The Quince and the Quail

Lemon and Piñon Brussels Sprouts

2012-01-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

Butter binds toasted pine nuts with the sweetness of shallots, the bitterness of Brussels sprouts and the brightness of Meyer lemon. In other words, this is delicious and I can't stop making it. Its the perfect winter accompaniment to fried eggs or roast chicken.

Pine nuts are a bit of a buzz word these days not only because of their amazing taste, but also because their prices have soared- largely due to the difficulty in extracting these tasty little seeds. Nestled deep inside all pine cones are edible seeds- most of them are too small to bother extracting though.

I have a friend who gathers his own pine nuts- but he tells me its a labor of love; the price you pay at the store is a bargain compared to the work involved in harvesting them. The harvesting process involves heating the cones to encourage them to relinquish the seeds- which are covered in an extremely hard shell. Then the shells are rolled or beaten to break free the delicate seed inside.

Pine nuts are an ancient food- a staple for Native Americans- who ground them into flour, as well as the Greeks and Romans who included them in their regular diet, as well as prescribed them as a sexual potency tonic. Pine nuts high protein and vitamin content give this idea validity. Higher in protein than any other nut or seed, pine nuts also provide large quantities of valuable vitamin E and D- two very needed vitamins in the average diet.

Recipe: serves 2- 4

1/3 cup pine nuts
1 pound Brussels sprouts- washed and trimmed of any bad leaves and then sliced very thinly
1 shallot- minced
1 Meyer lemon- the zest sliced off and finely minced, the inside juiced- set aside.
4 tablespoons butter
sea salt and freshly coarse ground pepper
few tablespoons chopped parsley

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat- just until they release their sweet fragrance and are slightly browned. Pour the pine nuts into a bowl and set aside.

Add the butter to the pan- allow it to melt completely. Then add the minced shallot and cook five minutes or so. Add the Brussels sprouts, salt and freshly cracked pepper. Cook five minutes or so more- not stirring too often to allow the Brussels sprouts to brown slightly. But not so long that they lose their vibrant color.

Just before serving add the parsley, lemon juice (to taste- you might not need all of it), the zest, and, of course, the pine nuts.

Yogurt Cheese

2011-11-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to share this for a long time. Its so unbelievably easy and versatile, not to mention, delicious. Straining yogurt removes the whey. Depending on how long you let the yogurt sit will determine its thickness: a few hours will give a Greek yogurt consistency while sitting overnight or longer will create a tangy cream cheese consistency.

Aiming to eat fermented foods with every meal, or at least once a day, is one of the simplest ways to drastically improve digestion. The whey that is removed can be added to fermented foods such as sauerkraut to increase the range of healthy bacteria. The cheese itself is amazing mixed with honey or garlic and herbs. It is a great source of healthy bacteria, protein, and calcium.

To make the yogurt cheese simply add a quart of full fat yogurt to a thin cloth or several layers of cheese cloth laid over a strainer. Alternatively, you can gather the cloth around the cheese, tie with a rubber band and suspend over a bowl to collect the whey.

Let sit over night until about half of the volume is strained out in whey. Pour the whey into a jar to use later. Store the cheese in an airtight container or follow the traditional Greek method of rolling it into small balls, and then covering them with olive oil and chopped herbs.

Blackberries with Cacao Nib Cream

2011-09-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Blackberries are in full effect here, and I imagine, almost everywhere else. Along roads, and rivers and backyards; their bounty is unavoidable. Most of the year the brambles are unwelcome invaders: stealing valuable garden space at an unfathomable rate. But around this time, their dominating nature returns some of its yield.

I love sinking into world of the bramble, the intimacy that is created as my attention focuses on the task at hand. If I am with other people, I love how their voices quickly become faint- overwhelmed by the hum of bees and the density of foliage as we wind ourselves deeper and deeper between canes covered in thorns to reach the biggest, ripest berries.

Blackberries give back as much with flavor as they do with nutrients. Besides being rich in fiber, and Vitamins C and A, blackberries are filled with phenolic acids which are antioxidants known to be anti-carcinogenic.

Traditionally, blackberries have been used by both Native Americans as well as Europeans, (although they were originally using different varieties). In Europe, blackberry juice was used to treat infections of the mouth and eyes until the 16th century. Today blackberry root tincture is used an effective remedy against diarrhea.

Folklore in Ireland and Great Britain says that blackberries should not be picked after St. Michaelmas Day, October 10th. It is believed that on this day, the Devil was expelled from Heaven. He fell from the sky into a blackberry bramble and cursed the fruit- scorching them with his breath and making them unfit for consumption (other versions of the story say he peed on the berries). There is some value behind this legend as wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various bacteria and molds- making them potentially harmful.

Cacao nibs are also full of minerals and antioxidants- being the mostly unprocessed pieces of the cacao bean. They are available mostly in the roasted form but can also be purchased raw- which will retain more of their anti-oxidant properties. It exhausts me to imagine trying to relate all the health benefits of chocolate, and given that it has gotten so much press recently, I am not going to. Just know that chocolate is really, really frickin' good for you (in its whole state, of course, we're not talking Hershey's here).

Here's the very simple recipe:
(serves 4)

3-4 cups blackberries: freshly picked- still warm from the sun is always nice
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or chocolate extract
2-6 tablespoons of sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berries and your taste)

Whip the cream- but don't over-whip it. I always use a hand beater for this because its too easy to over do it with an electric one.

Add the sugar, vanilla or chocolate extract, and nibs.

Serve over the berries.

Redcurrant and Strawberry Wedding Cake

2011-08-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have been busy; I walked across Spain (most of it, anyway).

I did the Camino of Santiago- a walk that starts in the French Pyranées and ends up at the Atlantic Ocean- 500 or so miles later. It was amazing, to say the least.

I returned from Spain to attend the wedding of a beloved friend on the Sunshine Coast of British Colombia. When I heard they planned to not have a cake, part of me rebelled. I decided to override the plan.

I aimed to make a cake that avoided the things most people dislike about cake- overly sweet, unbalanced, and a dry, boring texture.

To find a recipe for the cake I searched the family’s massive collection of cookbooks. The Rombauers pulled though, yet again, with this wonderful Génoise cake recipe in the Joy of Cooking. The authors of The Joy define the Génoise cake as, “the layer cake of Europe, an unleavened whole-egg sponge cake with a delicate butter flavor.”

An abundant redcurrant bush was beckoning to have its fruit enjoyed, so I decided to make a cake that would feature the fruit. I added strawberries to the redcurrants to mellow their intensity, and to balance the sweet brightness of the fruit I filled the cake with a cream filling.

Redcurrants are rare in the U.S which is unfortunate because they are delicious and amazingly rich in vitamin C (four times more than oranges) and antioxidants. Look and ask for them at farmer’s markets or grow your own if you have the space. And as a side note- the dried currants easily found in commerce are not true currants at all, but actually a small raisin- not the same at all.

Between the layers of cake is a not-too-sweet strawberry and goat cheese frosting. The cake is topped with a strawberry cream. Keeping the fruit raw maintains the antioxidants and vitamin C that would be destroyed in cooking. Serve the fruit on the side or atop the cake just before serving.

This original recipe serves 10. For the wedding cake I doubled the recipe twice and used big baking sheets- avoiding having to split the cake to make the layers.

Génoise Cake

Makes two 1 inch layers.

Have all ingredients at room temperature and preheat the oven to 350*

Grease and flour the sides of two 9 X 2 inch round pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift together 3 times (I know this seems excessive but think of it as a ritual of love):

1 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (more sifting)

¼ cup sugar

Melt in a saucepan:

1/3 cup butter (preferably clarified)

Whisk together in a large heatproof bowl:

6 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

Set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is warm to the touch, but be careful not to get too hot. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat on high speed until the mixture is light colored, has tripled in volume, and is the consistency of softly whipped cream (about 15 minutes with a hand-held mixer or 5 minutes with a heavy duty one).

In 3 additions, sift the flour mixture over the top and fold in with a rubber spatula. Reheat the butter until it is hot and transfer to a medium bowl. Fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated about 1 ½ cups of the egg mixture along with:

1 teaspoon vanilla

Scrape the mixture into the remaining egg mixture and fold in. Scrape the batter into the pans and spread evenly. Bake until the bake begins to pull away from the sides of the pans and tht top springs back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Let cool in the pans 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pans; invert the cakes remove the liners. Let cool right side up on the rack.

