tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63734174847212137742024-03-13T20:51:33.743-04:00Wolf Chops(a work in progress)Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-24617343160023763762018-02-20T20:42:00.001-05:002018-02-20T20:54:12.148-05:00Instant(Pot) RendangRendang is one of the most delicious dishes in the Indonesian repertoire, and generally takes foreevvveerrrrrrr to make. It's one of the few things I'll ignore my beef ban for, but I never bothered to make it myself. Which is too bad, since then I could a) use good sustainable meat and b) eat twice as much of it. But it occurred to me that, now that I have an InstantPot, things like this should be easy. The idea of rendang is that the beef (or other meat, or even a potato in theory/according to some cookbooks but why) slow braises in coconut milk with a pile of spices, then when all the liquid is reduced out it browns in the coconut fat. The great thing about pressure cookers is they'll get a piece of meat fall-apart tender in no time. The less great thing is, because they're sealed shut, they're shit at reducing down liquid. But even though this recipe required the second step of reducing the coconut milk, the fact that the beef was already well dismantled meant I could do it much faster than in th traditional method, and the whole thing was definitely faster, and required less careful braising. It didn't occur to me til afterwards that I'd want to write this up, so all I have is a photo of the final product on my plate about to get devoured. It's unphotogenic brown mush, but it's crazy delicious brown mush. 100% will make again.<br />
<br />
The ingredients are lightly adapted from James Oseland's excellent cookbook <a href="http://books.wwnorton.com/books/978-0-393-05477-4/" target="_blank">Cradle Of Flavor: <span style="font-weight: normal;">Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia</span></a>; method is adapted from <a href="https://nomnomprincess.com/2017/09/16/instant-pot-beef-rendang/" target="_blank">this blog</a>, one of the few InstantPot rendang adaptations I could find online. It's a more Malaysian version, though, where I was going for Padang, but I bet it's good too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BsxR0crIzpDPEm8o7zVOk3y1aWSXfS8shkL6gsf6pB9RfrCB5RoPMYuclJz-9Zw_9OOe1UrDpPFvpEq9Afk8Jz7tlqY-dCboossc98bDMLGLIfPya_LtKke93KOuYVxaLni9GyJNgsNS/s1600/IMG_20180218_205243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BsxR0crIzpDPEm8o7zVOk3y1aWSXfS8shkL6gsf6pB9RfrCB5RoPMYuclJz-9Zw_9OOe1UrDpPFvpEq9Afk8Jz7tlqY-dCboossc98bDMLGLIfPya_LtKke93KOuYVxaLni9GyJNgsNS/s320/IMG_20180218_205243.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
NB: There's a lot of ingredients in here, particularly spices and aromatics. Some advance planning/internet shopping may be necessary for the more unusual stuff. Western Indonesia's (and especially Sumatra's) history at the intersection of the spice trades between Maluku in the east (cloves, nutmeg) and India to the west (cinnamon) are strongly reflected in this dish. There's a moment making this where I dropped in the nutmeg and cloves and the whole thing smelled like German Christmas gingerbread - colonialism made scent. (The Germans got it from the Dutch, who colonized the Spice Islands and all of Indonesia, along with some bits of India. The Malaysian version goes even more Indian-influenced, with cumin and cardamom, reflecting British rule over both countries.)<br />
<br />
<h3>
InstantPot Beef Rendang</h3>
1.5 lbs good cubed beef, the kind you'd use in stew, with plenty of marbling<br />
1 whole nutmeg<br />
5 whole cloves<br />
6 shallots, chopped<br />
4 cloves garlic, chopped<br />
fresh red chilis to taste (one habanero did it for me)<br />
1.5 tsp turmeric powder<br />
a 2-inch chunk of ginger, peeled & chopped<br />
a 2-inch chunk of galangal, peeled & chopped<br />
5 candlenuts (Oseland suggests unsalted macadamias as a substitution)<br />
1 can coconut milk<br />
a 4-inch stick of cinnamon<br />
1 star anise <br />
2 stalks of lemongrass, tied into knots<br />
6 kaffir lime leaves<br />
5 daun salam leaves<br />
1 tsp kosher salt<br />
<br />
1) Bash up the nutmeg into pieces under a Pyrex. Put it in a spice/coffee grinder with the cloves, grind into a powder.<br />
<br />
2) Put the shallots, ginger, garlic, galangal, chilis, and candlenuts in a tall measuring cup with a bit of water. Use an immersion blender to grind to a smooth sludge. (You can also do this in a small food processor.)<br />
<br />
3) Turn the InstantPot on to Saute. Add just a bit of coconut oil to the pot. When it gets hot, use it to saute the flavoring paste, making sure to stir enough that nothing burns. This mode is <i>hot</i>, and at least in mine there's no 'medium' setting option. (It's been suggested you could do this sauteing in a spoonful of the coconut cream from the top of the can. Probably true, but I didn't try it.) After a minute or two, add the ground spices, turmeric, star anise, cinnamon stick, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and daum salam. Stir fry another minute or two. Everything should start to smell really good.<br />
<br />
4) Add the beef, coconut milk, and salt. Add enough water to barely cover the beef. Seal on the lid, and set to pressure cook for 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
5) Now is a good time to cook something green to go with it, and get a pot of rice ready to go.<br />
<br />
6) When the pot beeps, let it sit for 5 minutes then do a manual release. (This is a good time to start the rice.) Take off the top and set it back to Saute mode. Cook down until the liquid is gone and the fat starts to foam. At first you'll only need to stir occasionally, as the liquid thickens things will start to stick and constant stirring gets important. Let everything fry in the remaining fat for a few minutes until it gets nice and brown and/or you get fed up with how badly it's sticking to the bottom. The meat will be totally falling apart here - that's good. You may want to cycle the heat element on and off to keep it from getting too hot at the end.<br />
<br />
7) Transfer the rendang into a serving dish and pull out all the whole spices and leaves you can. Consider deglazing the pot with a little bit of liquid and scraping up all the tasty brown bits stuck to the bottom, since there's a ton of flavor in there, but you don't want to be pouring anything too liquidy over the rendang. Serve with rice and a veg. Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-58060654179890995302017-10-07T10:33:00.000-04:002017-10-07T10:42:39.283-04:00GBBO CurryWow, it's definitely been two years since I wrote anything here. Prof life is busy, y'all. Quick update: Still teaching at Swarthmore, married Matt, got an InstantPot for a wedding present. And somewhere in there we watched a lot of Great British Bake-Off on tv and just loved <a href="https://www.nadiyahussain.com/" target="_blank">Nadiya</a>, who (spoiler alert!) won a season or two ago. So I recently followed her on Twitter, where she's generally a ray of sunshine, and found out she has some cookbooks and bought one. And then thus week made the lamb bhuna, because of course that's the first thing I go for.<br />
<br />
The bhuna was pretty great. Even though I didn't quite follow the recipe. First of all, it comes with a recipe for garlic naan, but instead of 200 grams (1 1/3 cups) of flour (yes, it's ll in grams and weight measurements. Brits.) I somehow misread and put 800 grams (5 1/3 cups) in the food processor, and didn't notice til I'd mixed in the other dry ingredients so it was too late to turn back, and so I quadrupled everything else too and we ate a LOT of naan. Which really isn't a bad thing. (NB: My kindle version of the book says 'add the water' in the naan recipe but doesn't ever say how much. If you believe the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lamb_bhuna_with_garlic_27184" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BBC version</a>, it's 100ml - just under half cup, or 7 tablespoons - for a normal 200g-of-flour batch. Also: 1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose + 1.5 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt, says <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/homemade-self-rising-flour-recipe" target="_blank">King Arthur</a>.)<br />
<br />
Then also the recipe called for 800 grams (1 3/4 lbs) lamb, and I only bought just under a pound, and because the recipe already only uses half the curry paste it makes and I didn't want to divide by four, and also yay leftovers, I made up the difference with eggplants. And left out the bell peppers b/c eew. And made it in the InstantPot instead of on the stovetop, because that thing is magic for getting tender falling-apart meat bits. (As Chekhov said, introduce an InstantPot in the first paragraph, you have to use it in the third.) So what follows here is almost but not really the real thing, converted into cups and pounds for us Yankees, and really quite tasty. Cheers.<br />
<br />
<u><b>InstantPot Lamb-Eggplant Bhuna àla Nadiya</b></u><br />
~1 lb lamb cubes<br />
2 medium-small eggplants<br />
7 tbsp olive oil<br />
2 tbsp fresh ginger <br />
2 small onions <br />
2 hot peppers or to taste<br />
5+ cloves of garlic <br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp turmeric<br />
1.5 tsp curry powder, whatever that means to you<br />
1.5 tsp garam masala<br />
chopped cilantro<br />
<br />
1. Roughly chop the onions, garlic, chilis, and ginger. Use a small food processor or, even better, an immersion blender in a tall measuring cup to whiz them into a smooth paste together with the oil, salt, spices, and 1/3 cup of water.<br />
<br />
2. Chop the lamb into bite-sized cubes if it isn't already. Same with the eggplants. <br />
<br />
3. Put the curry paste in the InstantPot, turn it on to the Saute function, and cook 5-10 minutes, until it starts to separate. Stir a lot - the saute setting is blazing hot and burnt curry paste is no good (though a little sticking & browning is just fine).<br />
<br />
4. Add the lamb to the pot and brown the sides for another ~5 min. Add the eggplant and stir to coat with curry goo. Add 2/3 cup more water, put on the lid, and set to pressure cook for 30 min. This is a good moment to cook the naans (see BBC link above) and/or put on some basmati rice.<br />
<br />
5. When the InstantPot's finished doing its thing, let it rest for another few minutes then vent the steam. take the top back off, set it back to Saute, and cook another 5-10 mins, stirring, til the sauce reduces. The eggplant will suddenly collapse into mush, which is fine. Taste for salt, serve with chopped cilantro.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-60230248258763995822015-10-29T20:15:00.001-04:002015-10-29T20:15:48.552-04:00To RememberAwesome:<br />
NY Times Moroccan Herb Jam:<br />
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017742-moroccan-herb-jam<br />
Make with carrot tops, kale, spinach, fennel, parsley, cilantro, etc etc etc. Spread on bread with hummus or eat on toast with harissa and a fried egg. <br />
<br />
Awesomer:<br />
Quick Banh Mi:<br />
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014140-shortcut-banh-mi-with-pickled-carrots-and-daikon<br />
(Slice chicken thighs thin and marinate in all the stuff you're supposed to cook with the pork, then cook on a hot grill pan. Add a splash of fish sauce and sriracha to the pickles and a splash of soy to the marinade. Skip the Mayo.)<br />
<br />
Awesomest:<br />
Xi'an lamb burgers (A cross between <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017683-lucky-peach-lamb-burgers" target="_blank">this</a> and <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/xian-burgers" target="_blank">this</a>.)<br />
<br />
1lb ground lamb<br />
2 whole star anise <br />
at least 1tbsp ground cumin<br />
toasted Szechuan peppercorns or peppercorn oil<br />
Sriracha or chili flakes<br />
Small red onion, sliced thin<br />
garlic, minced<br />
pinch sugar<br />
pinch cinnamon <br />
2-3 tbsp soy sauce<br />
2-3 tbsp rice wine (or mix of sake and vermouth)<br />
Cilantro leaves<br />
Chopped scallions <br />
<br />
1) Cook the lamb in a pan with some oil and the star anise until just brown but not crispy. Add everything else and give a good stir. Cover for a few minutes, then take off the lid and let the liquid cook down. When nearly done, mix in the chopped scallions, and cook a minute more. Taste for spiciness and cumin - it should taste strongly of both. The meat should be wet like a sloppy joe but not swimming. If too wet, keep cooking.<br />
<br />
2) Serve on flatbread, over rice or thick flat wheat noodles, or on a roll, with cilantro leaves scattered on top.<br />
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-45431045285877474972015-03-14T19:02:00.000-04:002015-03-14T19:02:11.643-04:00Quasi L'estate<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="371">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
About a year and a half ago, I went to Italy with my
grandparents. Lake Garda – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gardasee</i>
–, at the edge of the Dolomites, is about a four hour drive south-east of their
house in Bavaria, where I was visiting, and Monika suggested it would make a
nice excursion. Y’know, just pop down to Italy for the weekend, like you do.
Not a suggestion I’m apt to turn down. So we did, and it was indeed a lovely
weekend. I discovered I’m terrible at windsurfing – Garda’s apparently a mecca
for it, with reliable winds off the mountains, but I spent more time in the
lake righting my board than upright on it, and kudos to my instructor for his
patience with that. I got caught on the summit of Monte Baldo in a thunderhail
storm, and made it to shelter soaked through, muddy, and barefoot – slippery
wet sandals are slippery – just as the deluge let up. (Did I mention this was
August?) And on our last day there, Monika decided we should drive out to Valpolicella
to find a vineyard and taste/buy some wines. After a lot of winding down dirt
roads through rows of vines, we found a guy who said he’d let us into his
winery, just let him drive home and get the key to open the place up. So we had
our own private tasting, except he poured us nearly full glasses instead of
tastes, and the wine was delicious, and Monika bought a case. Driving back to
Torbole, where we were staying, it got to be around dinner time, so we stopped
at a hotel on the mountainside to eat. I ordered a pasta dish with roasted
tomatoes, sausage, and sage. It was phenomenal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Skip ahead to January, in the depths of a Philly winter. I
have in my fridge a jar of roasted tomatoes preserved in olive oil that my
mother made last summer, when the garden was popping out tomatoes faster than they
could possibly be eaten, and a box of really good pasta in the pantry. Time to
recreate the Valpolicella dish. It’s not quite the same as August in the
Dolomites, but damned if it doesn’t brighten up a grey East Coast afternoon. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyXQkGKlZYnW0K7A2VgG5Ggyhmnx0vtucAHSdAfSz9ZyQptRqYeKUS3_UiZYl0tcLHMVTYa6Hxx-jCEtnU13Z8cQYAiW4y009Z-uMl7woXm8urM7wcqRdettCp9j3Vbeq7r4mMSCW8FO8/s1600/DSC00010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyXQkGKlZYnW0K7A2VgG5Ggyhmnx0vtucAHSdAfSz9ZyQptRqYeKUS3_UiZYl0tcLHMVTYa6Hxx-jCEtnU13Z8cQYAiW4y009Z-uMl7woXm8urM7wcqRdettCp9j3Vbeq7r4mMSCW8FO8/s1600/DSC00010.JPG" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b>Valpolicella Roasted Tomato-Sausage Pasta</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 links Italian pork sausage</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Roasted tomatoes, roughly chopped**</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fresh sage, chopped</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Garlic, minced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Olive oil</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salt & pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Grated Romano cheese</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good-quality short pasta, like cavatelli or orecchietti </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan. Crumble in the insides of
the sausage, and brown. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2) Meanwhile, set some pasta water to boil. Cook the pasta to
al dente while sauteeing other things.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3) Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic. Sautee until soft
& fragrant. Add the sage, and cook a minute more. Put in a good dose of
cheese, then salt & pepper to taste.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4) Add the cooked pasta and a splash of its water to the pan
and toss everything to combine. Serve with more grated cheese, olive oil for
drizzling, and Italian wine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xTIVEQ9Sw59VQ57tSimk8SVuXkIpRnOyc2akQXvqQefUntZZM9oXzX0RobwWg7zk0ubAkD-5hs1l2n8ouAgrbwQMR-mnyBXbrrhipt8l3lvjCgEfLzF917NeTarg5R_0AE0rWdwJN1-b/s1600/DSC00006.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xTIVEQ9Sw59VQ57tSimk8SVuXkIpRnOyc2akQXvqQefUntZZM9oXzX0RobwWg7zk0ubAkD-5hs1l2n8ouAgrbwQMR-mnyBXbrrhipt8l3lvjCgEfLzF917NeTarg5R_0AE0rWdwJN1-b/s1600/DSC00006.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuff in a pan, before it becomes stuff on pasta.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>**Roasted Tomatoes, or Summer in a Jar</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Basically just follow <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/08/slow-roasted-tomatoes/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen’s recipe</a>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In August, when there’s more tomatoes than you know what to
do with, slice a pile of plum, cherry, or normal (not gigantic heirloom)
tomatoes in half. Set them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and
a bit of oregano or marjoram. Add a few whole smashed garlic cloves. Drizzle
the whole thing with olive oil. Bake at ~225 for about three hours, until
things get all caramelizedy around the edges. Store in a jar in the fridge, with
olive oil high enough to cover everything.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you didn’t plan ahead, or used up all of your tomatoes
already, or whatever, you can use store-bought jars of tomatoes in oil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or sun-dried tomatoes soaked a for a bit in
hot water to soften.</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-8356490392539151132014-12-24T11:26:00.000-05:002014-12-24T11:28:52.648-05:00Eggs & TomatoesShakshuka. Why have I not written about shakshuka yet? 1) It's easy to throw together with minimal planning (if your pantry looks like mine, which for your sake I kind of hope it doesn't). 2) It's delicious. 3) It's got possibly the best name in the history of food. I'm on winter break (ie grading/course-planning/conference-talk-writing month), so time to make up for my past shakshuka negligence. Mea culpa.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CzVI88G_MqQiS71IpZMpTOAmf7rJHXdEPqvR5-Q_p1pQEh-CX7ihtT-G8rFnUYASwIAzqVERn_8Embqj52R8qTqVlbbj0o6AVYBcJBfFJzTsineblcUZIQ2HT3VQTAPRDFir_TtLCALS/s1600/20141216_202649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CzVI88G_MqQiS71IpZMpTOAmf7rJHXdEPqvR5-Q_p1pQEh-CX7ihtT-G8rFnUYASwIAzqVERn_8Embqj52R8qTqVlbbj0o6AVYBcJBfFJzTsineblcUZIQ2HT3VQTAPRDFir_TtLCALS/s1600/20141216_202649.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine recommended.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Shakshuka is North African, or Israeli, or well what culture within spitting distance of the Mediterranean doesn't have some version of eggs baked in tomato sauce for dinner? There's likely as many versions as there are people making it: the <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014721-shakshuka-with-feta" target="_blank">NY Times</a> published one, as did <a href="http://therebelkitchen.com/2014/04/24/ottolenghis-shakshuka-eggs/" target="_blank">Yotam Ottolenghi</a> (actually several from him); my version takes <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/04/shakshuka/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen's version</a> as a starting point and then departs from it entirely. As usual, I make no claims to authenticity. All I'm saying is it tastes good.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Shakshuka!</b></u><br />
1 lg (28oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes<br />
1 fist-sized onion, or a leek<br />
1-5 cloves garlic, to taste<br />
1 can chickpeas<br />
1 tsp cumin<br />
1 tbsp paprika (or way way way less if you use the same uber-smokey kind I have)<br />
1 tsp cayenne<br />
olive oil <br />
S&P to taste<br />
good crumbled feta<br />
1-2 eggs per person<br />
chopped parsley and/or cilantro<br />
good sourdough/pita/other bread to serve with <br />
<u>Optional other additions: </u><br />
harissa paste or powder<br />
spinach leaves<br />
crumbled sausage (merguez?) or bacon<br />
diced bell or spicy peppers (I take it these are fairly traditional. Whatevs.)<br />
Other veggies as desired<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04i-nJ6oCL03WXGdn8j4dPlTLQBpJQZgaI44LTGH0pGBG3ro6cjHjbniPC48tCbSoYi88qFDXa4FDrh1Y03KnXpMOvNNHK9Q1qC_RAY2rlWhTS7aWV6IRSO0WwViziihheIWqv4M9WFib/s1600/20141216_190919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04i-nJ6oCL03WXGdn8j4dPlTLQBpJQZgaI44LTGH0pGBG3ro6cjHjbniPC48tCbSoYi88qFDXa4FDrh1Y03KnXpMOvNNHK9Q1qC_RAY2rlWhTS7aWV6IRSO0WwViziihheIWqv4M9WFib/s1600/20141216_190919.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leeks! Green parts welcome.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
1) Rinse & chop the onion/leeks. Toss them in a cast iron skillet with some olive oil and saute til soft/translucent. If you're doing peppers of any sort, this is probably the moment to add those too.<br />
<br />
2) Mince the garlic. Add to the saute party, along with the spices.<br />
<br />
2.5) At this point, you or your forward-thinking cooking companion will realize that if you're gonna turn that leftover pizza dough in the fridge into pita breads, you'll need the cast iron skillet for that. Transfer everything to a Dutch oven. (This step optional.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzhAueH0FdokRBn5_EljA-6g8mGxYfBLTfWLKFqOgb0LiLm9S3z3yrKtNozmz0W85AbVQK9C5WK_XYI9aIiRj14TjzTxtelQ3NNFw7a7COFkV79JWjl14KBzvGYCJOeGMLHfGoY2Ye2YO/s1600/20141216_192621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzhAueH0FdokRBn5_EljA-6g8mGxYfBLTfWLKFqOgb0LiLm9S3z3yrKtNozmz0W85AbVQK9C5WK_XYI9aIiRj14TjzTxtelQ3NNFw7a7COFkV79JWjl14KBzvGYCJOeGMLHfGoY2Ye2YO/s1600/20141216_192621.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuff in pot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3) Once everything's nice and fragrant, pour in the tomatoes and the drained, rinsed chickpeas. Let simmer until the sauce is thick enough to make indentations to set the eggs into. Near the end, stir in any spinach leaves or cooked sausage. Salt & pepper to taste.<br />
<br />
4) Preheat the over to around 400. Use a spoon to make dents in the top of the sauce, then crack eggs into them. Don't scramble the eggs first, since that will make them runny and they'll just go everywhere instead of nestling in their little holes. Trust me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP40mFyxhBrItLI0OrUFkEzOg-Y6f1kWdjv5sDxcqL_NGN86S-UfngP1asu3_5bF-wnVwVNbF_MJH42YZzznEyxzxjlOOJOdQU9-_WqIa82m_icYd5UYBhqtdFbc38keC5mA29YGQgPT6/s1600/20141216_200326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP40mFyxhBrItLI0OrUFkEzOg-Y6f1kWdjv5sDxcqL_NGN86S-UfngP1asu3_5bF-wnVwVNbF_MJH42YZzznEyxzxjlOOJOdQU9-_WqIa82m_icYd5UYBhqtdFbc38keC5mA29YGQgPT6/s1600/20141216_200326.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ignore runny scrambled egg in the upper right. Don't do that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
5) Crumble feta all over everything. I like a good Bulgarian sheep's milk feta, but take your pick.<br />
<br />
6) Put a top on the pan and bake for around 10 minutes, until the eggs are set to your liking. Runny is good. Broil for the last few if you want the cheese to brown and bubble a little. If you forget, you could use your creme brulee torch to get the same effect, but only if you're totally insane. Don't look at me.<br />
<br />
7) Top with chopped parsley and/or cilantro, then scoop into bowls and eat with warm bread. Possible other variations include replacing cumin, cilantro, and feta with oregano, basil, and romano (ricotta?) for ouvo alla shakshuka, or whatever other national spin appeals to you. Buon appetito.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_ilRhMDW_RoeMM-aK-4cRWjKqPueumlKS5aDyx9zNssIK91B8sGB1M7ChUVcN6HzX343iw-kbgWt-XOjcyQbHJbkRS5xivGdTfi9ZtJhfxb2n2ipYKddGW7wbLxdd876qTapV-in77yu/s1600/20141216_202012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_ilRhMDW_RoeMM-aK-4cRWjKqPueumlKS5aDyx9zNssIK91B8sGB1M7ChUVcN6HzX343iw-kbgWt-XOjcyQbHJbkRS5xivGdTfi9ZtJhfxb2n2ipYKddGW7wbLxdd876qTapV-in77yu/s1600/20141216_202012.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also ignore shitty camera phone photos. Next time I'll charge my actual camera battery before cooking. Maybe. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-16242228784416468492014-09-27T15:45:00.002-04:002014-09-28T12:35:28.521-04:00Artichokes + Garlic + Pasta = LoveSo it's been what, 5 months since I last posted here? My bad. In that stretch I've finished, defended, and submitted a dissertation, moved to Philly, and started teaching linguistics to precocious undergrads at my alma mater. It's been busy as hell, and as part of my dissertation recovery program I've been studiously avoiding writing anything longer than the answer key to the latest homework. But it's a Saturday and I'm kinda caught up on classes and this pasta is ridiculously good, so let me hereby declare this latest blogging sabbatical over. (Attn. any of my students who might be reading this: That was a performative. And yes, it will be on the quiz.)<br />
<br />
Back before the madness that was this summer, on the last night of our super-secret trip to Italy in March, N. and I got dinner at a little restaurant in Bologna that we found on TripAdvisor. It was far too slick for its own good, and I was skeptical, but we were there and hungry, so we ordered a spaghetti al diavolo and a fettuccine al carciofi to split. The spicy spaghetti was quite good. We fought over the fettuccine.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FAZKPqemErq6WEmKvN1MDvtZfU3yh6UXxESrJ1ioGmWO8LO6LTmebfB5fiQBgzlA_eOtAlBfdIlirSy0XlkOTgaIKxUodB9_t_edK4mHKyptkmgcdvgN_e97eNmE2TDUeoI8o721r8tP/s1600/20140912_183735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FAZKPqemErq6WEmKvN1MDvtZfU3yh6UXxESrJ1ioGmWO8LO6LTmebfB5fiQBgzlA_eOtAlBfdIlirSy0XlkOTgaIKxUodB9_t_edK4mHKyptkmgcdvgN_e97eNmE2TDUeoI8o721r8tP/s1600/20140912_183735.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Since getting back I've made it myself twice, and I can tell you this: it can either be the biggest pain in the ass pasta you've ever made, or it can be easy as hell and taste as good. I'm adapting my instructions here from Marcella Hazan, and while I have all the love and respect in the world for Marcella, I will say this about her version of the recipe: it's insane. And not in the fun, look at this crazy elaborate birthday cake that's a lot of work but comes out awesome kind of way (cough, cough). More in the totally unnecessary, will have you cursing her and your knives and artichokes and pasta til you say screw it and just order pizza kind of way. You can, if you want, buy fresh whole artichokes, trim, clean, chop, and par-cook them, and proceed from there, as Marcella suggests. Or you can get a nice can or frozen bag of artichoke quarters or hearts, and save yourself the time and headache. I suspect you know which route I advocate.<br />
<br />
A note on canned or jarred artichokes, however: make sure you get the ones packed in salt water, not vinegar. You'll probably have better luck with this in cans rather than jars. Rinse them well before chopping so they're not obscenely salty. Better still are frozen ones, which obviate the need for rinsing and (I think) taste a mite fresher. At Whole Foods I had the choice between quarters or hearts - hearts will be more tender; quarters will have a bit more chew. Dealer's choice here. I've tried both, both iterations were hits.<br />
<br />
So without further ado:<br />
<br />
<u><b>Crazy easy, crazy good, post-dissertation pasta with artichokes</b></u><br />
2 cans/1bag artichoke pieces<br />
garlic <br />
lemon juice<br />
parsley<br />
grated Romano cheese<br />
S&P<br />
olive oil<br />
1lb pasta <br />
<br />
1) Rinse the artichokes well if they're canned. Chop into pretty small pieces. Toss into a pan with some olive oil, saute for about 10 minutes over medium heat.<br />
<br />
2) Mince/crush garlic to taste (3 cloves for my garlic-loving self), add to the pan, saute a few minutes more.<br />
