Hungry in Halifax

Cardamom and Saffron Mandelbrot

2011-12-11T17:59:00.001-04:00

I love the holidays! I love the occasions to gather over food with loved ones, the opportunities to reflect on the year that has passed, and to simply enjoy being together.

I also love the family recipes that get brought out around holidays and the stories that go with them. A friend and I had an early Hannukah brunch where we made Jewish classics with Indian flavors. She made curried sweet potato latkes, and I made an interpretation of matzo ball soup (recipe coming soon). The highlight though, might have been cardamom and saffron mandelbroit, adapted from another friend's family recipe. It came with instructions from Aunt Alice and my friend's mom, and this post-script: "Aunt Alice was the coolest. She was a big, fleshy, jolly, southern Jewish woman from Atlanta with a drawl and a really sassy sense of humor. I am told that at one point she owned a cat named "Damnit" so she could have the thrill of hollering "Come here, Damnit!" off her porch in the evening."

Damnit would totally come running if he smelled these coming out of the oven! They are delicious--not too sweet, not too hard, but like a cross between a very dry cake and shortbread. And very nutty too!

I adapted Aunt Alice's recipe for vegans by substituting flax meal and water for the eggs (1 tablespoon flax meal + 1/4 cup water = 1 egg). Flax meal is a wonderful substitute for eggs in recipes that use them to bind the ingredients together. It will not help your baked goods rise however! If you would prefer to use eggs, just switch out the flax meal and water with 4 eggs.

Yum! Perfect to have around the house for the holidays, or good for any day along with a cup of tea!

Cardamom and Saffron Mandelbrot

Adapted from Aunt Alice's recipe and Nehama Stampfer Glogower's instructions

Takes 2 hours

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup (plus a little extra) raw almonds

1/4 cup flax meal

1 cup warm water

1 pinch saffron

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

6 cardamom pods, powdered fine

1 cup oil (I used grapeseed, but I wish I had had almond oil)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. Toast the almonds for 15 minutes. When cool, pulverize to coarse meal in a food processor. Set aside a few tablespoons to dust the cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit, and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven.

In a large bowl, mix flax meal, water and saffron. Let congeal while you mix together the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Beat the sugar, cardamom and oil into the other wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients, and stir until combined.

With wet or oiled hands, form the dough into three 'snake-like things', and place them length-wise and evenly spaced on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes 'until it looks toasty'.

Mix the set-aside almonds and a little sugar together.

Slide the parchment paper with mandel bread off of the baking tray onto a counter. Sprinkle the tops of the snakes with the almond and sugar mixture, and cut into even pieces, about 1/2 inch.

Lie them flat on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Turn the temperature down to 300 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes to dry them out. Turn them over, and bake for 10 more minutes.

Thanks Aunt Alice! Let the holiday baking begin!

Vegan Vegan Kim Chi!

2011-11-04T17:15:00.001-03:00

It is here! The long-awaited kim chi post. It has now been fermenting in the fridge for 15 days, and it is delicious! I can't detect a difference in taste over the past week of fermentation, but we'll see how it does in the next week when kim chi recipe writers warn of its growing pungency. The only concern is that there may not be much left for the taste test!

This recipe is super easy and only requires time. The kim chi is so tasty, and we've been eating it with so many different things. I reduced the amount of sugar in David Chang's recipe, so the chili flavor is super mellow and secondary to the nosy tingle of the fermented vegetables. I cut the daikons and carrots into ribbons, and left the garlic and ginger in slices, so that they could be enjoyed for themselves in addition to adding to the over all flavor. The garlic slices are a real winner! Although the ginger is a little overpowering for me. There are many for whom I know that would be a real plus though!

It's amazing to see the pictures from when all the vegetables first went into the jar to the vegetables now! From this:

To this!:

Can't wait to hear about your experiences trying this great recipe!

Enjoy!

Kim Chi

adapted from David Chang's Momofuku recipe

Takes 1 hour active time, 2 days to 2weeks fermentation time

Makes about 1 liter kim chi (about 1 quart)

1/2 of a large head of napa cabbage, discolored or loose outer leaves discarded

2 Tbsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup of sugar (I used palm sugar, which I had left over from making the fish sauce)

1/2 cup Korean chile powder (if you don't have it, some combination of hot chile powder and paprika would work--Korean chile powder isn't that spicy. Armenian, or Kashmiri chile powder would work too)

1/4 cup fish sauce (or vish sauce)
1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 teaspoons vegetarian shrimp paste

20 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

20 thin slices of ginger (about 2 inches of ginger, peeled)

1/2 cup 1-inch pieces of scallions (about 8 scallions)

1/2 cup carrot ribbons, sliced with a peeler (about 3 small carrots)

1/2 cup daikon ribbons, sliced with a peeler (about 6 inches of a daikon)

Cut the cabbage in half, lengthwise, and then cut each hemisphere into 1-inch wide pieces. Separate the leaf-pieces and toss in a large bowl with the salt. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Combine chile powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp paste, and sugar in a large bowl. Add 1/3 cup of water to make a thick, salad dressing-esque liquid. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions, carrots and daikons.

Drain the cabbage, and add to the big bowl. Stir thoroughly.

Place it in a large jar (I used a 3 liter jar), and press the mixture down to release the juices of the cabbage. I found this slotted spoon best for the pressing.

Make sure as much of the vegetables are under the brine as possible. Cover and refrigerate.

Will keep indefinitely, but good luck keeping it beyond 2 weeks!

Kim Chi Update--Day 5

2011-11-04T16:49:00.000-03:00

Readers of my last post on vegetarian fish sauce will know that a big jar of kim chi has been brewing in my refrigerator. Today is Day 5, and we took a little out today to eat with our hot lunch--whatever's in the fridge jap chae!

I will post a recipe for this bowl of yummy sweet potato noodles as soon as I remember to write down what I did, but in the meantime, the kim chi is amazing! I will post a recipe for that soon too, but I mostly followed David Chang's recipe, veggifying it. It's so good! Not too spicy or too salty, and just starting to develop that awesome fermented flavor.

We ate it on little fried tofu squares, too.

So good!!!

Nothing Fishy

2011-10-31T13:07:00.000-03:00

I am committing myself to making more delicious Asian-inspired foods this winter. I love the care that goes into making beautiful Japanese food. I love the flavors of Korean and Vietnamese and Thai food. To get myself started, I looked for a recipe on the web for vegetarian fish sauce. There are quite a few! As far as I can tell, fish sauce serves to add salt and umami complexity to recipes. Most of the time, when I see fish sauce in a recipe, I just add extra tamari. We'll see what happens when I add my special phish sauce to Veggie Pho, and all the curries and soups I plan on making this winter.

Fysh sauce? It tastes gingery and sour and sweet and salty all at once. My first use of the fish sauce is in a big batch of vegetarian kim chi I am fermenting in the fridge. I'll let you know how it turns out in a couple of weeks!

Vegan Fish Sauce

Based on Ms. Nadja Dee Witherbee's recipe

Takes 1 hour

Makes 1 3/4 cups of sauce

2 cups wakame seaweed, broken up (I think I would use kombu next time)

3 dried shitake mushrooms

4 cups water

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 1/2 TBSP black peppercorns

1/2 cup tamari

2 tsp. lime juice

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 TBSP rice wine vinegar

3 tsp. palm sugar

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1/4 tsp. chili powder

In a large pot, bring seaweed, mushrooms, and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer again, and cook for 30 minutes.

Let cool. Strain into a clean bottle. Store in the fridge, for up to 1 month.

Your house will smell intense while this is cooking! Moste Potente!

Let me know if you have a good name to call this stinky sauce by!

Happy Diwali Pistachio Ice 'Cream'

2011-10-26T15:24:00.000-03:00

This year for Diwali, we had a few friends over for masala dosas and sambhar. Friends brought a salad and chutney and some tapioca payasam! We had an amazing gluten-free, vegan meal to accommodate everyone's issues, and no one thought for a second that anything was missing. My contribution to the desserts, because sweets are the most important part of any Diwali celebration, was a Pistachio Ice 'Cream' adapted from David Lebovitz's recipe. With real nuts and a can of coconut milk it is so rich!

Enjoy, and Happy Diwali everyone!

Pistachio Ice 'Cream'

adapted from David Lebovitz

Makes 6 servings

Takes 1 hour active time (plus cooling and ice cream churning time)

1 14 oz. can coconut milk (make sure it's good and doesn't have any additives)

5 1/2 tsp. corn starch

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup raw pistachios (shelled)

1/2 cup raw cashews

4 cardamom pods, shelled and crushed to a powder

Mix 1/4 cup of coconut milk with the corn starch to make a slurry, taking care to whisk out the lumps.

Heat rest of coconut milk and 1/4 cup of sugar on medium high heat. Just as it begins bubbling, turn down the heat to simmer, add the slurry, and mix constantly for 3 minutes. It will thicken right away. Turn off the heat, let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a thick skin from forming. When it's cool enough, put it in the refrigerator.

Bring the raw pistachios, cashews and 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat, and when cool enough, begin removing the skins from the pistachios. This is tiresome. You should be able to squeeze the pistachios and the skins should come off neatly, but some times you need to scrub with your finger tips a little for the thin skins. It's helpful to keep another bowl of water handy to wash your hands. Return the skinned pistachios to the cashews.

When you have skinned all your pistachios, place the pistachios, cashews, powdered cardamom, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process, adding the reserved nut-boiling water as necessary to make a smooth paste. Add this paste to the chilling coconut milk and stir until well-combined. Chill until you are ready to make your ice cream, or overnight.

Make ice cream according to your maker's directions. Freeze the ice cream after churning for 30 minutes or so for really nice consistency.

Enjoy!

Adventures in Home Preserving: Tomatoes

2011-09-26T12:02:00.000-03:00

We've done it! Our annual push to preserve as much as we can. We've already done roasted red peppers, cucumber pickles, and we have dilly beans to do this week!

Our big challenge is always tomatoes. We try to can at least 25 pint jars of tomatoes each year, and this will last us through the winter for pasta sauces, channa masala, and whatever else we can think to make.

Canning is always better with a friend. It is madness. It took about 4 hours on two separate occasions this year. The tomatoes are first peeled and seeded. Then, we pack them into jars and cover them with the juice recovered from the seeding. I make sure everything is as clean as it can be to ensure as many jars stay safe as possible. In three years of canning, we've never had a bad jar. This year though, some of the jars that we've been reusing broke during processing. They must have been slightly cracked or something. It's so sad to see a floating ghost jar in the water!

It can be scary to can. It's involved and time consuming, and if you don't do it right, you could have a jar of botulism. But! You can do it! With equipment you probably already have in your kitchen or could borrow from a friend. Just pay attention and take your time. It is worth it. You will have the beautiful tomatoes available now at the farmer's market, all winter long.

There are still fresh tomatoes at the market, but soon, we will be so thankful for these jars!

Whole Tomatoes in their Juice

This is the basic recipe that you will find from the USDA or from contemporary canning mavens like Eugenia Bone
Makes 6 pints (~500 ml)

Takes 3 hours

Ingredients
About 15 pounds ripe and firm roma or plum tomatoes, rinsed and clean
citric acid (available in most grocery stores or health food stores)
basil leaves, oregano, or whatever you wish

Equipment
6 pint jars, with new bands and lids
One very large pot--your jars need to be submerged in water and covered by at least an inch.
A metal tray to fit in the bottom of the pan so that the jars do not directly touch the bottom--they will break from rattling around and the heat of the bottom of the pan.
A very good pair of rubberized tongs, or a jar lifter
One large strainer
One pitcher
One smaller pot
Three large bowls
A knife
One chopstick

Fill your very large pot with water and place the tray inside. Place your jars inside, standing upright, and make sure the water comes over them. Now you know how many jars will fit in at once. Ours holds 8. Maybe you are lucky to have two very big pots and you can have two going at once. Bring the water to a boil with the lid on. This will take awhile, and the jars will be sterilized as they sit in the pot.

Fill your smaller pot, big enough to hold 6 or so of the romas comfortably, with water and bring to a boil.

Prepare one of the large bowls as an ice bath. Get the other bowl ready for peels and seeds by placing the strainer over it.