The Cake Filling:

6 oz cream cheese (cold)

8 oz chevre (cold)

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup very ripe, finely chopped, very ripe strawberries

Beat with a mixer until blended and smooth.

Add slowly, mixing between additions:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar- or to taste. Add in half cup increments and taste as you go. You want the mixture to be thick but not too sweet. Divide the mixture in half.

Beat until peaks form:

½ pint of heavy whipping cream.

Gently fold the whipped cream into half of the filling mixture. This is for the top of the cake. Add more strawberries if you prefer stronger color and flavor- be careful not to get the topping too runny.

The Fruit:

12 oz strawberries, sliced

8 oz redcurrants

a few tablespoons of sugar

Gently mix the fruit and sugar together. Pour off a quarter cup or so of the juice into a small pot. Add and whisk to combine while cooking over medium-high heat until thickened:

3 teaspoons cornstarch

Remove from the heat and stir into the berries.

When the cake layers are completely cool spread the thick filling mixture over the middle and sides of the cake. Just before serving spread the soft cream filling over the top. Top the cake with roses or sliced strawberries. Spoon the fruit on the side of each plate.

spring egg salad

2011-04-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

This salad uses peas, eggs and tons of herbs. It is fresh and vibrant- a step away from the average mayonnaise-laden egg salad (notice I didn't say "a step up"- that version can be good as well).

Cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, savory---use any fresh herbs you have on hand and use lots of them. I like to use fresh herbs with abundance, more like a main ingredient rather than something carefully measured. It helps to grow your own so that you have an abundant supply always on hand. Herbs are filled with vitamins and minerals, and most aid digestion, which helps more of the nutrients in food actually get absorbed.

Fresh meyer lemon peel is a staple ingredient in my kitchen. It enhances digestion as well as immune function because it is filled with vitamin C and anti-oxidants. From a Chinese medicine standpoint it acts as a blood-mover- basically it gets things circulating- which helps detoxification and cardiovascular health. But most importantly it lends a wonderfully bright flavor. Meyer lemons, as opposed to other varieties of lemon- such as the more common, Eureka lemon, are much more complex in flavor and less intensely sour. Additionally, they are usually more juicy; always look for the really squeezable ones.

Recipe:

4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 cup peas- fresh shelled or frozen and thawed

large handful of herbs- parsley, mint, cilantro, dill etc.

3 scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons capers, chopped or whole

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely minced meyer lemon peel

salt and lots of pepper

Combine all ingredients and stir gently.

A note on eggs...

I try to use the best quality eggs I can find- the freshest and most free-range. The best measure of an egg's quality is the depth of color of the yolk. Pale yolks mean little nutritional value- and to me, they just look and taste less alive.

Farm eggs (not store bought) can be kept at room temperature- in fact they last longer and stay fresher this way. As long as an egg has never been washed or refrigerated- there is a protective coating on the shell that keeps it stable at room temperature for several months.

The trick for a perfectly hard-boiled egg is to not over-cook it. When over-cooked, yolks turn chalky and develop a blue coating.

The technique for perfectly hard-cooked eggs is to place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by at least an inch. Bring the water just to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then immediately turn off the heat. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water.

To peel, lightly tap the entire egg to crack the entire shell. Then under cold, running water remove the shell.

Red Pepper and Hemp Heart Tapanade

2011-04-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been loving making dips and sauces to have on hand so that I have quick ways of dressing up vegetables, meat dishes and crackers. Often store-bought dips- even the ones with enticing packaging are filled with not so enticing ingredients; low quality oils and filler ingredients are what allow companies to make profit. I like to make my own condiments because then I can fill them with healing ingredients; they become my medicine-delicious ways to increase my intake of herbs, good quality fats, sea vegetables, fiber, minerals, etc.

My aim in this dish was to create a good dose of essential fatty acids from hemp seeds. Essential fatty acids, also known as Omega 3 and 6, are essential for most of the body's fundamental processes such as metabolism, brain function etc. Most diets are higher in Omega 6 than Omega 3 (a good ratio is one part omega 3 to five parts omega 6. Most people have a ratio closer to 1:20 ) which results in various illnesses such as depression and inflammation.

Hemp hearts are a wonderful food because not only do they have the appropriate ratio of essential fatty acids, but they are also very are high in fiber and protein. Their high fat and protein content gives a greater sense of satisfaction after meals making them an excellent food for people wanting to balance blood sugar or lose weight.

Another benefit of hemp hearts is that they are easily digested, and are usually even beneficial for people who have an intolerance to other nuts and seeds.

The one thing to keep in mind is that hemp oil goes rancid quickly, so hemp hearts should be stored in the refrigerator and bought in small quantities.

I first made this recipe as it is. The second time I made it, I added cream cheese- which was delicious, but not exactly award-winning visually- the dark olives, red pepper and white cream cheese made it a rather unsightly color- although both versions were quite tasty- your choice.

I don't own a food processor; this isn't a confession or a boast, it's simply a fact. Sometimes I wish I did, but generally, I enjoy putting a little extra love into my food. This recipe would be made even easier with the use of some mechanical help, although it's pretty easy as it is.

RECIPE:

3 roasted red peppers*

1/2 cup hemp hearts

2 tbsp minced red onion

1/2 cup kalamata olives

juice of half a lemon

zest of half a lemon

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

Mince all ingredients and combine well. Alternatively, use a food processor. Enjoy on crackers, sliced cucumber, steak, etc.

*Conventional bell peppers are one of the most heavily sprayed crops- always go for organic on this one. I get the jarred roasted bell peppers- they may seem expensive, but usually there are quite a few peppers packed in each jar. If you want to roast your own, you can simply hold a bell pepper over an open gas flame, rotating until the skin is slightly charred.

Snow-Melting Turmeric Pickle

2011-03-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

This recipe is raw, tangy, enzyme-rich, highly nutritious and cleansing. Most people are primarily familiar with turmeric in its dried, powdered form, but, increasingly, the fresh root is available in general markets- it looks very much like ginger, its close cousin, but the color and flavor are markedly different. Fresh turmeric has an ethereal quality, unlike any other flavor- peppery, bitter, and slightly reminiscent of orange- it's quite transporting.

For thousands of years cultures in the East have used turmeric as a potent and delicious medicine. It is a main spice in dishes throughout Asia such as curries, chutneys, and tagines. Turmeric tea is a staple beverage of the Okinawans- who also, perhaps un-coincidentally have the highest life-span in the world.

It is only relatively recently that turmeric has made its way into the Western diet. And there it has generally stayed relatively on the periphery- added in modest quantities to curry and to mustard. But increasingly, people are turning to turmeric as a preventative and potential cure for things like arthritis, inflammation, skin problems and even cancer and dementia.

Turmeric helps the body detoxify by stimulating bile production from the gallbladder and helping to cleanse and protect the liver. Because of its assistance to the body’s detoxifying methods, turmeric is often used to help treat acne, arthritis, heavy metal toxicity, high cholesterol etc.

Chinese medicine and Ayurveda both use turmeric to treat liver disorders- everything from hangovers to jaundice. In Ayurvedic medicine turmeric is referred to as "the great detoxifier". It is used internally to combat dangerous bacteria from food poisoning as well as to drain excess “kapha”- or damp, cold, sluggish states of the body- such as excess mucus. This time of year kapha excess is rampant as the warm spring sun begins to drain the accumulation of cold dampness in the body (think of snow melting after winter).

Turmeric works primarily by reducing inflammation in the body, which helps neutralize the effects of the stressful, and inflaming Western lifestyle and diet. The active agent in turmeric is curcumin- a powerful antioxidant now proven to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Curcumin has shown to strengthen cell membranes and boost resistance to infection.

Traditionally in India mothers slather a paste of powdered turmeric on every cut or wound that appears in front of them and modern studies have shown that turmeric is an excellent disinfectant.

Interestingly, studies have shown that turmeric is more available to the body when it is combined with black pepper. Black pepper contains piperine- a compound that helps increase absoption and bioavailability of curcumin.

