When The Sauce Is The Star

Supper, Wednesday November 15: pumpkin and nasturtium sauce* over 3 cheese tortellini; multi-grain toast.

This is a good example of experimenting with ingredients on hand. The sauce came about in a "stone soup" fashion. I just kept adding things until I was satisfied with the result.

*Here's kinda how it went. It started with a healthy portion of cooked garden pumpkin and even healthier portion of nasturtium leaves and flowers. I sauteed these together to use later in a sauce because a frost was coming that would kill the nasturtiums. When I finally got to it I added chopped leek, minced shallot, and minced garlic. I sauteed this mix for a bit with some olive oil whilst pondering the rest of the ingredients. I decided to spice with harrissa. That was the most important choice. It really worked well well with the other ingredients. I finished with some vegetable base and half and half. This simmered for a bit, til thickened. 

As I was tasting while creating the sauce I began to realize that it was morphing into something more like a side dish, say heading toward creamed spinach. So rather than the sauce accompanying the pasta I wanted to think of it the other way. That is why when plating I put down a larger portion of sauce then the pasta and then more sauce, surrounding the pasta. A little paprika and done. 

Flip F'Real

Breakfast, Tuesday November 14: (yogurt and crunchity stuff (yogurt, toasted pecans; honey, granola almond slivers chocolate morsels, desiccated coconut); dates.

There's a commercial product available that comes with yogurt and a separate pocket for come crunchity stuff. Alexis likes them so I decided to see how I could improve on the concept.  It was pretty simple to make a mix of her favorite healthy crunchity things. I keep it premixed in a mason jar for a quick and simple breakfast I can put together on mornings when I don't have the energy for something elaborate or sometimes she wants a super healthy meal.

Dippity Doo-Dah

Breakfast, Sunday November 12: dippy egg; toast; liver mush and Irish cheddar; fruit. 

Alexis calls this a dippy egg. Some people don't get it, but when I first heard that I knew exactly what she meant. Egg(s) cooked over easy so you can but open the yolk and dip your toast in it. I am of the other variety of soft egg eaters. I like the egg cooked over easy, but I cut it all up and mix it. My own quirk is that I have to put the egg on the toast then take a bite of the toast-egg combo. It's not the same if I take a bite of one then the other. 

I suppose pomegranates are available all year round, but I only see them around the holidays. Same goes for cranberries. I try to put pomegranate on or in everything to get my fill of them before they disappear again. 

Lima Beans Go With Everything

Supper, Wednesday November 08: stuffed pepper (ground pork, ground beef, chili spice, quinoa, egg, poblano, verde sauce); lima beans; seared tortilla.

One of the nice things about lima beans is that you can use them as a starch or as a green vegetable.

We had a nice final harvest of peppers. We had quite a few very pretty poblanos. I made a big batch of stuffed peppers. I smothered them in some of the homemade verde sauce that I made with the last harvest of tomatillos. The substitution of the more traditional rice with quinoa was a good choice. The quinoa cooked done. With rice sometimes it does not cook all the way, and you are left with meat full of crunchy rice. Not my favorite.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Supper, Tuesday November 07: barbecue; polenta and feta; sauteed mixed vegetables.

This meal doesn't look like much but man o man was it good. First we have to dispense with a few definitions. This is for you Stephen. 

First, barbeque is an acceptable spelling. I like the q. 

Second, in eastern and central North Carolina barbeque means slow cooked pork over indirect low heat with smoke. You can achieve this a number of ways, open pit to electric with chips, but the goal is the same, tender, sweet, smoky, goodness. I need to be clear on this. Barbeque is not any old meat cooked on a grill and covered in glop. Barbeque is that method, slow, low, indirect, smoky, and the meat it renders. As for barbeque sauce, sauce is something you put on barbeque. The sauce is not what makes it "barbeque." The meat and the method does. The sauce is there to enhance the experience. If you can't eat it without the sauce then you have done something wrong. 

That said, for all its lack of visual appeal, this was the best pork shoulder I have ever smoked. After I brought it in and let it rest I started to pull the meat apart and the bones came out with 2 fingers. I didn't chop the meat. I just pulled it apart with my fingers. I added some Lexington style sauce to it. There are no words.

That polenta was pretty tasty too. It was made from roasted cornmeal a great smoky accompaniment. 

Oh, and you don't need anything more complicated than a kettle grill. Next time I will document.

Green Soup Is Always A Little Intimidating

Supper, Sunday November 07: nasturtium and leek soup;* wilted greens salad, whole wheat biscuit.

*We had a friend over for dinner. Traditionally this would be made with chicken stock. Our friend is a vegetarian so I made this with vegetable base instead. Truth be told that is what I would normally use. I make my own meat stocks but I use a commercial vegetable base concentrate. I use it whenever anything needs a little flavor boost and or some salt. Rice, add a little base. Polenta, add a little base. Soup a little weak, add a little base. 

