Simple Life

I went to the Aldi yesterdy (in case you are not familiar with Aldi, it is the German store chain that OWNS Trader Joe's and is basically a really, really cheap and democratic version of T.J.'s) to pick up some frozen berries for the miraculous smoothies we've been making of late.  As I made my way down the first aisle I found myself behind a woman in full Amish garb.  I studied her a bit in between my assessment of granolas being offered at bargain basement prices.  Her build was solid yet feminine, she was wearing layer upon layer of carefully pinned pleated dark brown fabric, clunky solid black shoes, and a large black bonnet to cover her hair.  I could not see her face from where I was, behind her, but due to her build and the amount of food in her cart (she appeared to be shopping for a family of 40) I guessed her to be of middle age.  As she stopped to pick up abot 6 jars of smooth peanut butter I passed her without looking at her face and continued shopping.  When it came time to check out I ended up in line behind her where again I studied the simple arrangement of straight pins holding her bodice to her skirt.  She turned around and I got a glimpse of her face; it was the face of a girl, a child bride.  She couldn't have been more than 23.  In her strange little voice with its almost German accent she offered her place in line to me as I had 4 items and she had about 400.  She was very gracious and sweet.  As you can surmise from this paragraph I found her fascinating.  I wonder what her life is like on the Amish farms nearby-how many children she has, if she is happy with her husband, how she feels about her responsibilities in her own community and her thoughts on our "English" society.

That afternoon I made bread.  It's something I've been doing on Friday's the last few weeks as it feels like a nice connection to my own ancestors.  Most likely the young Amish woman does not make bread (as I noticed about 8 loaves of sliced white bread in her cart) but in my own imaginary scenario of her daily life she does.  She bakes a lot of bread.  In my fantasy life the Amish existence is much like life on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.  I am most certainly wrong.

Here is a great recipe for Whole Wheat Challah bread.  I warn you, this bread will go very, very quickly.  It's that delectable.

WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

from a recipe by Ms. Kern at notderbypie

makes one challah directions for a kitchenaid are in italics

1/2 cup warm water tsp. sugar (I use demerara) 1 packet (2-1/2 tsp.) yeast

2.5 cups white WHOLE WHEAT flour

.5 cup white all purpose flour

tsp. salt

1/4 cup plus a 4 tsp sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup water (if needed for dough consistency) 2 eggs

1. Put 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add the tsp. of sugar, sprinkle the yeast overtop, and leave it to proof for five minutes (just to make sure the yeast is alive).

2. Mix flours, salt, and 1/4 cup plus few Tbsp. sugar in a large bowl (or in a kitchenaid bowl fitted with the dough hook.) Stir to incorporate or blend on low speed.

4. Add yeast mixture to the flour; add wet ingredients to the bowl, and mix or blend on low-medium.

5. Knead the dough for about ten minutes, until everything is well incorporated. Add flour by the Tbsp, with a light hand, until dough is stretchy but not sticky. Blend on low-medium until dough comes together. Make sure flour at the very bottom of the bowl gets incorporated as well; this usually entails some incorporation by hand.)

6. Cover the dough, in its original bowl, with a moist towel. If you have to, use plastic wrap and cover loosely.

7. You have two choices for the rise: either leave the dough to rise for one hour, or (as I do) let it rise twice, for 45 minutes each, with a punch-down between rises.

8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

9. After the rise(s), the dough should be soft and more flexible than before. Separate dough into three. Roll each ball into a log almost 1-foot long. Braid the logs together to create your loaf. Trick: I start in the middle and do not pinch the top ends together before starting. After I've braided from halfway down to the bottom of the loaf, I turn the loaf over and upside down, and braid the other half. This way, both ends look identical. Tuck the ends beneath the loaf when braiding is finished.

10. Put loaf on its own baking sheet; brush with egg wash, if desired.

11. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until challah is golden brown and baked through.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

First Days

Monday was the first day of school here at the College in Midwestia.  It was the first 'first day' I have experienced in quite a while as my own schooling came to a halt after my graduation from The University of Michigan.  You see, I am taking a class at the college.  A Philosophy class.  In my years at UofM I never had the opportunity to take anything other than classes which fulfilled my music degree requirements and the odd foreign language class here or there.  So, now, almost ten years later, here I am, sitting with all of the hormonal 18-year olds in a class on Plato and Aristotle.  I could  feel the excitement of the students from the moment I stepped onto the well-manicured green of the college grounds-I had forgotten how important it all seemed at the time.  I remember my own years of "first days" and the planning and anticipation that accompanied them.  "What would I wear?  Would I have someone to sit next to at lunch?  Would I go into the wrong class?"  When I look at the students around me today I feel for them-I remember how high the stakes seemed at the time.

