West African Peanut Stew

I remember, years ago, watching a talkshow host (could it have been Dinah Shore? ....way before there was an Oprah or a Martha) interviewing a woman who taught the audience about this West African stew using peanut butter and heavy spices and okra.

I remember being intrigued.

From that time forward, whenever I think about okra, this recipe-memory surfaces but until today, I never pursued the activity of making it.

This morning, while out in the garden harvesting the penultimate crops, my mind once more resurrected the image and I could swear I was smelling the fragrance of a dish I have never tasted. So, I searched the innertubes and found lots of recipes to follow.

And I do mean, LOTs of recipes and they were all variations on the theme, so while I have never tasted this dish before, I want to set about making a meal using what I have on hand & (obviously) tastes great.

What is even more exciting is learning that eggplant features in the recipes!!!!!! Well, whaddaya know!!! I have all that and then some... check it out.

There are 3 different variety of eggplant we planted in the spring and two are only now bringing forth the little Japanese eggplants. The bushes are large and multi-branched but the fruit is tiny, almost absurdly so but big on taste and texture.

I start with this!

I have selected about 20 okra fingers and enough eggplant to chop & measure (about 1.5 cups of okra and eggplant each).

Bacon grease

1 finely chopped onion

1 Tbls minced ginger

1 fat clove finely chopped garlic

1 finely chopped bell pepper

1 small finely chopped hot pepper

3 - 4 tbls catsup

1  coarse chopped sweet potato or butternut squash

1.5 cups eggplant, cubed 1"

1.5 cups okra, sliced into 1/2" rounds

3 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup peanut butter

* Penzeys Berbere Spice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 coriander powder

In a large stock pot, saute' the onion in about 2 -3 Tbls of bacon grease (you can go olive oil if you must) for 3 minutes, and add ginger and pepper. Saute' a further 3 - 4 minutes and add all the spices. Add catsup and peanut butter. Stir well and you will see the ingredients begin to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the stock and stir until well-blended.

Now, add the eggplant  and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. 

Add okra and sweet potato or butternut squash. (I substituted out the potato because I have lots of squash from the garden and they have the same texture.) Cook low, for a further 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to be certain nothing sticks on the bottom.

Oh, man is this ever good! I was concerned, too, because while researching I read reviews of some of the online recipes; some people gave them high scores but others were downright abusive: "I threw the whole mess away!" really? in the same recipe? Could it be that bad with those ingredients?  No. It is aromatic, creamy, packed with flavor, exotic and I can't wait for lunch tomorrow.

Chunked chicken pieces can also be added for more protein but as a Meatless Monday, this is great as it is. Go vegetarian and use anything other than the bacon grease.

Serve with couscous or basmati rice.

* Addendum - Berbere spice is a blend from Penzeys Spices which includes fenugreek, cumin, allspice, pepper  etc. It is an amazing blend that just transports me to another continent every time I use it. I went this route because the various recipes had a laundry list of stand-alone spices, most of which are in Berbere so I just cut to the chase.

If you buy and use this spice for the first time, disregard the use instructions on the back where it suggests starting with 1 TABLESPOON and adding more. Oh dear God, no. Most people will find that so hot that it will kill off the flavors of anything else that happens to be included. I learned this the hard way. Sneak up on the heat......

I like the spices from Penzey Spices. I was introduced to this brand just after Katrina and have to say the flavor and freshness is outstanding. You can order online or find shops in large cities (except New Orleans, for some reason. I guess they don't think we're much into food down here).

HOWEVER, the political agenda coming from this business in some emails and catalogues is way over the top. If you don't want me to buy your spices because I disagree with you, I can accommodate that. I don't need to pass a litmus test to be deemed worthy.  Just sell me the spices and leave me alone and in return, I won't proselytize you or the employees. Really, I just want to cook, and spread the fragrance and share. 

"Can't we all just get along?"

huh..... I just received another email...... and it's perfectly neutral. Thank You!

Ciabatta

Is there a better name that evokes a longing for bread? Ciabatta.

I love bread. Almost all bread. I love the smell of a bakery and can usually ferret out one on a roadtrip from 10 miles away. I love to bake bread as well and that brings me to this:

Ciabatta. I woke up yesterday with a hankering to bake ciabatta, having never done so previously.

So off I went in search of recipes on the innertubes and came across several that looked more than promising. Trouble soon followed.

