Potlikkery

must save dogs' lives

photo by  Christopher Hirsheimer

I was reading Tenth Muse:  My Life in Food (2007) when I flew to Philadelphia back in January.  Judith Jones is just one of THE finest book editor who brought out books like Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking  as well as cookbooks by Elizabeth David, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, and Lidia Bastianich. Besides bringing those women's work to a larger audience, Jones discovered The Diary of Anne Frank while working in Paris for Doubleday. She pushed to have it published in America and we have her to thank for promoting the manuscript.

Her memoir was not so heavy on her personal life. We learned a few details of her childhood and marriage, but the book's focus was on her career and the food circles she traveled in. I learned a fabulous trick that I hope never to use. And I've forgotten the exact details except for what notes I jotted down. At some point Jones's friends had a dog who swallowed a razor blade. She recommended feeding the dog asparagus because it's fibrous  composition would pillow the razor in the dogs stomach/intestine, thus allowing it to pass the razor without killing itself.

Another fun anecdote she shared was while she worked with Julie Child. Child was working with a whole pig and she recommended covering its ears and tail with aluminum foil. Or better yet, to tuck the tail into the hole beneath it. What a hoot!

At the end are recipes that I have not tried. They were classics. English and French, I believe. Must return to the back of that book and select a few to try.

better with butter

Reading food biography and memoir is always a thrill for me. My mother loaned me Paula Deen's It Ain't All About the Cookin (2007) a few months ago and I finally read it in January, even though Deen isn't my very very favorite food personality. It's Nigella, FYI. Her memoir was conversational and colloquial and Deen's voice and phrasing was very evident in the book. So it was almost like being in the kitchen with her chattering away while she cooked yummy, buttery comfort food for you. Actually, before I read it, I knew most of the key points either from my mother or from Blogless Amy's hairdresser who told her all the scuttle butt and then Amy passed it on to me.

The most fascinating part was when Deen talked about her start as the Bag Lady who sold sandwiches to offices around Charleston. From there she catered and opened a restaurant in an economy chain hotel. Learning the progression of her business was delightful, really, and she gives a few good tips about opening your own restaurant, but honestly, I'm sure that she should write a complete and detailed tome on the intricacies of that subject.

Another thing I enjoyed about Deen's memoir was her candidness. She's not one to pretend that her life isn't rosy. Even when she had it made, so to speak, she struggled in her relationship with her step-daughter to be. And the book is peppered with her characteristic and occasional cursing. While it's not heavy reading, it was fun and quick and educational. If you didn't love Deen before reading her memoir, then you should afterwards. There are a few recipes inside, too.

My mom flagged some of the pages and told me she made one of the cakes. Lots of sugar. Lots of butter. And since my sweet mom loaned me her copy (and I was taking way too long with it) and she thought her friend Maggie, who loves Deen, too, would like to read it, she bought her an audiobook so Maggie can listen to it in her car. Her Knoxville commute each day is lengthy. Whew. Can't say much nice at all about Knoxville, oh wait. There are one or two good restaurants there.

giving gifts of food. or not.

An improper feeling of confidence filled me and made me decide to bake gifts of food for several people with whom I work this year.  One night last week I spent an hour grocery shopping and another four in the kitchen pulling things together.

 

The first item I tried were Benne Bits, a recipe that James Villas included in The Glory of Southern Cooking (2007). They're a snacky sesame and cayenne thing. I didn't have a small round cookie cutter, but I pulled out a miniature holiday cookie cutter set I bought on a whim a few years ago. These Benne Bits were in the form of a tree.

 

Next I worked on another item from Villas' cookbook: Orange Cocktail Pecans. I've never made any spiced nuts, but they seem like an easy thing. With this recipe you melt a stick of butter in a large saucepan, add orange zest and Cointreau or Grand Marnier. I had Cointreau on hand. Once everything melts, you toss the pecans with the sauce, then transfer it to a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 300.

When I tasted them straight out of the oven I was disappointed. Angry, really, because pecans don't come cheap and I used up my "special" supply that I order each autumn from a lady with whom I work. Normally I parcel those out a few times over the span of the year in my pecan pies, but I went for broke on this.

