THE BISCUIT IS BACK!!! GLORY! GLORY! GLORY! Now, we’ll get the lowdown on the painting, the college intrigue, partying, the garden, mowing, and the gardener/carpenter/roofer/general handyman…..hummm? Oh, yeah, I’ve been involved in that IRS thingy……
Missed you, my dear.
And I have a wheat thing to post ….

SPICY CHEESE SHORTBREAD

I have developed this recipe over a few years. You can make it hotter or not as you will….:-) Make them small or medium size, I would not make them very large. Cook them slow (325) or a little faster (350) – the thing is to watch them as they are baking. I cooked them on a top end cookie sheet on parchment and they really came out wonderful. I think the parchment is the key. (And only $5 for a roll at Cost Plus) You can use one piece for all the baking at one time.

SPICY CHEESE SHORTBREAD

1/4 lb. butter, room temp
1/4 lb. shredded white cheddar cheese (you can use white, yellow cheddar, jack, jalapeno jack, or whatever combination you want)
1 C unbleached white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur)
1/4 tsp dried oregano (homegrown)
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne (it was really hot!)
1/4 C toasted chopped pecans (if you like a different nut, use that-or no nuts at all)

Have everything at room temperature and mix, first with a spoon and then with your very clean hands. Squish everything until it is mixed really well. Cover with cling wrap or place in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 to 350 depending on how thick you are making the shortbread.
Either roll out the dough and cut with a small biscuit cutter (makes thinner cookies) or roll into small balls and flatten with a smooth bottom glass (makes thicker cookies) and place on the cookie sheet. Thinner at 350 and thicker at 325.
Cook until golden brown and crisp-about 15-25 minutes. Watch it!
Place on cookie rack until cool.

In New Orleans, a funeral means celebration: delirious, upbeat brass music–here played by the renowned Eureka Brass Band–and a cakewalk parade from the burial. This mix of mourning and joy might seem dissonant. But co–executive producer David Mills tells me as we watch the scene being set up that it’s the heart of Treme, a drama about musicians and other residents rebuilding their lives three months after Hurricane Katrina. “It’s about a city that’s been dealt a horrible blow,” he says. “But it’s not about the horrible blow. It’s about the getting back up and moving forward with life with your spirit intact.” (Poignantly, Treme would soon feel a blow itself: Mills, a veteran TV screenwriter who penned two episodes, died March 30, stricken by a brain aneurysm while on set at Café du Monde. He was 48 years old.)

Treme (Sundays, 10 p.m. E.T.)

And tomorrow night, Among the Righteous on PBS:

Did any Arabs save Jews during the Holocaust? That’s the question author Robert Satloff had in mind when he set out to discover the lost, true stories of survival, courage and betrayal in Arab lands during World War II. The history of the Holocaust in Europe is well-documented, but the history of what happened to the Jewish people of North Africa has been mostly forgotten, even in the very towns and cities where it occurred. The truth is remarkable: not only did Jews in Arab lands suffer many of same elements of persecution as Jews in Europe — arrests, deportations, confiscations and forced labor — but there were also hopeful stories of “righteous” Arabs reaching out to protect them.

Ingredients:
12 medium tomatillos, cut in half and cored
2 poblano peppers, cut in half
2 ancho peppers, cut in half
2 jalapeño or cayenne peppers, cut in half
2 fresh hatch chilis, cut in half, or 1 can (4 oz.) fire roasted hatch chilis
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped.
6 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
6 tbs EVOO
1½ cups chicken broth
¼ C cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 tbs ground cumin
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Putting it together:
In a large glass baking pan, place the tomatillos and peppers cut side down and drizzle with half of the EVOO. Place in a 350 deg oven and roast for 30 minutes or until the skin is releasing from the peppers. Remove from the oven and place the peppers in a paper bag to complete the releasing of the skin, then peel.
 
In a medium skillet, add the remainder of the EVOO and the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until soft.
 
Place the tomatillos, chilis (if you are using the canned Hatch chilis, add them now), onions, garlic, and cilantro, along with the liquid from the roasting pan, in a food processor with a steel knife. Pulse until the mixture is chunky.
 
Place the processed tomatillos and chilis, broth, and cumin in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning, and cool to room temperature.
 
Use the sauce warm, refrigerate for later (lasts about two weeks), or freeze.

