blue artichoke

Sunday was the last night of the German Oktoberfest Wandering Gullet meals. I made just two recipes, a soup and a dessert. The soup was a fairly typical beef and vegetable variety, plus tiny dumplings. I hated making the dumplings, mostly because it took several false starts to find the right equipment. See, the dumplings really are tiny, formed by pressing the dough through small holes in, say, a colander. My colander has really tiny holes, so the dough cooked on the inside of the colander before I could even press it through the holes. No good. I tried just cutting off tiny portions of dough from a big lump, but the dough was too runny. Next, I tried squeezing the dough through a pastry bag fitted with my smallest round tip and cutting off the dough in small bits as it squeezed out, like making gnocchi. That was OK, but the dough wasn't really thick enough to cut, so it ended up looking like odd strips. Finally, I found a tool that worked well:

This is a strainer that I found when I lived at my grandmother's house and took with me when I moved, because I thought it was neat. I usually use it to drain grease after browning ground beef in a skillet, but now it is my official spätzle -maker. (By the way, there are tool specifically for making spätzle . Check them out if you find yourself in need of another kitchen-cluttering gadget). If this strainer didn't work, my next attempt would be to use a food mill fitted with the disc with the largest holes. I think that would have worked as well, or better, than my strainer, but it wasn't in arm's reach at the time. For an even easier method of making tiny dumplings, I recommend buying a vacuum-packed package of gnocchi and cutting them into smaller chunks. Yes, cutting gnocchi is tiresome, but much, much easier and faster than making your own spätzle .

After dirtying up most of the dishes in my kitchen, I really hoped this soup would be terrible, so I wouldn't be tempted to make it again. It was good, really good. The dumplings totally make the soup, so if you consider leaving them out, there's no need to make the soup at all. The recipe says that it serves 4, but we have enough leftovers to serve four. The dumplings soaked up most of the broth, so I'll have to add water or beef stock when I serve it again.

Gaisburger Marsch (Vegetable-Beef Soup with Tiny Dumplings)

1# boneless beef chuck, cut into 1” cubes
1# beef marrow bones, sawed, not chopped, into 1” pieces
2 qt cold water
1 large onion, peeled and pierced with 2 whole cloves
1 small bay leaf
1 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c. coarsely diced peeled celery root
½ c. coarsely diced scraped carrots
½ c. coarsely diced scraped parsnips
1 c. coarsely diced leeks, including 2” of the green top
2-½ c. coarsely diced potatoes
Once recipe Spätzle*
1 T. finely chopped parsley

In a heavy 5- to 6-qt flameproof casserole or soup pot, bring the beef, bones and water to a boil over high heat, skimming off foam and scum as they rise to the surface. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible point, add the onion pierced with cloves, bay leaf, salt and a few grindings of pepper; simmer, partially covered, 1 ½ hours, skimming whenever necessary. Remove the onion and bay leaf, discard them, and transfer the bones to a plate.

With a small spoon or the tip of a knife, scoop out the marrow from the bones; add it to the soup and discard the bones. Add the celery root, carrots, parsnips, leeks and potatoes; simmer, undisturbed for 30m, or until veggies and meat are tender. Stir the Spätzle into the simmering soup and cook 1-2m longer to heat them through. Add the parsley, taste for seasoning and serve from a large heated tureen or in individual soup bowls.

Serves 4.

Spätzle (Tiny Dumplings)

3 c. flour
1 t. salt
¼ t. ground nutmeg
4 eggs
1 c. milk

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, ½ t. of salt and nutmeg.

Break up the eggs with a fork and beat into the flour mixture. Pour in the milk in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a large spoon, and continue to stir until the dough is smooth.

Bring 2 quarts of water and remaining ½ t. salt to a boil in a heavy 4- to 5-qt saucepan. Set a large colander, preferably one with large holes, over the saucepan and with a spoon press the dough a few tablespoons at a time through the colander directly into the boiling water. Stir the Spätzle gently to prevent them from sticking to each other, then boil briskly for 5-8m, or until tender. Taste to make sure. Drain the Spätzle thoroughly in a sieve or colander.

Makes ~ 4 cups.

Foods of the World: The Cooking of Germany, by Nika Standen Hazelton and the Editors of Time-Life Books. NY: Time Life, 1969.

I omitted the celery root, because I couldn't find any at either of the grocery stores I went to, and I didn't feel like driving all over town to track it down. Also, this was my first known encounter with beef marrow. Not bad.

For dessert, I made hazelnut macaroons. Macaroons are small, round cookies with a crunchy outside and soft inside. Traditionally made with ground almonds, sugar and egg whites, they are often flavored with coffee, chocolate, nuts or fruit. Originally from Venice, perhaps the use of hazelnuts instead of almonds makes these German in character. These are flavored with chocolate, and are fantastic.

Haselnussmakronen (Hazelnut Macaroons)

2 t. butter, softened
2 egg whites
¾ c. sugar
1 ½ c. shelled hazelnuts, preferably blanched, pulverized
6 T. unsweetened cocoa
2 t. finely grated lemon peel
Pinch salt
1 t. vanilla

With a pastry brush or paper towel, coat a large baking sheet with 2 t. of soft butter and sit it aside. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a wire whisk or electric beater until they foam and thicken slightly. Sprinkle the sugar over them and continue to beat until the whites form stiff, unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted out of the bowl. Combine the ground hazelnuts with next 4 in a small bowl, and whit a rubber spatula, gently but thoroughly fold the mixture into the whites, using an over-under cutting motion. To make the cookies, drop the dough by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them ~1” apart. Let the cookies rest at room temp for 1h before baking.

Preheat the oven to 300. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30m, or until firm. With a spatula, carefully transfer cookies to a rack to cool. Can be stored for several weeks in tightly sealed jars or tins.

Makes ~20 cookies.

Foods of the World: The Cooking of Germany, by Nika Standen Hazelton and the Editors of Time-Life Books. NY: Time Life, 1969.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With a freezer full of frozen summer fruit, mostly blueberries and plums, I have little room for other things, like the homemade chicken stock I made earlier this week or the big batch of marinara sauce I'm planning to make soon. I'd like to have some blueberries available to me in the dead of winter, but I can certainly start using up some now. So, yesterday I made blueberry muffins for our breakfast this morning. These muffins are hardy. They're blueberry, which is breakfast-y, but also cornmeal, which is dinner-y. Versatile. And filling. I ate one muffin and a muffin top and couldn't eat a bit more. These would be a good breakfast before going sledding; with that in mind, I froze the leftover muffins for such a wintery day.