In Monday's class I was struck by the awkwardness of the sexual politics in the room-how the boys tried to impress the girls and how mis-directed it seemed to me now.  If a grown man said to me today "I have always wondered what human flesh tastes like" as a pick up line I would most certainly walk away.   And yet, here, in college, one of the boys definitely tried that gem on the unsuspecting girls of the class.  Let's hope he learns more than ancient philosophy during his time at College or the poor guy will never have any luck with the ladies...

Now, the recipe I am sharing today will not answer his inkling (re:flesh of humans) thank goodness, but it is a wonderful quick and healthy meal that I make when I am pressed for time and want to find a good way to eat the kale I'm always buying in order to up my greens intake.  I think that I owe this recipe (in variation) to my friend Becca Jo, a wonderful singer/actress and fellow gastronome, who made this for me some years ago...It can be made vegetarian (without the sausage) or vegan (without the cheese and sausage) but I like it with both sausage and cheese...

This recipe is done in the time it takes to cook the pasta!

PASTA WITH KALE (AND SAUSAGE)

dry, short pasta (penne, fusilli, etc.)

Bunch kale, de-stalked, washed and broken into bite-sized pieces

3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped

olive oil

chicken sausage, broken up into bits 

red pepper flakes

white wine (optional)

lots of grated parmeggiano reggiano...

As you are cooking the pasta, heat garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil over med high.  As garlic begins to brown, add chicken sausage.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Then add Kale.  Some extra olive oil may be added now or a splash of white wine.  Cook until kale is bright and wilted.  Toss with pasta, add heaps of grated parmeggiano-Enjoy!

Ducks and Barbeques: a natural combination?

Prof. Hubs and I attended a BBQ recently for new faculty members and their families.  It was at the home of a returning professor at the college in a nice suburban neighborhood; the kind you see in every suburb in every state of this grand country of ours.  It was your usual shindig, with heaping serving plates of potato salad, coleslaw, bbq-ed meats and chips, etc.  The only odd thing was the yellow adolescent DUCK who was waddling between the attendee's feet.  He was a very social duck.  He joined in on people's conversations, respecting the circle of conversation.  He was gregarious and jovial.  He entertained the children and adults alike with no complaints (that I could see.)  I became quite fond of him in the first moments of my becoming aware of his presence at the party.  After he began nipping at my painted toenails, however, our amicable relationship ended.  Then the terrorist tactics began.  I felt especially sorry for the children-he's half their size and not shy about eating the food right off of their plates or drinking out of anyone's cup...  The creepiness factor set in when he went crazy for one of the kid's chicken tenders....ewwww....  After he had sufficiently riled up the guests he went home to the neighbor's house.  Apparently, he is a house duck.

It was quite an adventure.  I don't think I would have been to a bbq in NYC with a duck that wasn't on the menu...  Oh, Midwestia!

In completely unrelated news:

I concocted a lovely Provençal sauce of sorts to top white fish filets after Prof. Hubs and I returned from Trader Joe's (an hour's drive, mind you) with those amazing frozen Halibut steaks...  We will definitely be eating this again, mostly because it's made of all pantry items:

PROVENÇAL TOPPING

 for white fish filets (cod, haddock, halibut, bass, etc...)

Olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

1/2 tsp oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes or a few turns black pepper

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped black olives (I used Kalamata)

2 Tbsp capers, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 Tbsps Balsamic vinegar

In a sautée pan heat olive oil on Med-High heat.  Add garlic, shallot, oregano, pepper, cook until garlic is light brown.  Add tomatoes, black olives and capers.   Combine, cook for one minute.  Add wine, cook until alcohol smell has gone.  Add Balsamic vinegar, stir all around, top  your fish filets!  Yay for cheap food that is made of stuff you have in your house already!!!

Desperate Measures

One of the most difficult parts of this move to this part of Midwestia has been the lack of viable ethnic food options.  Incidentally, our first restaurant meal in this town was at a so-called Greek restaurant.  As we approached the establishment I felt sure that this old-school looking place wasn't going to let us down-we would find a few small town ethnic restaurant gems and this would be the first of them!  

Now, when I think of Greek food I think of simple, fresh ingredients with bold mediterranean flavors:  Tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh oregano, dill, grilled seafood, wonderful cheeses and fresh, creamy yogurt...  As we sat down in this "Greek" restaurant I saw of a few of my Greek food standbys- Moussaka, Greek Salad, Spanakopita, etc...  Prof. Hubs and I felt confident that we made the right choice patronizing this local spot instead of Applebee's or a similar chain in the Northern part of town...