But really, it was the Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade recipe that threw my cooking into a tailspin. I've always been skeptical of her products, but saw her make the white chocolate and macadamia bark on her show and liked the combination so well that I wanted to give it a try. The thing about Sandra Lee is that she takes so many shortcuts that her approach fails to lend the meditative and careful qualities to cooking that I seek. And if you've watched her show, many of her products are shoddy and haphazardly put together. They're not anything I'd want to give to anybody. However, despite her style not being for me, I think she appeals to others who don't have the amount of time, or the same feeling about the process as I do.

 

Microwaving the semi-sweet morsels sounded like a shortcut I didn't want to take, but I did. And it turned out horribly. My morsels overcooked and turned into something akin to fudge. Out came my double boiler, but that was after another trip to the grocery store for more semi-sweet morsels.

I discounted her instructions to use a "fine" white chocolate because c'mon, this is semi-homemade, not Barefoot Contessa. Like there's a difference between white chocolate? Oh, there is. My Nestle white chocolate chips never melted to the state where I could "drizzle" it over top of the chocolate base on my wax paper-protected cookie sheet. Said cookie sheet remains in the freezer until I find time to get better white chocolate and finish that up.

Somewhere amongst all the holiday baking articles in various cooking magazines I encountered a pistachio nougat thing that I wanted to make. Couldn't recall where, so I went to the foot network, searched, and found Mario Batali's recipe for Torroncini.

I thought this went well. I used my candy thermometer for the first time. But the nougat never set up, or hardened, so I have no clue why this failed so miserably. I tossed it into the trash the next day.

This year's food as gifts did not work well. I'm still up for making Villas' bleu cheese straws though. And even though I think the pecans weren't orange tasting enough, Ian cannot keep his mitts out of the container. He doesn't know why I don't like them, he said. He thinks they're great. I may set them out on Christmas eve for company. And I'm still working on the menu for that. Oh what fun!

another holiday potluck

This is the third year I've blogged about our library holiday party, as well as the third year I've written about the Jbo Progressive Dinner; such a year for threes! The party snuck up on me this year. The people who organized it chose to have it early, on December 6, ostensibly so that the student workers were here and could get their grub on. Or so I imagine. The date arrived way too early for me, because I'm slammed with personal and professional commitments that make doing anything extra a major drag.

After an hour at the grocery store, because, really, I love grocery shopping, and I invariably end up with way more in my cart than I went for, I came home and cooked from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. Anymore, trips to the grocery store are fun-filled because I run into Doug Burgess, a history professor at ETSU who also lives in the same neighborhood as my parents-in-law. Last week Doug and I almost bumped carts several times at Food City. This week, we rolled by each other like two buggies in the night at Kroger.  Then, there were at least two other folks from the university that I recognized at Kroger as well, but don't know personally.

I mention Doug for two reasons. First, I love being connected to the university and my community to the extent that I run into people I know on a regular basis. Call it the small city effect. And second, the reason Doug is always at the grocery store is that he cooks. He compiled "Doug's So You're Over Forty, Can't Cook, and Can't Get a Date Cookbook," but what he's really known for is the hot sauce he bottles and offers to faculty, staff, and students across campus. I've not tried it, but I should. Ian collects hot sauce every chance he gets, and we have gallons of it, an abundance, and so adding another mason jar to the collection is overkill.

Last night I spent four hours cooking. I loved it, but am still wiped out this afternoon. I started with Nigella's Guinness Chocolate Cake.  Once that was in the oven I sliced my squash and set them to cook on the range. Then I turned to my salad. I had ideas for three or four things to make and bring, but it's not until I'm in the kitchen and I gauge my ingredients and my stamina that I decide what to make.

Originally I'd planned on bleu cheese straws, chocolate cake, and Manchego cheese and walnut stuffed dates. And maybe a Vidalia onion and goat cheese pie. But there were no Vidalia onions at the grocery store. I bought a bag of sweet onions, but I'm sure they're not the same. Also contemplated a cardamom-buttermilk pie, but only had one pie crust left in the fridge and forgot to pick up another set of those pillsbury rolled up pie crusts that are almost as good as scratch.

