Pickles N. Jams: Cooking

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 14:43:22 GMT

Sunday's Harvest Yesterday's harvest was not bad at all. Lots of eggplants. I almost waited too long and one had some brown spots inside. I made Moussaka (without meat). So good! But a lot of work since it involves so many steps before you can finally put the pan in the oven: broiling peppers and peeling them, broiling eggplant, frying potatoes, making toamto sauce, assembling the whole thing. But it was worth it. And we will still have leftovers tonight. I am getting the roof ready for my first attempt at fall planting. It seems a bit too hot still for anything tender to grow. But a late harvest of some beans, cucumbers, radishes and greens would be nice. I am contemplating setting up a very simple passive hydroponic system. Nothing complicated or mechanical. That way I wouldn't have to schlepp so much soil up there, and since I would drain the system in the winter there would be less weight with the added snow-load. I am still a bit skeptical whether it will actually work. I will set up a few very simple containers as a trial. I got some new tart apples at the market. Tonight I will make some apple jelly. Maybe scented with some lemon balm or lavender. Or lemon verbena. I can't decide. Maybe some of each. Or maybe just plain.

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 17:32:33 GMT

Today is my grown-up day. I only have to go pick up my daughter at 4 PM. That's almost a full work-day, I have not had one of those in a long time. We had an overnight-guest though who stayed until noon: my neighbor's daughter whose little brother was born this morning. She seemed pretty nonplussed actually. I have been absorbed in my work and the weather has been bland. I don't feel I have much to report. Yesterday I made a very successful "Spinach" pie. Did you know that a traditional Greek Greens Pie calls for seven different types of greens? There has to be just the right balance of sweet, bitter, sour and aromatic. I came close. I had seven different kinds: spinach, dandelion, collards, wild arugula, and wild broccoli rabe, with plenty of dill and some fennel greens. The "wild" greens are not really gathered from the wild, unfortunately, but they are overall smaller and have a more complex flavor. They have started to show up at the Green Market. I will get more this weekend. So healthy and yummy. The only downside is that it takes forever to wash these heaps of greens.

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 03:31:52 GMT

The Allure Of The New Wednesday morning the NYT Dining section was spread out on the breakfast table. Fingers pointed at a photograph of a heaping plateful of crunchy spring-green vegetables with a few rosy strips of animal protein thrown in. "Look at that," said my husband, "Pork." "Ohh, baby corn." "Sugar-snap peas," said the children, of course followed by "Mommy, can you make this?" "Hmm, said I, "Looks good, if it weren't for the pork." "Oh come on, those who don't want meat can eat around it, and the children would love the baby corn." I could see where this was going. "And it's a stirr-fry. It only takes 15 minutes." "That's preparation time, they don't tell you how long it takes to chop everything. And it is one of Nigella Lawson's recipes. Her recipes never work out. And it calls for oyster sauce." So they talked me into it. I was yearning for crunchy veggies and spring dishes, and I was going out anyway, so I could pick up everything I needed. I had my doubts about the Oyster sauce. I don't like to use ready-made ingredients, even if they have exotic names. I shopped at a place called "Garden of Eden." It is one of these places where the produce is displayed in wicker baskets and plastic grapes hang from the ceiling. There are no right angles and the aisles go this way and that way and are generally never longer than 2 feet. The produce was actually reasonably priced and good-looking. I am sure they get you with the prepared Deli-stuff though. When I came home I marinated the meat and went ahead and prepped the veggies. Chopping was done in 15 minutes, and then I went and did some other stuff, until close to dinner time. The verdict: It was ok, but not wonderful, just as had been my experience with all of Nigella's recipes I have tried. I got over myself and used the oyster sauce, having carefully compared ingredients and selected the brand that seemed to have the least artificial stuff in it. But I still don't see why one "needs" it. It was kind of fun though getting the various ingredients together. And now I will even more appreciate the tried and true family-favorite Broccoli-Tofu stir-fry. It takes 15 minutes, prep time included.

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 03:41:30 GMT

Just a tiny post tonight. Everyone has been sickly around here, including me. Not really sick, just sort of not 100%. So I took it easy tonight, read and watched "Inspector Morse on TV." I have watched maybe 3 mysteries in the last 6 years, I used to watch them all the time BC. I also made Banana Bread tonight, with Birdie's Macademia Nuts. This is the most extraordinary Banana Bread, and there is no chance it can be reproduced because I threw all sorts of things in that were in arm's reach. More about that tomorrow.