Learning about the health benefits of turmeric, I was looking for a way to use fresh turmeric and came across several variations of this traditional pickle. This is a potent relish that adds spice, pungency and tang. It would be delicious on soup or curry, but also on eggs, rice or meat.

There are many ways this recipe could be altered- more jalapeno, cilantro perhaps, or toasted cumin or fenugreek would be nice.

Another option for this recipe is to lacto-ferment it. By adding a few teaspoons of whey to the finished recipe and leaving the relish covered and in a warm place for a few days to allow the lacto-bacilli to grow, the recipe adds beneficial bacteria as well as having the additional benefit of keeping much longer.

RECIPE:

(I wrote out the weight for the ginger and turmeric ratios so that you get an exact proportion, however, feel free, as always, to adjust to your taste)

1/4 lb fresh turmeric root

.1 lb fresh ginger (or about 3-4 inches)

1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely minced

1-2 limes (depending on how juicy they are)- zest and juice- only the green part, avoid the bitter white pith

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 tablespoon coriander seed

black pepper

sea salt

2 tsp. whey (optional)

Lightly heat coriander seeds in a heavy skillet until fragrant- set aside. Grate turmeric- I don't bother to peel it, but be careful, as it will stain everything from your clothes to your skin bright yellow (the color of monk's robes and a symbol of prosperity)

Finely mince or grate ginger. Mix everything together in a bowl.

Let sit for several hours before serving. It will keep for at least a week or so in the fridge.

Moroccan Beef and Fig Tagine

2011-02-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

After weeks of warm sun, winter has returned. This recipe was the result of an effort to stir up warmth and sweetness to combat the bitter cold. The result was this: a blend of aphrodisiacs, rich spices and sweet, sexy figs- quite an appropriate Valentine delight.

For me, Moroccan food reigns above all else; it is my absolute favorite- I love the marriage of complex flavors- saffron, almonds, quinces, paprika, dates, tender meat, rich broths, preserved lemons, green olives, fresh mint, etc.

Saffron is one of the magic elements of Moroccan cooking. In fact, it's one of the most magical things we have going for us, as far as I'm concerned. After all, eating the delicate reproductive organs of a beautiful, violet flower!? How hot is that?

Saffron has a long history as a pigment, a food and a medicine. In Iran, saffron pigments have been found that date back 50,000 years! In ancient Persia saffron was used as a remedy against melancholy and, as such, was offered to divinities, woven into fabrics, strewn across beds, and added to tea. To me, the sweet honey, hay-like scent and the vibrant yellow-orange color are as close to pure sunshine as you can get.

Nicholas Culpepper, the famous, early English herbalist describes saffron as "an herb of the sun...let not above ten grains be given at one time, for the sun, which is the fountain of light, may dazzel the eyes and make them blind". Interestingly, modern science is finding that saffron may stop blindness by protecting the eyes from the direct effects of bright light and retinal stress as well as slowing down macular degeneration. Additionally modern science is confirming the ancient use of saffron as an immune stimulator, reproductive regulator, and general curative.

Buddhist monks adopted saffron-colored robes (died with less-costly turmeric, but meant to invoke the nature of saffron) as a continuation of the practice of honoring deities with this divine substance.

And if all of that doesn't impress you, ponder the idea that one pound of saffron requires 50,000-75,000 flowers!

Another magic ingredient of Moroccan food is preserved lemons. Their salty sourness so wonderfully accents the richness of the meat and the sweetness of the dried fruit. Fortunately they are easy to make- you simply pack fresh lemons with salt and let sit for a month or so, until they are ready to be eaten- peel and all. I definitely recommend using Meyer lemons as their peel is much sweeter and more flavorful. A good recipe is located in Alice Water's book, Chez Panisse Fruit. The recipe can be found here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup dry red wine, Burgundy or such4 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper

2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups butternut squash- peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1-2 carrots cubed

1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup dried figs, halved
1/3 cup raisins
1-2 preserved lemons, cut in quarters

Cilantro and or pine nuts to garnish.

PREPARATION:

Marinate the beef for several hours or preferably over night in the wine and garlic and salt and pepper.

Drain the meat and pat dry, but reserve the wine.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add one tablespoon of the coconut oil or butter. When very hot, add the meat, in batches if needed (so as to only have a single layer of un-crowded meat in the pan-otherwise the meat will steam, instead of brown). Brown each side of the beef- until it develops a handsome crust of brown- a few minutes for each batch. Remove the meat from the pot.

Add the rest of the oil or butter to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the onions, carrots, and squash to the pan. Cook 10 minutes or so. Add the spices and cook another minute more to release their flavor.

Then add the wine and beef broth to the pot. Bring to a boil then turn down to the lowest possible heat. Simmer 1 1/2 hours or so with a tight fitting lid. Then add the preserved lemon, figs and raisins- simmer another 1/2 hour. Garnish with pine nuts and/or cilantro. Serve with couscous or quinoa.

Makes 4 hearty servings of magic to take away your melancholy.

Venetian Carrot Cake

2011-01-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

Carrot cake was originally made in the Middle Ages when sweeteners were expensive and carrots were used as the main source of sweetness. This recipe was inspired by Nigella Lawson's who based her recipe on a traditional cake made by Venetian Jews.

This carrot cake doesn't have any grains whatsoever so there is room for more of the good stuff. I made this cake recently to share with my fellow herbalists in celebration of finishing our clinical training program. Many people in the class can't eat gluten so this was a good alternative to the traditional model. They loved the cake and asked for the recipe, so this is for them.

For the cake:

1/4 cup almonds, chopped coarsely
2 large carrots
1/2 cup currants
2 1/2 oz. rum
2/3 cup super fine sugar
1 stick of butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)
3 free-range eggs
1 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup ground sunflower seeds
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 meyer lemon- finely grated zest and juice

For the mascarpone cream (optional)

5 oz mascarpone cheese
2 tsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp rum

Preparation:

Oven to 350*

Line the base of 8" by 8" pan with parchment paper, grease the sides with butter.

Toast the 1/4 cup chopped almonds in small pan until golden brown, set aside.

Grate the carrots then squeeze out extra liquid using a cheese clothe or thin kitchen towel, set aside.

Heat the currants a small saucepan with the rum, bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for a few minutes- until soft and plump- then drain.

Whisk the sugar and melted butter until creamily and airily mixed. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extract and eggs and, when well whisked, fold in the ground almonds and sunflower seeds, nutmeg, grated carrots, and, finally, the lemon zest and juice.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the cake and put it into the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the top is risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out sticky but more or less clean.

For the mascarpone cream, mix the mascarpone with the icing sugar and rum (feel free to use the rum that the currants cooked in).

To serve, transfer the cake to a plate. Put the mascarpone cream in a bowl to spoon alongside the cake.

Considerations:

-Use 4 1/2 oz. olive oil in place of the butter for those sensitive to diary.
-Use golden sultanas in place of the currants.
-Use sour cream in place of mascarpone or use whole plain yogurt.

Chocolate Sea Salt "Nubes"

2010-12-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been mastering the art of dessert-eating- its not a new thing, but somehow I think many of us have lost touch with it. Previously, I made desserts using the most healthy ingredients possible in an attempt to lessen my guilt for eating them. Raw cashew ice cream, quinoa cake, goji berry sweetened whole wheat cookies, etc. While many of these more "health-conscious" recipes were good in a certain way, they didn't usually ever satisfy a deep desire for decadence. In the past it seemed like I was always trying to take dessert out of dessert. In fact, I was famous for making delicious-sounding desserts but forgetting any type of sweetener entirely! Needless to say, those were not much fun.

I have learned, however, that there is another approach. One that I vastly prefer. This approach generally doesn't involve whole-wheat flour or sugar alternatives. Instead of trying to avoid
pure, indulgent, refined white goodness, I actually make it my focus! The secret I've discovered to making this approach actually healthier than the previous model, is that when I leave the healthy ingredients out of the dessert, I also have to leave the guilt out.

If you take away the guilt but keep a recognition that dessert really is a treat, to be enjoyed as such, then you begin to actually appreciate it. Now, when I eat dessert, I really eat dessert!- And I enjoy every single cherished bite.

The entire world, however, has not caught on to the fact that white crack (that's what a friend of mine calls white sugar and flour) really IS where it's at. So while I wait for the world to catch on to a model Europeans provided us with decades ago, I will keep doing my best to come up with desserts that suit as many people's diets as possible (I DO recognize white crack isn't a good idea for everyone, however.)