<br />
3) Add a good bit of lemon juice, a lot of parsley, and some cheese. Stir, then add salt & pepper to taste (careful of the salt if using caned chokes). Cook about a minute, then turn off the heat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxhCTJlPcSLlvFQDi8J3twLvmYAQw2f06lIEyHhklbtpFeKB1Exk9hvoEGnarav_h-a6V02-_SMR2Ko6XxygLSkt0phUPMBHW4WkBKXd7n5zo96OpyDuIE3GwzHF72SF02PeDmWPQdH83/s1600/20140912_191519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxhCTJlPcSLlvFQDi8J3twLvmYAQw2f06lIEyHhklbtpFeKB1Exk9hvoEGnarav_h-a6V02-_SMR2Ko6XxygLSkt0phUPMBHW4WkBKXd7n5zo96OpyDuIE3GwzHF72SF02PeDmWPQdH83/s1600/20140912_191519.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
4) Cook the pasta.<br />
<br />
5) Add a splash of the pasta water to the artichoke mixture, then toss
in the pasta. Serve with more cheese, parsley, and a drizzle of fresh
olive oil. I served it at a dinner party alongside a tomato/cucumber
salad from my mother's garden, good bread, a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/dining/the-galette-forgives-you.html" target="_blank">peach/plum/rosemary galette</a>, and some truly outstanding muffaletta meatballs that the
inimitable A.P. may soon share the recipe for if we're lucky. Buon
appetito. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWE76HNG6KEF_dw3UsJo1f2adCStKi3wfL4O-1i7_sgINBhAPoE2rxTVSXVFhqHwSf82T_t78VZMEyb60wWdoZI5CmBkQrtEUViF5-bkXf0ZkM-DiGynbySNLHvhHuFQ8XiHDobsTPU5l/s1600/DSC05914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWE76HNG6KEF_dw3UsJo1f2adCStKi3wfL4O-1i7_sgINBhAPoE2rxTVSXVFhqHwSf82T_t78VZMEyb60wWdoZI5CmBkQrtEUViF5-bkXf0ZkM-DiGynbySNLHvhHuFQ8XiHDobsTPU5l/s1600/DSC05914.JPG" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-61384878860060336502014-04-22T15:34:00.000-04:002014-04-22T17:12:35.796-04:00Insanity Cake #2Ok so I realize that this is my second post in a row about a truly insane birthday cake that if you have any sense at all you'll never make. But it's my blog and I can, so I will. Backstory: N's birthday was on Friday. When I asked what kind of cake he wanted, he suggested chocolate (duh) chevre cheesecake with rum and raisins. Which is incredibly sweet - the chevre part was for my benefit, since goat's milk is way kinder to my system than cow's milk - but also kind of weird. So I considered for a while and came up with this monstrosity. I'd been wanting to make him the amazing <a href="http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2011/04/the-raw-brownie-2/" target="_blank">Raw Brownies</a> from <a href="http://www.mynewroots.org/site/" target="_blank">My New Roots</a>, because they're amazing and chocolate (duh). I'd also been wanting to make the chocolate tart from my <a href="http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=payard+simply+sensational+desserts&sts=t&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">Payard cookbook</a>, even though that got shot down as an idea in the initial round of cake planning. And he did say cheesecake. So... a layer of cheesecake? Under a layer of tart? With the raw brownies as a shell? Chocolate (duh), flavored with rum and cinnamon. Anything else?<br />
<br />
I called my sister, who is a far better baker/far more insane than me. The two layers, she said, need some differentiation - just cinnamon up the bottom. And why make the bottom layer chocolate cheesecake when it could be marbled? It occurred to me that the whole thing was going to be a pile of very creamy textures; some crackle and crunch would be nice. Chopped almonds? Bruleed top? Both! I ordered a creme brulee torch on Amazon. I googled cheesecake recipes. I got the torch, realized my existing tin of lighter fluid wouldn't fill it, and not one of the drug stores in New Haven carries butane (really?!?), and ordered that on Amazon too. I de-milkified the whole thing to the extent possible, added graham crackers to the crust because cheesecake, went shopping, and baked for a total of about six hours. Mark Bittman, in his How to Cook Everything, says that replacing the cream cheese in his recipe with ricotta is just fine, so I figured replacing half of mine with goat cheese wouldn't be a disaster. Halfway through baking I realized - after ripping apart my pantry to find it - that my block of good chocolate had been finished in an earlier project, and ran out to get more, only to discover that my options were milk, white, or unsweetened, no bittersweet to be found. So I bought milk chocolate and finished my cocoa powder compensating (don't do that). And on Friday I snuck into N's apartment while he was in rehearsal, bruleed the top, drizzled the whole thing in melted chocolate, lit a candle, and surprised him. And it was fantastic. Totally over the top, rich, decadent, insane, and delicious. And totally worth it. Happy birthday.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkELu_-SP3Ig7NejdekFq0OkKru1Dn74SsH_RD1K-rRp1Br97FJso4YPWA1h_k6_Re8Qs6rc4pF2pknW7YZ1k9t-CsWv_-zbBnh1d4qMHYdlwbqqdvX85uqIxmYK1ePkUK20n7pucxGi5j/s1600/DSC05797.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkELu_-SP3Ig7NejdekFq0OkKru1Dn74SsH_RD1K-rRp1Br97FJso4YPWA1h_k6_Re8Qs6rc4pF2pknW7YZ1k9t-CsWv_-zbBnh1d4qMHYdlwbqqdvX85uqIxmYK1ePkUK20n7pucxGi5j/s1600/DSC05797.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Some notes: I've given instructions below for both low- and high-lactose versions. I used goat cheese and almond milk, but go ahead and use all cream cheese and heavy cream. I flavored with cinnamon and rum, but you could leave one out, leave them both out, replace the cinnamon with orange zest or the rum with creme de menthe or or the almonds with hazelnut or whatever flavor combination strikes you. Also, while the marbling of the cheesecake was cool, it all ended up kind of mixing together so you could skip a step and just make it all chocolate or plain. Your call. The original recipes list baking times as rather shorter than what I found necessary, so keep an eye out and check for doneness with a toothpick early and often.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mfh2ucGW0f8H3-VC6uPXf9YIHXyK9TQauRfXNhoX3vdiqTUS_RrwvwSml2ARLm2mIEGN0V3hay1Fn-kMO8OSf5A4QLmfCKH96A_O5yMEYzV5-x3f3c_x608r9v83FYNsiVoQQHqliWnY/s1600/DSC05802.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mfh2ucGW0f8H3-VC6uPXf9YIHXyK9TQauRfXNhoX3vdiqTUS_RrwvwSml2ARLm2mIEGN0V3hay1Fn-kMO8OSf5A4QLmfCKH96A_O5yMEYzV5-x3f3c_x608r9v83FYNsiVoQQHqliWnY/s1600/DSC05802.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Bruleed Chocolate Marble Cheesecake Tart Brownie Cake with Cinnamon and Rum Because Why the </b><b>Hell Not.</b></u><br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>Brownie crust (Adapted from My New Roots):</u><br />
2 cups walnuts<br />
1 cup almonds<br />
5 cinnamon graham crackers (Omit if you want it gluten-free, or for Passover, or whatever)<br />
2 ½ cups pitted dates<br />
1 cup cocoa powder<br />
2 tbsp coconut oil<br />
¼ tsp. salt<br />
(This will make extra. Enjoy the rest sprinkled over ice cream, eaten with a spoon, or pressed into another pan to make the originally-intended brownies.) <br />
<br />
1) Make the crust: Whizz nuts in the food processor until well ground. Add graham crackers, and whizz again. Add remaining ingredients and blend until it starts to look kind of like garden soil and sticks together when you squeeze it. If it's not sticky enough, add more dates. Be sure to get the pits out first if you want any of this to work.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wHYI1N_9JNB31Y1feNsMToGmhcIhrJvlweMQyn60MM9DZ-3Gw-yV4D8xZMv23ajOk8Pcs6wZEh5iXfSy638N7Tq7PNHXgBi0fknJGMYNrmOMUAwOqe_XJYfeYrMrrdBQ3mMQz9yZcguN/s1600/combo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wHYI1N_9JNB31Y1feNsMToGmhcIhrJvlweMQyn60MM9DZ-3Gw-yV4D8xZMv23ajOk8Pcs6wZEh5iXfSy638N7Tq7PNHXgBi0fknJGMYNrmOMUAwOqe_XJYfeYrMrrdBQ3mMQz9yZcguN/s1600/combo1.jpg" height="490" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1) Dates. 2) Nuts & Grahams. 3) Ready to go. 4) Finished consistency.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMms8gVu6FY5AnI1eAwJtq5VQa_mbha2c__ylEliWKrW9kTSSfamDgN3Lvd_LpZmnHBW0AQ8IYwNaTfbcuCrC3XYyyHho6S77ffNn0-LWuFIk9OcFQNTc1LMsu2pPXiYEffwIVFU17PlYk/s1600/combo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2) Grease a 10x10 pyrex dish (I used coconut oil). Press the dough into the pan to form a layer a quarter-inch thick over the bottom and sides.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2i1flSU8CHOoRFAvljbKCROCnwOSi_VUEbYCn0OX2n6txY23iWz1IRrnbLznF6N6t0z-2tEGEZUcl5RZMAOwmK8C-KV7FOGqWprSyv0uTUO3iuq8j3C8dvua-sbEKiXvMWvzN9bjtVYV/s1600/DSC05780.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2i1flSU8CHOoRFAvljbKCROCnwOSi_VUEbYCn0OX2n6txY23iWz1IRrnbLznF6N6t0z-2tEGEZUcl5RZMAOwmK8C-KV7FOGqWprSyv0uTUO3iuq8j3C8dvua-sbEKiXvMWvzN9bjtVYV/s1600/DSC05780.JPG" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>Marble Cheesecake (Adapted from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/08/no-teddy-bear-guts-no-glory/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>)</u><br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream/coconut creamer<br />
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely<br />
1/2 cup (goat) yogurt<br />
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese<br />
4 oz of the mildest goat chevre you can find (or another half package cream cheese)<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
cinnamon<br />
rum <br />
<br />
3) Make the caramel. Yes, this is nuts, but as the original recipe points out, it's also not hard and very delicious. Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan (I used my cast iron) over medium-low heat, and stir fairly constantly. First it will clump up, then melt into a clear pale puddle. Keep going til it hits a nice golden brown. Pour in the cream or coconut creamer. It will bubble and get all steamy and the sugar will harden up again. Keep stirring. Let the sugar re-melt. Be careful when you can't resist dripping a bit on your pinkie to taste; this stuff's hot. Pour half out into another pan and set that aside over low heat.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMms8gVu6FY5AnI1eAwJtq5VQa_mbha2c__ylEliWKrW9kTSSfamDgN3Lvd_LpZmnHBW0AQ8IYwNaTfbcuCrC3XYyyHho6S77ffNn0-LWuFIk9OcFQNTc1LMsu2pPXiYEffwIVFU17PlYk/s1600/combo2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMms8gVu6FY5AnI1eAwJtq5VQa_mbha2c__ylEliWKrW9kTSSfamDgN3Lvd_LpZmnHBW0AQ8IYwNaTfbcuCrC3XYyyHho6S77ffNn0-LWuFIk9OcFQNTc1LMsu2pPXiYEffwIVFU17PlYk/s1600/combo2.jpg" height="486" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1) Sugar starting to melt. 2) Post-cream. 3) Re-melted with cream. 4) Plus chocolate & yogurt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
4) Stir the chopped chocolate into the caramel still in one pan and stir til everything melts. Still over low heat, stir in the yogurt. you should end up with something nice and creamy. (If you want a firmer cheesecake, use slightly less yogurt, down to a quarter cup total/eighth of a cup per half-batch.) Turn off the heat.<br />
<br />
5) Stir another quarter cup of yogurt into the caramel in the second pan. You should now have one pan of chocolate caramel and one of plain. (Or do these sequentially, washing the pan in between. Just realize that the second batch of caramel will be hard by the time you finish the first, and you can re-melt it in the microwave but use about 60% power and beware that it gets hot <i>fast</i>.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWpueqPZyQLXUhFITVkOkMuchdTuBh-He-OeVeFguysarZebU8mJliiZebLF-CU2UAR8UCv5bAYD6dILk6g6QezMHXdhrZuIzhA14XE0Ti50raRHe5jWMODWQsamR2ZnoGI8J2J_DryBs/s1600/DSC05768.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWpueqPZyQLXUhFITVkOkMuchdTuBh-He-OeVeFguysarZebU8mJliiZebLF-CU2UAR8UCv5bAYD6dILk6g6QezMHXdhrZuIzhA14XE0Ti50raRHe5jWMODWQsamR2ZnoGI8J2J_DryBs/s1600/DSC05768.JPG" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whipped cheeses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
6) Use a mixer to whip half of the cream cheese and half of the goat cheese til fluffy. Beat in the chocolate caramel at low speed. Beat in one egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla, a tablespoon or so of rum, and a good shake of cinnamon.<br />
<br />
7) Repeat step 4 with the non-chocolate caramel in a separate bowl. At this point you've got one bowl of plain cheesecake filling, one bowl of chocolate, and a lot of dirty dishes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxMHtzNoiqnDzPuVNLXRxl3XeSrG9MhVYtXc4cJPoryEyOIUPvDtx-mp9ivwQMhgi7N6sr-ULcxR8Ih9yfGK7NsN6S7RGDUq6pUixUU2ibUcl5WUoYGRkVodC5yzI-dKe_iWsyxgqxhfy/s1600/combo3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxMHtzNoiqnDzPuVNLXRxl3XeSrG9MhVYtXc4cJPoryEyOIUPvDtx-mp9ivwQMhgi7N6sr-ULcxR8Ih9yfGK7NsN6S7RGDUq6pUixUU2ibUcl5WUoYGRkVodC5yzI-dKe_iWsyxgqxhfy/s1600/combo3.jpg" height="246" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>Payard Chocolate Tart</u><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">8 oz bittersweet chocolate,
finely chopped</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1 cup cream or coconut creamer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1/4 cup milk or almond milk</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 large egg, lightly beaten</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp vanilla</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 tsp rum </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">8) Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Pour the milk and cream into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir til melted. Let cool 10 min.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">9) Whisk in the beaten egg, vanilla, and rum. Stick in the fridge.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="font-size: small;">Etc.</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Raw or turbinado sugar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Chopped almonds</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Melted chocolate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">10) Preheat oven to 350. Pour some of the plain cheesecake into the crust, then some chocolate, then some more plain, etc, til you've poured it all in. Use a chopstick or the handle of a butterknife to swirl it around til it's all marbled. Bake about 35 min.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroZxGreevlqac1l5XyJ29m1o-lwbNkV4jBpo4k-M2enoC5HxWEaBOL4lzFoybh9S5RSmOUS3MP0f43LmjrAgy8i-doytl_j4-tQRq12F9IZVPHZEP0Czs9XA95KcotjVnOIs6zv3j6K-6/s1600/DSC05781.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroZxGreevlqac1l5XyJ29m1o-lwbNkV4jBpo4k-M2enoC5HxWEaBOL4lzFoybh9S5RSmOUS3MP0f43LmjrAgy8i-doytl_j4-tQRq12F9IZVPHZEP0Czs9XA95KcotjVnOIs6zv3j6K-6/s1600/DSC05781.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">11) Pull the cheesecake out the the oven. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sprinkle with some chopped almonds and extra clumps of crust mixture </span> and pour the chocolate tart mixture over. It'll still be a bit goopy and you won't get nicely defined layers that's ok. Return to oven. Start checking for doneness after 15 minutes. The middle should be a little wiggly and the edges a bit cracked. This might take another half hour, so keep checking with a toothpick and don't despair. Pull out and let cool a bit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkpeJnVy4fK_pfwNgfGAUI4vKY4BSivBAf_EkdvMIPYS_kOoxur9zDFDz7iiZ_w3X0JuVswtcGAjih3kVzAqbT9slCdPX2iwR_qDGDapVbMr37qMDMUODjOQsQLXiSyAKSXcGrSqBP00H/s1600/DSC05785.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkpeJnVy4fK_pfwNgfGAUI4vKY4BSivBAf_EkdvMIPYS_kOoxur9zDFDz7iiZ_w3X0JuVswtcGAjih3kVzAqbT9slCdPX2iwR_qDGDapVbMr37qMDMUODjOQsQLXiSyAKSXcGrSqBP00H/s1600/DSC05785.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A done cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">12) Brulee: Cover any exposed crust with tin foil. (I didn't; that's why mine got singed.) Sprinkle an even layer of sugar over the top of the cake. Go to with the blow torch. I found this worked best if I went over an area once lightly so it got little beads of melted sugar, than again to melt most of it, then a third time to get any spots I'd missed. Once you get the sugar bobbling you can lay off with the flame; it will melt the bits around it and fill most little holes itself, and that way you avoid burning the sugar. If you do catch a bit on fire, blow it out, pull it off, fill the gap with more sugar, and re-brulee. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LhfHDTaBvEm7_S3VXuQA7LxZWqVqzAspji-WuB5BDKql3Z2x1VYg3JWlOFvSxrmhBaFUN6kdxlNF7afBPuwfJ37UiqH-sm8gNUTUJ3wC-RqTEvwWZzCi9zhM8y2BJGjoPNqP5OTULMwt/s1600/DSC05791.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LhfHDTaBvEm7_S3VXuQA7LxZWqVqzAspji-WuB5BDKql3Z2x1VYg3JWlOFvSxrmhBaFUN6kdxlNF7afBPuwfJ37UiqH-sm8gNUTUJ3wC-RqTEvwWZzCi9zhM8y2BJGjoPNqP5OTULMwt/s1600/DSC05791.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">13) Drizzle melted chocolate over everything. Scatter chopped nuts over the melted chocolate. Stick a candle in the middle. Yell 'Surprise!'. Enjoy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2usKxEg6ZchVzi0FG72wtW5xJ3zgsDrKKc94vwkgwzrUyaVk9Bj9F4Lk6-XaD_U1C-pwgymdeDIPVf91jzyvw1Ixhtvb_WwFUyQRGKmO_W2BChyjR2MwKFyAFgPHodzDW41Rk-zgxkQXN/s1600/DSC05794.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2usKxEg6ZchVzi0FG72wtW5xJ3zgsDrKKc94vwkgwzrUyaVk9Bj9F4Lk6-XaD_U1C-pwgymdeDIPVf91jzyvw1Ixhtvb_WwFUyQRGKmO_W2BChyjR2MwKFyAFgPHodzDW41Rk-zgxkQXN/s1600/DSC05794.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-71205809830181095152013-12-02T13:22:00.001-05:002013-12-02T13:27:50.770-05:00A Birthday Cake to End All Birthday CakesWelcome to Wolf Chops, Thanksgiving Edition! In honor of the holiday, I present you with a guest post from my sister, describing the birthday cake she made me six months ago. But it's utterly excessive, so frankly I think it fits with the whole spirit of Thanksgiving, and it includes roughly 3 sticks of butter, which is almost the same as oil, so bam, Hannukah too. This recipe is picky, and time-intensive, and a crap-ton of work, and absolutely one of the best sweets I've ever eaten. And I now fresh apricots are basically impossible to find right now, but I don't see why you couldn't make the pastry cream with, say almonds or walnuts or pecans instead of pistachios and then put some cinnamon-poached apples or pears on top instead for something seasonal. Or roasted chestnut and quince. Or pumpkin pie filling. Whatever. It's more or less just a giant croissant with fruit and cream on top, so you can do what you like. Yes, it will have a million calories and take all day, but a) it's the holidays so it'll fit right in and b) worth it! So without further ado, Sarah's Insane Giant Croissant Cake. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEa54kSpVt102MNp-GcVZpM6THaX_iYD2qdR7gdSbVSTt54KgOz2F-IZ1NnX6fjyLPgSyy2lT4dn-D03AY67XdLxzKpemtL4xCHDbAWVNkBUN4-ym7P4cIQU_5bw0z4cs43rfp3QuzL9s/s1600/DSC04113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEa54kSpVt102MNp-GcVZpM6THaX_iYD2qdR7gdSbVSTt54KgOz2F-IZ1NnX6fjyLPgSyy2lT4dn-D03AY67XdLxzKpemtL4xCHDbAWVNkBUN4-ym7P4cIQU_5bw0z4cs43rfp3QuzL9s/s640/DSC04113.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty, ain't it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
***</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each year, I have to top the last birthday cake I made for
Emily. Last year, I made a beautiful peach blueberry tart (pictured above in
the sidebar). (EAG: That was a damn tasty
tart.) Emily gave the in inspiration for my cake in April. She texted me a
picture of a pistachio apricot danish that she gets at a local farmers market. She
kept raving about that pastry, so I decided to make a variation of that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first question was what to use a base. I wanted something
denser than a cake. Emily suggested making a crust with almonds (EAG:
gluten free so Mom could eat it!), but that was too close a tart crust. Then it
came to me: I should base the crust on croissants I had experiment with making
croissants last fall, and had found a really good recipe. The croissant dough
would be similar to the danish base, but even better. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4R2guejzQTxw2W4TeqRfdQ-8nBoEgtavuXFPpnshsqCPUmpGA006G2bIObk5QXGoMcL9bQkwFnA8dA-a0u1vTeCnB5qPllECUeJMiCIT5gE0oHr9D2lnjlDc3-ovmtPV4-t7AVsAyrfE/s1600/20130420_110959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4R2guejzQTxw2W4TeqRfdQ-8nBoEgtavuXFPpnshsqCPUmpGA006G2bIObk5QXGoMcL9bQkwFnA8dA-a0u1vTeCnB5qPllECUeJMiCIT5gE0oHr9D2lnjlDc3-ovmtPV4-t7AVsAyrfE/s640/20130420_110959.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tart that started it all...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are basically three stages for making croissants. The
first step is making the dough. You melt butter, add some milk, and once the
butter dissolves and the temperature of the milk is below 90`F, you mix in the
yeast. You then combine the milk mixture with flour (preferably King Arthur all
purpose flour; it has the best protein content), sugar and salt in a mixer with
a dough hook. The dough should form a slightly sticky ball. The dough then
rests in the fridge on a parchment-lined baking sheet overnight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the dough was resting I tackled the pistachios. My
first thought was to make a pistachio-flavored pastry cream, using pistachio
extract, but that would be too close to last years’ again. Then I came across a
recipe for "Snow Eggs in pistachio cream" in the Gourmet Cookbook. To
make the pistachio cream, you grind the pistachios in a food processor with a
little milk, and then refrigerate the mixture for at least 8 hours to develop
the flavors. I originally made one batch of this, but it was so yummy, I made
another. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second stage or croissant making is laminating the
dough. You beat butter into an 8" x8" block, then place the butter in
the middle of the croissant dough, that has been rolled out to
24"x8". You then fold the dough over the butter block and seal it in
the dough. Then you roll the dough out to 8"x24" again, and then fold
the dough in thirds, like a letter. You repeat the rolling out and folding a
couple more times (at least 3, I did 5), to layer the butter between the layers
of dough. After it was laminated, the dough had to rest in the freezer for 2
hours. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUJqqfQqMRmXyOOXaZysMtPZN3GyfUqRWbKBLuqKdfhfHIZZKgjxvKOWtdWqMJAagdN-uhcAJqkrAgHuWQ6TzOscxXNXy7s28MwoV3FvOhig7iMOLRx2iWVNl7sMDQKiCBMF8nU9Kkj7Z/s1600/DSC04108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUJqqfQqMRmXyOOXaZysMtPZN3GyfUqRWbKBLuqKdfhfHIZZKgjxvKOWtdWqMJAagdN-uhcAJqkrAgHuWQ6TzOscxXNXy7s28MwoV3FvOhig7iMOLRx2iWVNl7sMDQKiCBMF8nU9Kkj7Z/s640/DSC04108.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorating the tart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the dough was resting, Emily and I tried one of the
apricots that had been bought for the cake. They were very tart and mealy. To
improve the flavor and texture, I decided to roast the apricots with vanilla. I
had hoped that it would add more sweetness, and the vanilla would mellow the
tartness. After they were done roasting, they still weren't quite sweet enough,
so I finished them off under the broiler, with a little vanilla sugar sprinkled
on top. At this point, they were still quite tart, but the tartness was no
longer overwhelming. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the dough had rested for 2 hours, I rolled it out
until it was about 1/4" thick at the center. I then draped the dough into
a tart pan and molded the dough to the edge of the pan. Because the cake is a
riff on a cheese Danish, I rolled 1 inch of the excess dough in to create a
rolled edge. In hindsight, I should have painted the excess dough with the
pistachio cream before rolling it, to break up the monotony of the huge crust. I
set a straight-sided bowl in the middle of the giant Danish to stop the dough
from rising too much and obliterating the center depression, and left it to rise
for 2 hours. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An hour and a half later, I preheated the oven to 425`, and
took the bowl out of the center of the Danish. I then painted the Danish with a
basic egg wash, with a little extra sugar. When the oven was preheated, I put
the Danish in and immediately lowered the heat to 400`. The Danish baked for 15
minutes, when it was nicely puffed and golden brown. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To assemble the cake, I spooned the pistachio cream into the
depression, the draped the apricots on top. The blackberries were placed around
the apricots, along with some almond slivers. The final step was to eat it. And
it was very tasty. (EAG: Damn straight.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgRUuetTzTT1sS4IRm3BQn18ib9hJR67KJBZzq9y-mfdWwo7ekF8zJK7pPLhYGyHTH7lWiCQAbb2l5YtMtRTNre_z4NGDTnKmTwIg9EsfYNg5XR7MUTV3zWzyaDxPm6qf2y4UI_FtHoJl/s1600/DSC04116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgRUuetTzTT1sS4IRm3BQn18ib9hJR67KJBZzq9y-mfdWwo7ekF8zJK7pPLhYGyHTH7lWiCQAbb2l5YtMtRTNre_z4NGDTnKmTwIg9EsfYNg5XR7MUTV3zWzyaDxPm6qf2y4UI_FtHoJl/s640/DSC04116.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the slice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Apricot-Pistachio Danish Cake</b></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Croissant dough:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>tablespoons unsalted butter plus 24 tablespoons (3
sticks) unsalted European-style-butter, very cold</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 3/4<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>cups whole milk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 1/4<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>cups (21 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/4<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 tsp salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>large egg</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>teaspoon cold water</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Pastry cream:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/2 cup shelled pistachios</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 tbsp sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7 tbsp of whole milk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Roasted apricots:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7 apricots</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup white wine</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/4 cup vanilla sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slivered almonds </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Egg wash:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 egg</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/4 cup sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dash of salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dash of water</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Optional:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fresh blackberries</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUfeMl1SKcFkT9x8XXfwhlIq-d2jImtfOzTEyLaZRbcigwVwREvwnSfyUu-4Ipcy6gj-WQtIHyREHUKgAaT6ctHy8_gwFJRLXRGn9niYKx666T1OUuOlKjTN8tPo9lVnwzHp-KbM0zrs_/s1600/DSC04101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUfeMl1SKcFkT9x8XXfwhlIq-d2jImtfOzTEyLaZRbcigwVwREvwnSfyUu-4Ipcy6gj-WQtIHyREHUKgAaT6ctHy8_gwFJRLXRGn9niYKx666T1OUuOlKjTN8tPo9lVnwzHp-KbM0zrs_/s640/DSC04101.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slivered almonds, after being roasted with the peaches.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) Melt 3 tbsp butter in over low heat. Take of the heat and
immediately stir in the milk. Let cool til the temperature is under 90’. Whisk
in the yeast, and pour it all into a stand mixer. Add flour, sugar, and 2
teaspoons salt, then knead on low speed using the dough hook roughly 2-3
minutes, until dough forms. Up the speed to medium-low and knead for another
minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for
half an hour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2) Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper dump in
the dough. Shape it into a 10-by-7-inch rectangle, about an inch thick. Wrap
tightly with plastic and stick in the fridge for 2 hours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3) Meanwhile, </span>fold
24-inch length of parchment paper in half to create 12-inch rectangle. Fold the
3 open edges over to form an 8-inch square with enclosed sides. Crease the folds
firmly. Place 3 (sliced) sticks of cold butter directly on the counter and whack
them with rolling pin for a minute or so until the butter is just pliable but
not yet warm, then fold butter in on itself using bench scraper. Beat it into
rough 6-inch square. Unfold your parchment envelope. Using the bench scraper,
transfer the butter to the middle of the parchment, then refold it enclose.
