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Could It Be Better?*

Preface to the First Edition:

“But for life the universe were nothing: and all that life has requires nourishment.” Read more »

The Barley-Mushroom Pseudo Risotto

This is a pseudo risotto for two reasons: one, I didn’t stand over it for an hour adding liquid by the quarter-cup and stirring stirring stirring; and two, it doesn’t have any rice in it.

What it does have is deep satisfying flavor. It was easy to make and for me, at least, it was a pantry meal. Thanks to the co-op on Tuesday, I had a lovely little bag of cremini mushrooms. I had barley. (I always have barley.) I had fresh spinach and several kinds of cheese and butter and garlic.

What more did I need? I had lunch.

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Lentil and Rhubarb Curry

Lentils Curried with Rhubarb and Potatoes
I really like this recipe. I found it after the wonderful rhubarb crop came in at the Farmer’s Market when nothing else came in yet. Late spring, late summer. I like that it is easy to make and gets better in the fridge. ENJOY! Read more »

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy?

HOT PINTO BEANS

While I was growing up, my Uncle George would come to our house and bring us his summer bounty of fresh, home grown tomatoes, scallions, potatoes, corn, grapes, strawberries, onions, and okra. Pinto beans, cornbread, sliced tomatoes, scallions, and sliced strawberries over vanilla ice cream with a tall glass of ice tea just scream summer to me.

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Strawberry Freezer Jam

This is our last week of the lovely strawberries that grow up here and are succulent and sweet. I made 6 nice 4 oz jars of strawberry freezer jam with them. Freezer jams are fresher tasting and a brighter color than processed jam. I like it alot. I’ve had a strawberry/raspberry combination that was really spectactular.
3/4 C sugar
1/2 pkg of the Ball Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
stir together and add
2 cups smashed strawberries rinsed and hulled
1 1/2 tsp fresh strained lemon juice
Mix all ingredients for 3 minutes
Spoon into the sterilized jars and add a small basil leaf to each jar. Wipe off the rims of the jars with a clean,warm,wet cloth. Cap and let sit for 30 minutes. Either refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or keep in freezer for up to a year.
Many combinations can be tried. I’ m trying a peach blueberry rosemary jam next!
Think about :
strawberry/rhubarb
peach/blueberry
apricot/pear
blackberry/raspberry
apple/pear
fig/lemon
add any herbs you wish….give me some suggestions!
Any room in a freezer is a place for a jar or two of a lovely jam. Small batches are a plus!

Three-Day Salt-Brine Pickles…

Oh, man…

I just made my first Deli Jar of what my family calls “Three Day Pickles.” I call them “About a Day-And-A-Half Pickles,” as I can never wait, and they taste great after only 36-hours. They are SO colorful, crispy, and spicy… DAMN, this is the BEST time of year! Almost as good as “Radish-Eating Time” at the top of the gardening season, and “Tomato Eating Time,” just about now!

Here’s the recipe:

For a “1-Gallon Deli Jar:”

First, Boil your jar, mouth down, for at least 15 minutes to make sure it is sterile, as per any canning or pickling procedure.

1. Stir 1/2-cup of Kosher Salt into 1 gallon of boiling water to make brine.
2. Place a handful of fresh, snipped Dill in the jar. Use enough dill to cover the bottom of the jar.
3. Rinse and cut the ends off the Cukes, and go a little “Psycho” on them to perforate them a bit. Put them in the jar.

4. Add a bulb’s worth of garlic cloves, and some hot peppers (optional, but, I really like that spice!) I cut a big slice through the Peppers to release the flavor fast.
5. Pour in hot brine to cover ingredients, and cover the jar with a lid, or small plate, or some plastic wrap secured with a rubber band– just keep the crap and bugs out.
6. Let stand at room temperature for 1-1/2 to 7 days depending on your taste prefs. If you like ‘em crispy, fridge at day two or three.
7. Keep refrigerated after 3 days. Enjoy!

For this recipe, everything came out of my garden, and I can’t be more pleased at how everything came together at exactly the same time this year.

Some pictures of the ingredients, finished product, and more of my outrageous excitement can be found here.

This is the best and easiest Deli-Style Pickle recipe ever. Tried and true. Ask your local Deli counter to save you a couple of their big jars for these types of pickling projects– Kim chi, Sauerkraut, etc. They just throw them away otherwise, and will be happy to give you as many as you want. Be sure to tell them that you want the lids. Trust me– these jars are as good as GOLD.

Receta para Helado de Dulce de Leche

 Summertime and the livin’ is easy, fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high….

                                     Recipe for Dulce de Leche Gelato

For this recipe, there’s the gelato base, and then there’s dulce de leche, which is just folded into the finished gelato or drizzled over the top. It’s really yummy! Read more »

BREAD THROWDOWN

SLOW RISE YEAST BREAD

This recipe is an adaptation from the Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC as reported in the NYT by Mark Bittman. All ingredients need to be as fresh as can be. Do not toast the wheat bran. The yeast is a range, experience will tell you what works. I live in a bit of a cold climate and I need more yeast to compensate for the cool house. I also wrap the bowl in a terry towel and put at the back of the stove with the oven heat at 170 degrees. I’m more on the 24 hours than the 18. Also, if you make your own cheese or Greek style yogurt save the whey and use it in the bread in place of some of the water. Salt, if you use salted butter the 1 1/4 tsp would be fine, if you use unsalted butter like I do you may want to increase the salt. I’ve done this turned around with 2 C whole wheat flour and 1 C unbleached white flour. Make it several times until you get it to your taste. While I’ve never tried it, you might experiment with other flour additions, I think buckwheat, spelt, rye, maybe some corn flour. Well, you get the idea. Read more »

Pickling and Canning, Mania Style

This post is dedicated to my husbands grandmother, Annabelle, who passed away 3 years ago, but has never passed from our memory or our hearts.  I called her Nannybelle, and she always giggled when I did it.  She was a 93 year old woman with more sense,  strength, and humor than any young woman I have ever known.  I hope there are tomatoes, pecans, and okra in heaven, dear lady.

Every year dh puts up hot pickled okra, mostly for himself because he just loves it, while I do like it, I don’t crave it.  He craves it, but hates to pay the dear price they charge in the stores, so when the okra comes in, watch out, the kitchen is filled with his activity, dh is on a mission!   My participation is limited to peeling the garlic,  fetching him another beer, or just simply staying out of his way.

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Food to Celebrate Midsummer

In America, the summer solstice is considered the official start of the summer season. In Europe, it’s Midsummer Day, which makes more sense from a celestial standpoint.

 
This photo from Wikipedia (click for larger image) is of an analemma pattern, a multiple exposure showing the varying positions of the sun throughout the year. The summer solstice is at the upper left, the point marked (in Deutsch) “NO.”

 
Traditional folklore has always taught that midsummer is the time for celebrating weddings (the most fertile time of the year!), long hours of daylight, warmth, and an abundance of food.

Food — now we’re talking!

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