Blueberry Corn Muffins

I had a really difficult time sifting the dry ingredients because they kept clogging my sifter. I ended up just sifting once, then continuing on with the recipe. Next time, I think I'll try whirling all the dry ingredients briefly in a food processor; it will be worth cleaning the food processor to not have to use the sifter.

1 ½ c. sifted unbleached flour
1 ¼ c. stone-ground cornmeal, fine grade, preferably not degerminated
½ c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
½ t. each cinnamon and salt
1-¼ c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. veggie oil
1 c. blueberries
Cinnamon sugar

Lien a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 400.

Sift dry together 2x, ending in a large bowl.

Mix milk, eggs and oil.

Pour liquid into dry. Mix just to blend. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter among cups; this will fill them to the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in the top third of the oven for 20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned on top and dry inside.

Serve warm or at room temp.

Makes 12.

NB: Muffins can be baked ahead of time, frozen and thawed in the microwave for a quick, convenient breakfast.

Superfoods: 300 Recipes for Foods that Heal Body and Mind, by Dolores Riccio

Yesterday afternoon, GC and I went to the Missouri football game. It was perfect football weather, cool and sunny. I wore a short sleeve shirt, even though the thermometer read temperatures in the 50s. Shortly after halftime, the sun went behind the stadium wall, casting a shadow on our section and dropping the temperature by about 10 degrees. I was freezing. I went to the team store looking for a long-sleeve shirt or sweatshirt, but couldn't find anything I liked that wasn't outrageously expensive. All I can say is thank goodness it was towel day. Between the two of us, GC and I had four free team towels, which I wrapped around my arms, making quite a fashion statement. Those towels, though, kept me warm enough to see the game through to the end, 42-28 Missouri. Rah!

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GC and I have been tearing up the skies and racking up frequent flyer miles. We've made two trips to Nashville in the last 6 days, first to say goodbye to his grandfather and then to attend his grandfather's funeral. This week has made it such a nuisance to live almost 2 hours from a major airport, but we rewarded ourselves for making the drive to and from the Kansas City airport by stopping for dinner at Gates BBQ, a famous Kansas City barbecue restaurant. I like their burnt ends. GC likes to split the sampler platter for two, which includes ribs, turkey, brisket and french fries. Almost as much as we like the food, we like the curt friendliness of the employees. As soon as you walk in the door, at least one person yells "Welcome to Gates! May I take your order?" (or 20% off your bill, or something like that). It's a bit overwhelming. The first time, I was so startled that glanced at the overhead menu, saw Burnt End on Bun, and ordered it. A good choice. The second time, I was ready with my order when they shouted at my entrance, but we were late and they were out of Burnt End on Bun. I stepped back to study the menu. Meanwhile, the cashier told GC about the special sampler platter. He thought it sounded good. I was at a loss reading the menu, so I was grateful to have the decision made for me. My favorite on the sampler platter was the ribs, followed by the turkey, then the brisket. I'd order the ribs if ever I were so unfortunate as to be there again during a shortage of Burnt End on Bun.

After two trips to Gates, GC and I decided that perhaps we ought to try something lighter or faster, so we went to Waffle House (faster, but not lighter) where we both ordered steak and eggs. I can't recommend the steak at WaHo, but I'm rather enthusiastic about the hash browns, scattered, smothered and covered. We also stopped at McDonald's, which is quite a treat for me. It used to be my favorite restaurant ever (a fact which will forever prevent me from becoming a true foodie), and is a rare treat in these get-in-shape-girl days. I had my old favorite, a double cheeseburger meal, which was as good as I remembered.

GC's preferred road food is Subway. I'm not a huge fan and have been able to shoot it down successfully on our past few road voyages. After a few too many sandwiches with items not ordered in them (like, say, cartilage), I instituted a Subway ban for many years. At the mercy of other drivers, though, I've had to eat there on occasion, thankfully with no mishaps. I'm still suspicious, though.

I'm not sure what my favorite road food is. Black Cake and I once drove from Missouri to Washington, D.C. stopping only at Bob Evan's restaurants...

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite road trip restaurant?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 06:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Woohoo Oktoberfest!
Last night we had another German meal. I won't go so far as to say that German is my favorite cuisine, but I am a big fan of meat and potatoes, especially when the weather is cold. Unfortunately, yesterday was quite warm. GC and I went for a scramble-hike along the Pinnacles. GC is an expert scrambler; I'm slower and more cautious, in part because that's my nature and in part because I was wearing shoes inappropriate for running up rocks covered in dead leaves. It was so windy that I got scared standing on top of the rock formations, so my hike was more like a crab-walk in parts. Anyway, we worked up a good appetite.

I made a meat dish (beef in spiced sour-cream sauce), a potato dish (potatoes with apples) and a dessert (lemon cream). All were pretty good, but the dessert was outstanding.

Würzfleisch (Beef in Spiced Sour-Cream Sauce)

4 T. flour
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
2 # top round steak, sliced ½” thick and cut into 4 pieces
3 T. lard [I used butter-BA]
½ c. finely chopped onions
1 t. paprika
6 whole black peppercorns
3 whole allspice
½ small bay leaf
1 whole clove
2 c. water
1 c. sour cream
1 T. Madeira

In a mixing bowl, combine 3 T. flour with s/p. Dip in the pieces of beef 1x1; shake off excess (vigorously!). In a heavy 10-12” skillet, melt 2 T. of lard over high heat until a light haze forms above it. Add the beef and brown on both sides, regulating the heat so meat browns quickly and evenly without burning. Remove meat to a platter; add remaining tablespoon lard to the skillet. Drop in onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 5-8m, or until onions are soft and slightly brown. Add paprika, peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf and clove. Pour in the water and bring to a boil, meanwhile scraping into it any browned bits in the skillet.

Return the meat to the pan, reduce heat to low and cover tightly. Simmer 1 ½ -2h, basing occasionally. When beef can easily be pierced with the tip of a fork, transfer it to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing down hard on the onions with the back of a spoon before discarding them. There should be 1 ½ - 2 c. of liquid in the bowl. If less, add canned or fresh beef stock; if more, boil the liquid briskly over high heat until reduced to 2c. Return the liquid to the skillet, bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to low.