But since I don't have a food processor (Santa, are you reading?), I quickly ruled out the bleu cheese straws. I had picked up a couple packages of Ramen at the store because I still have cabbage left from the first batch of salad/slaw I made and was ready to try a second batch. This time it came out more how I wanted it to. The difference was a lot more Ramen noodles and the  rice vinegar and peanut oil substitution. Plus, I added ground ginger and one of the roast chicken flavor packets from the noodles. And then there were grated carrots. Its taste is much improved. I made notes of the changes I made to the recipe and shall share those later, along with the original recipe. Also chopped the cabbage instead of grating it, and like the latter texture much better.

Seems like the thing that took the most time was the dates. I had that stuffed date at the Jbo Progressive Dinner and its simplicity amazed me. Luckily I found Mancheno cheese at the grocery. I was also worried about dates. The first ones I ever ate were this summer, or maybe last summer when Kellie brought home a bunch from the Middle East. Yum. I love dates. Who knew!?

But Dole sells dates in re-sealable bags in the fruit/raisin section. And walnut-availability is no biggie. I sliced the cheese into tiny bits and sliced open the dates (they were pitted), and tucked cheese and walnut inside. Easy peasy! So good, too. Surely this is a dish that people rave about. I foisted one on Ian this morning. He got home around 4 a.m., peered inside the fridge and thought the dates were something chocolate. What a disappointment for him. Then he asked me about them later this morning. I told him what it was and brought him one to eat even though he said he hates dates.

The trouble was the cake. Normally I use my larger springform pan, but I tried following Nigella's instructions to use the 9 inch pan instead of the 10 inch. Mistake! There was overflow and a muffin top. And after cooling it a good hour or so, I popped the springform latch, and a lot of the cake came away with the tin. Sad, sad cake. I frosted it anyway and thought I'd keep it at home for me and Ian. But really, we cannot consume an entire cake alone. So I brought it, bugs and all, to work for the party. It may look very homemade, which could be a good thing next to all the store-bought desserts, but one thing I know for sure is that it rocks.

Oh, and then I decided after making the squash casserole that I wouldn't bring it. Heating dishes and keeping the refrigerated is always tricky at the library. And so I wanted to bring things that didn't need either. The top of my squash casserole was rather dark. It looked unpleasant. I didn't want to share it. Then, too, I changed the recipe a bit to incorporate a medium-sized sweet onion (of the not-the-Vidalia-kind) and was afraid the taste might be too oniony.  Eighty percent of the time I'll share a new dish with folks without tasting it myself because I'm confident that it's good. This squash casserole I am still unsure about. Might warm it up for dinner and see how it is.

As for all the other goodies at the holiday party, man, there was too much stuff. I tried corn pudding, beef stroganoff, hot german potato salad, sausage balls, deviled eggs, ratatouille, what else? Oh, there was way too much food. Sadly, I was forced to take a break because I worked the reference desk from 12-1. Had to eat quickly, then assume my position. But, that allows for a good hour's break for my food to settle and process and then I'll have room to sample desserts.

Last year there was some talk about compiling our recipes. One of my co-workers asked me to take on the job, but I didn't follow up. So this year, I think I'm following up. It's a shame not to have all those divine recipes at one's fingertips. Come next year, I may be compiling an in-house cookbook.

gnocchi not for me

Perhaps gnocchi isn't for me. This is a brand I bought at the grocery store. Wasn't sure how best to prepare it. Found a butter thyme recipe at Food network of Giadia's and thought that was the best way to prepare it this first time. Surely if my thyme was fresh and not from a bottle, the flavor would have been better.

Ian snacked on one. I left half the package uncooked, but stored them in a zip-close bag in the fridge. He popped one in his mouth and thought it tasted awful. When he asked about it later, I let him know that they had to be cooked, and at that, they weren't that wonderful anyway.