Wed, 23 Mar 2005 18:42:36 GMT

Marble Cupcakes with a Twist Fortuitously, the theme for this month's Is My Blog Burning Event was cupcakes. And cupcakes were definitely on my agenda. The recent Birthday around here not only involved baking a cake but also various other goodies to be shared with little friends who were not at the actual party. By Monday we were all a bit sugared-out and not much in the mood for buttery frosting or anything too complicated and involved. After some UN-style negotiations we settled on Marble Cupcakes. These were my first Marble Cakes in cups. I used my basic White Cake batter, jazzed up with some orange zest and juice. For a more grown-up version, I would add to the batter some finely chopped candied orange peel and decoratively sprinkle some over the finished cupcakes. They were very tasty and looked pretty cute, in an understated sort of way. We decided not to do any fancy frosting or glaze and instead let confectioner's sugar snow on them. Perfect! (The only negative feedback I received was that there weren't enough cupcakes for all of the teachers ...) Recipe 2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs (or 1 cup if using smaller eggs)
zest and strained juice of 1 organic orange
4 cups flour
pinch of salt
5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 to 1 cup milk
6 Tbsp. cocoa

Yield: ca. 18 medium cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with liners.
Measure flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and stir with wire whisk.
Measure cocoa into a small bowl, add half the orange zest and stir with wire whisk.
In a large bowl cream butter with an electric mixer on high speed, add sugar and half the orange zest, mix until white and fluffy. Add eggs, one by one, until fully incorporated. With mixer on medium to slow speed, add some of the flour mixture, half the orange juice and some milk, alternating between flour and milk until all the flour is incorporated. Add enough milk to end up with a batter that will drop from a tilted spoon by itself. Set two thirds of the batter aside. With mixer on medium to slow speed, add cocoa with orange zest, the remaining orange juice and enough milk to achieve the required consistency. Spoon white batter into muffin pans, a little more than half full. Spoon the dark batter over the filled pans. Carefully hold muffin liner with one hand and, using the narrow handle of a teaspoon or something similar, draw a circle through each cupcake, ending in an upward motion and bringing some of the white batter up to the top. If the surface is very uneven, you may smooth it out a bit. Bake for ca. 20 minutes. At the end of the baking process watch like a hawk. Take the cupcakes out as soon as a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool, take out of pans and dust with confectioner's sugar when completely cooled off. Enjoy!

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 04:24:47 GMT

Today was supposed to be Loll-Around Day, and while I managed to keep my PJs on all day, I did not get to do all that much lolling. There was the post-party clean-up for one, and now my older daughter is sick. It is always something ... I also made cupcakes to send to the birthday girl's preschool tomorrow. Originally, she had said the wanted the cupcakes to be same as the big cake, white with pink flowers, but by today we were ready for some change. Negotiating with a four-year-old is always interesting. At first she wanted pictures on the cakes, and while I am sure some enterprising person is able to do this, I am not. When I suggested chocolate, she said some chocolate and some white. Although the concept took a while to sink in, we finally agreed on Marble Cupcakes. They came out really cute, in a minimalist sort-of-way. Any kind of icing seemed a distraction, so we just let confectioner's sugar snow on them. Snow-Cupcakes! I will post about this venture in considerable detail, picture and all, since I have decided to poke my head out of my cosy little corner and participate in the Is My Blog Burning Event which this month happens to be cupcakes. And yes, I know, there is something else I need to write about, I am not ducking out of "IT" ... just didn't have much computer time lately.