When the water in the smaller pot is boiling, add the tomatoes, six or so at a time, and cook for 30 seconds or so, just enough to loosen their skins. Remove them and place in the ice bath. Keep on doing this until you have gone through all of the tomatoes.

Remove the tomato skins, the cores and any blemishes. The tomato skins can go into the strainer, throw the cores and bad spots out! Get your fingers in the cavities and get out all of the seeds and put those into the strainer. The seeds make the tomatoes bitter, so getting as many of them as you can out is good. Place the prepared tomato in the third large bowl.

Continue doing this until all of the tomatoes are prepared. When the strainer gets heavy, press down and agitate to get out all of the juice. Pour the juice into the pitcher.

Remove the jars from the big pot, very carefully draining them, and place them on a clean towel. Place the bands in the hot water, and put the lids in a heat-safe bowl.

Place 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid in each of the pint jars. Add basil leaves or what you wish. I keep my tomatoes simple because I don't know what will happen to them.

Pack the jars with the tomatoes, pressing them down as you do so, until they reach the shoulders of the jars. Cover the tomatoes with the tomato juice. Using a chopstick, or a bread knife, poke around the tomatoes until you are sure that there are no air bubbles. Fill the jars with more juice if necessary so that there is 1/2 inch of room at the top.

Wipe down the tops of the jars with a wet paper towel so that they will make good contact with the lids. Pour a few ladle-fulls of simmering water onto the lids to soften the rubber bands. Place them on the jars, and screw the bands on finger tip tight. It is the lids that create the seal, not the bands, but the bands have to keep the lids on during the processing time.

Now, carefully, so carefully!, place the jars into your canning pot. Wait for the water to come to a boil again, now start your timer for 40 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot so that there is always at least an inch of water above the jars.

When it's time, remove the jars, very, very carefully! Place them on a towel on your counter (not a wooden surface, we have stains from our first attempts). Now the fun part, they should all pop! The most satisfying sound, letting you know that your jars have sealed, and you have tomatoes waiting for you. Let them sit untouched for 12 hours, and check the seals. They should be concave and not move when you press them down. Then store them in the dark for up to a year.

Enjoy your labors!!

Lemon rasam

2011-09-21T17:06:00.000-03:00

I can't believe I've never posted a recipe for rasam. It is one of my favorite foods, eaten every day in Tamil Nadu, where my family is from, and now I eat it at least once a week. There are many different varieties: thakkali rasam, made with tomatoes and tamarind and the most basic; garlic rasam; jeera rasam, made with cumin; milagu rasam, made with lots of black pepper; and some people even make pineapple rasam! I'm not into it, I have to say.

My favorite is lemon rasam, made with limes, but in my family always called lemon. In India the lemons are small and yellow, kind of like key limes, but in America, we buy limes for rasam. This rasam is very light, but when well made, it has a perfect balance of salty, sour and spicy.

Now I remember why I have never written a recipe for rasam: no matter how determined I am in the beginning of cooking to keep track of what I am doing, I always forget in the final stages when I add a little more salt, and then a little more sambhar powder. This recipe is a guideline, but you will have to trust your tastebuds to get the flavor just right. Good luck! It's worth it.

Lemon Rasam

Makes 2/3 servings

Takes busy 30 minutes

1/2 cup toor dal

2 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths

4 1/2 cups water

2 dashes asafetida

1 1/2 teaspoons sambhar powder

2 teaspoons salt

12 curry leaves (one sprig)

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

big handful cilantro, washed and chopped

1 lime, halved

On high heat, bring toor dal and 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook until lentils are done, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pot, bring to a boil tomatoes, water, asafetida, sambhar powder, salt, and curry leaves. When it boils, turn it down a little, and let boil until it has reduced a bit and the tomatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes. You will have to taste it: it should taste both spicy and salty, but not too much of either. You might need to put in more sambhar powder, then it might need more salt. When it tastes balanced to you--the right amount of salty and the right amount of spicy but not too much of either--then it's done.

In a little pan, heat oil on high. When the oil is hot, put the mustard seeds in the pan, and when they pop, take off heat and pour into rasam.

When the lentils are cooked, drain if necessary, and pour into rasam. Squeeze one lime half into the rasam. Taste. Maybe it will need more lime, squeeze another half in. Taste it again. Good?

Then you are done! Top with cilantro. Rasam is good on its own, or you can eat it with rice and vegetable curries. My favorite combos are lemon rasam and Green Beans Parappusili, or Spinach and carrot salad!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's been a busy summer! More soon.

Sorta Vegan Fat Rascals for Yorkshire Lass Kate

2011-04-28T11:30:00.004-03:00

Maybe you have heard that Prince William is marrying Catherine Middleton, a woman whose family includes a Yorkshire miner! This labouring ancestor has led many to anoint Kate a commoner, and just like the millions of working Britons (and Canadians and Australians and Jamaicans) who will one day be her subjects. I learned from the very good Channel 4 documentary, Meet the Middletons now showing on Bravo and E!, that her ancestors also include Leeds solicitors and mill owners. The show highlights her social-climbing grandmother on one side, and on the other side, the deaths of her three great-great uncles in the Great War, which allowed for the establishment of a trust for their sister's family (we don't need to go into sexist inheritance laws that wouldn't allow this sister to come into the family money (or go into the family business) in her own right). This trust allowed for the education of Catherine's father's family, and helped pay for her expensive private schooling.

OK OK, I digress, this is a blog about food after all. It kind of makes me uncomfortable all the discussion of her blood and the royal line! Very Harry Potter. One thing is clear: the lady had a lot of ancestors in Yorkshire. On my trip to England last month, I went to York and visited the famous and very popular Betty's Tea room.

That was the line to have tea in the tea rooms! Their most famous baked good is a fat rascal, a yummy, fruity scone, topped with a rascal-y grin.

Here's a sorta vegan recipe in case you are waking up early to watch the big event, or, are just looking for something to eat with tea!

Be careful! These little scones inspired rascalry!

Fat Rascals

Inspired by Betty's and adapted from the Elmwood Inn's recipe

Makes 6 scones

Takes 1 hour

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
4 ounces vegan margarine
1/3 cup granulated sugar
zest of one orange

zest of one lemon
1/3 cup currants
1/4 cup milk, plus more for glazing

6 maraschino cherries, halved
18 blanched almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Line baking tray with parchment.

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. With your fingers, work in the margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in sugar, zests and currants. Add the milk and bring the dough together.

Divide dough evenly into 6 balls, and place on baking sheet. Flatten, and make the rascal faces with 2 maraschino cherry halves for eyes and 3 almonds for teeth. Glaze the rascals generously with milk. This is what makes them brown nicely.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.They are even better the next day--if you can wait!

The Last of the Winter Cabbage

2011-04-26T10:53:00.004-03:00

Readers in the northern hemisphere, maybe you too have been struggling all winter to cook the cabbage that comes in your CSA boxes, that is the only local vegetable in the market, that is cheap and fresh-looking in a sea of expensive and sad vegetables. I have been experimenting with cabbage recipes all winter, and have to say, have not been excited with the results. There was cabbage in Japanese-inspired soups, a failed attempt to make sauerkraut, and all varieties of curries! At last though, an unqualified cabbage success! Here is a great cabbage and lentil curry that is so yummy and satisfying with rice, with some of Manjula's parathas, or even, thinned out as soup. Now that other vegetables have returned to the northern hemisphere, the recipe is, perhaps, a season too late. Because cabbage is cheap and available, it has a reputation as a vegetable of last resort, but, undeserved! You could save this recipe for next winter, or better yet, even though there are other, more exciting vegetables in the market, choose reliable, delicious cabbage.

Cabbage Curry with Lentils

Inspired by Plantain Leaf's Andhra Cabbage and Channa Dal Curry

Makes 6 servings

Takes 1 hour

1 1/2 cup channa dal

salt

turmeric powder

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

asofetida

10–12 curry leaves (from one sprig)

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

1 green chili, sliced lengthwise

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 a giant head of cabbage, washed and chopped (easily 2 pounds or about 6 big handfuls)

red chili powder

garam masala or sambhar powder

Soak the channa dal in water for about 30 minutes.

In a sauce pan, bring channa dal, some salt (1 teaspoon for now), and some turmeric (1 teaspoon) and a lot of water to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until channa dal has softened (they will still retain their shape and be a little tough in the middle. this is ok).

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan or a stock pot, heat some vegetable or canola oil (to cover the bottom of the pan) on high heat. When it's hot, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, throw in the cumin seeds. When those begin browning, add a couple of shakes of asofetida and the curry leaves. Let saute for just a minute and then add the onion, garlic and ginger. Saute until soft and let sit for a bit so that the bottom begins to brown, it makes it better!

Add green chili and tomatoes, some turmeric and chilli powder to taste, and saute, until the tomatoes break down, making sure to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.

Add the cabbage, some salt, and one cup of water, carefully stirring the cabbage into the masala. When it is all combined, lower heat, cover, and let simmer until the cabbage is softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep checking and turning the cabbage to make sure it cooks evenly.

Check on the chana dal. Once it is ready, add the dal, and as much of the dal water as necessary to the cabbage to make a saucy curry. Add more dal water if you would like to eat as soup, a little less if you are eating it with rice or parathas.

Stir it all together, check for salt and spice. When you are happy, sprinkle with garam masala or sambhar powder, whichever you prefer (I used sambhar powder). Top with cilantro if you have it. Enjoy!

I Didn't Go Shopping: Springtime in England

2011-03-31T20:39:00.005-03:00

Readers--it's spring! I've left snow in North American Halifax to discover that things are alive and blooming in the other Halifax.

I'm back in the United Kingdom, in Yorkshire this time. I came to England's Curry Capital, Bradford to research the south Asian immigrants who have been living here for over fifty years. They came to work in the wool mills that defined Bradford since the nineteenth century. The mills closed down in the early 1980s, and they remain empty today.

More recently Bradford achieved infamy when some people burned copies of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, setting off a big debate about multi-culturalism and what that means, that continues today.

The city is not the most cheerful place, but there's a lot going on, and so much new construction. People live here, and they are making the best of it. You know how I love my little markets, and I've found several here in Bradford. I didn't buy anything, but I looked!

Little puris

so much supari

so many chilis!

syrups for serbeth

Unfortunately, I'm not here long enough to do a lot of cooking. As much as I thought the South Asian food scene was going to be the most interesting thing to discover on this trip to England, I've been more taken with another food to do.

I've discovered plans for the royal wedding. You may have read that Kate chose a traditional fruitcake with 'Joseph Lambeth technique' icing. I didn't know people did fruitcake for weddings, it sounds delicious to me. And apparently they are going for 'traditional and elegant' with that Joseph Lambeth technique icing. I wonder if it will be all white.

While the happy couple and their 1,900 guests are eating cake, you can help yourself to some pie. I saw these at the grocery store the other day.

Nothin' says lovin' like "a dash of brandy in lovely pastry."

Dandy! To wash down your pie, Schweppes encourages you to celebrate the perfect couple, Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton, with what else, a Pimm's Cup.

I asked the people I am staying with and their friends if they were paying attention to the wedding. At first they said no, but then they slowly started bringing out one by one all the details they knew about the couple. The fashion show at St. Andrews, Kate's pictures of William in her childhood bedroom, Diana's engagement ring. I asked why weren't they against the monarchy. A young man said the royal family brought in way more money for the country than they cost. At first silence to a pragmatic answer, and then a young lady said, 'but it's nice!' and there was suddenly a chorus of 'yeah, it's nice!' in the room.

Many people have said that the wedding is something for everyone to be cheerful about, a moment of renewal that will bring the whole country together. Springtime for Britain and the Monarchy. And while we might not be invited to the 'traditional and elegant' wedding, at least they're letting us drink Pimm's.

Unless you keep halal of course, like many of the South Asians in Bradford. In that case, no beef and bacon pie, and no alcoholic Pimm's cups. Perhaps multi-culturalism has failed, but now, if being part of the 'whole country' means celebrating 'tradition and elegance' I'm not sure that's so nice.

Mushroom Pot Pie

2011-02-16T17:13:00.007-04:00

Last week on Top Chef Masters, my favorite, Carla 'Hootie-Hoo' Hall won with a chicken pot pie she made for Jimmy Fallon's birthday. It looked so good, filled with Carla love, and the judges enjoyed it so much, I knew I had to make a veggie version for Sunday night.