At first glance, all recipes have this thing I had never heard of: biga. What the heck is this? Simply put, it's a starter of fermentation that adds that special chewy texture and I dare say, flavor to the ciabatta which distinguishes it from most other breads. It is not sour.

So, while I went into this day of baking wholeheartedly, I was quickly squashed back with the understanding that ciabatti take 2 days. The next stumbling block was which biga to make, the one that takes 24 hours and is thick, or the one that takes 8 hours.

I tossed the coin and went with the 24 hour. It used a more whole wheat/rye mix and I thought that sounded really earthy (I love rye) and made it using this recipe. I could always make the other method another time.

Then, as I was cleaning up the bowls and counter, I thought.... well, wait a sec. If I do this and it doesn't rise, I will be out 24 hours.... let me do the other method now and I can always freeze bread if they both work well! So, I went with this recipe.  If you try this one, you'll see that the biga is much thinner which makes sense because it starts in as little as 8 hours or overnight.

All that was yesterday and what a rainy day it was. Perfect for baking bread, in my book. Today,  well, it's still raining out there steadily and I have been working my through the 2nd step in ciabatta baking.

With this first recipe, I am about half-way through the rising process, something that should take 3 hours or so. I am very excited to report that the thick, slow biga rose beautifully overnight, tripling in size as it should have.

Once the loaves are in the final rise, I will start with the other recipe and see how that one is looking.

A few hours later, this is what the first loaves look like.

The bread has a great nutty taste and chewy texture but not the kind of holes I expected to see. I wrapped the bottom one up in clingwrap and froze it for later in the week.

I made rolls and one loaf from the second recipe and await the final rise.

And here is the results of that one. Again, nowhere near the bubbly holes I expected but the flavor of this bread is outstanding....... If I do this again, (and I will) I will reduce the amount of salt in the first batch to >2 teaspoons...... but I really liked the flavor of the wheat/rye blend.

With the second, I will try to touch it less and hope the bubbles don't disappear.

Leek and Potato Soup

More than anything else. I think of this blog as a book for my "children". They are in their 20s now so put the word in scary quote marks.... scary for me, not for them, hopefully.

I write this so they will have in words some recipes and photographs from this wonderful life I have been living. This is a post about leeks and a soup I love to make and eat.

If you have read any previous posts about leeks, you must know how chuff I feel about growing these marvelous onions. I have tried the conventional yellow and purple and white onions but, like my luck with figs, I am the only person in SELA who can't seem to grow them. Leeks, I do just peachy with for some reason or another and I really get smug when I have grown them from seeds. Other times, I have found a grow-pot at Lowes with leeks and just gone that route. It is not the easiest thing to seed them at just the opportune time for good growth transplant.

Now, check out these babies:

These have had the roots and crown cut away, and slit down length-wise to facilitate cleaning, and are ready to be chopped into 1/4" slices. I stop right where the white turns light green and I dump them in a large bowl and rinse cold water in.

This allows the onion layers to swell and let any grit rinse out. You don't want anything like that in a great soup.

Now I remove 3-5 outer leaves and keep the lower part (see where I am pointing? That is the keeper, the others on the upper left is tossed)

and toss them on the compost pail and continue chopping and rinsing. You will always find more dirt and grit in this area because of the way leeks grow in soil. I goo almost to the tips of the greens, especially if they are still bright and tender.

See the dirt? You definitely don't want that!

These I put in a separate bowl, usually one with a white interior so I can really see the dirt well. Get it all cleaned out. Rinse rinse rinse. Trust me.... dirt can hide very well, thank you!

Now at this point if you have more leeks than you want to use, parboil them and freeze in small freezer bags for future use. When you grow these beauties, this is an awesome onion to have on hand for quiches, stews and spaghetti sauce.

On to the soup!

3-4 large leeks, cleaned as I have described so thoroughly above

2 Tablespoon butter and 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot

Saute the leeks until they have softened and add

4 large white potatoes, peeled and chopped into good-sized chunks. Russets are good, yukon golds add a buttery flavor that I like. You can use reds as well.

4-6 cups of chicken stock (I use the granules unless I happen to have canned stock on the shelf.)

White pepper and more salt if you really think you need it. Now let it simmer for 25 minutes and voila!

I say "if you really need salt" because bouillon cubes are heavy-salt and some people use salted butter. I always buy unsalted but I think I am strange about this. I usually wait til the end of cooking and taste the liquid.

