It's Not Really Black

 

Supper Wednesday April 29, 2020: blackened mahi; farfale a bella (farfale, baby bellas, cream, butter, garlic, parmesan, black pepper).

The grocer we use has had whole mahi filets (frozen, cryovac) on sale for some time. (When does a sale time out and just become the new price?) We keep going in expecting the "sale" to be over but it doesn't end so we have been eating a fair amount of mahi. It works really well blackened. I'm not sure what about it makes that method turn out so well but it does. By contrast I tried cutting it into strips then breading and frying it. Fried fish right? Anggg! Try again. It is not good that way. The texture and flavor just don't work with frying. But hey, blackening is easier anyway. 

The thing to keep in mind about blackening is that it is not really black, in other words burnt. It is more like black-ish. The spice coating should be very browned. It looks at a glance as if it is burned but not quite. If truly burned the spices will turn bitter. The pan should have a little oil and hot enough to shimmer the oil well, but not quite smoke it. (If it's smoking just a little go ahead, but drop the heat just a skosh.) A cast iron or other heavy pan works best because it is more temperature stable from its large mass. 

Nice Buns

 

Supper Sunday April 19, 2020: cheeseburger (with all the stuff); sweet potato chips; italian green beans. 

I'm beginning to get much better at the bun thing. Ya gotta make the loop in the knot really big, bigger than you think it needs to be. That also means that the dough rope needs to be a lot longer than you think it should.

I have got to get my raised beds put together soon. We are beginnning to get low on some of the canned goods that we regularly eat. This might be the last jar of Romas. I have to create some garden space for next season.

Like I Said

 

Breakfast, Thursday April 16, 2020: dippy eggs and home fries.

This is just the bowl version. Scallions work too.

Some Things Never Get Old

 

Breakfast, Tuesday April 7, 2020: dippy eggs and

home fries. 

It's amazing what just sprinkling a little parsley on a plate can do.

Celery? Really?

 

Brunch, Sunday April 5, 2020: smoked sausage; french toast (whole wheat bread, milk, cream, egg, vanilla, almond extract, sliced almond, whipped cream);

banana; celery hearts.

I suppose there is nothing wrong with the celery on the plate. I do admit that it is a bit odd, perhaps not the go to accompaniment for most people. She really likes those little tiny celeries. That's all that really matters. 

I suppose also that we eat a lot of french toast. I really like it. That's all that really matters. 

The Mayo Has Not Spoiled

 

Supper, Friday March 26, 2020: burger; fruit; fries.

I like homemade fries, for about 30 seconds. After that they go soft and rubbery and greasy. Boo. 

I finally solved the problem, at least for us. I suppose this works also for julienne fries but we like disks. I slice them a quarter inch on a mandolin. I usually leave the peels on unless they have gotten too much light. The trick is temperature and timing.

Get the oil to 325f, cook the fries to done. When you pull them they will immediately go soggy. Let them rest at least a good five minutes while you bring the oil to 375f. Now drop them again and cook to desired color. They will last a lot longer.

The green stuff is not turned mayo. Avocado, mushed and spread.

Sure Beats The Foam Cup

 

Supper, Saturday April 18, 2020: ramen (homemade noodles, shiitake/chicken broth, shrimp, roasted chicken, egg, shiitake, bellas, scallion, cilantro, fish sauce, soy).

When the pre-packaged ramen in the cello bag and the version in the styrofoam cup flooded the US in the 80s I was a teenager and my mother found that buying them by the case was a good way to keep me and my brother fed. During my college years (a lot longer than they should have been) I would have starved if I didn't have a microwave and cases of salty chewy noodles. (I paid my own way through college. Long story.)

Fast forward to nearly the present, about three years ago. I still have a place for those chewy noodles in my heart, but I really shouldn't eat them on account of the salt. Plus my tastes have changed. I know there is a movement(?) that loves to show how to dress up the plain Jane noodles, and better versions are available at specialty stores. I've just never been motivated to explore that. 

Then I went to a conference in San Diego. When we visit new cities we try to take in regional flavors and independent restaurants. Up to that point I had been to noodle houses but none that had ramen. I was only vaguely aware that ramen houses were even a thing. So when I saw one in downtown SD I was intrigued. Long story short: I had to figure out how to make that sh*t.

The broth is negotiable. Traditionally a rich, slowly and carefully crafted extraction of beef, pork, or less often chicken is used. Also seafood stocks or something akin to a nabeyaki broth are enjoyed. I suppose miso? Whatevs. If you look at a ramen house menu the central philosophy is choice. It should be what you like. The same goes for the other ingredients aside from the noodles.