In this recipe, the components are cooked separately and then assembled on individual plates rather than baked together as a pie. It's complicated, but friends, it is so worth it. You have complete control over all of the ingredients, so the veggies are perfectly cooked, the gravy is savory goodness itself, and the crust, is flaky and golden.

Unlike many Top Chefs, Carla does a really detailed job writing her recipes up! One day, I am going to make the pea salt everyone loved so much! Also stay-tuned, there will probably be an easier all-in-one dish version coming soon! Meanwhile, for beautiful, delicious, individual 'pot' pies...

Mushroom Pot Pie

Adapted from Carla Hall's Chicken Pot Pie recipe

Makes 6 servings

Takes 2 hours

6 inch square piece of kombu*
2 dried shitake mushrooms
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
8 parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1 pound cremini mushrooms
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 oz. peas (frozen or fresh)

For Crust:
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 pound vegan shortening

For the gravy:
1 stick (1/4 cup) vegan shortening
1/2 cup flour
leaves from 8 parsley stems

In a quart of water, soak kombu and dried mushrooms for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

Roughly chop the soaked mushrooms.

In a large pot, saute half the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, all of the parsley stems, the soaked mushrooms, and the bay leaf. Once the onions have become translucent, add the kombu liquid (including the kombu), and an additional quart of water. Just before it comes to a boil, remove the kelp pieces. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for at least an hour on a back burner while you take care of everything else.

Mix the water, salt and sugar and refrigerate. Cut the shortening into the flour until it is like course meal. Pour in the water and form into a dough ball, adding more flour, if necessary, to make a solid ball that doesn't stick to your hands. Divide into 6 balls, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, on medium high heat, saute the shallots, garlic and mushrooms until they are all coated with oil and evenly distributed throughout the pan. Then, leave them alone so that they begin to brown. Stir once every 2 or 4 minutes until the mushrooms release their juices, Saute for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl.

In the same skillet, adding more oil if necessary, saute the remaining onions and celery. When they've become translucent, add the remaining carrots and thyme, and saute a little longer, don't let the vegetables brown. Add a few ladles of the simmering broth, and simmer the vegetables until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Just before they are done, add the frozen peas, cooking for just a few minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out the dough on a floured board into 6 6-inch circles. Lay them out onto greased parchment paper molded around a ball of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Top with a little dough ball to give the appearance of a domed cover for the goodness underneath. Lay the scraps of dough on another baking sheet. Glaze the crusts with milk, soy milk or just water. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, changing their position in the oven half-way through.

While the crusts are baking, in large skillet, heat remaining shortening until melted, then add 1/2 cup of flour, stirring until the flour no longer smells like flour, but kind of toasty. Strain the stock and add to the flour and shortening, whisking continuously until there are no lumps and it thickens up. Add the vegetables and stir. Keep warm until your crusts are ready.

To serve, divide the crust scraps between 6 plates, pour the veggies and gravy over and top with the crust. Yum!

We went traditional London-style and ate our pies with mash!

Best Sunday night TV dinner ever!

*Kombu is used to make dashi, Japanese stock for soup. The seaweed adds umami, but doesn't really have a flavor. You can find it in Asian grocery stores and also in many health food stores. Before soaking, rinse it in water to remove the white residue.

cardamom pear loaf

2011-02-03T13:12:00.006-04:00

Hello readers,

Perhaps like me, you've survived the great snowpocalypse that attacked much of North America (yes North America, dear States-side readers. When you see weather systems disappearing beyond the borders of the US on TV, they come here to Canada). I can't bear the idea of leaving the house, the slushy streets, icy sidewalks, and the mountains of snow to be conquered on every street corner! All I want is cup upon cup of tea, and a little cake to go with it!

Inspired by a recent recipe on Gourmet Live, I devised a (vegan) cardamom pear loaf. The original recipe is for a molasses cake, and I was intrigued by the method, which required adding boiling water and then freezing the dough to supposedly evenly bake the bread. It produced a delicious cake, so moist and fluffy, and with only one egg! that I thought it a fine recipe for vegan tweaking.

This bread is so good - it makes two loaves, one for now, one for later, and fills the house with the yummiest scent of cardamom and vanilla baking.

Vegan Cardamom Pear Loaf

Makes 2 loaves

Takes 1 hour (plus freezing time)

1 cup honey

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons canola oil

2 inches of the black innards of a vanilla pod (or 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract)

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (5-6 pods)

2 cups flour

1 cup semolina*

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 pears sliced up into little bits

1/2 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

1.5 cups boiling water

Toast the pistachios in a toaster oven or the big oven on 250 for 8–10 minutes. Careful they don't burn! When they've cooled, coarsely chop them. If baking bread right away, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the honey (you may want to melt the honey in the microwave or on the stove). When dissolved, add oil, vanilla and cardamom, and stir vigorously until it's well-combined. Add the flour, semolina, baking soda and salt, and stir until the dough resembles course, sandy meal. Mix in the pears and crushed pistachios.

Add the boiling water and stir, the dough will be runny like pancake batter.

At this point you have two options, to freeze the dough or to not the freeze the dough. I find that there is no difference between freezing and not freezing the dough in the finished bread.

The loaf on the left was baked yesterday with immediately mixed batter, and the loaf on the right was baked today, from batter that was frozen overnight. It has a slightly larger crumb, but other than the differences from my pouring a bit more batter into the pan, tastes the same and has (basically) the same texture.

Oh well. Since this recipe makes enough for 2 loaves, you get a later loaf for when you've eaten all of the first one!

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes (a bit more if you have a frozen loaf) until a fork comes out cleanly. Let cool in the pan, and then turn out and enjoy!

*Semolina is also known as rava or cream of wheat. It gives the bread an extra little crunch. If you don't want to use it, you can use another 1.5 cups of flour (3.5 cups flour total).

TGiPho!

2011-01-28T12:23:00.015-04:00

Readers, I don't know why I haven't made Pho before. I love the fragrant soup, the drama of adding toppings to your bowls, fixing the spiciness with green chilies and siracha sauce. It's hard to find vegetarian pho, at many Vietnamese restaurants, their vegetarian option is a version of Tom Yum, spicy and sour and delicious, but I end up jealous of my meat-eating friends and their bowls that smell of cinnamon and ginger and star anise.

In the Bay Area you can find several vegetarian vietnamese restaurants, and my favorite is Tofoo Com Chay in San Jose. I think the owners of these restaurants are followers of Supreme Master Ching Hai and her message of veganism and climate responsibility. Supreme Master fliers are on hand in the restaurant--I particularly like the messages from the animals.

This recipe makes enough broth for 8 servings of pho. Or you could do what I did, have some that night, and save the broth in the freezer for 6 more bowls of pho!

It's a very simple broth that can be adapted in your bowls. Top it as you like, with more or less chilies and vegetables and herbs. We can't find many of the garnishes provided in California pho shops like Thai Basil or culantro, so we just use cilantro and mint. The first night I made the pho, we had tofu, the second we used my victory seitan. We found some pea sprouts at the local grocery, and that was really good. Anything goes!

An added bonus: our house smelled amazing while the broth was simmering!

Vegetarian Pho

Makes 8 servings

Takes 1 (busy) hour

For Broth

2 medium onions

1 4-inch piece of ginger

1 cinnamon stick

5-6 stars of anise

6 cloves

For Bowls

Steamed cabbage

Noodles

Bean sprouts

Pea sprouts

Sliced shallots

Sliced green onions

Tofu

Seitan

Cilantro

Mint

Green Chilis

Lime

In the broiler or on the stove, char the onions and garlic until the skins are mostly blackened. Let cool.

In a large pot, on medium heat, toast the cinnamon, star anise and cloves until they are very toasty and fragrant (do not burn!). Add 10 cups of water, and bring to a boil on medium high heat.

Meanwhile, your ginger and onions should be cool. Peel the onions and ginger, and then rinse them under water to remove all the charred bits. Chop coarsely and add to the pot. When the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

While that is happening you can prep your ingredients for the bowls. For the noodles, place the dry noodles in a large heat-proof bowl and cover with bowling water. Cover the bowl and let steep for 20 minutes. This should be enough to cook the noodles, but gently simmer them for 5 to 10 minutes more if they are not cooked.

I like to cut my tofu into blocks and saute them on medium heat until golden on all sides. I then cut them into little rectangles.

Thinly slice shallots and green onions, green chilies. You can't see it in any of the pictures, but I gently steamed some cabbage for our pho as well.

By this time your broth should be ready. Uncover the pot and take in the amazing smell. Drain, very carefully, it's a big pot of hot liquid! Return the broth to very low heat and add 1 Tablespoon of salt. Keep it warm, assemble your bowls.

Check the saltiness of the broth and add as much more salt as you like. You can later add soy sauce or hoisin sauce to the individual bowls. Pour into the bowls and enjoy!

Thanks ladies!

Seitan is mine

2011-01-25T17:33:00.001-04:00

Friends! I did it, I made seitan, and it was delicious! You may remember the Thanksgiving wheat meat disaster, in which I produced an inedible, squeaky, bland loaf. I was dispirited, but I persevered, thanks especially to my good friend and seitan cheerleader, Abby. She had sent me a recipe a while back, and she is such an advocate for thoughtful, impromptu cooking, that I just gave it a go with what I had. The resulting seitan, was very tasty, with mushroom stock flavor and an aromatic whiff of clove. I was apprehensive about the texture, but it was perfect, soft but with a good heft and density. Even Paddy liked it!

After making it, I sauteed it to crisp it up, and put it into a veggie pho (the recipe for which I'll post later this week).

You can see it poking out from under the cilantro and mint. So good! The following day, I sauteed some sliced seitan with leftover brussels sprouts and rice. Delicious! I used it the day after that on pizza. I sliced the seitan into strips and sauteed them with fennel seeds and a pinch of smoked paprika to make 'pepperoni'. Yum.

Have fun experimenting with different flavors and uses for the seitan. I know I will!

Seitan

Adapted from Abby Glogower's Recipe

Makes 2 generous servings (or enough for 1 person for 3 meals)

Takes 1 hour

1 mushroom bullion cube (I used Harvest Sun--if you have any stock, use that)

2 cups of water

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

dash of ground cloves

dash of pepper

1/2 cup Vital Wheat Gluten

a pinch of paprika and a pinch of pepper

1/8 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

In a shallow, wide pot (large saute pan works), bring the bullion, water, onion, garlic, pepper and clove to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine vital wheat gluten with the spices. Add in the soy sauce and water, and combine with your hands until a dough forms. It will be very wet, and a bit elastic, and will glom together. Pull off eight evenly sized bits (you can divide dough in half, and each half into half, etc, to make sure the pieces are evenly sized), and flatten into patties. Add to the simmering broth, spreading them out in the pan to give them room to grow, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn the pieces over every 5–10 minutes to make sure both sides cook evenly.

Let me know what you use it for!

Pepper Stew with Corn Dumplings

2011-01-18T14:51:00.003-04:00

As promised, Pepper Stew with Corn Dumplings. This recipe is based on a version my good friend Balázs made when he visited me in Berkeley a few years ago. He and his brother were on an American tour, and they called home to their mother in Budapest to make sure they were making the lecsó properly. It's a famous dish, and the Pixar film Ratatouille was called L'ecsó in Hungarian, the homey pepper stew substituting for the eggplant one that touches the grouchy critic's heart and inspires him to proclaim, "Anyone can cook!"

Balázs and Korecs took such care, peeling their peppers, and slowly cooking the tomatoes and onions. It was the height of summer, and everything was so fresh and delicious. This is a quicker version, vegetarian, which is not very authentic, and using canned tomatoes, but delicious all the same. We usually eat this over brown rice, and sometimes with a dollop of yogurt. The other night I had the brilliant idea to make dumplings for the stew, it was genius, I have to say.

Pepper Stew with Corn Dumplings
Makes 4 servings
Takes 1 hour

1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3–6 peppers, Hungarian peppers ideally, but red peppers otherwise (not green--they go to mush! Also, if you are using Hungarian peppers, be sure to remove the stems and seeds, they can be hot)

1 500 ml (16 oz or so) canned tomatoes

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons vegan margarine (or olive oil, or butter!)
1/2 cup ice cold water

In a pot, saute the onions and garlic on medium heat. When they've softened, add the paprikas and saute until fragrant. Add the peppers, and continue to saute until they've softened as well. Add the canned tomatoes, salt, some black pepper, and turn down the heat to a simmer.

