tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35488892766469012982024-02-07T20:11:45.680-08:00Eating real foodboulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-78405730568639294482011-04-12T20:41:00.000-07:002011-04-12T21:01:57.593-07:00Meeting Halfway between Locavore and GlobalContinuing my exploration of organic, non-industrial vs. industrial, large-scale agriculture in terms of ability to feed the world, I came across a surprising assertion in a report I'm reading (<a href="http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/foresight/docs/food-and-farming/11-546-future-of-food-and-farming-report.pdf">The Future of Farming and Food</a>, issued by the UK government). This report commits to the same values I discussed last time: right to food, sustainability, nutrition, global footprint and contribution to climate change, so I'm definitely intrigued (but not finished, it's long). The surprising assertion is that while they don't seem particularly in favor of big, industrial agriculture, they emphatically denounce national self-sufficiency as a viable agricultural system and advocate instead for a global food supply system, albeit with some radical changes. Global food distribution is usually associated with industrial agriculture.<br /><br />Self-sufficiency of supply refers to the ability of the population of each country in the world to feed itself with produce grown within that country. This idea is definitely in vogue at the moment, and for good reasons. <br />• A country that feeds itself will be insulated from changes in global food prices. A recent <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/04/06/pm-all-food-prices-are-not-created-equal/">story on NPR </a>discusses various reasons for why food prices fluctuate less in some countries than others, greater self-sufficiency being one reason. <br />• Fossil fuels used for long haul transport of food would be reduced, although whether this would result in an overall reduction in fossil fuel is debatable because other uses, such as heating greenhouses to grow produce in a cold climate, could offset the savings gained from eating food grown nearby. <br />• Finally a country that is self-sufficient would not have to hand over much control of their food system to global multi-nationals, who don't have much stake in local well-being. For instance, in an area with farms that grow a variety of foodstuffs, selling (and buying) food locally would be one option for that area, whereas if all or most farms in a given area grew a single commodity, such as coffee, the community does not have any option but to buy food from an external source with a large enough infrastructure to procure, transport and sell that food across great distances, most likely a large corporation.<br /><br />So why would this report argue against national self-sufficiency? Well, frankly, I don't know yet because I'm only reading the executive summary, which presents the conclusions but not the data to explain how these were reached. In a few hundred pages, I should have a better idea! But I would guess it is attributed mainly to the fact that many countries simply don't have a viable climate for supporting their population year round. I don't know that this is true, but if I examine my own situation in Colorado, I can certainly see that it would be a challenge... <br /><br />While Colorado supports a huge agricultural sector, local food still isn't available during the winter, which by most standards, isn't a particularly hard one. I've gone to great lengths to store fall vegetables and fruits and can usually make it until about December without buying much from the supermarket. But in the months from January through to about April, the cupboards would be completely bare if I didn't buy produce from California. Obviously I could go further with preservation techniques like canning and freezing, but given that I already go to great lengths and spend a huge portion of my paycheck on groceries, I just don't see how asking each and every person to do this is fair or realistic. Carry that idea further to places with an even longer winter, and one has to wonder if people in those regions could survive on locally grown produce. <br /><br />Despite the difficulties of eating locally (which is basically the same thing as self-sufficiency), I still don't believe that a global food system is the answer. This report proposes that in order for it to work, there must be drastic changes made, such as creating truly free trade by reducing subsidies in richer countries, or by some mechanism to stabilize prices of commodities. <br /><br />Even if that happened, this still leaves every country completely dependant on global food policy, which seems like a precarious situation for small countries in particular, given that individually they will never be able to exert much influence on policy at a global level. <br /><br />What about something halfway in between? For instance, each country focuses some percentage of resources on a commonly consumed staple in that country, e.g. rice or corn. The government could put national policies in place (e.g. tariffs on imports) that would push its farmers to grow and sell nationally the designated amount, say 50%, of the countries needs for this staple. The rest of the land could be used for any other purpose, such as commodity crops like coffee, or more diverse product like fruits and vegetables, or further growth of the staple for export. If global food prices increase, the country would have a buffer that could be used for softening the blow of the increase.<br /><br />Perhaps strong national policies that mandate a minimum level of self-sufficiency and are tailored to each country's climate and culinary traditions would provide enough of a safety net to allow the remainder of the agricultural economy to be left to gravitate naturally towards the system that fits best, whether global or local in nature.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-27636290162047148752011-03-30T20:38:00.000-07:002011-04-01T21:53:23.827-07:00Questioning Organic?A few weeks ago, I read an interesting<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/sustainable-farming/?scp=5&sq=bittman%20opinionator&st=cse"> blog post</a> from Mark Bittman in the New York Times' Opinionator blog about agricultural sustainability and scalability and whether small-scale, organic and other non-conventional agricultural methods can feed the world in the long term. His review of reports and articles on both sides of the debate shows that there are some major organizations, such as the <a href="http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/officialreports/20110308_a-hrc-16-49_agroecology_en.pdf">UN Human Rights Council</a>, coming around to the organic side. However there are other respected sources, particularly The Economist in a <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18200618">special issue</a> devoted to the topic, that still see this type of agriculture as a privilege of affluent westerners. <br /><br /><p>The arguments opposing organic are so common that they seem to be often taken as truth - that organic farming may be nice to the earth, but it isn't realistic because it neither scales nor is affordable to most. While I wouldn't normally quote blog responses, I think that one particular response to the post is a concise and articulate summary of this view. Quigly states, in a comment recommended by almost 200 readers: <br /><br /><p><i>"As a farmer, I find it unfortunate how inaccurate this article is. There are a number of organic farms in the area and they are consistently the least productive and most resource intensive production system… Until we have an honest scientific discussion on actual production costs and yields of various systems of production, people are going to continue to be misled into believing they are saving the world through organic agriculture. "</i> <br /><br /><p>In following the many debates related to food and sustainability, I always find myself feeling the same way when I encounter these arguments…Angry and full of doubt. My instincts tell me to support CSAs, organic farming, to boycott GMOs and other forms of food produced or influenced by large corporations. But as an American that has access to incredible local, organic food, and the means to afford its higher cost, I grudgingly admit that I don't really believe that it is realistic for most people. <br /><br /><p>This is the core of my internal conflict - I can't accept a food system completely controlled by corporations and scientists, using massive quantities of chemicals and fossil fuels, with little regard for sustainability, in which we still have widespread world poverty. So while I firmly stand on the side of organic and local agriculture, I also can't ignore its shortcomings. <br /><br /><p>Then I had an epiphany - perhaps my anger arises because the question is really hard to answer and there is no right or wrong side, and that if I have doubts it is exactly because I have been trying to stay unequivocally on one side and blind myself to opposing points of view. <br /><br /><p>Wait, wait, wait, what question? I get so emotional that I often forget. The real question is whether our current food system satisfies the basic needs of the world, and if not, what improvements, such as organic farming, can we make? In trying to answer this question, the goal should not to be to win an emotional debate, but rather to open-mindedly seek the best answer to this complex problem. This can be done by first, deciding what those basic needs are - the values a good food system should support - and then critiquing each strategy (organic, conventional, GMO, CSA) for how well it supports and balances these values. <br /><br /><p>The basic values upon which we should build a food system (summarized from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-System-Guide-Geoff-Tansey/dp/1853832774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301542954&sr=1-1">The Food System: A Guide</a>) are: <br /><br /><p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">sustainable, secure, safe, sufficient, nutritious, and equitable </span><br /><br /><p>I imagine that the pioneers of organic farming were trying to form a more sustainable, safe and nutritious system, but the weak points that are obviously still being debated by the critics are its security, sufficiency and equitability. And I now feel that debating these points honestly is exactly the right thing to do because getting the complete picture of the strengths and weakness of all possible agricultural models will help get us to the best possible system.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-53963584678975869862010-06-30T21:00:00.001-07:002010-06-30T21:24:17.859-07:00Forget the Ingredients, just have a Peppermint Patty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HRqsro-4JKdIcDh40b78qos7foy0LgRTLfihnWRiCZBL4R708Te5-9JBvH27T58ab-JYXGBsQI3JXVHZVvP_esMm_Ro7VSOac48gxdTFWuB6h9XSStZslokwoDLig5ztl0RT1VJAk7gs/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HRqsro-4JKdIcDh40b78qos7foy0LgRTLfihnWRiCZBL4R708Te5-9JBvH27T58ab-JYXGBsQI3JXVHZVvP_esMm_Ro7VSOac48gxdTFWuB6h9XSStZslokwoDLig5ztl0RT1VJAk7gs/s400/IMG_1866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488788318899341522" border="0" /></a><br />A few nights ago, my husband and I were watching television, and an ancient commercial for peppermint patties came on. It's the kind of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzcxM6u7ey0">ad</a> I've seen and forgotten a million times, but this time, a curious question struck me.<br /><br />I turned to my husband, "What is inside a peppermint patty?"<br /><br />Now, normally, my wonderful husband would respond to a food question in one of three ways:<br /><br />a) Silence<br />b) Eye rolling<br />c) "You have no idea what the rest of the world eats outside of your healthy food bubble, do you?"<br /><br />But NO! This question actually stumped him…<br /><br />"I … umm… hmm… ummm"<br /><br />Pause...<br /><br />"Mintyness?"<br /><br />Followed by,<br /><br />"I don't know. What <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> that white substance in the middle?"<br /><br />My husband, stumped with no witty comeback? This definitely merits an experiment and a blog entry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Could we identify the ingredients in a peppermint patty from taste alone?<br /></span><br /><br />So, with dark shades and a big hat, I furtively went to buy some of the unhealthy, mysterious things. I didn't see anyone I knew, phew!<br /><br />Although I promised myself I'd taste test one <span style="font-style: italic;">without reading the ingredients first</span>, I did notice that the front said "As always, 70% less fat." Hmmm, so unless they mean 70% less fat than a 70% bigger peppermint patty, I guess it isn't all partially hydrogenated fat. Shoot, my first guess is out.<br /><br />My husband answered the questionnaire first:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First Ingredient</span>: Sugar<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Number of ingredients</span>: 28<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remaining ingredients: </span><br />Filler of gooeyness<br />Corn syrup<br />Chocolate - but not in the top four<br />Essence of peppermint<br /><br />My turn:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First Ingredient</span>: Sugar<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Number of ingredients</span>: 11<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remaining ingredients:</span><br />Chocolate<br />Soy lecithin<br />Corn starch<br />Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil<br />Invert sugar<br />Corn syrup<br />Artificial flavor<br />Natural flavor<br />Peppermint oil<br />Flour<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The answer…</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First Ingredient</span>: Sugar<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Number of ingredients</span>: 13<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Remaining ingredients, in order:</span><br />Corn syrup<br />Semi-Sweet Chocolate<br />-- Chocolate<br />-- Sugar<br />-- Cocoa<br />-- Milk fat<br />-- Cocoa Butter<br />-- Soy Lecithin<br />-- PGPR, Emulsifier<br />-- Vanillin, Artificial Flavor<br />Invert Sugar<br />Egg Whites<br />Oil of Peppermint<br />Milk<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Score:</span><br />First ingredient: me +1, husband +1<br />Number of ingredients: me +1, husband 0 (I was closer)<br />Correct ingredients: me +7, husband +4<br />Incorrect ingredients: me -4, husband -1<br />Originality: me 0, husband +1 (for "filler of gooeyness")<br /><br />5 and 5!!! A tie. <br /><br />What is the moral of this story? Filler of gooeyness is not as mysterious as one might think (basically, it's sugar), though it is pretty tasty.<br /><br />By the way, in case you're wondering about the title, this entry is an homage to a fab girl with an addiction to peppermint patties who might be needing one this week. So, I'll say what I surely will never say again, forget the ingredients, just have a peppermint patty.