So, what are plantains

Plantains are a member of the banana family. They are a starchy, low in sugar variety that is cooked before serving as it is unsuitable raw. It is used in many savory dishes somewhat like a potato would be used and is very popular in Western Africa and the Caribbean countries. It is usually fried or baked. Plantains are native to India and are grown most widely in tropical climates. (…) This vegetable-banana can be eaten and tastes different at every stage of development. The interior color of the fruit will remain creamy, yellowish or lightly pink. When the peel is green to yellow, the flavor of the flesh is bland and its texture is starchy. As the peel changes to brown or black, it has a sweeter flavor and more of a banana aroma, but still keeps a firm shape when cooked. The plantain averages about 65% moisture content and the banana averages about 83% moisture content. Since hydrolysis, the process by which starches are converted to sugars, acts fastest in fruit of higher moisture content it converts starches to sugars faster in bananas than it does in plantains.

Since we will be making the savory tostones, we need the green variety like these hanging from the “tree” in my front yard:

Preparation can be quite an ordeal for the un-initiated, so I suggest you give it a try a few times before you invite the neighbors over for an afternoon snack of tostones. Before I do anything, I wash my hands with the juice of a lemon to reduce the stickiness that inevitably results from cutting and peeling the fruit. Get a sharp knife and just pierce the surface skin lengthwise from end to end once without cutting into the “fruit”. I also recommend you chop off the tip at either end, since this facilitates the peeling:

The peeling will test your resolve, so approach it carefully. I dig both thumbs into the center of the cut until I reach the surface of the fruit and begin prying the peel off carefully so as not to break or chip the fruit. The peel is brittle when green and won’t come off in one whole piece, so chip away at it the best you can (with time, you will become an expert):

Once you have them peeled, dice each plantain into segments of one and a half inches in length (some people put them in salted water once peeled, but I don’t see a need for this):

Fill a pot with enough oil (I use oils that can withstand high heats like canola and grapeseed oils) that it reaches about half way up each plantain segment when you put them in for the initial fry (three quarters of an inch). Put the burner on high and bring it almost to smoking. Carefully deposit the mini-barrels of plantain into the pot until the pot is full (see below). DO NOT FRY EACH SIDE FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. You want to cook only the outer portion of each plantain segment, so you fry one side for two or three minutes and then turn each one over and do the same for the other.

Disclaimer – This is my way of doing it. Everyone has their own way and, of course, EVERYBODY’s way is better than yours. So they say! So figure out what is best for you. Just remember that you DON’T WANT TO COOK IT THROUGH AT THIS STAGE, so brevity of time is of the essence!

Remove each one and place on a napkin to drain until cool. After they have cooled, flatten them with a large tea-cup. There are many methods to use to flatten them. Nowadays, you can buy a plantain press. I use a large tea-cup with a slightly cupped bottom. You can see how mine come out (stacked like pancakes), below:

They look like little mini pancakes or corn biscuits.

Next, you fry each one a second time in a frying pan (not a pot). Make sure the oil is hot but not too hot (I usually start out with the burner on high and once I put in three or four tostones in the hot oil [careful, as they will spatter!!], I bring it down to half). WATCH THEM CAREFULLY SO THEY DO NOT BURN! Remove them from the oil and place to drain on a couple of napkins. They tend to soak up quite a bit of oil, so you will need to renew the quantity in the frying pan, especially if you are making a lot.

Another option, at this stage, is to store them. After stacking them [as in the above photos], I wrap them in aluminum foil and freeze them until I want to use them. Then I just remove them from the freezer and fry them individually as explained in the “second fry”, above. [note: Although I don't intend this to be a plug for any brand, you can actually buy the frozen tostones ready-made to fry, thereby saving yourself the arduous task I have just outlined here!]

Now that you have a platter of hot tostones, you will want to season them up. You can simply add salt or any of a variety of sauces. Some people put a garlic/lemon dressing, vinaigrette or hot sauce on them. A lot of folks just shower them with catchup.

As I alluded to, you can substitute these for your french fries the next time you have a hamburger. Since I stay away (as much as possible) from red meat, I usually have them with fish. They are very filling, by the way, so don’t eat too many.

Tonight I made a poached salmon (poached in white wine, water, salt, bay leaf, pepper and saffron) and piled on a salsa verde from one of Claudia Roden’s cook-books. Accompany the fish with Maracatu’s West Indian tostones dipped in an oil and lemon dressing. You could opt to put the salsa verde on the tostones, but I didn’t quite like the combination.