If you want to thicken the soup, crush some of the cubed potatoes. They are a natural thickening agent and help eliminate the need for high-calorie flour or cream. This trick also helpes thicken beans... mash a half a cup of them and stir into a pot of beans for instant thick 'gravy'.


Here you can see the ratio of leeks to potato. Obviously, that can be reversed if you so choose. Me, I like the onion.

Beef Rendang

I grew up with a positive aversion to coconut. Mind you, my limited access to it back then was in Almond Joy or Mounds chocolate bars and the grinding texture and sickly sweet flavor did not impress me as a child so I avoided anything with the word 'coconut' in it for years.

Then we moved to the Far East and my path was crossed with a dish called Beef Rendang which is a spicy sweet aromatic and thicker version of what we might call 'stew'. I first tried it in a restaurant, I believe, and could buy it ready-made in tins (dreadful) but eventually was taught to make it by the housekeeper of a man who lived next door to us in Brunei.

The housekeeper/cook was a transvestite to begin with and I never knew which persona I would meet each day working out in the garden or running errands. At first I thought they were two different people, and I suppose that really is most accurate. But not germane to the story.

On the appointed day, I bopped over and after we visited for a few minutes, we got busy in the kitchen, by which I mean, she got busy and I took notes. She did not speak English, I did not speak Malay but we both communicated like fast friends over a common bond: Food.

Here is where I first discovered that coconut goes into the making of this delicious curry. And that most foreign and mesmerizing ingredient, lemongrass.

All the spices and herbs were ground up with a mortar, which took more time than necessary these days, thanks to our advanced technology of the mini-blender (c'mon folks, just get one) and today I whirr them all together in less than 2 minutes. But back then, I confess, as she ground and ground away, the fragrances that were released filled the room and senses like nothing I had ever experienced (except possibly, when in a bakery).

Then the ingredients are all fried up in a large pot and coconut milk and water added. This then slowly cooks for several hours and the beef tenderizes and pulls in the spices even as they break down. at first, the liquid is light in color and almost off-putting but eventually as it evaporates, the curry takes on a darker, richer color and if you prefer a 'dry' curry, you can continue til it's practically non-existent. This is not something I like because I let the rice we serve with the rendang soak up that gravy.

Beef Rendang

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound boneless beef cubes, cheap cuts are fine
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
4 cloves
3 star anise, I use powdered star anise 1/4 teasp. This is not the anise seed!
3 cardamom pods, or 1/4 teasp of the seeds from within

1 lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and pounded) I used the stuff in the squeeze tube as the lemongrass is harder to find here

1 cup thick coconut milk (canned. Try to get a can from Thailand, not Mexico. It is prepared a little differently)
1 cup water
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds )(good luck finding this. I substituted 7 prunes and added 1 Tables of Lime juice)
6 kaffir lime leaves (very finely sliced) Sorry, I grow my own here in the South. Again, Good luck. try an Asian Grocery store
6 tablespoons kerisik (toasted coconut) (couldn't find it, omitted it altogether)
1 tablespoon sugar/palm sugar or to taste
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

5 shallots
1 inch galangal (Ii have powdered )
3 lemongrass (white part only) (Squeeze tube, (again)
5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
10-12 dried chilies (soaked in warm water and seeded)

Method:

1. Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
2. Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry them until aromatic.
3. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked.
5. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar/palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
6. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up.
7. Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.
8. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight.

Okay, that fine recipe is from the link on the name above and it is superb. Galangal is a root much like ginger but different and you might find it at the Asian Grocery. I brought alot of these these ground dried spices back from Thailand and will search for them locally the next time I cross the lake.

I allowed it all to cook to at least 5 hours total and it would taste even better today if there was any left. Note to self: Make twice as much next time!

I See Surfaces

We returned last week from a wedding in the Texas Hill Country to find every flat surface in the kitchen and the entire refrigerator slathered or crammed with tomatoes, corn and peaches, patiently awaiting processing. I hardly knew where to begin, and decided if I wanted use of the fridge, I'd better haul out the corn first and get them in the freezer (not there's much room in it, either.)

If you read the Tally to the right, you've witnessed the steady stock rising. Each morning, after the plog 'round the blocks, I'd chain myself to a lead that stretched only as far as the raised beds and stove. There could be no escape if I wanted to make the most of what the garden has offered to the pantry shelves.

