Happy New Years!

In the spirit of the new year, I've dreamed up some food resolutions. Here are a few things I really want to make before the end of 2008 (please feel free to leave your own list in the comments):

Amasake--Koji-inoculated brown rice left to ferment into a mild, sweet drink.
Some Vegetarian Malaysian Food-- My favorite cuisine, recreated chez moi?
Peach Raspberry Crumble-- It's been over a year!
Squash-- I'm still waiting for the "a-ha!" moment.
Ice-Cream --A la the homemade, hand-cranked berry blend concoction that I got to try in Oregon (pictured above)
Ginger Beer -- A sweet soda heavy on the ginger? Yes, please.

Birthday Chili

Now I realize that it may not be the smartest idea to describe this chili as quick and simple, since it's what I made my mother for her birthday dinner, but that's really what makes this chili great. Forget the long list of spices and stewing time. When you're cold and hungry, this chili delivers. It won't be the spiciest or heartiest you've ever had, but it'll get the job done, much like a match will when you're strapped for candles. Recipe here

Meet Boo Boo

Kyli's (former) kombucha companion. I heard about kombucha when I was in Colorado, but wasn't a huge fan. And I guess I'm still not, since it doesn't normally occur to me to drink it. But apparently it's good for you, and it's fermented, so worth a blog post on that basis alone.

You make kombucha by adding a mother to tea sweetened with sugar and waiting while it does its thang. Kombucha is actually a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast)--fancy, no?

I can't quite get a handle on these mothers, though (and throwing out the babies are sad, too). Does it float down to the bottom when it's used up all the sugar? Does it need to be partially out of the solution to be active? Will it keep getting more vinegary or will the mother eventually die if it isn't fed? I transfered my last batch into mason jars, and they both developed mothers--one on top, the other floating at the bottom. I'm confused.

If you've found a source for a kombucha baby, here are the instructions as given to me.

Shitake Like You Mean It

Inspired by some food art I saw lately, I wanted to post these pictures of John's shitake mushroom block/log. Yes, cue the Ren and Stimpy song (the lyric "it fits on your back, it's good for a snack" makes more sense now...).


I searched the web for some Shitake Lore, but mostly I just like looking at the pictures

Is it that Thyme again?

The weather's been a bit odd in Chicago this year. It didn't get cold until fairly late in the game and then we keep getting warm spells--up to 60 degrees! One thing that fluctuating temperatures can bring is more colds. At least, I thought that it did. Something to do with your body adjusting to temperature shifts? Maybe? Anyone? Either way, last winter I got a chest infection. How can you tell a virus from an infection (caused by bacteria)? My mom says it's the color of your snot--green signals infection, clear means a cold. Sorry to get so graphic, are you wondering what's the point of all this on a food blog?

Thyme is the point. I had a semi-dry, persistant cough, that I couldn't shake--I figured it for an infection. Then I read about thyme being good for chest ills, so I tried it. Just shoved some in a tea infuser and drank almost 5 cups that day. And it worked, wonderfully so. I've almost been waiting to get another one just so I can drive it away with the antiseptic power of thyme. Thyme contains the essential oil, Thymol, (an active ingredient in Listerine, actually), which is to thank for some of its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. I've heard that it can help in dealing with your average, phlegmy cold, too.

I got mine in bulk at a grocery store (make sure it still has its color and scent), but for the gardener's out there, Kalyn's Kitchen has a good post on freezing fresh herbs for all-year use. Here's wishing you a winter and spring without tissues and coughs, but a mug of thyme tea if you need it.

Carrot Halwa

This is the ultimate comfort dessert for me; very filling, thanks to the carrots, with a nice texture and not overly sweet taste. I found the recipe on YouTube, it's part of the cooking instruction series called Manjula's Kitchen. She's starting her own website, but currently the bulk of the videos/recipes are on YouTube. The recipe is easy and pretty quick (it's just carrots, sugar, milk (whole!), a little butter, and a pinch of cardamom). The only change I made was to heat the milk on the stove instead of in the microwave, so maybe that's why it took me longer to reduce it down once it was added to the carrots. Worth the wait!