To wash down your tostones and salmon in salsa verde, what better than an exotic tall thirst quenching glass of dovyalis hebecapa. What?, you exclaim! Here I have a few for you to make a drink that will vaguely resemble cranberry juice. The plant on the left in the pot is a very young dovyalis hebecarpa, also known as “Ceylon gooseberry”:

Or you can have lemonade (as my tree is full, see below). I included a sample of this year’s over-abundant avocado crop (try smothering some avocado on your tostones before bathing them in the lemon/garlic dressing! Yum!!) However, I’ll wager that most of you have never seen (let alone tasted) that oblong yellow berry-like fruit I placed in the center of my cutting board. They are yellow mombins, or hog plums. We call them jobillos and they’re delicious, if you can get over them being used as cattle feed.

I dedicate this diary to my late mother, whose birthday is today. She made a fabulous Piñón de Plátano Maduro [a sort of "lasagna" with sweet fried plantains in the place of the pasta], and would be pleased to see what is growing in her garden today. So what are you having for dinner?

Ethel’s Pimento Cheese

3 C shredded cheese – you can use colby/jack or some medium and some sharp cheddar or cojack and pepper jack – just make it to you liking (let sit at room temperature and then shred)
1 tsp sugar or Splenda
1-2 T cider vinegar (I used equal parts white balsamic, brown rice and red wine vinegar, more interesting, no?)

few grains fine sea salt to taste
1/2 C oil infused pimentos or roasted red peppers, diced with the oil*
1-3 T unsweetend mayonnaise

Gently mix and let sit for a while. Refrigerate overnight.

*When my Mom first started making this you could get pimentos in oil; now you can’t. The oil infusion adds something special to the cheese that you just cannot get in a commercial product. I buy roasted red peppers or pimentos in water (all you can get) place about 1/2 C drained in a bowl and add some olive oil. Let sit for at least a day or two and use that in my Pimento Cheese. It is the closest I have come to my Mom’s recipe!

CUCUMBER GINGER SALAD

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
3 small green scallions, thinly sliced (use some of the tops)
1/4 C red onion, diced
1″ raw ginger root, minced
1/4 C mint, torn in small pieces

Dressing:
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 tsp tamari sauce (wheat free soy sauce)
1 tsp Yeo’s sesame oil (you can find this at most Asian markets. It is an amber sesame oil.)
1/2 tsp Splenda

Mix dressing and let sit for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice, dice and mince the rest of the salad ingredients. Mix the dressing into the veggies and place in a container with a tight lid. Shake and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours, shaking a few times. Add sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste at the table if wanted.

4 side servings

Thin Crust Pizza

Place the oven rack on the lowest setting. Preheat stone to 450 for at least 15 minutes before cooking crust. An oven thermometer works well here, I don’t know what I would do without mine.

1 1/2-1 3/4 C King Arthur Bread flour (hard spring wheat flour that is not bleached or bromated)
3/4-1 tsp sea salt
Mix well.
1/2 C water at 110-120 degrees
2 tsp yeast
Mix together and let sit until foaming.

Add 1 T olive oil and the yeast mixture to the flour and salt. Mix and knead until elastic, about 5 minutes. Oil a bowl with 1 T olive oil and place the dough in it and turn to oil both sides. Let sit covered in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour). Turn out on a floured board, sprinkle dough with extra flour and roll out until you have a good thin rectangle about 1/8″ thick and 8″X11″, turn up a good lip on all sides. Place on a piece of aluminium foil that has been sprinkled with some white corn meal. Prick the surface lightly with a fork to create a flat surface. Place on well heated stone and cook for 5-7 minutes until slightly browned. Remove and top with the goodies below and cook another 5 or so minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Add cheese, turn down the temp to 350, and melt.

Toppings:
basil pesto-it was a bottled concoction from Costco-it is good- it has pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil, etc, etc…
sausage or you could use a nice dry sausage thinly sliced or a pepperoni thinly sliced or don’t use a meat and add more veggies
mushrooms, sliced
peppers either hot or bell or some of both, chopped
onions, chopped or in thinly sliced rings
fresh or sun dried tomatoes or both which I like
herbs-either fresh or dried to your taste-I used fresh oregano, basil, rosemary (you could use dried)
add some sprinkles of powdered garlic, sea salt and freshly ground pepper
These all need to be precooked (except the fresh tomatoes or dry sausage or pepperoni) in a skillet in olive oil until slightly tender, then put on the pizza. I put the pesto on the bottom and the cheese on the top.

Be creative and have fun! This is a lovely thin crust that crunches when you bite into it, but it is not too crumbly.