I should try it with sugar and butter. That combination is usually a winner, even though gnocchi is supposed to be savory instead of sweet.

ladies love Paula

With holidays zooming up in no time, I've managed to kill three birds with one book: Paula Deen's latest book Christmas with Paula Deen: Recipes and Stories From My Favorite Holiday (2007). My copies arrived a few days ago. Haven't cracked a spine on a one of them to see what awaits the mothers in my life. Got one for my mom, step-mom, and mom-in-law. I hope they have sense enough not to go buy a copy for themselves. Paula is a perfect gift for Christmas. I've relied on her books and magazine subscriptions for several years now.

oh bring us a rice pudding

Of late pudding interests me. Especially bread pudding. It's my new favorite dessert since I had it a few Junes ago at the Court of Two Sisters of New Orleans. Haven't looked through the cookbook I bought there to review their bread pudding recipe. But surely, one day soon, I'll compare a few recipes and then make a batch of my own.

Last weekend there was a family reunion at the Eastman Recreation Center near Bays Mountain Park, and I was supposed to bring two dishes. I thought about potato salad and something else. Pecan pie is another standard potluck dish I bring. But in this case, that something else was rice pudding. Ended up running out of time and didn't bring a thing. And it wasn't missed because there was an abundance of dishes. Three or four kinds of potato salad and macaroni salad. Scalloped potatoes, cowboy beans, chili, green beans, all kinds of salads. I've forgotten half of what was available. Oh, deviled eggs; some better than others.

The best thing I ate was my Aunt Grace's banana pudding. I've got to get her recipe, but it's probably essentially the same as the one my Mamaw taught me.  And I couldn't pass up my childhood favorite, Dirt Cake/Pudding a.k.a. Oreo Pudding. Even though chocolate doesn't appeal to me so much, I had a bite or two for the little girl in me who still loves it. It's chocolate pudding, crumbled oreo cookies, and cool whip layered in a rectangular cake pan. Sometimes the fun cook adds gummy worms or other gummy insects to the top, along with a fake flower or two to enhance the dirt effect.

My scramble for possible potluck recipes got me thinking about rice pudding. I wanted to make a batch. Used a Nigella recipe. Can't recall which book it's from.

I recently bought a second copy of one of her books because my sister-in-law never returned my first copy that I lent her. And, I've ordered a new Nigella that's coming out soon, or already out. Heck, I can't keep up with all the new cookbooks. Ah, there it is. It's called Nigella Express: 130 Recipes for Good Food, Fast Food.

Essentially Nigella's rice pudding recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of arborio rice. Two tablespoons of very fine sugar; she called it something specific, which I don't have, can't find, but the caster sugar I used surely did the trick. That amount of sugar seemed like a lot, but in the end, it was not. Our pudding  was barely sweet.

What else? Several cups of milk. Or cream, if you've got it. I used skim milk. Two or four cups, I can't remember. Grated nutmeg on the top. Butter, too, three tablespoons.

Nigella didn't want to know whether we used raisins. Suppose she thinks its a sin to use them, but when rice pudding comes to mind, so do raisins studding its top. I used a tablespoon or so of golden raisins. Also added about as much crystallized ginger.

Oh, I also added two more tablespoons of rice because the amount she called for in her recipe barely covered the bottom of my dish. I don't think much of rice. Somehow my mind cannot wrap itself around the extent to which rice expands upon cooking. And, I ended up sopping some of the milk from my dish because there was no way I could transfer it from counter to oven without slopping milk in the floor.

Then it baked at 300 for two and a half hours. Ian questioned that amount of time. I assured him I was following a recipe.

As it cooked, it appeared awfully dry. I added my last bit of skim milk within its last hour. But that didn't create the creamy, oozy rice pudding stalking my imagination. You know, that ideal rice pudding, the kind you might see on a TV program?

Mine had a thick skin on top; which we like. Nigella wrote that some Brits don't care much for skin on their rice pudding. And it was rather dry. In appearance it reminded me of a casserole. Next time, I'll follow her instructions regarding amounts of rice and milk. But I may use cream instead to make it sinful. Or throw in a few white chocolate chunks. I was tempted to add coconut flakes, but did not.