This strange spring of dry weather and for the most part cooler than average temperatures has given us now in mid-summer some crazy large and abundant in quantity tomatoes. They have been squeezed by the Squeezo and simmered in reduction, canned and labelled & sit smugly and snuggly all in rows. It's a wonderful sight.

The other day, while running errands, we grabbed a bite at a Mexican restaurant in Covington, El Iguana, and stumbled toward the notion of canning salsa as well. And why not? I found a terrific sounding recipe with raves in the comments sections and a plethora of answered questions confirming that I could, indeed, halve the recipe. This was the only concern I had at first reading. The ingredients list began with 30 tomatoes, which is no problem for us but the final result was 17 pints of salsa and I don't care how good it is, I don't know what I'd DO with 17 pints of salsa. I don't have 17 pints of sauce! (yet) and I 'm certainly not planning on setting up a table on the side of a highway to offload the surplus.

(Although, I bet I could!)

So, I dragged home another box of pint-sized Mason jars and promptly twisted my ankle.

With my daughter's help however, we were able to jar 8 pints of a truly spectacular salsa and two jars of sauce, bringing our total tally in a northerly direction and my horizontal surfaces now tomato-free. There are plenty more out there to go but I do in fact see the bright light at the end of the harvest tunnel ahead.

If you have read the "Lucia" stories or had the pleasure of watching a series from England called "Mapp and Lucia", you are acquainted with a mysterious dish called "Lobster a la Riseholme". It is the recipe that is (one of) the source of contention between two sparring divas in a 1920's English village. I have read and watched it many times and have always wanted to dine on this veritable feast but until yesterday, haven't stopped long enough to give it a try. You can google it and find many references to the dish and a Nigella Lawson, also of Great Britain, offers a recipe that I decided to follow to a T.

I even flambed the brandy under the supervision of Rachel and that was great fun!

Oh yeah. It's delicious.

It's Been A Long Time...

.....since I laughed this much. Enjoy!

It's better if you understand Swedish. It's still a hoot if you don't, especially if your first-hand knowledge of Swedes is the antithesis of thisasis.

Well, Life On The Farm Is Kinda Laid-Back!

Ah, I miss John Denver's voice. When I am out wandering around the vegetables and chickens, I have that song playing in the recesses of my head.

We have had some great weather these past two days. It might be only one day but it feels like more. This is because I got all sorts of things accomplished yesterday.

Let's begin with...... THIS!

I have been wanting to paint a block on the coop and I knew it would be this one. It's called Chicks and Hens. HAhahahah love it. Subtle. An inside joke for us quilters.....

The chickens hung around and watched me do it as well. They are SO much fun to hang around with.

Stu talks all the time. He is out there clucking and muttering and crowing all day long. There were a few times when a hen was laying and he'd walk into the coop and chortle at her. If one of them made that buk-buk-buk-BAWKKK sound upon laying, he'd be in there in a flash to see what was happening.
See that? It's the beginning of our first artichoke........ so tiny, so delish! Well, okay, I don't know what they taste like, yet.

Now, yesterday on Facebook, Home Grown Edible Landscapes had a link to a recipe for Leek, Potato and Zucchini Potatoes. If you have been keeping up with the cats and quilts, you will know that leeks are something of a passion with me. They are so delectable and expensive in the stores and I have been trying to grow them for several years now. The timing has to be right to get a decent size. I have more than 40 out there growing and two of them were good-sized. We also have frozen zuccs and lots of baby greens out there and even the parsley in the herb garden so I made it exactly by the recipe and only needed to use bought potatoes. I added walnuts and some blackberries I found out by the mailbox.

Also, remember UberGeek? The best computer and cute dude who has straightened me and my issues with viruses now twice? His mother and my friend brought us a whole buncha rhubarb last year and I have a little bit left in the freezer so, after adding some Ponchatoula strawberries to the rhubarb, I have this for dessert. Rhubarb Crumb

So that you can see the progress on the green stuff, here is a shot of the herb garden. So mature compared to last year. The cilantro is still going strong and the fennel is ready to be braised. I can't believe how huge the oregano has grown and I have to really get a handle on the mint because it is getting out of control.
Here you see the beginning of the lower garden. Last year we laid it out a little differently but this year I have divided it up in quarters.