I was recently looking for a gluten-free cookie recipe that did not involve complex flour substitutions, and I came across a recipe for almond macaroons. For this recipe I combined chocolate, hazelnuts, egg whites, sugar and sea salt- that's it. When my friend Ryan tasted them he said they were very much like the Spanish cookies he loved called "nubes"- chocolate, egg-white leavened "clouds".

These cookies are chewy and very rich- so while they will definitely spike your blood-sugar, you likely will only need to eat one (or maybe two) to feel blissfully satisfied with salty chocolate-ness. Because they are mostly chocolate, the higher the quality of chocolate, the better these will turn out. The salt is a key accent to the chocolate and sugar. They have salt in the batter and they also have coarse salt sprinkled on top. I suggest using a fine sea salt in the batter and a coarse sea salt or Himalayan salt for the top- you might need to crush it a with a mortar and pestle if it's too coarse.

It's easy to over-cook these cookies so I suggest leaning on the side of under-done so they stay chewy and do not get hard.

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate,
chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped hazelnuts (or any other type of nuts)
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tablespoon coarse salt-

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir in chocolate and pecans. Add egg whites and stir just until incorporated (do not over-mix).

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookie tops are dry and crackled, about 25 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer sheets to wire racks.

Enjoy without guilt but perhaps with milk or tea.

* * *

As a side-note to my lovely devoted readers out there: please excuse the lack of consistency in up-dating these posts- it was due to my previous dinosaur computer, which finally did me the favor of dying, which freed me up to get myself up-to-date technologically. Thank you for your support!

Avocado Pistachio Raw Milk Ice Cream

2010-09-25T18:04:00.001-07:00

I recently got an ice cream maker and feel like I have fallen into a rabbit hole of frozen possibilities. My first experiment was lavender frozen yogurt. I combined Strauss whole milk yogurt, some delicious wildflower honey, and finely ground French lavender. The result was delicious to my taste (not too sweet), but too tart for others.

My next endeavor was cinnamon coconut milk ice cream. This ice cream was spicy and sweet from the cinnamon, but the coconut milk flavor still seemed to dominate.

My third ice cream creation (at this point I seem to be developing a stock-pile), was the best. Pistachio ice cream has always been one of my favorite flavors and I was excited to try it with avocado.

This recipe is nice because the milk is uncooked- which allows the ice cream to be more easily digested if raw milk is used in the recipe. If you can't purchase raw milk at the store, ask around, often there is someone out there with a cow who is willing to sell or "give" some to you (selling it is technically illegal in parts of California still, although this is changing).

One of the main reasons to drink raw milk instead of pasteurized milk is that raw milk contains lactase- the enzyme that breaks down lactose- which is the sugar in milk that most people can not digest well after infancy. The reason milk began to be pasteurized is that the conditions in which cows were living became increasingly unsanitary and prone to disease. When cows are raised in green fields with plenty of space, the result is healthy, delicious milk that doesn't need to be cooked to be safe.

One of the tricks to good ice cream is to have the ingredients as cold as possible and the canister as cold as possible when you pour them in.

RECIPE:

*Store all ingredients in fridge until ready to use.

2-3 avocados- depending on size
1 tablespoon lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups whole, raw milk
1 cup raw, heavy cream
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Mix the avocado flesh, lemon juice, zest, milk, cream and honey in a blender until smooth.
Pour the mix into a frozen ice cream canister. Add the pistachios and process according to the directions.

Bacon and Avocado Stuffed Tomatoes

2010-09-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

The very first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes yesterday morning was how much I wanted a BLT. When I was little we lived on a farm and had BLTs regularly in the summer when the tomatoes were ripe. We also raised our own pigs and our bacon was better than any bacon I've had since. The crispy bacon, fresh tomatoes and lettuce piled between two layers of hearty homemade bread was divine. BLTs were always my favorite and they still are- although I habitually add avocado to mine now and basil too sometimes.

My BLT craving was still very much on my mind this morning at the farmer's market as I picked out some amazing bright green zebra tomatoes. When I got home, however, my plan evolved somewhat. I fried up the bacon and crumbled it into a bowl. Then I added an avocado cut into pieces, some finely minced red onion, some shredded basil, and some Bulgarian sheep feta. Then I hollowed out the tomatoes and filled them with the avocado-bacon mixture. That was is it. Not exactly BLTs, but delicious, nonetheless.

Bacon and Avocado Stuffed Tomatoes

These are pretty rich and filling so plan on one tomato per person as an appetizer.

4-5 smallish, round tomatoes of any kind- avoid varietals with very thin skin
a small handful of basil
1/3 cup feta*
1 avocado
3 strips bacon
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt (taste before adding- some feta is salty enough you might not need salt)

Fry the bacon until crispy, then set aside on paper towels to cool.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes, making an opening big enough for a small teaspoon to fit in. Then hollow out the insides of the tomatoes. Once hollowed out check to see if they will sit upright on a plate, if not, carefully slice as little as possible off the bottom to make a flat surface- be careful not to cut too deeply or the tomatoes will leak.

Cut the avocado in half and then into 1/2 inch cubes. Add the avocado to a bowl. Finely chiffonade the basil by rolling the leaves tightly together and and chopping them as thinly as possible. Add the basil to the avocado along with the chopped red onion, then crumble the bacon and feta into the bowl as well. Mix the ingredients as lightly as possible so as not to turn the avocado to mush. Taste; if it needs salt add a pinch or so and mix again.

Stuff the tomatoes with the mix and refrigerate until ready to serve.

* Note: Bulgarian sheep feta is delicious and usually quite inexpensive- if you haven't tried it, look for it in specialty markets and cheese shops.

Sunflower Butter Crackers

2010-08-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for a good cracker recipe for a while now- a cracker that is utterly buttery, flaky and delicious- almost like savory shortbread with lots of nuts and seeds. I also wanted to find one that was wheat free. I happened upon a recipe on the back of a package of rye flour and was inspired. I altered the recipe a good bit, and the result was just what I was looking for.

I topped the crackers with paprika, but I think I would just use some coarse sea salt in the future. Also, I would like to try this recipe again with sesame or pumpkin seeds in place of the flax and sunflower seeds, which were just what I happened to have on hand.

Sunflower Butter Crackers

1/4 cup flax seeds, ground
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, ground
1/2 cup white spelt flour
1/2 cup dark rye flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unrefined sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

4 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons buttermilk

Grind the flax seeds and sunflower seeds in a food processor or blender until ground. Add the ground seeds to a medium bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well.

Work in the butter with your fingers until well incorporated.

Stir in the buttermilk and form into a ball. Roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper until 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Prick with a fork, dust lightly with salt or paprika and transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 7-10 minutes until lightly browned on edges. Cool on a rack.

Sweet Miso Eggplant

2010-07-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

I picked up some beautiful small eggplants at the farmers' market this morning. They were so beautiful I had a hard time cutting into their tender, black flesh. The small Japanese eggplants are my favorite- sweeter and more tender than the usual Globe varietals commonly found. The skin of the smaller varietals is usually tender enough to eat, which is good because most of nutrients in eggplants are found in the skin- potassium, B-vitamins and phytonutrients.

I found this recipe in one of my favorite Japanese cookbooks, Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking. Her book is simple and elegant, which this recipe perfectly exemplifies.

Nasu dengaku is the Japanese name for this dish. "Dengaku" is a sweet, simmered miso sauce that is traditionally used to coat grilled meat and vegetables.

Eggplant "Dengaku" Style

Serves 2

6 tablespoons miso (hatcho or red)

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons mirin

2 tablespoons sake

1 large globe eggplant or 4 small, long eggplants

3 tablespoons sunflower or other high-heat oil

toasted sesame seeds

To make the dengaku: mix the miso, sugar, mirin and sake in a small pan over medium heat. Stir for a few minutes to combine and thicken. Turn off heat.

Cut the eggplant or plants in half lengthwise and then run a knife around the

inside of the eggplant, loosening the skin from the flesh. Score the surface of the eggplant a few times with a knife.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the eggplant, flesh side down, and brown. Then turn over, loosely cover and continue cooking until almost cooked.