Combine flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the margarine with your fingertips until the dough resemble course meal. Add the water and combine to form a dough. It will be heavy. Divide into seven balls. Drop them carefully into the stew. Cover and simmer very gently for 20 minutes. Check on the dumplings--they are done when you put a knife in them and they are cooked through.

The dumplings are like little pieces of cornbread that have already been dunked and soaked up all the juices!

Holiday Update (with recipe!)

2011-01-12T13:30:00.002-04:00

Happy New Year! I think there's going to be a lot of good cooking this year, but first, some reflections on holiday baking.

My childhood friend Jessica's grandmother makes the absolute best Christmas Cookies in the whole-wide world, and following her recipe, I went a little crazy churning out dozens of Christmas trees, reindeer and little bells. I used all the tricks, using only really cold dough, rolling out with powdered sugar, refrigerating again before going into the oven. They came out beautifully! They were so good with just a really simple milk and sugar glaze.

Perfect for a little snacking while opening presents, watching Harry Potter in pajamas, you know, the usual holiday activities.

I also went upscale with a champagne cocktail made with the elderberry cordial I made this summer. So delicious (and classy!) with light, airy gougères!

Gougères are savory puffs, usually made with a hard cheese added to the dough. I made them twice according to Dorie Greenspan's directions. I followed the recipe exactly, except without the cheese. On the second attempt, I forgot to turn down the oven, and baked them at 425 degrees for 24 minutes (turning the baking sheets half way through). They turned out airier and crisper than the first attempt.

There was so much eating and cooking with friends and family! I'll post just one more dish and include the recipe. I made a vegan apple cake modeled on a delicious Italian apple tart that we had recently. I looked into several recipes, but ultimately threw together my own. It was so good! And made the lactose-intolerant quite happy while the rest of us enjoyed a ridiculously indulgent trifle (or both!).

Apple Cake

Makes 10 servings

Takes 2 hours

3 medium apples
1 lemon, juiced
1 stick vegan shortening (or nut oil)

2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grand marnier (I think bourbon would also be pretty good, or juice works too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coarsely crushed walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Peel, core and slice the apples, toss with lemon juice.

Melt 6 tablespoons of shortening in a large pyrex measuring cup. Use the remaining two tablespooons to butter a 9 inch cake pan or springform pan. What's left of that, put into a skillet to fry the apples.

On medium heat, saute the apples until they are golden and cooked, about ten minutes. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

To the melted shortening, add alcohol, honey, and vanilla. Stir until honey is melted and everything is well combined.

Pour the wet and the walnuts into the dry and mix until combined. Pour into the greased pan. Arrange the apples in a pretty pattern on top.

Bake for 1 to 1.5 hours. Cake will be done when cake tester comes out mostly clean. It will be dense and a little chewy!

This cake tasted even better the next day and was great with a cup of tea. I hope you enjoy it this winter.

Stay tuned! Vegetarian Pho, homemade pasta, pepper stew with dumplings, orange bitters, ginger cake and more to come!

Happy New Year!

Green Beans Paruppu usili

2010-12-08T15:16:00.000-04:00

This recipe is especially for my friend Adrianne. This past summer, I had the great pleasure of swapping banana flower recipes with her and another friend. In South India it is common to eat banana flowers sauteed with paruppu usili, steamed lentil cakes, broken up into small pieces. She will have to give us the recipe for her banana flowers in coconut milk from the Philippines (and also for mango salad, please!), but here is a recipe for paruppu usili, which she specially requested.

In the kitchens of my family, paruppu usili is added to vegetables when the main soupy dish of the day doesn't have lentils in it. We usually eat Rasam or Sambhar, which are made with lentils, but when we have Mor Kuzhambu or Milagu Rasam or Vatha Kuzhambu, none of which have lentils in them, we put the lentils into the vegetables! Vegetarian meal planning!

When the professor brought home some pretty green beans from the grocery store the other night, I knew it was finally time to write up the recipe for Adrianne. Sorry it took me so long!

Green Beans Paruppu usili

Makes 6 servings

Takes 45 minutes

1 cup toor dal

3 dried red chilis

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 dash asofetida

fresh or dried curry leaves, if available

1 pound green beans, ends cut off, and chopped into tiny slices

1/4 tsp. turmeric

Soak the toor dal for 1 hour. Drain but reserve the water. In a blender or food processor, grind the lentils, chilis and salt to a chunky paste, adding water as necessary.

Make little patties from the lentil paste and steam in a steamer set over boiling water. I don't have one, so I used a strainer, making sure the water was below the basket.

Steam for 15 minutes, or until the paruppu usili is firm and not sticky when you touch it. Set it aside to cool, and when you can handle it, break it up into smaller pieces.

Heat vegetable or canola oil in a saute pan on medium high heat. When it's hot, add the broken up paruppu usili, sauteing until the pieces are further broken up and nicely browned. Set the parruppusili aside, and return the saute pan to the heat.

Add more oil, and when it's hot, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the asofetida and the curry leaves. Stir around quickly, for just a few seconds, and then add the green beans, turmeric, and salt to taste. Saute until well combined, add about 1/4 cup of water, put a lid on it, and let cook for about 10 minutes. Check on it, because if you've cut the beans small, they will cook very quickly. When they are just about done, add the paruppu usili back to the pan, and stir it all around, cooking a few minutes more.

We ate the Green Beans Paruppu usili with carrot salad and some Milagu Rasam. So good! I can't believe there are no rasam recipes on my blog--on their way!

Thanksgiving Update (with Recipes!)

2010-12-07T15:16:00.006-04:00

Dear Readers,

I'm sorry. I am a bad blogger. Your memories of Thanksgiving are packed away, and I am about to tell you how my meal went. Bear with me. There will be so much holiday baking in the next few weeks, all will be forgiven. That is my hope.

First, what went wrong. I tried to make a seitan turkey. I read so many blogs, and thought I would do bee-yew-ti-full-y, but no, I was left with a dense rubbery mass of wheat meat.

The before:

And the during.

I'll leave the after to your imagination. I don't know what wrong! I kneaded, I made dashi, I simmered. Oh well. I will not be deterred, and I will make delicious seitan one day!

For the almost perfect, I present a gluten-free, vegan pumpkin coconut pie with a pecan crust. It's actually quite hard to find a recipe that is both gluten-free and vegan. At our thanksgiving, we had someone with a gluten allergy and someone who is allergic to both dairy and eggs. I knew it was going to be tough, but I felt sure that I could make a pie that was vegan and gluten-free and delicious. And it was! Too bad the filling never quite set. Rather than messing with various starch flours to make a pastry crust, I made a delicious nut crust. The filling was classic Libby's with some vegan experimenting.

Recipe at the end of the post.

Now for what went right...This fig crostata.

It was conventional baking perfection! Buttery crust, rich filling, and the consistency was perfect. I've never made a lattice crust before, and I was a little nervous, but it comes out so prettily that I've nearly forgotten the tense moments of broken pastry! I've had my eye on this recipe since last year's Gourmet Thanksgiving issue. And I might make it again for Christmas, it has a dark, fruity, filling like mincemeat. I did need to bake it longer than the 30 minutes in the recipe. More like 45 minutes for the crust to get golden and the filling to set.

It was a wonderful meal with good friends and good food!

Here's the recipe for the pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Coconut Custard Pie

Makes 12 servings

Takes 2 hours

2 cups crushed pecans
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vegan margarine (or almond oil)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 Tbsp. cornstarch, sifted
15 oz. Pumpkin Puree (Not pie filling)
1 can (15 oz.) light coconut milk

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.

If you are using margarine, soften by placing it in your pie pan and heating it in the oven while it comes to temperature. Remove before it gets too hot.

Toss the nuts with the brown sugar and then thoroughly mix with margarine in the pan. Use your fingers to press the nuts into a firm and even layer all around the bottom and sides of pan. Bake for 25 minutes. (Keep an eye on it because the pecans will burn if your oven is too hot of you leave it in for too long!).

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, add all filling ingredients. Stir until combined. When it begins to steam, turn heat down to low, and stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken (Watch out! The pumpkin will bubble and can burn you and make a mess of your kitchen if you leave it be!).

At this point, I am not sure how long you should stir for, or if you should add more corn starch. I felt my filling had thickened, and poured it into the cooled pie crust. But! It never fully set.

We ate it cold and it was so delicious! Like yummy pumpkin pudding with a pecan praline crumble.

If you try this pie, please let me know how it goes!

I Went Shopping: Thanksgiving at the Halifax Farmers' Market

2010-11-20T17:55:00.010-04:00

It's been nearly a month since I last posted! Don't know how the time has gone by. Sorry dear readers. Now it is nearly Thanksgiving in America, and there will be so much cooking and picture-taking this week that I hope it makes up for my bad behavior.

Today we went to the Halifax Farmers Market and stocked up for Thanksgiving.

From Elmridge Farms, we bought

Fingerling Potatoes

Multi-colored carrots

A butternut squash

A buttercup squash

Parsley

Parsnips

Yellow Onions

Sweet Potatoes

Celery

We found Brussels Sprouts at the Elmridge Farm Stand, but we are not sure where they came from.

Selwood Green Farm

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yellow Onions

Carrots

Pasture Hill Farm

Leeks

Turkey

Sunchokes

Satisfaction Feast

Samosa

Boulangerie La Vendeene

Square White Loaf

Froment

The mushrooms, hot peppers, green and yellow peppers came from a stand whose name I can't remember.

I am definitely going to be making Gourmet's Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, which came out so beautifully last year. I think I will bake a vegan pumpkin pie with coconut milk, and a conventional pecan pie. And, what I am really looking forward to, I am going to make my own seitan Turkey!

Stay Tuned!

And Happy Holiday Planning!

Pav Bhaji--the Indian sloppy joe!

2010-10-27T12:17:00.004-03:00

Pav bhaji is a famous Mumbai street food that has become popular all over India and the world. Mumbaikars have many opinions on the best places to eat pav bhaji in the city, and the best way to make it at home. Pav means bread, and bhaji means curry, and I tell my non-Indian friends that pav bhaji is the Indian sloppy joe!

There are many amazing Indian home cooks with blogs, and this recipe is my mash up of several recipes. Check out One Hot Stove, Annaprashana, and of course, Manjula!

We eat this fairly regularly because it is simple and one of Paddy's favorite meals, and we've made it for friends and family all over the continent because the only ingredient you need to get from an Indian grocery store is the masala. We have been known to travel with our own supply of Pav Bhaji Masala (just in case).

Pav Bhaji

Takes 1 hour

Makes enough for 6 people

3 medium potatoes, chopped into 2 inch pieces

1/2 a large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

2 small carrots, diced

1 green pepper (or other varieties of sweet pepper), chopped

1 Tbsp. pav bhaji masala (I have heard Everest is the best brand, I also have used Shan brand and MDH)
1 green chile

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup peas, frozen works great

6+ buns, I like to get the small ones that are stuck together

1 onion, diced

2 limes, quartered
1 green chile, minced (if you like it hot!)

bunch of cilantro, chopped

Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a large pot of salted, cold water, bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, saute the garlic and ginger on medium high heat. When they began to brown, add the carrots and peppers. When they began to brown, add the pav bhaji masala and saute for a minute or so, until it gets really fragrant. Add the tomatoes and green chile, and cook until it gets very thick.

Eventually the oil will come to the surface, this will take about 10 minutes.

While this is happening, keep checking on the potatoes and cauliflower. They are done when you stick a knife in a potato and a cauliflower and they slide right off. Drain, reserving about 2 cups of the water.

Add the drained potatoes and cauliflower to the tomato pot. Stir and mash adding water as necessary. Check for spice and add salt and more masala as necessary. Turn the heat down very low, put the lid on, and let the flavors blend together for 15 to 20 minutes. If you are not going to eat the Pav Bhajis until later in the day, turn the heat off and let the covered Bhaji sit until you are ready to eat--then just reheat. Add the peas for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

To serve, heat a griddle or saute pan and toast the buns, with butter if you like. Top the buns with the bhaji. Sprinkle with onions, cilantro, chopped green chiles if you are brave! Top with a squeeze of lime juice.