Turn the packet over so that the flaps are underneath, and gently roll with the
rolling pin until the butter fills parchment square, making sure it’s even.
Refrigerate at for least 45 minutes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4) </span>Put the
dough in the freezer for half an hour, then lightly flour your counter and roll
the dough into 17 by 8-inch rectangle with the long side along the edge of the counter.
Unwrap the butter from the parchment and place it in the center of the dough.
Fold the sides of the dough over the butter so they meet in the center, and
press the open edges together so they seal. Roll the butter/dough package out
lengthwise into 24 by 8-inch rectangle. Starting at the bottom of the dough,
fold it into thirds like a business letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees, then roll
it out lengthwise again into 24 by 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds again.
Place the dough on your cookie sheet, wrap it tightly with plastic, and put it
back in the freezer for another half hour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5) Put the dough back on your lightly-floured countertop so
that the top flap opens on the right. Roll the dough out lengthwise into a 24
by 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds (yet again). Place the dough back on
the sheet, wrap it tightly with plastic, and refrigerate it for yet another 2 to
24 hours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6) Make the Pistachio Cream: Finely grind the pistachios in
a food processor with the sugar. Add 2 tbsp of milk, and grind until it forms a
paste. Add the remaining 5 tbsp of milk and mix in the food processor until
well combined. Transfer the cream to a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours to
develop the flavors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexCw_o9hMesntwS06j7ZslYGwfLzh0LY8nLbKFmLhjSUdb2NhXbwGbi15WqBkf16U8W0nGyvin3JCfklfDRUHD3XRtBmVw8ruzYMviCiff5CRn1nL8I2cZNYoZQsY7kSn5W8w7GDBadS3/s1600/DSC04103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexCw_o9hMesntwS06j7ZslYGwfLzh0LY8nLbKFmLhjSUdb2NhXbwGbi15WqBkf16U8W0nGyvin3JCfklfDRUHD3XRtBmVw8ruzYMviCiff5CRn1nL8I2cZNYoZQsY7kSn5W8w7GDBadS3/s640/DSC04103.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pistachio cream (can also be eaten straight with a spoon).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7) Shape the Crust: Remove the Croissant dough from the
refrigerator and roll it out until it’s about 1/4" thick. Drape the dough
in a tart pan, so that there is a least an inch of excess dough all around when
the dough is molded to the sides of the pan (trim off any extra excess dough to
use/eat later). Paint a little of the pistachio cream on the excess dough. Roll
the excess inch of dough to make a Danish-like edge to the tart. Place a
buttered bowl with straight sides in the middle of the pan to keep the dough
from rising in the center, and let the dough rest of 2 hours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8) Prepare the Apricots: Preheat oven to 400`. Slice each
apricot into 4 flat slices with parallel cuts and place them in one layer in a
baking pan. Scatter a handful of slivered almonds. Mix together 1 cup of white wine, the vanilla seeds, and 2 tbsp
vanilla sugar. Pour the mixture over the apricots, and place the vanilla bean
pod in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid is gone. Put
aside and let cool.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_vyNRbDgkMz4bqnSqu7rsGs2HUDJr9grFJ3lVlMYHfMX2x_PODkOfuSU-iSKzpzxP4YuZeD1ZsV88lfkNR0yKWs87TxyltG0ktKkdnmtPB4c3ajJUSc99NXwe66B9-kMTAytSeSnP3eQ/s1600/DSC04098.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_vyNRbDgkMz4bqnSqu7rsGs2HUDJr9grFJ3lVlMYHfMX2x_PODkOfuSU-iSKzpzxP4YuZeD1ZsV88lfkNR0yKWs87TxyltG0ktKkdnmtPB4c3ajJUSc99NXwe66B9-kMTAytSeSnP3eQ/s640/DSC04098.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apricots, pre-roasting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9) Preparing the Crust: Raise the oven temperature to 425`. After
it has sat for at least 2 hours, remove the bowl from the croissant crust. Combine
the egg, sugar, and a dash of salt with a dash of wat<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>er,
and mix until well combined. Paint the croissant crust with the egg wash.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10) Bake the Crust: Place the croissant crust in the oven
and immediately turn down the oven's heat to 400`. Bake the croissant tart for
15 minutes, or until golden brown. The dough will puff up a lot. Remove from
the oven and let cool. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TN_-ObyMn6Tl92Of4LB3j6Yr7ju2DMFXi4So4uJDGDGDW2bLyzFetAuhW0SXyhW9JTj53wIUfkyUom0HCk1-rd8GEsuPD9SokwUhG5bqYJ4qnzwa-GcI0MPLfhwpN2S0hud4CXQGBjoj/s1600/DSC04110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TN_-ObyMn6Tl92Of4LB3j6Yr7ju2DMFXi4So4uJDGDGDW2bLyzFetAuhW0SXyhW9JTj53wIUfkyUom0HCk1-rd8GEsuPD9SokwUhG5bqYJ4qnzwa-GcI0MPLfhwpN2S0hud4CXQGBjoj/s640/DSC04110.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final assemblage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
11) Turn the oven to broil. Sprinkle the apricots with the
rest of the vanilla sugar, and broil them, just until they begin to brown. (Keep
watch so they don’t go up in flames!) Take them out of the oven and let them
cool.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12) Assembling the cake: Spoon a quarter cup of pistachio
cream into the center of the croissant crust, and spread it evenly. Cover the
cream with the broiled apricots. Place the slivered almonds and
blackberries on top of the apricots prettily. Add candles, sing
happy birthday, and bask in the adulation of everyone there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-vNpEyWPoo-7HTerNwY1OkvzIDXToy5oXFuO9VDZ3fGd2aM9ViwkAYqBD4rGMTnJBcoWusEi1L55j307VTswcIfnTQmA3UpE5OIl8KM0tsafds3mRnauXr_tfVu6h3Uk2HU-71nqCMkQ/s1600/DSC04111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-vNpEyWPoo-7HTerNwY1OkvzIDXToy5oXFuO9VDZ3fGd2aM9ViwkAYqBD4rGMTnJBcoWusEi1L55j307VTswcIfnTQmA3UpE5OIl8KM0tsafds3mRnauXr_tfVu6h3Uk2HU-71nqCMkQ/s640/DSC04111.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(with a bowl of pistachio cream & fruit for the gluten-free set)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-59675515706285520552013-11-16T21:19:00.000-05:002013-11-16T21:19:24.326-05:00Science Experiment SoupOftentimes I'll be in the midst of making dinner and discover something new. Like for example: If you walk away from caramelizing onions for even one second, they'll turn to charcoal. Or: rinsing leeks in a bowl of water <i>after</i> you chop them is way easier. Or even: caterpillars can survive for a week in a bag of greens in the fridge, and they don't always appreciate being banished to the back yard when you find them. More often than not my discoveries are either very tasty or somewhat explodey (see: adventures in Soda Stream ownership) or liable to set off the smoke detector. Rarely are they this pretty.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago I had N. over for dinner. A few days earlier at the farmers' market I'd been dazzled by a purple cauliflower, so we decided that that plus a celery root getting near the end of its lifespan in my crisper would make a lovely pairing for my <a href="http://wolfchops.blogspot.com/2013/03/some-good-southern-cookin.html" target="_blank">Random Root Soup</a>, with a little quinoa for texture. (1 part rinsed quinoa to 1 part broth or water, bring to a boil, turn down heat & simmer 10 min, cover, turn off heat and let sit 5 min, fluff with a fork and eat.) So we chop and roast and stir and boil and whizz in the blender (and there goes my nice cloth bag for steeping herbs and cheese rinds), and 45 minutes later, pretty light-purple soup. Shower with some chopped parsley, drizzle with olive oil and lemon, and -- what now?!? Where the drops of lemon juice hit the soup there were now hot pink polka dots, getting brighter as time went past. Our soup - which was just as delicious as anticipated, by the way - was a litmus test.<br />
<br />
I suspect a lot of us did that science experiment in the 4th grade where you use juice from a red cabbage to test for acids and bases, and I can only suspect that whatever's in the cabbage that does that is in purple cauliflower too. Based on follow-up experiments with the leftovers I can tell you that cold the soup turns sort of gray, brightens up to a nice light pink when reheated, turns fluorescent with acids, and goes a kind of tealy greyish green in the presence of a base (ie baking soda). So it's a litmus test/thermometer. A delicious litmus test/thermometer. I'd test for other properties, but, well, I ate it all. Occupational hazard, I guess.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyA_Eky0vet3TrZ3D6wVuAZUP-9ROujpTt21T7ylLz_0HDv4QTw1idAX8LpWi-qDpyHuPcDb-gD2ub6kEMs6nD7Qqc3BHjYp1hxa_ZTPCo-SbdntoECPSVqR3V6hqo9chzWcUFV6FZZo2k/s1600/DSC04679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyA_Eky0vet3TrZ3D6wVuAZUP-9ROujpTt21T7ylLz_0HDv4QTw1idAX8LpWi-qDpyHuPcDb-gD2ub6kEMs6nD7Qqc3BHjYp1hxa_ZTPCo-SbdntoECPSVqR3V6hqo9chzWcUFV6FZZo2k/s640/DSC04679.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straight outta the fridge, cold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcixVrlvGFjzwIXyipPJVCyGtwJBW5vkH88XM9YVGFPAgpf60qwAJskoyoXyA1ZVGyGfFSVeI30ljncohkFgTZV9KlDaCho3rUltqE3UBXHmP0-kf5gxhBVETd5OfZyaiKlqPAKKoCwfWA/s1600/DSC04680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcixVrlvGFjzwIXyipPJVCyGtwJBW5vkH88XM9YVGFPAgpf60qwAJskoyoXyA1ZVGyGfFSVeI30ljncohkFgTZV9KlDaCho3rUltqE3UBXHmP0-kf5gxhBVETd5OfZyaiKlqPAKKoCwfWA/s640/DSC04680.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reheated in the microwave. My camera's kinda lame about color but it's a nice light rose.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmihi7eM3doUiJYnPQ_anZI0kZXo0v7XwETbRIBikBtRQ8ltwZL1fc9H_MoNpWvOe-Yfj44qtpfoD6IIBw5iKElnnbjk8Quz9xasWg_2UQiAjEs77TgCKo1rcvCkHOSUY1qbsQe3diMzV/s1600/DSC04682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmihi7eM3doUiJYnPQ_anZI0kZXo0v7XwETbRIBikBtRQ8ltwZL1fc9H_MoNpWvOe-Yfj44qtpfoD6IIBw5iKElnnbjk8Quz9xasWg_2UQiAjEs77TgCKo1rcvCkHOSUY1qbsQe3diMzV/s640/DSC04682.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon juice: bright pink spots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdx00xLG5KzOfbPdhQ-KgmtUpN7DiUaIgWLf_gC1B5_cnHnHZnzMbyuPNVsARgu1iWUsKqSBnGYarD6Fi6woM1-f04EtDCIHnOfng8vCXyXd2aFQiXP3xvgsc3rG3tNZczM3G2xINoCqG/s1600/DSC04683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdx00xLG5KzOfbPdhQ-KgmtUpN7DiUaIgWLf_gC1B5_cnHnHZnzMbyuPNVsARgu1iWUsKqSBnGYarD6Fi6woM1-f04EtDCIHnOfng8vCXyXd2aFQiXP3xvgsc3rG3tNZczM3G2xINoCqG/s640/DSC04683.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admittedly this looks more like something you come across on WebMD looking up skin conditions than something<br />you wanna eat. But just stir it and it starts looking all swirly and tie-dye rather than infectious..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZlSBAzyPEjdg-GMb-2KurrANeDEGMLRktuGHUayDsFa2rpj9QnUJS1LKl17C6p_eIIxFQqdj6qPSFdLK8bHg9MXimrrLqLPFkmuhikhSm9yiXJBmR78oanBNe6FYbHXdR2rGgBkfhHjk/s1600/DSC04685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZlSBAzyPEjdg-GMb-2KurrANeDEGMLRktuGHUayDsFa2rpj9QnUJS1LKl17C6p_eIIxFQqdj6qPSFdLK8bHg9MXimrrLqLPFkmuhikhSm9yiXJBmR78oanBNe6FYbHXdR2rGgBkfhHjk/s640/DSC04685.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And turning a spoonful greenish-grey with baking soda, since I didn't wanna ruin a whole bowl. Science!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-21710331405760787112013-09-28T20:45:00.000-04:002013-09-28T20:45:16.688-04:00A Moveable CrispMy timing here is impeccable - now that blueberry season is thoroughly and inarguably over, I'm posting a recipe that calls for something like 6 cups of blueberries. Brilliant. But good frozen berries will work just as well, and soon enough it'll be summer again (right? right???), so I'm just gonna ignore that and go ahead and post anyway. Feel free to just bookmark this and come back in 9 months or whatever. Fine.<br />
<br />
Two things happened to make this recipe happen. One was that my mother and I went blueberry picking, and it was a gorgeous morning, and the blueberry bushes were just bursting, and we had these big plastic buckets that hold more than you think, and long story short we ended up with something like twelve pounds of blueberries. The second thing is that my dear dear friend A., who lives in Syracuse, invited me up to his place for dinner. Which ended up more like munching/drinking/talking til all hours. But the food was damn good. (Pro tip: grill lime slices briefly before making mojitos out of them, for a lovely smoky caramelized flavor.) Me being me, I decided to make a blueberry crisp to bring along (along with a pile of cherry tomatoes from the garden, and some zucchini...). And no, plain crisp would not do. This would be coconut blueberry crisp! Because kind of like prosciutto, coconut makes just about everything better. And unlike prosciutto, coconut actually goes well in (non-savory) baked goods. And so a crisp was born.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi7em6uGScjeDSIT6XpiAOrNjw3UCQ8wiyrq8BQPLUaAlEbriR8PWQfA091tAXT2BBO7-EBI0XD2SZUqVZmJplr0lwjU7AyHbwYRxvLVrYnHeAyr5xhCyelWQ2zOTwN9OuBJfLQ7kvwb0/s1600/DSC04436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi7em6uGScjeDSIT6XpiAOrNjw3UCQ8wiyrq8BQPLUaAlEbriR8PWQfA091tAXT2BBO7-EBI0XD2SZUqVZmJplr0lwjU7AyHbwYRxvLVrYnHeAyr5xhCyelWQ2zOTwN9OuBJfLQ7kvwb0/s640/DSC04436.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doggie bags.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Two last wrinkles. 1) This crisp would be gluten-free, because my mother doesn't keep any normal flour in the house so that wasn't an option. And 2) this had to be something I could carry out in bags and assemble on-site at quarter to midnight after a couple of mojitos, 'cause a pan of crisp sitting on the passenger's seat for the hour-and-20-minute drive up to Syracuse is just asking for trouble, and besides it's so much better warm out of the oven anyway. What I ended up with (and made a second time the next week for a bbq at my aunt's place) was totally portable and pretty fantastic. I suppose you could probably use any kind of berries or even chopped fruit, like peaches or apples (see, it is seasonally appropriate!). Sub in different nuts, different spices, whatever. Ditch the flax seed (though I promise it's delish, and adds both protein and hippie street cred) or double it. Mess with the spices at will. But here's the basic idea.<br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<u><b>Blueberry-Coconut Crisp To-Go</b></u><br />
Filling: <br />
6 cups blueberries<br />
~1 tbsp cornstarch<br />
2 tsp powdered ginger<br />
1/4 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut<br />
1/4 cup almonds and/or walnuts<br />
a good pinch of salt <br />
<br />
Topping:<br />
3/4 cup rolled oats<br />
1/4 cup some sort of flour (I used tapioca, regular will do) <br />
1/3 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup coconut<br />
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger<br />
1/2 cup almonds and/or walnuts<br />
1/4 cup flax seeds<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temp<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguszP_0_Ku9LcgMgdwcYYGwDFTETWLucIz72cQY0mMgQZ5MCEqYvkZ3c_oJlw6BvEa5EPUI4nW2wzIZaOYFBla9MrrPxSxHlsC7Yry3dvwq2dxjDhwiE5vZPqqz0mpHQxOUFNkSPzaW9K/s1600/DSC04439.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguszP_0_Ku9LcgMgdwcYYGwDFTETWLucIz72cQY0mMgQZ5MCEqYvkZ3c_oJlw6BvEa5EPUI4nW2wzIZaOYFBla9MrrPxSxHlsC7Yry3dvwq2dxjDhwiE5vZPqqz0mpHQxOUFNkSPzaW9K/s640/DSC04439.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assembled.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Ahead of time: <br />
1) Put the blueberries in a plastic ziplock or container. Coarsely chop (or grind in a food processor) the nuts. Put all of the filling ingredients in a bag (apart from the blueberries). Put all the topping ingredients except for the butter in another bag.<br />
<br />
2) Go where you need to go.<br />
<br />
3) Preheat your host's oven to 375. Put the blueberries in a roughly 2-quart baking dish. Toss with the contents of the 'filling' bag until everything's evenly distributed.<br />
<br />
4) Borrow half a stick of room-temperature butter from your host. Cut it into small chunks, put it into a big bowl, then use a pastry blender or your hands to mix it with the contents of the 'topping' bag until everything starts to bind together. (You could probably use coconut oil here if you wanted to be vegan about it.)<br />
<br />
5) Sprinkle the topping over the filling to get an even crust. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown. Let cool as long as your self-control allows. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-ZGxjBtQaUoLFaGjnUV0t5dX6DMU6_vJZHtyID3HJ_zITrZVZIf_T3L0Z5PGHyrf3_m8yeDygaiI5iUpT0lI66BwOy2y_nJ1ynrlUD5VvQ2XOKnqK6NCdd8Aea-d0UULuO_tiC-SBzO0/s1600/DSC04441.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-ZGxjBtQaUoLFaGjnUV0t5dX6DMU6_vJZHtyID3HJ_zITrZVZIf_T3L0Z5PGHyrf3_m8yeDygaiI5iUpT0lI66BwOy2y_nJ1ynrlUD5VvQ2XOKnqK6NCdd8Aea-d0UULuO_tiC-SBzO0/s640/DSC04441.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-61057757549095923972013-09-24T09:30:00.000-04:002013-09-24T09:30:47.507-04:00End-of-Summer Bliss-Sweet corn kernels, cut off the cob,<br />
-Sauteed in butter,<br />
-With salt and pepper,<br />
-And a generous handful of chopped fresh basil.<br />
<br />
That is all.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawQg88MHAogxrPtCDge_mZlz4-qqYTvRfyOmd4QPWuZFPzkImxf9ThuJyJbQHBV0oz9IuGUGGF4I7lrJzz5VayvQXCET1UyfehPNZOS-ScVxsQ3XcW1CLBqtaQzQ1lAObER5TPhem4Gc3/s1600/DSC04662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawQg88MHAogxrPtCDge_mZlz4-qqYTvRfyOmd4QPWuZFPzkImxf9ThuJyJbQHBV0oz9IuGUGGF4I7lrJzz5VayvQXCET1UyfehPNZOS-ScVxsQ3XcW1CLBqtaQzQ1lAObER5TPhem4Gc3/s640/DSC04662.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-50079498195470268282013-08-21T06:42:00.000-04:002013-08-21T06:42:07.481-04:00Pepper PopsSo you know how I said last time I'd be posting popsicle updates? Well here's one already. (I'm in Germany for the week, so keeping this post short and sweet. Like a half-eaten popsicle.) In my searches for interesting flavor combinations I'd come across a few pop recipes involving strawberries and black pepper, which frankly struck me as kind of weird. (Not that that ever stops me, but.) And then the inimitable Deb Perelman of <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> posted <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/08/strawberry-lime-and-black-pepper-popsicles/" target="_blank">her own version</a>, so I had to try it. These are a combination of that and a <a href="http://thevanillabeanblog.com/2013/07/roasted-strawberry-orange-pink-peppercorn-popsicles-guest-post-from-my-darling-lemon-thyme.html" target="_blank">roasted strawberry-pink peppercorn-orange zest pop</a> I found at The Vanilla Bean, but with juice instead of zest because a) it fills up more space and b) I'm too lazy to zest, particularly when there's a bottle of fresh-squeezed OJ sitting in the fridge. (Yes, I'm perfectly happy to hull and roast strawberries but not zest an orange. I never claimed to be consistent.) These probably aren't the popsicles you'd want to serve to a roomful of children - they're tart from the lemon and a little spicy from the pepper - but there's no kids in sight where I am and frankly I think they're delicious. (Would I be writing about them otherwise?) And then there's the added bonus that since any resident little ones won't be wanting to eat them anyway, nobody'll mind if you follow SK's suggestion and slip a little tequila into the mix. (I didn't but I can't imagine it'd be anything but wonderful.) So without further ado:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi62HdByqqHPDFsXhaZnfneYDw3OlB1ukuzDY0fONWE3JNzZAM2FudCPhTViRAAeCM4KSt3HDqtPe87xBa8UqJYkoFMB8LI0hsDwZh76GxXVnb33iDP0iERVI6R-rAo1NICPEU0QUQlPs/s1600/DSC04434.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi62HdByqqHPDFsXhaZnfneYDw3OlB1ukuzDY0fONWE3JNzZAM2FudCPhTViRAAeCM4KSt3HDqtPe87xBa8UqJYkoFMB8LI0hsDwZh76GxXVnb33iDP0iERVI6R-rAo1NICPEU0QUQlPs/s640/DSC04434.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">minus one small bite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Bright Pink Grownup Spicy Sour Strawberry Popsicles</b></u><br />
(makes 2 half-cup pops; multiply as necessary)<br />
3/4 cup hulled and halved strawberries<br />
1 tbsp maple syrup<br />
drizzle of olive oil <br />
a pinch ground black pepper (start small, increase to taste)<br />
small pinch salt<br />
just over 1/4 cup good fresh OJ<br />
just under 1/4 cup lime juice (tweak OJ/lime ratio to taste)<br />
<br />
1) Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the halved, hulled strawberries on a baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and the maple syrup and sprinkle pepper over. Roast about 20 minutes, til the strawberries start to collapse, but watch out that the juices don't burn. (Browning is fine, blackening isn't.)<br />
<br />
2) Scrape roasted strawberries and all the gooey mess around them on the pan into a glass measuring cup. They've probably reduced down to about half a cup. Fill the measure up to the full cup line with slightly more OJ than lime juice (exact amounts will vary depending on how much strawberry you end up with and how tart you want it).<br />
<br />
3) Dump all that in the blender with a small pinch of salt. Whirr, taste, adjust, pour, freeze.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi62HdByqqHPDFsXhaZnfneYDw3OlB1ukuzDY0fONWE3JNzZAM2FudCPhTViRAAeCM4KSt3HDqtPe87xBa8UqJYkoFMB8LI0hsDwZh76GxXVnb33iDP0iERVI6R-rAo1NICPEU0QUQlPs/s1600/DSC04434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-19677112390072545362013-08-08T17:49:00.004-04:002013-08-21T06:42:31.926-04:00Popsicle-paloozaIt's time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOq6pI6gRP_fM0nweCijLx2m4dYwYrgWHnqk2biy4ShAC2MlwYauq1-ownHFz8xwRZNc0fkMVgKNathTog4cYsJxagnxMMYGu0kBEWNxSDntjGU48Y05X9_m9P9MYLIZ8P5BAaRu3QjB8/s1600/DSC04335.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOq6pI6gRP_fM0nweCijLx2m4dYwYrgWHnqk2biy4ShAC2MlwYauq1-ownHFz8xwRZNc0fkMVgKNathTog4cYsJxagnxMMYGu0kBEWNxSDntjGU48Y05X9_m9P9MYLIZ8P5BAaRu3QjB8/s640/DSC04335.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've been saving this one up for a while, trying to make as many kinds of popsicles as I could before posting. And while this is nowhere near 'as many as I could', it's still a heck of a lot of popsicles. I'll probably update as the summer goes on. Hell, why stop at summer, I'll probably update indefinitely. But summer is nice in that there's all sorts of wonderfully delicious fruits and herbs and things popping up in the garden and the farmers market, which makes for some spectacular pops.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ganSmxvPi0Gn7uJjNPbP0UZXBKIptNRzfc8iEWlkZPKS-RRQdKsAlb9ganryWeKENRkSOZT7J7LNNQTQyFQpvPR65DgsfgXMkJZH1PtVtdNQEsC-z9ZkKEzkIhFc31PzecslTSts2kZy/s1600/DSC04354.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ganSmxvPi0Gn7uJjNPbP0UZXBKIptNRzfc8iEWlkZPKS-RRQdKsAlb9ganryWeKENRkSOZT7J7LNNQTQyFQpvPR65DgsfgXMkJZH1PtVtdNQEsC-z9ZkKEzkIhFc31PzecslTSts2kZy/s640/DSC04354.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top: stone fruit medley, cucumber gin & tonic, jasmine rhubarb, blueberry basil lemonade, honeydew-mint, and mixed berry smoothie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It started early this summer, when I got a craving for ice pops that just wouldn't go away. Specifically the <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/07/apricot-rice-pudding-pops" target="_blank">apricot rice pudding pops</a> from last summer's Bon Appetit, which are fantastic (tweaked recipe below). After a week or so I gave in and ordered some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Groovy-Ice-Molds-Yellow/dp/B000G32H3Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375888577&sr=8-1&keywords=popsicle+molds" target="_blank">molds</a> from Amazon (pro tip: I later found the same ones at TJ Maxx for half the price), and started pureeing and freezing basically everything I could. And then I caved again and bough a recipe book from People's Pops, who make incredible if super-hipstery pops in Brooklyn, and tried a few of their recipes. And it was all delicious. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RUTW8IAUw9p9-0gbgZlBjLM9KPV2SGgCIhRR0f7wg-WZQELU0tsO4IH7oCr09FBBuuntZKet9ltyEQjAJ0s1TV4BZ5fcv7Z5x3WlKoNkLguMXEiVOWXp2JqC2qRgzxPlBREemv647oWP/s1600/DSC04432.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RUTW8IAUw9p9-0gbgZlBjLM9KPV2SGgCIhRR0f7wg-WZQELU0tsO4IH7oCr09FBBuuntZKet9ltyEQjAJ0s1TV4BZ5fcv7Z5x3WlKoNkLguMXEiVOWXp2JqC2qRgzxPlBREemv647oWP/s640/DSC04432.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matcha green tea, piña colada, roasted plum with rosemary, and blackberry-nectarine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here's some things I've learned about making popsicles:<br />