Imagine if you will, in the lower left, you have 4 rows; 3 of tomatoes and one of assorted winter squash. To the right with the supports are 4 rows: Cucumber, summer squash, green beans and ornamental gourds. Behind this in the 4 uncovered rows are the potatoes and to the far left back are 4 rows of bi-colored corn.

Now there is a disappointment growing. Or not growing , to be precise. Last week, we planted 2 kernels in every spot and 24 spots per row. As of now, there is less than half coming up and to be even less successful, although 2 kernels were planted, only one of them have bothered to show up.

So I think I will go out today and plant 3 in the empty places. They are supposed to germinate in 4 days and if I wait much longer to replant, they be so far behind the others as to perhaps not be fertilized later.

When the days are filled and sun's setting low, I pull out the fiddle and I rosin up the bow,

The kids're all asleep so I keep it kinda low........

THANK GOD I'M A COUNTRY BOY!

They Say You Shouldn't...

... witness laws and sausage being made but I have had a hankering to make some for a few years.

Sausage, that is.

When I was very young, I remember watching my morfar make sausage and then again years later, I helped my mormor do it as well. We lived in Alaska some 25 years later and a good friend and I made a slew of them one winter but since then, nothing. AND I have this KitchenAid with the hopper/grinder and tubes, to boot. So, what was the hold-up? no venison. I wanted to make a lean venison sausage as anything else is available to buy so what is the incentive there, other than knowing exactly what goes into each link?

John went (successfully) deer-hunting for the first time last winter and brought home (well not home exactly) a doe. This went to a processor way up in Spearsville so I lost out there.

However, Steve heard about our (my) plight, took pity on us (me) and offered to share some of his stash of deermeat if we'd get together and whip up a pile of dogs.

So. I bought 10 lbs of pork necks from Service and lamb's casings for slender breakfast links and they came over this afternoon.

Here is John cutting up the meat for the grinder.......

and Steve grinding with me catching and twisting the links......

We used one prepackaged spice mix from Bass Pro Shop, Uncle Buck's Breakfast Blend and were very pleased with the flavor. Yes it has MSG as well spices so if that is an issue with you, you might want to go with a home-mixture.

Which is what we did with the rest. There, we used a recipe Vickie found at Cooks.com for Italian deer sausage and it is AWESOME!!!!! I was a little worried with the required amount of black pepper and we backed off by 1/2 a Tablespoon and I, for one, am glad we did. It is delicious but I think I would have had a hard time swallowing that extra helping of pepper.

Breakfast Links

Italian Sweet and Hot

Here are John and Vickie packaging the links for the freezer. We'll be smoking some of the large links tomorrow and I'll add a photo of them later.

Smokin'!

Now, about laws....... I believe what we ought to know what's in THEM before we get to eat, also!

My Sister Got Me Started - Museli Breakfast Rolls

She called yesterday to tell me about this breakfast she was enjoying from her local Starbucks. It sounded wonderful and healthy.... and although we have several Starbucks in our parish, none of them close to us. At least not close enough to think, "Say.... why don't we whizz over to Starbucks and grab an snack!"

So I scrounged around the innertubes and found a recipe that I modified. When the flour settled, and the rolls baked, we assembled this:

And the recipe was great.

Museli Bread Rolls

1 egg

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Honey

1 Cup Warm Water

1 3/4 cups Plain Flour

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

2 Tbls Millet

2 Tbls Flaxseed Meal

1 Tbls Flaxseed Whole

1/2 cup Rolled Oats

1 1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast

2 tbsp each Craisins and Raisins

2 tbsp Sunflower Seeds

Mix the warm water and yeast with a a little sugar to activate and proof the yeast.

Meanwhile, in a mixer with the hook attachment, blend all the dry ingredients together; add the honey, egg and activated yeast and mix at least 10 minutes, You will add a little more plain flour til you reach the optimum stage of kneading. You know you're there when the dough is smooth and bounces back if you depress it with your thumb. You need to get past the sticky stage and not all the way to the dry stage.

Cover and allow to double in bulk, approx 60-75 minutes. Divide into 16 equal pieces and roll into flat "biscuits." I use parchment paper on cookie sheets and cover them again to rest another 30 minutes, Then bake at 360 degrees for 14 minutes,

Perfect!

What's This! What's This! What's This!

Just the beginning, my dears. Just the beginning!

THAT is ravioli. One is sweet Italian sausage and cheese and the other roasted butternut squash ravioli.

I am (hoping to) making Emeril's brown butter to go with and I hope it is everything it is cracked up to be!