With a whisk, beat the remaining tablespoon of flour into the sour cream. A few tablespoons at a time, beat the sour cream into the simmering liquid and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce is hot and slightly thickened. Don’t let it boil. Return the beef to the skillet; baste well with sauce and cook just long enough to heat it through. Sit in the Madeira and taste for seasoning. To serve, arrange the meat on a heated platter. Moisten the slices with a few tablespoons of sauce and serve the rest separately in a sauceboat. Traditionally, Würzfleisch is accompanied by dumplings or boiled or mashed potatoes.

Serves 4.
Foods of the World: The Cooking of Germany, by Nika Standen Hazelton and the Editors of Time-Life Books. NY: Time Life, 1969.

I halved the recipe, because we are but two, and I'm glad we didn't have any leftovers. It seems that I am not such a fan of boiled meat. It was kind of bland. The sauce was good, though.

Himmel und Erde (Potatoes with Apples)

1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
2 c. cold water
9 med boiling potatoes, ~3#, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
1# tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered
½# lean bacon, cut into ¼” dice
2 med onions, peeled and sliced 1/8” thick and separated into rings
1 t. cider vinegar

In a heavy 12” skillet, combine sugar, 1 t. of salt and the pepper in 2 c. of water. Then drop in the potatoes and apples and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and cover the skillet tightly. Simmer, undisturbed, until potatoes are tender but not falling apart.

Meanwhile, in an 8- to 10” skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until brown and crisp. With a slotted spoon, spread it out on a double thickness of paper towels to drain. Add the onions to the fat remaining in the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 8-10m, or until the rings are soft and light brown.

Just before serving, stir the remaining teaspoon of salt and the teaspoon of vinegar not the potatoes and apples; taste for seasoning. Then transfer the entire contents of the skillet to a heated bowl and serve topped with the onion rings and bacon.

Serves 8.
Foods of the World: The Cooking of Germany, by Nika Standen Hazelton and the Editors of Time-Life Books. NY: Time Life, 1969.

I also halved this recipe. I used a Rome apple, which is supposed to be pretty good for cooking, but it got really mushy. It was also sweeter than I'd like for this dish. I think with a different apple, one tarter and better suited for cooking, this recipe would be great.

Zitronencreme (Lemon-Cream Dessert)

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ c. cold water
3 egg yolks
½ c. + 3 T. sugar
¼ c. fresh lemon juice
2 t. finely grate lemon peel
1 c. heavy cream
3 egg whites
1 lemon, cut lengthwise into halves and cut crosswise into paper-thin slices, optional
½ c. heavy cream, optional
1 t. icing sugar, optional

In a heatproof measuring cup or small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over ¼ c. cold water. When softened for 2-3m, set the cup in a small skillet of simmering water and stir until gelatin dissolves completely. Remove skillet from heat, but leave cup of gelatin in the skillet.

With a whisk or electric beater, beat egg yolks with ½ c. of sugar until yolks are pale yellow and thick enough to fall back in a ribbon when beater is lifted from bowl. Stir in the dissolved gelatin, lemon juice and peel. With the same whisk or beater, whip the cream in a large chilled bowl until firm enough to hold it shape softly. With a spatula, gently but thoroughly fold the cream into the lemon and egg mixture, using over-under cutting motion rather than a stirring motion.

Wash and dry the whisk or beater; in a separate bowl, use it to beat the egg whites until frothy. Sprinkle in the remaining 3 T. sugar and continue beating until egg whites are stiff enough to stand in unwavering peaks when whisk is lifted from bowl. Gently fold egg whites into lemon mixture and continue to fold until no trace of white can be seen in the mixture.

Spoon the lemon cream into six individual dessert dishes or into a large serving bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 3h before serving.

If you like, you may garnish with lemon slices and whipped cream. Whip the cream with a wire whisk or beater until it holds its shape softly, sprinkle with icing sugar and beat until stiff. With a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip, pipe rosettes or swirls of whipped cream on top of the dessert.

Serves 6.
Foods of the World: The Cooking of Germany, by Nika Standen Hazelton and the Editors of Time-Life Books. NY: Time Life, 1969.

This recipe was the star of the meal. Though it uses a lot of bowls, it has to be made so far in advance that you have plenty of time to clean up and put away all the bowls. Like a mousse, the texture of this lemon cream is really light and fluffy. The flavor is rather bright and acidic, making it a nice light end to a heavy meal of meat and potatoes. I'll definitely make this dessert again. I probably will make the potato and apple dish again, with some tweaks; it is unlikely that I'll make the meat dish again. Though good enough the first time around, I don't think it was special enough to make again.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite beer? Or, if not a beer drinker, what's your drink of choice?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I can't make it to Oktoberfest, the annual 16-day festival in Munich, Germany, but I can devote this month's Wandering Gullet meals to German food. Though we were out of town last weekend, we had our share of German food in Rhode Island. GC and I went to the rather overpriced Newport Oktoberfest, where we ate brats, drank beer and listened to German polka music. We marveled briefly at the 65-foot grill capable of cooking 2500 brats in an hour, but the grill was set up next to the karaoke stage and the screechings of some drunk party girls chased us into the polka tent. The brats we sampled were good, but the best food came from the grill at the Brazilian food booth. There we got a sampler basket filled with grilled chicken and pork.

Back home, I decided to continue in the Oktoberfest tradition. We had our German meal last night, because the pork loin hadn't thawed in time for dinner on Sunday night. I made a pork loin braised with cabbage, bohnensalat (a green bean salad) and a ginger cake. The pork and the cake recipe included beer as ingredients; instead of being authentic and choosing German beers, I went with the more familiar Irish Guinness and Harp.

The pork entree was really good, and somehow spicy, even though there aren't any hot spices in the recipe. I halved the recipe, and even though it should have then served 4 people, GC and I ate it all. It's that good.

Pork Loin Braised with Cabbage

Pork is typically served with cabbage at the German table. Use red cabbage, if you like, for slightly sweeter flavor. You can prepare the dish a day ahead, and chill overnight. Cut the roast into 1/4-inch slices. Gently reheat the meat in cabbage mixture in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat.

4 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed
Cooking spray
3/4 cup diced Canadian bacon (about 4 ounces)
14 cups thinly sliced cabbage (about 2 pounds)
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion (about 2 medium)
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot (about 1)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark lager (I used Harp)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and sage; rub over pork. Heat a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan.