<ol>
<li> All you really need is something you can fill a mold with. I was gonna say 'liquid', but actually that's not true. Thick glop works pretty well too (see i.e. banana fudgesicles below). That can be as simple as fruit juice or a pureed plum, or as complex and full of spices and herbs and alcohol and whatever as you like. Personally I like a little textural contrast, like chopped cherries in a nectarine puree, whole blueberries in lemonade, or nuts and granola in an almond milk-banana mixture. (Yes, really. Best breakfast ever.)</li>
<li>Almost everything will work, but not everything everything. I tried two different black tea-based pops, and both ended up tasting funny. Pureed blueberries end up kind of slimy, making for a not-great pop: either strain out the juice and use that, leave them whole or halved in the mix (very pretty), or make sure they're just a small percentage of the total pop. Carbonated beverages will expand more than other things, so leave more room than usual at the top. Too high a percentage of alcohol and it won't freeze (though then you just get a booze slushie, and there are worse things.) </li>
<li>Taste the mixture before you freeze it and adjust as necessary. Add a little acid to make the flavors pop. Supposedly things taste less sweet when they're frozen (?), so some say to add a little more sweetener (sugar, maple syrup, honey) than you normally would. I dunno. Experiment. If you hate what comes out, run some hot water over to melt it down the sink and try something else.</li>
<li>Know how much your molds hold, so you can make an appropriate amount. Mine are a half cup each, but models will vary, particularly if you're using juice cups or ice cube trays instead of actual molds. If you make too much, or don't have enough to fill a mold, remember that these are basically smoothies and can be drunk directly from the blender. A glass liquid measuring cup is good both because a) it's a measuring cup and b) the little spout makes it easier to pour into the molds without dripping everywhere. </li>
<li>They're really photogenic.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRjMGD-03B-SyOph3VlZg73-C-kI6YmCSRCygOkpnEl9tOaGyDNtLohHFm3ezL2ScRDAF4Ghws_UxWWrz45U7mVlTrnlxsJMC-BY4MjyDADgWuC5NIiOHlCY04SOithQ4gZibErKwFBC9/s1600/DSC04364.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRjMGD-03B-SyOph3VlZg73-C-kI6YmCSRCygOkpnEl9tOaGyDNtLohHFm3ezL2ScRDAF4Ghws_UxWWrz45U7mVlTrnlxsJMC-BY4MjyDADgWuC5NIiOHlCY04SOithQ4gZibErKwFBC9/s640/DSC04364.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginger-peach, apricot-pistachio, and watermelon-kiwi-lime.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
These are all vegan (I think one calls for honey, just use sugar), and (almost) totally fruit-based, so I see nothing wrong with eating, like five a day. As always, play around with these. Where I use almond milk, sub in real milk, or coconut milk, or hemp milk, or whatever. Replace my maple syrup with white sugar/brown sugar/agave/honey/dates. Sub peaches for nectarines. Roast the fruit to intensify the flavors, or not. Strain it for a more refined texture, or leave chunks in the puree. I like to leave the skins in for berries and stone fruit (looks like confetti!), but you can take it out. Same for berry seeds. If you don't wanna buy molds, use cups, with spoons for sticks. Just for the love of god use good, ripe fruit. Crap fruit = crap popsicle, so don't expect to use rock-hard peaches and underripe strawberries and get a good result. If it's good to eat, it'll be good to freeze.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqe6WMmnB3jlUeW5mV65P3l4MYSyDsNY0v3WeKvX0kTtSndrYdVXLlmdcYqzuBzGVQzVIEnVLU1aYPMJhz-kb6t6jh1kci_1Rk29kZqyG2H2t2wpBCKyAKNqgUuaHtBZ8ihfkb3BHR1Rz/s1600/20130701_203106.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqe6WMmnB3jlUeW5mV65P3l4MYSyDsNY0v3WeKvX0kTtSndrYdVXLlmdcYqzuBzGVQzVIEnVLU1aYPMJhz-kb6t6jh1kci_1Rk29kZqyG2H2t2wpBCKyAKNqgUuaHtBZ8ihfkb3BHR1Rz/s640/20130701_203106.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginger-peach and peach-tarragon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've put a bunch of pop recipes here that I made and liked. More are described in the photos but not spelled out; a general recipe for those is to chop/puree the things in the name, then freeze. If there's an herb or aromatic (tarragon, ginger), you can either blend it straight into the mix or get a more pervasive flavor by steeping it in a little boiling water and adding that instead, either straining out the herb or, again, blending it. You can find more ideas on <a href="http://pinterest.com/egasser24/popsicles/" target="_blank">my popsicle board</a> on Pinterest, as well as <a href="http://pinterest.com/JennyBlossoms/princess-of-pops/" target="_blank">this one</a>,<a href="http://pinterest.com/jjhunnicutt/popsicle-recipes/" target="_blank"> this one</a>, and<a href="http://pinterest.com/justpeachybees/recipes-~-frozen/" target="_blank"> this one</a>. Or just <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=popsicle+recipe" target="_blank">google 'popsicle recipes'</a> and wait for the 4.5 million or so hits to pop up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3k0Sa39pZAqGaO0olnO8fqDIdX5nnJx_r1Equ8baH2MEhryk9PtRjxf8HuCXN3N4nUG2XtVHaRJrmH8gapqsEooFMA4eIi62J12CG0f4DuGXn75nhVSmtzBR3H2Lvoo1Rad4XpKRmgVpe/s1600/DSC04408.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3k0Sa39pZAqGaO0olnO8fqDIdX5nnJx_r1Equ8baH2MEhryk9PtRjxf8HuCXN3N4nUG2XtVHaRJrmH8gapqsEooFMA4eIi62J12CG0f4DuGXn75nhVSmtzBR3H2Lvoo1Rad4XpKRmgVpe/s640/DSC04408.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stewed apricot with star anise, bubble tea, jamaica (aka hibiscus flower, aka red zinger), banana-granola, chocolate banana faux-fudgesicle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u><b>Banana-Granola Breakfast Pops</b></u><br />
Ok seriously, I was skeptical when I first tried these. But for real, after all that, they're my favorite. (Well, tied with the stone fruit bonanza pops below. Those things were awesome.) Think of it kind of like oatmeal, but frozen. And wonderful. The original recipe came from <a href="http://thefrostedvegan.com/2013/06/04/blueberry-granola-breakfast-popsicles/" target="_blank">The Frosted Vegan</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4PSVruwduPSzvwzBzrwfMXRY2ZjbJ43QErHsjSDJuJKoUikWHLNJGj5B8EBwRGxIIYJy56zs3h9G1eXbV4srkV83xfutWZuocigSv74hYUO7-qiFdnvLEeKxEEQoSr_BE1OhQO5pg9rF/s1600/DSC04407.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4PSVruwduPSzvwzBzrwfMXRY2ZjbJ43QErHsjSDJuJKoUikWHLNJGj5B8EBwRGxIIYJy56zs3h9G1eXbV4srkV83xfutWZuocigSv74hYUO7-qiFdnvLEeKxEEQoSr_BE1OhQO5pg9rF/s640/DSC04407.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
3 parts banana<br />
1 part almond milk<br />
A few drops of vanilla (or almond) extract <br />
A spoonful of maple syrup<br />
2 parts granola<br />
Half as much fresh berries<br />
A small handful chopped nuts (optional. Actually, everything but the banana, milk, and granola is optional)<br />
<br />
1) Toss the first four ingredients in the blender, and puree til smooth. (Add more milk if the bananas won't puree, but give it a good go before you do.) Taste, and adjust for sweetness.<br />
<br />
2) Pour the banana goop into a pyrex measuring cup (or something else with a spout; this gets gloppy). Stir in everything else. Pour into molds. Freeze.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLfYyr1uSj9o2W4BX4wa0J5HtQ3dE_cq0JKYks8X0jAoWieYGxw-jmB41hzGJyR4Uvlu4GvUePGYbk4LKBFl448sA0W_du39zvOJmsflBv_byKFw_Pvn_nbGSAIdGYqWaxPUcUXk0HzO0/s1600/DSC04361.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLfYyr1uSj9o2W4BX4wa0J5HtQ3dE_cq0JKYks8X0jAoWieYGxw-jmB41hzGJyR4Uvlu4GvUePGYbk4LKBFl448sA0W_du39zvOJmsflBv_byKFw_Pvn_nbGSAIdGYqWaxPUcUXk0HzO0/s640/DSC04361.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best place for a popsicle: a backyard barbeque.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLfYyr1uSj9o2W4BX4wa0J5HtQ3dE_cq0JKYks8X0jAoWieYGxw-jmB41hzGJyR4Uvlu4GvUePGYbk4LKBFl448sA0W_du39zvOJmsflBv_byKFw_Pvn_nbGSAIdGYqWaxPUcUXk0HzO0/s1600/DSC04361.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLfYyr1uSj9o2W4BX4wa0J5HtQ3dE_cq0JKYks8X0jAoWieYGxw-jmB41hzGJyR4Uvlu4GvUePGYbk4LKBFl448sA0W_du39zvOJmsflBv_byKFw_Pvn_nbGSAIdGYqWaxPUcUXk0HzO0/s1600/DSC04361.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLfYyr1uSj9o2W4BX4wa0J5HtQ3dE_cq0JKYks8X0jAoWieYGxw-jmB41hzGJyR4Uvlu4GvUePGYbk4LKBFl448sA0W_du39zvOJmsflBv_byKFw_Pvn_nbGSAIdGYqWaxPUcUXk0HzO0/s1600/DSC04361.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOq6pI6gRP_fM0nweCijLx2m4dYwYrgWHnqk2biy4ShAC2MlwYauq1-ownHFz8xwRZNc0fkMVgKNathTog4cYsJxagnxMMYGu0kBEWNxSDntjGU48Y05X9_m9P9MYLIZ8P5BAaRu3QjB8/s1600/DSC04335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><u>Stone Fruit Cornucopia</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Stone fruits are my favorite fruits. To make this pop I basically went to the grocery store in mid-June, bought every kind of stone fruit they had, and mixed them together. Turns out that was a great idea.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTtKt4joaSoXqjZhlwzsJ5sFl5oFhGbv2ZEmBqwPEcJKUkG6z-CDKMuzpSjLiKKkYM6eyyNcALb8Dxj74QROpsHNmuipD7N7-_TleJBBRfAxJv-BO-mQ3tx_Iw0X-3sx0LilvlYHm1Sw-/s1600/DSC04345.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTtKt4joaSoXqjZhlwzsJ5sFl5oFhGbv2ZEmBqwPEcJKUkG6z-CDKMuzpSjLiKKkYM6eyyNcALb8Dxj74QROpsHNmuipD7N7-_TleJBBRfAxJv-BO-mQ3tx_Iw0X-3sx0LilvlYHm1Sw-/s640/DSC04345.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok, so I skipped the peaches and apricots, so sue me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
White nectarines<br />
Plums with white/pale yellow insides<br />
Peaches <br />
Red/purple/black plums<br />
Sweet cherries<br />
<br />
1) Chop the nectarines, peaches, and light plums. Eat the peaches. Put the nectarines and plums in the blender and puree.<br />
<br />
2) Chop the cherries and dark plums into a small dice. Mix everything together and pour into molds. Freeze.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eO0O9v7XYnIIuL0Y3DhpNkkUXjXC_7Orm77-jFJdsmK4bQreZKmm0PYQnED_jobXThwqagkyooa9CFTHYL3_3B0fflKNJIMWNTJ6uZL38t04M9ueZvBDr6mtalLXX8FV3zfoqrO43QkU/s1600/DSC04348.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eO0O9v7XYnIIuL0Y3DhpNkkUXjXC_7Orm77-jFJdsmK4bQreZKmm0PYQnED_jobXThwqagkyooa9CFTHYL3_3B0fflKNJIMWNTJ6uZL38t04M9ueZvBDr6mtalLXX8FV3zfoqrO43QkU/s640/DSC04348.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Blueberry Basil Lemonade</b></u><br />
Boil enough water to fill half your molds, and add torn basil leaves and a bit of sugar. (I used Thai purple basil.) Set aside to cool. Add a squirt of lemon juice. Halve about half your blueberries and leave the other half whole. Mix, pour, freeze.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmipPUobAh7INa9cON5GP37_QMGRTmSgARgo2yfJRAW8NnA4y70VG3AvHR0SGn7tML3pO-wPSqF_k3X7syNzp8I1G3US4l1C62x0ynE4wHH6EJQr1be0AJxJMkpWpB8z5QueCxejuVClf/s1600/DSC04341.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmipPUobAh7INa9cON5GP37_QMGRTmSgARgo2yfJRAW8NnA4y70VG3AvHR0SGn7tML3pO-wPSqF_k3X7syNzp8I1G3US4l1C62x0ynE4wHH6EJQr1be0AJxJMkpWpB8z5QueCxejuVClf/s640/DSC04341.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Apricot-Star Anise</b></u><br />
Slice your apricots into wedges and add to a pot with enough water to half-cover them. Add a pinch of sugar and a few star anise pods. Simmer til the apricots get nice and soft and fragrant. Pull out the anise - these don't puree well. Blend, taste for sweetness and acid, pour, freeze. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Apricot-Pistachio</b></u><br />
Slice your apricots into wedges, and add to a pot with some almond milk. Smash up some pistachios and add them too. Simmer til the apricots get nice and soft and fragrant. Blend, taste for sweetness and acid, pour, freeze. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1XNCNRxX9sNUNnStF9NU1AjpEc7EDKpeApvWLkY9fXEaHEDlxARW8sA5j3uSSd4Kn9EDApT6htUf817HsDkDs3zB5lVB8vrU6n1SD4IxOmYSr4sluNnbTyEC0caouPzdFa9pnxvCglum/s1600/DSC04356.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1XNCNRxX9sNUNnStF9NU1AjpEc7EDKpeApvWLkY9fXEaHEDlxARW8sA5j3uSSd4Kn9EDApT6htUf817HsDkDs3zB5lVB8vrU6n1SD4IxOmYSr4sluNnbTyEC0caouPzdFa9pnxvCglum/s640/DSC04356.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Piña Colada</u></b><br />
Blend 3 parts coconut milk, 2 parts fresh pineapple, a pinch of cinnamon, a bigger pinch brown sugar, and a splash of rum (Malibu?) until smooth. A squeeze of lime would be nice in place of the cinnamon too. Freezing is totally optional for this one, though if you're just gonna drink it you should up the rum content.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Cucumber Gin & Tonic</b></u><br />
Cut into matchsticks enough cucumber to half-fill the molds. Mix one part gin to two parts tonic (or seltzer water), enough to almost fill them the rest of the way. Add a bit of sugar (seriously) and a squirt of lime. Leave enough room at the top of the molds so these don't bubble over everywhere like mine did.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSIXjEfR_0LzLtB7ec2yqZrjQwi19MhSC3pNNeTGcSTJOAkVBFeY1Y8I49dt09PJyOAIRy3EGGvELqHw2Yq2phlWJS6eeNWggcxHrEyhI4x-fiXjFUKITgCaU83IyuuBMwLWKjxH5NM79/s1600/DSC04351.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSIXjEfR_0LzLtB7ec2yqZrjQwi19MhSC3pNNeTGcSTJOAkVBFeY1Y8I49dt09PJyOAIRy3EGGvELqHw2Yq2phlWJS6eeNWggcxHrEyhI4x-fiXjFUKITgCaU83IyuuBMwLWKjxH5NM79/s640/DSC04351.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add mint and call it a mojito.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Banana Faux-Fudgesicle</b></u><br />
Blend bananas with a good bit of cocoa powder, a spoonful of maple syrup, a touch of vanilla extract, and just enough almond milk to make it go. A bit of cinnamon or some chopped almonds would work well too.<br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<u><b>Roasted Plum and Rosemary (yes, really)</b></u><br />
Halve your plums, pull out the pit, and roast them at 400 for about 10 minutes til they get nice and soft. Meanwhile, boil a sprig of rosemary leaves and a bit of brown sugar in some water. Take out the rosemary (too tough), blend it all together, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiSL0xC5TCDdzhgNvE8TRI59fBhoYgKRwvzCnnjL2dYJ7WaeP2U1w4rzKR4oUXJpRkAxLWNNjwDCizvDBpsbIxhycrYDmqcsV2jgzp4rkwSN0PKgZxl0M-YZMQEbhV1eKfCx_no5nUe5u/s1600/DSC04429.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiSL0xC5TCDdzhgNvE8TRI59fBhoYgKRwvzCnnjL2dYJ7WaeP2U1w4rzKR4oUXJpRkAxLWNNjwDCizvDBpsbIxhycrYDmqcsV2jgzp4rkwSN0PKgZxl0M-YZMQEbhV1eKfCx_no5nUe5u/s640/DSC04429.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted plums, rosemary syrup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Apricot Rice Pudding Pops</b></u><br />
(adapted from BA) <br />
1 1/2 cup almond milk<br />
1/2 cup coconut milk<br />
1 lemongrass stalk, pounded with a mallet and tied into a knot<br />
2 tbsp ginger, minced<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
3 tbsp short grain rice (arborio, sticky/sweet, etc)<br />
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
pinch of salt<br />
<br />
1) Soak the rice in a bowl of water. Simmer the milks, lemongrass, ginger, and vanilla in a pot. Don't let it boil, or the coconut milk can separate. <br />
<br />
2) Pull out the lemongrass and toss it. Puree the spiced milk and ginger until smooth. Drain the rice. Put the rice in the milk/ginger mixture, add the sugar and pinch of salt, and simmer about half an hour, without stirring.<br />
<br />
3) Stir in the apricots, pour into molds, freeze.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuarJvB-_4HbyBNJK4SmmvzGBjNDPyTUE2Mk4FulbNP8BGLIWDWzd5YxpD3PvMaBzKcO603Bgi8-0R18LwO1JnfFncquhh6bbtbmONGoC8uC5zGkXFV8Z7AxatmLjaLqR3jAgT72LVbG3g/s1600/DSC04360.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuarJvB-_4HbyBNJK4SmmvzGBjNDPyTUE2Mk4FulbNP8BGLIWDWzd5YxpD3PvMaBzKcO603Bgi8-0R18LwO1JnfFncquhh6bbtbmONGoC8uC5zGkXFV8Z7AxatmLjaLqR3jAgT72LVbG3g/s640/DSC04360.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watermelon-lime-kiwi. Figure it out yourself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Peach-Tarragon or Ginger-Peach</b></u><br />
Steep some tarragon leaves or chopped ginger in boiling water. Puree with sliced peaches and a bit of sweetener.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Rhubarb-Jasmine</u></b><br />
Brew some strong (but not bitter) jasmine tea. Chop some rhubarb into inch-long pieces. Just cover with the tea, add honey, and simmer til the rhubarb gets all soft and starts to fall apart.Mash the rhubarb up a little with a fork, pour, freeze.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOXLSGQD-x2nwxOJBTQhwLHA2cNWSnXaM004E6dQj7uAFViw3ZNu-G5Cza2ssKsox7pagsi_Ht6S9-Ro_H2z1McKRMCG1RoSFufqBqzuWgMjSJVfq-rnt5IJFxwog4SwlWEo4d06TzSSj/s1600/DSC04342.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOXLSGQD-x2nwxOJBTQhwLHA2cNWSnXaM004E6dQj7uAFViw3ZNu-G5Cza2ssKsox7pagsi_Ht6S9-Ro_H2z1McKRMCG1RoSFufqBqzuWgMjSJVfq-rnt5IJFxwog4SwlWEo4d06TzSSj/s640/DSC04342.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Blackberry-Nectarine</b></u><br />
Puree nectarines. Set aside. Puree blackberries with a little coconut milk, some lemon juice, and brown sugar. Pour alternating layers of nectarine and blackberry purees into molds. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLD-gYoqu8Zmsz-i26_W7PUmZiDXgSEtUuoppQTDxtaAVTtJuHjQnbuZdqQB7f5AVOpgND5wc69rLdP76Wa7qWoPB5GkRo5oy83HuvpYeqp_C4J-Vd7aY77tdQGIoBds1R1DCUZrSqMN8/s1600/DSC04357.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLD-gYoqu8Zmsz-i26_W7PUmZiDXgSEtUuoppQTDxtaAVTtJuHjQnbuZdqQB7f5AVOpgND5wc69rLdP76Wa7qWoPB5GkRo5oy83HuvpYeqp_C4J-Vd7aY77tdQGIoBds1R1DCUZrSqMN8/s640/DSC04357.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberries work well too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><u>Etc, etc.</u></b><br />
Make a smoothie. Freeze it. Bam.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3jlpw_ibfBEk_FTmXqmLhUXOjeYP-sX8kep-5zDsonqsB2d_z7lg-uaOK_8ETohOKAl2z3x-MDlG46HvaU8z9gjvYJpgrwPJsTTQm7JXHQvdTci8EfsItX9OEknkXy7n0Bo6ILniKRM7/s1600/DSC04338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3jlpw_ibfBEk_FTmXqmLhUXOjeYP-sX8kep-5zDsonqsB2d_z7lg-uaOK_8ETohOKAl2z3x-MDlG46HvaU8z9gjvYJpgrwPJsTTQm7JXHQvdTci8EfsItX9OEknkXy7n0Bo6ILniKRM7/s640/DSC04338.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The End.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmipPUobAh7INa9cON5GP37_QMGRTmSgARgo2yfJRAW8NnA4y70VG3AvHR0SGn7tML3pO-wPSqF_k3X7syNzp8I1G3US4l1C62x0ynE4wHH6EJQr1be0AJxJMkpWpB8z5QueCxejuVClf/s1600/DSC04341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOXLSGQD-x2nwxOJBTQhwLHA2cNWSnXaM004E6dQj7uAFViw3ZNu-G5Cza2ssKsox7pagsi_Ht6S9-Ro_H2z1McKRMCG1RoSFufqBqzuWgMjSJVfq-rnt5IJFxwog4SwlWEo4d06TzSSj/s1600/DSC04342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3CELhMUBe-sFeGHrfbWEDyRzZDPwKUivqx24iACKaJ7twK6Dox9jVIfJCV1iRaSYTr_ghRmimyNhpvprjZ8_4ae1KHZDoUt0MRwHuvVQyYuJrMw2wmFSZ49vWVOuNzeQ9_2MDNtVO6Or/s1600/DSC04343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTtKt4joaSoXqjZhlwzsJ5sFl5oFhGbv2ZEmBqwPEcJKUkG6z-CDKMuzpSjLiKKkYM6eyyNcALb8Dxj74QROpsHNmuipD7N7-_TleJBBRfAxJv-BO-mQ3tx_Iw0X-3sx0LilvlYHm1Sw-/s1600/DSC04345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eO0O9v7XYnIIuL0Y3DhpNkkUXjXC_7Orm77-jFJdsmK4bQreZKmm0PYQnED_jobXThwqagkyooa9CFTHYL3_3B0fflKNJIMWNTJ6uZL38t04M9ueZvBDr6mtalLXX8FV3zfoqrO43QkU/s1600/DSC04348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSIXjEfR_0LzLtB7ec2yqZrjQwi19MhSC3pNNeTGcSTJOAkVBFeY1Y8I49dt09PJyOAIRy3EGGvELqHw2Yq2phlWJS6eeNWggcxHrEyhI4x-fiXjFUKITgCaU83IyuuBMwLWKjxH5NM79/s1600/DSC04351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ganSmxvPi0Gn7uJjNPbP0UZXBKIptNRzfc8iEWlkZPKS-RRQdKsAlb9ganryWeKENRkSOZT7J7LNNQTQyFQpvPR65DgsfgXMkJZH1PtVtdNQEsC-z9ZkKEzkIhFc31PzecslTSts2kZy/s1600/DSC04354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLD-gYoqu8Zmsz-i26_W7PUmZiDXgSEtUuoppQTDxtaAVTtJuHjQnbuZdqQB7f5AVOpgND5wc69rLdP76Wa7qWoPB5GkRo5oy83HuvpYeqp_C4J-Vd7aY77tdQGIoBds1R1DCUZrSqMN8/s1600/DSC04357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuarJvB-_4HbyBNJK4SmmvzGBjNDPyTUE2Mk4FulbNP8BGLIWDWzd5YxpD3PvMaBzKcO603Bgi8-0R18LwO1JnfFncquhh6bbtbmONGoC8uC5zGkXFV8Z7AxatmLjaLqR3jAgT72LVbG3g/s1600/DSC04360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLfYyr1uSj9o2W4BX4wa0J5HtQ3dE_cq0JKYks8X0jAoWieYGxw-jmB41hzGJyR4Uvlu4GvUePGYbk4LKBFl448sA0W_du39zvOJmsflBv_byKFw_Pvn_nbGSAIdGYqWaxPUcUXk0HzO0/s1600/DSC04361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4PSVruwduPSzvwzBzrwfMXRY2ZjbJ43QErHsjSDJuJKoUikWHLNJGj5B8EBwRGxIIYJy56zs3h9G1eXbV4srkV83xfutWZuocigSv74hYUO7-qiFdnvLEeKxEEQoSr_BE1OhQO5pg9rF/s1600/DSC04407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1XNCNRxX9sNUNnStF9NU1AjpEc7EDKpeApvWLkY9fXEaHEDlxARW8sA5j3uSSd4Kn9EDApT6htUf817HsDkDs3zB5lVB8vrU6n1SD4IxOmYSr4sluNnbTyEC0caouPzdFa9pnxvCglum/s1600/DSC04356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3k0Sa39pZAqGaO0olnO8fqDIdX5nnJx_r1Equ8baH2MEhryk9PtRjxf8HuCXN3N4nUG2XtVHaRJrmH8gapqsEooFMA4eIi62J12CG0f4DuGXn75nhVSmtzBR3H2Lvoo1Rad4XpKRmgVpe/s1600/DSC04408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiSL0xC5TCDdzhgNvE8TRI59fBhoYgKRwvzCnnjL2dYJ7WaeP2U1w4rzKR4oUXJpRkAxLWNNjwDCizvDBpsbIxhycrYDmqcsV2jgzp4rkwSN0PKgZxl0M-YZMQEbhV1eKfCx_no5nUe5u/s1600/DSC04429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLfYyr1uSj9o2W4BX4wa0J5HtQ3dE_cq0JKYks8X0jAoWieYGxw-jmB41hzGJyR4Uvlu4GvUePGYbk4LKBFl448sA0W_du39zvOJmsflBv_byKFw_Pvn_nbGSAIdGYqWaxPUcUXk0HzO0/s1600/DSC04361.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-72082645642166876112013-07-19T22:00:00.000-04:002013-08-01T11:03:41.047-04:00PickledSo you know how last time I said it was way too hot to cook so I gave you a crockpot recipe? Well the last few days it's been too hot to even turn on the crockpot. Like tonight, I went to scramble an egg for dinner and couldn't even take it. In other words, sandwich and microwave time. (Except for two nights ago, when I set my toaster oven out on the back stoop to bake some stuffed summer squash. Yum.) And you know what goes great on those sandwiches and doesn't require any added heat at all? Pickles.<br />
<br />
I just finished reading Michael Pollan's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cooked-A-Natural-History-Transformation/dp/1594204217/ref=sr_1_1_ha?ie=UTF8&qid=1374281757&sr=8-1&keywords=cooked" target="_blank">Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation</a>, on (surprise surprise) cooking, and all the anthropological/archaeological/evolutionary/biological/chemistry-ical issues surrounding it. I've been a Pollan fan ever since I read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-View-World/dp/0375760393/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374281825&sr=1-6" target="_blank">The Botany of Desire</a> back in high school, and this one very much lives up. The first section is on roasting meat, with a focus on Carolina bbq (nom nom nom); the second is on soups and stews and braises; the third is on baking bread; and the final section is about fermentation of all kinds: cheese, alcohol, kimchee, pickles. It was the last that grabbed me the most, maybe because it's so far removed from the others: instead of an active process of chopping and adding and kneading and stirring, with the aid of a lot of heat and a bit of time, with fermentation the work is done by a (relatively) lot of time and a million micro-organisms, the same things other modes of cooking kills. There's all sorts of claimed health benefits about eating the kinds of live cultures (aka bacteria/fungi/etc) that live in fermented food (google <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=microbiome" target="_blank">"microbiome"</a>, or see <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html" target="_blank">Pollan's piece</a> for the NYTimes magazine, or read anything <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sandor-Katz/e/B001KH6N9E/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1374282482&sr=8-2-ent" target="_blank">Sandor Katz</a> ever wrote), so that's cool. But I think what got me is the largely hands-off nature of the project: you're not constructing a product, or directly setting up a chemical reaction, you're creating the conditions for an ecosystem. And, ok, then eating that ecosystem. As Pollan says, it's less like cooking and more like gardening.<br />
<br />
So a few days after I finished the book I'm walking around with fermentation on the brain, looking for an opportunity to try it out, when <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/dining/homemade-pickles-require-just-three-ingredients.html" target="_blank">an article</a> pops up in the Dining section of the Times about real lacto-fermented pickles, complete with recipe. And the day after than I find pickling cucumbers at the farmers' market downtown. Needless to say, by that night I had a batch going on my counter.<br />