<br /><br />Disclaimer: dismissive statements expressed by aforementioned husband may have been slightly exaggerated for purposes of artistic expression.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-55418676269499631162010-06-22T19:59:00.000-07:002010-06-22T21:06:06.100-07:00Wide World of ... Vegetables?Maybe it's because I've been a vegetarian for about a year now and I've forced myself to adapt my cooking accordingly.<br />Maybe it's because I've joined a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CSA</span> and rather than accept that I've perhaps wasted some money, I've forced myself to like all the weird stuff thrown my way.<br />Or maybe it's just because they're good.<br /><br />I'm going to come right out and say it. I LOVE vegetables. I really, really do.<br /><br />Now, when you read that, you might think to yourself, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Jaysus</span>, I know they're healthy, but can anyone really say they love carrots and spinach?"<br /><br />But the standard six or seven supermarket, year-round crops aren't the kind of vegetables I'm talking about (nothing against carrots and spinach of course).<br /><br />I'm talking about the weird, seasonal, fresh and so flavorful vegetables which are being resurrected at farmer's markets and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CSAs</span> all around the country. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">CSAs</span> are a great way to be introduced to unfamiliar seasonable vegetables. I'll admit that it does take a season or two to find the optimum way to cook some of these, but once you do, WOW!<br /><br />I don't want to sound like a self-righteous vegetarian, but really, anyone living on a purely meat-centric diet is missing out. Don't get me wrong, I still take a bite of sausage now and again, and I do like it. But does it taste <span style="font-style: italic;">more </span>complex or <span style="font-style: italic;">more </span>exciting than perfectly cooked garlic <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">scapes</span>? No way. What I don't understand is how anyone that really loves food can eat a diet that is as meat-centric as most of us do. Why not experiment with all of it in your diet, whether you're a vegetarian or not? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Ok</span>, rant over.<br /><br />So, I thought in this post, I'd cover just a few of my favorite non-supermarket vegetables:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Garlic <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Scapes</span></span> - Apparently these shoot out of a bulb of garlic just before it should be harvested. They're long, green stalks that curl like a spring. Slice them in about 1 inch pieces, stopping just before the slight bulge at the top. Discard everything above the bulb as it tastes fibrous. These are great steamed in couscous or gently sauteed in olive oil and thrown into something like an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">omelet</span> or a risotto. Their subtle aroma of garlic is surprisingly contrasted with a sweet and juicy taste.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spring Onions/Elephant Garlic/Bunching Onions/Spring Shallots/etc/etc/etc</span> - Basically I'm referring to any of the numerous spring or early summer varieties from the onion family. They are BIG and it took me a while to figure out what to do with them. But don't let their awkwardness discourage you; they can be substituted in any dish calling for their regular counterparts. A few tips:<br /><ul><li>They are much milder than the bulb version. For example, if a recipe calls for a medium onion, use a big handful of spring onions. If it calls for a large onion, use even more. It's hard to use too much. The same goes for garlic.</li><li>Slice into three parts. The first third, the white and light green parts, should be substituted into the dish at the beginning as normal, although you probably won't need to sweat/brown/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">sautee</span> as long. The middle, very green part, should be added in almost at the end, cooking only for a minute or so. The rather tough outer third should be left intact and thrown into the freezer to use for stock at a later time.</li></ul>Using early season versions of the onion family will bring incredible variety to your dishes. No dish I create with them ever tastes quite the same ... this is the fun!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baby Turnips</span> - almost as sweet as an apple. Don't cook or peel them. Just slice and eat raw. In a salad, or ... like an apple.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pea Shoots </span>- Unfortunately, these have just gone out of season, but they are so weird, I have to mention them. These are the curly, vine-like stems and leaves from pea plants. They look like a spindly green, but actually taste of peas. There are lots of bad ways to eat these, but I've finally discovered the right one (for me!), and it is so simple. Simply <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">sautee</span> in olive oil until just wilted and add salt. They taste great as their own side dish. Which leads me to...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">English Peas</span> - This week in our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">CSA</span> share, I was very excited to see sugar snap peas. Because I like them? They're <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">ok</span>, but I don't really get why they're so popular. No! I was excited because sugar snap peas means ENGLISH PEAS!!! I went to the farmer's market, hopeful, looking, looking, looking, YES!!!! I practically ran up to the booth, breathless with excitement. THERE THEY WERE! I have no idea why these are only grown by one farm in all of Boulder. It is like a secret nobody else has discovered.<br /><br />I know, you're thinking, "Peas??? Seriously?" Frozen green peas are like a completely different food substance. Sure, fresh ones are expensive at $6/pound ... before shelling. And yes, they take a while to shell by hand. But it's worth it. Last night my son and I shelled a pound of them... how did we cook them? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Ummm</span>, yea. We actually didn't have any left to cook. We ate all of them raw as we shelled them.<br /><br />I think I'm going to be a little heartbroken to say goodbye to my beloved English peas in three or four weeks. Perhaps a chance encounter with a nice Japanese eggplant might help fill the void...boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-5835694758344936772010-05-24T19:54:00.000-07:002010-05-24T20:50:24.567-07:00Rhubarb Pie... you seemed so wrong but tasted so right<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5Mm_E-b-8gorMSzRWXE4A1Wx4hg74GQLar20zyo1d9Vt3zh-rm4Nty1QODXu1lOxkNlgcoxWTDR7U8MtSP_djfmIW_oQPtgN9tamKvSAzuCHPfM24ZoLk2YaodJ03y2EZ0aLhLx8m_F8/s1600/IMG_1835.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5Mm_E-b-8gorMSzRWXE4A1Wx4hg74GQLar20zyo1d9Vt3zh-rm4Nty1QODXu1lOxkNlgcoxWTDR7U8MtSP_djfmIW_oQPtgN9tamKvSAzuCHPfM24ZoLk2YaodJ03y2EZ0aLhLx8m_F8/s400/IMG_1835.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475049607837689842" border="0" /></a><br />First post in a long time... blog I've missed you. I think my two readers have given up on me long ago... So, what has finally inspired me to wax poetic? Springtime and Rhubarb pie.<br /><br />DOOMED rhubarb pie. This was the pie that wasn't supposed to be. The pie that almost went into the trash, a few times. But tonight (one day old) we dug in, and wow, how did that happen??????<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It seemed so wrong</span>....<br /><br />Went to the farmer's market. Its been so long since we had any fresh fruit in Colorado... those fall apples are long, long gone. I was too eager for the rhubarb. It isn't quite red yet. But I bought some anyway with all the best intentions of making a pie. That was over a week ago, and the pie just didn't happen. Day after day, I looked in wistfully at the rhubarb growing limp and dull in plastic bags.<br /><br />(Yesterday, Sunday afternoon) House is a mess, no laundry done for the coming week, kitchen filled with dirty dishes, haven't gone for a run all weekend, don't know what to make for dinner. And I'm feeling stressed because tomorrow the work week starts again.<br /><br />My fabulous husband says, "Relax, let's forget cleaning, why don't you and Ewan make that rhubarb pie you've been meaning to make?"<br /><br />I protest, "The rhubarb is too old, it won't taste good." He reminds me that baking is for fun (what???)... so I relent, and almost decide to enjoy myself.<br /><br />But not quite... What else went wrong?<br /><ul><li>I decided to make a whole wheat crust with toasted wheat germ, but burnt the wheat germ once, then burnt the second batch, then decided to throw it in anyway.</li><li>When it came time to roll the crust out, I realized that I have left ALL of my pie pans at other people's houses, and all I have is a 9-inch tart pan. Who the hell has heard of a rhubarb TART?? How do you put a top crust on that?<br /></li><li>AND of course, cursed with my usual disastrous touch for pie crust, I ended up with a big, dry crumbly, slightly burnt mess. As I'm trying to "roll" out this pile of dust, my son is yelling, "MOMMY, MOMMY, DO YOU WANT THE RED HIPPOPOTAMUS OR THE BLUE HIPPOPOTAMUS? RED OR BLUE? RED OR BLUE? RED OR BLUE?" waiting expectantly for me to take an invisible hippo out of his empty hands.</li></ul>There weren't tears, but it is possible that a rolling pin got put back in its drawer with slightly more enthusiasm than normal. So... torn between perfectionism and throwing it away, I just threw the whole ugly thing in the pan.<br /><br />For the filling, I skipped all spices and just used the limp rhubarb, sugar, honey, flour, a pinch of salt and a lot of ginger, probably 1/4 cup.<br /><br />Then I rolled out the 2nd crust and laid it on top, which is about all you can do with a tart pan that has no edges.<br /><br />In the oven, the whole thing leaked burnt, caramelized sugar from the top and bottom of the undersized pan.<br /><br />My hopes were low, I didn't even stay up last night to try it. So, so wrong.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">But, it tasted so right....</span><br />To make a long story, well, slightly longer by continuing to ramble, we ate the pie for dessert tonight. And I can truly say, it is the best pie I've ever made. Nutty, flaky and flavorful whole wheat crust (with Farmer John's local, completely unrefined flour, of course!!) And let's just say, you had better be able to hold your ginger to enjoy this pie... but after the first slightly, medicinal gingery bite, I couldn't get enough. Interesting, powerful flavors to welcome in Colorado's fruit season.<br /><br />By the way - JSue, this one is for you in homage to our late night rhubarb strawberry pie last June. I'll never have a piece of rhubarb pie again without thinking of your perfectly expressed sentiment from last year, "What, you're only going to have one piece?"boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-78846476886968303572010-03-05T21:09:00.000-08:002010-03-06T19:40:01.231-08:00The Simplest StockOk, I know as a devoted cook, I'm not supposed to say this, but I'm going to... making stock from scratch is a pain in the neck. Every cookbook presents it as so easy, chefs talk about the importance of having a great stock and how simple it is to have it just simmering away in the background all day.<br /><br />And I did try for a few years. I was uncompromising in my belief that soup could only be made with the perfect stock, following the perfect process. Every month or so, I'd lovingly tend a huge pot of chicken scraps and vegetables for <span style="font-weight: bold;">8 hours</span> until the bones fell to pieces (to extract every molecule of gelatin, naturally). I'd pack the freezer with little containers of the resulting magic liquid.<br /><br />And it was good. Really, so very good....<br /><br />But easy? No way.<br /><br />First of all, how do you cool a big pot of boiling liquid quickly enough to not risk bacterial growth? I used to go buy big bags of ice so that I could strain the stock into a pot sitting in a sinkful of ice. Not exactly easy. After you strain the stock, you've got a hot greasy mess of meat and veg to deal with. Also a pain. And I never had enough of the right scraps or enough containers or enough space in the freezer. Even the recipes I have for vegetable stock are a little excessive, calling for tons of ingredients, pre-roasting the vegetables, etc, etc.<br /><br />So after a few years, I gave up and started (reluctantly) buying boxed stock. It doesn't taste good, is expensive and creates container waste, but seriously, I needed stock frequently and never seemed to have it on hand.<br /><br />Around this time (last year), I started cooking with spring onions, garlic and shallots from the local farmers market. I had little experience with using these huge, stringy plants. For example, I bought walking onions and elephant garlic that were both about 2-3 feet in length. I'd cook with the white part of the plant, use the middle light green part as a garnish, but could never figure out what to do with the long dark green ends. With the best of intentions, I saved piles of scraps in the fridge that I knew were ultimately destined for the trash.<br /><br />So these two circumstances came together one fateful night. I was making risotto, which absolutely needs good stock, and I didn't have any, homemade or storebought, and I didn't have time to go buy it. I looked up a recipe for vegetable stock, but I didn't have the time, nor did I have half the ingredients. So... I improvised. I grabbed a ton of the aforementioned scraps out of the fridge, threw them in a pot and boiled them for 45 minutes (the exact time it took me to prepare the ingredients for the risotto and start them cooking). The stock was pretty good, I had expended no extra time, and the resulting risotto tasted great!<br /><br />Since then, I've been experimenting and have completely changed my attitude to stock. I save every vegetable scrap in bags in the freezer. Leek ends are like gold. To think I used to throw them away. For shame! Those leaves that come on the ends of celery? Precious, throw 'em in a bag.<br /><br />So now I don't buy stock, and I don't make it ahead of time. If I'm missing some ingredients, that doesn't bother me either because I know I've got enough diverted compost scraps to make something good. I know that it is not as good as lovingly made chicken stock, but that only matters if the chicken stock exists. And it is much better than store-bought.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Simplest Stock</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br />Some or all of the following ingredients...