Add bacon to pan; cook 3 minutes. Add cabbage, onion, and carrot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 15 minutes or until cabbage begins to wilt, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste, remaining 2 teaspoons paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, caraway seeds, and lager. Return pork to pan. Cover and bake at 350° for 2 hours or until tender. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 3/4 cup cabbage mixture)

CALORIES 255 (32% from fat); FAT 9g (sat 3.3g,mono 4g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 28.7g; CHOLESTEROL 76mg; CALCIUM 84mg; SODIUM 596mg; FIBER 3.7g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.9g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006

The green bean salad was also pretty good, but not stellar. I didn't have any summer savory, so I omitted it. I also didn't chill for an hour before serving because I was too impatient.

Bohnensalat (Green Bean Salad)

3 T. red or white wine vinegar
3 T. olive oil
½ c. chicken stock
2 t. salt
Fresh pepper
1 t. finely chopped fresh dill
1 t. finely chopped parsley
1# fresh green beans
1 sprig fresh summer savory or ¼ t. dried summer savory

In a small bowl, combine first 3 with 1 t. of salt and few grindings of pepper; beat vigorously with a whisk to blend thoroughly. Stir in the dill and parsley; taste for seasoning. Cover and set aside.

Trim the ends off the beans; cut into 2” lengths. In a 3- to 4-qt saucepan, bring 2 qt water, remaining 1 t. salt and summer savory to a bubbling boil over high heat. Drop the beans in by the handful. Return the water to a boil, reduce the heat to moderate and boil beans, uncovered, 10-15m, or until tender but still slightly firm. Don’t overcook. Immediately, drain the beans and rinse in cold water. Spread on paper toweling and pat dry.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over them. Stir to coat well, taste for seasoning, and chill 1h before serving.

Serves 4.
Foods of the World: The Cooking of Germany, by Nika Standen Hazelton and the Editors of Time-Life Books. NY: Time Life, 1969.

And, finally, the cake. A ginger cake, this is pretty much a boozy gingerbread. I'm not sure how much the Guinness adds to the flavor; the cake is good, but not as good as some other (non-beer) gingerbreads I've made. I made it a day ahead; it does keep well.

Ginger Cake

To prepare this cake a day ahead, cool completely, wrap it with plastic wrap, and store at room temperature. Frost the cake with whipped topping just before serving.

Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup flat Guinness stout
3/4 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping (such as Cool Whip Lite), thawed

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place brown sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add the egg, and beat well. Beat in the applesauce and molasses (batter may look slightly curdled). Reduce mixing speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture, and beat just until blended. Repeat procedure with remaining flour mixture. Add Guinness stout, and beat just until combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely. Spread cake with whipped topping. Cut into 8 wedges.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

CALORIES 244 (30% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 5g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 3g; CHOLESTEROL 43mg; CALCIUM 43mg; SODIUM 295mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.1g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006

Of those three recipes, I'll definitely make the pork loin again, maybe make the green beans, but only if I'm looking for a German side dish, and, though the cake is good, probably will choose a different dessert or a better gingerbread. Fortunately, Oktoberfest lasts all month long at the Blue Artichoke home, so I'll try out some new German recipes in next weekend's installment of Wandering Gullet.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday was chili weather: cold and rainy. GC invited some friends over to watch the Missouri-Oklahoma football game and I decided to make a pot of chili and a pan of cornbread to feed everyone for dinner. This was a last-minute decision, so I headed out to the grocery store to get the fixin's. I think everyone in town had the same idea, because the bean aisle was packed and there was a crisis in the spice aisle when it was discovered that there was only one more jar of chili powder left. I also got some tortilla chips and Rotel to make Rotel dip, as every good Southerner would do when lucky enough to find a 1-1/4# block of Velveeta in the fridge. What do you do when you have a living room full of red-blooded American men shouting at the tv? Feed them cheese.

The chili was awesome. Or, at least I think it was. I don't have much to compare it too, for I only started eating chili about a year ago. As a kid, I took the beans song to heart ("beans, beans, the musical fruit..." ) and decided that I simply disliked beans, even though I'd never eaten any. I knew I disliked toots. A few years ago, I eased my way into eating beans, starting with chickpeas, moving on to black beans and refried beans in Mexican restaurants, then opening up to all kinds, though I'm still undecided about pinto beans. My introduction to chili was at a chili cook-off in Richmond, where most of the chili samples were too hot to taste anything but burning. Yesterday's chili, though, was only mildly spicy, so I could actually taste individual flavors. GC and the rest of the guys liked it a lot too, but I've found that hungry guys almost always compliment free food, so I might just have to start a Chili Snackdown to see how this recipe really stacks up. In the meantime, you try it out and tell me how it compares to your favorite chili.

Chunky Two-Bean and Beef Chili

1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 ½ pounds beef stew meat
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups chopped onion
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper
2/3 cup cabernet sauvignon or dry red wine
1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can hot chili beans
Reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle beef with salt. Add half of beef to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.

Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, onion, and bell pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return beef to pan. Stir in sugar and remaining ingredients except sour cream; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. Garnish with sour cream, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)

CALORIES 390 (26% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 3.2g,mono 4.8g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 31.3g; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 94mg; SODIUM 825mg; FIBER 10.1g; IRON 5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 37.5g
Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2007

Chili just isn't complete without a pan of cornbread.

Rosemary Corn Bread

2 (8 ½ oz) boxes cornbread mix
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (8 oz.) container plain yogurt
2 (7 oz.) cans whole-kernel corn, drained
1 T. dried rosemary leaves

Heat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 13x9” pan; set aside.

Stir all ingredients together. Spoon into pan.

Bake 25 minutes or until just golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool. When cool, cut lengthwise into 3 strips and then crosswise into quarters. Cut each square into 2 triangles. The corn bread can be made ahead to this point. Remove from pan, wrap in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To serve, thaw and reheat in the foil in a 325F oven for 10m or until heated through.

Serves 10.
Real Simple, November 2003

Now, I have had more than my share of cornbread, and can say with confidence that this is awesome cornbread. I used Jiffy Corn Muffin mix, which I think is the best commercial cornbread mix available. I ground up the dried rosemary in my spice blender because I hate biting into those long rosemary needles; grinding also helps distribute the rosemary flavor.

Missouri lost the game, so people left our house disappointed, but not hungry.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your best company dish?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These muffins turned into clean-out-the-fridge muffins because I ran out of yogurt. I had about half as much as I needed, so I added all the likely yogurt substitutions I could find in the fridge: some sour cream, whipping cream and half-and-half. I now have so much more room in the fridge door, and the muffins were none the worse for the odd mixture of fats. This recipe is really easy to prepare, which is good because I forgot to make them early in the day yesterday, so had to whip them up during halftime of the Missouri football game. No problem, even with fans wandering through the kitchen to make a fresh rum-and-Coke or recycle emptied beer bottles.