<br />
Any you know what? Pollan was right: there was something downright magical about the process. Lord knows I've seen some pretty sweet transformations enacted in my kitchen before: I've braised meat, baked bread, boiled bagels, made yogurt (successfully) and paneer (fine til I burned it), cooked a pile of tomatoes down into a pot of sauce and a pile of apples into apple butter, roasted Chinese duck and rotisseried Thai chickens and souped and stewed and chopped and sauteed with the best of 'em. But something about the time (3+ days) and the almost total lack of having to do anything combined with the fact that hey, you know that jar I set out the other night? There's something totally different inside it now, and it smells awesome - all that made it feel like something of a miracle. (Ok, the yogurt was a close second: rather less time, more stirring, less chopping, equally dramatic transformation, also technically fermentation. And granted he idea of bacteria doing something weird to food left out on the counter is hardly revolutionary - that's why we invented refrigerators. But still.) And yeah, the pickles were awesome.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-YIr3ymPpAeiSeEsGIGg4TBLHeK9V5mcIvGSYOd4Cg0iKQGePGBQG0iCMaIBy3nIOBx6gckEmAXqg-nuUtkCM3VjJYQ3IlO2Ua2_lFqzIVbeRbdbdW6nZLvy9R-AA0vRfDWutbcPDjno/s1600/DSC04411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-YIr3ymPpAeiSeEsGIGg4TBLHeK9V5mcIvGSYOd4Cg0iKQGePGBQG0iCMaIBy3nIOBx6gckEmAXqg-nuUtkCM3VjJYQ3IlO2Ua2_lFqzIVbeRbdbdW6nZLvy9R-AA0vRfDWutbcPDjno/s640/DSC04411.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pickles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Sour Dill Pickles</b></u>.<br />
These are fermented. In other words, no vinegar; all the work is done by the yeasts and bacteria on the skin of the cucumber and floating around in the air. No, it's not dangerous; according to Pollan the FDA has had zero confirmed reports of food poisoning from this sort of thing. The lactobacilli like the salt, and they out-acidify any nasty-making competitors. But do read Katz or Pollan if you're interested in the actual biology behind it, and don't eat it if it smells funny (rather than like pickles).<br />
<br />
pickling (kirby) cucumbers<br />
1tbsp (non-iodized) salt to 1 cup water (brine)<br />
flavorings: smashed garlic<br />
dill<br />
caraway seeds<br />
celery seeds<br />
jalapenos<br />
etc<br />
<br />
1) Rinse the cukes in cold water. Wash out enough jars to hold them. (No need to sterilize, but do be sure they're clean.)<br />
<br />
2) Boil enough water to completely cover the cucumbers in the jars. (May I recommend using an electric tea kettle to avoid heating up the kitchen while you're at it.) Dissolve 1 tbsp salt for every cup of water. Don't use iodized salt; that screws things up. Add a handful of ice, set aside and let cool to room temp.<br />
<br />
3) Slice the cucumbers into spears or chunks. (Or don't.) Seed them. (Or don't.) Smash some garlic cloves. Chop some fresh hill, or get out the dried stuff. Slice some jalapenos. Or use whatever other seasonings you like, or none. Put the cucumbers in the jars, packed fairly tight so they don't float. Put in the herbs and things. Pour enough brine over top to completely cover the vegetables so they don't get moldy.<br />
<br />
4) Set the jars in a dish (in case they bubble over) in a not-too-hot part of the house (good luck) and cover loosely with the lids. Watch and wait. After a day or so you should start to see little bubbles, and maybe smell something intriguing. After 3 days the water will be cloudy and you'll have pickles. Taste. If they're good, screw the tops on tight and stick 'em in the fridge. If you want them more sour, leave out for another day or two, tasting occasionally. Eat with a nice cold sandwich. Attempt with other vegetables than pickles if you're feeling adventurous.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-66356167071806924592013-07-12T10:31:00.001-04:002013-07-12T10:32:22.806-04:00Cool BeansIt's too hot to cook. Ever since I heated up my apartment to 87 degrees (<i>87 degrees!</i>) by making a pot of ratatouille, I've been making sandwiches, nuking leftovers, and occasionally boiling a little pot of pasta or sticking something in the toaster oven. (Or staying at my parents' house, where 90% of the cooking this time of year is done by my father on the grill.) So when I say to make this soup on the stove, ignore me. Seriously, don't do it. When I actually cooked this, a month or two ago, the temperature was normal and I could boil a pot of chickpeas without also boiling myself. From, now til September I'm recommending the crockpot method, which I haven't actually tested out but hey, what could go wrong? At the very least it's far less likely to turn your kitchen into a sauna. Which frankly right now is my highest priority, so.<br />
<br />
This is a lovely soup, which I found on Pinterest (original <a href="http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/10/recipe-for-garbanzo-bean-chickpea-soup.html" target="_blank">here</a>). It's basically liquid hummus, for better or worse. Given my feelings about hummus, I'm going with better. That said, it's one of those flavors that I love for the first half of a bowl and then kind of feel like enough's enough, so I'd suggest having a small bowl as an appetizer or alongside a salad and/or sandwich instead of making it your whole meal. But don't listen to me. (Do you ever?) Alternatively, it would make a good sauce for something like falafel, or maybe a dressing for a Middle Eastern-ish salad. In which case you'll want to make a whole lot less, unless you eat a *lot* of falafel.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPHR6xgbV-1mqfJs1AnCs4Z-xgW_KuYyCIZTlgmKDJ6WYF-NEbRuvsxGS0uvatXlpOx93SDYtUQPzJHbEh6eLn4hSQmJ69cYfOigC_EONIdsEUXhW39sZ6RucXG8IFm4IcuC9Hlifofnw/s1600/DSC04053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPHR6xgbV-1mqfJs1AnCs4Z-xgW_KuYyCIZTlgmKDJ6WYF-NEbRuvsxGS0uvatXlpOx93SDYtUQPzJHbEh6eLn4hSQmJ69cYfOigC_EONIdsEUXhW39sZ6RucXG8IFm4IcuC9Hlifofnw/s640/DSC04053.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chickpea soup with olive oil, sumac, and lemon juice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Chickpea Soup</b></u><br />
2 cups dried chickpeas, or 1 big can canned chickpeas (dried tastes better but requires advance planning, never my strength when it comes to dinner)<br />
4 cups broth of some sort (chicken/veggie)<br />
water<br />
1 big onion, diced<br />
2-4 garlic cloves, minced<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1 tsp. cumin <br />
salt & pepper<br />
olive oil<br />
Garnishes: sumac, paprika, lemon juice, feta, parsley, cilantro and/or whatever else looks good, to taste<br />
<br />
1) If you're using dried beans, soak them overnight first. If not, open and drain the can of beans.<br />
<br />
2) Saute onion until it's translucent and beginning to brown, then add the garlic, cumin and bay leaf, and saute a minute more until everything's fragrant. (Note: On a hot day, skip this step. You miss out on all the wonderfullness that comes with a good Maillard reaction, but also a lot of sweat.)<br />
<br />
3) Dump everything but the garnishes in a pot or crockpot. Cook until done. Crockpot: low heat. Stovetop: gentle simmer. Here's a handy table to make sense of cooking time, given all the variables.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
table.MsoTableGrid
{mso-style-name:"Table Grid";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;
mso-border-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-border-insideh:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-border-insidev:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 480;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 114.8pt;" valign="top" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 77.8pt;" valign="top" width="104"><div class="MsoNormal">
Crockpot</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(low setting)</div>
</td>
<td style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 93.15pt;" valign="top" width="124"><div class="MsoNormal">
Stovetop</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(gentle simmer)</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 114.8pt;" valign="top" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal">
canned beans</div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 77.8pt;" valign="top" width="104"><div class="MsoNormal">
45 min?</div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 93.15pt;" valign="top" width="124"><div class="MsoNormal">
30 min?</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 114.8pt;" valign="top" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal">
presoaked dry beans</div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 77.8pt;" valign="top" width="104"><div class="MsoNormal">
7-8 hours</div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 93.15pt;" valign="top" width="124"><div class="MsoNormal">
1-3 hours</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 114.8pt;" valign="top" width="153"><div class="MsoNormal">
unsoaked dry beans</div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 77.8pt;" valign="top" width="104"><div class="MsoNormal">
are you nuts?</div>
</td>
<td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; text-align: center; width: 93.15pt;" valign="top" width="124"><div class="MsoNormal">
derrr… 4 hours?</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Figure 1:</b> Approximate cooking times</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Do keep in mind though that those are very approximate, and a lot will depend on the freshness of your beans, the alignment of the planets, the will of the gods, and so forth. Keep checking, stirring, and adding water as needed. (Crockpot dry beans can be left to cook while you go off and have a productive/beach-filled day, just start checking near the end of the process.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
4) When the chickpeas are nice and soft, pull out the bay leaves and blend the whole mess til smooth. (Immersion blenders are good for this, if using a blender blender make sure to tilt up the little clear plastic bit in the middle so steam can escape, don't overfill, and keep a hand on the top to thwart explosions.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
5) Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with whatever of the above garnishes sound good to you, alongside something Mediterranean: a cucumber-tomato salad, tabbouleh, a sandwich (grilled cheese? with feta and arugula?), or at least a nice chunk of bread to sop it up with.</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-61804301518027482432013-06-27T12:06:00.000-04:002013-06-27T21:15:15.924-04:00Even NicerJust a quick middle-of-the-week bonus post while I kill time til lunch. Think of this as an add-on to that last one on <a href="http://wolfchops.blogspot.com/2013/06/making-nice.html" target="_blank">socca</a>. I think I mentioned in there somewhere that chickpea pancakes are as good done vegan with a pile of ratatouille on top as they are with onion, bacon, gruyere, and a runny fried egg. (And trust me, they're pretty damn awesome with a runny fried egg.) So: a recipe for ratatouille! I have no idea how authentic this actually is, and really I don't care (so please hold off the it's-not-ratatouille-without-peppers hate mail). This is really just an excuse to cook two of my favorite veggies, zucchini and eggplant, with lots of tomato and herbs and call it dinner. Bonus: those'll all be in season soon, and therefore extremely fresh and cheap at the farmers' market. Score. There are no definitive quantities here; just do it all to taste. What I've listed here makes a big pot, but do feel free to play around. Love summer squash? Add more. Eggplant at the store looking particularly sad this week? Leave it out. Love bell peppers? Blech. But you can add them in anyway. Hate onions (cough cough Sarah)? Sub in leeks. Just keep it all fresh and don't add anything weird and you'll be fine.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi2Qmf769avFg_MwDJHZm4G-vN_cUCx0FCuQXz0BKHu_DkrBW4Y0LReIkbMQECW4fIGJsWmN4IV4x1DknGsxZsAQpSfX6E8E1aIJhPZzCgSvLyybelbISUYsSeXNlIYABu-O6bllPh_yN/s1600/DSC04339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdi2Qmf769avFg_MwDJHZm4G-vN_cUCx0FCuQXz0BKHu_DkrBW4Y0LReIkbMQECW4fIGJsWmN4IV4x1DknGsxZsAQpSfX6E8E1aIJhPZzCgSvLyybelbISUYsSeXNlIYABu-O6bllPh_yN/s640/DSC04339.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over socca, with salad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Summer Ratatouille</b></u><br />
2 medium eggplants<br />
2 yellow summer squash<br />
2 zucchini<br />
1 onion<br />
a few cloves garlic<br />
large can of diced tomatoes<br />
2 large handfuls of fresh herbs (I used oregano, sage, a little basil, and a lot of parsley, since that's what's currently exploding in my garden)<br />
Salt & pepper<br />
Olive oil<br />
<br />
1) Slice the eggplants (1 cm thick?) salt, and let sit for 20-30 minutes on paper towels or dishcloths. Pat dry, rinse, and let drip dry in a colander over the sink.<br />
<br />
2) Meanwhile, slice the zucchini and squash into rounds (quarter inch thick?). Chop your herbs. Chop the onion and saute it in oil in the bottom of a large pot until it starts to brown a bit. Mince half your garlic and add it to the pot. Stir about a minute til things get fragrant. <br />
<br />
3) Add all the veggies, tomatoes, and half the herbs. (Set the remaining herbs and garlic aside for later.) Salt & pepper to taste. (Taste before you salt, since the eggplant might still be salty even if you rinsed it.) Let simmer partly covered, stirring occasionally, until everything's nice and soft and the liquid has reduced down enough that it's not a soup. (The vegs will soak up some liquid as they cool, so it doesn't have to be totally dry.) Your squash coins will probably have their middles falling out, and your neat circles will have broken, but they shouldn't be total mush.<br />
<br />
4) Add the rest of the herbs and garlic (minced) and let simmer just a minute or two more. Serve over socca, or polenta, or with bread, or tossed with spaghetti, or alongside some sausage, depending how virtuous you're feeling. Some romano cheese or even cooked chickpeas sprinkled on top is pretty good too. Makes great leftovers.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-59948321632414828142013-06-23T16:02:00.000-04:002013-06-23T16:02:04.492-04:00Making NiceOk, I realize I may have freaked some of you out a little with that last post. Apologies. (That said, can't promise I won't do it again.) But you can come back now, it's safe, no furry head-on critters this time around. This recipe is so normal I got it from the Times. And you know what? It's really good.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7e1995q69G0eEt5sJJO_YEhWBkLSRW8q5uYuquhOgNrHr9vF3dKvAUyXrKDHRLgAGKY1_KehvbM2hIWX7efc8g5sv1oxD7XC6RBbfpGsc3OeJoEQrbjsSSPEhf82cVXj-3RPuSOXnUF4_/s1600/DSC04150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7e1995q69G0eEt5sJJO_YEhWBkLSRW8q5uYuquhOgNrHr9vF3dKvAUyXrKDHRLgAGKY1_KehvbM2hIWX7efc8g5sv1oxD7XC6RBbfpGsc3OeJoEQrbjsSSPEhf82cVXj-3RPuSOXnUF4_/s640/DSC04150.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See look, no ingredients with claws or ears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first time I had socca (for the uninitiated: a savory chickpea flour pancake from south-eastern France/north-western Italy) was at a restaurant called <a href="http://nizzanyc.com/" target="_blank">Nizza</a> on 9th Ave in New York. They serve food from Nice, which is what you would get if you mixed equal parts French and Italian, added a bit of Mediterranean sunshine, a pile of herbs, and then drank a bottle of red wine before cooking it up. In other words, wonderful. I could absolutely live on <i>pistou</i>s and <i>pissaladier</i>s and good tapanade on fresh bread, and basically did on my trip to Nice a few years ago (at least when the seagulls weren't stealing the food right out of my hand). And the, gelato, oh the gelato. Of course I got a warm socca to eat at the open air market overlooking the beach, even if it was still way to cold to actually swim, being March and all. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6Fsw_9MBi_0a25OdPGZBru4Jdp4UyEym3w909ha967HRrwsfb62u3BomP-CZFcKysUHHlZqN4LLkzuZW7arq0iyomebyB87QlJjL1lARWJolkF3uU5utZ06oNZsgbgO_GPbXrniTo_c2/s1600/DSC04153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6Fsw_9MBi_0a25OdPGZBru4Jdp4UyEym3w909ha967HRrwsfb62u3BomP-CZFcKysUHHlZqN4LLkzuZW7arq0iyomebyB87QlJjL1lARWJolkF3uU5utZ06oNZsgbgO_GPbXrniTo_c2/s640/DSC04153.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter, ready for pouring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0z1ZFut8Hf3dTov9-MQpGab7ptwEVYUcE7Fh9RpjuiL9G9q03U4iPG2VR4ZuiZOySR0da9lpiRgoWs2IMNzz2mHCTu2lUhF4qcnL0Ow5W1X-JBG9tcC70_eOUDgThDZZbHOW8yNMNKuc/s1600/DSC04152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
I hadn't thought about socca in a while, til a few weeks ago Mark Bittman did <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/magazine/what-cant-you-make-with-chickpeas.html?_r=0" target="_blank">a column</a> in the Times about all the wonderful non-hummusy things that can be done with chickpeas, and included this recipe. Don't get me wrong, lord knows I love hummus, but there's a whole chickpea world out there beyond garlicky spreads on pita. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014757/Socca-Farinata.html" target="_blank">original</a> called for onion and rosemary for flavoring; I went in a different direction with sage ('cause that's how they make it at Nizza) and Italian sausage (because I had it in the fridge). Think of the batter as a blank canvas to play with as you will. It would be lovely with a handful of mixed herbs (sage, tarragon, and parsley?) and garlic; or onions and olives; a little bacon or prosciutto; some crumbled cheese. Beyond their basic sage/onion/pecorino version, at Nizza they use the socca as a gluten-free crust option for their pizzas, including a margherita; one with tomato, artichoke, goat cheese, and olives; and another with mushrooms, onions, and chevre. A nice ratatouille would be lovely on top too, with some oregano sprinkled over. You get the point - make it perfectly vegan or totally indulgent, whatever your mood. Just do try to have a light hand with the toppings so as not to overwhelm the pancake.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0z1ZFut8Hf3dTov9-MQpGab7ptwEVYUcE7Fh9RpjuiL9G9q03U4iPG2VR4ZuiZOySR0da9lpiRgoWs2IMNzz2mHCTu2lUhF4qcnL0Ow5W1X-JBG9tcC70_eOUDgThDZZbHOW8yNMNKuc/s1600/DSC04152.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0z1ZFut8Hf3dTov9-MQpGab7ptwEVYUcE7Fh9RpjuiL9G9q03U4iPG2VR4ZuiZOySR0da9lpiRgoWs2IMNzz2mHCTu2lUhF4qcnL0Ow5W1X-JBG9tcC70_eOUDgThDZZbHOW8yNMNKuc/s640/DSC04152.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauteing the toppings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The only thing called for here that's slightly out of the ordinary is chickpea flour. I found a bag of Bob's Red Mill at the supermarket for a few bucks (look in the natural or gluten-free section if it's not in with the regular flour). Indian groceries would also have it, possibly under the name 'gram flour' or 'besan'. Worst case, there's always <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dgrocery&field-keywords=chickpea%20flour&sprefix=chickpea+%2Caps%2C330" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Socca</u></b><br />
(adapted from Mark Bittman)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup chickpea flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp salt</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp pepper</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">olive oil</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 onion sliced</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 handful sage, chopped</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 link Italian sausage</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Romano cheese </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1) Mix the chickpea flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup lukewarm water, making sure to get out all the lumps. Whisk in 2 tbsp olive oil. Cover and let sit on the counter between 30 minutes and 12 hours.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLGB1iDOgHlOfb_G2oA26VfNWnDgArTz6ujtR7f5kdokbZra-yriiNCDCxz9jPexErlTU4JZ4Vj7n3QASqnMkiuXq7GWYXhrcY9kn_F0dJMGrZdayU2pMZ-tTqQ44FA8ECsCs7erQpwFp/s1600/DSC04154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLGB1iDOgHlOfb_G2oA26VfNWnDgArTz6ujtR7f5kdokbZra-yriiNCDCxz9jPexErlTU4JZ4Vj7n3QASqnMkiuXq7GWYXhrcY9kn_F0dJMGrZdayU2pMZ-tTqQ44FA8ECsCs7erQpwFp/s640/DSC04154.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouring in the batter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
2) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450. Add a little olive oil to a cast iron skillet. Crumble the sausage into the pan and saute with the onions until the sausage is browned and the onions are translucent, maybe getting a little browned themselves. Add the sage and stir a minute more. (If you're using other toppings, cook them now.)<br />
<br />
3) Pour the batter over the toppings. Stir quickly once or twive to make sure everything's evenly distributed, and sprinkle a handful of romano over the top. Stick in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the pancake is set.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnTF23pPr4MSjFnmO1aBIP9KB_ouHvY0rIXJOuTBcPraelEE015IBbBqpPtqQgeey4o9moYt67o4SfOh-csiJHpgAffrZeKv56d0ldy7vLiav_LL6FyNgSzQjajThZdiGpMo2mf2QgUUb/s1600/DSC04155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnTF23pPr4MSjFnmO1aBIP9KB_ouHvY0rIXJOuTBcPraelEE015IBbBqpPtqQgeey4o9moYt67o4SfOh-csiJHpgAffrZeKv56d0ldy7vLiav_LL6FyNgSzQjajThZdiGpMo2mf2QgUUb/s640/DSC04155.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to bake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
4) Brush a little more olive oil over the top of the socca and set it a few inches under the broiler. Broil it just until it gets brown in spots. Serve cut into slices with a light salad and some good summer wine.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vMCpf0yHAwHqurjbm1uHdMZn_X-Hl3gWJv-SrHqajwBeLYH6cgkNOXGnY9v8GF-jNjz8Q5MuvBXClmDRzNy0gqMCA-7e_wOsikiYZjDLsWkMnkzfrgbAYkiSROZY4-suJD28yhAVyW3-/s1600/DSC04156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vMCpf0yHAwHqurjbm1uHdMZn_X-Hl3gWJv-SrHqajwBeLYH6cgkNOXGnY9v8GF-jNjz8Q5MuvBXClmDRzNy0gqMCA-7e_wOsikiYZjDLsWkMnkzfrgbAYkiSROZY4-suJD28yhAVyW3-/s640/DSC04156.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Done.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-35151461564866828752013-06-15T21:22:00.001-04:002013-06-15T21:27:53.155-04:00The Night of the Guinea Pig<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vuMn3UweLWLzZxftrD30PjOkC6J31ggus-VReQm25pKE4wAZ0v3hTj9vIhIXR-u4ElfD-ZvvitL6UWxLuI4lzr7hGq8Ul_0nhTztfOx0MeLgX938wkaWfYq2dR-CRjjIB3MDH_tpV7i6/s1600/DSC04288.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vuMn3UweLWLzZxftrD30PjOkC6J31ggus-VReQm25pKE4wAZ0v3hTj9vIhIXR-u4ElfD-ZvvitL6UWxLuI4lzr7hGq8Ul_0nhTztfOx0MeLgX938wkaWfYq2dR-CRjjIB3MDH_tpV7i6/s400/DSC04288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with pig quarters. Yes, those are its front teeth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And now for something completely different...<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>***WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS PICTURES OF MEAT THAT STILL LOOKS LIKE THE CUTE FURRY ANIMAL IT CAME FROM. IF THAT BOTHERS YOU, STOP READING HERE (and maybe have a good think about going vegetarian)***</b><br />
<br />
<br />
So recently I've been doing upbeat spring posts about things like fiddlehead ferns and rhubarb compote and other seasonal delights you might find on Pinterest. This post is entirely different. In this post, I barbeque a guinea pig.<br />
<br />