Meet Red Lentils

Orange comfort food for the day: a red lentil soup. Well, the original looks like soup, mine is edging towards stew. It's from Eat Peace Please, a food blog I've been digging on lately. Even leaving the garlic and chili flakes (and bell pepper) out, it was a tasty introduction to red lentils. I wonder where these lentils were grown. Maybe Canada--according to Wikipedia, it's the largest export producer of lentils.

Aloo Gobi

I think I've unconsciously made the theme of November the color orange. I've been made fun of for having "gruel" as my favorite food texture, from dryish oatmeal dishes to thick lentil stews, so I'm fully prepared for any teasing that may come with this declaration of color preference. It should be green, right? If I were a good person, it would be green--there are so many great green veggies to be had. But it's not green, it's orange.

This simple, quick, and tasty recipe hails from One Hot Stove. I was forced to stray from the recipe a little because I was out of cumin seed, but I just added extra ground cumin. Some of the photos bordered on yellow, but that was a trick of the light. It definitely fits with the theme.

Sweet Potato Fries

Recipe (with great photos) from Kalyn's Kitchen. The sweet potatoes are coated with olive oil and a spice mix of coriander, fennel, oregano, some hot pepper, and salt, then baked at 425. They remain pretty soft, but I like the flavor. Kalyn recommends cranking the oven heat if you're trying for crispy.

Home Is Where The Veggies Are

Yep, I'm back in Evanston, IL after an amazing three and a half months at Kings Valley Gardens in Oregon. It's been a bit of an adjustment (to say the least--my new roommates don't really eat vegetables), but I'm coping. The Evanston Farmer's Market (one of a bunch of Chicago Area markets) ends this week, though, that's a rough break. Here's a nice article on the market and the website of one of my fave vendors.




My haul for this week (anybody have suggestions for turnips?):

BreadFoot

I like bread. Making it, eating it, taking photos of it. Not just an excuse for playing with yeast and digging both hands into a pile of dough, these loaves proved excellent substrate for pesto, hummus, a quarter-inch layer of garlic, etc, etc.

The Nearings had no good opinion of bread, deeming it a "dead" food. And I guess they're right, since it's usually milled, packaged, shipped a distance, and then left to sit on a shelf. I tried looking up bakeries that mill their own flour on site, but only came up with one place, in England. I'm sure there are other, less web-savvy operations out there--if you come across one, please let me know!! This article, The Oil We Eat, includes a deeper look at the cost of large-scale processing of staple grains.

At Kings Valley Gardens, the rule is to make about 10 loaves in one go and freeze them. We used a John Robbin's recipe, "Ocean's Bombs of Love Bread", from May All Be Fed, and an unusual kneading process. I'll post the recipe as soon as I can get my hands on a copy of the book...

Falafel Revisited

This cook night (not mine) turned me on to The Joy of Cooking. I'd never really considered it before, it seemed, I dunno, full of meat dishes and old-fashioned? But there's only one way to judge a book, and that's by its recipes. Specifically, in this case, by its falafel recipe--Joy's uses the magical properties of blended, uncooked chickpeas in place of the usual chickpea-egg combination. We lightly fried them as patties rather than balls, so while they taste great, they don't look as official as these falafels over at One Hot Stove. I'll have to make them both one day to compare/contrast. Hopefully then I'll also be able to replace this lame picture. You're just going to have to trust me, they're yummy!

Recipes for falafel and whole wheat pita bread

Sushi Inspiro

Sushi Night! Veggie sushi, that is.

Served with tamari, gomasio, and wasabi. Turns out that most of what's sold as wasabi is actually horseradish, mustard, and food coloring. MMm, mmm, Blue #1 and Yellow #5, my favorites. These folks think it can't compare to the real thing, but I'm guessing that would be too hot for me as well.

Since my participation in sushi nights centered on cutting the insides (any combination of peas, carrots, radishes, cilantro, avocado, beets, tofu, etc), I have no insight on the rolling, but I've seen it done sans
bamboo-mat, so don't let the lack of one stop you.