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 03:53:49 GMT

The Bake-a-Thon Has Started On the occasion of the upcoming 4th birthday of my daughter on Saturday I have a lot of baking to do. There is the cake, of course, then there are cookies for the Saturday School, and there are cupcakes to be sent to preschool on Monday. The layers for the cake are baking as I type this, I will assemble them tomorrow, probably in the evening when I have peace and quiet. The dough for the cookies is in the refrigerator. We will bake them tomorrow after school. The girls "need to" help with this. I made a simple dough for butter cookies and we will cut them out and decorate with sugar sprinkles. I will make the cupcakes on Sunday only. And I will not do anything else on Sunday (at least that is my plan). The Birthday Cake is a conservative affair. Children are creatures of habit. She wants the same cake I made for her second birthday. We took a picture of that cake and in her mind this has become the quintessential birthday cake, the Platonic idea of a birthday day that sums up what a birthday cake should be. By now I have been making that cake a number of times, both for her and for her sister, and I guess is I will be making that same cake until they go off to college, if not longer. It is a fine cake, vanilla with Seven-Minute-Frosting or "Italian Meringue" if you want to give it more allure. It is Martha Stewart recipe. (Thanks, Martha, you made it into our family history). By folding fold raspberry jam into the meringue you get a very pretty and pink filling. On the outside, the cake is covered with white Meringue. I just slather it on and then I make little indents with the back of a spoon. It looks very fluffy and festive. Then I put some of the pink filling in a Zip-loc bag (in lieu of a pastry bag), and maybe add a few drops of beet juice of it is too pale, and dab on dots that form little flowers. This is not fancy decorating at all but it looks very pretty and girlish. The last cake for my older daughter only had pink polka dots. I can't remember now why that was, but it still was cute. The layers are done now. One is perfect, the other one a bit lop-sided. Such is life. I am going to bed now. I am not feeling too well. The almost-birthday girl has been under the weather as well complaining of a sore throat and an earache. I hope she will be better on Saturday. I promise I will post a picture of that cake and the miscellaneous baked items.

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 03:41:52 GMT

Turnover, Turn Over -- and STOP It all started with some leftover Galette dough a couple of days ago, and now we are not even stopping by the bakery anymore on the way home from school, "because Mommy makes these yummy apple turnovers." Four out of the past five days we had Apple Turnovers. I just can't make enough of them! We had them for breakfast, dessert, snack, and in lunch boxes. Can there be too much of good thing? I wonder when my family will finally get tired of them. We may have reached a turning point tonight. Speaking for myself, I am not quite as enthusiastic about Apple Turnovers as I was three days ago. And tonight's batch didn't come out as nice as the previous ones. I had just made the dough and it wasn't quite cold enough yet. I let the girls "help" and they put in too much filling and didn't press the edges together tight enough so there was a bit of oozing. But most crucially, I forgot to sprinkle the sugar on before they went into the oven. I remembered about two thirds through the baking, and tried my best, but couldn't distribute the sugar evenly. I talked to my father-in-law tonight and he got very excited when he heard about Apple Turnovers. He asked if I fried them. He said that Apple Turnovers are usually deep-fried. I said, no way, I just bake them in the oven. He asked me where I found the recipe. I said nowhere, I just make the dough I always make and use some of my canned apples for filling. He said, I need to send him the recipe. He said that several times. I think I heard him salivate. I looked up "Turnovers" in the Joy of Cooking and learnt that they are usually baked. If they are fried, they are called "Fried Pies." I also learnt that they are usually made from a circle rather than a square. I'll stick with the square because I can do that freehand, sort of. Apple Turnovers The dough is your basic Galette dough. I have seen pretty much the same recipe in various cookbooks, a.o. Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone and Alice Waters, Chez Panisse: Fruit. It has become a standard of mine. I use it for both sweet and savory fillings and always make a double batch to keep some in the freezer. As for the name, "Galette" simply is a generic term for any flat round pie, tart, or cake, usually on the rustic side. For a filling, I used the apple slices I had canned last summer mixed with some of the apple topping that had not turned out the way I had expected (too sweet and I did not like the consistency). But when I added some of the topping to the filling, my spouse, the resident food critic, told me filling was just right. It was a good thing I could open those jars because there is no way I would have cooked up a new batch of filling every day.
To make a small batch of filling, peel and core some apples, cut in slices, and cook with some apple juice or cider, grated lemon zest, cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg, some raisins and/or dried cherries. Add sugar to taste. Simmer until apples are tender but not mushy. Let cool. 2 cups flour (I use half whole-wheat pastry flour)
salt
1-2 Tbsp. sugar
1.5 sticks of cold butter (=12 Tbsp)
ca. 1/2 cup ice water