<br /><br /><ul><li>Handful of green ends of any variety of spring garlic, or 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled</li><li>Handful of green ends of any variety of spring onions or shallots, or 1 onion, unpeeled, cut in half</li><li>Handful of green ends of leeks</li><li>2 carrots, broken in half</li><li>2 stalks of celery, broken in half</li><li>a few sprigs of thyme</li><li>a few sprigs of parsley</li><li>2 bay leaves</li><li>5 peppercorns</li><li>a few dried mushrooms, if you're making something that calls for mushrooms or something with a richer, earthy taste (like a winter minestrone soup). For lighter soups, leave these out.</li></ul><br />Throw everything in a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes.<br /><br />-----------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK7S1A8LZbRb9DnRZ-bQCl3GzX_keH1t-Xnc2MeFTlBy88Iqb3s7toKRlsoRASLVypFwQqnqzmMG2lqbSxU2tTWhyva5tVkLFcGyhBQZNGwwiN_iWV0vDRDb2Qh6Z_I-2ddgt_8VDN83K/s1600-h/Picture+271.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK7S1A8LZbRb9DnRZ-bQCl3GzX_keH1t-Xnc2MeFTlBy88Iqb3s7toKRlsoRASLVypFwQqnqzmMG2lqbSxU2tTWhyva5tVkLFcGyhBQZNGwwiN_iWV0vDRDb2Qh6Z_I-2ddgt_8VDN83K/s200/Picture+271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445731117558319154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and thinking about that green garlic (the picture is from last year, it isn't in season yet), 4 weeks until the <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boulderfarmers.org%2F&ei=fB6TS-SoD6PitQOnwp38Aw&usg=AFQjCNG1LZiEmgCYHjkXnO-7IurNZzQHng&sig2=tDEIcqfiNxv9cGqAY1Ga_Q">farmer's market</a> reopens. Hooray!boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-7941056273772273002010-02-25T19:39:00.000-08:002010-02-26T20:03:29.238-08:00Quick, Easy Groat Oatmeal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kdl1PzCNWx5u1X2-S-bqMha-ng4YQvBERGIJSey4or1Vlq7yqcVR2LXpg3fGxaNw-cmvWr9hOI2HdFsJCnDUNj54GNwxZuWYYcmEeX3fI5ISVgBWimSsu7ITDDmCXyvOynB37jxy63lg/s1600-h/IMG_1652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kdl1PzCNWx5u1X2-S-bqMha-ng4YQvBERGIJSey4or1Vlq7yqcVR2LXpg3fGxaNw-cmvWr9hOI2HdFsJCnDUNj54GNwxZuWYYcmEeX3fI5ISVgBWimSsu7ITDDmCXyvOynB37jxy63lg/s320/IMG_1652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442768005458999970" border="0" /></a><br />The last two times I've gone to the supermarket, I've noticed a peculiar thing in the bulk foods aisle. Three different people hanging around the oat bins looking confused. One of them asked me if I knew what the difference was between rolled oats and quick-cook oats. (Did I ever!!) I overheard another asking an assistant, "My wife wants me to buy oats for her morning oatmeal, what kind do I buy?"<br /><br />So why all the confusion? Well, because the bulk aisle at Whole Foods actually sells four different kinds of oats. According to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Flour-Whole-Grain-Baking/dp/0881507199">King Arthur</a>, the differences are:<br /><ul><li>Oat groats - the most unprocessed form of the grain that is still edible. The whole grain with the outer husk removed.</li><li>Steel cut (also known as Irish or Scottish) - Oat groats that have been cut into a few pieces for faster cooking time.</li><li>Rolled - Oat groats that have been steamed and rolled flat. These can be eaten raw or cooked. They are commonly used in muesli, granola and oatmeal cookies.</li><li>Quick cook - Oat groats that have been cut into pieces, steamed and rolled flat.</li></ul>Wait, wait, wait - why am I talking about oats? Isn't this post supposed to be about <span style="font-style: italic;">oatmeal</span>?<br /><br />Because the oats matter. You can't make a great bowl of oatmeal (I <span style="font-style: italic;">will </span>get to it eventually) without the right oats. This bowl of steaming goodness will start your day off right and won't taste anything like the paste that results from dumping a bag of instant oatmeal into a cup of boiling water. Ok, wait, the oats.<br /><br />Oat groats and steel cut oats taste nutty and have a creamy, silky texture while retaining a little bite. They really, really are so good. And, no matter how long you cook them, they don't get sticky as does oatmeal made from rolled or quick cook oats.<br /><br />Before we go any further, please think back to all the bad oatmeal you've ever had. My sisters and I had to cook my own before school when I was a kid, and the single word that comes to mind is glue.<br /><br />With oatmeal, taste really matters. Great, so why not eat groats every morning?<br /><br />Unfortunately, the less processed an oat is, the longer it takes to cook. Oat groats and steel cut oats require anywhere from 40-60 minutes. Rolled oats require about 10 and quick cook require about 5.<br /><br />BUT… I have discovered the secret to eating better oats with less work. With only the tiniest bit of forethought, you too can have delicious oatmeal without having to wait for an hour to eat.<br /><br />Oh! And I forgot to mention toppings. As much as I love oatmeal, it does get a little boring every weekend. You can add textural and taste variety by experimenting with various seasonal toppings throughout the year. Since it's winter, this version makes use primarily of dried fruits and nuts<br />---------------------------------------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Better Winter Oatmeal</span><br /><br /><ul><li>Oat groats or steel cut oats - 1/3 c. per serving</li><li>Pinch of salt</li><li>Pinch of cinnamon</li><li>Toppings: dried apricot, prunes, raisins, nuts</li><li>Maple syrup </li><li>Milk</li></ul><br />The night before (here is the tiny bit of forethought part)...<br /><br />Step 1: Place oats in a saucepan with a pinch of salt.<br />Step 2: Put on the kettle<br />Step 3: Go brush your teeth.<br />Step 4: When the kettle boils (conveniently right around the time you finish brushing your teeth), pour boiling water over the oats at a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part oats. Put the lid on. Go to bed.<br /><br />The next morning…<br /><br />Bring the oats back to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. During this time prepare your toppings. Add the cinnamon to the oatmeal. Cut up the apricots and prunes and add them to the oatmeal pan to soften for a few minutes. Gently toast the nuts in a pan, coarsely chop and set aside.<br /><br />When the oatmeal is cooked, stir in the raisins and nuts.<br /><br />Serve the oatmeal with all the toppings mixed in, drizzled with pure maple syrup and a little milk.<br /><br />--------------------------------------<br /><br />Have I convinced you yet? I wasn't able to convince the woman at Whole Foods (she walked off about 200 words ago) but that isn't going to stop me from continuing to try to spread the word. I'm sure there will be another unsuspecting passerby perusing the oats this very weekend.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-82906175650956545112010-01-08T20:23:00.000-08:002010-01-08T20:33:56.312-08:00What You Get from a CSA that You Can't Get in the SupermarketThis year my family purchased a Fall Keeper CSA share from <a href="http://www.eatabbo.org/">Abbondanza Farms</a> for the second time. The Keeper share is a little different from the more popular summer CSA share. You only get five drops, at a pretty high cost per drop, but each drop is a big box of storable fall vegetables. The idea is that by over-purchasing from the late fall harvest, you'll be able to continue eating local produce through most of the winter. See my previous posts on <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/03/find-csa-near-you.html">CSAs </a>and the <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/01/hoarding-potatoes-for-winter.html">Fall Keeper Share</a> to learn more. <br /><br />As the summer produce dwindled, I started planning (and craving) what I would cook with the first pick-up. I remembered the quality of last year's beets, winter squash, fingerling potatoes, and I couldn't wait. The summer CSA (from the same farm) had ended two weeks earlier, so my cupboards were pretty bare. I hadn't bought anything at the supermarket because I knew I had a bountiful box of food coming.<br /><br />As I eagerly drove up on Thursday, the usual pickup day, I was perplexed to find the parking lot empty. I slowly realized that I'd gotten confused. Thursday had been the pickup day all summer, but I'd received an email earlier in the week notifying me that the pickup day for the fall share was Wednesday. Ohhh noooo….<br /><br />I was so disappointed. How could I have spaced this out? How was I going to get my veggies? What was I going to cook for dinner that night?<br /><br />So I called the farm, explained my situation, groveled, begged, and sure enough… no problem, I could come get the share at the farm that weekend. Great! When I arrived, they didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, it appeared from the stack of boxes set aside that I may not have been the only person to have gotten confused.<br /><br />I definitely wasn't going to forget again. Especially since the next share was a double pick-up of veggies right before Thanksgiving. How exciting!<br /><br />Two weeks pass by. Every day I remind myself… don't forget the veggies on Wednesday. <br /><br />The day arrived, and what a crazy day it was. That morning, my son got sick, so I stayed home from work to snuggle with him. I also received a call from a family member asking if I could help take an elderly relative to the hospital the next day. And, I was busy thinking about a business trip I had to make to India in a few weeks. To say I was a little frazzled was an understatement. At eight PM that night, it suddenly dawned on me that it was THE pickup day, the one I wasn't going to forget, and it was one hour after they closed. ARRRGGGGHHHH!<br /><br />I was so upset. How could I have done this again? After a few minutes I came to my senses. I have too much going on. Yes, it's a lot of money that I spent and am going to have to spend to buy the food I didn't get, but I've got too much to worry about. Besides, while they were very nice last time, I just couldn't stomach the thought of admitting again that I was so disorganized. I decided to forget it.<br /><br />A few days later, I received a phone call from the woman that runs the program. She had noticed from the checklists that I hadn't shown up for either of the first two pick-ups and was concerned that they hadn't properly communicated the schedule and location to me. I was so surprised and moved that someone would go to this trouble; everything came rushing out. My voice starting choking up as I told her about the troubles of my week and that I had just been too embarrassed to call again. Finally, I sighed, "I know this is silly, that it's just food, but I was so looking forward to those veggies." She cut in, "It's not just food. It's important. I'm so sorry to hear about all of this. We'll absolutely get you your share if we have to drop it on your doorstep." We talked about 20 minutes more. She shared a little with me about her family. She asked more about mine. And we talked about the farm and the food that really did mean a lot more to me than I was willing to admit.<br /><br />So that day I got my veggies <span style="font-style:italic;">and </span>a very welcome personal connection.<br /><br />There are many well-advertised benefits of joining a CSA: fresh, varied, high quality produce, eating organically, supporting a local business, lower carbon footprint from eating locally grown food. <br /><br />Here's one more...<br /><br />The <span style="font-style:italic;">community supported</span> part of the term Community Supported Agriculture means that you're not just supporting a community farm, they're supporting you. I'm pretty sure I've never seen that on sale for $.99/lb at Sunflower Farmer's Market.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-60496969968734742372010-01-01T21:33:00.000-08:002010-01-02T10:07:22.952-08:00Why do we eat what we eat?As I've become more committed to purchasing and consuming local, organic food, I've found myself wondering what is the "right" food system - one that is environmentally sustainable and provides everyone with affordable access to nutritious food. In the search for easy answers, it is easy to assume that the food industry and the politics it influences are the villains in our current system because they control our choices to the extent that making healthy, responsible choices is unrealistic. This is the view hypothesized by Raj Patel in <a href="http://stuffedandstarved.org/drupal/node/5">Stuffed and Starved</a>. He presents the global food system as one in which consumers have very little choice and in which they would certainly make healthier and more responsible choices given the opportunity.<br /><br />I really want to believe this last part, but I do sometimes have doubts…<br /><br />One reason, and the theme of this post, is that I frequently find my food choices to be very different than those of people around me, despite the fact that we have access to the same food and the same information. I would really like to know why. For instance, why does anybody ever drink soda, when it is so obviously bad for you?<br /><br />In an attempt to understand, and be more open minded about, the causes of these differences, I started thinking about what might be the factors that influence someone making food choices:<br /><ul><li>Taste pleasure derived from a particular food </li><li>Familiarity</li><li>Cooking skills</li><li>Time</li><li>Income</li><li>Food cost</li><li>Food nutritional value</li><li>Understanding of nutritional information</li><li>Available selection</li><li>Growing source and method</li><li>Understanding of environmental impact of the growing source and method</li><li>Subconscious influences, such as marketing</li><li>Personal politics</li></ul>Over which of these factors does the individual have control? Are the factors over which we don't have control so overpowering that it is naive to think that people really have choices?<br /><br />For instance, if heavy marketing of soda makes it seem familiar, this probably increases the likelihood a person will purchase it, despite the fact that he or she had no control over being exposed to that marketing.<br /><br />Perhaps an effective way to design a better food system would be to identify the factors over which an individual does not have control and work to give the individual more choice in these factors. One example would be to assume that the choice of whether or not to purchase local food is dominated by it's affordability, which is out of an individual's control, so to work with local governments to make policy changes that make local food more affordable.<br /><br />Postscript - <br />Sorry that post ended rather abruptly because I sort of forgot my original point. Was it this? ... I usually attribute people's food choices to personal taste, cost, convenience and vastly differing levels of concern about the environment and nutrition, but am I overlooking other differences, ones out of our control, that exist even for people living in the same town? <br /><br />What did I conclude? Nothing, except that in keeping with my usual habits, I've made a list of topics to investigate.