Wait, It's Not Friday

Supper, Saturday November 04: fried catfish; lima beans; pickle.

Fish Friday is a bit of a joke for us. We don't proscribe to any such dogma. We like fish though and I try to get it in as much as I can. Friday is as good as any other day, so I like to get it in at least on Friday. This time I missed it so Saturday it is. 

If you are not a fan of lima beans I suggest you try an experiment. Get some FRESH limas. Not canned. Not frozen. Simmer them in just enough water to cover until tender. Drain, add a little butter and a pinch each of salt and pepper. You might change your mind.

No, You Didn't See That

Supper, Thursday November 02: leftover pot roast veggies; Fried squash and okra; buffalo chicken skin.

My intention here was to be cheeky. Alexis jokes about eating "bucket of skin" 'cause she likes crispity chicken skin. So when I got some chicken thighs on sale recently I skinned and deboned them for use in stir fry or somesuch. I saved the skin for my little joke. They are just fried in the deep fryer til crispy then I tossed on a bunch of pepper sauce.

It was really good.

I feel dirty.

It Doesn't Look Like Leftovers

Lunch, Thursday November 02: re-task enchiladas (left over burrito filling from the previous nights restaurant, seared corn tortillas, verde, cheddar); mexi-rice; pickle.

The problem with a leftover burrito is that the tortilla transforms in places, particularly on the bottom, to a mushy goo. Technically edible, not palatable. I like to transpose the filling to seared corn tortillas for enchiladas. Much better.

I've said it before and I will keep on saying it, we, as in most Americans, throw away too much perfectly good food. Not just from the table, it starts in the field. According to the NRDC about 40% of the food grown here is doesn't make it to the table, mostly because it isn't pretty enough. 50 million Americans are food insecure and we are tossing millions of tons of food mostly because of unreasonable expectations vis a vie appearance. 

Does using my leftover burrito filling make a difference. No, but it is the principle. I don't get to bitch about food waste and then throw away half a burrito. 

A little more moral consistency in the world would make it a better place.

I'll Make You French Toast Again

Breakfast, Thursday November 02: french toast (home baked multigrain, egg, milk, vanilla, almond extract, slivered almonds); sausage; plantain.

I think that is a line from a song. Oh yeah, interwebs. It's actually "serve you French toast again." 

What the hell did we do before interwebs? Probably spent a lot less time worrying about inane trivia.

It's Cranberry Time!!!

Breakfast, Wednesday November 01: toast and sausage gravy; cranberry salad; banana, pickled okra.

I really like that cranberry salad. There is a recipe here. I won't belabor the point.

We both enjoy sausage gravy. Here I stumbled on some bulk store sausage that was deeply discounted, It is a little bland to I added dome of my sausage spices and some crushed red pepper for some kick, I usually make it in a pound batch. We will get a couple of meals out of that much. This is an item that reheats very well

Gnome Butts

Supper, Tuesday October 31: Thai frog legs (de-boned frog legs, shiitake, black fungus, onion, carrot, roasted chilis, sesame seed, fish sauce, soy); rice noodles; kimchi, seaweed salad.

We have a couple of Asian groceries that we patronize. One is a small affair that we have been using for years. the other is a new and much bigger store. The new one has a much wider variety of items and a broader selection within categories. On the other hand the small store has most of the stuff we normally use in the brands we recognize. Mostly I stick with our usual store, but if I am in the mood to explore new ideas I might go to the new shiny store and wander the aisles. 

This time I went to the new place. I spotted the frog legs in the freezer. I didn't know I was looking for them until found them. I decided to do a stir fry of some sort with them. 

I love that fresh seaweed salad.

Oh yeah, at some point in the day I texted Alexis with the following picture to tell her we were having gnome butts for dinner.

Lots Of Little Containers

This is just a funny entry. Kinda an example of the stuff I don't write about. This is breakfast and lunch on a work day, hot cereal and tinned fruit, grilled cheese and vegetables. Simple but healthy.

It's What's For Dinner. . .

Supper, Monday October 10: pot roast (ginormous ribeye, English roast spice blend, carrots, potatoes, cardoon, onion, parsnip).

Yes I said Ribeye. Hear me out. I was at the store scanning the meat dept for deals and spotted this ribeye reduced for quick sale. It was huge, nearly a pound and a half. That is way more meat then Alexis would eat at one sitting. Steak is good. Leftover steak is not. Then I got a funny idea, "That thing is the size of a small pot roast." I bought it. I put it in the crock for about an hour with a spice blend we got at some novelty spice store, a little garlic, a little water, and a bit of marsala. I added the vegetables save the potatoes then let that simmer til they were just tender then added the taters. It was scary good AND ALSO THE NEXT DAY.