This recipe is great for an abundance of fresh tomatoes or good canned crushed tomatoes. I bought a 6 pound #10 can of really good crushed tomatoes, divided them and made some tomato paste out of a little bit and froze the rest. Here’s what happens when you decide to go on a low carb diet for awhile and want catsup! Make your own without sugar and make it spicy. This could also turn into a pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce or meat/chicken/fish/shrimp sauce. It is a take-off of a Fannie Farmer recipe. Gee, it just tastes good!

Kickin’ Homemade Tomato Catsup

Makes 2 1/2 Cups

4 C chopped fresh tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
1-2 garlic cloves halved lengthwise
Place in a mesh teaball or some cheesecloth or muslin:
1 1/2″ stick cinnamon*
1/2 tsp peppercorns slightly crushed*
1/2 tsp whole cloves*
1/2 tsp whole allspice berries*
Stir and cook in a medium saucepan uncovered over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Add:
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp ground paprika
1/4-1/2 ground cayenne pepper
1/2+ tsp sea salt
1/2 C cider vinegar
Stir and taste.
OK this next bit is “if needed”. Tomatoes can be really sweet or not so sweet. You need to taste the mix before you add Splenda or the Maple Syrup. Add some liquid Splenda if you are REALLY adhering to the induction phase of the low carb diet, if you are not, then add 1/2 tsp Pure Maple Syrup. Stir and cook slow and low until thickened (about 1 hour). Cool then puree in a blender or food chopper (I used my mini food chopper-it holds about 3 cups). Place in a jar or bottle and refrigerate overnight. Taste and adjust the sweet or salty and liquid (vinegar) or some olive oil to your taste. If your are using fresh tomatoes, reserve the liquid and add that if needed. You can also use the tomato liquid in soups and sauces.

*If you don’t have the whole spice, just add the ground version with all the other ground spices.

via Grist

Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

Makes about 3 pint jars

10 pounds heirloom tomatoes
1 head of garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
A couple of shallots, halved, but not peeled, optional
A handful of thyme sprigs
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
Your favorite fresh herbs for tomatoes—basil, marjoram, or oregano
A few dried red chili peppers, optional

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper or foil. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

Rinse your tomatoes, and slice them in half across their equator [MF says-- I used Romas, so I trimmed the stem spot off, and sliced mine top to bottom], or into thirds if they are particularly large. Line them on the baking sheet in a single layer, seed side up. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Scatter the garlic cloves, shallots, garlic, and thyme over the tomatoes. Sprinkle each tray of tomatoes with one teaspoon of salt.

Place the tomatoes in the oven and roast for about 6 hours [MF says-- I started checking mine after about 2-1/2 hours, it took ~5 hours for me], until much of the tomato juices have evaporated, and the slices have shrunk to about ½ their original size.

Let the tomatoes cool at room temperature. Then with a spatula [MF says-- I used a big spoon or my clean fingers, it was easier than balancing a tomato on a spatula] transfer the slices to your very clean pint jars (wide mouth canning jars will be easiest to deal with.) Layer fresh basil, or your preferred herb, between the slices of tomato, as well as the cloves of garlic and shallots that you squeeze from their hulls. Leave about 1 inch of headspace at the top of each jar.”*”

The link provides SEVERAL different preserving methods, and much, much more. I froze a few pints, and processed the rest, save for two pints, which are fresh, and in the refrigerator. The recipe author says to pack the tomatoes in “very clean jars,” but, I ALWAYS sterilize mine– even brand new ones– by boiling for at least 15 minutes before using.

I made 12 pints. Some with basil, some with oregano, and some with rosemary. I added dried chilis from last summer to a few, and roasted some yellow bell peppers, and some sweet banana peppers along with the tomatoes with a mix and match plan. This way, I can use different tomatoes for different Italian recipes– from simple marinara to pizza sauce or lasagna sauce, or whichever fits a recipe. I used some Friday night to make a pizza, and I’ll tell you, it was better than using fresh, or even sun-dried tomatoes. So tender and full of concentrated flavor!

I can only imagine how wonderful it will be to open one of these little jars of tasty sunshine come February, on a snow day, and making some delicious, summery dish.

“*”– Depending on which preserving method you use, that one-inch of headspace is sort of variable. if you freeze them in the jars, you need that headspace, otherwise, I really recommend reducing that to a 1/2-inch of headspace. Whichever way you choose, make sure the tomatoes and other ingredients are covered completely. Less air means a longer keep time– and a safer long-storing product.