<br /><br />Anyway...<br />Happy New Year!<br /><br />'Tis the season for resolutions and new beginnings, so you'll be seeing more of Boulder Home Cook!boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-67411501894777246792009-08-06T20:29:00.000-07:002009-08-06T20:58:39.902-07:00Lollipops and BeerWhile you may hear about how hard it is for small businesses to survive, there is one small business that is never going away: the local liquor store. Why?<br /><br />LOLLIPOPS<br /><br />Yea, you read that right. Lollipops. <br /><br />Those of you without kids have probably never noticed the small bucket of DumDums next to the cash register (at every liquor store in Boulder, is it just a Boulder thing?). Even if you have, it probably didn't occur to you that it is a brilliant marketing strategy.<br /><br />My son was about one when they started asking casually, "Does he want a lollipop? Still a bit young? Maybe next time."<br /><br />I resisted for a long time. After all, I didn't want him eating candy/corn syrup/anything before dinner. Or worse ... would he know what to do with it? What if he bit the candy off the stick (choking paranoia scene plays in my head).<br /><br />Around his 2nd birthday, I caved. "He's been so sweet today. Everyone likes a lollipop now and then, it can't hurt anything." Little did I realize how amazing is the memory of a two year old for the taste of lollipops, the word lollipop, the word beer and the direction of the liquor store down the street. <br /><br />Life has changed a little since then. The first words out of his mouth in the morning are, "Lollipops and beer?" When I pick him up at day care, he doesn't say, "Go home, see daddy?" anymore, but rather "Lollipops and beer?" If we go for a walk, he pulls and pulls on my hand to head towards, you guessed it, Lollipops and Beer. <br /><br />It's hard enough to resist having a beer on a Tuesday night. It's even harder when your kid has a vested interest in you buying beer. Like I said, brilliant.<br /><br />It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't say it in public. It's incredibly embarrassing, especially in Boulder. I mean, what kind of parents are we, giving our kid lollipops on a Tuesday night?boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-88204725142199989672009-07-27T19:57:00.000-07:002009-07-27T20:15:25.238-07:00I Can't Make MarshmellowsThe July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at <a href="http://sweetendingz.blogspot.com/">Sweet Tooth</a>. She chose <strong>Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies</strong> and Milan <strong>Cookies </strong>from pastry chef Gale Gand of the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/" title="The Food Network">Food Network</a>.<br /><br />After that intro, you may be wondering why I don't have a mouth-watering picture of chocolate-dipped marshmallow cookies. Or perhaps you were expecting crispy delicate Milanos. The answer is quite simple ... there aren't any.<br /><br />How exactly did this experiment go down? I decided to go for the harder, more interesting, cookie: the mallows. <br /><br />I knew things were going awry when I couldn't roll the dough to 1/8 inch. It was warm here, and the dough started to melt. I did improvise my way out of the mess by rolling the sticky dough into logs, freezing and then cutting off thin slices. I have to admit that I was a little puzzled as to how a recipe for approximately two dozen cookies yielded over 100, but I decided to push onward.<br /><br />The marshmallows. Geez, from reviewing the posted pictures, I must be the only Daring Baker that can't make marshmallows, but there is absolutely no doubt that mine were a failure. When I attempted to mix the hot sugar syrup with softly whipped egg whites, the whole thing immediately deflated, leaving me with a sticky, sugary, egg white mess. This went the only place it could, down the drain. <br /><br />I debated dipping my tiny, naked cookies in chocolate, but at this point I was batting so low, I thought I probably shouldn't waste the chocolate. <br /><br />Not every daring challenge can be a success. Maybe next time!boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-54664742115098913952009-07-24T21:03:00.000-07:002009-07-24T21:39:21.301-07:00Easy Summer Salad - Peaches, Almonds and Brown Rice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibm3iVdymEb1jbJrwVqI0atCf2RaZAaBmRo8qWIKCjiskXXqvSvFeWAkpDuAAyGaZUPufUpMLeDSsxa68BGjBc0vDOLMZgMutbwZ6MX8L-XujKs4nuV1R7B5S-aioCO4fF_QOytBGCIK9Z/s1600-h/Picture+335.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibm3iVdymEb1jbJrwVqI0atCf2RaZAaBmRo8qWIKCjiskXXqvSvFeWAkpDuAAyGaZUPufUpMLeDSsxa68BGjBc0vDOLMZgMutbwZ6MX8L-XujKs4nuV1R7B5S-aioCO4fF_QOytBGCIK9Z/s400/Picture+335.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362251963082550706" border="0" /></a><br />Inspired by the recent Mark Bittman article <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?_r=1&em">101 Simple Salads for the Season</a>, today I invented a summer salad of my own. While I can't remember every combination in Bittman's long list, I'm pretty sure that this combination is original.<br /><br />Like most experimental successes, this one sprang from a combination of desperation and what meager ingredients I had in the fridge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Desperation: What to give a two year old for lunch?</span> I know it is a healthy meal, but as a responsible parent, I don't think I should give my son whole wheat penne mixed with chopped tomato and drizzled with olive oil for the 100th time in a row. I'll do rice instead. Now I just need to add something fresh.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's in the fridge?</span> Peaches from the farmer's market. Hmmm, peaches and rice sound a little weird, but here we go!<br /><br />By the way, this salad is so easy to make, that I'd recommend waiting to prep the fruit and vegetables until after the rice has cooked. From that point, it should take about 10 minutes.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Peach, Almond and Brown Basmati Rice Salad</span><br /><ul><li>1 c. brown basmati rice</li><li>2 c. + 2 Tbs. water</li><li>handful beet greens or other dark greens, washed and thinly sliced<br /></li><li>2 spring onions or scallions, washed and thinly sliced<br /></li><li>handful almonds, toasted in a pan on low heat for a few minutes, then coarsely chopped<br /></li><li>2 peaches, diced<br /></li><li>salt, pepper, white wine vinegar and olive oil, to taste<br /></li></ul>Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add the rice, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, covered, while you prepare the fruit and vegetables.<br /><br />Put the sliced greens and onions into the rice pan and re-cover for a few minutes so they wilt.<br /><br />Add the peaches and almonds to the rice. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil to taste, then check for salt and pepper.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-75061033740629141942009-06-29T20:20:00.000-07:002009-06-29T20:54:55.213-07:00Daring Bakewell Tart with Fresh Colorado Cherries<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUw-HJ8ZqNoJew8F5Ph8-EOoBhbRq-Vxy7-z8Vb3lNkKoUsTzXBwIEeJLKDW8Nr6_JHDsHFHnTsfdiZ6573bAiNY-Mg9BQBV-q2Epc8nBlXfCkrev5ptFZLnSVWUP661tofRMqeVq4dSv/s1600-h/BakewellTart.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUw-HJ8ZqNoJew8F5Ph8-EOoBhbRq-Vxy7-z8Vb3lNkKoUsTzXBwIEeJLKDW8Nr6_JHDsHFHnTsfdiZ6573bAiNY-Mg9BQBV-q2Epc8nBlXfCkrev5ptFZLnSVWUP661tofRMqeVq4dSv/s400/BakewellTart.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352963691701851154" border="0" /></a><br /><strong></strong>The June <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers</a>' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of <a href="http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/">Confessions of a Cardamom Addict</a> and Annemarie of <a href="http://divineambrosia.blogspot.com/">Ambrosia and Nectar</a>. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.<br /><br />Anyone reading this may have noticed that I've been slacking lately. Yes, it's true. Not for lack of wanting to write - I just have other things going on right now, so my cherished blog has taken a back ... burner, you might say. But I am going to try to keep up with one thing - the Daring Cook and Baker challenges. I am always in the kitchen anyway, so I may as well take some input, inspiration and ideas from others instead of always sticking with the usual suspects.<br /><br />So, I apologize ahead of time if this entry seems like I phoned it in. (Actually my husband took the camera out of town, so I did actually phone it in). Some people might think that shorter entries are better...what do they know.<br /><br />What was I talking about? That's right, Bakewell Tart. This tart consists of a slightly sweet, shortcrust pastry, spread with a thin layer of jam and topped with a golden puffy layer of frangipane. Check out the hosts' blogs for an interesting history of this dish.<br /><br />As cherries are in season in Colorado, and delicious right now, I decided to attempt homemade cherry jam. I was a little worried that I didn't have fruit pectin* on hand, a common ingredient in many jams (I read a lot of labels). I decided to risk it and followed a pectin-free recipe on Jasmine's blog for a simple <a href="http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/2009/04/blackberry-pan-jam.html">blackberry jam</a>, subbing cherries for the blackberries. Although delicious, the jam unfortunately never set. It would have made a delicious sauce for something else (a frangipane tart, perhaps?)<br /><br />The frangipane (a sort of dense custard of eggs, powdered sugar, butter and ground almonds) was easy to make and delicious.<br /><br />The verdict on the crust? Hmm. I must have missed something in the instructions, or my jam (sauce) was simply too wet for the crust, because the cooked tart had a soggy and almost completely uncooked crust, while the frangipane on top was close to overcooked. I think a simple fix for this would be to blind bake the crust before filling and baking again.<br /><br />But a soggy crust can be ignored - I have suffered through <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/02/pie-escapes-me.html">many a mediocre crust before</a>... All in all, I enjoyed this challenge, especially getting to use the seasonal fruit. The almond taste definitely brought out the cherries and vice versa. I will make this again with the blind bake modification. Thanks to Jasmine and Annemarie for a very original suggestion.<br /><br />* Pectin is a gelling agent that occurs naturally in many fruits (apparently not cherries) and is sold in various extracted forms, usually having been obtained from apples and/or citrus peel.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-28757647760714799572009-06-15T19:25:00.000-07:002009-06-15T21:24:15.362-07:00Vegan Spring Veggie Potstickers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75v4i2azP34UACwvVAwG3mrXBeMy7XtGm9zW5eYh0Lk-nmR4nMRJdlV5Yx7k8XxbvBL9RCV7SnVNZGuBRtdOY_qHsxpCxXl4GcZvkEclua6fq2G6j8R0LwkCqb3KD1mmKV72Lzursxqe9/s1600-h/Picture+325.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75v4i2azP34UACwvVAwG3mrXBeMy7XtGm9zW5eYh0Lk-nmR4nMRJdlV5Yx7k8XxbvBL9RCV7SnVNZGuBRtdOY_qHsxpCxXl4GcZvkEclua6fq2G6j8R0LwkCqb3KD1mmKV72Lzursxqe9/s400/Picture+325.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347770720649931906" border="0" /></a><br />This month's <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Cooks</a>' challenge was from Jen of <a href="http://userealbutter.com/">use real butter</a> to make Chinese Dumplings from scratch.<br /><br />I won't go into the ins and outs of how to make the dough, as there is a great blog post here, and it was pretty straightforward. Just mix flour and water, rest, knead, press into balls, and then roll into thin circles. Fill, press edges together, fry in a pan to make potstickers or boil in water. That's it! And it all worked seamlessly. Actually, quite an easy recipe.<br /><br />So where was the challenge? Well, the recipe allowed you to get quite creative with the filling. The two provided filling recipes were for pork and shrimp filling. Given that I have recently been trying out not eating meat (I haven't had meat in over a month now), I realized that I needed to get a little creative with the filling.<br /><br />Jen suggested that a good vegetarian filling would be easy to make but gave no recipe, just saying that the veggies would need to be of uniform shape and stick together.<br /><br />So... I modified the pork recipe by trying to roughly substitute the same amount of stir-fryable vegetables.<br /><br />Hang on - last minute edit... I got spanked for not giving a shout out to the peeps that consulted, tasted, rolled filled, and ate - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArZxLj6DLk">Ciaran the Rhymenocerous and Jen the Hiphopopotamus</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Vegan Spring Veggie Potsticker Filling</span><br /><ul><li>3 carrots, grated</li><li>3 medium turnips, grated</li><li>1/4 c. ginger, minced</li><li>1 clove garlic, minced</li><li>2 spring onions, minced</li><li>6 leaves mustard greens, other strong green, or cabbage, minced</li><li>large handful cilantro, minced</li><li>3 Tbs. soy sauce</li><li>2 Tbs. sesame oil</li><li>1 Tbs. wine rice vinegar</li><li>2 Tbs. all-purpose flour<br /></li></ul>Create dumpling dough according to the <a href="http://userealbutter.com/2009/06/14/chive-dumplings-recipe/">following recipe</a>, let rest. Create the filling by mixing together all ingredients listed above. When making the dumplings, use a spoon to scoop filling, pressing filling against side of bowl to drain excess liquid. After filling all the dumplings, you'll have a lot of extra liquid. Use this to create a dipping sauce by adding a few drops of mustard and a little chili paste or cayenne pepper.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AyA2jQOuN4xHbRS-FOCIcBJuvTgY08yzICIICCdnr9bLOM-m8M8Bw1e87K5SNVESUiIos5Hq3uro_1KjnlQij0_5Hf0jqQGapGM5y2ZhM-JC2UDg_CUewlhLnfTKPs4ichEKL-jCh7qL/s1600-h/Picture+327.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AyA2jQOuN4xHbRS-FOCIcBJuvTgY08yzICIICCdnr9bLOM-m8M8Bw1e87K5SNVESUiIos5Hq3uro_1KjnlQij0_5Hf0jqQGapGM5y2ZhM-JC2UDg_CUewlhLnfTKPs4ichEKL-jCh7qL/s400/Picture+327.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347770725891991474" border="0" /></a>boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-44575550779947048492009-06-07T19:53:00.000-07:002009-06-07T21:20:18.564-07:00How Many Cookbooks is Too Many?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNieR34IYAFuRGnhJZDIW-yV-WmyK6CQ73d6QEpxYg35z3I-BQwJVyRWEl_gjmN_dsCNHh9628Nur8b5JXUhEvjRFgu5bOIBOogWrxMmMotnR8SQzxmR3M7ZyS11kPpEkYJzAOLuLsXeh2/s1600-h/Picture+292.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNieR34IYAFuRGnhJZDIW-yV-WmyK6CQ73d6QEpxYg35z3I-BQwJVyRWEl_gjmN_dsCNHh9628Nur8b5JXUhEvjRFgu5bOIBOogWrxMmMotnR8SQzxmR3M7ZyS11kPpEkYJzAOLuLsXeh2/s320/Picture+292.