Spread the dengaku miso on each half the eggplant. Cook under the broiler or on a hot grill for about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Eat with a spoon.

Choosing an Eggplant
In choosing an eggplant there are a few things to look for. Often eggplants are sold overripe and old. Eggplants don't store for very long, so look for the freshest ones you can find. Whatever the variety, smaller eggplants are generally better. Choose eggplants that are firm and heavy for their size. As an eggplant ages it gets puffy and bitter. You can test this by gently pushing with your thumb- if the flesh gives slightly but bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains then it is overripe, and it will likely be mushy inside. If it doesn't give, it was picked too early and is unripe.

Lemon Curd Cheesecake

2010-06-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Its been a while. I admit I got so caught up in the busyness of spring (and being in love) that everything else got moved to the back burner. There are so many recipes I want to post that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I thought I'd start with this cake I made my boyfriend for his birthday (admittedly, back in April).

My original plan for his birthday was to make a chocolate cake. I spent an entire day looking through cookbooks trying to find a great chocolate cake recipe. I know I had one once that a friend made with olive oil that was amazing, but sadly, I can't remember who that friend was (to my credit, I think I was about 9 when I had the cake).

I navigated the many chocolate cake recipes out there made with everything from mayonnaise to mashed potatoes (I kid you not) and finally decided on a recipe that seemed like a good candidate; it was titled "the best chocolate cake ever." I made the cake, but was thoroughly disappointed. It was ok, but sort of dull and dry, certainly not birthday worthy; certainly not "the best ever". So I abandoned the whole chocolate idea and went in the other direction. This is what I eventually settled on and it was perfect!

I got the recipe out of a fantastic new cookbook which is a compendium of Gourmet's best recipes from its 65 years of publication. It's really lovely, and I can't wait to make more of the recipes. I'll let you know if I find the "best-ever" chocolate cake recipe. In the meantime, the perfect one made with olive oil will have to live on in my head.

LEMON CURD CHEESECAKE

For the lemon curd:
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the crust:
1 1/3 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour-cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
strawberries to top (optional)

Making the lemon curd:

Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan.

Add the butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk and the first bubbles appear on the surface, about 6 minutes.

Force the lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide shallow dish, scraping bottom of sieve, then cover the surface with wax paper. Cool completely, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Making the Crust:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make easier to slide cake off bottom), then lock on side.

Stir together crust ingredients in a bowl, then press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of the springform pan. Place pan in a shallow baking pan and bake 10 minutes, then cool crust completely in pan on a rack.

Making the filling and baking

Reduce overn to 300°F.

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until combined.

Pour two thirds of cream cheese filling into crust, then spoon half of lemon curd over filling and swirl curd into filling with a small knife (to marble the surface). Avoid touching crust with knife to prevent crumbs from getting into filling. Repeat with remaining filling and curd.

Bake cheesecake until set 1 1/2 inches from edge but center trembles when pan is gently shaken- about 45 minutes. Center of cake will appear very loose but will continue to set as it cools. Transfer the springform pan to a rack and run a knife around the edge of cake to loosen it.

Cool completely, about 2 hours., then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours. Remove side of springform pan before serving.

Top with fresh strawberries.

Artichokes!

2010-04-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

In writing an essay on artichokes for my herbalism program recently, I reaffirmed my eternal love affair with this glorious vegetable. I really think they're the best part of spring (only potentially rivaled by asparagus.) My best friend Sophia loves artichokes so much she tattooed one on her leg!

We recently planted about 15 artichoke plants in the yard because they're one of the only things the deer won't eat. However, they haven't started really producing yet, so while I wait for my artichokes to grow I decided to share with you some of the history I discovered about artichokes, as well as some of my favorite ways to eat them. Artichokes have a long history as a medicinal food, and for this reason, I'll give you a little bit of that background.

The ancient Greeks and Romans both considered artichokes

a delicacy and a medicine. They were thought of as a "food for the rich" because they combat the illnesses that combat a "rich" lifestyle-excessive fats and alcohol. Studies today have shown that artichokes are excellent for the liver and are also one of the best sources of antioxidants. Because of their bitter nature, artichokes stimulate bile which helps your body break down fats, and helps your liver perform optimally.

Artichokes are also considered an aphrodisiac and have a long history as an "erotic" food. In the 1800's it was forbidden for French women to eat artichokes because they were believed to "warm the genitals" excessively. I also read a juicy story about the "artichoke wars" which happened in the 1920's, when a member of the New York maffia created a monopoly on the artichoke market by purchasing all the artichokes that were shipped to New York from California. He created a produce company and resold all of the artichokes at a higher profit. He then began terrorizing distributors and produce merchants; he even launched an attack on the fields in California- hacking down the plants with machetes in the dead of night! The mayor of New York, Fiorello La Guardia was forced to declare "the sale, display, and possession" of artichokes illegal. He then, however, publicly admitted that he him self loved the vegetable and after only a week he lifted the ban.

Choosing an artichoke

When buying artichokes you should look for fresh,

tightly bound leaves. A trick is to squeeze the artichoke and if it gives a little squeak it means it's fresh. It is very important to buy organic artichokes because conventional artichokes are heavily sprayed. Don't worry about the blackness that sometimes occurs on the leaves- this is just from frost and won't affect the taste in any way. The easiest way to prepare artichokes is steamed. Here is a basic recipe:

To steam an artichoke

First wash the artichokes in cold water. Next trim the end of the stalk (but leave it long if it’s still attached- this is almost as delicious as the heart). Use a sharp knife to cut ½- ¾ of an inch of the top of the artichoke- creating a flat top. This is helpful for steaming, as it allows the steam to more easily penetrate the leaves. It also removes most of the potentially prickly spines. Rub the cut parts of the artichokes with half a lemon. This keeps the artichoke from turning brown.

Place the artichokes in a steamer with water- stems face up. Add quite a bit of water. Add a little squeeze of lemon to the water and bring the water to a boil.

Steam, covered for 20-50 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke. Keep checking to see if the artichoke is done by either poking the hearts with a sharp knife to see if it’s soft or gently tugging at one of the leaves (be careful not to burn yourself)- if it comes out easily, then the artichoke is done. Always drink your artichoke cooking water! It is delicious and filled with nutrients!

Artichokes can be eaten with a variety of sauces and condiments-different flavored oils, mustard, vinegar, garlic, tahini, etc. One of my favorite ways to eat artichokes is to dip the leaves in a sauce of tahini, olive oil, lemon and garlic. The raw heart and stem can also be eaten in salads.

Garlicky Roasted Baby Artichokes

Baby artichokes are great to eat because they don’t have chokes (the fuzzy inside) so once you remove the tough outer leaves, you can eat the whole thing!

Around 2-3 pounds baby artichokes- pick the ones with the longest stems (these are almost as delicious as the hearts!)

½ a lemon

¼ cup to ½ cup olive oil

10 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped.

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Boil a large pot of water. Meanwhile, prep the artichokes by trimming any brown off the stems. Cut off the top touch part of the leaves- the top ½ inch or so. Then pull off the touch outer leaves- leaving the soft, lighter green inside. If they are fairly small you can leave them whole- if they are slightly bigger, cut them in half lengthwise Immediately place the trimmed artichokes in a bowl of lemon water to keep them from turning brown.

Simmer the artichokes for about 7-8 minutes, then drain.Toss the artichokes with the rest of the ingredients and put in a baking dish or baking sheet- single layer. Bake for close to 10 minutes.

Globe Artichokes with Angelica’s Sauce

(This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks- In Season by Sarah Raven. She proclaims this recipe as her favorite in the book- so while I have never tried it, I’m sure it’s amazing)

1-2 small artichokes or 1 large per person

Sauce:

4 large, hard cooked eggs- shelled removed

1 very large munch of soft green herbs- half flat- leaf parsley and the rest a mix of chives, fennel, dill and or cilantro- or any of these.

2 cans anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped

1 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

black pepper.

Cook your artichoke in boiling, slightly salted water for 40 minutes (reserve this liquid to drink later). Drain them and give them a squeeze to get out excess water.

Roughly chop the ingredients for the sauce. Mix everything together with the oil and vinegar in a large bowl. You won’t need much salt because of the anchovies but add plenty of pepper. Give everyone an artichoke or two on a plate with enough room for a good dollop of sauce.