WRONG!!!  The Greek salad was drenched with a think, packaged dressing, the moussaka was inedible-literally a brick of beefy (note:not lamby, as I was expecing) heaviness, and instead of Tzatziki, that deliciously cooling cucumber condiment, they literally served us KRAFT RANCH DRESSING!!!!  Needless to say, after trying to put away a few bites we let quite hungry...  Since that meal we've heard from every single person we've met here to stay away from that place.  Apparently our meal there was representative of the kind of food they produce.

This was our first and last attempt at ethnic eating in town...not that we have much choice.  I've heard that there's a Chinese place but I've yet to see it and I suspect this mythical place may be the only other 'ethnic' restaurant besides the "Greek" disaster...  

Desperate times call for desperate measures and Desperate Housediva is up to the challenge! Last night I was CRAVING pad thai so I decided it was time to bite the bullet and just cook some up!

DESPERATE HOUSEDIVA'S PAD THAI

Vegetable oil

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 package pad thai rice noodles, softened (prepared according to package directions; i.e. soaked or cooked)

Protein of your choice (tofu, chicken, shrimp, etc)

Veggies of your choice (I use red peppers. broccoli and pea pods)

2 eggs

1/2 cup to 1 cup Pad thai sauce (recipe to follow)

Garnish:

3 green onions, chopped

4 Tbsp chopped roasted peanuts

1 cup rinsed and drained beansprouts

1 lime, cut into wedges

Pad Thai Sauce

1 heaping Tbsp tamarind paste, disolved in 1 cup hot water

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

dash of salt

First, mix up your sauce.  Set aside.

Then, heat about 3 Tbsp oil in a wok on High heat.  Add your protein of choice.  When just cooked through, set aside and cover to keep warm.  Go back to your wok.  If you need to add a tad more oil now is the time to do so.  Add veggies to walk and stirfry until bright and tendercrisp.  Remove from pan, set aside and cover to keep warm.  

Now, this next part happens quickly:

Add a drop more oil to the wok.  Add garlic and cook until lightly browned (this happens FAST.)  Add noodles to pan and a splash of water, stirfry the noodles around the wok a few times, until they begin to soften up.  Add 1/2 cup of the sauce (you may need more if you like a stronger flavor, but that may be enough...I usually end up using about 3/4 cup) and keep stirring.  Then, push noodles to outside rim of wok.  Add drop of oil and break eggs into the middle of the wok.  In their little 'zone' inside of the noodles, scramble them until almost cooked, then toss with the noodles.  Add the other stuff (protein, veggies) and perhaps a bit more sauce  if you like.  keep on the heat until well mixed, then remove from heat and toss in the garnishes.  Et Voila!

I really do believe that this Pad Thai will rival your favorite take out joint and Prof. Hubs and I scarfed it down with relish last night and I'm already planning a repeat Pad Thai celebration...

Analysis of Foodie Culture and History 101

If you are foodie and ever have an opportunity to visit Ann Arbor, MI you really must take it.  It is a foodie fantasy land-AMAZING restaurants, sidewalk cafés, markets, bars...  you name it you can buy it in Ann Arbor (A2.)  Actually, although I'm sure some NY foodies will contest my saying so, but many rare or ethnic ingredients are easier to find in A2 than in Manhattan and they are much cheaper.  How many college towns also boast an upscale Eastern European grocery (Copernicus,) Brazilian market (Brasilamerica,) or any number of Middle Eastern and East Asian groceries?  My hands-down favorite foodie destination in A2 if you only have time for a quick stop would have to be Zingerman's delicatessen. (www.zingermans.com)  This place is, to date, my FAVORITE deli/bakery/fromagerie/cool foodstuffs establishment in the WORLD.  In fact, I worked there during my time at University of Michigan.  Zingerman's is where I learned to appreciate the brightness of thistle-cured (vs. rennet-cured) cheeses, where I discovered the various characters of extra virgin olive oils from specific geographic regions and where one of my colleagues once tricked me into eating part of a contraband HORSE sausage he absconded with during a food tour to France (Incidentally, the horse sausage, though cringe-inducing after the fact was so highly spiced it tasted like a very tasty and peppery dry sausage at the time of ingestion.)  In short, Zingerman's=delicious.  Go there.  Or just go there online during your workday and drool over the ridiculously expensive cheese clubs...  