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344805290615549538" border="0" /></a><br />I believe there comes a time in life when every adult begins to question how much stuff is really necessary for leading a happy life. Obviously you need basic food and shelter, and I'm fortunate enough to have that. I remember a time when that was all I thought I needed. Then you graduate college, get a job, start getting paychecks, and start buying stuff. Car, nicer clothes, house, Kichen Aide mixer (ahhh!). And that's great. But then you hit a point in your life when you start to think about the bigger picture (college education for your son, retirement, paying off your house, traveling, starting your fantasy bakery/vegetarian catering business), and all of the material things seem, well, immaterial. And that's where my family is.<br /><br />Which is great. Life seems simpler. We're saving money, thinking about the future. And I don't miss the things that used to seem so essential.<br /><br />Except for one thing - cookbooks. I did pretty well for a while. I think I went almost a year without buying a new one. But recently I'm having a bit of a relapse. For Mother's Day, my husband bought me one I'd been resisting for months (Alice Water's Chez Panisse Vegetables). I figured I probably deserved a little Mother's Day present to myself, so I also bought Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian the same day (awesome). I thought that had done it.<br /><br />Every time I think I've got enough books, the worst happens, I go to someones house and just happen to see a great looking book lying around in their kitchen. This book is just a little different, has something I haven't quite seen before, and fills me with a yearning that I thought I was over.<br /><br />How bad is the problem? I've got 39 cookbooks total.<br /><ul><li>Purchased: 18. Ok, maybe 7 of these don't count. They are 7 of a 12 volume Woman's Day series published in 1966 (missing volumes 1, 6, 7, 10, and 11). </li><li>Gifts: 15. My family is well aware of, and exploits, my addiction.</li><li>Borrowed: 2</li><li>Hand me Downs: 2</li><li>No Idea: 1</li><li>Loaned out: 1 (I never forget)</li></ul><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwdsTyJmyECfREWCw-bSSeS8L7Kl9iR26QNcjaxkvoOVjABZxs9Y5rVJrReK0QkkZvS1C5rvrwp-XX1_n8m1uIcHGDgVOQTE58YXBVEcszwH7OjzeuY1u_zs8_D3DHxFwgQKyK-8IHmo4/s1600-h/Picture+296.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwdsTyJmyECfREWCw-bSSeS8L7Kl9iR26QNcjaxkvoOVjABZxs9Y5rVJrReK0QkkZvS1C5rvrwp-XX1_n8m1uIcHGDgVOQTE58YXBVEcszwH7OjzeuY1u_zs8_D3DHxFwgQKyK-8IHmo4/s200/Picture+296.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344805879033657778" border="0" /></a>Which are my favorites? These are books that make me well up with emotion. If I could only take you by the shoulders, look you in the eye, and passionately tell you about the change in my life brought about by these books. Ahhh, but instead, a list will have to do, in chronological order of impact on my life (anyone seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQvOnDlql5g">High Fidelity</a>? )<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Chef-Jamie-Oliver/dp/1401308236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244432031&sr=8-1">The Naked Chef</a>, Jamie Oliver</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Days-Naked-Jamie-Oliver/dp/078686852X/ref=pd_sim_b_5">Happy Days with the Naked Chef</a> (my sister waited in line to get this signed by Jamie for me)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/1997-Cooking-Marion-Rombauer-Becker/dp/0684818701/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244432131&sr=1-3">The Joy of Cooking</a>, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Rombauer, Irma S. Rombauer</li><li><a href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/write.php">The Omnivore's Dilemma</a> (not a cookbook, but nonetheless a life changing book about food), Michael Pollan</li><li><a href="http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgcpbook.html">The Art of Simple Food</a>, Alice Waters</li><li><a href="http://cookingisfun.ie/pages/cookery_books/">The Ballymaloe Cookery Course</a>, Darina Allen</li><li><a href="http://www.markbittman.com/books">How to Cook Everything Vegetarian</a>, Mark Bittman</li></ul><br />Am I done? I should be. But there are just a few more. I'm sure that once I get these six, I'll definitely, absolutely, certainly be done.<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes/dp/0471168572/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244432491&sr=8-8">Bread</a>, Jeffrey Hamelman (Could it take my bread to the next level?)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Art-French-Cooking-Fortieth/dp/0375413405/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244432843&sr=8-1">Mastering the Art of French Cooking</a>, Julia Child, Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle (Classic, I'm reading My Life in France, so inspiring)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Mediterranean-Diet-Cookbook-Alternative/dp/0553385097/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244433012&sr=1-3">The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook</a>, Nancy Harmon Jenkins (the casually placed book that sucked me in today)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Cookbook-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081304/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244433229&sr=8-1">The New Moosewood Cookbook</a>, Mollie Katzen (the classic vegetarian cookbook)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Cooking-Everyone-Deborah-Madison/dp/0767927478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244433398&sr=8-1">Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone</a>, Deborah Madison (strongly recommended from two respected sources!)</li><li><a href="http://www.zunicafe.com/cookbook.html">The Zuni Cafe Cookbook</a>, Judy Rodgers (I simply have to know what all the fuss is about)</li></ul>boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-20244551736996924582009-05-28T19:36:00.000-07:002009-05-28T20:21:33.225-07:00Crispy, Delicate Apple Strudel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegkjMRIhoJDtp0YvzdZthXohtW8e3m3abt136deznBNHdgRwsXjlk50pzYwNQNoJ780SpDMXnAph7eYL6aiE-8i89G-pzHwXvCb2vj4mZtpF1epgrnxEUwh7Dp6GpByI_HA0CKSLZhcXX/s1600-h/Picture+283.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegkjMRIhoJDtp0YvzdZthXohtW8e3m3abt136deznBNHdgRwsXjlk50pzYwNQNoJ780SpDMXnAph7eYL6aiE-8i89G-pzHwXvCb2vj4mZtpF1epgrnxEUwh7Dp6GpByI_HA0CKSLZhcXX/s400/Picture+283.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341080153908355778" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The May <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers</a>’ challenge was hosted by Linda of <a href="http://linda.kovacevic.nl/archives/291-Daring-Bakers-Apple-strudel.html">make life sweeter!</a> and Courtney of <a href="http://cococooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/daring-bakers-make-strudel-apple.html">Coco Cooks</a>. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.<br /><br />When I first read the challenge, I couldn't actually remember what a strudel was. Apparently, it consists of a gently spiced apple and raisin filling, rolled in a crispy, flaky dough. As I read further, I thought, "this really IS daring." Instructions like "gently stretch and pull the dough", it "will become too large to hold", and "stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long, it will be tissue thin by this time" were beginning to worry me. Anyone that remembers my many <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/02/pie-escapes-me.html">unsuccessful attempts at pie crust</a> probably knows why - a Daring Baker I may be, but a gentle, delicate baker, I am not.<br /><br />Well, I guess this must have been beginner's luck ... I found the instructions and tips provided by the hosts to be spot on. I had no trouble stretching the dough, and the final product was so thin you could see through it.<br /><br />This dough seems completely foolproof. It was malleable, elastic and smooth. I can't remember exactly how I did it, and hey, anyone up for some fun should try it out for themselves anyway. All I can say was that it was incredible to work with. I stretched it over my arms, over a counter, moved it around on the sheet I used to cover the counter, lifted, pulled, dangled, swung, and coaxed this dough. It was tactile, experimental but ultimately easy and successful. Like play-dough for food snobs!<br /><br />And the result was delicious. I simply can't believe such a flaky, buttery dough can be made by hand. Oh yea, the apples inside were pretty good too. For the full recipe, check out either Linda or Courtney's blog above.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyMHKyGKn8HZWFBcF-k-nVSCvy267xNt2kQTCciHSoJu0na2DWSQ9qZ-xZBqi5RHIOqvs3gJPFX3tSHY56bCz903A-bv_a2tLabPe4mH4-Jp1Kgh4RxDICfAacOIom7blhnh0X7ikZzAJ/s1600-h/Picture+274.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyMHKyGKn8HZWFBcF-k-nVSCvy267xNt2kQTCciHSoJu0na2DWSQ9qZ-xZBqi5RHIOqvs3gJPFX3tSHY56bCz903A-bv_a2tLabPe4mH4-Jp1Kgh4RxDICfAacOIom7blhnh0X7ikZzAJ/s320/Picture+274.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341079800952447026" border="0" /></a>boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-54620068897725247892009-05-22T20:22:00.000-07:002009-05-22T20:47:55.404-07:00Who the heck is Sandra Lee?So I know it's been a while since I've posted. I've been having writer's block and ok, I guess I have no other excuse. I'm on a short trip to New York with my family for the holiday weekend. JetBlue actually isn't too bad: free DirectTV, most of which I watched without headphones. One Hit Wonders of the 80's on VH1 Classic, that takes me back. Ok, I'll confess that for most of that one, my husband loaned me his headphones. But before that I watched a show, soundless, on the Food Network, that I've never had the privilege of seeing before. I hope that it was the lack of sound, but I fear not. This may be the most revolting show I've ever seen:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/semi-homemade-cooking-with-sandra-lee/index.html">Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee</a><br /><br />At first I didn't notice the "Semi" in front of the name, but as I watched her roll up slices of bologne and shove them into a pile of pre-washed, pre-cut iceburg lettuce, it began to dawn on me. The premise of the show seems to be to buy some packaged stuff at the supermarket, slightly rearrange it on a pretty mint colored platter (hopefully it matches your sweater as hers did) and serve it to your helpless guests. I looked for a link online to this innovative presentation of <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/antipasti-recipe/index.html">antipasti</a>. Although, I couldn't find a link to the video, I did find the recipe, and on the way I found another masterpiece...<br /><br />A summary... Buy chocolate frosting in a can, mix in some powdered sugar, dump spoonfuls of it on a plate, stick it in the fridge and serve this as, you guessed it, <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/chocolate-truffles/1571.html">chocolate truffles</a>. I'll bet you've never had truffles quite like these.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-45718954174931583132009-05-15T13:34:00.000-07:002009-05-16T21:15:44.521-07:00Fresh Ricotta Gnocchi with Arugula, Pine Nuts and Basil<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_1bozeZUS3oGR0HszQ9XNdZfFXUcn2aIBvRqm1GbjL8Q0H9sMPlt2i605EG67ojIz0YUEK6vwLoMmm7piCmP3zSNidtbicgQmytxuLB876JjNwL1xjdUe8wja4ipvs_czCpMLCwYoxp8/s1600-h/Picture+262.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_1bozeZUS3oGR0HszQ9XNdZfFXUcn2aIBvRqm1GbjL8Q0H9sMPlt2i605EG67ojIz0YUEK6vwLoMmm7piCmP3zSNidtbicgQmytxuLB876JjNwL1xjdUe8wja4ipvs_czCpMLCwYoxp8/s400/Picture+262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336639570555485346" border="0" /></a><br />Am I both a daring baker and a daring cook? A few week's ago, I participated in my first <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers</a> challenge by making <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/04/almond-biscotti-and-hazelnut-cheesecake.html">Almond Biscotti and Hazelnut Cheesecake</a>. This month was the inaugural challenge for the new group Daring Cooks. Hosted by Lis and Ivonne, the challenge was to make Ricotta Gnocchi as described in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393020436/ref=s9_sims_gw_s1_p14_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0X6V0JME86WMSMGEW1GB&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938131&pf_rd_i=507846">The Zuni Cafe Cookbook</a>.<br /><br />A quick digression - some of you may be wondering why I do posts on baking and cooking challenges and what these are. They are typically kicked off with a challenge set by a host. The participants then virtually cook (or bake) together by trying the challenge in their own kitchens, spread all over the world, and then blogging about it, although you don't have to be a blogger to take part. At the end of the challenge period, the host will usually post a round up of pictures and links to all of the completed dishes. So why have I been doing these? To meet people by joining in the world community of home cooks, to learn by trying dishes I wouldn't usually make, and to spread the word about my blog, which I hope provides interesting information to people wishing to cook and eat simply, nutritiously and sustainably (just in case you forgot)!<br /><br />Ok, so back to it. What the heck is ricotta gnocchi? I was sceptical when I initially read the recipe as it sounded like nothing more than shaped and boiled ricotta cheese. Bland tasting at best, completely disastrous at worst. I've had a cheese gnocchi disaster before. We ended up eating a pile of cheese for dinner. Or at least, two bites of one.<br /><br />Even worse, I was having friends over for dinner on the only night I could make it. I decided to go for it anyway and serve it as a starter - who really cares about starters anyway?<br /><br />Well, I was pleasantly surprised by both the process and the outcome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIb7w34LFt-0NiGgjPWzaVLKPKP8h3Ffugs6L-gX0EwggI_95HTCKqZWBCQCKG0ARQCYXO0s72k_CJqW7AuLZjsogWMOQR3-Y_ltgahhxH3Jf_UkS-zC-iIUQ28OCzlpVZaBijIl-ySQI/s1600-h/Picture+249.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIb7w34LFt-0NiGgjPWzaVLKPKP8h3Ffugs6L-gX0EwggI_95HTCKqZWBCQCKG0ARQCYXO0s72k_CJqW7AuLZjsogWMOQR3-Y_ltgahhxH3Jf_UkS-zC-iIUQ28OCzlpVZaBijIl-ySQI/s200/Picture+249.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336640499369643330" border="0" /></a>First, I made my own ricotta the night before, which was fun and interesting. In a nutshell, (ok, actually in a pan, not a nutshell) you bring a mixture of whole milk, cream and salt to a simmer. Then add in lemon juice. Briefly stir, let simmer a minute, stir again, let sit a minute, stir again, and then strain through cheesecloth for an hour at room temperature. The result was beautiful. This cheese looked delicate, soft and fresh: much different than the mushy, wet look of store bought ricotta.