Mix flour salt and sugar in bowl. Add one third of the butter, cutting it first with a knife, then with a dough cutter until it has the consistency of rough cornmeal. Add the rest of the butter and cut first with a knife, then with the dough cutter until the pieces of butter are about pea-size. Sprinkle some of the water over the flour mixture and mix it in with your hands. Work quickly and gently and rather than kneading, let the mixture fall through your fingers until it starts forming larger lumps and comes together. Use as much water as you need and don't forget to work in the flour that tends to gather at the bottom of the bowl. When the dough holds together, shape it into a ball. It will still be raggedy at this point and you may see little lumps of butter and patches of flour. Don't worry about that.
Divide the dough into two balls and press them into small disks. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, ca. 1/8 inch thick and cut into squares (size depends on how large you want the Turnovers to be). Imagine a diagonal line through the square and spoon some filling just below the diagonal, take care not to overfill. Fold one half of the square over the filling, overlapping with the rest of the square and forming a triangle. Press down the edges and fold them up slightly (as if you would make a hem). Press down firmly, first with your fingers, then with a fork. Put Turnovers on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. With a pastry brush, dab with some water and quickly sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and eat before they are gone. (If you have dough leftover you can form little sticks, brush with some eggyolk mixed with a bit of water and sprinkle with some seeds (poppy, sesame etc.). Or you can roll it out and make butter cookies.
If there is extra filling left, have it with pancakes, oatmeal, ice cream or... enjoy it by itself!

Sun, 27 Feb 2005 04:11:07 GMT

Recipe Disasters Per my husband's request I made Salt cod for dinner again last night. It was not a repeat success. The piece of fish just was not as nice. It was of very uneven thickness and took forever to cook. The potatoes took forever as well, probably because I skimped on the oil. I remember last time I made the dish, it did not take long at all. The children did not want any of it, although they had liked it last time. There were plenty of leftovers from the last couple of days to choose from: One had Soba-Noodles and the other Black Bean and Corn Salad. They were really not all that hungry having filled up on some great Italian Bread I picked up in the Bronx on the way home from our outing to Wave Hill. My husband said maybe we shouldn't make this anymore if they don't eat any. Oh no, I said, next time I will only make half of the cod, leave the rest of the potatoes plain, and fry a couple of eggs for them. And next time, I will parboil the potatoes first so they don't take forever and won't need that much oil. I did not say this, but I will also make the potatoes the way I like them: with caraway seeds and a bit of cayenne. I love potatoes with eggs. That's the way it goes with recipes. You try them out, and then you tinker and adjust until you have made a dish your own. There will be a clipped recipe tucked away somewhere but no one bothers to actually look at it. The other day I made Pineapple-Mandarin Preserves with Ginger. I am trying to get behind the recipes, trying to find out what makes fruit jell on its own. I am trying to zone in on whatever batch of fruit I have on hand and make the amount of sugar etc. work for that particular batch. I had planned on making jam, but I ended up with "Preserves," chunks of fruit in a thick syrup. The taste is great, though. The bits of mandarin peel give it a nice tartness and lots of aroma and the ginger adds some kick. To improve the consistency, I need to cutt the fruit in smaller pieces and add some water or Mandarin juice (I was using frozen Mandarin peels I had saved). Yesterday I looked through my Ball Blue Book of Preserving, and what do I find: a recipe for Pineapple Jam using almost the identical amounts of fruit to sugar I had come up with, but they added a cup of water! At first I thought I could have saved myself all the trouble of figuring it out by myself, but then I realized that I had actually done well. After all, I had gotten it almost perfect, and I knew what needed to be done fix it. I guess I am on the right track. And if I may say so, with the mandarin peel and the ginger, my version has way more pizzaz!

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 16:11:25 GMT

Change in the Game Plan I wanted to report on the rabbit dinner I had planned for the last weekend. Well, it turned out there was no rabbit this Saturday at the Union Square Market. I looked around for a suitable replacement and decided on Pheasant. I had not had Pheasant in a very long time. I thought it would do well in the Stifado preparation I had planned for the rabbit. The meal was a great success. The farm-raised pheasant was young and not very gamey, but had great flavor. Actually, in the end it may have been a better choice than the rabbit. I made it with vinegar and wine, currants, and cinnamon and all-spice, and of course, the little onions which give Stifado its name. I started it on the stove-top, and finished it in the oven. It is one of these dishes that taste best reheated so I made it in the morning, and re-heated it for dinner.
We had mashed potatoes with it and mixed greens braised with a good dose of dill, and drizzled with olive-oil and lemon. I almost forgot to put out the apple chutney and cranberry relish.
The first course consisted of leek and goat cheese tartlets, accompanied by pickled beet rounds. The plates looked very pretty. This was the first taste we had the last batch of Pickled Beets and I was very pleased. The beets still had some bite and were not too vinegary. The hint of cumin was pleasant but not overpowering. Next time I may leave out the peppermint though. I think it might work better to add fresh peppermint when serving. For dessert our friends had made a peach tart and I happened to have some whipping cream in the fridge. A happy ending end to a very satisfying meal.