I was thinking of my foodie education as I was considering what to prepare for this evening's meal.  Prof. Hubs' favorite side dish is Tabouli and since we moved to Midwestia we haven't been able to find any in the 'hummus' section of the local stores.  Come to think of it we haven't really been able to find any hummus in that section either...  Project!  I decided it would be nice to dust off my own tabouli recipe for Prof. Hubs this evening as in the 10 days or so since we've been married he's been a truly wonderful husband.  In addition to tabouli I'm making these really yummy grilled eggplant rolantini stuffed with a feta, mint, pepper filling, and a sort of garlic-y shrimp pasta (I'm saving this particular recipe for a later entry.)  We will definitely be breaking out the vinho verde for this one...

*Note-after making this meal I can tell you that you must RUN to the kitchen to make these eggplant rolantini-they are one of the simplest and most delicious things I have EVER MADE.

GRILLED EGGPLANT ROLANTINI WITH FETA, PEPPERS AND MINT 

adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson

2 Eggplants, sliced vertically into thin slices

Salt

Half a package of feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

5 dashes of tabasco sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

black pepper

Olive oil

So you've sliced your washed and dried eggplants vertically.  Now lay out the slices on a baking sheet, plate, etc. and salt them generously on both sides.  Leave them alone for 30 minutes.  This allows them to 'sweat' out excess moisture which will prevent eggplant mush.  After 30 minutes use a paper towel to wipe off the salt and water (which has exited the vegetable.)

Heat your grill to medium or your grill pan on the stove high (you could also use a sautée pan, but it's so much prettier wth grill marks!) and brush a LITTLE bit of olive oil on each of your eggplant slices.  As the slices are cooking (about 2-3 minutes per side, or in my house, until the grillmarks are pretty) mix up your filling: feta crumbles, lemon juice, chopped mint, chopped red pepper, tabasco and black pepper.  As your eggplant slices finish cooking, remove them from heat and fill each one with a spoonfull of feta mixture.  Roll them up.  The heat from the eggplants will make the mixture's flavors sing-this is seriously good food, people.  I think they're best fresh and still warm, but they are still pretty good if left to room temperature as long as you did your earlier sweating process.

  

PROFESSOR HUBS' FAVORITE TABOULI

(adapted from a recipe by Kathleen Daelemans)

3 bunches flat-leaf (Italian) parsley (without the really rough bottom stem parts)

handful of fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup raw bulgur wheat

1.15 cups water

1.5 cups chopped grape tomatoes (about 15 of the little guys)

1/4 chopped whites from green onions (about 3 green onions)

Juice of 1 large lemon

2-3 Tbsp Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

pinch of minced garlic (optional)

First, cook the bulgur (heat the grains in the water until it bowls, then take off the heat, cover and allow them to puff up for 25 minutes)

Then, if you're like me, you'll put the parsley in the food processor.  Pulse it until it's all minced up, then put in in a large bowl, add the other ingredients., and stir them.  Done.

If you don't have a food processor, after you've cooked the bulgur:

Chop the s*** out of the parsley and mint and combine with the other ingredients.  Stir.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Done.  

Eat as a side dish to just about everything, as Prof. Hubs does...  

Adventures in time management

I can't really think of anything to write about today. Here are a couple of ideas I have been toying with a bit but am too lazy to actually explore:

1. The fact that I now talk to MYSELF while driving. In a British accent. Or a Southern one like on TRUEBLOOD.

2. A review of FUNNY PEOPLE which attacks the recent NYTimes review, which was so completely wrong. This movie is PERFECT (in my opinion!)

3. The recovery of my zucchini plants from powder mould due to an ultra-pasteurized cow's milk remedy....um. yeah...you really wish I wrote that one, right?

4. How I have uncannily figured out how to stretch a five minute task into an hour-long task so that I feel like I am busier than I am.

But in the end, I realized that all of those are completely boring to anyone but me...ahhh, narcissism. So, instead of waxing poetic regarding plant health, here is a delightfully un-boring, particularly delicious strawberry shortcake recipe that I've been making lately. If you only need to make one or two biscuits you can freeze the dough for later use. It freezes admirably. Or do as Prof. Hubs and I do: refrigerate the leftover dough and on a weekend morning bake some biscuits and make turkey bacon and egg sandwiches with them...mmmm...

DESPERATE HOUSEDIVA'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

whole wheat biscuits

vanilla cream

strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into halves or quarters

strawberry jam

WHOLE WHEAT BISCUITS (adapted from THE NEW BASICS cookbook)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold (MUST be cold)

3/4 cup milk (or half and half...)