As I told Ian, rice pudding is infinitely customizable. You can throw in anything you like to add flavor to the rice. Rice pudding experimentation, oh what fun!

beans and rice

We tried to recreate the awesome black beans and rice Ian ate in St. Augustine. I soaked my beans, but not overnight. Did that boil 'em for two minutes and let them soak another hour before cooking them trick. I cribbed from one of Nigella's recipes and added cumin and coriander to the pot. Some salt, pepper, and garlic salt, too.

But it wasn't enough. Our black beans were certainly bland. We ate 'em. I'm scouring black bean soup recipes while awaiting a new cook book to arrive: Rosa's New Mexican Table (2007). One of the restaurants we ate at in Palm Beach was Rosa Mexicano. Their black beans were awesome. Everything there was.

The rice was nice. Haven't used my rice cooker that much since I bought it a few months ago. But when I do, I'm always thrilled at how well the rice comes out. Actually used Jasmine rice to go with the black beans. Ian preferred it over brown rice. And the arborio rice I cooked a few days ago was awesome, too. I love that I set the machine up, leave the house for a few hours, and return home to find my rice waiting and warm for me.

take the pickle

Leave it to John T. Edge to report on the newest thing going in Mississippi Delta roadside food attractions:  Kool-Aid Pickles.  You'll find them at filling stations and convenience stores shelved next to the other pickled items like eggs, pig's feet, okra, etc. Their bright colors make them super-appealing to children but the new market is adults.

I'm fascinated.

And the process is simple:

“They’re easy to make a gallon,” Ms. Williams said. “You pull the pickles from the jar, cut them in halves, make double-strength Kool-Aid, add a pound of sugar, shake and let it sit — best in the refrigerator — for about a week. The taste takes to anything. A while back I made a mistake and bought a jar of pickle chips instead of halves or wholes. Came out fine. This whole Kool-Aid pickle thing is going so good, you wonder why somebody hasn’t put a patent on them.”

Also, someone is pursuing the trademark Koolickle. Mmmm. Mmmm. Mmmm.

horsemeat gamey, packed with protein

Consider horsemeat. I wouldn't eat it by choice, simply because I like horses as pets. Kind of like I wouldn't eat my dogs, either. But, in Belgium, France, and Japan, horsemeat is considered a luxury foodstuff.

In times of food scarcity, people ate horsemeat. For example, during World War II butchers sold far more horse than pork or beef. The latter two were difficult to find or priced beyond what the average American could afford.

Horsemeat is on my mind a lot these days because I spend 3 or 4 days a week at a farm a few miles down the road, grooming and riding horses. One of my riding instructors considers horses livestock, only. No sentimental feelings there. He is not a vegetarian. He also raises cattle with the specific aim of selling them for slaughter.

Gordon Ramsay says we should eat horsemeat. I found the article via a horsey blog I read, Bridlepath. The Bridlepath blogger makes an excellent point in that most US horses are not raised for meat. One never knows what drugs the horses may have ingested and what ingesting those drugs via horsemeat means for humans.

Clarissa Dickson Wright (one of the Two Fat Ladies) said

"I have no objection to eating horse meat," she said. "But if it was good eating there would be more people eating it."

Bush signed a law last year in September, prohibiting the slaughtering of horses for export, H.R. 503, but the USDA wants to use a loophole that would allow the practice to continue. My trainer told me about the law when we talked about  vegetarianism. He said that once Bush signed that law, the price of horses dropped dramatically, so it's great for people wanting to buy pleasure horses, though most horses sold for slaughter are difficult and not fit for regular riding. But then making any kind of profit on your horses declines because of the glut of horses on the market.

Parma natives enjoy Culatello & Picula de Caval, a horsemeat stew. Similarily, Austrians make a horsemeat stew called Kare.  In Belgium horsemeat is used as steak tartare. Horsemeat is traditionally used in the German dish Sauerbraten. In Japan horsemeat is served raw sometimes with ginger and onions.  Horsemeat for breakfast? Paardenrookvlees is smoked and served with breakfast in the Netherlands.