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 15:21:44 GMT

Simple Things Tonight we had home-made French Fries that I cut by hand, an omelette with just a few shavings of cheese and a simple green salad. For dessert we had yogurt with honey and a touch of maple syrup. Can it get any more basic? It was the best meal I had in a long time. It was good honest food. No frills and everything out in the open. I am not a gourmet, or, as the term is now, "foodie." My rural roots are undeniable in my predilections. I like it simple and earthy, and especially, I like it fresh. In the era BC (before children) we went to go to some of the talked-about restaurants here in NYC. Truth be told, I don't remember a single one of the meals I had there. I find these restaurants interesting and the way they cook, but personally, I don't like things so complicated. I spent some time in Greece and I had some memorable meals in small Greek Tavernas. Very very basic dishes, but the ingredients were so fresh and the preparations underlined the qualities of the food rather than trying to turn them into something else. I loved going to the market there with all the greens, the ripe fruit and the vegetables. I have been thinking about Greece in January and February. These are the months with very few tourists, and only the places where locals go are open. The lettuce and greens are coming up now and are so tender and juicy. And, of course, there is citrus. Speaking of Greece, I think I may cook a Greek-inspired meal over the weekend. My daughter wants a rabbit. Not as a pet, she wants to eat it. I don't know where she got the idea. She may have overheard something. I saw rabbit at the Farmer's Market. If they have some on Saturday I will pick some up and make it, the way they make them in Greece, stifado with small onions. "Stuffed" said my daughter. Not quite.

Sat, 05 Feb 2005 01:06:26 GMT

Yeasty Friday By popular demand I made chocolate chip challah today. To make it worthwhile, I made a double batch of challah dough and turned some into sticky buns. For a filling I used my apple butter with extra cinnamon added, some demerrara sugar, walnuts, and raisins. They came out really yummy with a dense fruit-sweetness, but not as greasy as when using more butter. I experimented with some left-over dough. I added some chopped up candied orange peel and but little balls in a mini-muffin pan. When they had risen I made little indentations in the middle and filled them with some orange marmalade I had heated to liquify it. On top I sprinkled some of the orange-flavored sugar I left from my orange peel project . These little darlings are a real explosion of orange flavor, and just the right size, too. (Chocolate-Chip Challah and Orange Buns) Many of these goodies will go into the freezer but I am sure they won't stay there very long. For dinner we had Salmon Teriyaki and Sushi Rice. This time I minced the vegetables finely and the flavors melded beautifully. I substituted peas for the burdock root. It was a delicious and satisfying meal.