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and 'cut' it into the flour using a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the Milk and stir gently until the dough resembles a ball.

Take said ball of dough and transfer to a floured surface-it will be STICKY! Knead it for about 30 seconds, then pat it into a 3/4 inch rectangle. I like to fold it over once or twice and then flatten it again (this makes for good 'pull-apart' biscuits.) Don't overknead-you want the butter to stay cold for flakiness factor...

Using a cookie cutter (or the top of a water glass, like I do) cut dough into rounds. Arrange the rounds 1-inch apart on a greased baking sheet (I just use a silpat mat.) Bake until golden and puffed-about 12-14 minutes.

VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/5 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For this recipe, first chill a metal bowl in the fridge for at least 10 minutes. Also, keep the cream cold during this time. After the bowl is chilled, pour the cream into the cold bowl and whisk or electrically mix the cream until soft-medium peaks form. Then add in the sugar and vanilla-combine. Yum! I don't like this to be too sweet but if you do, feel free to add more sugar... If your arm gets tired from whisking feel free to take a break by putting the bowl (with partially whipped cream) back in the fridge for a few minutes... Keeping it all cold will greatly help your purpose and prevent the cream from becoming butter :)

ASSEMBLING THE SHORTCAKES

Take the biscuits and cut them in half. Spread the jam on either side. Then, on the bottom half of each biscuit put a large spoonful of strawberries, topped with a heaping spoonful of cream, then top with the other biscuit half. Enjoy!!!

Wedded Bliss

It's official-in front of the 60 pairs of eyes belonging to our nearest and dearest; under God, and according to the laws of Judaism and state of Michigan, Professor Hubs and I are officially married.  It was a beautiful wedding-in my (biased) opinion it was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen or attended...  Just perfect.  The weather was clear, warm with a light breeze and no clouds in the sky.  It was a small, elegant gem of a wedding and it was so much FUN!  In spite of this I cried from the time I got in the car to ride to the ceremony to the end of the speeches so I may look a bit puffy-eyed in the wedding photos.  Apparently I am one of "those" brides-the emotional kind.  I just felt so overwhelmed by the heightened emotion of it all.  I know that my poor descriptive skills will never begin to unravel the intricate web of emotions I felt.  It's just so HUGE.  It's something one's thought about since childhood and planned for so long (in my case, the last six months) and to actually be living through each of the moments in sequence as they happen, to be feeling the excitement, the expectation, the joy, the love, the sadness for it to be passing and to be experiencing such a rite of passage, the stress and anxiety of planning the details...well,  as I said before:  It's huge.  I think it's something I won't completely understand for a long time-perhaps years.  Which is alright, I suppose.  Now that the wedding is over I have nothing BUT years...a lifetime, in fact.  Wow.  Huge.  

We returned home to Midwestia two days ago though I'm still in such denial that I've barely unpacked.  But even decompressing and dreamy-headed newlyweds must eat.  So, in honor of wedded bliss I've decided tonight is the night to cook five of my beloved SQUASH BLOSSOMS [!]  I first experienced them while living with a family in Italy and they completely flabbergasted me with their delicate deliciousnes.  Thanks to Mama Farruccio I have a rough recipe that I've been playing with for a few years:

FIORI DA ZUCCA FRITTI

(fried squash blossoms)

10-20 squash blossoms, rinsed, dried, de-pistilled and de-stamened

1 cup flour (all-purpose)

1/3 cup sparkling water (or beer, or club soda)

1/3 cup white wine (or just double whatever other liquid you're using)

one egg white, beaten to soft peaks

good frying oil (DO NOT USE OLIVE OIL FOR THIS IT WILL BURN.  I'm using canola today...)

Combine all of the batter ingredients (flour, sparkles, wine, egg white, salt) into a smooth batter.  Let it sit for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate for a few hours.  Then bring it back to room temp.  

In a dutch oven or similarly deep cooking pan heat 1-inch oil.  All of the experts say to around 360-75 degrees, but I just say until it's not smoking or spitting, just before that :)

Dip your blossoms in the batter, add to oil, 1 at a time.  Cook unti golden brown (about 2 minutes.)  Remove with slotted spoon onto a paper towel.  You can also keep them warm in a 350 oven if you are making loads of them for later...  Though they really are best fresh out of the pan.

We are going to eat them with a green salad, a garlic-lemony pasta dish and the chard tart of a few weeks ago...  I think It's a good night for my beloved sauvignon blanc or one of the gorgeous bottles of champagne we have from the nuptial celebrations...

Buon Apetito!!!