The noodles are easily purchased. Making them at home is not difficult BUT it requires a speciality ingredient - kansui. It is a solution of potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. It is quite alkali and responsible for the yellow hue and springiness of the pasta. It is a little hard to get. Not all Asian groceries carry it. It might seem expensive online BUT a little goes a long way so it is worth the investment. To my knowledge it can't "go bad" (as long as the bottle is closed and the water doesn't evaporate).

Initially on the interwebs I found some sites that proclaimed it is possible to make ramen noodles with homemade sodium carbonate (made by baking baking soda (LOL, cooking sodium bicarb in the oven for four hours)). My experience with this method was:

Nope. Buy the kansui.

Miscellaneous

Thoughts and observations.

Produce is cheaper in Savannah than it is in Asheville. Sometimes it is WAY cheaper. I am quite fond of artichokes, Alexis of asparagus. They are often half the price in Savannah as in Asheville. In Asheville a good price on a pineapple is 2.99, that is a deep discount. In Sav I can buy them at my neighborhood grocery anytime for 2.50.

 

On Tybee in the winter some restaurants will offer an AYCE oyster roast. You can get them raw or steamed. I would go raw but I cannot anymore (immunosuppressed), but she can. We went to one in January, had a great time. We ate a lot of mollusks. 

I got a super-sized one. I had her model it.

Then she got a redonkulous one. That is a normal one for comparison.

BLTAs are the bomb.

Anytime I find Brussels sprouts sold like this I get them. If I were king this is the only way you could sell fresh ones.

We like cranberry beans. We found something maybe even better. Their mother bean, the cargamanto. They look like a cranberry bean that is almost all red. The skins are thinner and the flesh is creamier. The color, alas, simmers away like the daughter's does.

That's A Lot Of Breakfast

Brunch, Sunday February 2, 2020: jerk pork chop; french toast (whole wheat bread, egg, milk, almond extract, vanilla); mole vegetables (mole sauce, onion, green pepper, baby bellas).

It really is a lot of breakfast. In our defence, however, it really was brunch. On the rare day that we actually sleep in (she sleeps in) we sometimes have a large breakfast then an early supper. We might finish the day with a late snack. Another route is that we will have a light snack in the afternoon then a normal supper. Either way it is two meals and a snack. 

The bread was some half whole wheat that was getting on. Lately I've been experimenting with extracts in french toast batter. Almond, vanilla, lemon, hazelnut, orange are all good. Just depends on your mood. (Orange and vanilla are very good together. Anybody remember Dreamsicles?

The pork chop was from the gift that the renter's parents got us. I just dusted it with a little jerk seasoning then griddled it beside the toast. 

The vegetables were leftover from the night before. Saute whatever, smother with mole, simmer. Mole makes everything better.
 

It's What's For Dinner

Supper, Wednesday January 15, 2020: blackeyed 

pea falafel.

I'm quite fond of this recipe for a couple of reasons. I really like blackeyed peas. The same goes for any of the beans in that family, cow peas, field peas. . . Some of these were once considered fodder so found their way into the diet of poor southerners (historically, read some whites and most blacks). My father fit the bill so I learned to like cow peas. 

Blackeyes are easy to cook. They do not require soaking and they do not take a long time on the stove. Solves the problem of "I'd like some beans for dinner. . . well I guess tomorrow." Most other beans require a much longer time investment.

Broad beans, favas, are a pain in the butt. You have to peel them. The alternative, box mix falafel is WAY too salty. OK, that's three, or maybe four. Anyhoo, I like this falafel mix.

Poop. I don't know where the recipe is. It's mostly just falafel sub blackeyed peas, but when I started writing this I was gonna put up the recipe. I'll have to look and post later. 

BTW Brass does not like January.

 

OMG, OMG, OMG!

Supper, Wednesday January 1, 2020: cod nuggets; fried cauliflower; caesar salad.

I finally caught up to this year.

It's That Time Of Year

 

Supper, Friday December 27, 2019: gnocchi and oysters (onion, broccoli, shiitake, portabella, parsley, parmesan, cream, gnocchi, salt, pepper); stuffed mushrooms (goat cheese, baby bellas, paprika).

Oysters are available all year now, but there is still something a little special about having them over the holidays. My father loved oyster stew. My mother, who would have died before eating an oyster would nonetheless make it for him. I'm not as big on the stew as he was, but I will eat them any way they come. I am especially fond of them raw. Alas, I am immunosuppressed. No more raw seafood for me. 