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 18:14:40 GMT

Four Dishes, But Not Quite a Haiku ... I don't have much work right now. I should get the house in shape, but I am not making much progress. I do a little something every day, in addition to the usual chores, I go to bed earlier and read instead of working into the wee hours. The truth is, whenever I'd rather cook or bake instead of chasing after dust bunnies. In the spirit of adventure, I wanted to try out The Vegetarian Haiku in Four Dishes from the NY Times of January 12. I am fascinated and intrigued by Japanese cooking, and Japanese aesthetics in general, although I will readily admit that my acquaintance with Japanese culture is superficial and haphazard. My idea of Japanese cooking is entirely derived from meals I had in Japanese restaurants in the US, from a few fortuitous meals Japanese friends prepared for me, and from the perusal of books on Japanese cookery, aimed at Westerners. In the article Mark Bittman ("The Minimalist') describes his visit with a Japanese chef, Yumiko Kano, who owns a very small vegetarian restaurant in Tokyo. She grew up on a farm in the countryside and her parents supply her restaurant with vegetables. Her emphasis on fresh, home-grown ingredients and her unpretentious straight-forward preparations appealed to me, and so did the fact that she whipped up the menu "in just over an hour." I decided to give it a try. The ingredient list was not overly long and exotic and the preparations were simple. It would have helped though, if I had carefully read through all of the four recipes beforehand and drawn up a consolidated game plan. I could have saved myself some time if I had chopped all of the shitake mushrooms I needed for the various dished at once instead of separately, and likewise I could have kept on hand a large pot of kombu broth, or a supply of ginger juice instead of doing the same step over again. I started out with the Sesame-Soy Custard. Unfortunately it would not come out of the mold or set up properly. Instead of the beautiful and elegant jiggly white cubes that had caught my eye in the paper I ended up with something the color and consistency of grout that hasn't dried yet. It was a shame because it tasted delicious. I suspect the ingredients were somehow off, or maybe there was some kind of "trick" to it that you need to learn by watching someone. The Kabocha Squash Soup was amazingly easy and very good. Although it seems an unlikely description, it was both hearty and delicate at the same time. The Green Beans With Walnut-Miso Sauce Mark Bittman had praised so highly did not seem all that spectacular. They were good, but considering we like green beans in any incarnation the fancy dressing did not seem to add all that much. The greatest success was the Burdock and Mushroom Sushi, a bowl of sushi rice mixed with sauteed burdock root, carrots and mushrooms. The vinegary, slightly sweet rice blended beautifully with the heartiness of the mushrooms and the vegetables gave it some nice crunch. We all loved that and the girls were clamouring for the left-overs to go in their lunchboxes. It would also go nicely with some fish or egg. The only thing I would change next time is chop the vegetables more finely. The instructions said "julienned or finely chopped" and I julienned (not so finely) because this was the last dish I was getting ready when "just over an hour" had long passed and I was surrounded by hungry people. With finer chopped vegetables the flavors would even meld better. As I was cooking I remembered I the trouble I had had with recipes from the NYT before. It seems to me they don't test them very well. The amount of liquid suggested to cook the rice was way too much, but I was able to adjust that. For the green bean dish I ended up with twice as much dressing as I needed. I can find other uses for the dressing, but it still seems like an oversight. I can usually tell by looking at a recipe whether or not it will work for me, but with Japanese cooking I am in unfamiliar territory and have to rely much more on the instructions. All in all, it was fun. Except for the custard, everything turned out great. The sushi rice may well become a favorite and we will probably make the kabocha soup again very soon. But more than anything, I want to thumb through some Japanese cookbooks now, marvel at beautiful pictures, and pick out more dishes to try. I will do it on a leisurely Sunday afternoon though, not on a weekday school night.

Fri, 28 Jan 2005 03:55:40 GMT

Salt Cod with Greens I like to read NY Times Dining section but I rarely make any of their recipes. However, some things in the January 12 issue caught my eye. There was a Salt Cod Auvergnate, adapted from Laurent Tourondel. I had made Salt Cod before, in a tomato sauce, I think from a recipe in The Joy of Cooking, but it turned out too salty and was disappointing. The preparation in the Times suggested to boil the cod, flake it over fried potatoes and serve it with dandelion greens on the side. (Picture from the New Tork Times) When I went to get the Salt Cod (Bacalao), there were several kinds, ranging in price and visual appeal. I asked the lady behind the counter for help and she steered me away from the most expensive unpackaged large fillets displayed in a wooden box and instead pointed to a packaged kind. "That's the one I use," she said. And pointing to another kind, also packaged, she said disdainfully: "That's Norwegian. You don't want that." O.K.. Once I opened the package it turned out that the lady was right: the fillets were just as big as the fancy ones in the wooden box; they had only been folded to fit in the package. I took care to soak the cod for over 24 hours and changed the water several times. Then I simmered it in a mixture of milk and water and some herbs, until it was flaky which took less than ten minutes. In the meantime I started frying the potatoes on my two-burner griddle. While the fish cooled I made the Sautéed Dandelion Greens. Everything went smoothly and it didn't take long at all. The result was delicious and really did look just as on the picture. The potatoes were crisp, the cod moist and flaky and not salty at all. Even the children liked it (although I found several pieces of fish under the table when I swept up). We had it with Dijon mustard, as suggested, and I opened my last jar of home-made ketchup. The dandelion greens (didn't have enough and mixed them with spinach) sauteed with bacon were O.K., but next time I probably do without the bacon, I didn't think it added all that much. Actually, I think I would prefer a crispy Romaine lettuce with the cod, with my favorite Mustard vinaigrette, especially since the Dijon mustard complimented the dish so nicely. I also had omitted the final pat of butter from the cod, I didn't see the need for it and it was not missed at all. The article suggest wine with the meal, but beer was just fine with this rustic dinner. I am glad I tried out this recipe and we will certainly add it to our "rotation." It is easy to make; potatoes are usually in the house and salt cod can be kept around in the refrigerator.