Eat!

Tomato Bread Soup

2010-10-25T11:26:00.003-03:00

I've never eaten bread soup before, but I've always been intrigued by the idea of turning stale bread into a thick soup. We had half a baguette and the last of the tomatoes from the farmers market and it seemed the perfect chance to try this out. Since it is cold and I am developing a cold, the idea of a supposedly hearty tomato soup especially pinged my heart. This one has some Spanish flavours, smoked paprika and a red pepper, but those could be taken out and replaced with simple perfect basil.

Bread Soup

Makes 4 servings

Takes 1 hour

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 small carrot, chopped

2 small onions, diced

1 not so hot chile (this was from my local farmer's market - not so spicy, a red pepper would be ok)

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

5 thick slices of stale bread, crusts removed (and saved*), and cut into 2 inch cubes

6 tomatoes, diced

a few sprigs parsley

1 tsp. salt (probably more)

4 cups of water

In a pot on medium high heat, saute the onions, carrot and garlic in olive oil until onions get translucent and begin to brown. Add the chile, and saute for a moment before adding smoked paprika and pepper. Stir until the oil looks red, about 2 minutes.

Add white wine, let combine for a minute, and the stir in bread. It will soak up all the liquid!

Let it sit for a couple of minutes, absorbing, and then add tomatoes and parsley. Stir a bit, and then let the bread absorb some more.

Add salt and 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered for about 45 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and breaking up.

* I made croutons with my bread crusts! Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and toast in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Make sure you check on them about half way through. Great on top of the soup! If you can stop yourself from eating them right away!

We Went Shopping: starting an Indian pantry

2010-10-19T12:15:00.000-03:00

This week's Diwali-preparedness post has to do with stocking an Indian pantry. Indian food is often considered complicated and requiring a lot of ingredients. It really doesn't have to be, but you do need a very different set of basics than you do for European-ish foods.

I had the great pleasure of traveling this past weekend to see a friend in Rochester. Abby just moved there to start school, and needed to restock her pantry to make delicious (and cheap) Indian food all winter long. We went to India House, which has a small but awesome selection of dried, fresh and frozen foods, toiletry items, and also religious icons and holiday supplies. So if you are looking for diyas to celebrate Diwali with, your local Indian grocery store will probably have them.

We wanted to keep the items basic and the costs down, so that really, with just the addition of fresh vegetables, Abby could make easy, simple dinners. Here's what I suggest, clockwise from top left.

* Chick peas

* Turmeric powder

* Urad dal

* Massoor dal

* Red Chili powder

* Whole black peppercorns

* Mustard seeds

* Garam Masala

* Cumin seeds

* Asofetida (hing)

The total for these ten items came to $23.00, and along with rice, provide the basis for a whole lotta cooking. With the addition of green chiles, onions, ginger and garlic, you can make so many recipes, with only these basics and vegetables.

The most perfect comfort food, Pongal, only needs these ingredients, plus the optional addition of ginger and butter. Or to make basic dal, just pick up some onions, ginger, and green chiles. Same thing for basic cauliflower curry or potato curry. A squeeze of lime and a handful of cilantro make these dishes extravagant!

As you come across recipes, for instance, last week's channa masala, you can add, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves to your pantry. Or to start making south Indian dishes, dried tamarind, sambhar powder, coriander seeds, and methi seeds. You will start adding different dals and flours. One day you will eventually have amchoor powder and then you will really have a powerfully stocked Indian pantry. But it can start with just these 10 things!

Happy cooking!

I Went Shopping: eating nearly everything at Sahadi's

2010-10-17T11:15:00.006-03:00

A new write in to I Went Shopping! Friend and blogger Olivia at eating (nearly) everything sends in this post from New York City. Olivia's blog deals with eating with a gluten allergy, and I love that she showed us the gluten-free choices she made. Sahadi's is a little Middle-Eastern market on Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. People love the store for their selection of nuts and dried fruits, and they also have a lot of spices and other things, but I'll let Olivia tell you about it.

"At Sahadi's market on Atlantic Avenue! Middle-Eastern (and the surrounding areas) delites! AND IT IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER from Trader Joe's! So it was an interesting end result bounty.

First picture--

* cerignola olives (green and nutty and hard!) from sahadi's

* gluten free mac & cheese from trader joe's! gross!

* mini rice crackers (TJ)

* in front of them is a tin can of smoked trout, as I attempt to eat lower on the food chain

* yogurt

* English toffee (trader joe's) WHICH IS AMAZING and covered in pecans - i never buy dessert at the grocery store because it seems like a "bad idea" even though of course i am going to eat dessert, every day, so i might as well accept it and move on rather than stealing away to the deli like a thief in the night and returning with a pint of Haagen Dazs.

above the toffee is some FIG SESAME JAM--that + goat cheese + olive slice + cracker = a delicious appetizer

* apple

* brown rice pasta (the best kind of gf pasta i have found)

* gf french rolls (not that good, but they were out of my brown rice bread)

* bananas

* avocado (always)

* garbanzo beans (I will make your channa masala!!)

* eggplant, for a Moroccan tajine!

Second picture--the reusable Sahadi's shopping bag

Third picture--frozen okra! What can I make with that? I remember having some DELICIOUS fried okra in India.... [I'll get working on a post Olivia! I love Okra too--HiH]

Fourth pic--the fig jam glamour shot.

Fifth pic--yogurt soda (did not buy - cannot carry heavy things like that on the B65 bus!!)

Sixth--orange blossom water! See above (did not buy) but researched as I was shopping with my cousin and we will be hosting family Christmas this year, orange blossom water sounds like the type of thing one might need for an exciting xmas celebration...

So pleased to be part of the I WENT SHOPPING effort.

xooxx

olivia"

Thank you Olivia!! And let us know what you decide to do with the orange blossom water, I love that fragrance.

Channa Masala

2010-10-11T23:31:00.002-03:00

Diwali is coming in one month! Faithful readers will recall that last year, there were two Diwali posts, and they were among the first to be published on this blog. I am a celebratist, and in preparation for this year's festivities, I've decided to publish Indian recipes in the month leading up to the holiday on November 5. It is my solemn vow to post at least one Indian recipe a week to help you plan your festivities.

Channa Masala* is one of my favorite foods. It is so warm and satisfying, and the chick peas have a gentle nuttiness that is the perfect complement to the tangy sauce. It doesn't have to be super spicy, but when made well, channa masala has a lot of flavor. This recipe is a perfect balance of tangy, spicy, salty creamy goodness. This recipe might be the best channa masala I have ever made in my life--so get cooking!

Channa Masala

Takes 2 hours (plus overnight soaking)

Makes 6 (large) servings

2 cups dried chick peas, soaked overnight

2 small onions, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece of ginger, skinned and minced (an equal amount to the garlic)

1 green chile, halved lengthwise

1 stick cinnamon

1 bay leaf

pepper corns (about 7)

1/2 tsp. Garam masala

2 Tbsp. tomato paste (or 1 large tomato, chopped)

1 Tbsp. salt

cilantro

lime

Drain the pre-soaked chick peas, rinse, and set aside.

In a large, heavy pot, saute the garlic and ginger on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, or until they become translucent and just start to brown. Add the onions and one half of the green chile and saute some more so that the onions are translucent and are just starting to brown. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, pepper corns and garam masala and saute until really fragrant. Add tomato paste, and saute until the oil becomes red (if you use fresh tomatoes it will take longer). Add the chick peas, stir together for a few minutes, and then add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

When the chick peas are soft, add the second half of the green chile. Check for salt and spice. Add more garam masala if you like. When ready to serve, top with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Channa masala only gets better with time. So make it earlier in the day and let it sit at room temperature, heating it up again just before eating. Or even make it the day before and let it sit in the refrigerator over night.

This is great with aloo parathas, Cracked-wheat chapatis, or just rice. Enjoy!

Sorry for the bad pictures! But I just had to post!

* Channa Masala is also called chole. It's also spelled chana masala, but I think that spelling is a bad transliteration. But I'm no expert!

Curry Turnip Noodle Soup

2010-10-07T10:17:00.001-03:00

Turnips are abundant this time of year, and I have been pickling them and making them into curries. I first got inspired to make curried turnips a few years ago when my mom made a sambhar with turnips. At first I did not appreciate the sharp nasal tang of the turnips with the sambhar, but the taste stuck with me, and this fall, I experimented with making my own curried turnips. So good! Gently braising the turnips brings out their sweetness, and so the final product is sharp and sweet and spicy and salty. I love curry noodle soups, so I thought this was a chance to see if it would all work together.

It did! This is a fusion recipe that brings together East Asian, Indian, and turnip tastes into a hot bowl of yum.

Curry Turnip Noodle Soup

Makes 2 big bowls of soup

Takes 30 minutes

1 bunch turnips, quartered (stems and leaves cleaned and saved)

1 tsp. curry powder (I use sambhar powder)

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced

pepper

salt

spaghetti (I had some opened already! any noodles you like will be fine - rice noodles, soba, udon, etc)

Start a pot of salted water for the noodles.

In another pot, saute onion and garlic on medium high heat. When they've softened, add turnips and brown, taking care to ensure they don't burn. Then add sambhar powder and pepper, and saute until the sambhar powder is very fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of water, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until turnips are soft, but still maintaining their shape.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in pot of already started salted water according to package directions. For the last minute of cooking add the cleaned turnip greens. When finished, drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. Equally divide the noodles and greens between two bowls.

When the turnips are soft, add the pasta water and check for salt. Add more sambhar powder if necessary. Simmer for 5 minutes. When you are happy with the taste, pour the turnips and their broth over the noodles and greens in the bowls. Happy slurping!

Turnip kimchi

2010-10-06T21:38:00.005-03:00

I was very excited to get the September Food & Wine, which highlighted recipes by and features about chefs in the South. One of the chefs made Korean-inspired dishes in Raleigh, and had a couple of recipes for veggie-friendly little pickles.

At the farmers market they've had garlic scrapes and those red onions that come with fat stems. There's also turnips! I've been loving turnips lately, so I decided to try the kimchi. I love every variety of pickled and fermented thing, and this kimchi was salty and and had that great nose feeling that turnips give. It wasn't spicy enough though--the next time I make it, I'm going for two serranos!

Turnip Kimchi

adapted from a recipe by Andrea Reusing in Food & Wine

Takes 2 days, but only 30 minutes of work

Makes 1 liter jar of turnips

Day 1

1 bunch turnips, trimmed and halved

1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 cups water

Day 2

1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 cups water

3 garlic scrapes

2 small onions, quartered (the kind that still have their stems are great for this--throw the stems in too)

1/4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

1 serrano chile, halved lengthwise

In a large jar, dissolve 1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp of salt in 4 cups of water (stir a lot). When completely dissolved, add turnips. Cover and let sit overnight.

Drain and rinse the turnips and wash out the jar. Dissolve the rest of the salt (1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp salt) in 4 cups of water in a large bowl. Place the turnips, the garlic scrapes, the onions, ginger and chile in the jar. Arrange artistically if you must. Cover with the brine and let sit 24 hours. Enjoy!

Will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

I Went Shopping: Plants People Goes to Ubud!

2010-09-21T00:47:00.000-03:00

Today, my sister and Plants Person wrote in an I Went Shopping review of her honeymoon trip to Bali.

"Splurging on the villas we stayed in during our two week honeymoon to Bali didn't leave much of a budget in the way of shopping, but how could we come back without a few mementos and some gifts?

"I was in love with these painted baskets that all the Balinese women use daily to transport goods on their heads from home to temple, from temple to home. When we were on one of our snorkeling trips, our guide packed all of our lunches, fruits and drinks into one of these baskets as well. I was on the search for one at the Ubud Market and I finally found this one!

"Shadow puppets were a must-have purchase for me as well. I came out of the market with these two--one of Goddess Saraswati and one of Lord Rama. I'm sad to ruin the surprise, but one of these is for our beloved HiH writer herself! [Thanks!]

"HiH reader JORJ introduced me to Big Tree Farms in Bali, an organization that works with local farmers to make the highest quality, fairly traded and organic sea salts, peppers and coconut palm sugars. I got a variety to use and share: Mundok white peppercorns, Balinese Sea Salt (Kechil course and fine pyramids), and my absolute favorite--coconut palm sugar scented with turmeric. I have used this everyday since returning in my chai! Yesterday, I coated some strawberries and raspberries with it and put that over chocolate ice cream!

