Last weekend we ate a portion of our crown jewels. That’s how I refer to the three quart-size bags of gooseberries that I put in the freezer last summer.
Stashed away between more humble freezer residents like Swiss chard, zucchini soup and blueberries, the gooseberries are my most prized frozen possession for a number of reasons. Continue reading
It looks like my childhood heroine Mary Poppins needs to reconsider. No more than six teaspoons added sugar per day for women and nine teaspoons per day for men – that’s what the American Heart Association recommends. Until I read this I thought our added sugar intake was on the moderate side. We do not drink any sodas or soft drinks, nor do we add sugar to tea or coffee. I pay attention to the sugar content when I buy cereal and other processed foods. We do not eat candy and a piece of chocolate only once in a blue moon. Most of the baked goods and sweets we eat are homemade, and I reduce the sugar amount in any given recipe by at least one-third. Still, I concluded that we still eat much more sugar than we should. Continue reading
The garden is winding down and there is nothing at the moment that would lend itself for a quick and easy vegan potluck dish. So for phoebe’s pure food soiree tonight, I made two batches of Brown Rice Farina Rice Crackers. I came up with the recipe when I had too much brown rice farina in the pantry, and was looking for a less salty and low-cost alternative to high-quality whole-wheat crackers from the grocery store. These crackers are gluten-free.
And paperless? Well, at the potluck + guest speaker event, everybody brings along a copy of their recipe. In the past I usually had either too many copies or too few, therefore this time I am going paperless, and whoever would like the recipe can find it here.
The potluck is an hour away but it is well worth the drive. Phoebe Canakis is a real mover and shaker about eating local, seasonal, organic wholesome foods. I met her in the spring of 2012 at a mozzarella-making class she hosted for the food website food 52. Yep, the Internet is not only good for dating, you can make new friends too!
Phoebe always has so many exciting things going on that I sometimes feel I can barely stay up to date. What I know is that the fall issue of her ad-free online magazine is coming out soon.
And, on Food Day, October 24, a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food, we’ll be together at Roaring Brook Market in Lancaster, PA, to show how to cook easy, healthy dishes with local and seasonal foods (for details see here).
Brown Rice Farina Crackers
1 cup creamy brown rice farina
1¼ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
Seeds, coarse salt, grated parmesan etc. as desired
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet or jellyroll pan with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until it forms a thick paste that detaches from the bottom of the pan.
3. Using a greased rubber spatula, spread the mix onto the prepared baking sheet as thinly and evenly as possible, and patch up any tears.
4. Sprinkle with seeds etc. of your choice. Using a small pastry wheel, cut into cracker-size squares or rectangles.
5. Bake on the medium rack in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp. Leave crackers on the baking sheet until cool enough to handle, then break them apart (usually they separate on their own during baking) and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 30-40 crackers
Photo by Ted Rosen
Once in a while even resolved home cooks like me agree to take-out pizza. With it we usually order a serving of garlic knots sitting in a puddle of very garlicky garlic oil. Seeing the ample, almost untouched amount of pesto in the freezer a few weeks ago made me feel almost guilty about eating garlic knots from somewhere else so I thought of ways to combine the two: pesto knots.
When it comes to pesto, I am a minimalist. I only use homegrown basil and garlic, salt, a good extra-virgin olive oil, and roasted walnuts. No pine nuts because the real, good kind from Lebanon is very expensive, and I find the Chinese pine nuts inedible. And no Pecorino or other cheese because I prefer to add it to the dish right at the table.
Immediately after processing the pesto, I fill it in small disposable paper cups and place them in the freezer until they are solidly frozen. I then remove the cups and tightly pack those pesto lollipops (lollipops without sticks, that is) in a large zippered freezer bag.
The yeasted knots are fun to make, and both times I made them we did not have trouble finishing them within a day or two (they can also be reheated in the oven).
Now that I have averted the danger of having to spread pesto on our breakfast toast in June to use up last year’s supply, I am starting to wonder whether this year my basil plants might get hit by basil downy mildew, a new highly destructive and quickly spreading disease. In gardening, everything is possible. Meanwhile, I will eat another pesto knot and enjoy it.
Pesto Knots
1¼ cups warm water
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3½ cups flour (whole wheat or half whole wheat and half bread flour)
½ cup pesto
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1. Mix the water with the yeast and let stand for a few minutes until it starts to foam.
2. In a large bowl mix the olive oil, salt, flour, and the yeast mixture. Knead to a smooth dough using your hands or the dough hook of an electric mixer. The dough should be slightly tacky; add more water a teaspoon at a time as needed.
3. Cover and let rise for 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. If you have a baking stone, place it on the medium rack of the oven.
5. Briefly knead dough for remove any air bubbles. Divide it into 24 equally sized pieces using a sharp knife or a dough cutter. Roll each piece into a 6-inch rope of even thickness and twist it into a knot. If the dough starts to feel a bit dry, moisten your hands before shaping each knot.
6. Place the knots directly on the hot baking stone, or on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. After placing them in the oven spray them immediately with cold water. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the knots are golden brown.
7. In the meantime mix the pesto with a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Immediately when they come out of the oven, toss the knots with the pesto to coat them evenly.
8. Place the coated knots on a large plate or baking sheet in one single layer. If you pile them up hot as they are they will sweat and get soggy. Eat warm, or reheat in a preheated oven for 350 degrees for a few minutes.
Makes 24 pieces
Green Card Gardener 