Great Sunday!

Yea!!!! The Oriental Leslie BOMb is finished!!!!! Okay, I still have to quilt it, true......

ANd the Red White and Blues is complete as well. Yes there is only the simple single border but really, there is enough going on with the color scheme, any border fabric would just scream.

I had fun finishing this silly project I bought to make as long ago as last year (or was it 2 years ago.....) The Stick Chicken!
too cute. I have already made the Cat Stick but have it at the shop as a sample.

Speaking of cute....
Q. Usually she hangs out in the sewing room, taking up space on the ironing board. Shasta beat her to it today.

Shasta has been trying to be helpful as well. Here she is scrambling a quilt-top I was attempting to pin a border on. Such a help.

And to top the day off nicely, I made a loaf of seeduction bread. Very close to the loaf you buy at Whole Foods. Except lighter.

Well, THAT worked!

Actually, the past post had nothing to do with making feel better. I DO feel better but the cold lingers on. et's just say, "It's not slime.. it's MUCUS!"

and I stay busy working not on the piece you saw below but a new sample for the shop, Six Halves Make A Whole Starburst. All batik and very pretty.

I have also been hanging small finished projects in the sewing room to make me happy. Old friends hanging around and speaking.

I started sewing the binding on the Seasons quilt, using fabric I have in the stash and honestly, it looked wrong. So I frogged it off and will buy a better color choice Tuesday at the shop. You know, I just thought, I have put this much into this piece, why frame it with an awkward binding?

Kat came home sick as well and after doctoring her up with King Ranch Chicken, (thanks Meredith) she perked up. Yesterday we fired up her Breville pie maker and made both pot pies and pecan pies. So cool. Too bad they are out of stock everywhere. I bet they will make a return visit to the William-Sonoma shelves but it might be a while.

Pretty soon, we'll start seriously addressing the planting of seeds for the spring gardens and I already have been collecting the seeds for this. We are still harvesting carrots, beets, brussel sprouts and kale. We ate rutabagas in the pot pies and they are delish.

The leeks I am happy to report are growing despite of the bitter cold nights. I planted 26 and they all remain, so far. The artichokes are a different story, however. I think we have lost the first one totally now unless it makes a come-back when the earth warms up. The other two are hanging in there but don't look as healthy as I hoped they would. Oh well, no ones said this would work but I am going to start RIGHT NOW with growing new ones in the hopes that we might get a few heads.

Mango Chutney

Because I just don't have enough to do, right? I must be some kind of a nut!*

We stopped off at the grocery yesterday and saw they had crates of mangos on sale, 10 for $3.99 and where I live, that is one heck of a good price. I love mangos but I relish (Bah!) chutney. I made Butter Chicken last week and opened my jar of store-bought Major Grey's only to discover it had that slightly moldy scent to it so boo...... out that went and I ate curry straight. (now that I think about it, I should've opened a jar of pepper jelly.. dern)

How coincidental to stumble across another (yet another!) canning project. It's really too bad I didn't look far enough into the future and grab some gingerroot at the time I hefted the box to the checkout counter. It was right there! Now it's 4 miles away and I have to make a return trip to the store before I proceed. I intend to try Alton Brown's recipe because it sounds delish and I like his show.

I intended to pickle more jalapenos yesterday but two things transpired that threw me off my rails. First, I forgot about our annual Home Owner's meeting and we raced over (late) and got there right when the juicy stuff was being discussed. I won't bore you the details because it isn't interesting to anyone except those who live here. The skies have been threatening for days here and we have had quite a few good drenchings for two days. We had planned to go pick berries and had to postpone that for a time. Then I remembered we needed to go pick up some plants to plant sit for their owners til they can retrieve them in the future and that took an hour.

So even though I did process a goodly amount of vegetables, my dance card is going to be fuller today than I anticipated.

* My next-door neighbor at the old place use to use this word a lot. Let me first say her stories about people she has known or met or had interactions with are hilarious to say the least and we used to sit on our porches for HOURS talking. Without fail, anytime she used this particular word it was in reference to some individual who went well beyond rationality or simple human common sense or sheer insanity. She said it, in her delightful New Orleanian accent, in such a manner as to mean everything it could possibly imply. "....... I mean, he was a nut!" And I'd fall over laughing. Her use of it was like it's own punctuation mark.