"Threads of Life is a non-profit organization based in Ubud that works to preserve the textile traditions of Indonesia promoting hand-loom, natural fibers and dyes. I drooled over all the textiles they had, but could hardly afford one for myself (think $500), so I came away with these two, naturally-dyed, handwoven little clove sachets ($1.50 each), and that little instrument in the center that kind of looks like a pipe is the tool they use, filled with hot wax to make batik cloth.

"Misc items from the Market: tiny spoons for eating yogurt or ice cream or for scooping spices, postcards.

"One of our favorite places was the Museum Puri Lukistan in Ubud. We were in awe of the detail and depiction of some of the epic stories that we saw performed in dance throughout our visit and decided to pick up the museum catalog."

Thanks for the post!

If you have been shopping, and would like to share, you are welcome to send in a post too. Just get in touch. Here's one last picture of a Balinese market.

I Went Shopping: Restocking the Pantry

2010-09-19T20:01:00.002-03:00

Yesterday began like many Saturdays in Halifax with a visit to the Farmers Market. It wiped us out, pushing and shoving our way through the crowds, but we returned home with so many good veggies! Thanks to the good people at Hutten Family Farm, Four Winds Farm, Elmridge Farm, Boulangerie La Vendeene (and the people just outside the market whose name I can never remember--sorry) for feeding us for the week!

Without quite planning to, we spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the little grocery stores in Halifax picking up some staples to restock our pantry.

At Italian Market

Rustichella d'abruzzo Spaghetti and Linguine, Italpasta orzo, a six pack (plus one) of San Pellegrino Aranciata. Aurora Arborio Rice and, a little treat for me, Matiz Torta de Acete, a yummy 'olive oil crisp bread,' sweetened and flavored with sesame and anise. So good!

We love Rustichella d'abruzzo pasta. Who would have thought that an item that has only 2 ingredients could have such a wide range of quality?! But pasta does, and at $5.99 a pack, this linguine is our special treat and not our everyday pasta. The Benedetto Cavalieri pastas were 'just in!' at the Italian Market, so we thought we would try them out as another special occasion pasta.

At Super Natural Health Products

'English Muffin' Mesh Ball Pincer Spoon Tea Infuser to drink "Tea - a part of a healthy lifestyle," a small bag of almonds, and Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Chewing Sticks.

And finally, Tien Phat Asian Grocery, where we bought the bulk of our items today. I've been cooking a lot of Asian inspired foods in Halifax thanks to the availability of groceries and websites like Just Hungry. And I'll post some recipes soon for things like vegan base for udon and soba soups, and some experiments with making a curry noodle soup.

At Tien Phat
Gina Mango Nectar, Maesri Green and Masaman Curry pastes (both vegetarian), Wang Miso, Banh Trang Rice Paper to make summer rolls, Mae Ploy Coconut milk, Indochine Rice Sticks, Rose Vermicelli (thicker noodles), Shigeno Ajisenryu Zaru Udon, Green Label Soba, Pearl River Bridge Golden Label Superior Light Soy Sauce, Kikkoman Tamari, Ann Instant Honeyed Chrysanthemum Drink.

I'm not sure with the Japanese brands particularly if the names are right, most of the packaging is in text I cannot read.

Right now I am drinking the Instant Honeyed Chrysanthemum Drink. I thought it would be a tea, but no, it is an instant powder. Duh! It says instant on the box. Despite my surprise and initial skepticism of an instant drink, I love it! It smells like chrysanthemums and tastes like honey and is delicious on this gray day. I look forward to trying all of these things and seeing what happens! And I promise--my summer as a bad blogger has come to an end.

updates

2010-08-05T15:17:00.003-03:00

It is August--the summer is slipping away! At least, it feels that way, and I am committed to squeezing out the season from this month leading up to Labor Day.

I don't have a new recipe for you, but some updates. You will have seen in a previous post that reader Olivia's mom has been making a gluten-free version of my summer puttanesca! Now, reader JORJ writes in that she has made the summer puttanesca too.

Yum! We had a discussion, and we both agree that while penne or cavatappi works for a regular puttanesca using canned tomatoes in sauce, that for the summer version, a smaller pasta is better. Orecchiette or shell pastas, I think, would do better with the juices and chunks that result from using fresh tomatoes.

I have also been cooking up some quinoa recently. After one semi-disastrous attempt to make quinoa by just boiling it, I made the radicchio and rutabaga quinoa from earlier in the year. And the rinsing and then boiling and then steaming method worked so well! The quinoa was beautiful and fluffy.

We have been eating our jars of peaches that we made a few weeks ago. They are so delicious! Especially the jars that have a slightly crushed pod of cardamom and a little bourbon.

Peaches and tomatoes and beans and corn! This is the best month of the summer. Enjoy!

Elderberry Cordial--The Fatigue Destroyer!

2010-07-28T19:35:00.024-03:00

The elderflowers have gone, ripening into little black berries.

Some internet research has revealed that the tree in MB's garden is a Blue Elder, distinctive for the dusty bloom on each little berry. I have been wanting to make a cordial with the berries since we gave MB the tree two summers ago. It sounds so old-fashioned, like something Anne would intoxicate Diana with, and also healthy--this past winter, I drank a few drops of Neal's Yards Remedies Echinacea and Elderflower tincture every night to ward off H1N1 and other sicknesses.

After preserving the peaches, we had quite a bit of leftover sugar syrup (hopefully you won't! I adjusted the recipe after our trials), so, I figured the time had come to make my own elderberry cordial. There are many recipes to be found for elderberries--wines, syrups, cordials. All involve sugar and elderberries, some involve alcohol as a preservative. Google Books has many nineteenth and twentieth century cook books, and all text searchable. With so many varieties of recipes, I was not sure which to choose.

In The Art and Mystery of Making British Wines &c of 1865, the author offers three recipes for Elderberry wine, the third method seemed the best.

Admired by the best judges of wine! But I don't really want to make wine, so elderberry syrup it would be.

A quick search of more recent recipes revealed that the basics have not changed much since Sir Thomas Browne set out to debunk the myth that elderberries were poisonous in his Pseudodoxia Epidemica or, Enquiries into very many received tenents, and commonly presumed truths.

Ok, here's just one last old recipe (I can't help myself! I am a historian after all).

From Mary Kettlilby's A Collection of above three hundred receipts in cookery, physick, and surgery: for the use of all good wives, tender mothers, and careful nurses from 1734.

Good-wife and careful nurse that I am, I want to have my elderberry cordial on hand for all cases of the gout (caused by my cooking I have no doubt).

So, as I was saying, elderberry cordial is some combination of elderberries, sugar and alcohol (either added or created by fermentation). Here's my recipe.

Elderberry cordial
Makes approximately 2 quarts
Takes 1 hour

10 cups elderberries, carefully removed from stems and rinsed
2 cups sugar syrup (or 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water)
4 cups best quality brandy (I don't really know what that is--I used Paul Masson Brandy)

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, cook elderberries for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth to squeeze out all juices. Should yield 2 cups of elderberry juice. Bring to a simmer with sugar syrup or the sugar and water (if sugar and water, cook until slightly reduced, 10 minutes). When cool add brandy. Store in clean bottles.

For vim and vigour, drink 2 ounces dissolved in one glass water each night daily. Also good with gin, or on its own over ice.

Update: Over Christmas, we drank the elderberry cordial with champagne. Delicious! (HiH)

Gluten-Free Fame

2010-07-25T19:55:00.002-03:00

Dear Readers,

There is a new label on the site in honor of friend and blog-reader Olivia of eating (nearly) everything. She posted a post on her mom making my summer puttanesca recipe with gluten-free pasta! I love hearing about people trying my recipes, so if you have, please let me know.

The new label is gluten-free, and looking over my recipes, I've noticed that there are quite a few posts that qualify. These include rice dishes, vegetables, soups and desserts. I will also include pasta recipes because it is becoming increasingly easy to find gluten-free pastas made of rice, quinoa and even lentils. Like my vegan tag, it's more about recipes that are easily adaptable, rather than the ingredients being strictly wheat-free.

If you have thoughts on tagging, or adapting recipes to your eating needs, post a comment!

Happy Eating!!!

Adventures in Home Preserving: Peaches in Syrup

2010-07-22T13:54:00.010-03:00

It has been an amazing summer for stone fruit this year, and we've been enjoying so many cherries, plums and peaches. I swear I am going to post a recipe for vegan cherry pie soon! In the meantime, here's a look at some peach canning that happened last weekend.

Last summer, I made brandied peaches, following a recipe from the New York Times in 1951, adapted according to the most up-to-date canning knowledge by Eugenia Bone. It was my first experiment in home preserving, and they came out beautifully--we enjoyed the peaches throughout the winter.

This summer, my roommate and I decided to try again. I love peaches, and I wanted a simple recipe that would just showcase the deliciousness of ripe summer fruit. We bought 20 pounds of peaches from Blossom Bluff Orchards at the Farmers Market (I like to do a lot at once, no a couple jars at a time for me!). We adapted a couple of recipes to our own purposes, and I have posted our method below. We'll let you know how the peaches turn out! At least they look beautiful!

Warning - must pay attention to safely preserve. If the jars are not properly sealed, botulism can grow in them. You will know if your peaches go bad because the seal will not have held, and as I understand, the fruit will smell bad. I don't know from experience because I don't have much. Practice safe canning, ok?

This recipe has many steps, but none of them are difficult, read them all before you begin. Invite friends.

Peaches in Syrup

Makes 12 pints of peaches

Takes 3 to 4 hours

approximately 20 to 24 firm-ripe and large peaches (8 to 10 pounds)

8 cups sugar

You will need 3 large pots of water, a wire rack to fit inside the pots, 12 pint jars, lids and bands.

In two large pots, deep enough so that the pint jars can sit on the wire rack and be fully covered in water, bring a lot of water to a boil. Will take time, so go ahead with other steps as the water comes to a full boil.

Mark an x on the tip end of each peach to help with the peeling. Scald the peaches for 30 seconds each in a different large pot of boiling water. Here is a before and after shot of the peaches.

Let cool on a baking tray. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skin, pit the peach, and cut into fourths. Remove any bruised and brown parts. Place peach pieces in scalded jars*, 1 and a half to two peaches per jar.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan bring the sugar and 8 cups of water to a boil, and let cook for about 10 minutes, or until the syrup has thickened to the consistency of maple syrup.

It's a lot of sugar!

Fill the jars with the sugar syrup, leaving 1/4 inch of room at the top. At this stage you can add spices to the jars, we put crushed cardamom pods (one per jar) in some, a small spring of rosemary in others. Using a chopstick, make sure there are no air bubbles trapped under the fruit pieces. Wipe the mouths of the jars with a clean cloth, cover with the lids, and screw the bands on until tight.

When the water has come to a boil, gently lower your jars into the water. Beginning your timer when the water returns to a boil (this may take time), process peaches for 25 minutes. Make sure they are covered with water the entire time. Remove the jars from the water and let cool. You will hear them *pop!* as they seal.

* To scald the jars: since you will process the peaches for more than 10 minutes, you do not need to sterilize the jars. Instead, when your water for processing comes to a boil, dip the bottles for just a few seconds each into the water, remove and keep them waiting. Do the same for the rings. And when the water is at a simmer (either lower the temperature, or the temperature will lower as you scald the jars), simmer the lids so that the bands soften.

Eugenia Bone's website is a great resource for preservation advice. She is very cautious, and clear in her instructions.

I did it!

2010-07-14T15:14:00.001-03:00

In an earlier blog post, I took photographs of an elderflower tree among other delights of a garden in summertime. A couple of readers wrote in asking for elderflower recipes, and one, faithful reader and superlatively talented Vanessa Davis, pointed the way to a recipe for elderflower fritters. I had no idea! And everyone knows about making elderflower fritters--David Leibovitz included. Where have I been?

Over the fourth of July, I was determined to make some, but a couple of pies, a paella on the grill, paneer tikkas, and scores of bugs, wore me out.

Pie recipes coming soon!

We went back to Santa Clara this past weekend, and I took the plunge, and fried some elderflowers.