Boo.

  

I Don't Feel Petite

 Christmas dinner: petite filet, roasted roots,

broccoli casserole.

We're not big on Christmas. Not judgey just not our thing. However, I hate to miss the opportunity to make a special meal. Particularly when the most expensive part is free. 

We have a young man who rents the apartment in the upstairs of our house. We cut him a sweet deal in trade for help with maintenance. He helps cuts the grass, helps with projects, . . . He just graduated from college. That is where I met him from my former life. 

What's this got to do with anything? I think his parents are appreciative of our offer (and maybe the fact that he didn't have to move back as many Millenials have). They were very sweet and sent us a small kit from one of those frozen cryovac steak companies. They were PFG.

Sometimes Simple Is Better

Supper, Friday December 27, 2019: stuffed mushrooms (baby bellas, goat cheese, paprika, salt).

Whatever you decide to put in them stuffed mushrooms are a sublime treat. Crab, crab and cheese, spinach and cheese. . . They are all good. They are not difficult. Mix up the stuffing, mush it in there, bake. 

Most recipes call for a little short of a dozen ingredients, many of them just spices, so they really are not a burden. Despite that I wasn't in the mood. I had surplus mushrooms, and a lot of goat cheese. Both of them can go bad quickly, so I decided to use them together. The two most important things that started me on this path were: I had a lot of goat cheese so filler (breadcrumbs) was not necessary; Alexis really likes goat cheese. 

Wash and stem the caps.

Sprinkle with a little salt

Mush in a ball of cheese.

Sprinkle with paprika (or cayenne, or tarragon, or. . .).

Bake.

Das it.

We did have other stuff for dinner but it all paled in comparison.

 

Oh, I'm Thankful All Right

Supper, Tuesday November 19, 2019: Sunday Roaster.

I should really remember to smoke things more often. So what is stopping me? I think it is a paradigm that I have manufactured about the task. I tend to always go big. Pork shoulder, brisket, turkey. . . They are all a big time investment. Plus there is the whole "How are two people going to eat this before it turns" problem.

There is s simple solution. Just go smaller. Half butts are available or most grocers would be happy to cut one for you. There's turkey breast or a duck. I smoked a meatloaf recently. What's above is not a turkey but one of those plump little roaster hens. It was our Thanksgiving dinner since Alexis always works over the holiday.

We had some roasted taters too. I love those purple guys.

Remember, if you roast potatoes, got overboard a little. Leftover roasted spuds turned into home fries in the morning are sublime. (Under the eggs.)

 

They Will Never Ask For That Again

 

Special Halloween treat: corned tongue; bread; horseradish sauce.

Alexis' workplace decided to have a themed Halloween potluck. Bring "scary" food. Well the first thing that popped into my head was corned tongue. I will let the pictures do most of the talking. Above is the original product. I corned it, braised it, bked a giant batard to carve a lower jaw out of and created a cow-pire. They will never ask me for scary food again.

I slay me.

They Just Sploded!

Supper, Thursday October 24, 2019: pea soup (bacon, onion, carrot, celery, split peas, stock, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne); mashed potato balls (leftover mash, cheddar, egg wash, breadcrumbs).

There is a little bit to look at here. First let me comment on the soup. Whether it is ham, bacon, smoked turkey. . . I like to brown the meat first, add oil if necessary. Then I set it aside to saute the mirepoix. When it is beginning to get tender I add some stock. I will use chicken stock I have canned or vegetable base and water depending on my mood. Simmer until the veggies are soft. 

At this point I have added a lot of flavor with the vegetables but split pea soup should be smooth sans bits of the seasoning meat. So I use a hand blender to puree the veggies. That is why I set the meat aside. Now add the peas and spices and simmer til the peas fall apart. 

What I want to say about the balls is that I made them too well. I am very good at breading things. These were so well breaded that the coating formed a hermetic seal around the potato and cheese filling. The coating cooked hard then the inside began to melt and finally boil. Those suckers started ejecting their contents like Kilauea. Seriously, they were spewing. I had to get them out as quickly as possible. I haven't attempted that again so I don't know what to do. Poke holes in them?

They were tasty though. 

It's an Asheville Thing

Breakfast: Saturday October 19, 2019: meatloaf wrap (tortilla. coarse spicy mustard, smoked meatloaf, cheddar, romaine).

I'm sure there was some fruit or something also, but it didn't make it to the picture. I smoked the meatloaf a few days back. I didn't talk about that. Don't know why, just didn't want to. I just mixed up some meatloaf, placed it onto a metal baguette form, and smoked it. 