Three, actually, one butterflied on the grill and two roasted in the oven, which despite the cool evening may not have been my best idea ever. If you know me at all of have read back through some of the earlier posts on this blog, you know that I like to eat unusual things. (See: crickets two ways at my birthday party last month.) So when some friends and I discovered that the local C-Town supermarket stocked guinea pig in the freezer section, we knew it had to happen. That was two or three years ago; it took M. finishing his dissertation and moving to Ohio for us to get out act together and buy a few to try. (That age old story of 'oh, we'll do it next time', until finally life hits you and there is no next time.) Guinea pigs are a specialty in some parts of South America, where they're called <i>cuy</i> and generally roasted or fried (or so the internets tell me). So in honor of M. moving on with his life, we grabbed some cuy, invited over some adventurous friends, fired up my neighbor's grill, and made a South American(-ish) feast.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJwmVKKyuRMIdVFh5urmLd2PNv0JPtVGeZTnEDHn2qiHswUwtOWUeFAMacsU3c5crvYaJh1ygXEMH8AZFbr_33hgaAEmtAFlq-UuAbre_mLBu8aizdC9RME4S7Eppa0fHbyNZxICJtHqM/s1600/DSC04281.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJwmVKKyuRMIdVFh5urmLd2PNv0JPtVGeZTnEDHn2qiHswUwtOWUeFAMacsU3c5crvYaJh1ygXEMH8AZFbr_33hgaAEmtAFlq-UuAbre_mLBu8aizdC9RME4S7Eppa0fHbyNZxICJtHqM/s640/DSC04281.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
1) The rodents. There were seven of us, so we bought three piglets, and prepared each a different way. One was rubbed with a mixture of cumin, paprika, pepper, and salt and grilled over charcoal with a clove of garlic in its toothy little mouth. A second was stuffed with chorizo, parsley, and onions and roasted at 400 "til it's done". And for the third we followed a <a href="http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/how-to-eat-a-guinea-pig" target="_blank">recipe</a> found online and roasted it with a stuffing made from walnuts, parsley, onions, mint, oregano, and the innards C-Town was kind enough to leave in the three body cavities (heart, lungs, liver, kidneys), lightly poached and then mixed in with the rest. Needless to say I did not eat this last one. Unusual species don't bother me; unusual organs do. (Did I ever claim to be rational?)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hB6ay9lshN_yFSQ8kMa3qldQJsAMb1rv6ngBzCIlmub5bjf2faIvERzeDzTQNq3A_IoUwCQsYI8GiywqaRDqcx6jBPmQsmZq40U5DweTk3IdiRyHqeuhUZ_cUlpfTzNjnC8bt6KpaIug/s1600/DSC04260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hB6ay9lshN_yFSQ8kMa3qldQJsAMb1rv6ngBzCIlmub5bjf2faIvERzeDzTQNq3A_IoUwCQsYI8GiywqaRDqcx6jBPmQsmZq40U5DweTk3IdiRyHqeuhUZ_cUlpfTzNjnC8bt6KpaIug/s400/DSC04260.JPG" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super cuy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The cuy themselves were sold in plastic pouches (brand name: Super Cuy!) de-furred and cleaned but otherwise intact: head, feet, eyes, skin, etc all accounted for (only the digestive tract had been removed). So they looked like, well, very naked guinea pigs. Let the black humor and grisly jokes commence. They were thawed and opened up, the remaining organs removed, and stuffed or not as per above. M. did the honors of carving the roast beasts at the table, which entailed decapitation, drawing, and quartering. (Actually, I think they came pre-drawn. Whatever.) The first one, which had been butterflied and bbqed, I think was the best. Actually it's the only one I tasted. I got a nice leg (claws and all). The skin was a little rubbery, even after being crisped over the fire, but the meat was nice and tender and flavorful from the smoke and the rub. Stronger-flavored than I'd expected, certainly more pungent than rabbit, and a little fatty. Not bad at all. The second, with the guts-stuffing, I'm told was minerally, which is unsurprising when you consider it was fulled with liver and kidney. (Remind me again why people eat that stuff?) I think without the offal that's a stuffing I might actually use again though. But rodent hearts? Not so much. And by the time the chorizo cuy (pig in a pig!) was carved I was way too full to even think about eating a piece. I did nibble on the stuffing though, and that one I really will make again. Chorizo & onion: yum.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxTrZB6gzD9FqixedoJrR-DIdXNAwj2tZpAj3ubQv-xeQKjWATQROwaUKoyj75rASxy9Aq5AcHXWVSsvQk98ZK0g8mFrOQ5wl8_HVPgUPuCFJQKpY9JgJ2tJiyarTJoggq9z8tCnQtPl5/s1600/DSC04262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxTrZB6gzD9FqixedoJrR-DIdXNAwj2tZpAj3ubQv-xeQKjWATQROwaUKoyj75rASxy9Aq5AcHXWVSsvQk98ZK0g8mFrOQ5wl8_HVPgUPuCFJQKpY9JgJ2tJiyarTJoggq9z8tCnQtPl5/s640/DSC04262.JPG" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lowering the cuy into hot water for defrosting. Don't say I didn't warn you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtIhws0222-3_PrJff0LQH09rsfxAcFAm5snD9ROfT8JNG4Z9fBSbQfsd9B8FFgsf65Q7EABv-yDH2C7TmND5SXpEvHFzeOb5ahzXLEPv4QZyy0z7BvBcJ7Cr_l_yqpaYgUom-53twLgy/s1600/DSC04263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtIhws0222-3_PrJff0LQH09rsfxAcFAm5snD9ROfT8JNG4Z9fBSbQfsd9B8FFgsf65Q7EABv-yDH2C7TmND5SXpEvHFzeOb5ahzXLEPv4QZyy0z7BvBcJ7Cr_l_yqpaYgUom-53twLgy/s640/DSC04263.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening it for cleaning and stuffing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJbNwnxOBMZGjr1f5Is2vfMdk7VcxNyC6qIPGwaK41xmpc0w0D6oqlbD1YW1WKgZuBtgZsRuvkNN6siyhjHoKEGPVqBfmTDBw0WKMOKnUQjLx3ctGTr1ShcrGDgYfSXeTfaKGYAukhjzH/s1600/DSC04265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJbNwnxOBMZGjr1f5Is2vfMdk7VcxNyC6qIPGwaK41xmpc0w0D6oqlbD1YW1WKgZuBtgZsRuvkNN6siyhjHoKEGPVqBfmTDBw0WKMOKnUQjLx3ctGTr1ShcrGDgYfSXeTfaKGYAukhjzH/s640/DSC04265.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What lies beneath. (The heart, mostly.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbHr0GK_G0Ch2GUV8nM-C2ie4RYDUJfRVbGOCgBlHd8kk8rpbCeqQX2hkksvtEf76iy_s-Oy27cKRlDlTT9c8dGFDwr-EZ1LuQwcigA9YCaaJtwpnkSLZ1EC7AAHVx2GQI6eIrmsgn3Qh/s1600/DSC04276.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbHr0GK_G0Ch2GUV8nM-C2ie4RYDUJfRVbGOCgBlHd8kk8rpbCeqQX2hkksvtEf76iy_s-Oy27cKRlDlTT9c8dGFDwr-EZ1LuQwcigA9YCaaJtwpnkSLZ1EC7AAHVx2GQI6eIrmsgn3Qh/s640/DSC04276.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Applying the dry rub to #1.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmmhrV56HWImecCqUFSxhv-CbRPIwUNOzKOuHMZES7DsBNs2RASu4AF1zb3WjdE3KSp4Js6xMGji57ZiZtu3ysZbY-W74yxquTW2kDybfXUGvBtIiPLqPdiMz6qKXIuBY-cAeeU6HvxM8/s1600/DSC04271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmmhrV56HWImecCqUFSxhv-CbRPIwUNOzKOuHMZES7DsBNs2RASu4AF1zb3WjdE3KSp4Js6xMGji57ZiZtu3ysZbY-W74yxquTW2kDybfXUGvBtIiPLqPdiMz6qKXIuBY-cAeeU6HvxM8/s640/DSC04271.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herb-walnut stuffing (pre-adding of guts).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbwpp3HxjO_9o6FVDPG9BRa1HvX8rJwewTSx19io39wIj8CGnEZkTTfvWOI38kmyB0X6CnllzUKufMKK1rOeyCO6jeq9i5N-OckAC9HdbO4caz9J0p4YenYejkpR0J7N7BBVKOymxk_El/s1600/DSC04272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbwpp3HxjO_9o6FVDPG9BRa1HvX8rJwewTSx19io39wIj8CGnEZkTTfvWOI38kmyB0X6CnllzUKufMKK1rOeyCO6jeq9i5N-OckAC9HdbO4caz9J0p4YenYejkpR0J7N7BBVKOymxk_El/s640/DSC04272.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauteing the chorizo stuffing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJehfuPtGX2Brlx6mXL45znkF9qbKLLKhXQS6eM4I11Hi9z7ipqWFk4IUMbtZZ_BixcmL5RtwUPNndrstGZMAxq8J3r0JmmZ8taQCtRmAiV23cgwxkq9dxkZa_SVnoA5nDLDTQAxYVHq51/s1600/DSC04273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJehfuPtGX2Brlx6mXL45znkF9qbKLLKhXQS6eM4I11Hi9z7ipqWFk4IUMbtZZ_BixcmL5RtwUPNndrstGZMAxq8J3r0JmmZ8taQCtRmAiV23cgwxkq9dxkZa_SVnoA5nDLDTQAxYVHq51/s640/DSC04273.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuy #2, stuffed and closed up with toothpicks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu4Lch1sSBxxFUwyPyKhcDXq_UVPqRyn-j1oZLEAnVHsVEFNKEeEsOiEquZk3QDf9rCJzgJsL8Py901KgElerJLSvvK7QMKXCN_DIufoNftQvBO-Tgu3oFznzvldljHSz4eprCQjL8JGw/s1600/DSC04274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu4Lch1sSBxxFUwyPyKhcDXq_UVPqRyn-j1oZLEAnVHsVEFNKEeEsOiEquZk3QDf9rCJzgJsL8Py901KgElerJLSvvK7QMKXCN_DIufoNftQvBO-Tgu3oFznzvldljHSz4eprCQjL8JGw/s640/DSC04274.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#s 2 and 3, stuffed and trussed. The one on the right kinda looks like a zombie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYpIecnSrSgpz_Fxe65FG3mCJejyG0py2ghtVDPCWwmRAHcbu-i888KZ8zn-cJRbQickp1Agc5EQ-AYFWqwYKNWjNhY1MYjGrPCdjVdpjqTHX_jbILKret1zRujxEqYrb-QJx3p49Qi8f/s1600/DSC04278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYpIecnSrSgpz_Fxe65FG3mCJejyG0py2ghtVDPCWwmRAHcbu-i888KZ8zn-cJRbQickp1Agc5EQ-AYFWqwYKNWjNhY1MYjGrPCdjVdpjqTHX_jbILKret1zRujxEqYrb-QJx3p49Qi8f/s640/DSC04278.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#1 on the grill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJwmVKKyuRMIdVFh5urmLd2PNv0JPtVGeZTnEDHn2qiHswUwtOWUeFAMacsU3c5crvYaJh1ygXEMH8AZFbr_33hgaAEmtAFlq-UuAbre_mLBu8aizdC9RME4S7Eppa0fHbyNZxICJtHqM/s1600/DSC04281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD8NM8zJ9sknpFV54ZtDkCfo3ONi7xhJIw3WE9E0E89rfeFCkitZH3cpZvkKimVMe6rdkYgHACcNfiYll9vglUf2U227GaLbMe6nx5vvfuQul0s2JTDIfCtprN81aBOBp5pVNGsvuHWxT/s1600/DSC04284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD8NM8zJ9sknpFV54ZtDkCfo3ONi7xhJIw3WE9E0E89rfeFCkitZH3cpZvkKimVMe6rdkYgHACcNfiYll9vglUf2U227GaLbMe6nx5vvfuQul0s2JTDIfCtprN81aBOBp5pVNGsvuHWxT/s640/DSC04284.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted. We crisped them up on the grill afterwards.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrH67OPUkeWjLM0JBOW74ynAfqlMpRQMOS9ldvS-PlRNg5cFrxhR2MiiQ6wm5OPsymy4IWOp4GGuxadXykPh51SFjJs2ineGsDU0ZxSngyFE0P2vLzDUEX-77qdN5o00Nhtxm9VnyoplOC/s1600/DSC04283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrH67OPUkeWjLM0JBOW74ynAfqlMpRQMOS9ldvS-PlRNg5cFrxhR2MiiQ6wm5OPsymy4IWOp4GGuxadXykPh51SFjJs2ineGsDU0ZxSngyFE0P2vLzDUEX-77qdN5o00Nhtxm9VnyoplOC/s1600/DSC04283.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrH67OPUkeWjLM0JBOW74ynAfqlMpRQMOS9ldvS-PlRNg5cFrxhR2MiiQ6wm5OPsymy4IWOp4GGuxadXykPh51SFjJs2ineGsDU0ZxSngyFE0P2vLzDUEX-77qdN5o00Nhtxm9VnyoplOC/s640/DSC04283.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for carving.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYc9xEh9pxmhK-h-xTe70ZhhBWFjIY3iKj2PVeW7Jzxjwvfx1z2Of8pecgzHKNL8WkLL4g1T2XRbeHVa5dMzEMPGvlHXF5NPEB_AayZRgaspc10e7dBRAVeYfQzu3y2dedWYDWJfPxDamu/s1600/DSC04286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYc9xEh9pxmhK-h-xTe70ZhhBWFjIY3iKj2PVeW7Jzxjwvfx1z2Of8pecgzHKNL8WkLL4g1T2XRbeHVa5dMzEMPGvlHXF5NPEB_AayZRgaspc10e7dBRAVeYfQzu3y2dedWYDWJfPxDamu/s640/DSC04286.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carving the cuy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCa4hUy7GkzCFGIgLnqqS5_8gzZbytyjKHus8Mpa4g0WmUWT30LW3io7m9EMs1SmXme9zVfl7BTAep4ogzM4G76IURfX00H04mG2EHCymiVEiCFjbtSvRNMRSzxZCTxnAi7oookTAh3Mr/s1600/DSC04287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCa4hUy7GkzCFGIgLnqqS5_8gzZbytyjKHus8Mpa4g0WmUWT30LW3io7m9EMs1SmXme9zVfl7BTAep4ogzM4G76IURfX00H04mG2EHCymiVEiCFjbtSvRNMRSzxZCTxnAi7oookTAh3Mr/s640/DSC04287.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pig on a platter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
2) The fixings. South American themed meant yucca and
plantain and avocado and pineapple. And grilled onions, because why
not. The yucca we made into<a href="http://innocentprimate.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/baked-yucca-fries/" target="_blank"> baked fries</a>, the plantains into fried fries,
and the pineapple was dredged in cinnamon and grilled. Oh, and M. made
some excellent tomatillo salsa, but you'll have to ask him for the
recipe since I haven't got a clue. Frankly these were the best part. I
mean, guinea pig is good, but grilled pineapple is better. And avocados.
Yum.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfyOi3CfRa5sVEtDqudgmC5LORAI7HEq1ZDcPKUPnATbQ3U2mjn5sRyz9iAF1jFEI6EHYWGKtG2UMSRtE90SYn2Q1Wg-w0n4Yd4_Mx9st8whab91mdJM3R4S-nf_pzPBgrmMz1JpqNOA7/s1600/DSC04266.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfyOi3CfRa5sVEtDqudgmC5LORAI7HEq1ZDcPKUPnATbQ3U2mjn5sRyz9iAF1jFEI6EHYWGKtG2UMSRtE90SYn2Q1Wg-w0n4Yd4_Mx9st8whab91mdJM3R4S-nf_pzPBgrmMz1JpqNOA7/s640/DSC04266.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some nice bloodless chopped plantains for you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3) The drinks. You don't think we did this fully sober, did you? Red wine and summer ale were both on hand, and probably to blame for what happened to the heads. Like I said, black humor. So cheers to a good time and the six brave should who came over to share it, and then had the fortitude to go for ice cream after. Salut!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Guinea Pig</b></u><br />
Just read the paragraph above. That's really all we had to go on. Besides, you're not really planning to make this, are you?<br />
<br />
<u><b>Fried Plantains</b></u><br />
Buy some plantains, the riper the better. Cut into smallish chunks. Fry in oil, probably at a lower heat than I did. Dip in Sriracha and lime juice.<br />
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7ZoQiDTgekN2iau0WayNLJ1ILvCRGycOh-sxzmtd2cR6B2XcYGGfqxSUmJNxgBX90BB8oToMPcoBSiwfnqGkiyRHnmIItNX77YDY3-1febOrbJXpVVI59XrmsdDSnBb0EGMAx7WHqzP6/s1600/DSC04275.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7ZoQiDTgekN2iau0WayNLJ1ILvCRGycOh-sxzmtd2cR6B2XcYGGfqxSUmJNxgBX90BB8oToMPcoBSiwfnqGkiyRHnmIItNX77YDY3-1febOrbJXpVVI59XrmsdDSnBb0EGMAx7WHqzP6/s640/DSC04275.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frying.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgblzN1cupoZLus6DWS3JeerdsKW_X1SjrBuAzHhEn5cTSrPtEM37ZldZ4ThUJ_k9wiz819x0Bbdsw5NMWAhYfdiD4VW3onV-WrxFtw6lKqm0wRUpeKBWtLifsi03-SUVg1swEpHOCt7Bb/s1600/DSC04280.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgblzN1cupoZLus6DWS3JeerdsKW_X1SjrBuAzHhEn5cTSrPtEM37ZldZ4ThUJ_k9wiz819x0Bbdsw5NMWAhYfdiD4VW3onV-WrxFtw6lKqm0wRUpeKBWtLifsi03-SUVg1swEpHOCt7Bb/s640/DSC04280.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for eating.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u><b>Grilled Pineapple</b></u><br />
Cut a pineapple into chunks. Dredge in cinnamon. Grill til caramelized. Devour. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0Xqzsm6ae94bPRzZxfu3Aw3jw2asMRHuuT9wcGW8-bxGPfhkq6kArRV09UePpkH441PmjAJ4-1_wFGp5PJhLAVZri5sYpVSghfytYxu82-Qw0F-a8zQT2qfD5Qv7hL1S3xDWUa8Lkb3d/s1600/DSC04264.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0Xqzsm6ae94bPRzZxfu3Aw3jw2asMRHuuT9wcGW8-bxGPfhkq6kArRV09UePpkH441PmjAJ4-1_wFGp5PJhLAVZri5sYpVSghfytYxu82-Qw0F-a8zQT2qfD5Qv7hL1S3xDWUa8Lkb3d/s640/DSC04264.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut and dredge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_RCjgukVet0R1orHyQh4NyHyAPqHmWkDSOU3VIkfE0fCMkvq3W1lRHRqwSd12bfcaxnXY8GE828TduWcsqvPyKDz-4RJNeeehO8JN8Bgz0qc_BikQSVBUXIBbXU6oHMgLWoduixCsH7y/s1600/DSC04267.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_RCjgukVet0R1orHyQh4NyHyAPqHmWkDSOU3VIkfE0fCMkvq3W1lRHRqwSd12bfcaxnXY8GE828TduWcsqvPyKDz-4RJNeeehO8JN8Bgz0qc_BikQSVBUXIBbXU6oHMgLWoduixCsH7y/s640/DSC04267.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grill and eat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><b>Baked Yucca Fries</b></u><br />
Finally, a real recipe! Preheat the oven to 450. Peel your yucca and cut it into 3-inch long lengths. Discard the ends. Get a pot of water boiling, and add the yucca. Boil about 12 minutes, until the middles start to split. Drain and let cool.<br />
<br />
Cut each section in half lengthwise and take out the tough string running down the middle. There will probably be a layer peeling off the outside too; you can get rid of that if you like. Cut into wedges and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, black pepper, cayenne, and lime zest (or other spice mix of your choice). Bake 10 minutes, stir, then bake another 10 minutes or so. Let cool and eat with salsa.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSQ83xJxtAom_WrvjTm-vTHcp9mS-hcD8VO_17hDFgAMiwNyVZBp0J1peRJj1xA5EINykmzLDRJ7F-XxwDuo8Xc0tOB_2Le7FEfCnCYCcZD53UbmuImyrUXVTGk-oBO_a9UlgRgCqBexe/s1600/DSC04277.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSQ83xJxtAom_WrvjTm-vTHcp9mS-hcD8VO_17hDFgAMiwNyVZBp0J1peRJj1xA5EINykmzLDRJ7F-XxwDuo8Xc0tOB_2Le7FEfCnCYCcZD53UbmuImyrUXVTGk-oBO_a9UlgRgCqBexe/s640/DSC04277.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yucca Fries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-64187024093699230912013-06-03T21:10:00.000-04:002013-06-04T10:38:36.889-04:00Sweet & SourContinuing on the theme of spring... Last weekend at the farmer's market I bought a big bunch of rhubarb. I love rhubarb - it's nice and tart, with pretty red and green stalks, potentially deadly (only if you eat the leaves... didn't Agatha Christie write a story about that?), and borderline unusual (how many people do <i>you</i> know who actually cook wit the stuff?). Of course, like most of my borderline-unusual farmer's market impulse purchases, I buy it expecting great things and then immediately go blank on what to do with the stuff. Like, Bon Appetit just had a whole<a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2013/03/rhubarb-seasonal-cooks-spring-recipes.html" target="_blank"> article</a> on cooking with rhubarb, but suddenly I didn't want to do any of that. I just made compote, and how boring to repeat. So I left them in the bottom of my fridge for a week. (In my defense, it's been waaayyy too hot to turn on the oven lately. Not that that's stopped my from making socca [post coming soon] or apricot applesauce cake [see below] and bringing my apartment up to a toasty 84 degrees according to the thermostat, but whatever.) Somewhere along the way I got the brilliant idea to mix the rhubarb with apricots and plums, because as I've said <a href="http://wolfchops.blogspot.com/2013/05/catch-uprun-down.html" target="_blank">before</a>, apricots in baked goods are basically the universe's way of giving your tongue a hug. Smitten Kitchen had a <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/05/rhubarb-snacking-cake/" target="_blank">rhubarb snacking cake</a> that looked like about what I was hoping for, but it calls for 1/3 cup of sour cream, which I haven't got and didn't feel like going out to buy. So what's a girl to do?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Rz0C08lEgnVkVsEhyphenhyphen6URLSyhn2-TC-NQhCEG0r85n8VOs7lSwu87RuPF556RgpeSisy0aXSyVV4A1levQh5Q_xPim_AYFmQmLJ1YYp35Ix7xRwXU4JmmaVsSQi-pzeglix2jIX6lybRC/s1600/DSC04173.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Rz0C08lEgnVkVsEhyphenhyphen6URLSyhn2-TC-NQhCEG0r85n8VOs7lSwu87RuPF556RgpeSisy0aXSyVV4A1levQh5Q_xPim_AYFmQmLJ1YYp35Ix7xRwXU4JmmaVsSQi-pzeglix2jIX6lybRC/s640/DSC04173.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<br />
Not for the first time, Mark Bittman came to my rescue. After coming up empty handed from Alford & Duguid's <i>Home Baking</i> (I've also said this before, but they're brilliant and you should buy all their books, including this one, 'cause even though it didn't have an appropriate thickened-dairy-product-free cake for this particular project it still makes me want to make everything in it every time I open it) and the big yellow <i>Gourmet</i> cookbook, <i>How to Cook Everything</i> yielded a beautiful orange-almond cake. (And I didn't even have to go out and buy butter!) So I didn't actually have any almonds, but nuts are nuts and everything else was in my pantry/freezer. (I've started keeping my flour in the freezer to avoid the moths. Lord help me, I'm turning into my grandmother.) I waited til after dark when the temperature had gone down and I could open up some windows (to no avail; it still got hot as hell in here), roasted some rhubarb, sliced up some stone fruit, poured the whole mess on top of the cake batter, and voila! Sweet orange nut cake with tart spring/summer topping. Breakfast of champions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YvWy-YiHvZ9QASxPzAsQMNQFJijvLmte9O0lS2pCgkAhHWHMQDnp26oFa8Nt-yMB5YSTlVrQpYplkjZsDU1Kfk6otnLibOqzV-Yh5nR7pTk02PYuiQISBEnkwuukU7PoTdOFM9MeJYZs/s1600/DSC04171.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YvWy-YiHvZ9QASxPzAsQMNQFJijvLmte9O0lS2pCgkAhHWHMQDnp26oFa8Nt-yMB5YSTlVrQpYplkjZsDU1Kfk6otnLibOqzV-Yh5nR7pTk02PYuiQISBEnkwuukU7PoTdOFM9MeJYZs/s640/DSC04171.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the coconut sprinkled on top makes it look blurry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span> <br />
<br />
<u><b>Orange Nut Cake with Summer Fruit</b></u><br />
Adapted from Mark Bittman's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Simple-Recipes/dp/0471789186/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370303833&sr=1-3&keywords=how+to+cook+everything" target="_blank"><i>How to Cook Everything</i></a> (the original, not the new revised version, though for all I know it's in there too)<br />
Bittman writes that "this cake is low in saturated fat but not flavor". Sure thing, Mark.<br />
<br />
<b>For the cake:</b><br />
1/2 cup olive oil (He says light. I used extra virgin. Just don't waste your really good stuff on this.)<br />
1 1/4 cups sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup nuts, optionally mixed with flax seeds if you're feeling virtuous (He calls for almonds. I used walnuts. I bet pistachios would be spectacular.)<br />
2 1/2 cups flour<br />
1/2 tsp spice (I used cardamom. Cinnamon would be good if you used apples on top. Mix 'n' match.)<br />
1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1/2 cup orange juice<br />
1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla, maybe anise depending on your fruit choice)<br />
1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional) (see below)<br />
You could probably throw in 1 tbsp orange zest or minced ginger here if you like<br />
<br />
<b>For the topping:</b> <br />
1-ish lbs rhubarb<br />
8 or so stone fruits - I used apricot and plum, but peaches or nectarines would go well here too. so would cherries. Or apples and/or pears. Maybe toss some berries in there. Pretty much pick two or three of your favorite seasonal fruits and go to town. Strawberry rhubarb, peach blueberry, apple cinnamon, papaya with lime juice, whatever. Tweak your spices above to go.<br />
1 tbsp sugar (less for sweet fruits, like pear or apple; it's mostly to counterbalance the tartness of things like rhubarb and apricot)<br />
3 tbsp orange juice (only if you're using rhubarb)<br />
<br />
<b>Coconut sprinkle:</b><br />
This is totally optional, but I had some left over from making Papuan steamed buns (ba pao), so I tossed it in. You can use plain (sweetened or unsweetened) shredded coconut instead, or just forget it altogether.<br />
2/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut<br />
1 tbsp dark brown sugar (or palm sugar, if you're weird like me and keep some in your pantry)<br />
1-2 tbsp hot water<br />
<br />
1) Preheat the oven to 350. If you're doing the coconut thing, dissolve the sugar in the water, then stir in the coconut. Use as little water as you can get away with. Set aside.<br />
<br />
2) Start roasting the rhubarb: Chop the rhubarb into 1cm-long chunks. Put in a 9x13x2 (or so) baking pan. Sprinkle with 1tbsp sugar and the oj, stir, and pop into the oven. (This is probably optional; the Smitten Kitchen recipe just puts raw rhubarb right on the dough. If you do that, leave out the oj and just mix the chopped rhubarb and sugar with the chopped stone fruit in a bowl.)<br />
<br />
3) Make the batter (and here I'm paraphrasing Bittman): Mix the oil and sugar, then add the eggs and beat for about 5 minutes. (Unless you've got forearms like an Italian grandma, I recommend you use an electric mixer for this one.) Stir in the almond extract.<br />
<br />
4) Toss the nuts (and flax seeds, if using; I swear they're delicious) into a food processor and grind until fine. Mix them in another bowl with the flour, spice, baking powder, & salt.<br />
<br />
5) Stir your roasting rhubarb so it doesn't burn. <br />
<br />
6) Mix a little of the flour bowl contents into the wet ingredients, then a little oj (of the half cup from the batter list), then repeat til it's all in there. Stir in 1/4 cup of the coconut mixture (or not) and whatever zests you're putting in there. Lick the beaters. Set aside.<br />
<br />
7) Cut your fruit into bite-sized chunks. (For small apricots and almonds, I cut around the crease in the fruit, pulled it in half, took out the pit, then cut each half into four slices and cut those in half the short way.) Pull the rhubarb out of the oven and dump it in a bowl (possibly the same bowl you're holding your chopped fruit in.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nvoKGqJE7JcKewYuXc_5C-zYfBar3dSyOCOUoFixTrDygcwjcxu3__VWUso5qCz20gvcYXxhfysewHhKNkfs3Req7IUUTaulslD7mU6C6HOu49y7Ew0jtPMKFo7rZqCo2OAdziupuDkP/s1600/DSC04176.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nvoKGqJE7JcKewYuXc_5C-zYfBar3dSyOCOUoFixTrDygcwjcxu3__VWUso5qCz20gvcYXxhfysewHhKNkfs3Req7IUUTaulslD7mU6C6HOu49y7Ew0jtPMKFo7rZqCo2OAdziupuDkP/s640/DSC04176.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut like so.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<br />