I have to say, they weren't amazing. I am not a good fryer, and I think my oil was not hot enough, or my batter was too thin.

Something! I'll work on the recipe again next summer. I do know how to de-bug the flowers now. Soak them in a bowl of water, then rinse gently but firmly. Finally, using a skewer or chopstick, gently fish out the bugs from the dense flower clusters.

They were beautiful though.

Caution: Extremely delicious, briny pasta ahead

2010-07-10T14:17:00.002-03:00

I wasn't sure if I should post this recipe, since I just read that 9/10 Americans eat too much salt. But this pasta is too good, tangy without being overwhelming. And readers, just go the rest of the day without any salt, ok?

This is a recipe from the Food Network (I think through my friend Jorj), that I have been making for years. It calls for canned tomatoes, but I thought with all the beautiful little yellow and red tomatoes coming out at the farmers market, I would try it with the fresh things. This is the perfect pasta for the summertime. It's eaten cool, it has fresh yummy zucchini in it, and all the briny goodness of olives, capers and lemon juice. And, it's even better the next day!

The vegetables marinate in the lemon juice so that the tomatoes get all soft and juicy and the zucchini has this really nice crunch.

A word of warning, the Mario Batali recipe this is based on is way too salty, he calls for 2 tablespoons of salt, and when I stick to that recipe, it's often a salty disaster. So even if you make his version with the can of tomatoes (it is also delicious!), keep the salt to the 1/2 tablespoon I have listed below.

Summer Pasta Puttanesca
Adapted from a Mario Batali recipe
Makes 4 servings
Takes 30 minutes (plus a couple of hours of sitting)

2 young zucchinis, sliced thin
2 cups tiny tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed

10 kalamata olives, pitted and halved

Juice of 1/2 lemon
Leaves from 2 to 3 stems of basil

1/2 Tbsp. salt

Pepper

2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 box of pasta
Red chili pepper flakes

Combine the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, capers, olives, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl. Let sit for 2 hours, or up to over night in the refrigerator. Make pasta according to directions. Drain and add to sauce with red chili flakes. Enjoy!

Summer excess in the garden

2010-06-30T14:40:00.000-03:00

Here are some pictures from MB's garden in Santa Clara. It's so beautiful right now!

Elderflowers and elderberries

the grape arbor

the bean pole

twined bean poles

cilantro flowers - taste just like cilantro!

baby bell

hurry tomatoes!

Pasta with Morels and Peas

2010-06-30T03:33:00.003-03:00

It's morel season! The markets around Berkeley have had them for the past few weeks, and we've eaten three versions of this simple pasta. The first time with asparagus, the second time with morels only, and today, with young peas.

What's wonderful about this recipe is that the vegetables cook for the same amount of time as the pasta! So start the 'sauce' immediately after you put the pasta in the water.

Pasta with Morels and Peas

Makes 2 servings

Takes 1 hour

1/3 pound of pasta

2 cloves garlic sliced

1/4 cup shallot, minced

1.6 ounces of fresh morels (about 1/10 of a pound)

an equal amount of trimmed peas (about 1 cup)

salt

pepper

Heat salted water for pasta. When it comes to a boil, add pasta.

In a large saute pan on medium high heat, saute garlic and shallot for 1 minute. Add morels, spread them around the pan, and let sizzle for about 4 minutes. Stir, and once they are evenly spread around the pan again, let sizzle for 4 minutes more. Add 5 grinds of pepper and peas, and saute for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup pasta water.

Drain pasta reserving 3/4 cup of pasta water. Add pasta to the pan, stirring to combine. Add 3/4 cup pasta water, and let cook a few minutes more.

We ate our pasta with roasted torpedo onions (425 degrees for about 20 minutes). They were really sweet and delicious (if you cut a small x into one of the ends, they won't burst while cooking).

Hurry while there are still morels to be had!

I Went Shopping - Sakura Matsuri Edition

2010-04-05T17:51:00.002-03:00

Near Piccadilly Circus, lies a stretch of bakeries and chocolatiers: La Duree, La Maison du Chocolat, Godiva, a who's who of fabulous displays of sweets. They went all out for Easter, perhaps especially La Maison du Chocolat, who had a Safari scene reminiscent of the film, Madagascar.

Lions! Giraffes! Hippos! And also snuggling bunnies!

The Japanese confectioners, Minamoto Kitchoan celebrated Sakura Matsuri with this beautiful window display.

There were more inside! So many beautiful little treats, and all gorgeously displayed. I was too embarassed to take pictures inside, so I came home for a photo shoot.

The one on the left is Sakuramochi (with leaf). The cherry blossom and the leaf were pickled, like less pungent umeboshi. The one on the right, Sakuradaifuku, had a gently flavored bean filling. Both were good, and I think I liked the Sakuramochi better, the sourness of the cherry blossom and leaf added a nice complication to the fragrant sweetness.

I love the cherry blossoms. When I worked at the Brooklyn Museum, I would take walks at lunchtime in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to check on the flowers. And at the height of the blossoms' opening, the Esplanade would fill with people, and the petals would shower down like the prettiest, most delicate ticker tape parade, and everyone would be so glad that it was spring!

When I arrived in London, I was so pleased to see that the tree outside my window was in full bloom. With every rainstorm and every strong gust of wind, I worry the petals will come raining down, but look! They are still reaching out to the sun and calling to the bees.

Happy Spring!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-04-03T21:35:00.007-03:00

Another sorta vegan dessert! These cookies came out so beautifully, and honestly, were the product of just what I had on hand thrown together (a perfect way to get rid of the small amounts of sugars left in the pantry).

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Takes 1 hour
Makes 26 cookies

1/2 cup almond oil

1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan spread

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk (lactose free)

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups chocolate chips

3 cups rolled or quick cooking oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or aluminum foil).

Beat together the sugars and almond oil. Then add Earth Balance and beat until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and milk and stir until smooth. Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and stir until well-combined. Add flour, stir. Add oats, and stir. Add chocolate chips and walnuts, and yes, stir until combined.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, spoon dough onto cookie sheets, about 8 per sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes (one sheet in the oven at a time), rotating half way.

Let cool (if you can!).

I Went Shopping - Old Kent Food Centre

2010-03-31T19:31:00.006-03:00

This is the inaugural post in a new series called "I Went Shopping." Slate has recently discovered the thrill of sharing your purchases with other people. Puh-lease, I had the idea for a blog dedicated to pictures of sharing shopping years ago. I think the nucleus for the idea began in 2007, when a friend and I returned to his apartment, displayed, and photographed the bounty of our trip to Hyderabad.

India inspires great feeling towards purchases because the voyage out is long, the shopping itself uncovers new things (and even new categories of things!), and often, you don't know when you will return. On my trip to India this past winter, my sister, our friend and I nightly took out our purchases and laid them out to narrate to each other the work of that day. Of course we had been with each other continuously, it was not only about showing what we had bought, but also reidentifying with those objects by telling why they were desired.

Here in London, I've been feeling disoriented by the time changes and the distance from homes. I spent yesterday organizing my life and then went shopping to fill my cupboard. I first went to Tesco, and the items I bought there were necessary and not so interesting. But at the Old Kent Food Centre, a favorite of mine, I just wandered the aisles and marveled at the range of products.

The Old Kent Food Centre is a halal butcher shop and grocery store. The above picture doesn't adequately capture its treasures--just in this aisle, there were pickles from Turkiye, Iraq and India, fish sauce and chili pastes from Thailand, and this treasure from the USA I found at the far end.

Crystal's Louisiana Hot Sauce, bottled for the Arabic-reading world, and sold in London. I didn't pick any up today, but here's what I did get:

The produce there is so beautiful, the herbs especially are so fresh and green that I wanted to pick up some cilantro and mint too, but resigned myself to this big bunch of parsley only. I bought some white wine vinegar, canned tomatoes, hot red chillies, pickled gherkins, lemon roasted almonds, sesame crisps, cerassie tea ("Old traditional folk tales of the Caribbean suggests Cerassie tea to be a good cleanser of the blood, giving a healthier, fitter and stronger body."), cardamom tea, and jasmine hair oil.

So far, the real winner is the Ahmad cardamom tea. It's delicious, and with milk and sugar, tastes like an Indian sweet in liquid form. So good! The white wine vinegar made a delicious dressing for my salad, and I have yet to try anything else. Except for the jasmine hair oil which doesn't smell like anything. Oh well.

In the Old Kent Food Centre, as I heard the men talking without understanding a word, spoke with a woman about the best brands of tea, and took in the world of pickled vegetables, I felt content. A feeling similar to the one I had the day before in Monmouth Coffee, a local roaster that buys their beans from organic producers around the world. They did not have my favorite coffee in stock, and when I asked why, the bean man explained that this year's crop had only just come in, and they hadn't tasted it yet to see if they liked it.

I've been thinking a lot about these two experiences and why we shop. When shopping, we experience the tension between desire and fulfillment. I wanted the Balmaadi Estate coffee, but it is unavailable to me at this time of year. I have limited resources, and yet in the market I am overwhelmed by goods, all packaged and bright, and potentially delicious. I know nothing about these foods, I can read the label, but I have to make hard choices and take a risk with each item. Both of these experiences opened me up to the bigness of the world, the ways in which we are connected through the chains of supply and demand to people far away and yet also the limited ways in which we participate in the world. It may only be as a customer in a shop, but even without spending, we have the chance to see the world, which is so often shuttered from us in our everyday lives.

I say see the world, but not necessarily because of the origins of the particular products I bought that day. It's not the series of food items like a parade of nations that inspires the feeling. This is not an experience to be had at the supermarket, which is a timeless space of limitless fulfillment. There, the fruits and vegetables are the same regardless of the season, and the foods, whether Lincolnshire sausages or ginger from China are available to the point where they lose any sense of their origins. The unavailability of the Balmaadi coffee beans at Monmouth makes the coffee I had there in the fall all the more precious, and the cup of coffee I did have on Monday, produced by Familia Mamani Mamani in Bolivia, more precious too. The Old Kent Food Centre also inspires the feeling that the foods come from somewhere, and mean things to the people they were originally produced by and for, which remain beyond my understanding.

But not beyond my enjoyment! More soon after I try the pickles...

Banana Hazelnut Bread

2010-03-25T13:28:00.001-03:00

Here's another sorta vegan (no eggs, no butter, only lactose-free milk) recipe, for banana bread. The betrothed decided he didn't like the little bananas we found in the market. Too sweet for him. So I made this bread, I wish I had chocolate chips to throw in, but none in the house.

I label my recipes "vegan" because I think they could easily be made vegan by substituting soymilk, juice (depending on the recipe), or even water for the lactose-free milk. As a vegetarian and a personal chef to someone with food issues, I am always reading recipes that include meat and dairy and eggs, and thinking about how I could make the recipe work for us. So rather than a strict classification of the recipe, the "vegan" tag works as an indicator of the recipe's suitability for adaptation.

Since I've started sorta vegan baking, I've realized the egg replacement is the toughest challenge. 1 large egg equals 3 1/4 Tablespoons of liquid, but you not only have to replace the liquid for the recipe, but the eggs account for so much of the texture of baked goods, the fluffiness of cakes, and the dense chewiness of cookies. Because I like dense, moist banana bread, I didn't add extra baking powder and vinegar to this recipe (a common elementary school science solution to creating a rise in vegan baked goods--think that food coloring volcano you did in third grade happening inside the oven).

It rose beautifully, and the finished bread had a crispy, thick crust, and a moist interior. I used a local flour mill's unbleached "white" flour, so the the bread also had a nice crunch to it.

I also think the hazelnuts are a better flavor match with the bananas than the traditional walnuts.

Banana Hazelnut Bread

Takes 2 hours

Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup almond oil

6 1/2 tbsps. milk

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (approx. 3 big ones, or we had 6 little ones)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup toasted and crushed hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Grease and flour 1 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In the banana bowl, add the sugar and oil, and beat. Add milk and vanilla and stir to combine.

Pour wet ingredients into the flour ingredients and stir until well-combined. Add hazelnuts and pour into loaf pan.

Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until a fork inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes (if you can).

Yum.