Remember that "It's what's for dinner" campaign for beef back in the 90s? A couple of different voice actors worked on that, eventually Sam Elliot got involved. he was the voice of beef. Listening to him made you want to run out and rope a steer, start a fire, and cut out a slab right then and there. 

It's All About The Sauce

Supper, Sunday October 09: tofu verde (seared tofu. garden tomatillos, onion, garlic, roasted chilis, chili powder, olive oil); mexi-rice (long grain rice, tomato sauce, chili powder, pinto beans, corn); olives; grilled pineapple; toast.

We had a decent tomatillo harvest this fall. I was pleased to have anything. I had trouble with my seed starts back in the spring. I finally ended up with 4 good plants. Of the 4, 3 were good producers. I canned some and I made verde sauce. We had a vegetarian friend join us for dinner so I seared some tofu well in a pan then smothered in in the verde and let it simmer a bit. It was great. I think verde sauce is to Mex/SW cuisine as vindaloo is to Indian. The protein is of little consequence, It could be braised possum, but no one would know otherwise. So, the tofu was great. 

Using fresh tomatillos is easy. Remove the husks. Rinse well. Quarter, Put in a sauce-pot with just a couple ounces of water. Simmer til they have broken down. 

Yin-Yang

Breakfast, Sunday October 26: black beans (olive oil. onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, feta); mexi-rice (wild rice, arborio, tomato paste, onion, garlic, vegetable base); scramble (eggs, parsley, chive, cilantro); fried plantain.

I have a bit of insomnia now and again. Sometimes I wake up WAY to early and then there is no going back to sleep. I think this time it was about 4 am. Alexis slept in so I had a lot of time to spend on this.

Oooooohhhh, Pretty

I have been having trouble with bread lately. I've never been a stickler in the kitchen. I often don't follow recipes exactly. That is a problem when baking. There is a saying: cooking is art, baking is science. It is true. Too much pepper in your paprikash? It's probably still edible. Too much water in your dough? The bread collapses during proofing or the cake is dense and under-cooked.

For me this means that as I am a little loose with the rules, over time if I am modifying a recipe I can lose track of how the finished product turns out. In other words: I have this wheat bread recipe that I have been tweaking (not to be confused with twerking), and I have been getting crappy bread.

Solution? Go back to the beginning. I am starting with a basic white bread. I will add or modify ingredients one at a time until I find exactly the combination of adjunct grains and whole flour percentages using my techniques that yields a firm almost crispy crust and a light moderately open crumb. The loaf above was just white bread with flax seed. It is the prettiest loaf of bread I have ever baked. Good start.

YaY Me!

No Better Way To Start The Day Than SUGAR!

Breakfast, Thursday October 19: french toast (baguette, egg. milk, cream) ; yogurt and fruit (greek yogurt, honey, mixed fruit); blueberries; powdered sugar.

It looks like a ton of sugar, but it's not. I dusted with a fine mesh strainer. Also the yogurt has just enough honey so it does not taste too sharp against the sweeter fruit.

It's Fiberlicious

Supper, Saturday August 5: shrimp marinara (spaghetti squash, wild shrimp, tomato, garlic olive oil, onion, basil, black pepper, salt); fried okra, bella di cerignola olives.

Because fried okra (and spaghetti squash). I have passed my addiction to fried okra on to Alexis. Thankfully I have a little fryer that is convenient to use. I also have a technique for breading that is relatively easy. Now that doesn't mean it is a snap, just that it is easier than what most folks would do. Most importantly, this time of year, as the okra and tomatoes are coming in, I have the breading ingredients mise en place, put in place because there will be use for it every couple of days, not just for meals but to store up for the winter. I put FGT and okra away in the freezer breaded and ready to cook.

So here's the layout:

I store the ingredients in nested bowls in the fridge when I know that I will be doing this frequently. Like when I am freezing stuff.

The wash is egg and buttermilk. It is good for a few days. Change it out as necessary.

Prepare the vegetables as desired.

Salt or spice. I like seasoned salt. 

Dredge in flour first. This helps the breading adhere.

Tap off the excess. This is the seeeecret tool, just an ordinary spider. It is great for breading small stuff.

Do all this step at once before moving on. (Unless you are doing a LOT, but then work in batches. You will see in a sec. It is to keep the spider clean.)

For larger items I use a skewer or the fingers of ONE hand.

A little at a time put the product in the egg wash. Jostle, toss, fold, whatever works for you, until every thing is completely coated. Do this somewhat gently so as not to wash off the flour.

Here's where the spider comes in again. Use it to strain the washed goods and transfer to the breading mix. I use one part flour and two parts breadcrumbs. Use whatever you prefer here. Like cornmeal? Knock yourself out. I don't salt or spice here generally but that is also a good option.