Tomatoes On The Rebound

Well, I didn't actually kill those plants after all. They still hold their fruit and we have now picked three of the first tomatoes of the year. Early Girls, just as I suspected. They were the first to set fruit and oh BOY are they delish. I am eager to try a Cherokee Purple and one of those Razzleberries, which BTW, are beautifully shaped tomatoes. From the photo in the catalog, I believe they will have a pinkish-rose blush color.

They squash is belching out everyday and I still dig around 4-6 potato plants in the evening when the weather is cooler. The Kentucky Wonders are now ready and I wish the rows were slightly farther apart. As it is, they are trying to create an arbor effect by growing up and over to the other fence. The Black-eyed Peas are getting tall and the butternut squash has totally stopped producing any more fruit so now we sit back and watch the nuts grow and thicken. I will do a count this morning. We have one raised bed filled with them as well but they don't produce nearly as many fruits as the two out back did.

The cantaloupe is flowering and vining and the corn is over six feet tall with the ears showing. And the jalapeno plants are loaded. All in all, I would say so far it's going to be a successful harvest

The tomatillos made a great pulled-pork recipe. Take a hunk of pork and sear it in a small amount of olive oil. Place in a deep casserole and cover with fresh tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic and pepper, I added jalapenos as well. Now slow cook it for hours (you can do this in crock-pot as well). I let the whole thing rest in the fridge for a day afterwards. Then popped it back in the oven to reheat thoroughly. Pull the pork and cover with the gravy. There's going to be a lot of that and I would say it tastes like a spicy spaghetti sauce. The pulled pork is terrific on corn tortillas but I could see it over polenta or plain rice as well. My cousin gave me the recipe.

A (much) Better Day

My rump hurts from all the kicking I've been giving it these past few days so I thought I'd give it a rest and do something that is both constructive AND make me feel better.

Like tackling the List-of-Things-to-Do-Around-the-House and Resolutions. Remember that one about baking bread at least once a month. So far I have held true to the pledge and I thought why not today?

I love the smell of dough with yeast. I was pondering making an herbal bread recipe when Rachel called to tell me she was making pistachio bread! Well, that did it. Here we are, two generations four states apart comparing recipes and expounding on the joy of kneading. I prefer to use my KitchenAid mixer but she's a massage therapist with strong arm muscles (and no mixer of her own) (yet), and did the old-fashion way.

My bread is cheddar sage bread recipe I got off of GardenWeb and changed a few things around.



Cheddar Sage Bread

1/2 tsp dry mustard
3 tbls fresh sage, minced
2 - 2 1/2 cups flour (I prefer bread flour, but all purpose will work just fine)
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
1 cup milk
3 oz shredded sharp cheddar
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tbls sugar
1 tbls oil
1 egg
2 tbls butter (optional)

Dissolve mustard in 1 tsp. warm water. Combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup wheat flour with salt, pepper, and sage. Warm the milk.
In a large mixing bowl combine the milk, yeast, (I always proof yeast PRIOR to adding it*) sugar, and oil. Stir or process to combine. Add the egg and mix well. Add cheese. Add mustard and flour mixtures, adding more white flour as necessary so mixture forms a stiff dough and comes together in a ball.
Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary, about 10 minutes. (or use a mixer master)
Put dough in a lightly buttered bowl and turn to coat top. Cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Punch down, shape in a loaf, place on baking paper on cookie sheet (or in a form if you want a specific shape) let rise until doubled, another hour.
Heat oven to 375. (optional- Melt butter. Brush loaf with melted butter) and bake until loaf is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cool on rack.
Oh heck, don't bother cooling it. Just slice in and try not to eat the whole loaf.

I started this morning off by marching my bruised rump down to the scene of the crime and pruning all the dead leaves away from the affected tomato plants. I just couldn't stand the reminders of my folly taunting me. They look better now. And at LEAST I didn't douse all of them with the spray to the point of no return. But SOME of them are dreadful. Ah me.

The chickens cheered me up. Rooster Stu may well have earned a stay of eviction. For now at least. I watered the raised beds well and came away with 4 tomatillos. I may have picked them a little too early but I'll leave them on the counter for a day or two and see if they ripen like a tomato. Anyone out there know something about tomatillos?

Swedish Coffee Bread

My daughter called yesterday to tell me she used a packaged recipe from IKEA to make sweet rolls and was disappointed with the results; they were not as good as the ones she grew up with (naturally. I made them and learned how with my Mormor, straight from Goteborg and a master in bakery items) and wanted my recipe. Well why not spread the wealth in all cardinal directions?