I was hoping to find an article on how to build your own sushi roller from recycled chopsticks or shishkabob sticks, but no luck on that front. Instead, I was met with this contraption.

The recipes I've seen online add vinegar and sugar to the sushi rice, but I'm sure that we didn't add sugar to ours, with no noticeable effect. Then again, what do I know--this was my first time having sushi (unlike this lucky kid).

For why not to substitute brown rice and other tips, check out the PPK's take on vegan sushi.

Pear-ific!

Please forgive me for that title. There's no excuse.

Unlike apples, pears will ripen after they've been picked, and it's often a good idea to pick them all unripe or else the birds and bugs will beat you to them. Some varieties (like Anjou's) require 30 days of cold storage to bring up their sugar level--isn't that odd to think about? That straight off the tree might not taste as good as ripened indoors? I wonder if the nutritional value matures as well?

At KVG they've got Bartletts, Bosc, and Anjou's. Lately we've been drying some and canning some sliced (the juice is divine!) I like pears just about any way you can have 'em--fresh, dried, and in this pear-ginger chutney.

I Heart Mason Jars

And just looking at these shelves (at KVG) makes my heart flutter.

Mason jars, so called for their inventor, tinsmith John Landis Mason, were patented in 1858 1. That's all I got. I just like looking at them.

Omega-3s and Stained Hands

Walnuts! I'd never seen them in their shell before. And who knew nuts could be messy? After peeling away the dark outer flesh we laid them out on screens to dry.

According to one site, a quarter cup of walnuts gives you almost all of the omega-3 fatty acids you need (i don't really trust "daily recommended values", but I do like eating walnuts).

If you're in the mood for more walnut facts and lore, try this article from a vegetarian web magazine. And remember, you are what you eat, so, go nuts!

An Apple a Day...

Today we harvested the rest of the apples. I just read that there are over 7,000 varieties! That's crazy! And they're so good for you--doing everything from clearing tartar from teeth to stabilizing blood sugar levels to removing heavy metals (yay pectin). Has anyone had experience making apple cider vinegar? I'm curious to try it this winter.

Andrea and Lore take apple breaks during the harvest

We put some apples to work as a sweet complement for samosas. This apple chutney recipe comes out thick and not overly sweet. Recipe here.

Bye, Blues

A final blueberry posting for the season. Excuse any spelling errors in the post, it's difficult to type while sobbing. Sigh. In addition to tasting wonderful, blueberries are packed with vitamins C and K, manganese, fiber, and antioxidants. And they're native to North America--no tropical fruit guilt here.

Can you believe I used to be a raspberry person?

At KVG, the blueberry bushes are stealing the fall foliage show--from bright reds to pinks, yellows, purples, you better believe I took some photos.

Click here for more photos

Bed Prep and Garlic Planting

Broke out the shovels today for some bed prepping. Oh, the satisfaction of looking at a newly turned bed, all rich and brown and full of soil amendments and composted chicken manure. And waking up sore, that's a good one, too.

I didn't post anything back when we harvested the garlic in July, so I'm throwing in some shots now, since I didn't take any of the planting process (stem end down, yo). I really like the look of the rootlets attached to the heads.


Recently, I heard that a cut clove of garlic is a good bee string remedy (possibly because it's alkaline? I've also heard of baking soda and water being recommended by poison control centers). At KVG we had occasion to try a grated onion for the same reason, but we learned that you have to put it on right after the sting, not after the area's already swelled.

Pickles from the Old School

No vinegar here, just a tried and true fermentation process. Thanks to Sandorkraut's book for the recipe. We lined the crock with flowering heads of dill, grape leaves (to keep the pickles crunchy), and lots of garlic before adding our cukes. For the real deal, we went with a 5.4% brine strength, which translates to about 3 T of sea salt to 1 quart of water. The result? Gorgeous (if I do say so myself) and deliciously sour pickles. It was amazing to be able to use ingredients completely grown at the farm--when's the next time I'll be able to just jog outside for grape leaves?

If you're into canning pickles in vinegar, consider a KVG twist and spice them up with mustard seeds and curry powder. And when you have a few extra pickles lying around, consider this experiment.