These muffins aren't the most exciting or spectacular you'll ever eat, but they're good and fast and easy, and that goes a long way.

Mixed Fruit Muffins

Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 1992

1 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 ½ t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
1 c. chopped dried mixed fruit
½ c. firmly packed brown sugar
16-oz. carton plain nonfat yogurt
¼ c. veggie oil
Veggie cooking spray

Sift first 4 together in a large bowl; stir in dried fruit and brown sugar. Make a well; combine yogurt and oil; add to flour and stir just until moist.

Spoon batter into greased muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 18m. Remove from pans immediately, and let cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 1 ½ dozen.
129C/ protein 3.3/ fat 3.5/ carbs 21.9/ cholesterol 1/ iron 0.8/ sodium 123/ calcium 75

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've only had my cholesterol checked twice. The first time I was tricked into it. I was in high school and my mom asked me to go to the grocery store with her; the store was offering cholesterol screenings and my mom made me wait in line while she shopped, then made me offer up my arm for a blood sample, "just for fun!" My cholesterol was fine. The second time I had it checked was a few months ago, at my doctor's recommendation. I fasted for 12 hours before the test, then my appointment was delayed. My stomach was growling loudly by the time it was my turn for the needle. I rewarded myself with a greasy bacon-egg-and-cheese biscuit from Hardee's. I don't remember my numbers, but they didn't seem to concern my doctor.

I hear a lot about cholesterol, the good kind and the bad kind, and know that too much bad cholesterol is bad for your heart. But I'm rather vague on what it is exactly or why we have it in the first place. So, I did a few hours of research this rainy Saturday morning and here's my simplified guide to cholesterol.

Cholesterol = chole (bile) + sterol (steroid + alcohol). It is a lipid that builds and maintains cell membranes, regulating fluidity through a range of temperatures. It is vital for proper brain function, nerve function, metabolism of fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K) and production of sex hormones. It is produced in the liver and distributed throughout the body through the bloodstream. Blood is mostly water, and cholesterol can't swim, so it hops on rafts of lipoproteins to get where it needs to go. In the gall bladder, it helps manufacture bile.

There are two forms of this cholesterol-lipoprotein unit: LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein). LDLs are the speedy movers, but they tend to drop bits of cholesterol along the way. HDLs are the perfectionists: slower, methodical and attentive to detail. They follow along and clean up the cholesterol debris left in the wake of the LDLs, then take the trash back to the liver, where the cholesterol bits are broken down and excreted. It's a pretty good system, but when the LDLs outnumber the HDLs, the HDLs get overwhelmed, frustrated and crabby. The LDLs never pick up after themselves; eventually all those dropped cholesterol bits clutter up the arteries and just make the place look junky. Those bits of cholesterol form a plaque that sticks to the artery walls, causing the arteries to narrow and become rigid (called atherosclerosis). When this happens, the clots that sometimes form in blood can't pass through the arteries, get stuck, block blood flow and cause heart attacks or strokes. That's reason enough to limit LDLs and increase the HDL cleaning crew, but there's more.

The plaque that forms along the artery walls injures the wall lining, setting in motion inflammatory processes. White blood cells move in to the injured area and transform into macrophages. Macrophages are bad influences; they lure even more LDL cholesterol to the injury and gobble them up. As the macrophages feast on LDLs, they grow into foam cells; a gathering of foam cells forms fatty streaks along the artery lining. That's right, your arteries turn into bacon. And bacon-arteries is a major marker for cardiovascular disease. This, of course, is not good. More plaque = more inflammation = more white blood cells = more macrophages = more foam cells = more fatty streaks = more plaque. It's a vicious cycle that, unchecked, will continue until it kills you.

So, what can you do? Easy, lower LDL and raise HDL. You can lower LDL by eating almonds, apples, bananas, berries, carrots, cold-water fish (salmon), dried legumes, garlic, grapefruit, oats, olive oil, omega-3 rich oils and walnuts. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs (and some people inherit overproduction of cholesterol, poor souls), so adding even more cholesterol through a diet high in saturated fats overwhelms the HDL clean-up crew. Reducing foods that contain saturated fats and eliminating trans fats will go a long way toward lowering the LDL cholesterol burden. Egg yolks, whole milk and organ meats are some foods with the highest levels of saturated fats.

Some prescription drugs raise levels of the bad LDL, such as beta-blockers, high-dose oral contraceptives, furosemide (Lasix) and some other diuretics, levodopa (L-dopa drugs such as Dopar, Larodopa and Sinemet) and steroids. If you're taking any of those, you need to be more vigilant about keeping tabs on your cholesterol levels.

Increase HDL by eating avocado, eating bread high in beta glucan from oat fiber and drinking cocoa (polyphenols). The best and most effective ways to raise HDL, though, is through exercise and weight loss. Aerobic workouts get your heart pumping and circulates oxygen faster and more efficiently, which increases the effectiveness of HDL in removing LDL cholesterol. Aerobic exercise also reduces inflammation, halting the vicious cycle of plaque buildup.

Total Cholesterol Level

Less than 200: Desirable
200-239: Borderline-High Risk
240+: High Risk

HDL (Healthy) Cholesterol Level
60+: Desirable
Below 50: Risky for women
Below 40: Risky for men

LDL (Lousy) Cholesterol Level
Less than 100: Optimal
100-129: Near Optimal
130-159: Borderline High
160-189: High
190+: Very High Risk

Now, hopefully, you know a little bit more about cholesterol. And knowing is half the battle.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In Rhode Island, GC and I went out for a nice quiet dinner. We had some service problems, including a mystery Scotch and a tardy glass of wine, but the food was excellent. GC had broiled scallops and I had pinot noir duck. The duck was overcooked, but still very tasty. The best thing about the meal, though, was the bread. I was disappointed when I first looked in the bread basket, because it just looked like slices of sandwich bread. I was hungry, though, so I pulled off half of a slice, and then ended up eating the rest of the basket, even foregoing dessert in favor of another slice of bread with butter. The waiter told me that the restaurant would sell me a loaf of bread to take with me, but I decided to savor it there. I really would have rather had the recipe.