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 17:40:18 GMT

How To Cook An Egg ... In my early twenties, when I was living in Germany, my typical breakfast consisted of a soft-boiled egg, a slice of Knäckebrot and some tea. At some point, and without giving it a second thought, I started eating other things for breakfast, maybe it was muesli or maybe I got up early and had breakfast at the University cafeteria, I don't remember. Gradually I forgot about soft-boiled eggs for breakfast. A couple years later, and living in the US, I read a book by Margaret Atwood, I think it was The Robber Bride. At one point, one of the main characters assembles a breakfast tray to take to her her moody and artistic husband, a composer of atonal music. This passage immediately struck a chord with me, not so much because I also happen to live with a composer of atonal music, but rather because it instantaneously brought to my mind the breakfast I used to eat but had completely forgotten about. "I used to eat that all the time!" With the memory came the desire. "That's it. I want to have that again." I could see the unctuousness of the egg yolk, feel the crunch of the toast and smell the tea. There were unexpected obstacles in my quest for this very basic food item. It turns out, Americans are not fond of soft-boiled eggs and consequently, egg cups are not standard items in house-ware stores. I finally located some, made in France. I bought four of them, but one would have sufficed. To my dismay, the eggs I made never pleased my husband, until I finally figured out that his ideal soft-boiled egg actually was a medium-boiled egg. For me a soft-boiled egg is perfect, when the egg white has coagulated but is not yet hard and the yolk has thickened but is still liquid. About a week ago I had a longing for a soft-boiled egg for breakfast again. Hmm, with a cup of tea and some orange marmalade this is a very fine breakfast for me. Very grown-up. My Method For Making Soft-Boiled Eggs Put egg in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
Bring to a boil.
Simmer gently for exactly 1 minute.
Transfer to an egg cup. This method usually works for me, yet no two eggs are alike. There are a number of variables, such as size of the egg, thickness of its shell, and the power of the burner. Most instructions recommend putting the egg in boiling water and simmering for 2-3 minutes. I find starting out in cold water prevents cracking and after simmering for 2-3 minutes my eggs are always too cooked for my taste. I like to sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on my egg and dip pieces of toast in the yolk. If the egg turned out too done I scoop it out of the shell and put it on the toast. I worked in a kitchen once where one of the breakfast items was "Eggs in a Glass (oeufs mollets)." It consisted of two soft-boiled eggs in a glass, peeled but still intact. Very annoying for the kitchen personal. The key is to cook the eggs a bit longer and then immediately run cold water over them. Remove just enough of the shell so you can ease the egg out of its shell with the help of a spoon. The USDA warns against eating raw or undercooked eggs because of a risk of Salmonella. People with health problems, the very young, senior citizens, and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. Eat at your own risk!

Sat, 22 Jan 2005 02:49:19 GMT

Girls' Food It has gotten really cold here. This morning the temperature was 12 degrees. Because my husband is out of town I had to take the First-Grader to school. Brrr. The almost four-year old was in the stroller with the plastic bubble around it. Definitely long-underwear weather. After the drop-off at school we were so cold we had to stop by the "French" patisserie. The "French" patisserie is actually West-African. Their pastries very nice and the pain au chocolat is as I remember it from France. My almost four-year old likes to sit there, nibbling and sipping daintily, and never gets bored, people watching and flirting. I see in her future many hours whiled away in coffee shops and tea salons. In this kind of weather, calories appear desirable. And when it's just us girls we like to take it easy. Yesterday we had Pasta with Pesto (from our stash in the freezer), a simple green salad, and for desert fruit salad, sprinkled with almonds. Today it was lentil soup (also from the freezer) with baguette with mustard and Munster cheese for them (their idea) and toast for me. We also had our favorite salad: Romaine with mustard-parmesan vinaigrette. The almost four-year old wants just the greens though, and I like to add some dried cherry tomatoes, yum! I wish I had dried more cherry tomatoes, but it the process was so tedious in my little counter-top convection oven. For desert we had orange juice popsicles and gummy-bears. During the day we consumed at least three pounds of oranges and numerous cups of Ovaltine, the imported variety which is more malty and much less sweet than the American version. It is sold at some specialty stores at a ridiculously high price. We get it at Asian or African markets for much less.