According to an Aegean legend, the first artichoke was a beautiful young girl who lived on the island of Zinari. The god, Zeus was visiting his brother Poseidon one day when, as he emerged from the sea, he spied a beautiful young mortal woman. She did not seem frightened, and Zeus seized the opportunity to seduce her. He immediately became so infatuated with the girl, whose name was Cynara that he decided to make her a goddess so that she could be nearer to his home on Mt. Olympus. Cynara was excited at the prospect of being a goddess, and agreed to go live near him. Whenever his wife Hera was away Zeus would go to Cynara. But Cynara soon grew homesick and began sneaking back to the world of mortals for visits. When Zeus discovered she was sneaking away from him, he was furious. Enraged, he hurled her back to earth and transformed her into the plant we know as the artichoke- hence it's latin name Cynara scolymus.

To this day, Artichokes possess a divine, sensuous quality for many. Perhaps this sensuousness is because they are the only vegetable that is actually the bud of a flower. Or maybe it’s because the extra work of eating an artichoke makes them taste that much sweeter. Or maybe it is simply because they have hearts.

Kombucha cocktails

2010-04-04T16:56:00.001-07:00

The other day I stumbled upon something delicious- herb-infused kombucha cocktails. I came about it purely by accident- I had some kombucha that was overly fermented- it was very tart and vinegary and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it.

I recently began infusing my kombucha with herbs, upon inspiration from my friend Amy. The result is fantastic! I allow the kombucha to ferment as usual and then when it's ready I put it in jars with several tablespoons of various herbs for a few days in the refrigerator.

With this batch I put some rose petals in one jar, some fennel and elderflower in another, and burdock and dandelion root in the last. I let the jars sit for a few days in the fridge and they became deliciously infused with the herbs, but were still too tart to drink straight.

In wine glasses I mixed apricot juice and rose-infused kombucha and then topped the wine glasses with sparkling water. They were delicious and perfectly tart and sparkling sweet. I also experimented with adding a bit of creme de cassis, black currant liquor and I think you could probably explore the whole world of liquors as an interesting addition. St. Germain elderflower liquor would probably be delicious.

Kombucha is fairly easy to make. The hardest part is obtaining a "mother"- which is the thick, fleshy "mushroom" that converts the sugar and tea to a fermented beverage. You can look on craigslist to find one or ask a friend who has kombucha because once you are making kombucha you will have "babies" coming out of your ears.

Kombucha is a health-promoting, alkalizing beverage that is thousands of years old. It's history is vague- some say it originated in China around 200 BC and then spread along the trade routes to India, Russia and Japan where it was used by samurai to improve their health. Others say it originated in Russia. Wherever it began, it eventually became popular all over Europe, until World War II brought about a shortage of sugar and tea.

It is often thought of as a mushroom but it is actually a fermented yeast enzyme tea. I have read stories of "miracle mushroom" curing cancer, reviving the infirm, and being used as the "elixir of life". Personally, however, I think Americans tend to overdo it with kombucha. Traditionally a small amount, about 3-4 ounces was drunk with meals as a digestive stimulant. Because it is a yeast, which is grown on sugar, it has the potential to disrupt yeast levels in the body, so if a person is already susceptible to candida or other yeast imbalances, it is best avoided. The best approach is to just try it and see how your body responds after drinking it.

The kombucha sold in stores is much more carbonated and intense than homemade kombucha because it has been in pressurized jars and often over fermented. I find homemade kombucha much more mild and delicious, but even so, I only drink small amounts as a tonic.

Adding herbs to kombucha once it is fermented is a wonderful way to drink your medicine. Liver stimulating herbs such as burdock, sarsparilla, dandelion or yellow dock would be good spring tonic herbs. Floral herbs such as lavender, chamomile, rose and elderflower are lighter and more delicious though. The options are limitless.

Here is a basic kombucha recipe.

KOMBUCHA:

1 clean, dry gallon jar

thin cloth such as muslin or several layers of cheese cloth to cover

spring or distilled water

1 cup pure, unbleached white sugar

4 tablespoons unflavored, good quality black or green tea

1 kombucha "mother" culture

1 cup kombucha from previous culture (or store bought)

PREPARATION:

Fill a pot with 8 cups water and bring to a boil.

Turn off heat and add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the tea and let sit until cooled.

Once cooled strain the tea into the jar. Fill to the shoulder of the jar with more water.

Add the kombucha and the "mother". The culture may sit on the top, but it will likely fall down near the bottom- this doesn't matter. The kombucha will begin to form a new "mother" on top and the original will become a baby that you can give away.

Cover the kombucha with the cloth and secure with a rubber band. You want to keep it clean of any dust or outside particles which can cause mold to form on the culture.

Place the jar in a warm place, away from direct sunlight. Near a wood stove, or heater is good. Or sometimes on top of the refrigerator. The ideal temperature for kombucha is around 70 degrees. The colder the conditions the longer the fermentation will take. If the conditions are too warm unwanted yeasts and bacteria may grow.

Try your kombucha in about a week to see how it tastes. (Always use clean utensils so that the culture isn't introduced with bad bacteria.) Keep fermenting longer if it still tastes too sweet. If it ferments too long you can always make cocktails with it!

Once it tastes good, it's ready. You can pour the kombucha off into jars and refrigerate it, which will stop the fermenting process. At this point you can also add herbs. I add about a tablespoon or two to each quart.

Save a cup of the kombucha for the next batch. Take off any extra babies, but reserve one "mother" and start the process all over!

I usually have two jars fermenting at once so that they are ready at different times. Experiment with different teas, different herbs and different locations- it is a living thing, so it will vary depending on all of these factors.

Coconut Fairy Cakes

2010-03-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last year my dear friend Sabeena and I would spend hours making fairy cakes of various flavors and colors and shapes out of sand at the park. For her 3rd birthday I decided to make as close as I could to edible fairy cakes- these are what I came up with. Although they are lacking the iridescent sparkles, the periwinkle filling and the rose petal glitter of true fairy cakes, she (and I think everyone else) loved them.

If you wanted to, I'm sure you could experiment with using partially whole-grain flour and less sugar- but once in a while I think it's better to just go for the whole sugar bomb and throw the rest out the window! These cupcakes are made with refined sugar and white flour, and I'm a firm believer that food feeds us on various levels and sometimes our soul needs a little white flour and coconut cream to be healthy!

A friend of mine who is an Ayurvedic doctor once said something that has stuck with me ever since:

"Anything can be medicine and anything can be poison- you just have to know what you need in any specific moment". So while I usually write about food that is healthy in the traditional sense, I couldn't resist sharing this wonderful recipe with you.

I used a recipe from the April 2009 issue of Bon Appetit. I rarely follow recipes exactly, but this one I did, and I was so happy with the results, I recommend doing the same. The cupcakes get their creaminess and intense coconut flavor from coconut milk which you reduce down and mix into the cake batter and the frosting.

INGREDIENTS:

2 13-14 oz cans of organic, unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups sugar

3 large eggs

seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup reduced coconut milk (made with canned coconut milk above)

seeds from one split vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut, lightly toasted (be careful not to burn!)

First reduce the coconut milk. (This will be used in both the frosting and the cupcakes themselves.) Bring the coconut milk to a boil in a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat. The milk will boil up high in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool completely. (This can be done up to 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge.)

Center rack in oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line 18 1/3 cup muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer (or egg beater or whisk- I hardly ever use electric mixers) beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add the sugar; beat on medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Beat in the vanilla seeds or extract and remaining egg. Add half of the flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended. Add 1 cup reduced, cooled coconut milk, mix just until blended. Add remaining flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended. Divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake until tops spring back when gently touched- about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a rack and cool 10 minutes, and then remove cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on rack.

For the frosting:

Using a mixer or egg beater, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk, seeds from the vanilla bean and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.

Top cooled cupcakes with 2 tablespoons of frosting using a small spatula and leaving a slight border on the sides of the cupcake. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Violet and Wild Green Salad

2010-02-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

Recently, I woke up craving greens. I was out at my boyfriend Nathan's house on the Klamath river- far away from any grocery store, and we didn't have a vegetable in the house. Fortunately, he lives next door to the Pierce Family Farm- a farm that grows, among other things, the worlds BEST carrots.