<br /><br />Having been forewarned that the ricotta for the gnocchi must be completely drained for about a day, I was careful to give the cheese plenty of room to drain. Rather than using a colander, I spread the cheese in a thin layer over cheesecloth (an old t-shirt actually), put this over a flat splatter guard, and set this over a plate. I folded the t-shirt up over the cheese to protect it from completely drying out. I let the cheese drain over the plate in the fridge overnight. the next day I had my results - the ricotta was dry, but not dried out, and very easy to shape.<br /><br />To dress and serve it, I thought the cheese flavor and texture would be nicely offset by fresh, crisp flavors. In keeping with my spring mood, I decided to use lemon zest as the primary flavor in the gnocchi and then complimented this with flavors traditionally used with lemon zest: arugula, pine nuts and basil. Kind of a deconstructed pesto.<br /><br />The result was fabulous. The gnocchi was completely different than anything I've had before. It was like an ultralight, fluffy, fragrant omelet or souffle, with just a hint of lemon. Serving it on a bed of greens provided a textural contrast that prevented the flavor from becoming repetitive. The nuts, basil and a drizzle of olive oil rounded out the flavors.<br /><br />This is a dish I will make again, especially for a dinner party. With a bit of planning, the whole dish can be prepared ahead of time up to the last cooking step, which only takes a few minutes. It is a substantial and delicious starter, with a uniqueness that makes for interesting conversation.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fresh Ricotta Gnocchi with Arugula, Pine Nuts and Basil</span><br /><br />Makes 40 gnocchi, serves 4-6 entrees or 8 generous starter portions<br /><br />Fresh Ricotta<br /><ul><li>2 qt. (1/2 gallon, 1.9 l) whole milk</li><li>1 c. (237 ml) whole cream</li><li>1/2 tsp. sea salt</li><li>3 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice</li></ul><br />Gnocchi<br /><ul><li>1 lb (2 cups, 454 grams) ricotta</li><li>2 large eggs</li><li>1 Tbs (1/2 oz) butter</li><li>1/2 tsp fine lemon zest</li><li>1/2 oz (1/4 c lightly packed) grated Parmigiano Reggiano</li><li>1/4 tsp sea salt</li><li>all-purpose flour for shaping</li></ul>Final Touches<br /><ul><li>arugula, 1 handful per person (approx. 1/4 lb)</li><li>1/2 tsp fine lemon zest</li><li>1/4 c pine nuts</li><li>2 Tbs basil, finely sliced</li><li>lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste<br /></li></ul><ol><li>The night before, if making fresh ricotta follow<a href="http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/04/06/fresh-homemade-ricotta-step-by-step-so-simple/"> instructions on Eggs on Sunday blog</a>. Whether store-bought or fresh, drain the ricotta as described above.<br /></li><li>Prep your equipment. Spread a plate with half an inch of all-purpose flour. Put a small pan of salted water on to boil to test the first gnocchi. Sprinkle a baking sheet lightly with flour.</li><li>Push the ricotta through a splatter guard or large mesh colander with a wooden spoon (or use a food mill if you have one) to break up any large curds and to lighten the texture of the ricotta.</li><li>Using a spatula, thoroughly mix in the eggs, followed by the lemon zest, salt and Parmesan cheese. The mixture should be light, fluffy and completely uniform.</li><li>Use two tablespoons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y9IDjcAkTCu2mphkCBNPxn8AyQkiinDEJDlgVOYq48qPDK3btJFy2vTrOQv6HvzU-h92OpOXaAGs_Bj0hgLw0pZb7tkPRhmvhRZcVHG4G5FNi4UlqqNAKV-XNX43Tfh5dh9X0mY3fx5u/s1600-h/Picture+252.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y9IDjcAkTCu2mphkCBNPxn8AyQkiinDEJDlgVOYq48qPDK3btJFy2vTrOQv6HvzU-h92OpOXaAGs_Bj0hgLw0pZb7tkPRhmvhRZcVHG4G5FNi4UlqqNAKV-XNX43Tfh5dh9X0mY3fx5u/s320/Picture+252.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336639959577513186" border="0" /></a> (the eating kind, not the measuring kind) to shape the gnocchi. Scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture into one spoon, then remove the excess by scraping the spoon face-down against the edge of the bowl. Using the other spoon, push the dough from the spoon onto the bed of flour. Sprinkle the gnocchi lightly with flour. To perform the final shaping, pick it up with lightly dusted fingers then roll it a little in your palm very gently to close up cracks and smooth edges. This <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDBknelIa8g">video </a>shows how the originals do it at Zuni Cafe.<br /></li><li>To test the first piece, drop it in gently boiling water. From the time it bobs to the surface, cook it for about 4 minutes. It will dramatically puff when it is close to done. Using a slotted spoon, gently lift the gnocchi out of the pan. It's done when it holds it's shape. I was worried about overcooking the gnocchi, thinking that like ravioli it would fall apart if cooked for more than a minute or two. This worked in quite the opposite way, the longer it cooked, the more the egg set the shape. I've read that if the gnocchi still won't hold it's shape, at this point you can add a teaspoon of egg white to the mixture to firm it up.</li><li>Once you've verified that the mixture is correct, shape the rest of the gnocchi. You can add more than one piece to the flour at a time, but be sure not to allow them to touch. After shaping each piece, place on the floured baking sheet.<br /></li><li>Put the baking sheet in the fridge to rest for at least an hour. I rested mine for about 5 hours with no problem. I covered them in plastic wrap for most of this so that they wouldn't get dried and rubbery, removing the covering an hour before cooking so that any condensation could evaporate. Allow the gnocchi to come back to room temperature before cooking.<br /></li><li>Before cooking, prep the rest of the dish. Wash and dry the arugula thoroughly, then dress it in a 1:3 mixture of lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Pile the arugula on individual serving plates. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a small pan on medium low heat for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally to prevent burning.<br /></li><li>Just before serving, cook the gnocchi as described in step 6 in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook in batches with only enough gnocchi to cover the surface of the water in a single layer.</li><li>Drain three or four gnocchi at a time with a slotted spoon, let dry a moment in the spoon and then place gently on the arugula, serving about 5 per person.</li><li>Sprinkle with the lemon zest, pine nuts and basil. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve and sit down to enjoy!<br /></li></ol>boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-76034382752344805802009-05-13T19:57:00.000-07:002009-07-27T19:45:06.713-07:00Updating Risotto with Whole Grains and Spring Veggies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigETho68aBNhTB56LLaWb1AuTJwuNDA8ve4rzkSDH7_BfBwodOyqOJcQenDSRRNDHc_hNMyZse-FDIe-1VAjp_FGF_6nlksABOdVko5k9gLhYODVugcTp7S5jVWKKJbXhEFMPNJSYq3Dzf/s1600-h/Picture+232.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigETho68aBNhTB56LLaWb1AuTJwuNDA8ve4rzkSDH7_BfBwodOyqOJcQenDSRRNDHc_hNMyZse-FDIe-1VAjp_FGF_6nlksABOdVko5k9gLhYODVugcTp7S5jVWKKJbXhEFMPNJSYq3Dzf/s400/Picture+232.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335527710104439490" border="0" /></a><br />In my<a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/05/eating-well-and-vegetarian-in-india.html"> last post,</a> I decided that I was definitely going to branch out from my usual Italian and Irish fare into more diverse, particularly vegetarian, cuisines. Tonight I got the vegetarian part right, not so much the branching out part.<br /><br />After going to the Farmer's Market last weekend, my fridge is filled with spring onions, garlic, leafy greens and beautiful purple and green asparagus. Whenever asparagus comes in season, I'm inspired to make risotto, that oozing, creamy, silky rice dish that lends itself so well to delicate spring vegetables.<br /><br />One thing I don't like about risotto, and the main reason I get sick of it as soon as asparagus goes out of season, is that it consists mainly of starchy white rice which leaves me with a heavy, sluggish feeling.<br /><br />So today, I thought I'd go crazy and try a healthier version using brown rice and pack it with spring veggies. I found myself remembering my <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/02/crunchy-brown-rice-pudding.html">brown rice pudding experiment</a> and thinking that this will be a waste of perfectly good vegetables, but I was not to be deterred. We could always order pizza.<br /><br />The challenge, of course, would be the texture. Risotto is made with very specific types of rice (I usually use arborio) which have a short, plump shape and high starch content. The starch is what creates the oozing texture. The rice is briefly sauteed in a base of fragrant vegetables and olive oil, then cooked slowly by stirring in spoonful after spoonful of stock or water. You're never simmering the rice, but rather stirring the liquid into it, over and over and over. This repeated motion is what draws the starch out of the rice. By the time the rice is cooked through, half of it has dissolved and mixed with the stock to create a thick, flavorful sauce.<br /><br />The problem with brown rice is twofold. First, the cooking time: risotto takes about 40 minutes, which is about 4 times as long as the same rice would take to cook simmering on the stove. Given that brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook (at Boulder altitude), this projects to a cooking time of 3 hours, stirring all the while. Hmmm. No wonder I've never seen a recipe for brown rice risotto.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLKpo9rWUvH8tAq-FIg4zMwPZ2baVmhV6m__VhK7hkPsAdllRnhgmYhBEU17Yn8yEzAuuZ199YRZT7WD0I6DXFF637-KoO0RwzqCw-3SOOWseRlMu0LWjWqKUqjZz8cuuuGOh4UM1xvJc/s1600-h/Picture+230.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLKpo9rWUvH8tAq-FIg4zMwPZ2baVmhV6m__VhK7hkPsAdllRnhgmYhBEU17Yn8yEzAuuZ199YRZT7WD0I6DXFF637-KoO0RwzqCw-3SOOWseRlMu0LWjWqKUqjZz8cuuuGOh4UM1xvJc/s200/Picture+230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335528291622660338" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The second problem is the rice bran. I assume that this coating, which gets polished off to create white rice, will probably be a nice layer of protection for the very starches which I want to release.<br /><br />I decided to ignore the second problem, figuring that if I can at least get the rice to cook, then I'd be left with a soupy stew, which might not taste like risotto, but would be edible.<br /><br />Back to the first problem. I didn't want to parboil the rice, as I was worried that it would get fluffy before it's time, and therefore I'd miss my starch release window. But I couldn't possibly stir it for three hours. Instead I did a combination stir/simmer method. After sauteing the rice and deglazing the pan, I went about making the risotto as usual, adding a spoonful of stock, stirring it in, adding, stirring, and so on. I did this for about 20 minutes. Next I added a few extra spoonfuls of liquid, stuck the lid on and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then I removed the lid and went back to the risotto stirring method for a few minutes. I repeated this process for about an hour.<br /><br />The resulting texture was not quite as silky as white rice risotto, but it was definitely pleasant and unmistakably risotto. In fact, there was one improvement. Risotto is supposed to be cooked just until the rice has a bit of bite left in it, rather than until mushy. The chewiness of the brown rice enhanced the characteristic contrast between the soft texture of the sauce and the al dente bite of the rice.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2A3nS44FucpBaj9IcXn259t9iwCAe0RfzRmD_ZK91xdadj0zh5zmgiL9KUYvnwFrWzTONd1j1IMfCklnk4B9_gu1Nl_akPy3mmzD_QT9SN_c_yTkhyphenhyphenUvYkkgAeisJTuweqE_UucIH3da/s1600-h/Picture+218.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2A3nS44FucpBaj9IcXn259t9iwCAe0RfzRmD_ZK91xdadj0zh5zmgiL9KUYvnwFrWzTONd1j1IMfCklnk4B9_gu1Nl_akPy3mmzD_QT9SN_c_yTkhyphenhyphenUvYkkgAeisJTuweqE_UucIH3da/s200/Picture+218.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335529071197384498" border="0" /></a>One final tip - because this risotto takes much longer to cook than white rice risotto, don't add all of the veggies to the pot at the beginning, or it will end up bland and colorless. Reserve half to add at, or close to, the end. And go crazy with the veggies. I've put the ones that I used here for reference, but this is very specific to produce available in May in Colorado!<br /><br />Here is my heavily modified recipe, adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Chef-Jamie-Oliver/dp/1401308236/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238818780&sr=8-1">The Naked Chef</a>, by (<a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/04/ode-to-jamie.html">my hero</a>, sigh) Jamie Oliver.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Springtime Brown Rice Risotto with Asparagus</span> Serves 4<br /><br /><ul><li>1 Tbs. olive oil</li><li>1 red onion, diced</li><li>5 Egyptian bunching onions (or spring onions)</li><li>4 stalks celery, finely chopped</li><li>1 stalk Elephant garlic (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)</li><li>1/2 lb. asparagus</li><li>1 1/2 c. short grain brown rice</li><li>1/2 c. dry white vermouth</li><li>1 quart low (or no) sodium stock (chicken or vegetable) plus extra water</li><li>4 Tbs. butter, cut into large chunks</li><li>1 large handful grated Parmesan cheese</li><li>1 small handful mint, roughly chopped</li><li>sea salt and fresh ground black pepper<br /></li></ul><br />Cut the elephant garlic into thirds crosswise. Save the end third for making stock another time. Finely slice the remaining green and white parts separately. Repeat with the spring onions.<br /><br />Remove the tough ends from the asparagus by holding both ends and bending until the stalk snaps. Cut the tips from the asparagus. Finely slice the stalks. Blanch the tips for about 30 seconds in rapidly boiling water, then plunge them into ice water to keep them from cooking further. Remove and drain.<br /><br />Ok, prep time is over...now to cook the risotto!<br /><br />Heat the olive oil to medium/medium low in a large pan. Add the red onion, white part of the spring onions, the celery, and a large pinch of salt. Sweat them without coloring for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the white part of the garlic and cook for another two minutes.<br /><br />Turn the heat up a bit, then add the rice. Stir it continuously, so as not to color. After a few minutes, it will look translucent. In a dramatic splash, add the vermouth (see my <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/03/endless-value-of-vermouth.html">previous post</a> on how much fun this is), stirring to dissolve all of the delicious vegetable residue from the bottom of the pan.