Sat, 15 Jan 2005 01:50:54 GMT

The Little Japanese Grater Here is a picture of my hard-working little Japanese grater. It has no name or at least none that I can read because all the text on the box and on the grater is in Japanese. No instructions necessary. All you need to do is switch the blade and it is self-eveodent how do to that. There are various blades: one for paperthin slices, the others for shredding. It is really great and you can't beat the price.

Tue, 11 Jan 2005 03:27:14 GMT

Beets I am itching to get the old canner out again. I have been collecting beets. Some are still from the CSA, and some I got at the Farmer's market. I think I need a couple more though to make canning worthwhile. Pickled beets are so yummy and convenient when you need a colorful side-dish. Since I don't care for overly spiced vegeatbles I seasoned them last year with cumin and mint, inspired by a recipe for a roasted beet salad from Molly Katzen. It has been difficult "collecting" beets because we actually love to eat them raw. I had not been able to grate them fine enough until a got a little Japanese vegetable shredder. It is sort of like a mini mandoline, but it lies flat on a box that catches the veggies and keeps the mess to a minimum. There are various blades you can use. I got it in China town and it was only around $ 17. This little gadget has made a huge difference because now I can very quickly whip up a little raw winter salad of beets, carrots, celeriac or cabbage. I usually add a little sliced apple to the beets and some toasted nuts or seeds, and then toss it with some lemon juice, a bit of salt and olive oil and whatever greenery I have, such as chives or parsely. The nice thing about these raw salads is that they taste even better the next day, provided you can save some. Last night we had grated celeriac with a mustard dressing and I can't wait for lunch.

Sat, 08 Jan 2005 04:32:40 GMT

The Easiest Dinner For Really Good Friends What do you make for really good friends you have not seen for a while? There is no need to impress them and you'd rather sit and chat than be stressed out about dinner. However, most importantly, it needs to be something that the kids will eat as well. The solution, of course, is Pasta. A simple sauce, good cheese, a fresh salad, nice wine, dessert can be improvised: ice cram for the kids, and for the grown-ups the fancy chocolates that came as a holiday gift. With a meal that simple, good quality ingredients are a must. For Pasta, we always use Barilla but some people prefer softer pasta. For cheese, of course you can't go wrong with real Parmesan, although today we had Gruyere. For the sauce the simplest thing is often the most elegant, provided the ingredients are high quality. Most of the time we stick to the basic tomato sauce from Marcella Hazan, The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking . All you do is put your tomatoes in a pot along with some butter and an onion cut in half. Bring to a boil and then simmer without the lid until the consistency is right. It will take about 45 minutes. Stir once in a while and mash the tomato pieces against the sides of the pot. Season with salt if needed. Discard onion before serving. That's it! This dish will sink or sing depending on the tomatoes. One of the reasons we can our own tomatoes is so we can make this sauce. Two years ago we went through the trouble of peeling and canning Juliette tomatoes (mini-Roma type). It was a lot of work, but, boy, that sauce was so sweet, forget about corn-syrup sweetened store-bought stuff. This year, we only have regular Roma tomatoes and while peeling and canning them took much less time than with the Juliette, the sauce is not quite as spectacular. It is still very good. I have used store-bought canned tomatoes as well, the imported San Marzano type. With store-bought tomatoes I certainly would not skimp on the cheese, though. You can make this sauce with fresh tomatoes as well, then they should be peeled first. And with fresh tomatoes, I like to add some fresh basil, if available, before serving. Leftovers can be frozen or eaten the next day. I like to fry leftover pasta in butter or oil until crispy, then add that spoonful of sauce I managed to save and right before serving, a beaten egg and some basil, parsley or chives sprinkled over it. Yum!

Thu, 16 Dec 2004 05:14:24 GMT

Here is a picture of the Lebkuchen (sorry it is so huge, I am figuring things out as I go). I glazed some with chocolate glaze, the rest will get a white glaze but I ran out of powdered sugar. If I may say so, they are the most authentic yet I made on this side of the Atlantic thanks to the Oblaten and the good quality citron I purchased.