8) Grease the rhubarb pan with a little oil, then pour in the batter, smoothing it out like you would a brownie into an even layer. Spread the fruit chunks on top, more-or-less evenly. Save the juice from the bottom of the bowl to mix with seltzer and drink. Scatter with the rest of the coconut mixture (or if you do a nice fruit crisp topping that's work well here too.) Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine took about an hour, but start checking at about 40 minutes; a lot will depend on how much fruit you use and how wet it all is. Thank Mark Bittman and the farmer's market for the inspiration.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODj3z_ytghzw6KjbSTONXXxzv3Gsq0Jc3Al4AroZLrRvgNCD9BFZku5CU4hxFGbsETlh_xEzasRra8OfI9s-4IDnFi2_3MSSd4DXGr_mPAEl6Tpy0YHfonOuq3qatpYVdmO569tgCJrG2/s1600/DSC04172.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODj3z_ytghzw6KjbSTONXXxzv3Gsq0Jc3Al4AroZLrRvgNCD9BFZku5CU4hxFGbsETlh_xEzasRra8OfI9s-4IDnFi2_3MSSd4DXGr_mPAEl6Tpy0YHfonOuq3qatpYVdmO569tgCJrG2/s640/DSC04172.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've got no in-progress pictures, so here's another one of the slice.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
While we're on the topic of oil-based cake (see also: <a href="http://wolfchops.blogspot.com/2011/05/tastykakes.html" target="_blank">this</a>), here's a bonus recipe, thanks to the fact that I've been cooking like mad recently and if I don't combine these two into one post I'll never ever get everything up here that I want to. The Co-op had samples set out the last time I was there on my grocery run of organic applesauce blends: plain apple, apple-apricot, peach, etc. And coupons. And they were delicious. So I bought a jar of the apple peach, and then immediately realized I had no idea what to do with it. (C.f. above rhubarb idea paralysis. This happens way too much.) So when Dolly had a party this weekend and I had to come up with something to bring, I pulled out my mom's old applesauce cake recipe and tarted it up with some slices of the apricots I had waiting in the fridge to accompany the rhubarb. So easy, so reliable, so awesome.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizujfFfGzicqPb8zGox_u5qx6KFMYxRO49tOtt00zJjm-SXufK8-pybn3ZLZkasorJSc2YDkYW_uxtmxY3OPKsgay7YLgp_OPEZuRy49LGzMAO2Dob0zNr455T1dyS07JEhZRW5zP4Qi0/s1600/DSC04174.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizujfFfGzicqPb8zGox_u5qx6KFMYxRO49tOtt00zJjm-SXufK8-pybn3ZLZkasorJSc2YDkYW_uxtmxY3OPKsgay7YLgp_OPEZuRy49LGzMAO2Dob0zNr455T1dyS07JEhZRW5zP4Qi0/s640/DSC04174.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that was left post-party.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<b><u>Basic Applesauce Cake</u></b><br />
This is the basic recipe. Feel free to mess with the spicing (I subbed out most of the cinnamon for cardamom to go with the apricot), use blended applesauces, and/or add slices of fruit, nuts, or berries on top.<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup white sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup brown sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp baking powder</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tbsp ground cinnamon</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp baking soda</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼ tsp salt</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">less than ¼ tsp ground cloves</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 beaten eggs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">16 oz applesauce</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup oil</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat oven to 350º. Combine
dry ingredients. Stir in eggs, applesauce, and oil until thoroughly combined. Bake
in greased and floured 15 x 10 x 1 pan for 25-30 minutes. (Or halve everything for an 8x8 pan)</span></span></div>
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-89009219943943249532013-05-22T18:14:00.002-04:002013-06-03T21:23:34.649-04:00While Rome Burns<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27ymL8gEjHG_xy8EFbf1JptiVl3cTaDp2g-1NrjBW_r1LGpmHrsG1jxEHKagNRb1JEg-4KSqPbIKD9JE9_eAq-fF0nXrDzM0AsojQNTYcvu3l_Rn_4U-uTd9fYbsV4tG5xG3LYHL6p2Lu/s1600/DSC04096.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27ymL8gEjHG_xy8EFbf1JptiVl3cTaDp2g-1NrjBW_r1LGpmHrsG1jxEHKagNRb1JEg-4KSqPbIKD9JE9_eAq-fF0nXrDzM0AsojQNTYcvu3l_Rn_4U-uTd9fYbsV4tG5xG3LYHL6p2Lu/s640/DSC04096.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sausage + fiddleheads = dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It's spring, finally. (Or did we skip straight to summer? It broke 90 up here yesterday.) So after a month or more of reading about all the MIA seasonal delights - ramps, rhubarb, fiddleheads - that ought, according to magazine editors and food bloggers everywhere, to be overflowing at my local farmers' market, I finally managed to find two of the above. No ramps, alas, but the Co-op had rhubarb and ferns. I had no idea what to do with either, so naturally I bought them anyway.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tpkm2-j-u1jkoeaNvxm3h8xk6sP10nmPJdvsMV1o4HJvdYMgt9DqbAfCyP1f8jdbums736TjP7M41o-u7AQ0iGjalPmf7yMll-V4WhTqiB7yu6BkIgkKDYauB5MIKlpirF9NLTUltzoW/s1600/DSC04084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tpkm2-j-u1jkoeaNvxm3h8xk6sP10nmPJdvsMV1o4HJvdYMgt9DqbAfCyP1f8jdbums736TjP7M41o-u7AQ0iGjalPmf7yMll-V4WhTqiB7yu6BkIgkKDYauB5MIKlpirF9NLTUltzoW/s640/DSC04084.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washed fiddleheads</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Google, as usual, was quick to provide inspiration, with a nod to some French blog I'd never heard of for the rhubarb compote and Saveur for a link to a ramp recipe I didn't really follow. I usually go to Saveur first when I'm looking for something in particular, and they rarely disappoint. Anyway I didn't take any photos while making the rhubarb, so apologies for that 'cause it's all bright and colorful (ETA: I've added photos of the finished product), but the fiddleheads should make up for it. They're photogenic little things, that's for sure, all green and smooth and curled up. The ferns I'd eaten in Indonesia weren't nearly so pretty. At some point I'm gonna have to find some to transplant to my garden so I can pick my own - $10/lb at the store, ouch - because this was delicious. The taste of spring, while it lasts.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBerIR2SDv0r-VJpm7Z-wu_8USQNf1Y9kTXVvl1S-9Hry7T5R8k4bq34krON7H1bIHAYFL8JT1YJeXR6st9Jxzg8mOf8CfuqzofuX-64byxnmC-QMqVMUuOoja8dpteNvQly-p0MlrprlP/s1600/DSC04086.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBerIR2SDv0r-VJpm7Z-wu_8USQNf1Y9kTXVvl1S-9Hry7T5R8k4bq34krON7H1bIHAYFL8JT1YJeXR6st9Jxzg8mOf8CfuqzofuX-64byxnmC-QMqVMUuOoja8dpteNvQly-p0MlrprlP/s640/DSC04086.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herbs & garlic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u><b>Rhubarb-Berry Compote</b></u><br />
1/2 lb rhubarb<br />
6 tbsp orange juice<br />
~5 tbsp brown sugar<br />
2 handfuls mixed berries, fresh or frozen (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.)<br />
1 tbsp minced ginger<br />
lemon juice to taste<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9Qk1ysMd-_-X08J9QFJloIDya-Naq4fVNPd8w4G3dypg9A3TTJ7LBsArKHbPNX9JegM3vbC6I5PBO631g9WYLwmy8CKlEKiTkgmia6KwY7RdjP2oMKyIdGxFgXgIYkcLxw0-YSRoxFdc/s1600/DSC04146.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9Qk1ysMd-_-X08J9QFJloIDya-Naq4fVNPd8w4G3dypg9A3TTJ7LBsArKHbPNX9JegM3vbC6I5PBO631g9WYLwmy8CKlEKiTkgmia6KwY7RdjP2oMKyIdGxFgXgIYkcLxw0-YSRoxFdc/s640/DSC04146.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
1) Preheat oven to 375. Cut the rhubarb stalks lengthwise, then chop into centimeter-long pieces. Put these in a glass baking dish, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the sugar and 3tbsp of the oj, and roast uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring halfway through.<br />
<br />
2) Put the berries, ginger, the rest of the sugar, and the rest of the oj into a pot and simmer for about 5 min. Add the rhubarb and all the juices from the pan and simmer another 5-10 min, until things start to thicken up. Mash the berries a bit with a fork.<br />
<br />
3) Take a taste. If you want it tarter, add a squeeze of lemon juice. If you want it sweeter, add a little sugar. Let cool until just warm and serve over ice cream, yogurt, biscuits, or on its own with a spoon.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpoVOB0hD8jqQN3dwahV-FKNFXdnkdoYYtbLF1TXEpp70UJUxq4-PD4KB6C0fHwZ9rXuxRYF0fW2tUSe7KZ3ouqaSnfNTKlasppk-RodttPK3XY7YrMT4DNLPOZNxgvgp-HFb_5Z881Nr/s1600/DSC04088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2RMo-OGX_sEkf6xPRsOdd9zehyphenhyphentBRPPDCFIbbd-iKJ29h-BMRtcFZ9mNOwejEpAPDl0V94c0ObQrPIIqZDeUGlIcg92R2ZsKQFqldP1NtmXkR79he-rYEtkmoQYayxMWmGsu7LR-BMdw/s1600/DSC04157.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2RMo-OGX_sEkf6xPRsOdd9zehyphenhyphentBRPPDCFIbbd-iKJ29h-BMRtcFZ9mNOwejEpAPDl0V94c0ObQrPIIqZDeUGlIcg92R2ZsKQFqldP1NtmXkR79he-rYEtkmoQYayxMWmGsu7LR-BMdw/s400/DSC04157.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C'est parfait.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpoVOB0hD8jqQN3dwahV-FKNFXdnkdoYYtbLF1TXEpp70UJUxq4-PD4KB6C0fHwZ9rXuxRYF0fW2tUSe7KZ3ouqaSnfNTKlasppk-RodttPK3XY7YrMT4DNLPOZNxgvgp-HFb_5Z881Nr/s1600/DSC04088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<u><b>Fiddleheads and Sausage</b></u> (inspired by <a href="http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/04/wild-garlicky-fiddlehead-ferns-my-answer-to-gmos.html" target="_blank">this</a>)<u><b></b></u><br />
<u><b></b></u><br />
1 link sweet Italian sausage<br />
1/3 lb fiddleheads<br />
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed<br />
1 small handful mixed herbs, chopped (I used oregano, sage, and tarragon. <i>Loooved</i> the tarragon.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpoVOB0hD8jqQN3dwahV-FKNFXdnkdoYYtbLF1TXEpp70UJUxq4-PD4KB6C0fHwZ9rXuxRYF0fW2tUSe7KZ3ouqaSnfNTKlasppk-RodttPK3XY7YrMT4DNLPOZNxgvgp-HFb_5Z881Nr/s1600/DSC04088.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpoVOB0hD8jqQN3dwahV-FKNFXdnkdoYYtbLF1TXEpp70UJUxq4-PD4KB6C0fHwZ9rXuxRYF0fW2tUSe7KZ3ouqaSnfNTKlasppk-RodttPK3XY7YrMT4DNLPOZNxgvgp-HFb_5Z881Nr/s640/DSC04088.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-chopping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
1) Rinse & trim the fiddleheads. Make sure to rub the sides of the coil to get the little brown bits off. Set aside.<br />
<br />
2) Cook the sausage in a pan over medium heat. (Cast iron works well.) Let it brown well on all sides, then cover a bit so the inside cooks. Cut it open to make sure it's not too pink. Set on a plate, leaving all the juices in the pan.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT066KYQOa3Ip8YXunmIgb8yC7Gk7BBfw3658xE1-UhqMyyjTJDfMC_N3goRmVKCajmPa31RTAJ7PrfB6ZjaC-FF0D6ZzgyuMvYWnGE_PYXpsu07E5D8CbB5tsSpDVOuw_tnXkPx8g26xx/s1600/DSC04089.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT066KYQOa3Ip8YXunmIgb8yC7Gk7BBfw3658xE1-UhqMyyjTJDfMC_N3goRmVKCajmPa31RTAJ7PrfB6ZjaC-FF0D6ZzgyuMvYWnGE_PYXpsu07E5D8CbB5tsSpDVOuw_tnXkPx8g26xx/s640/DSC04089.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, Nica's sausage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3) Add the fiddleheads to the pan with the sausage juices and a little olive oil. Add the garlic and herbs and saute until the ferns are just cooked through but not soft or limp, 5 minutes tops. You want these fresh, not mushy. Add salt & pepper to taste.<br />
<br />
4) Serve with the sausage and some good bread to mop up the liquid. If at all possible, eat outside on a patio while slapping away the season's first mosquitos and sipping prosecco.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27ymL8gEjHG_xy8EFbf1JptiVl3cTaDp2g-1NrjBW_r1LGpmHrsG1jxEHKagNRb1JEg-4KSqPbIKD9JE9_eAq-fF0nXrDzM0AsojQNTYcvu3l_Rn_4U-uTd9fYbsV4tG5xG3LYHL6p2Lu/s1600/DSC04096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUlbdf-fbfQwu3J3F6kKioC8GWs2XdzHM0UGzeVnas62Bu8DVNhF7qWjA-Ptp7CV4SpXVot6bP0goyz6HYf_DqWZYL1JnVRNAKUkBN9EofoO_UjwecUM73eeenvbOmaH31B29J4-QZJnW/s1600/DSC04094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUlbdf-fbfQwu3J3F6kKioC8GWs2XdzHM0UGzeVnas62Bu8DVNhF7qWjA-Ptp7CV4SpXVot6bP0goyz6HYf_DqWZYL1JnVRNAKUkBN9EofoO_UjwecUM73eeenvbOmaH31B29J4-QZJnW/s640/DSC04094.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid-saute.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-38437813746082814512013-05-11T20:04:00.001-04:002013-05-18T10:22:47.819-04:00Catch Up/Run DownIt's been a hell of a month since my last post - end of semester, dissertation writing, term paper writing, term paper grading, pizza party throwing, with occasional bouts of trying to get some damn sleep. But as of yesterday I'm a free woman, with my paper turned in and my grades recorded and only my dissertation to keep me company (that one's not going away any time soon). So apologies for the long radio silence, and hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon on all the wonderful things I've been making. Yes, there's a lot of them, and they were wonderful (pizza! falafel! arepas!), and I have pictures, lots of pictures. Meanwhiles, here's some of the best things I've put in my mouth recently. I suggest you follow my lead where possible.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/our-cheese/fresh-chevre/purple-haze.html" target="_blank"><b>Purple Haze chevre</b></a><br />
<b> </b>Remember my last post, where I talked about how awesome goat cheese it because it doesn't make me sick? Since then I've been trying out all the wildly expensive goat and sheep cheeses at the Co-op (and by all I mean about 3 so far) to see which are worth the time & money. Answer: this one. My main problem with most goat cheese is that frankly it tastes like I'm licking a goat, which, forgive me, is not generally on my to-do list. Purple Haze costs something like 7 bucks for a little 4-oz slice, which is ridiculous, except that it tastes amazing. Like seriously, mild and creamy and not like goat sweat at all. And the outside is dusted with lavender and fennel pollen. If your pretentious artisanal bullshit alarm bells are going full blast here I don't blame you, but seriously, unbearably precious as it admittedly is, this shit's <i>good</i>. Though while I love fennel almost as much as avocados, and therefore life itself, if you're not a fan of the liquorice family this might not be the cheese for you. In which case good, more for me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvtodQfEKXp1RlkRCjKoF6jP-52P8bRHMw65Lbd_1N9M_xiAPq2yFrWhPPODzX82bGKZJc9O-_Q8e6jYL9hZYG-oVBx-AqZrSeOAIFXxY0xn8yVqlI1w4mwQrlHEVn7qno8T2lsd-aag/s1600/DSC04083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvtodQfEKXp1RlkRCjKoF6jP-52P8bRHMw65Lbd_1N9M_xiAPq2yFrWhPPODzX82bGKZJc9O-_Q8e6jYL9hZYG-oVBx-AqZrSeOAIFXxY0xn8yVqlI1w4mwQrlHEVn7qno8T2lsd-aag/s640/DSC04083.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little bundles of joy, fancy toothpicks optional.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u><b>Purple Haze chevre stuffed in a date and wrapped in prosciutto</b></u><br />
Sweet salty creamy liquoricey porky <i>hell yes</i>. (As suggested by their website.) The only trick is to use enough cheese & prosciutto to counterbalance the sweetness of the medjool date, which is basically honey in solid form. I can't eat more than like two of these at once, but those two make me very happy.<br />
<br />
<u><b><a href="http://www.beltanefarm.com/" target="_blank">Beltane Farm</a> feta</b></u><br />
While we're talking goat cheese, can I mention Beltane Farm? I got a container of their goat feta at the Wooster Square farmers' market ($8. Ouch.) and literally could not stop eating it. No really, literally. I'm always a sucker for feta, but these guys nailed it like woah. I've yet to try their herbed chevres, but eagerly anticipate the chance. Probably next Saturday. I'll let you know.<br />
<br />
<u><b><a href="http://sonobaking.com/" target="_blank">Sono Bakery</a> at the farmers' market</b></u><br />
I missed the farmers market this morning and I was pissed - no delicious delicious baked goods for me. Sono does a lot of things very well, but my hands down drop dead favorites are the caramelized onion/olive focaccia and the apricot pistachio tart. The former reminds me a lot of the pissaladiere I ate in Nice, but fluffier. And yes, I could totally make this myself instead of spending $7.50 on a big chunk of bread with toppings, but a) the last two times I've tried to caramelize onions I've forgotten about them and ended up with a pile of charcoal, which doesn't bode well, and b) then I couldn't eat it on a bench in Wooster Park by the cherry trees. Yes, I know it was raining today so I couldn't have done that anyway, and I don't care.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zN8lBRCSl2CmzMWCbHjncbqCK1au9NkwgmlB-to3nN4NrdayiK95QlYE5c_GwqE20IUyc3ahXXNAlS5uoJj-rFewccVUIoTk8gCs43dPsHQZJlA4Sq7vZWcq_hHY5XQVIt1MRjzUXQSn/s1600/20130420_104203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7DNkGFUTc_8hPjhbEp7Q5X2n60C6UMOM7QrHqycdOrbJ2BB_3PPrMn2mnxFnFY2lU3-st7_Jl3JrosRnPLVCp2G4vxpyd3ry3ig79N8wS9RPjbyyaOT0xeJ9hXh45S2cZx7XhG2Cifko/s1600/20130420_110959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7DNkGFUTc_8hPjhbEp7Q5X2n60C6UMOM7QrHqycdOrbJ2BB_3PPrMn2mnxFnFY2lU3-st7_Jl3JrosRnPLVCp2G4vxpyd3ry3ig79N8wS9RPjbyyaOT0xeJ9hXh45S2cZx7XhG2Cifko/s640/20130420_110959.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonderful, gooey, half-eaten apricot tart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
#2 on the list of wonderful things they make is the apricot tart. I'm a total sucker for stone fruit, particularly apricots, and particularly when there's pastry involved, as evidenced by my weekly apricot danish at the Auckland city farmers' market this past summer. This is a butter tart crust, with ground almond filling and fresh apricot halves on top, covered with crumbled pistachios. The photo's crap, since I took with my phone in the park - this was not going to last long enough to make it home to my real camera. I plan to buy like five on my birthday later this month and go to town.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Restaurant Week at Oaxaca and Yolande's</b></u><br />
Restaurant week is long gone, but at least some of this is still on the menu and totally worth ordering. For starters, Oaxaca. The first course, black bean soup was good but nothing special - I could make it myself. The main dish was slow-cooked pork shoulder with cinnamon and ginger and all sorts of other spices. The flavor was so deep and layered and downright fantastic I nearly melted right there. It reminded me of the lamb vindaloo at Thali, which is one of my favorite dishes in New Haven (same owners, no coincidence). I want that recipe. And dessert, an 'orange-scented flan with caramelized sugar', was quite possibly even better. Not so sure I caught the orange, but there was definitely cardamom in there, and an anise cookie. My only gripe was a too-sweet bit of grape something. No need for extraneous touches, just leave the flan alone.<br />
<br />
Yolande's, two days later, was empty. I was literally the only person in the restaurant. Which is sad, 'cause the food's pretty good. For brunch it's a crepe place, and totally affordable; lunch and dinner it goes all bistro and the prices double. But for Restaurant Week, whatever. This meal was brought to you by the letter O, for overkill, in the best way possible. Appetizer: French onion soup, with a giant dollop of gooey, melty gruyere in the middle (the crouton sank). Possibly more cheese than soup. I consider that a good thing. Course two: 'Lamb chops, lamb merguez, and a fried duck egg with greens and tomato Provencale'. Well. The chops were dainty and nicely pink in the middle, the merguez was a good solid sausage, the duck egg was runny and rich, the 'greens' were ramps cooked with an equal volume of bacon, and the whole thing was cooked in roughly a stick and a half of butter. So it was delicious. 'Tomato Provencale', as it turns out, is half a tomato, roasted with breadcrumbs, herbs, and a little cheese. Hardly a light dinner, but with a glass of cheap cote du Rhone to cut the richness, a really really good one. Dessert was an apple tarte tatin that could've used an extra few minutes in the oven, and which I couldn't eat more than a few bites of, due to a stomach full of animal fat. Then a walk home under that trippy-ass rainbow they projected from East Rock in honor of the city's 375th birthday. Definitely an evening I'd repeat.<br />
<br />
So in short: Eat fancy-pants goat cheese. Make a focacia. Go to Yolande's. Thank me later.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zN8lBRCSl2CmzMWCbHjncbqCK1au9NkwgmlB-to3nN4NrdayiK95QlYE5c_GwqE20IUyc3ahXXNAlS5uoJj-rFewccVUIoTk8gCs43dPsHQZJlA4Sq7vZWcq_hHY5XQVIt1MRjzUXQSn/s1600/20130420_104203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zN8lBRCSl2CmzMWCbHjncbqCK1au9NkwgmlB-to3nN4NrdayiK95QlYE5c_GwqE20IUyc3ahXXNAlS5uoJj-rFewccVUIoTk8gCs43dPsHQZJlA4Sq7vZWcq_hHY5XQVIt1MRjzUXQSn/s640/20130420_104203.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And some cherry blossoms to eat it under.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div data-canvas-width="4.10704012239933" data-font-name="g_font_p0_1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 21.28px; left: 687.493px; top: 845.533px; transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px; transform: scale(0.684507, 1);">
</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-11166829558645726812013-04-13T13:42:00.000-04:002013-04-13T13:42:06.649-04:00Love my GoatOkay so that's actually the name of a <a href="http://www.bullyhillvineyards.com/?portfolio=love-my-goat" target="_blank">wine</a> I used to love in college but now find more or less undrinkable, but anyway. A few months ago I bought myself the 'Jerusalem' cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, and it is wonderful. It's an absolutely gorgeous book - gives Alford & Duguid a run for their money in the Beautiful Local Photography category (and if you don't know Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid's cookbooks put down your computer now and run to the nearest bookstore - sorry, who am I kidding, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&field-keywords=&field-author=Duguid&field-title=&field-isbn=&field-publisher=&node=6&field-p_n_condition-type=&field-feature_browse-bin=&field-subject=&field-language=&field-dateop=&field-datemod=&field-dateyear=&sort=relevanceexprank&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=32&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=6" target="_blank">Amazon</a> - and buy ALL OF THEM.). Despite drooling over pretty much the whole thing, I've only made a few recipes so far. I promise I'll post about the falafel and babaganoush project soon (early word: I think I screwed up the falafel since they were a little dry, but despite the slight moisture problems everything was insanely delicious), but I'm here today to tell you about the rather long-windedly named Conchiglie with Yogurt, Peas, and Chile.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDRw7zKepYW73TJYB8loyC-S8MeRVWKQOev-wotDs4L4YoNaWRJGrFvi3HdauTXUs6BPG2vVIU24O9GNAlEbaDE-Lv5byiwEHO2CEXPZyI9_Q2TRDAbk-tYhqWlzrl7VHHK5zX_3HuvBD/s1600/DSC04047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDRw7zKepYW73TJYB8loyC-S8MeRVWKQOev-wotDs4L4YoNaWRJGrFvi3HdauTXUs6BPG2vVIU24O9GNAlEbaDE-Lv5byiwEHO2CEXPZyI9_Q2TRDAbk-tYhqWlzrl7VHHK5zX_3HuvBD/s640/DSC04047.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Well, that and goats. And sheep, which frankly I prefer. You probably already know that I've got issues with milk, which tends to make my body hate me in various ways, despite the fact that cheese ranks just after cured pork products in my list of Best Things Ever In The World. Cured pork products being #1. <a href="http://www.thefeaturedcreature.com/2010/08/new-week-nudibranch-blue-dragon.html" target="_blank">This nudibranch</a> might be #3, and avocados are probably #4. But I digress.<br />
<br />