The real star here though is the lowly condiment. It is a locally produced mustard. It is REALLY good. It is pricey as far as mustard goes but worth it. I could just eat it out of the jar. 

She Likes Mushrooms That Much

 

Breakfast, Sunday October 13, 2019: Sausagey fungus eggs (breakfast sausage, flour, milk, shiitake, pepper, scramble, cheddar); grilled pineapple;

thick cut bacon; bananana.

I have always thought that the word "banana" sounded kinda silly. It is a sound that a toddler might make. I tried to look up the etymology, but I could not get a consistent answer. I must admit that I didn't work too hard at it. . . One source said is was from Spanish or Portuguese "mande." I'm not too sure about that. Another professed that it was from the Arabic word for finger "banan." Now that is believable 'ceptin I tried Google translate and It could not make heads nor tails of banan. 

It will just remain a mystery

Some trivia though: over 70 million people in Africa get more than 25% of their calories from bananas (the cooking type mostly). It is a major staple food in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. 

Why does the sausage gravy have shiitake in it you ask? I had soaked some shiitakes for something I did not end up making. I saw them and thought "hmm. . . more umami maybe?" (Say it with me now: "Alliteration.") Turned out it was a good idea. Then while we are eating she says, "I'd never really thought about it but we eat a lot of mushrooms. I guess I really like mushrooms."

I kinda knew that.

Do German Leaders Have Lumpy Heads?

 

Supper, Tuesday October 08, 2019: cheeseburgers (homemade bun, LTOMWK, cheddar, 80/20 beef).

I use the same recipe to make pizza dough (mostly) as I do to make a couple of loaves of bread. The drawback, or benefit, is that it is too much dough for the size pizza I usually make. Lately I have been making buns out of some of the dough. Two rolls reduces the dough by just enough. I have even found an easy way to make Kaiser rolls. This was one of my first attempts. Not so good. I've gotten better. 

The method is amazingly simple. I was surprised it worked. You start by rolling the dough into a rope. Then you tie a loose granny knot in the middle. You finish by continuing wrapping the ends around the loop and tucking them in/under. Google it. It's not hard to find. The key is don't futz with it too much trying to get it perfect. That is what I did to those above and it did not go so well.

I was trying to make a joke about Kaisers and oddly shaped bread. Dumb.

Caulifarter. . .ah. . .flour

 Supper, Wednesday October 06, 2019: fried cauliflower and some other stuff.

Or is it fartiflower? Either way. . .

Scatological humor aside, I do love this stuff. So does Alexis. I really like cauliflower in about any form: steamed then covered with shredded cheddar; sauteed as part of a stir fry; raw with dip or in a salad; in a spicy aloo-gobi. Most of all I love these little golden nuggets. Something special happens inside the breading while the florets are steaming in their own liquids. 

Just beware, when refrigerated as leftovers they take on a peculiar odor.

Fartiflower.   

What Did Alexi. . . Wait, What?

 

Breakfast, Sunday September 29, 2019, brunch with friend: veggie omelette (onion, mushroom, poblano, jalapeno, salsa, cheddar); potatoes; bacon; 
fruit and yogurt.

I have a friend, call him J_,  who I frequently meet for breakfast. Honestly it is more like, J_ picks me up and takes me to the place where we get breakfast, but let's not quibble. He likes breakfast but is in one of those no breakfast households. Nobody else cares and he is not motivated enough to make his own. (That's a whole other thing there.) The result is he likes to get breakfast out. Before I moved here he used to go to a diner not far from my house pretty regularly. So I started going with him. It's typical diner fare. Biscuits need some work, but the waffles are just great. They put just a hint of vanilla in the batter. Nice touch. 

Now since I am no stranger to breakfast, Alexis works every other Sunday, and the diner is closed on Sundays. . . wait for it. . .  J_ frequently comes over for Sunday brunch. His favorite breakfast entree is eggs benedict. Now I am quite capable of whipping up hollandaise, (Chef Child's method is practically foolproof BTW) but that is just going above and beyond as far as I'm concerned. 

His second favorite is an omelette, western or westernish, with salsa. 

Patience. . .

Supper, Saturday August 19 2019: pizza (dough (bread flour; water; salt; yeast); sauce (crushed tomato; tomato paste; oregano; thyme; granulated garlic; granulated onion; pepper; red pepper); italian sausage; smoked oysters; onion; jalapeno; mushroom; black olive; parmesan; mozzarella.