To satisfy my craving, Nathan and I decided to

walk over to the Pierce's in search of vegetables. However, we didn't make it past the front yard before I had more than a salad's worth of greens for a salad. Inspired by the herbalism class I am taking, I had picked a huge handful of edible greens. His yard was filled with dandelions, chickweed, and yellow dock. Under his big chestnut I found the ground absolutely blanketed in violets! Their adorable little faces looked up at me imploringly and I set about picking the leaves and flowers.

We continued on to the Pierce's and found Pat- the farmer, outside bagging carrots-and cleaning up after returning from the farmer's market in Arcata. He sent us out to pick whatever we wanted. We wandered among rows of vegetables growing in the rich soil just above the river. We returned with a basket full of kale, parsnips, carrots, parsley, beets. Pat threw some kiwis from last fall in our basket before we left. We got back to the house laden with our bounty, but what I was most excited about were the wild greens I had gathered in Nathan's yard!

You can easily gather wild greens at this time of year. Wild greens are generally higher in minerals and vitamins than cultivated greens and they are tastier- probably largely because gathering them is so satisfying!

Here are a few of the common ones that you can eat in salads. Be sure that you have identified the correct plant before gathering and make sure you are gathering from a place that has clean soil and isn't near roads or other possible pollutants.

CHICKWEED:

Chickweed grows all over- even in unsuspected places. It is a true weed, but it is very nutritious and

delicious. It has a very mild, sweet flavor and can be cooked, although I prefer it raw. It is very high in copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc. It is high in calcium, chlorophyll, phosphorus, potassium, Vitamin A and C.

Identifying chickweed:

It grows in thick clumps- at this time of year it probably won't be flowering- but when it does it has small white flowers. The entire plant can be eaten. Once you learn to identify it, you will see it everywhere.

The best way to identify it is by the small, oval leaves and white flowers. The plant has a distinguishing small line of hairs on one side of the stalk. For more details check out this video I found online -http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Identify-a-Chickweed-172493628

DANDELION:

I discovered yesterday at my herbalism class when we harvested dandelion to make tinctures, that what I have been eating several plants throughout the years that I thought were all dandelion, but aren't- Fortunately, they are all edible, although don't all contain the same nutritious properties that dandelion does.

Because of its bitter nature dandelion is very good for digestion and liver function.

Dandelion greens are high in vitamin A in the form of antioxidant carotenoid and vitamin C.

They also contain calcium and potassium. The root can also be dug and eaten raw or cooked into a tea- the root is very good for the skin, for the liver and for digestion as well.

Identifying dandelion: Dandelion grows profusely in yards and can be identified by a few, key features. It grows from the base- all of the leaves come out from the base. It is a rosette of green, toothed leaves that point back towards the center

Dandelions also only have one flowering stalk at a time. The leaves and the root can be eaten.

MINER'S LETTUCE:

Miner's lettuce is also known as winter purslane, spring beauty or Indian lettuce but is most commonly called miner's lettuce after the California gold rush miners who ate it to prevent scurvy. It tastes mildly salty and has a nice thick crunch. It usually grows in shaded areas and is only around in the spring time or early summer.

Identifying miner's

lettuce: Miner's lettuce is one of the easiest wild greens to identify. At the top of its slender stalks are round saucer-shaped leaves that completely encircle the stems, appearing to be one circular leaf. Small white flowers grow above the leaves. Oblong-shaped leaves grow near the base of the plant.

Wild greens are best in the spring. They are cleansing and refreshing to the system- are great for the skin, the liver and digestion. Enjoy!

Sophia's Candied Citrus Peel

2009-12-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Sophia always makes candied citrus peel each year at around this time- and when we lived near each other I always looked forward to getting a little bag of the bejeweled bounty at Christmas.

This year she is in Mexico, but since I was craving candied orange

peel, I resigned myself to making it on my own. Sophia is an amazing cook that has always attempted and succeeded at making things I find completely daunting, so I was a little surprised to discover how easy it was to create something I value as much as gold!

Candied citrus peel is so appealing because it combines two opposing flavors- bitter and sweet. I like to candy mandarin, orange and lemon peel. I chop candied orange peel and add it to breads and cookies and scones. I add candied lemon peel to chutney and sauces or even fruit salads. Candied grapefruit peel can also be done, although I know one year Sophia made it and the pith was so thick that it was bitter and didn't last as long because of the higher moisture content- I would suggest boiling it a couple extra times before candying it. I've never tried candied lime peel- but it would probably be delicious as well. Candied citrus peel makes a beautiful gift and be sure to include the recipe, because once you get used to having candied citrus peel around you become pretty dependent!

CANDIED CITRUS PEEL

Place a rack on a rimmed backing sheet. Several

oranges or a combination of fruits- I did 3 oranges and 3 lemons

Cut the end off each fruit and score lengthwise in quarters (not cutting through the fruit). Peel the fruits and slice the peels into 1/4 inch strips. If the fruit is extra pithy scrape some of the pith away before cutting. I also like to experiment with cutting the peel into different shapes. Place the peel in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain (I save this water and use it to make tea with) and then repeat. This process removes the bitterness. If you want the peel more bitter only boil once.

In the same pot, without the peels, add sugar and water.

2 parts sugar to 1 part water- enough to cover the peels.

Boil the peels and syrup until the peels are translucent and most of the syrup is absorbed- stirring occasionally. I don't worry too much about burning the peels because I think oranges especially taste good a little burnt.

Remove the peels and allow to cool slightly on the rack. Sprinkle the peels generously with sugar. Turn the peels over and sprinkle again. Store in an airtight container or refrigerate.

Oranges are prized in Chinese tradition as symbolizing good luck. At the Chinese Lunar New Year (February 14th this year), it is tradition to give away oranges as an expression of good wishes for the year. The word for tangerine is the same as the word for "luck" and the word for orange is the same as the word for "wealth". Apparently in European tradition if a girl is able to peel an orange in one long strip then it can be thrown over the shoulder and will land in position resembling the first letter of the man she will marry (I assume this works for men as well....let me know how it goes).

Nutritionally, orange peel is used in herbalism as a distributor in the body for other herbs because it contains bioflavonoids which strengthen blood capillaries increasing their ability to distribute oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Because orange peel acts as a tonic to the entire cardiovascular system it makes it antibacterial and antiviral. I imagine that the health benefits of orange peel are partially negated when consumed with so much sugar, but maybe it all balances out.

As an alternative to candying, you can dry peels- either allow sliced strips

of peel to air dry or place the peels in a low oven (around 150 degrees) until they are dry. Store them in an airtight jar throughout the year- they're good added to sauces and teas and soups.

Mandarin peel are prized in Chinese medicine and cooking. It is used in tonics and is added fresh and dried to soups and other dishes. Mandarin peel tea is used for coughs and asthma- because it stimulates circulation and the lymph system flow, helping to remove excess fluid from the body. The tea regulates digestion and is good for nausea and tension- or just as a preventative at this time of year.

To make mandarin tea simply add a tablespoon or so of dry peels to a tea pot and add boiling water. You can add black tea as well if you wish. For a more medicinal tea you can boil the peels for ten minutes or so or add some dried licorice root.

Thai Cabbage Salad

2009-04-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

I took a break from the thesis yesterday evening and went to an amazing gathering of women. It was so nice to be around women in a celebratory space. Before getting massaged and hennaed we shared food. I brought this salad and the ladies loved it and asked for the recipe. We enjoyed it with mashed yams, brown rice, and a lovely quiche. The salad was a bright, fresh accompaniment.

Cabbage salads (or slaws) are so easy they almost beg you to improvise. This one I made in about 15 minutes with just what I had in my fridge. The trick is to use a sharp knife or a vegetable planer because you need to slice everything really thinly so the marinade softens the cabbage and the flavors blend. I was seduced by the kumquats at the market the other day but wasn't exactly sure how I was going to use them. This salad perfectly highlighted their jewel nature.

This salad is the perfect spring time dish because it contains many pungent foods such as ginger, garlic and radish which all have compounds which render them powerful antibacterial and anti infectious agents. In interviewing people about cold and flu remedies, I have found several that call for cabbage. Cabbage is a good cold immunity enhancer because it contains a ton of vitamin C (more than oranges even). The outer leaves especially are rich in calcium. And it is also known throughout the world to beautify the skin!