Coffee Bread

2 Tbls + 2 tsp FRESH yeast. Look if you don't get that part of the recipe right, don't bother to continue
1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup (one stick) butter (I use unsalted)
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg at room temp.
2 tsp ground cardamon. Really.
6 1/2 + white plain flour


Warm the milk til it bubbles along the edge of a medium sized pot and then add the butter, salt, sugar and cardamon. Remove from heat (you don't want it to boil or get super hot)
While that stays warm, run water til it is fairly hot on your fingers (NOT SCALDING HOT: that will KILL the yeast) and to 1/2 cup of this temperature water, add the 1 tsp sugar and the yeast. Stir til the yeast dissolves. It should start to foam and get progressively frothy. Don't let it overflow the container! Keep an eye on it.

IF IT DOESN'T foam, your yeast is old. Scrap it and start over.

Pour the warm milk into your mix-master using the Hook or if you are gonna do the old way, leave it in the pot and start adding the flour using a large wooden spoon (the wimpy ones will break. don't say I didn't warn you)(great! now you've got splinters in the dough!), little at a time til you've put in about 2 cups and keep stirring, beating. Now add the yeast, all of it and continue mixing and add that room temp egg! as you add all the rest of the flour. Wow, what a pretty color it becomes!

You will notice I added a plus sign up there with the flour requirements. That is because it usually takes MORE flour than 6 1/2 cups worth. But I never know HOW much. You will know when you have added enough when:

Mixer: the flour is flapping around the hook, whapping against the bowl and there is no sticky residue on the bowl itself. If you press a floured thumb to the mass, it should spring back. If it feels sticky, you need alittle more flour. If it feels hard, you used too much. Don't go there.

Kneading by Hand: The dough should feel very elastic and smooth and no lumps, no stickiness at all. It should be killing your arm muscles either. If you are exhausted, you probably have too much flour worked in. Again, don't go there.

Now, cover the ball of dough in a bowl (don't need to oil the bowl. Don't know where that idea ever came from) and let it rest til the dough has doubled in bulk. THEN:

Punch it down and turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it a few times and divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each piece out to a rectangle and spread softened butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the butter spread, Roll up and pinch the seam closed and slice the log into 1/2" "snails" and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper (no need to butter the baking sheet with these beauties) leaving plenty of room for the snails to expand, which they will! Cover the snails with cloth to rest again (approximately 20-30 minutes, you'll see them swelling up) and continue in the same fashion with the last two portions.

OR.... roll them into three long snakes and braid them together, turning under the ends. If you do THIS you don't add the butter, cinnamon and sugar. Obviously. Let the braid rest covered with a cloth to retain the warmth for 30 minutes or so.

Then brush with a beaten egg yolk with 1 Tbls of milk added to thin it and sprinkle with pearl sugar if desired. That is not necessary really but it looks like snow when it's been baked.

Now bake at 400 for about 10-12 minutes but keep a close eye on things. Bake the braid longer...... it's bigger!

All ovens are different and I would hate to think I made you burn your first batch by telling you to bake them too long. You know they are ready when the tops are lightly browned. LIGHTLY. Don't forget, the bottom is browning too, and you really don't want that part to burn!

Here's another thing: In Sweden, this recipe is the same for Lucia katter which are made for the St. Lucia festival except you would add saffron instead of cardamon as the spice. It make the dough even more yellow.

OK, my other daughter gave me a box of that Swedish Coffee Rolls from IKEA last October so I thought, why not make some and show what I mean by pearl sugar and snails

Here you see the snails after they have risen, brushed with the yolk and sprinkled with the sugar, ready to bake. They didn't rise NEARLY what they will when you use the recipe above. Big Difference, so leave that much room between the rolls, they'll need it.

Now here is another shape you can make:
Pretty, huh? Better than a braid because you can FILL IT!!!!

Roll the dough out, spread the butter, cinnamon and sugar, roll it up again and lay it on the baking paper:


Now with a pair of kitchen scissors, snip on a slant ALMOST thru the roll and repeat every half an inch or so. til you reach an inch from the other end. Pull the first segment backwards slightly and "open it" as it were, then follow with each segment, laying on to the left side and the other to right, back and forth. Cover and let rest and rise. Then continue with the yolk wash and bake.