Almost no one does this at home. It's a pain in the ass. It requires some skill (but it isn't brain surgery). It also requires some specialized equipment, or in lieu of that some special techniques. Although I have not mentioned this before we actually have this fairly often. I will talk about this more in the future. For now let's look at the dough. Just the make up, not the shaping. 

The ingredients are pretty simple. There's just four. I used to weigh. It really is more accurate, but for crust we can be a little less rigorous than if we were trying to make a good baguette. (Some might argue that point. Don't care.)

Measure 4 cups of bread flour into your favorite bowl, assuming your favorite bowl is at least 4 quarts. Add a scant 2 cups of hot water. Again, I used to measure the temp, but now I just use the hot tap water. At the same time get a small bowl, an ingredient bowl, whatever you want to call it, and place a little hot water in it. Basically the "scant" you left out of the big bowl. Also add a dollop of honey or half of a teaspoon of sugar. (OK, that means it really is five ingredients. I just put it in there to boost the yeast. It is not needed.) 

Mix the flour and water until the flour is mostly wetted. Sprinkle the salt on top, 2 tsp. Do not mix it in. Set the dough aside. This BTW is the "autolysing" step. This allows time for the enzymes in the flour to convert some of the starch into food for the yeast. 

Now go back to the water and honey. Add a packet of yeast, or if you have a bulk jar then add a teaspoon. Mix and leave it. Now this step is not really necessary, but it doesn't hurt, it can speed things along if you are in a hurry, and it allows you a natural timer for the autolysing step. You could just put all the water in the flour, mix, then sprinkle the salt and the yeast on top. Wait 20 minutes then start mixing.

When the yeast is really working, it is time to get mixing. Add the foamy mess, and fold the nascent dough in on itself a few times to incorporate the yeast water. The real mixing now starts. 

Starting on one side start pinching the dough with your forefinger and thumb. Use your middle finger if for whatever reason you have trouble with the forefinger. Keep pinching along the dough until it looks like a fat caterpillar. 

The dough will be sticky. You want the end result to be just a little sticky so add flour as you mix. Don't be afraid to add a small handful at the beginning if the dough is super sticky. 

Fold the head and the tail of the caterpillar over the middle. Mush it down. Rotate a quarter turn. Make another caterpillar. Lather. rinse, repeat.

How long? You will start to feel the dough getting more homogenous. You might encounter lumps that are much harder or dryer than the rest of the dough. I pinch at these with my fingertips to break them up. I should mention here that there is a temptation when hand working sticky dough to get the dough stuck on your hands by rubbing them together. Don't do this over the dough. It makes lumps. Those rolled up balls of dough end up hard balls of dough. After two to five minutes (more like five for the beginner), finish with the mush step. You should have an ever so slightly sticky homogeneous lump. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest 15 minutes or so. Again, I'm not a stickler. (I gotta remember that "sticky homogeneous lump." That is a great phrase.) 

Now for the kneading. Without this step the dough will not stretch. You will not be able to make a crust. The goal is to gently pull the dough in a way that allows the gluten to align and thus give the dough strength and elasticity. 

Imagine a pile of loose wool. Not very strong. You can tear it apart easily. Align the fibers and twist to keep them aligned. The resultant yarn can be very strong. This is what we want to achieve.

We are going to do something like that. First we need to prepare hands and dough. If the dough still seems a little sticky, flour your hands and the dough LIGHTLY before starting and keep your hands floured to prevent too much sticking. If the dough is just right or maybe dry, then wet your hands LIGHTLY and keep them wet. Wetting is preferred for this part but do what you gotta. 

To do the knead grab a big pinch along the edge of the dough blob. Stretch it a little less than the width of the blob then twist it 1/2 turn then fold it over to the middle and press it in. Rotate a bit to a new spot that was not affected by the stretch and start again. Repeat this 4 to 6 times to make it around the blob. When you are all the way around you should have something that looks like a weird twisty ball or a giant Kaiser roll. 

The first time will look a little rough.

Now we are not finished but we are finished for now. We want to let the dough rest then repeat the pulley-twisty thing. Cover the dough with a towel and do something else for a few minutes. 5 minutes or so later the dough should have sagged some back towards a blob rather than a ball. Now repeat the knead and let rest. Do this 4 - 6 times. You are done when the ball mostly stays a ball and it is smooth and a little velvety on the surface. The dough will resist pulling quite a bit at this point.

It will start looking better as you repeat.

Dust with a little flour, underneath too.

Cover with the towel again and leave it to rise.

This seems like a good place to stop.

We'll get to this stage next time.

Yes, black olives. There's smoked oysters on there too. Yum.