I do have lots of bread recipes, but when it comes time to make bread, I usually opt for the easy bread-machine recipes. Reminded of just how good homemade bread could be, though, I picked out a recipe for a conventional loaf of bread and I made it yesterday. The recipe I chose was intriguing, including pesto and grits in the list of ingredients. I have lots of pesto and have been searching for ways to use it, and I had plenty of grits left after I made a grits casserole last week, so a loaf of basil pesto-cheese grits bread seemed a good choice. It is now cool enough outside to turn on the oven during the day, which is a blessing and a curse. The ideal temperature for letting bread rise is 85F; it was 65F in the house. After 45 minutes of not rising, I took the dough to the basement and put it on top of the dryer (which was running). It started to rise, but very slowly, so I took out the warm blanket that was in the dryer and wrapped it around the bowl of bread dough. About 20 minutes later, the dough had doubled in size, so I formed the loaf, and put it in the pan for the second rise. It didn't rise very much, but I baked it anyway, hoping maybe it would rise a bit in the oven. No, not really. I ended up with a 2" high loaf of bread. It's a pretty bread, sort of unusually shaped from rolling in both sides, with a green swirl of pesto in the center. The texture was actually really good, soft and chewy, but this is not the superior loaf of bread I had been hoping for.

This is a specialty bread, and would go especially well with chicken salad or tomato soup.

Basil Pesto-Cheese Grits Bread

I decreased the recipe by 1/3 to make just one loaf of bread. Because the grits-yeast mixture was so small, I had to stir it by hand to make it smooth; there just wasn't enough for the dough hook to reach. I added the flour by 1/3-cupfuls, scraping down the sides between each addition.

2 cups milk
3/4 cup quick-cooking grits, uncooked
2 teaspoons salt
1 (10-ounce) block white Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1/4 cup sugar
2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes rapid-rise yeast
5 to 6 cups bread flour
1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella or crumbled goat cheese

Bring milk to a boil in a large sauce-pan over medium heat; stir in grits, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes (mixture will be very thick). Remove from heat; add salt and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Let stand 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine 1 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast in the mixing bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer; let stand 5 minutes. Add grits mixture, beating at medium-low speed with the dough hook attachment until well blended.

Add 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating until blended after each addition and stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Gradually add enough flour to make a stiff but slightly sticky dough. Dough will form a ball around mixer attachment.

Shape dough into a ball with well-floured hands, and place in a well- greased bowl, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down, and divide into thirds; roll each third into a 14- x 9-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread basil pesto evenly over each dough rectangle; sprinkle each with mozzarella or crumbled goat cheese. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion, starting with each short side and ending at middle of dough; form 2 rolls per loaf. Place into lightly greased 9- x 5-inch loafpans; cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Let bread cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Cracker Barrel Vermont Sharp White Cheddar. [I used Cabot Vermont Extra Sharp White Cheddar- BA]

Yield: Makes 3 loaves

Southern Living, APRIL 2005

I'd like to try this one again when it is warm enough for the dough to rise as it should. It was pretty good though, even without proper rising.

Getting to Know All About You: Where was your last vacation?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As soon as I spy Brach's candy corn on the shelves, I snatch up a bag and, along with Halloween-colored M&Ms, make up a batch of this snack mix. I took a batch to Rhode Island with me (that's where I've been for those who wondered about my many days of silence); it didn't last very long. Try it and you'll see why.

Autumn Snack Mix

4 cups toasted corn or rice squares cereal
2 cups pretzels
1-cup peanuts
1 cup Brach’s Autumn Mix or candy corn
1 cup Pumpkin Patch Mix M&Ms
¼ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup corn syrup
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla

In a large, greased roasting pan, gently mix together the cereal, pretzels and peanuts.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for five minutes, without stirring.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda; the mixture will bubble.

Stir well and pour evenly over the cereal mixture, stirring to coat. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool completely, occasionally stirring to break up the larger chunks. When completely cool, add the Autumn Mix and M&Ms. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 9 cups.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home fall 2005 "Cooking School Cookbook."

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

October is National Country Ham Month. GC's grandparents make a country ham breakfast for special occasions. For all the years that we were dating, I missed the Christmas morning country ham breakfast. Finally, they made one for us when we were in town visiting for another occasion, and I had one last Christmas. What a feast! And now, a whole month dedicated to country ham. Nice.

Here's a list of what else is in season this month:

n = newly in season p = peak of season w = winding down

Vegetables

• artichokes (p)
• avocado: Haas (w)
• avocado: Fuerte (n)
• avocado: Zutano (n)
• basil (w)
• beans: fresh shelling (w)
• beans: green (w)
• beets (n)
• broccoli (n)
• Brussels sprouts (n)
• cabbages (n)
• cardoon (p)
• celeriac / celery root
• chard (n)
• daikon (n)
• eggplant (w)
• garlic (w)
• greens: turnip (n)
• greens: beet (n)
• greens: parsley (n)
• greens: lettuces (n)
• greens: escarole (n)
• greens: arugula (n)
• greens: komatsuna (n)
• kale
• kohlrabi
• parsnip
• peppers, sweet (w)
• peppers, hot (w)
• potatoes
• potatoes, sweet (n)
• pumpkin (p)
• radish (n)
• rutabaga (n)
• spinach(n)
• squash, winter (p)
• tomatoes (w)
• turnips (n)
• yams (n)

Fruits

• almonds (p)
• apples (p)
• berries: cranberries (n)
• berries: raspberries (w)
• chestnuts (p)
• kumquat (n)
• lemons (n)
• oranges, Valencia (w)
• pears: Bosc (n)
• pears: Comice (n)
• persimmons: Fuyu-firm
• persimmons: Hachiya-soft
• pistachios (p)
• pomegranate (p)
• quince (p)
• walnut (n)

Artichokes! I'm also really excited about sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash and cranberries. I love fall.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite thing about fall?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday I teased you about some delicious baked plum dessert I was planning to make in my oven. I didn't actually turn on the oven because, while cooler, I didn't want to ruin the pleasantness of finally being able to have the windows open by heating up the place. So, I found a recipe for a delicious plum dish that was made in a pie plate that would fit into my toaster oven. It doesn't heat up the house much at all. So, Plum Kuchen.

Kuchen, the German word for cake, refers to several types of sweet desserts and pastries, and to a Jewish coffee cake usually made from a sweet yeast dough that is shaped, flavored and frosted. My plum kuchen a pie-like coffeecake, with a cakey crust, fruit topping and pockets of cinnamon sugar throughout. It works double-duty as a dessert and as a coffeecake. So, when I ate it last night after dinner, it was a dessert, but when I ate it this morning, it was a coffeecake. Slippery semantics does wonders to ease the guilt. By the way, kuchen is the official state dessert of South Dakota.