<br /><br />Once the vermouth is cooked into the rice, add the first spoonful of stock, the sliced asparagus stalks and a pinch of salt. Continue to cook for about an hour using the stir/simmer technique described above. Also, check for seasoning periodically, adding salt and pepper to taste.<br /><br />When the rice is soft with a slight bite remaining, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter, cheese, green ends of the onions and garlic, the asparagus tips and the mint. Be conservative with the mint - you want just a hint. Leave covered to rest for about five minutes.<br /><br />Finally, check the texture, adding a little more liquid if necessary, and seasoning. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan and a little more mint. Goes well with a crisp green salad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCZa89Org0LeO8IGjEyNoZ3RjUmBsLJw5JHPKjYNQm5vfjxH4UVayd8i69zxVMo0TOeMU1T2NeqPtJDAlsTz5B_aHJwjVktJid_nNJJ6PBPoxtLtkMk95GSkxj73EhUYGqqpW-l43_GdG/s1600-h/Picture+225.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCZa89Org0LeO8IGjEyNoZ3RjUmBsLJw5JHPKjYNQm5vfjxH4UVayd8i69zxVMo0TOeMU1T2NeqPtJDAlsTz5B_aHJwjVktJid_nNJJ6PBPoxtLtkMk95GSkxj73EhUYGqqpW-l43_GdG/s400/Picture+225.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335527711260739458" border="0" /></a>boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-43759181114636255082009-05-12T20:04:00.000-07:002009-05-12T20:54:52.491-07:00Eating Well (and Vegetarian?) in India (Part II)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuhvs-lfr-6pp0U7htEpAwU3ooRlL_BxepjIgJ4nZdiXApVl0M9Y3yfwibeArcApeUTgA6wMi5wM7_3WhII9jnL-Y2YJIqitAdfrRxv4prmV6CnGT1ObwZdd2W1-KKUcJbamompCzyBN5/s1600-h/Picture+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuhvs-lfr-6pp0U7htEpAwU3ooRlL_BxepjIgJ4nZdiXApVl0M9Y3yfwibeArcApeUTgA6wMi5wM7_3WhII9jnL-Y2YJIqitAdfrRxv4prmV6CnGT1ObwZdd2W1-KKUcJbamompCzyBN5/s320/Picture+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335150010340786866" border="0" /></a><br />As promised in my <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/05/eating-well-in-india.html">last post</a>, I'd like to do a roundup of my favorite dishes from my recent trip to Pune, in Maharashtra, India.<br /><br />First and foremost, the sheer selection of vegetarian dishes was incredible. As I've said before, I've struggled with the question of whether to go veg for quite a while, and I pretty much don't eat meat in public anymore unless I know exactly how it was raised. But it is not very easy to eat well and avoid meat here. In recent years, I had thought that eating vegetarian had become easy, especially in Boulder, until I started actually trying to do it. Unless you have an infinite tolerance for cheese quesadillas and iceberg lettuce salads, there isn't much to offer in restaurants. And eating in my house isn't any better. I run out of ideas after about 2 meat free meals per week.<br /><br />In Pune, it seemed to me that you could eat vegetarian every day for a year and try a different vegetable based dish every day. You definitely don't feel like you're missing out.<br /><br />A few of my favorites (please forgive my lack of proper names) -<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwIq9dpQqfeO3Dm5MC1_q_m1JESNsDDA9G6QXS7oMk6_wQWNcfoFF6byJ9OCXCBTBljzhL9YcI26YY6As4k0QWm14v8P1pVAe9F6AbaWCg25wAo40of1xf-sn5Vefvj5oIb80xYjUjckc/s1600-h/Picture+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwIq9dpQqfeO3Dm5MC1_q_m1JESNsDDA9G6QXS7oMk6_wQWNcfoFF6byJ9OCXCBTBljzhL9YcI26YY6As4k0QWm14v8P1pVAe9F6AbaWCg25wAo40of1xf-sn5Vefvj5oIb80xYjUjckc/s200/Picture+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335149095079385634" border="0" /></a>Dal - a soup of yellow lentils that seems to be eaten with most meals. It is significantly better than dal that you get in restaurants here. I am on record as hating lentil soup, and I really liked this.<br /><br />Okra - a dish of sliced okra, rubbed in some spice and either sauteed or deep fried (I couldn't tell) was juicy, crispy, spicy, sweet and pungent all at once.<br /><br />Paneer - I tried lots of different curries with paneer (a dry, pressed cottage cheese that has a similar texture to firm tofu). My absolute favorite was one made with coconut milk, spices and almonds. I've never had almonds in a curry before, and now I'm wondering why.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsJbgwPEp1AEE8jiqr60mMMokdZw7MeV0ZvFQUzWtcO1tzbgWJnzbkF3PwiKHuQEw8GsFc9COJwn1_VsBQmS0A7xeYAx0yeF-9muUoSHD5R5DrFO0sLCT5StCZjL9P3iwH9s_zbEkL2xF/s1600-h/Picture+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsJbgwPEp1AEE8jiqr60mMMokdZw7MeV0ZvFQUzWtcO1tzbgWJnzbkF3PwiKHuQEw8GsFc9COJwn1_VsBQmS0A7xeYAx0yeF-9muUoSHD5R5DrFO0sLCT5StCZjL9P3iwH9s_zbEkL2xF/s200/Picture+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335149426403097858" border="0" /></a>A few observations about grains... given my love of whole wheat bread, I was pleasantly surprised to find that whole wheat flat breads (called roti, I think) were served with all the meals I had. My hotel served breakfast of a flat whole wheat bread, almost like a thicker tortilla, stuffed with a filling which changed each day, from spinach to potato to cauliflower. Tasty, healthy and filling ... this is how I like to start my day.<br /><br />Not so with the rice though. I didn't come across any brown rice, although white rice was served with every meal.<br /><br />Finally, after my (attempt at humorous) rant last time about there being no desserts in India, I'll take that back and say that I did have some great desserts, although I was sorely missing a good flaky pastry.<br /><br />Those doughy balls swimming in sugar syrup that you get in every Indian lunch buffet here? I definitely did not expect to ever like these. They actually have a name (Galub Jamun) and they are actually really, really good. Kind of like a denser, more fragrant version of tiramisu without the marscapone or alcohol.<br /><br />And my favorite dessert was homemade - a cross between rice pudding, with some spices and grated carrot mixed in. It was delicate and refreshing.<br /><br />I came away feeling inspired to stray from my typical European cooking style (Italian in summer, Irish in winter!) to experiment with more vegetable-centric cuisines. Any cookbook recommendations out there??<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHG_O4xKsBkY8jI4hWoxhSUXBSXpsEOlwjnkJjIUAFcXdItOd_IAdTOo3WCxLObVzpqnzR6LpHxC7DQECZdBvkRy675vM0G-OWCPDEeKgUvVM8zSQinR2RZmCDKnXL1qsuHiDouItsMU-/s1600-h/Picture+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHG_O4xKsBkY8jI4hWoxhSUXBSXpsEOlwjnkJjIUAFcXdItOd_IAdTOo3WCxLObVzpqnzR6LpHxC7DQECZdBvkRy675vM0G-OWCPDEeKgUvVM8zSQinR2RZmCDKnXL1qsuHiDouItsMU-/s320/Picture+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335150013908353314" border="0" /></a>boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-88141764624436221332009-05-09T19:24:00.000-07:002009-05-10T12:35:42.047-07:00Eating Well in India<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKss7RzfGuyHgRPI7do4_DZ4KnbTcVesr7xy_ucEPy_oWv63fJ1PwVjWoQ-8PfwqMUHfs3B773FH3zca5PeNE21xRWQOXZlzzuDp8a_LMnDOZsrO6eW4-hKwoAbcr8GT5XkDzodPJ5_pUT/s1600-h/Picture+067.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKss7RzfGuyHgRPI7do4_DZ4KnbTcVesr7xy_ucEPy_oWv63fJ1PwVjWoQ-8PfwqMUHfs3B773FH3zca5PeNE21xRWQOXZlzzuDp8a_LMnDOZsrO6eW4-hKwoAbcr8GT5XkDzodPJ5_pUT/s320/Picture+067.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334280694603877602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm back - just returned from a work trip to Pune, India. I'm still completely exhausted with jet lag but wanted to update before my memory fades. I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this trip. I've heard from my co-workers and other friends who've been there about the infamous heat, traffic, water induced sickness, and culture shock upon seeing some of the poorer areas, so I was prepared to be overwhelmed.<br /><br />I will admit that I was too busy to get out and see much, so I won't pretend to be an expert on life in Pune. But what I did see I found completely alive and invigorating, especially in comparison to my scenic, but almost sleepy, home in Boulder.<br /><br />Like many cities, Pune seems like a big jumbled up mess of contrasts. The outskirts are comprised of a giant, very modern, hi-tech park which houses a large percentage of India's IT sector, military bases, mixed in with small, rural villages that have been absorbed into the growing city. I saw a few different areas in the center of the city - one part still had that village feeling but there were high-rise apartment buildings right smack in the middle of it, and pigs, yes pigs, walking down the street. Another downtown sector located near a number of universities seemed cosmopolitan and modern, more similar to a South American city than to it's own outskirts.<br /><br />Wait, wait, wait ... is this a travel blog or a food blog? That's right, it's food. So what about the food? In my next post, I'll talk about my favorite specific dishes ... before that I'd like to discuss a few interesting things I noticed about eating customs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu55etk3MDkn0Cex4JJorDBiBWn60NpffOEwcwWafYd6o5_2oP_qF5vsZT3bLsEFTj1Ctw0kA78pMLdnP_qttQ60dxHQIr1OW0iwxPOO4ddzT6IOBtdgy0cJOmjKYW9aUIMVLPNHQfep53/s1600-h/Picture+031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu55etk3MDkn0Cex4JJorDBiBWn60NpffOEwcwWafYd6o5_2oP_qF5vsZT3bLsEFTj1Ctw0kA78pMLdnP_qttQ60dxHQIr1OW0iwxPOO4ddzT6IOBtdgy0cJOmjKYW9aUIMVLPNHQfep53/s200/Picture+031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334280389597215506" border="0" /></a>This may be a reflection of the fact that I mostly ate out, but I noticed that meals consist of small portions of three or four different dishes rather than one large entree. For instance, at one meal, about eight of us ordered four different dishes. The waiter served each of us a bit of each, occasionally refilling empty portions. I found this nice for two reasons. First, it was more social for everybody to taste and discuss the food together. Second, it was a nice way of eating just the right amount. In American restaurants, I usually find the portions to be just a little too big, so I overeat because I do not like to leave uneaten food on my plate.<br /><br />I will mention one definite downside - people don't seem to eat much dessert, and what they do eat seems almost healthy, like rice pudding. No chocolate, no cake, no pastries. Geez, the only reason I eat out is so that I can get through dinner to try some new exotic dessert that I don't know how to make at home. In fact, people there tend to avoid many vices common to the American diet, specifically meat, alcohol, and obviously dessert. Perhaps I can understand the avoidance of meat, I struggle with this question myself. Avoiding alcohol I understand less. But dessert? This is a serious cultural shortcoming... life without the occasional well-made pain au chocolate is like life without, umm, life. Although I have noticed that people tend to be a little thinner there. Hmmm....<br /><br />Finally, my traveling companion and I were treated with incredible generosity, especially with respect to meals. We were invited out for wonderful dinners, including one where we sampled local wine from India's budding wine industry, invited to one family's home for a delicious homemade dinner, and one gentleman even changed important family plans to include us and everyone from the office in these plans. Again, perhaps this was just my specific experience and not an actual cultural difference, but I do have a feeling that Americans are not quite as sociable as some other nationalities. If I compare how we were hosted by our co-workers in India to how we host them when they come to visit, we homebody Americans may suffer in the comparison.<br /><br />Ok, so you might be getting the feeling that I liked it there. I did. Despite the traffic, which is quite entertaining to the visitor, probably not so entertaining to the daily commuter. It wasn't that hot while I was there. I managed to avoid the water (lips pressed tightly shut in the shower), so I didn't get sick. And I didn't venture far, so wouldn't say I saw a wide cross section of people. Given all of these caveats, I definitely enjoyed the trip.<br /><br />Check in a few days to see some pictures and descriptions of interesting dishes I tried...boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-34757355266372469022009-05-02T11:44:00.000-07:002009-05-02T11:46:14.079-07:00Check Back SoonI'm going on hiatus for a week. I'll try to post while I'm away, but if not, please check back in a week for a first-hand report on food in INDIA!!!!boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-36408588723372903682009-04-29T20:01:00.000-07:002009-04-29T21:14:47.986-07:00Henpecked? Ouch (Windsor Dairy Pt. 2)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgINgO4oW2pysqgq80-RytzOibvoN7vHezrQujRFeAZz_u1wW4-V4XlkNlizHY6afcK24LLx-kpf1U-C6WPlflIZVp258aNv3eZHPZdu2yNEPSQQhSG4nbPDLxzQLwKcztY96IwKddSv1L/s1600-h/DSCN1020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgINgO4oW2pysqgq80-RytzOibvoN7vHezrQujRFeAZz_u1wW4-V4XlkNlizHY6afcK24LLx-kpf1U-C6WPlflIZVp258aNv3eZHPZdu2yNEPSQQhSG4nbPDLxzQLwKcztY96IwKddSv1L/s320/DSCN1020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330328260451960626" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/2009/04/open-access-at-windsor-dairy.html">Last weekend I mentioned</a> that we went to check out the raw milk <a href="http://www.windsordairy.com/">Windsor Dairy</a>. I didn't go into much depth because there was so much to talk about, I had to control myself and ration it out. This installment? CHICKENS!!!<br /><br />Why am I devoting yet another blog post to chickens? (see my previous <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/search/label/eggs">series on free range chickens</a>) I'll just come out and say it ... because they are really weird.<br /><br />Ok, as I've confessed, I'm a hard-core offspring of suburbia. I have seen maybe a handful of chickens in my life. I've eaten a lot but haven't actually seen them in their feathers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMQbUQe0ISglM-Mbz14bmBL5ygJBRmWPHkq20DC9NLLjHP3eb-SUJKYVrDbwO0hW01q68M7NP_Ya_YHhmVP4fcwKhDdDXM441Nt_g2YIdRhyphenhyphenv61PonGEhRxKdVzfc4YBugXcjQgur0Bjf/s1600-h/DSCN1016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMQbUQe0ISglM-Mbz14bmBL5ygJBRmWPHkq20DC9NLLjHP3eb-SUJKYVrDbwO0hW01q68M7NP_Ya_YHhmVP4fcwKhDdDXM441Nt_g2YIdRhyphenhyphenv61PonGEhRxKdVzfc4YBugXcjQgur0Bjf/s200/DSCN1016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330327951137146626" border="0" /></a>Windsor Dairy has a few thousand chickens, most of which are wandering around. Around the parking lot, around the road, around my car, chasing my baby, chasing the dog, being chased by the dog. You get the idea, they were everywhere.<br /><br />The dairy only just started raising chickens recently. They were setting themselves up for raising a much smaller number of two breeds, one egg-laying hen breed and one breed of roasters, when another organic farm turned down an order of 1600 hen chicks. They decided to accept the chicks, leaving them with a serious housing problem.