romans left evidence of dredging meats in breading and frying them as far back as the 1st century B.C. Marcus Gavius Apicus, the James Beard of his time, very likely had much to do with the development of this, and many similar dishes.

Feast Portland is Coming This Month

The hub of the artisan food movement and the birthplace of industry legend James Beard, Portland, Oregon, is situated in the ingredient epicenter of the world with soil, vineyards, ocean, and pastures that produce one-of-a-kind food that makes this Northwest culinary hot spot one of the country's greatest food and drink destinations. Enter Bon Appetit Presents Feast Portland—a first-of-its-kind event premiering September 20–23 that celebrates the unmatched vibrancy of the Oregon food community by showcasing local culinary talent—from chefs and winemakers to farmers and distillers—and region-defining ingredients alongside internationally recognized industry professionals and experts. Co-founded by Mike Thelin and Carrie Welch, the festival aims to spotlight everything that makes Portland awesome, capturing the current energy driving America's food revolution, all while raising significant funds to help end childhood hunger. Oregon—despite its perceived food abundance—ironically ranks among the top five hungriest states in the nation.

Innovative festival events offer ample opportunity to both indulge and learn while interacting with local, national and even international industry elite—from large-scale tasting events like the Sandwich Invitational, Oregon Bounty Marketplace, Feast Portland Night Market, and High Comfort, to intimate sit-down dinners, hands-on classes, live culinary demonstrations, thought-provoking speakers, and industry get-togethers. Vitaly Paley (Paley's Place), Naomi Pomeroy (Beast), Andy Ricker (Pok Pok), Cathy Whims (Nostrana), Adam Sappington (Country Cat), Gregory Gourdet (Departure), Jenn Louis (Lincoln), David Machado (Nel Centro), Elias Cairo (Olympic Provisions), Philippe Boulot (The Heathman), Jason French (Nedd Ludd), Stephanie Kimmel (Marche), Ben Bettinger (Imperial), and Tommy Habetz (Bunk) welcome a roster of visiting chefs such as Duff Goldman, April Bloomfield (Spotted Pig), Eddie Huang (Baohaus), Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza), Seamus Mullen (Tertulia), Brad Farmerie (PUBLIC), Chris Cosentino (Incanto), Gabrielle Hamilton (Prune), Anita Lo (Annisa), Amanda Freitag, Hedy Goldsmith (Michael's Genuine), Lee Anne Wong, Matt Lightner (Atera), Paul Kahan (Publican), Daniel Patterson (Coi), Sean Brock (Husk), and Inaki Aizpitarte (Le Chateaubriand, Paris).

Tickets can be purchased at feastportland.com and on the festival's Facebook page, with individual event tickets starting at just $30 and an "All In" Festival Weekend Pass, available for those who want to experience it all, at $650. While thousands gather to enjoy Oregon's bounty, the payoff will no doubt be meaningful as all festival proceeds benefit national childhood hunger relief organization Share Our Strength and local hunger-related charity Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon.

"With Portland and Oregon receiving worldwide culinary recognition and cementing their rightful places on the food map, a celebration embracing the region's rich history and incredible bounty seemed not only in order, but long overdue," said festival co-founders Thelin and Welch.

Thelin, whose expertise in culinary branding and business development is the focus of his Portland-based company Bolted Services, has masterminded countless food fetes across the country, including the Eater Awards, and also serves as a contributor on Cooking Channel. During Welch's ten-year career as a Food Network PR executive, the food-obsessed former New Yorker played an integral role helping to create the New York City Wine & Food Festival. She moved to Portland in 2010 and opened food-and-wine PR agency Little Green Pickle.

Sponsors and founding partners of the inaugural festival include national media partner Bon Appetit, title sponsor Travel Oregon, presenting sponsor Whole Foods Market, and regional media partners Portland Monthly and Seattle Metropolitan. Additional founding partners include Travel Portland, KitchenAid, Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Key Bank, and Nicky USA.

"The spirit of Portland and this incredible new festival align perfectly with our mission at Bon Appetit, which is why we're excited to be a founding partner of what will undoubtedly be a one-of-a-kind event with a bright future," said Adam Rapoport, editor in chief of Bon Appetit.

"To complement the festival offerings, we worked with local chefs and artisans to create Trails to Feast, a series of culinary trip ideas to inspire visitors to add a few extra days to their itineraries to see where all our great ingredients come from. Oregon is still that magical place where you can meet and experience the people and the land that produce such abundance," said Holly Macfee, Vice President of Global Brand Strategy at Travel Oregon. "Combined with the state's vast natural beauty and wide-ranging recreational activities, it's clear why Oregon is fast becoming one of the country's greatest food and drink destinations."