A few posts ago, I mentioned the booty from my travels that I have yet to enjoy. Well, after the success of the guava paste experiment, I used the Norwegian dried flowers to garnish the Canadian Bacon-and-Brie Quiche and the unopened Mexican cinnamon-sugar to top the plums in this kuchen. Both worked out well, though if you want to make these dishes and have not recently traveled to Norway and Mexico to buy these products, it won't be a problem. The quiche is just as good without the dried flower garnish and the kuchen recipe tells you how to make your own cinnamon sugar.

Plum Kuchen

I forgot to dust the crust with flour after I baked it, but the plums didn't give off too much juice, so it worked out OK. I also decreased the sugar sprinkled over the plums by 2-3T. It just looked like so much sugar; also the plums were sweet and ripe and I thought all that sugar would make it too sweet.

½ c. butter
1 t. white vinegar
2 T. sugar
1-¼ c. flour
1# plums (Italian)
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten

Melt butter and white vinegar. Add 2 T. sugar and flour. Pat into 10” pie pan. Prick with fork and bake at 500 for 10 minutes. Dust with flour.

Cut plums in quarters and arrange to overlap. [I cut mine into thinner slices, which made for easier overlapping arrangement, and also easier cutting and eating. I'm not saying you have to do this too, but it's easier. I just want you to be fully informed about your options.-BA] Sprinkle top with sugar and cinnamon that has been mixed. Beat eggs and pour on top.

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes.

Serves 8.
With Hands and Heart Cookbook: 1889-1989 Centennial Issue, Bethesda General Hospital & Homes, St. Louis, 1989.

This only used ~6 plums, so I still have many left that are at or fast-approaching the peak of ripeness. GC confessed to me that he doesn't really like eating plums out of hand, so there is definitely no way I'll be able to eat these on my own before they all go bad. Luckily, plums are easy to freeze. Rinse them off and remove the produce code sticker. (An aside - when you buy soft-flesh fruit, like plums, peaches, nectarines, etc;, it is best to leave on the sticker until you're ready to eat it. Sometimes those stickers are really sticky and pull off some of the skin when removed; if you do this early, the exposed flesh is prone to rot. Again, do as you will, but be informed). OK, after rinsing, dry thoroughly, slice in half, remove the pit, and quarter or slice into 1/8, but don't go too thin with your slices. Freeze. You can lay them flat on a baking sheet to freeze individually, just be sure to use a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap between the fruit and the baking sheet to keep the slices from sticking. You can also just throw them all into a plastic freezer bag, but they'll freeze together in a clump, which isn't a problem if you plan to use them all at once. Trying to pull off just a few slices from the clump, though, will be difficult. I'll be freezing my plums for later.

Getting to Know All About You: Favorite fruit?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It stormed last night; today it is sunny, cool and breezy. Cool enough, I think, to turn on the oven. I have some plums at the peak of ripeness, too many to eat before they all go bad, so I think I'll make some sort of delicious baked plum dessert today.

Last night during the storm and while I was making dinner: "Uh oh, some of the ceiling fell down... Oh my God! Is that a ham crust?" It did indeed, and it was indeed. I made a Canadian Bacon-and-Brie Quiche, aka Real Men Clog Arteries. A Canadian bacon crust filled with a mixture of mayonnaise, Brie and eggs. Whew! Delicious, but I'm glad we don't eat like that often.

Canadian Bacon-and-Brie Quiche

16 Canadian bacon slices
1 (8-ounce) round Brie cheese
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Garnishes: edible flowers, fresh rosemary sprigs

Arrange bacon slices on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9-inch pieplate, slightly overlapping slices.
Remove rind from Brie, and cut into cubes. [I left the rind on; if you choose to undress the Brie, freezing it for ~15 minutes will make it easier to cut].

Stir together eggs, cubed Brie, mayonnaise, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl. Pour mixture into prepared pieplate.
Bake at 375° for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let quiche stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2004

By the way, the ceiling is fine.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Museums, gardens and attractions are all fine, but when I travel, I like to sight-see in the aisles of local grocery stores or farmer's markets. I like browsing through food, noting regional differences in brands or offerings and examining unfamiliar products. My mom and I went on a grocery-tour through Norway several years ago, and I still have packets of pudding mixes and bags of dried edible flowers. Gone are the reindeer sausages and jars of cloudberries and lingonberry jam (lingonberry jam is now available here).

Every spring when we go to Mexico, I make sure to include a stop to the local grocery store and downtown markets to see what new treasures I can find. The first year, I came back with about a dozen packets of powdered juice mixes in exotic flavors, such as hibiscus, guava, coconut, tamarind and cinnamon. Last year, I brought back several bars of guava paste, a bag of vanilla sugar and a bag of cinnamon sugar. The vanilla sugar is almost gone; I haven't opened the cinnamon sugar yet. I've been hanging on to the guava paste, wondering what the heck to do with it, and finally found a recipe for guava-glazed grilled pork. My recipe yielded 12 servings; sometimes I would make the full recipe to save the copious leftovers for fast weeknight meals. Unsure of how I'd like guava glaze, though, I scaled back the recipe to use just one 1# pork tenderloin. I still had leftovers, but not 10 servings worth, which is a bit of a shame because the pork was fantastic!

It charred a bit on the outside and looked all dried out, but that was just the spice rub. Inside was moist and tender, and once brushed with the glaze, the dry outside soaked in the glaze and was nicely spicy-sweet. The flavor was rather unusual, but pleasing. I'm now regretting a little bit that I don't have a freezer full of leftovers. I do, however, have lots of guava paste leftover; I used only 3 of the 21 ounces. This morning I searched Cooking with Google for more recipes that use guava paste and found recipes for cakes, pastries, bars and savories. GC and I are about to embark on a guavadventure!

Though I got this guava paste in Mexico, it is available in some large grocery stores in the international food aisle, or in smaller international markets.

The original version of this recipe is from Cooking Light. What follows is the scaled-down and tweaked version I used.

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Guava Glaze

1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 ounces commercial guava paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 jalapeño pepper, minced
Cooking spray

Prepare grill.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle pork with 2 teaspoons salt, and rub pork with the garlic powder mixture.

Combine onion and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 4 minutes or until guava paste dissolves, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink), turning pork occasionally. Brush guava mixture over pork. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Yield: 3 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork)

CALORIES 195(19% from fat); FAT 4.1g (sat 1.4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 24.4g; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 17mg; SODIUM 467mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.2g
Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2006

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite thing to grill?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you know that Missouri has a state dinosaur?