<br /><br />Ultimately, all of the chickens will be not just free-range but pastured. They will live in portable chicken coops, currently being built, which will be rotated onto pastures recently grazed by cows so that they can clean the field of bugs (attracted by the cow manure) and fertilize the field by scratching the cow and their own manure into the ground. Some time later, the fertilized soil will be covered in new grass, ready for more hungry cows.<br /><br />Not only will the chickens be providing free labor in the fields, but their eggs and meat will be rich and delicious because their current diet of organic feed will be supplemented heavily by grass and live bugs.<br /><br />But the chickens aren't quite on the road yet because they need some free-range education.<br /><br />Apparently, chickens don't automatically know that they need to go back into their coops at night (and if they don't, they're chances of survival are not good). Even chickens in pens have trouble finding their way back at first.<br /><br />So how are they trained? Initially, they are raised to a certain size in a closed, heated coop. After a little while, they're released into a pen. Later they're released into a larger enclosure, and finally released out onto the farm. The dairy hasn't tried actually moving the coops from field to field yet, but I have a feeling the chickens might be running around like chickens with their heads ... well, you know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzX9fh8ksMo3rz3P3kH-qdfT-u83X3uaNM5StF9NUb5FOpYASt81fsHPT2JDV8w0iq9hyphenhyphenMOcxp7fPKJtNRQK0RnPCjjNH_xNri3gxieosucCEQEsPxdVLIULptt3sbjKn8vjzSQyLIsKU/s1600-h/DSCN1014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzX9fh8ksMo3rz3P3kH-qdfT-u83X3uaNM5StF9NUb5FOpYASt81fsHPT2JDV8w0iq9hyphenhyphenMOcxp7fPKJtNRQK0RnPCjjNH_xNri3gxieosucCEQEsPxdVLIULptt3sbjKn8vjzSQyLIsKU/s200/DSCN1014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330330963117531490" border="0" /></a>When we saw them, the chickens were in various stages of training, some still inside, some in pens, and many more than I can count living out of a trailer and having the run of the whole farm. Not a bad life.<br /><br />All of this doesn't explain why I think they're weird. First, there are just so many of them, everywhere, crowding, strutting, squeezing into small spaces. Check out the picture up top of them pushing each other in and out of the trailer. These were the completely free chickens ... they were doing this by choice!<br /><br />And the way they carry themselves. They're cocky (!), completely oblivious to the much larger size of the people, goats, and cows that they seem to love to annoy.<br /><br />And finally... I had no idea what the term henpecked meant. According to <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henpecked">Webster</a>, it means "to subject (one's husband) to persistent nagging and domination," but I have now seen with my own eyes that it literally means getting pecked by a hen. I would have thought that the life of a rooster in a hen house would be great, but not so. A rooster gets pecked and pecked and pecked, not just by one hen, but by as many as can crowd in close to him. Perhaps the attention is nice, but is it worth the pain?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJumqHsUINdiwRFz7eRQ2wXRxUIYDDfZvmulG48b8YfEbcgbio0IvwducDIDW91zNJPQQdA0C1fmnPRL2KFU184Hm0GE1tajIC_RFy-ng0hPhIYrR1qq32h3_TR9rL28LbJLyFiIKA7vfq/s1600-h/DSCN1031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJumqHsUINdiwRFz7eRQ2wXRxUIYDDfZvmulG48b8YfEbcgbio0IvwducDIDW91zNJPQQdA0C1fmnPRL2KFU184Hm0GE1tajIC_RFy-ng0hPhIYrR1qq32h3_TR9rL28LbJLyFiIKA7vfq/s320/DSCN1031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330327248802641138" border="0" /></a>boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-43859945420688291352009-04-27T19:42:00.000-07:002009-04-27T20:35:40.810-07:00Almond Biscotti and Hazelnut Cheesecake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqXBdEkvKzyoFi3NbG0XxkPYrIicbDG-t1xva6a77Hu2777IemBTNaCl-nlPvbRWZ1ULlAdizVck5egEQfmSj_GFItFO-SZgylxsDEAaVgQIghQEvo1PAqfbqWqpdPaVxnlHa76HCbnpU/s1600-h/Picture+199.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqXBdEkvKzyoFi3NbG0XxkPYrIicbDG-t1xva6a77Hu2777IemBTNaCl-nlPvbRWZ1ULlAdizVck5egEQfmSj_GFItFO-SZgylxsDEAaVgQIghQEvo1PAqfbqWqpdPaVxnlHa76HCbnpU/s320/Picture+199.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329578167680408466" border="0" /></a><br />The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from <a href="http://jennybakes.blogspot.com/2009/04/daring-bakers-challenge-april-2009.html">Jenny Bakes</a>. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.<br /><br />So this month was my first month of joining <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">The Daring Bakers</a> for a worldwide baking experiment. What am I talking about? Each month, a group of daring bakers all cook the same recipe, pre-chosen by one host, on the same day and then write about it. This month's challenge, as I said, was to make cheesecake with your own personal twist ... any variation you could devise.<br /><br />I struggled with this one for a few weeks. I wanted to do something besides the obvious chocolate or berry accompaniments, especially since berries are out of season. I finally settled on a mixed nuts theme.<br /><br />I skipped the graham crackers in the crust (in keeping with my avoidance of processed foods, I can't bring myself to buy one baked good to make another), and instead decided to search for a dry, crispy cookie with a similar texture to a cracker. Turning to one of my favorite cookbooks, I found Anise-Almond Biscotti from Alice Water's <a href="http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgcpbook.html">The Art of Simple Food</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFrPQsR10NysaEvVSBPS_8KwfBuqp6PuJcbHaek6-y669xQUpQ8By6q0fOHscuGQFDXRQUu1ZRbT1XgvofgozQVZ6a1wIQV3JxceoU8_EUrwsRhsIkEps7NqcPx416OVtUMt-uYT5JiPQ/s1600-h/Picture+209.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFrPQsR10NysaEvVSBPS_8KwfBuqp6PuJcbHaek6-y669xQUpQ8By6q0fOHscuGQFDXRQUu1ZRbT1XgvofgozQVZ6a1wIQV3JxceoU8_EUrwsRhsIkEps7NqcPx416OVtUMt-uYT5JiPQ/s200/Picture+209.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329578464666209634" border="0" /></a>Other than the nutty modifications listed below, I followed the recipe exactly.<br /><br />I used a 9" springform pan, and heeding the warnings about leakage from the water bath, I layered the inside of the pan with about 4 layers of aluminum foil.<br /><br />The verdict? The cake was definitely as good as or better than restaurant cheesecake - smooth, creamy and fresh instead of the usual soggy and grainy texture common in so many. The mixed nuts worked well together, and the unsweetened hazelnut topping provided a pleasant contrast to the sweetness of the filling. In the end, it may be a little rich for my tastes, but if it's cheesecake you're after, Abbey's recipe is more fabulous than infamous.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SyInHHCw2FDMaEhwgKSHQdt5qO8pZX8y0p5rH6-gbd5t8oKghCpJkIHwxpqlu6pFppdjutvQ4-koXFLKoCRmmRNTlyntzN9fBP14e7w3y2AqVE7V8Hntm9Ix1g0ovgasW8aCRsqGtCwd/s1600-h/Picture+212.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SyInHHCw2FDMaEhwgKSHQdt5qO8pZX8y0p5rH6-gbd5t8oKghCpJkIHwxpqlu6pFppdjutvQ4-koXFLKoCRmmRNTlyntzN9fBP14e7w3y2AqVE7V8Hntm9Ix1g0ovgasW8aCRsqGtCwd/s200/Picture+212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329579822419588690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;"></strong>The <a href="http://jennybakes.blogspot.com/2009/04/daring-bakers-challenge-april-2009.html">full cheesecake recipe</a> is on <a href="http://jennybakes.blogspot.com/">JennyBakes blog</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />My modifications</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SyInHHCw2FDMaEhwgKSHQdt5qO8pZX8y0p5rH6-gbd5t8oKghCpJkIHwxpqlu6pFppdjutvQ4-koXFLKoCRmmRNTlyntzN9fBP14e7w3y2AqVE7V8Hntm9Ix1g0ovgasW8aCRsqGtCwd/s1600-h/Picture+212.jpg"></a><ol><li>Amaretto is the optional liqueur in the filling.</li><li>Substitute crumbs of Anise-Almond Biscotti for the graham crackers in the filling.</li><li>Top with 1 cup of toasted, coarsely chopped hazelnuts. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes in a 350<sup>0</sup>F oven. Let nuts cool. Rub between two rough towels to remove as much skin as possible (you'll never get it all). Crush the nuts in a large mortar and pestle, chop or pulse in a food processor to get a coarse, irregular mix. Press the nuts into the top of the chilled cheesecake.<br /></li></ol><span style="font-style: italic;">Anise-Almond Biscotti</span> (from Alice Water's <a href="http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgcpbook.html">The Art of Simple Food</a>)<br /><br />*(about 40 cookies - I don't recommend it, but you can halve the recipe if you only want enough for the cheesecake)<br /><ul><li>1 1/2 c. whole almonds</li><li>2 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour</li><li>1 tsp baking powder</li><li>3/4 tsp aniseed</li><li>3 eggs, room temperature</li><li>1 c sugar</li><li>1/4 tsp lemon zest</li></ul>Preheat the oven to 350<sup>0</sup>F.<br /><br />On a baking sheet, toast the almonds in the oven for 5 minutes, let cool and then coarsely chop.<br /><br />Combine in a bowl the flour, baking powder and aniseed.<br /><br />In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until themixture forms a ribbon. Stir in the flour until just incorporated and then gently fold in the almonds.<br /><br />On a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, form the dough into two 3-inch wide loaves, 3 inches apart. Smooth the loaves with damp hands. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Lower oven temp to 300<sup>0</sup>F. Cut the loaves into 1/2 inch thick cookies and place cut side down on 2 baking sheets. Cook for 10 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548889276646901298.post-68627971798696962592009-04-25T20:39:00.000-07:002009-07-27T19:57:41.522-07:00Open Access at Windsor Dairy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocPFAYkh83VeXFUyWNnB0J9yQQ5eY0532d7b3BJKInyG1r6C0FS3p-xypO8SDKRd5ihTLiQkXv_rEwQSFSjKgAhKwU-H54CYAhKsOf3YMQlKHoYGPZVTbmaW05BcmwsUmCfpQgCrXLM0u/s1600-h/DSCN1034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocPFAYkh83VeXFUyWNnB0J9yQQ5eY0532d7b3BJKInyG1r6C0FS3p-xypO8SDKRd5ihTLiQkXv_rEwQSFSjKgAhKwU-H54CYAhKsOf3YMQlKHoYGPZVTbmaW05BcmwsUmCfpQgCrXLM0u/s320/DSCN1034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328862525820279506" border="0" /></a>In a <a href="http://boulderhomecook.blogspot.com/search/label/milk">recent post exploring raw milk</a>, I concluded that because the alleged benefits and safety of raw milk are directly dependent on the living and cleanliness standards of each dairy, one could not safely drink raw milk without seeing first hand the dairy from which the milk is purchased.<br /><br />This gives me a good reason for a field trip. Bonus - my son is currently going through the obligatory animal obsession phase, so he will probably enjoy it too.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.windsordairy.com/">Windsor Dairy</a> is the best known dairy in this area offering raw milk shares*, and conveniently, they also feel pretty strongly that consumers should check out their cows. They require every prospective milk share purchaser to tour the dairy on one of their two weekly tours. So we went, the whole family in tow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOBXsY9VqMS4r9Qa-Ot9KgzYAlt5XN0tUBpCMbKblekAPv-c6wLMnO-vrEnwY-zP50Tg_vyszzj9oaR1ManIqAK2IG1W9meTelK_cYtDD1DD73u8uczLBjo-iSgNoUbRpoiLjeFc3WnZl/s1600-h/DSCN1029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOBXsY9VqMS4r9Qa-Ot9KgzYAlt5XN0tUBpCMbKblekAPv-c6wLMnO-vrEnwY-zP50Tg_vyszzj9oaR1ManIqAK2IG1W9meTelK_cYtDD1DD73u8uczLBjo-iSgNoUbRpoiLjeFc3WnZl/s200/DSCN1029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328863087631299794" border="0" /></a>I had no idea what to expect. Having spent my whole life in the suburbs, I'm not even sure that milk comes from cows; I've never seen a live chicken, and I've certainly never seen a baby goat lying asleep with his head nuzzled in the crook of his front leg.<br /><br />I think I was expecting a big field filled with cows next to an industrial-style milking building, but what I saw was completely surprising.<br /><br />The farm was like a cross between a petting zoo and a bustling animal city: a city with a downtown (the farmhouse, the shop, the milking building, the chicken coops, the "maternity ward" for young cows and goats and their mothers), a diverse population (cows, chickens, goats, a dog, a horse and a few sheep), rush hour (free range chickens EVERYWHERE), and the burbs (200 acres of pasture just starting to green up).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCu21UIzU6_Rj8mK2RFgRfoixo-0wVBDZItfReHj0_8SJAiraDBvkyRONGMhRQVEv5ySjEznymKGhqdBI532di6-rXfRp7WGWo2BtsLjZIwBZmsP2LCeQBzT_mUXajgRm7WcuBBrcOvrG/s1600-h/DSCN1030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCu21UIzU6_Rj8mK2RFgRfoixo-0wVBDZItfReHj0_8SJAiraDBvkyRONGMhRQVEv5ySjEznymKGhqdBI532di6-rXfRp7WGWo2BtsLjZIwBZmsP2LCeQBzT_mUXajgRm7WcuBBrcOvrG/s200/DSCN1030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328863455919689714" border="0" /></a><br />I was stunned at the perfect balance of manic activity with the easy, timeless pace of nature. The frantic pace of the chickens. (they are so weird that they deserve a post of their own). The heart wrenching cuteness of the kids bumping into each other for access to the trough of hay. The black lab chasing terrified chickens. And all the while, the cows just hanging out watching everything, lazily chewing, chewing, chewing their cud.<br /><br />In the coming weeks, I'll do a few more posts, one on chickens, just because they're so fun, and the other on the point of my visit - the cows. But before getting into detail, I'll say that the whole place was wonderful, interesting, natural, clean and totally open. It was much more than I'd been hoping to see.<br /><br />One final note - one of the chicken coops has apparently been taken over by a very exclusive club. See the rules below...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioD2N8juPtSCUQ19TW94SSsazKFKL0Q36-EcFoW6CrqG6Tdzd4hy0bfpGLKReKIVPEGqtYI4ofAKxpwIfA3pRka9Qu8CmtSnNkU3LwX32AtmS3PkqMaWbMgTlgE8ub3_AWRhy_GRyzuA8Z/s1600-h/DSCN1036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioD2N8juPtSCUQ19TW94SSsazKFKL0Q36-EcFoW6CrqG6Tdzd4hy0bfpGLKReKIVPEGqtYI4ofAKxpwIfA3pRka9Qu8CmtSnNkU3LwX32AtmS3PkqMaWbMgTlgE8ub3_AWRhy_GRyzuA8Z/s400/DSCN1036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328865037701653762" border="0" /></a><br /><br />*Colorado is one of many states that prohibits the sale of raw milk. To get around this, raw milk dairies sell shares of cows ... you buy part of a cow for a one-time fee, and then pay a monthly boarding and milking fee to get your milk.boulderhomecookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13124523739407387434noreply@blogger.com1