Aloo Paratha

2010-03-23T12:56:00.003-03:00

Aloo (Potato) Paratha is one of my favorite foods. I often make myself sick eating Aloo paratha, yogurt and mixed pickle. So it is important to only make myself 2 parathas, and only eat 2 parathas, and not gobble up everyone else's. It's actually quite easy to make, and so delicious, you don't really need anything else to eat with. A simple dal, leftovers, anything. The dough works best when it is rested, so it's easy to make what you want to eat the parathas with while the dough naps.

Aloo Paratha
Makes 9 parathas

Takes 1 hour

2 cups whole wheat chapati flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup water

some oil (canola or vegetable)

2 large potatoes, quartered (Those long Idaho potatoes work really well)

1 small green chili, chopped very fine (Serrano and the small green chilies work well)

1 handful cilantro, chopped fine

salt

Mix the flour and salt, and then add the cup of water. Mix together to form a sticky dough. Oil your hands, and turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface. Knead until it is smooth and no longer sticky, adding flour as necessary. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Starting the potatoes in cold, salted water, bring to a boil and cook until when you stick a fork in them they slip off. Drain, and let cool completely.

Divide the dough evenly into 9 balls, let rest for 15 minutes while you get the potatoes ready.

When the potatoes have cooled completely, add the cilantro and chili, to your taste. The chili will not make a huge impact on the spiciness of the finished paratha. If you want more spicy, add some chili powder. Check for salt, and add to your taste.

Grease your hands with oil, and divide the potatoes into 9 balls.

Flatten the dough into thick circles and place the potato balls into the center. Wrap the dough around and pinch the dough tight.

Let rest for 15 minutes while your griddle (tawa) heats up, admire your handiwork.

On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll into thinnish circles. You can begin cooking the first ones as you roll the others out. Make sure that you do not stack the rolled out parathas on top of each other, because they may stick together. This is not a big deal because if they do, just combine and redivide into balls and roll out again. But you've made such pretty parathas, your work deserves to be honored.

It is important that your tawa is the right temperature, hot but not too hot (on my stove 4.5 out of 5), and your first paratha will be a bit of an experiment. Put it onto the tawa and let it be for a couple of minutes (roll out another paratha), it should begin to puff! Turn it over, the cooked side should be nicely browned in spots. When the second side is finished, take the paratha off the heat and rub with a little ghee or oil.

Serve to your ravenous fellow diners immediately, or if they are patiently waiting for you, place on a plate on which you have put a paper towel, and cover with another plate. They do make chapati warmers in India, but if you don't have one, this works fine. As you make a stack, you can just ghee one side of the paratha because the other side will get the ghee from the paratha below.

We ate these with really simple spinach and chana masala. I'll post a recipe for that soon!

Happy Birthday Cookies

2010-03-19T15:48:00.003-03:00

By request, for someone's very special birthday, I made these sorta vegan chocolate chip cookies. The no-egg, no-butter, lactose-free milk versions of amazing chocolate chip cookies. These came out really well, the perfect size, crisp, but with some chewiness as well.

Chocolate chip cookies
Makes 3 dozen cookies

Takes 2 hours (for all the baking and cooling)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup Earth Balance, softened

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

8 1/4 tablespoons Milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 ounces)

1/2 c. lightly toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together Smart Balance and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat until combined.

Stir in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips and nuts.

Evenly scoop big spoons of dough onto 2 baking sheets, 8 cookies per sheet. Pat them into a flat circle. The cookies will grow very little while baking, so make sure you make them as thick or as thin as you want. I prefer 1/2 inch thick cookies.

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 12 or 13 minutes, turn sheet around in oven half way through if your oven is uneven. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and keep making cookies.

These cookies definitely do not last as well as conventional amazing chocolate chip cookies. They become hard the next day. And yet, they are still very good!

John Makes Chicken

2010-03-19T13:42:00.001-03:00

Sorry for such a long break between posts! It's been a long month, and I've been so bad about taking pictures of food! So here is a picture of John's beautiful chicken. He's been in a new kitchen, new equipment, and had been sad not to get his chicken breasts the right crunchy skin soft inside (or whatever you say about meat) balance, and he was so proud of this attempt, I promised I would share it on my blog. Here it is!

Also, hope you are all following the cake v. pie tournament on jezebel.

Go pie go!

Promise, cooking up all kinds of posts to be available soon.

Happy Birthday Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-02-17T16:00:00.000-04:00

I'm in London! I'm lucky to be staying with friends, and to celebrate a very special 27th birthday last week, I made chocolate cupcakes.

I found a really easy chocolate cake recipe. I am not so good about converting English and American recipes back and forth, and I couldn't find the measuring equipment in the new to me kitchen. This is a totally haphazardly prepared recipe, and the results were delicious! The cupcakes were light, fluffy and chocolate-y, and the frosting was not too sweet and very rich!

Slapdash slaphappy cupcakes

greatly adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2010 and Martha Stewart

Makes 12 cupcakes

Takes 1 and half hours total

Cake:

1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ounce dark chocolate (roughly 28 grams), chopped

1/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cup yoghurt, with a splash of milk added

2/3 cup a-p flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter (56.7 grams), softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon bourbon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit (162.77778 degrees celsius)

Line cupcake pan with paper cups.

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa and chocolate, stirring to remove lumps from cocoa and completely melt chocolate. Add yoghurt and whisk until smooth.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt together.

In yet another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Pour butter/sugar mixture into chocolate and whisk together. Slowly add dry ingredients to combine well. Pour into cupcake cups. The cupcake pans here are smaller than the US because they also use them to make mince pies at Christmas. This filled out my 12 cupcake cups perfectly, but might only be enough batter for 6 to 8 American cupcakes.

Bake for 18 to 21 minutes or until a fork inserted comes out cleanly.

Let cool completely. And then frost with the following recipe.

Chocolate Frosting

Takes 15 minutes

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes, plus a little more, just because!

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

4 Tbsp. butter, softened

3 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. bourbon

Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa. Add butter and mix until combined well. It will be really thick. Add bourbon and milk and whisk together until smooth and pretty. Add more milk, sugar or cocoa to your liking.

Spread onto cupcakes, stick a candle in one, sing, and eat!

Happy Birthday John!

Updates

2010-02-16T12:01:00.000-04:00

Hello readers! I've been travelling again, and I hope to post some recipes soon: there were birthday cupcakes in London, and kozhakottais in Chidambaram!

In the meantime, I have some updates from friends who have been baking bread. Dr. K sent in some pictures from her attempt to make the foccacia recipe I posted last month. Look at her beautiful gluten strands in the header photo!

And the final product? "It was yummy!" she writes.

And JORJ just wrote in to say that she has been experimental bread baking! She writes:

"I also made the no-knead bread the other day with whole wheat flour and some wheat germ and some thyme. It turned out great, but I think I should have soaked the thyme in water before adding it to the dough, or something because the flavor didn't really go all the way through the bread like I thought it might. Anyway, I liked the whole wheat flour better--I used 50% whole wheat and 50% AP flour--the texture of the crust was even better. I am hoping to find another type of whole grain flour and do some kind of mixing experiment. This whole wheat flour is a little too cardboard-y."

Here's a loaf of the original recipe that we made together in January.

I love that you are reading my blog and trying the recipes for yourself. Please continue to let me know about it!

And of course, stay tuned, recipes to come!

Quinoa Salad with Radicchio, Rutabaga and Hazelnuts

2010-01-27T17:56:00.003-04:00

A while ago, a friend pointed me towards a recipe in the New York Times that used farro and rutabaga. I'm a huge fan of farro, I like to mix it in with rice to add texture, and love it in salads. This was the perfect recipe for me to try since it incorporates a lot of flavors I already like, and a big new one, rutabagas. I had been wary of them because I don't love sweet starchy vegetables; I am very particular about squashes and sweet potatoes. But there are so many rutabaga enthusiasts out there! Have you noticed this too, readers?

I decided it was time to try the rutabaga when last week, they were the answer to a question on Jeopardy! (a question to the answer?), and I found them at the farmer's market. For a gathering of ladies to taste wines from Chile, I adapted the salad to use quinoa, a grain from the Andes, and added radicchio as a complement to the sweetness of the rutabaga. This salad was really delicious and felt healthy and had a good variety of flavors and textures.

I recommend having a large sieve to make handling the quinoa infinitely easier. If you don't have one, do not fret. You will probably lose lots of grains in the rinsing, and hopefully you have a large metal bowl and very big pot for the steaming. In the end it's worth it as the quinoa has a great fluffy yet crunchy texture.

Quinoa Salad with Radicchio, Rutabaga and Hazelnuts

Adapted from the New York Times

Takes 1 hour

Makes 8 servings

1 medium to large rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (not too large, as the farmer told me they get hard and fibrous)
extra virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups red quinoa
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (1/2 of a large shallot)
4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1 head of radicchio, sliced thinly
1/2 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss rutabaga with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until rutabaga is very tender and browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring salted water to boil in a large pot. Rinse quinoa in 5 washes of water, each time shaking it around in the bowl, letting it settle, and then cupping the quinoa while you let the water pour out. The quinoa is often dusty (not usual dust, but its own powdery residue), and can sometimes have small stones in it. This is a step which is very helpful with a a sieve. When the water is boiling add quinoa and cook for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil and some pepper.

Drain the quinoa in a large seive (or very very carefully with the help of a large spoon. Rinse with cold water. Return the pot to the stove and fill with an inch of water, bring to a simmer, and balance the sieve of quinoa in the pot (so it isn't touching the bottom), cover with a kitchen towl and a lid, and steam for 10 minutes. If you do not have a sieve, place the quinoa in a metal bowl in the simmering pot, cover with the towel and the pot with the lid, and steam for 10 minutes. I had to use a roasting pan to fit our smallest metal mixing bowl!

Add the quinoa to the bowl with the salad dressing, and once it has cooled a little, add the radicchio, the rutabaga and the hazelnuts. Mix together. Taste and add vinegar, salt and pepper to your liking.

This salad keeps really well, the quinoa grains hold their texture and nothing gets too soggy. But don't wait too long to eat it!

experimental vegan ginger pistachio pear blondies

2010-01-21T23:08:00.003-04:00

I've been trying to become a vegan baker since the betrothed is lactose-intolerant and is allergic to eggs. He however loves baked treats and eats the conventional ones and gets some mild gastric distress! Since he isn't vegan, I often use lactose-free milk and substitute almond oil or nut butters for eggs in recipes to make cookies. This website is a very helpful guide to substitutions.

I thought the blondies I made for the Sugar-fest would be a perfect subject for vegan experimentation since they are dense, and already have fruit and nut flavors, which are key to flavorful substitutions. I made poached pears the other night, and I thought the leftover poaching liquid* would be smart to use since it would bring additional flavor and be a good liquid replacement for the eggs. These blondies were delicious, more moist and cake-y than the other ones, but still dense and toothsome. Like the conventional blondies, we forgot to take a pictures before they were all gone! Here they are, still in the pan, just out of the oven. I'm thinking of making a version next week with chocolate chips, dried cherries and almonds. I like leaving the betrothed with something in the cookie jar when I have to leave town.

Vegan pear pistachio ginger blondies
adapted from the martha stewart recipe
Takes 1 hour
Makes 16 blondie squares

9 tablespoons (1 1/8 sticks) Earth Balance, softened, plus more for pan

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar syrup / pear poaching liquid

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brunoised pear, 1 ripe but not very soft bosc pear

3/4 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup coarsely chopped candied ginger

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter an 8-inch square pan. Line with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter parchment.

Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix in pears, ginger and nuts so that they are just coated.

In a separate bowl, beat together Earth Balance and sugar until sort of fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and sugar syrup, and mix until combined. Mix in flour-fruit-nut mixture until combined.

Dump dough into pan and spread evenly. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 minutes. It's done when a fork inserted into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Lift the blondies out of the pan onto a cutting board and let cool completely. Cut into squares. They are best within three days.

* The liquid was made by simmering 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 4 cups water, 4 pears (halved and cored), 4 crushed cardamom pods, 10 peppercorns, an inch of ginger, sliced, for about 30 minutes. I can never bring myself to throw such deliciousness away, so I substituted 1/4 cup of poaching liquid for 1/4 cup of the light brown sugar. Poached pears are one of my favorite winter desserts. Use those pears that never seem to get soft enough to eat plain, or the ones that are grainy and mealy.