I saw it last weekend, wandering around Powell Gardens, just east of Kansas City. The Hadrosaur or "duck billed" dinosaur is one of the least fearsome of dinosaurs. Big, yes, but a herbivore with 1,000+ teeth to tear through tough vegetation. It wandered around Missouri 75 million years ago. I'm glad that our state legislators can find things to keep themselves busy. Designating official state dinosaurs, fossils, vertebrates, butterflies and the like are a great way to earn their salaries during the slow months.

Saturday was an ideal day for wandering around a botanical garden discovering dinosaurs. The temperature was in the low 80s and windy. There wasn't a whole lot in bloom, but even the dead and dying plants were really interesting. My favorite was a field of thick grasses with seed pods that rattled like maracas. I was tempted to bring home a few seed pods to plant in my yard, just to see what they look like alive; I refrained.

Saturday night I went to see Peter & the Wolf, aka Red Hunter, a guy GC and I have known for years. He plays shows here fairly often, always with a different line-up and usually with a new album to promote. He played in another friend's back yard; again, it was the perfect night for clearing aside the acorns and sitting on the ground with friends to listen to some good music. The host had made some chili, cornbread and apple pie. I skipped the chili and cornbread, but sampled the apple pie. I'm not usually a fan of apple pie, but this one was great. Maybe I'll have to try making one of my own sometime.

Sunday was spent doing massive amounts of laundry and helping GC inventory his clothes and organize his dresser and closet. I've been working on rearranging the basement, so we reconfigured and repositioned the weight bench for maximum utility. Once I get in the cleaning/organizing mode, I lose track of time, and so, as I too often do, started dinner late. When I gathered the ingredients for our Wandering Gullet meal, I discovered the chicken was still partially frozen. I put it in a pan of water in the sink for an hour, but that didn't fully thaw the thighs, so I defrosted them in the microwave. I love braising, mostly because I love the flavor and texture of braised meat, but also because the bulk of the preparation is at the beginning, so I'm free to clean up, then sit down on the couch, put my feet up and flip through a cooking magazine or watch some tv while dinner busily braises away on the stove top. I started so late, though, that we didn't sit down to eat until almost a quarter to nine. Dinner was really good, and would have been even better had I been able to start earlier and enjoy preparing it. By the time we ate, I was beyond starving.

Chicken Do-Piaza is a classical Indian curry dish. "Do" means double and "piaz" means onion; this dish is characterized by lots of onions, usually added in two stages. The first, in this recipe, is spicy curry-onion broth, which acts as the braising liquid; the second stage is thinly sliced onions added at the end, just long enough to lose their bite but retain some crunch. Though the recipe doesn't call for it, this would be good served over rice.

Chicken Do-Piaza, Indian-Spiced Chicken Smothered in Onions

All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking by Molly Stevens, 2004

1 c. plain whole-milk yogurt
2 large white or yellow onions, ~1#
½ c. freshly squeezed oj
¼ c. water
1 T. grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 t. coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1 t. ground turmeric
¼ t. cayenne, or to taste, or 1 small dried red chile
Coarse salt
8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, ~3#
2 T. ghee, clarified butter or veggie oil

Draining the yogurt, 4-6h in advance: Set a small mesh sieve over a tall med bowl so that the bottom of the sieve sits at least 1 ½” above the bottom of the bowl. Line the strainer with cheesecloth or sturdy paper towels; pour the yogurt into the sieve. Set the assembly in the fridge to drain. After 4-6h, the yogurt will be the consistency of soft cheese and will have released ~ ¼ c. of liquid. Discard the liquid.

The onions and braising liquid: Thinly slice 1 onion, place the slices in a strainer or colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Set aside to drain over a bowl or in the sink. Coarsely chop the other onion and place it in a blender. Add the oj, next 6 and 1 t. salt. Blend on high until it becomes a smooth puree. You can also do this in a food processor. The texture of the sauce will be a bit coarser but the flavors will be the same.

Browning the chicken: Rinse the chicken pieces with cool water; dry thoroughly with paper towels. If not thoroughly dry, they won’t brown and may stick to the pan when you sear them. Season with salt. Heat the ghee in a heavy-based lidded skillet or shallow 4-qt braising pan over med-high heat. When the fat is almost shimmering, add the thighs in batches so as to not crowd the pan, and brown lightly on both sides, 6-8m total/batch. Transfer to a large plate to catch the drips. When all the chicken is browned, pour off all but about a tablespoon of fat from the pan. Because the chicken is skinless, there wont’ be many browned bits on the bottom of the pan, but there will be some, don’t pour these out with the fat.

Heating the braising liquid: Return the pot to med-high heat; gradually our in the onion-orange puree. Stand back, b/c it will sputter and splatter. Simmer 5m, scraping the bottom and stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

The braise: Add the chicken to the sauce, along with any juices that accumulated. Turn the pieces with tongs to coat with the sauce and return to a soft simmer. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently. Check the pan after 10m to make sure that the simmer is quiet and not turbulent; turn down heat if necessary. After 20m, turn the chicken piece sand continue braising until the chicken is fork-tender, 40-45m total time.

Finish: Transfer the chicken pieces to a platter to catch any drips; cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Add the reserved onion slices to the pan and stir gently, working the onions evenly into the sauce. Replace the cover and set aside, off the heat undisturbed for 5m. This gives the raw onion slices just enough time to lose their bite while remaining crisp and mildly pungent.

Stir in the drained yogurt with a wooden spoon, working the thickened yogurt through the onions and sauce. Heat the sauce very gently over med heat until the yogurt is warmed through. Don’t let the sauce boil, or it will take on a curdled look. Taste for salt and cayenne. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, turning them to coat with the sauce and onions. Serve the chicken, spoon the onions and sauce over the top.

Serves 4.

Variation: Chicken Breasts Do-Piaza
Use bone-in skinless chicken breasts in place of the thighs. Braise for only 30-35m in step 5.

Variation: Chicken Do-Piaza with Undrained Yogurt or No Yogurt
Skip step 1 and use undrained yogurt. The sauce will be a bit thinner in taste and texture. It is also good without any yogurt at all, but it will be less creamy and rich.

Wine Notes: Fruity white that’s off-dry to slightly sweet without any oak flavors, such as Chenin Blanc from CA or WA, or a slightly sweet Riesling from Germany.

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