I recently had lunch with a friend of mine (at a pizza place, appropriately enough, but which was <i>so</i> worth it), who used to have a milk allergy, and he pointed out that if you're allergic to cow's milk sheep and goat's milk products should be just fine, since, being from a different animal, they contain different proteins. This a) makes perfect sense, and b) kind of blew my mind, because OMG I CAN EAT THAT CHEESE AND NOT HATE MYSELF LATER. (Disclaimer: I may or may not have an actual milk allergy. If I do it's certainly not the dangerous kind, otherwise I wouldn't have been at a pizza place. It may just be a sensitivity, maybe combined with some lactose intolerance; all I know is I'm physically a much happier person when I don't eat dairy in ways I won't get into here. Some people do have life-threateningly severe milk allergies and my heart goes out to them and please take them seriously in restaurants 'cause it's a real thing. But I'm not one of them, so sometimes I decide that creme brulee is worth the consequences and eat it anyway. Also Blogger wants to auto-correct brulee to Breugel, which is an interesting mental picture but no.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAXnaoC55ida-e0X2WhBKBSomRSEMOzGJUlKEC-RDaTPU2xiymKRms33QhzjKE-dCGCgY3uXWLO9vIbmnxpHkSnbcNFNLOYxeH98Rc9xv48OT97VycC7gzkzDf409ZEACrLiYLhsa6AlZ/s1600/DSC04048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAXnaoC55ida-e0X2WhBKBSomRSEMOzGJUlKEC-RDaTPU2xiymKRms33QhzjKE-dCGCgY3uXWLO9vIbmnxpHkSnbcNFNLOYxeH98Rc9xv48OT97VycC7gzkzDf409ZEACrLiYLhsa6AlZ/s640/DSC04048.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goat yogurt + basil + peas = sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the lactose-intolerant crowd, more good news on goat. According to to an internet food blog I like called My New Roots, goat milk also has less lactose than cow's milk, is more easily digestible, and otherwise way healthier that cow's milk. (Full story here: http://mynewroots.org/site/2008/05/goat-is-the-new-cow-2/). (Disclaimer: Getting nutritional science from a blog is always a sketchy proposition, so please go look up the actual science somewhere other than Wikipedia before you believe me. But make her amazing<a href="http://mynewroots.org/site/2011/04/the-raw-brownie-2/" target="_blank"> Raw Brownies</a> first.) Same goes for sheep, though maybe to a lesser extent. Still, most goat cheese tastes to me kind of like licking a goat (not that I'd know first hand), while sheep's cheese is just plain delicious. To each his own.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNzDKiMtS33rKN_6xJ5g6jrjjfnQCDyFQ1lYgK-jJTj5aUr8UxQ-szbrzT17e0WQxCVtH7aVHcYqgCv_ZGwHcsMn8ClM4aY9fETVWXxjPtAqDE6eaVyV_o0U18_8HXo4iUCxt9RZ3KFjK/s1600/DSC04049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNzDKiMtS33rKN_6xJ5g6jrjjfnQCDyFQ1lYgK-jJTj5aUr8UxQ-szbrzT17e0WQxCVtH7aVHcYqgCv_ZGwHcsMn8ClM4aY9fETVWXxjPtAqDE6eaVyV_o0U18_8HXo4iUCxt9RZ3KFjK/s640/DSC04049.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sizzling garlic & chile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So back to the conchiglie: I was at the local Co-op, which is kind of hippy-ish, and saw they had both goat yogurt, which I figured would make a good breakfast, and sheep-and-goat feta, which I love feta. (The non-cow dairy downside: probably twice as expensive as the bovine equivalent.) I quickly discovered I was wrong about goat yogurt being good for breakfast, at least this brand: it was way too strongly goaty for the granola I put on top. So I opened 'Jerusalem', since the Middle East has a strong record of using yogurt in cooking, and found this. Long story short, it was delicious and easy, and it didn't make my body hate me, and you should make it. The End.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfggALAa3w-qx5OB3ctx23-r6jNlDxwyhOkowe_PhwO70YxTm4VdDDSD0beWHatM9kOuGartEFauIesQqPrqpLbI1zGESgqsqK5UKif7RuTaWAVc4gP8cHUtyfGoUGBeHrUsL5uHSNGUhX/s1600/DSC04052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfggALAa3w-qx5OB3ctx23-r6jNlDxwyhOkowe_PhwO70YxTm4VdDDSD0beWHatM9kOuGartEFauIesQqPrqpLbI1zGESgqsqK5UKif7RuTaWAVc4gP8cHUtyfGoUGBeHrUsL5uHSNGUhX/s640/DSC04052.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadly, the tomatoes were a later discovery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Shells with Yogurt & Peas</b></u><i> </i><br />
<i>Adapted from 'Jerusalem' by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi</i><br />
<br />
One tip: This makes a lot of pasta, and while it's still pretty delicious reheated - I was happily eating leftovers for a week - the pasta tends to get a little soft and the sauce loses its texture, so I recommend serving it somewhere it's got a decent chance of getting finished. You'll notice there are actual measurements here; that's 'cause it originally came from a real cookbook. Feel free to just eyeball them, like I did.<u><b> </b></u><br />
<br />
1 1/4 cups thick (Greek) yogurt from the ungulate of your choice<br />
1/3 cup olive oil<br />
3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced<br />
1 cup peas (thawed if frozen) <br />
1/2 lb pasta (shells, or not.)<br />
1 tsp hot pepper or chile flakes<br />
1 tsp smoked paprika<br />
1 cup chopped basil<br />
1 cup chopped mint (way less if dried)<br />
4 oz crumbled feta<br />
salt & pepper<br />
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced into halves<br />
<br />
1) In a mini-food processor, mix the yogurt, 4 tbsp oil, 1/2 cup peas, and basil. Go until you get a nice minty-green sauce without too many chunks. If it's too thick, add more oil.<br />
<br />
2) Start the pasta. Let it boil til al dente. Drain.<br />
<br />
3) Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan. Add the chile, paprika, and garlic. Saute til the garlic is fragrant but don't let it brown more than a little.<br />
<br />
4) Put the yogurt sauce in a large-ish serving bowl. Stir in the pasta a little at a time (supposedly if you do it all at once the sauce will separate; I didn't check). Add the peas, feta, mint, tomatoes, garlic in oil, and S&P to taste (the recipe says 1/2 tsp of each; I found it undersalted but that will depend on your yogurt, feta, and tastebuds). Stir it all together. Garnish with a sprig of mint and more chile to taste.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-15799509270326467062013-03-31T16:22:00.000-04:002013-04-02T10:16:39.736-04:00Happy Passeaster Fools' Day!Today's Easter and Passover and April Fools Day all at once, which is pretty much winning the variable-date holiday lottery, and definitely cause for brunch. So I invited some people over, cooked something relevant for each holiday, and drank far too much of the sangria D. brought over. It all got devoured before I even thought to get out my camera, so no photos (update: photos of leftover charoset and sangria; you're on your own for the rest), but here's my recipes:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgF8FN4TVExGCKduzWEOsAsFlW6gI5B4pEAuV-V_PRcqGBsWd4BI8Kv1v_7sdhvYPp1sKAxvcLYBm7tbsPBGbfIKNkmFBBlDtC5fEt9dG0uFUQsCVtbIDRb0YYEoP-ANUpUhabESRGTH67/s1600/DSC04045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgF8FN4TVExGCKduzWEOsAsFlW6gI5B4pEAuV-V_PRcqGBsWd4BI8Kv1v_7sdhvYPp1sKAxvcLYBm7tbsPBGbfIKNkmFBBlDtC5fEt9dG0uFUQsCVtbIDRb0YYEoP-ANUpUhabESRGTH67/s640/DSC04045.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<u><b>Passover: Coconut Charoset</b></u><br />
<br />
<br />
This isn't traditional for anybody as far as I could tell, but it was all things I had in my pantry. I kept going back and forth over whether to make Charoset or just cooked apples; in the end I wound up somewhere in between and it was delicious. I like the slippery texture and extra protein from the flax seeds, but if you don't have any just up the amount of nuts to make up for it. This makes enough to serve many; all measurements are pretty rough since I made it up as I went along. Orange zest or a splash of wine would probably go well too.<br />
<br />
4 apples<br />
1/2 cup almonds (or walnuts)<br />
1/3 cup golden flax seeds<br />
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut<br />
~1 tbsp apple pie spice (or 2tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp alspice, 1/2 tsp cloves, pinch of nutmeg)<br />
1 tsp cardamom<br />
lemon juice<br />
pinch of salt<br />
2 tbsp honey<br />
1 tbsp brown sugar<br />
Butter <br />
<br />
1) Pulse the nuts in a food processor until roughly ground/finely chopped (or just buy them that way). Put aside in a bowl. Peel and core the apples, chop roughly. Either pulse the apples in the food processor until they're finely chopped (but NOT yet turned into applesauce) or mince them by hand. Put in a bowl and toss with some lemon juice.<br />
<br />
2) Heat a good bit of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the apples and nuts and stir for a minute. Add everything else (best to start with less than the total honey/sugar and spices and add to taste), plus another teaspoon or so of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly. Cook partly covered until the apples start to soften but don't quite lose all of their crunch, maybe 10-15 minutes. Serve with matzoh for the observant or crepes (below) for the not.<br />
<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Easter: Arugula Zucchini Frittata</u></b><br />
Easter for me is all about chocolate and jelly beans. But since I'm waiting for tomorrow's sales to buy my candy, second place goes to eggs, spring veggies, and salted pork products. I found <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2008/02/leek_and_asparagus_frittata" target="_blank">this</a> recipe from Bon Appetit for a leek-and-asparagus frittata, which seemed appropriately spring-like, then proceeded to change everything about it except the method, because I had a zucchini and onions in my fridge but no leeks or asparagus. Also I'm not too crazy about asparagus. Anyway, I encourage you to do the same. Serve with a slice of baked Easter ham, or some tasty crispy bacon. Feeds 5, apparently.<br />
<br />
2 slices bacon (or some bacon fat, or butter, or olive oil if you're being responsible)<br />
1 zucchini, sliced into half moons (I used the medium setting on my mandoline then cut the rounds in half, makes things way easier.)<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
8 eggs<br />
1 large handful of arugula, torn up a bit<br />
1/4 cup ground romano cheese<br />
S&P<br />
<br />
1) In an oven-proof skillet (I used my cast iron), cook the bacon. When crispy, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and enjoy as chef's treat, leaving the drippings in the pan. Alternatively, heat up some butter, oil, or bacon fat reserved from last time you made the stuff.<br />
<br />
2) Saute the onion over medium heat in the bacon (or other) fat. After about 2 minutes, add the zucchini. Saute until the zucchini is softened and the onions are transparent.<br />
<br />
3) Meanwhile, beat the eggs. Add the cheese, arugula, a generous pinch of salt, and an equally generous dose of black pepper. Mix well.<br />
<br />
4) Here's where my instructions start to match up with BA's. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and stir once or twice to get it all mixed in. Cook partly covered over med-high heat until almost set - there will be a bit of raw egg in the center; don't worry about it. Stick the whole pan under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until it's puffed up and cooked through. Cut into slices and dig in.<br />
<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Because they're delicious and it's brunch: Crepes</u></b><br />
This recipe is very slightly adapted from the 1975 edition of the Joy of Cooking. It's the only thing I still make from that book, but I love it.<br />
<br />
3/4 cup flour<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
2/3 cup milk (I used drinkable coconut milk and found I needed a bit more)<br />
1/3 cup water<br />
1/2 tsp sugar<br />
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional but good)<br />
<br />
1) Whisk together the dry ingredients.<br />
<br />
2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Make sure the eggs are well-beaten.<br />
<br />
3) Add the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Stir briefly. Don't worry if there's a few lumps; they'll disappear on their own. The batter should be somewhat thin, definitely of pourable consistency. <br />
<br />
4) Heat a bit of butter in a smallish pan. Add about a quarter cup of batter. (I just use my quarter cup measuring cup, usually not filled quite all the way.) Tilt the pan so the batter covers the whole bottom, fairly thinly. Cook until the bottom starts to brown, then flip and cook til golden. Lather, rinse, repeat.<br />
<br />
5) Serve with charoset, fresh berries and whipped cream, sliced mangoes and whipped cream, chocolate sauce, maple syrup, lemon curd, powdered sugar; you really can't go wrong.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8Bebx5Gcvgy45Vmzx0wWz9rm6-tBk4HXpb5uaCpnARC4aAnkPlaVKijXQCxJ_J4AkRxGyMnyllqwS9kTfjtcusRgnR6YJPfh9RA8nH2ne3FjTlRtClmz2zQRtLZcHokmKyHyEovpKIXO/s1600/DSC04046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8Bebx5Gcvgy45Vmzx0wWz9rm6-tBk4HXpb5uaCpnARC4aAnkPlaVKijXQCxJ_J4AkRxGyMnyllqwS9kTfjtcusRgnR6YJPfh9RA8nH2ne3FjTlRtClmz2zQRtLZcHokmKyHyEovpKIXO/s320/DSC04046.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red wine = invisible fruits :-(</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><b>And because we're grownups and we can: Dolly's Sangria</b></u><br />
This is roughly what I saw her do, with a little twist of my own.<br />
<br />
1+ cup each:<br />
-chopped peaches or nectarines<br />
-green grapes<br />
-fresh blueberries<br />
-sliced strawberries<br />
1 bottle white wine<br />
2 cans Fresca<br />
lemon or lime juice to taste<br />
Ice<br />
(1/4 bottle of red wine, optional but really good)<br />
<br />
1) Mix everything in a big pot. Let sit for a while to soak the fruit. Drink in a large glass. Have seconds.<br />
<br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-58990348587843425972013-03-18T18:12:00.000-04:002013-03-27T09:21:37.385-04:00Some Good Southern Cookin'Okay so none of these things are actually Southern food. But I cooked them while in the South, so close enough. Shuddup.<br />
<br />
I'm currently in North Carolina visiting my dear friends J. & R. and their two dogs and two cats. So far we've gone out for barbeque and Mexican and pizza and big breakfast skillet hashes, and while it's all been utterly delicious dear lord is there a vegetable in the house? Well yes, as it turns out, since J and I stopped at a farmers market in Raleigh on the way home from the airport. So last night for dinner we skipped the leftover pulled pork and I cooked us up what basically amounted to a big pile of tasty tasty veggies: cauliflower/squash soup, sauteed green beans with tomato, and roasted spiced sweet potato wedges.<br />
<br />
They're in the middle of a move, so cooking dinner went something like this: Dig through boxes for a cutting board and soup pot. Get out the veggies, oil a roasting dish. Realize the only thing we've got to chop up two huge sweet potatoes and a butternut squash is a little steak knife. Send R back to the old house to get the real knives. Get a movie up on Netflix til R gets back. Chop the potatoes, get them in the oven, peel and chop the squash and cauliflower, get them roasting too. Go to chop onions and garlic, realize we have no onions and garlic. Send R out to get them while he's picking up his cheese steak (not a vegetable kind of guy). Watch another 20 minutes of said movie til R gets back. Get everything sauteed, simmered, roasted, and blended. Start to finish: something like 2 hours. But I swear, if you actually have your stuff on hand and not hidden in boxes across two houses all this takes an hour, tops, or 40 minutes for just the soup.<br />
<br />
Winter root soup is really having a moment right now - see <a href="http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/vegetable-soup-with-any-root/" target="_blank">this</a> recent post from the Times, and My New Roots' fantastic <a href="http://mynewroots.org/site/2013/01/reverse-universe-soup/" target="_blank">Reverse Universe Soup</a>. My favorite version just uses plain cauliflower, which is not a root but is delicious. The basic recipe is this: take any of the sort of vegetable you might roast (cauliflower, winter squash, parsnips, celeriac, etc), boil them in stock until they're tender, season, and whiz up in the blender until smooth. Cauliflower cooked this way ends up tasting like you dumped in a quart of heavy cream, when really there's nothing dairy at all in there, just a good dollop of olive oil at the bottom (unless you put in a cheese rind, which I strongly recommend you do). It's also a nice blank slate for flavors - thyme and rosemary would go well, as would cajun spices, or some curry powder, or whatever. Leave everything but salt & pepper out of the pot and add to your individual bowl instead, so later when you're eating the leftovers for a week - a head of cauliflower makes a <i>lot</i> of soup - you can change it up and not get bored. Other veggies, like celeriac, are a little more specific in what spices will go - definitely French/Italian, probably Cajun, but I'd be a little hesitant about going the Indian route in that particular case.<br />
<br />
The sweet potato wedges are a recipe out of <i>Gourmet</i>, which I love. Again the spice blend is up to you, but this one's particularly good. And the green beans are as simple as it gets. Together it's an indulgent-tasting detox dinner, or each dish on its own makes a good side with whatever else you're making. If you're doing all this at once, get the sweet potatoes in the oven first, then do start the soup, and cook the beans while the soup's simmering.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnLs9VufqwW9JxTEgQulrU-eyjclAtvqZbMaAvz67P08UgzwmA2KuCrifYVZX1fI10X-UcNq6tNqkWCLaGLNSQU48UZ5b7MYvYTinZBa2ZrxFUPrU16GONpeJKw_Gf7YgLrwr_WIokrs2/s1600/DSC04040.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnLs9VufqwW9JxTEgQulrU-eyjclAtvqZbMaAvz67P08UgzwmA2KuCrifYVZX1fI10X-UcNq6tNqkWCLaGLNSQU48UZ5b7MYvYTinZBa2ZrxFUPrU16GONpeJKw_Gf7YgLrwr_WIokrs2/s640/DSC04040.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<u><b>Random Root Soup</b></u><br />
Various roastable veggies (cauliflower, parsnips, winter squash, sweet potatoes, normal potatoes, celeriac, parsnip, parsley root, turnip, etc)<br />
1 big yellow onion<br />
2-4 cloves garlic (to taste)<br />
Chicken or vegetable broth<br />
Salt & pepper<br />
Olive oil<br />
lemon juice <br />
Spices of your choice<br />
<i>Optional add-ins:</i><br />
<i> </i>-rind of a good salty white cheese, like romano or sharp provalone<i> </i><br />
-bacon<br />
-pasta<br />
-chewy grains like barley or quinoa, cooked<br />
-cooked lentils or beans<br />
-fresh parsley <br />
<br />
1) Turn your oven on to 350. Chop up your veggies (not the garlic & onions) into 1-inch cubes or smaller. Put in a pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and stick in the oven. Don't worry if the oven's not preheated yet. (This step is totally optional, but it makes the whole thing cook faster. Feel free to skip it and just chop the veggies while the onion is cooking. You'll have to boil them longer in that case.) (Also, if you're making sweet potato wedges too, get those in the oven first, then just stick this pan in as well, no worries about the temp being higher.)<br />
<br />
2) Roughly chop the onions, then start to saute them in olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot big enough to hold all your chopped veggies. (If you're adding bacon, chop it small and fry it up with the onions if you want it pureed into the soup later, otherwise do it first and set it aside, with the grease to cook the onions in.) When they start to get transparent, add the garlic, chopped. Saute a minute or two more.<br />
<br />
3) Pull the vegetables out of the oven and dump them in the pot. Pour in enough broth to cover. If you do want to herb up the whole pot or if you're adding a cheese rind, now's the time to do it. Let it bubble away until the veggies are soft enough that you can stick a fork in 'em.<br />
<br />
4) Blend the whole lot until smooth, either using an immersion blender or a countertop one. If you're using a normal blender, make sure to loosen the little clear plastic bit in the middle of the top and keep your hand on the lid so it doesn't explode scalding liquid when you turn it on. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper, spices and add-ins to taste. Eat with a slice of good bread.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Spiced Sweet Potatoes</b></u><br />
Sweet potatoes, washed and optionally peeled.<br />
Olive oil<br />
Salt <br />
Equal parts oregano, coriander, and fennel seeds, plus paprika or cayenne to taste<br />
Or whatever spice mix you like<br />
<br />
1) Preheat the oven to 415. Cut the sweet potatoes in half across their circumference, then into wedges lengthwise, roughly into eighths. Toss in a baking dish with olive oil, salt, and a generous amount of spices. Roast for 20 minutes, flip over, then until they're nice and soft, roughly 20 minutes more depending on size.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Beans & Tomatoes</b></u><br />
String beans, washed<br />
Garlic<br />
Broth<br />
A tomato<br />
Salt<br />
Olive oil<br />
<br />
<br />
1) Trim the ends off the beans and cut them in half. Smash the garlic cloves under the flat side of a knife.<br />
<br />
2) On fairly high heat, saute the beans in oil, stirring frequently. The beans will turn bright green in the heat, maybe brown a little. Add the garlic, saute a minute more. Add a half cup of broth and cover. Once most of the broth has boiled off (2 minutes?) add the chopped tomatoes and stir for another minute. Salt to taste and serve. Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373417484721213774.post-4165533530145973102013-03-10T23:14:00.000-04:002013-04-26T18:36:48.804-04:00Grampa's Chicken & OnionsA few times a year I go visit my grandfather in either Florida or New York, and aside from his pickled herring for breakfast (I'll just have a bagel, thanks), the food's usually great. Baked eggplant parm, lentil soup, damn good bagels. For some reason I've had roast chicken on the mind recently, so I called to get his recipe, which is cooked in a pyrex dish with onions and potatoes, and there's few things better than onions & potatoes cooked in chicken fat. Of course when I asked about it he shrugged and passed the phone over to his wife, but I'm calling it Grampa's chicken anyway. So there.<br />
<br />
This is everything I want in a dinner: easy, one dish, and friggin' delicious. You basically chop op the onions and potatoes, put them in a pan with the chicken, season, bake, and serve in the pan, nothing to wash but a knife, cutting board, and said pan, after you finish the chicken. The whole thing takes an hour or two (depending on your chicken), but active time is about 15 minutes, tops. Sounds about right for a worknight.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z8LOq0qkc5gifIGBdXKeSxLfkyvVha1MvsC7X5Ga8876UBpQf5gpsuBeB7bSgNY0ab8ys2IPLS01vqkiCDYtTQbOQ0-A-eXdZyHdwI9hImy4SCzia_eKrnbT-auv8tOWPLwRESnBHrfu/s1600/DSC04037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z8LOq0qkc5gifIGBdXKeSxLfkyvVha1MvsC7X5Ga8876UBpQf5gpsuBeB7bSgNY0ab8ys2IPLS01vqkiCDYtTQbOQ0-A-eXdZyHdwI9hImy4SCzia_eKrnbT-auv8tOWPLwRESnBHrfu/s640/DSC04037.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I left the onions in quarters to save space, but sliced thin is better.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u><b>Grampa's Roast Chicken & Onions</b></u><br />
1 chicken, or assorted bone- and skin-on chicken parts<br />
A few onions<br />
A few waxy potatoes, washed<br />
4-5 garlic cloves<br />
Olive oil<br />
Salt & pepper<br />
Herbs/spices of your choice<br />
Chicken broth<br />
A splash of white wine (optional)<br />
Any other veggies you want to roast (optional)<br />
<br />
<br />
1) Preheat the oven to 350. Give the chicken a rinse & pat it dry. (I used a pair of chicken breasts - whole bird's a bit much for one person.) Set it in the biggest pyrex baking dish you've got, with a little olive oil underneath to keep it from sticking.<br />
<br />
2) Cut the potatoes into quarters. Slice the onions. Arrange them and the garlic cloves around the chicken in the dish. Any other vegetables you feel like roasting should go in here too - I'm thinking cauliflower would be good.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLt7QIMz4kuzndeYNkTz4TEahyphenhyphennV9acNBjpNZKyREbRMrSlfBK2DZyIXOOXwie4SeysI_Y4RVU34vIC0OXdGPAvhLT9B0XoCY55-RWTFbu68wcNAPPWvuVBcyhUYc-sqpI8goKu0IEzwL/s1600/DSC04038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLt7QIMz4kuzndeYNkTz4TEahyphenhyphennV9acNBjpNZKyREbRMrSlfBK2DZyIXOOXwie4SeysI_Y4RVU34vIC0OXdGPAvhLT9B0XoCY55-RWTFbu68wcNAPPWvuVBcyhUYc-sqpI8goKu0IEzwL/s640/DSC04038.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
3) Add in enough broth to fill about a centimeter up the side of the pan, plus a splash or two of white wine if you've got it handy. Drizzle a little olive oil over top, then salt, pepper, whatever herbs you like (I used sage and smoked paprika; rosemary or thyme would be good too).<br />
<br />
4) Roast for about an hour at 350, depending on the size of the chicken, then finish it off for 15 minutes at 400 to crisp the skin. It's done when the you can easily stick a fork into the potatoes, the juices run clear, and there's no pink when you cut into it.<br />
<br />
<br />
5) Serve with a simple green salad (arugula & avocado did it for me), all doused in the chicken juices from the pan. Feel free to pour the fat off the top if you like, but that's kind of missing the point.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749731878392906057noreply@blogger.com0