Jostle, tap, toss, whatever, to coat. then you can use out DRY hands to transfer to a towel.

Fry to golden yumminess (or freeze).

We Got A Lot Of Beans

Supper, Saturday October 14: tuscan bean soup (cannellini beans, onion, celery, garlic, olive oil, chicken stock, anise, parsley, oregano, egg yolk, crushed tomato); crusty french bread, fried okra, parm to garnish.

I have been experimenting with different beans in the garden. We have had a very good harvest of green beans for the last two seasons, so I have rather a surplus of canned beans. Next year I am only planting a limited run of green beans. I will plant more of the varieties that I have been experimenting with like the cannellinis I used in this soup. Cranberry, black, Jackson Wonder, soyasume. . . I know beans are cheap and readily available but they really are so much better fresh. There are flavors that I think age out of the bean over time. 

Life Gets In The Way

Supper: Friday October 13: pasta? primavera and shrimp (poblano, cherry tomatoes, leek, wild rice, olive oil, parsley, basil, shredded parm, shrimp, pepper, spaghetti squash, loofah); seaweed salad.

I haven't posted in a while, not that anyone reads this.  Life does get in the way though. I have, however, decided on a course of action. I am going to pick up starting today and back post at the same time. There are a few really good meals I have skipped so I am going to dig them up. 

I grew spaghetti squash for the first time this season. I had moderate success. I harvested a few nice gourds. This one has been in the fridge for a couple of months, They keep well if refrigerated. Once the stem borers destroyed my vines I planted another pair just to see if I could sneak another harvest in before the end of the season. Whadaya know, I might get 3 or 4 new squash.

Yes that ingredient list says loofah. I have come to realize that nearly everyone thinks a loofah is a sponge. It's not, it's a squash. Not only that, when they are young they are edible. There are LOTS of varieties. The Romans perfected them for use as sponges. Alexis uses them in soap. She incorporates a loofah in a soap batch so that when sliced the soap has a built in exfoliating sponge.

I Didn't Grow The Yucca

Supper, Thursday August 3: fried yucca; fried green tomatoes; roasted roots; stuffed pumpkin (rolled oats, pecans, butter, brown sugar, pie spice mix).

I know the pumpkin doesn't look all that appetizing, particularly the filling, but it was tasty. We had a pie pumpkin vine that got destroyed by stem borers. It managed to create two tiny pumpkins that began to ripen as the vine died. I scooped out the larger one, chopped up the flesh from the smaller one, mixed that with the other ingredients. After stuffing it all in the scooped out gourd I baked it at 350 degrees. I used a probe thermometer to get the internal temperature. Once it hit boiling temp I left it in for a few more minutes. I split it so we each got half. It was like a pumpkin crumble pie. 

Oh yeah, the FGTs weren't half bad either.

A Good Year For Tomatoes

Lunch, Sunday July 30: open faced grilled cheese (whole grain bread, swiss cheese, garden tomato); spaghetti squash (steamed squash, butter, salt and pepper).

There is always a tough decision early in the season WRT tomatoes. Wait for the first vine ripe one or pluck a couple early for fried green tomatoes. I usually hold out 'cause I know there will be more FGT at the end of the summer.

Mary Had A Little Lamb, And Squash, And Bread,. . .

Supper, Tuesday August 1: smoked rack of lamb; grilled zucchini; vegetable medley (squash, tomato, okra); sour seedy rye.  

It's an old joke but I couldn't resist.

We like grilled veggies. (Come to think of it we like grilled anything.) This zucchini variety is aptly named Grey Griller. It is a little firmer than traditional zucchini, and it is wider. Taste is similar so put together it is a perfect grilling vegetable. I just hit it with a little olive oil and seasoned salt. 

Yeah, We Eat A Lot Of Cheese

 Supper, Friday July 28: enchiladas (black beans, spinach, onion, corn tortilla, salsa picante, smoked habanero cheese; tomato; avocado.

Though I am really not a fan of cheese enchiladas. Cheese rolled up in a tortilla then smothered with cheese. That is a little too much cheese for me. Same goes for cheese crust pizza. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Noshers Delight

Lunch, Thursday July 27: mixed media (daikon, cucumber, tomato, Jackson Wonders, apple, artisan caramel, cheese assmt.

We were having a lazy day for once. I put this together for nibbles while we watched some TV.  The veggies are from the garden. We normally would not have lima beans this early but we had a couple of very vigorous volunteer plants that came up early. I left them there and we have gotten a couple of meals from just those two plants.

The caramel is from an artisan cheese-maker in the area. (Is there a better word for that? Cheese-maker is kinda klunky. Anyhoo. . .) They also make caramel from the local milk they use. It is just great with apple wedges.