Daikon radishes are good for the digestion and the lungs- which may be a bit sluggish and congested from winter. Daikon cleanses the blood, promotes energy circulation and increases the metabolic rate (therefore helping weight loss). Daikon is also known in Chinese medicine as a preventative for respiratory infections. The reason for this is that it opens up and cleanses the lungs.

Look for daikons that aren't too big, but are heavy for their size and firm. They should also be pure white and organic. Fresh daikon has a sweet taste but when it gets old, it can get pithy and overly spicy. Also, daikon usually arrives at grocery stores with the leaves attached, and grocers then remove them. You can request these and use them in soups- they're delicious and have all of the health properties of the daikon. Cooking a daikon is easy- although I usually eat it raw. There is no need to peel it and you can use it any way you would a carrot.

Burdock (also known as Gobo) is also in this salad. I eat a lot of burdock in the spring because it is one of the best foods to cool and cleanse the liver. It is also simply delicious- it has a lovely nutty, grounding flavor. It's also good for shedding extra weight accumulated from a winter's worth of heavy foods. Look for roots that aren't too rubbery; you want it fresh because when it gets old it gets difficult to peel.

I used an entire bunch of cilantro in this salad because I never feel like you can have too much cilantro and it goes bad fairly quickly. If I had some thai basil I might use that as well, or perhaps some mint.

RECIPE:

1/2 a green cabbage,

1/2 a red cabbage

4 green onions

1/2 a large daikon

12'' burdock root

about 15 or 20 kumquats

1 bunch cilantro

Dressing:

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste

1 inch ginger, grated

2 tbsps tamari

2 tbsps agave nectar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp ume plum vinegar

1 meyer lemon (zest and juice)

3 tbsps olive oil

black pepper

6 calendula flowers for garnish

Thinly slice everything for the salad, or use a vegetable planer. For the burdock make sure to peel it first. I leave the cilantro leaves in tact but chop the stems.

Mix everthing in the sauce together well then spread over the salad. Mix well and top with the calendula flowers.

a note on my absence

2009-03-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

I felt that I should account for my absence....I have been finishing my thesis and it is currently absorbing almost all of my energy. My thesis is exploring folk remedies and the way the body and healing are approached through various cultures- basically I'm collecting various healing recipes and then looking at what they reveal.
I'll post some here since it is cold season...

My thesis will be done at the end of April and I plan to resume 'blogging'- god I hate that word!
In the meantime, enjoy your kitchen.

Parsnip Celery Root and Apple Gratin

2009-02-03T23:17:00.001-08:00

This recipe was inspired by a dish I had at Cornucopia, one of my favorite restaurants in Dublin. The restaurant is a sheltered, warm little hideaway just off Grafton Street and out of the cold bustle of Dublin. It is always packed with a line of people waiting to eat the delicious vegetarian and often vegan menu items, which change from moment to moment throughout the day, depending on what the cooks feel like making.
It was here, when I was 18, visiting Ireland with my mom that I first realized I wanted to have a restaurant.
I made this a couple weeks ago for an Irish party I had and it was definitely the hit of the night. Since then, I've made it a couple more times- The lovely thing about it is that it's very simple.
The cheese gets nice and crispy while the apples provide a sweet balance to the astringent celery root.

I have made this gratin with potatoes instead of the celery root, but I don't think it's quite as good- and celery root is very good for you- cooling and slightly cleansing (which you need to balance out all the butter and cheese!)

If you've never cooked celery root before, don't be intimidated by it's less than attractive appearance! The hairy, gnarled monster can be easily tamed with a good sharp knife. Celery root, which is also called 'celeriac', is available all winter long, as it keeps well.

Look for ones that are free of soft brown spots. Celery root can also be eaten raw- and is typically made into a salad called remoulade- with mayonnaise. It has been eaten in Europe for centuries (it was even mentioned in Homer's Odyssey!). It has tons of Vitamin C, potassium and phosphorus. Oh, and scrub it well before using- because there is often sand and dirt hiding in the roots!

I used an aged Shannon chedder on top, but gruyere would also be delicious!

Recipe:
Serves 6-8 people

4 large Parsnips
6 crisp, tart apples like fuji
1 large, or 2 smaller celery roots
8 cloves of garlic- peeled and sliced thinly
4 tablespoons kerrygold butter cut into teaspoon-sized pieces
1 cup thinly sliced cheese- such as Dubliner, Kerry Gold, aged Chedder, or Gruyere
1 cup bread crumbs (optional)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
fresh thyme- several tablespoons chopped, plus more for garnish
salt, pepper

Begin by boiling a large pot of water. While it is heating, begin peeling the celery root- and then slicing it in 1/4 inch slices. When the water boils, add the celery root. Boil for 7-10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the parsnips and slice them into 1/4 inch slices or rounds. Check the celery root- it should boil until just barely tender- but take it out with a slotted spoon before it's beginning to crumble- then do the same with the parsnips.
While the parsnips boil core and slice the apples.
Heat the oven to 350

With the par-boiled vegetables and the apples set aside, rub the inside of a large baking dish with a sliced clove of garlic- then butter the dish.
Layer the parsnips, celery root and apple- sprinkling garlic and parsley between the layers. When finished, top with the butter and the rest of the parsley and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then add the rest of the garlic.

Then layer the cheese on top. You should have enough to cover it entirely, if you don't, grate more.

Then top the entire thing with the breadcrumbs.

Bake in the oven for at least an hour, or until the cheese is slightly crispy on the edges and the smells overwhelming the kitchen can no longer be resisted!

Irish Brown Bread

2009-01-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

After frolicking around Ireland for a few weeks, I've returned with renewed inspiration for the kitchen and a desire to infuse my meals with the hearty warmth that the Irish seem to just innately possess.

You'll have to forgive me because I'm more than slightly obsessed with Ireland, and this blog will surely reflect that for at least the next few weeks.

Throughout County Kerry, which is where I spent most of my time (and where I hope to move someday), I encountered fantastic food- little organic cafes, health food stores and of course pubs. Every meal was accompanied by cider, guinness or tea, and almost every meal included potatoes and brown bread, or soda bread, a staple in the Irish diet, which is as easy as it is nutritious and wonderfully satisfying.

It is made in various ways- but always contains buttermilk and baking soda which are the leavening agents (yeast doesn't do well in damp Ireland). It is made traditionally with oatmeal or graham flour, which is courser than regular whole wheat flour because it contains the germ and the bran of the wheat.

As with any simple recipe (or any recipe at all, for that matter), the quality of the ingredients is of utmost importance- flour goes rancid easily, and organic, yellow butter will add tremendous flavor, as well as the buttermilk, which, again, should be organic and non-homogenized. Baking soda as well, only keeps for about 6 months, and one should only use the non-aluminum kind as aluminum is very toxic.

Since graham flour is hard to find outside of Ireland, you can substitute a little less than one-half cup wheat bran for one-half cup all-purpose flour as well as 2 teaspoons wheat germ (which needs to be fresh and kept refrigerated, since it spoils easily).

Since the coarseness of the flour as well as the effectiveness of the baking soda will vary, you'll need to experiment and maybe make a couple batches before you get it just right, but fortunately it's incredibly simple.

RECIPE:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup Irish, quick cooking (non instant) oatmeal
1 cup whole-wheat graham flour (or 1/2 cup white plus almost half cup bran and a little germ)
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons cold unsalted kerrygold butter, cut into small pieces
1 2/3 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Whisk together the flours, oatmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, blend in butter until it resembles small peas. Add buttermilk all at once; stir with a fork until mixture holds together.

In the bowl, pat the dough into a dome-shaped loaf about 7 inches in diameter. Lift out dough; transfer to lined sheet.

Lightly dust top of loaf with flour. Cut a 3/4-inch-deep cross in top, reaching almost all the way to edges. This symbolizes the Celtic cross, which is said to bless the bread and those who eat it.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until a skewer inserted, comes out clean and it's nicely brown (about 1 hour and 20 minutes). Try to let it cool a bit before you slather it with big pats of kerrygold butter and devour it!

It freezes well and can be used later as a topping for apple crisps when sugar is added to it.

Simply delicious cheese ravioli....

2008-12-28T15:39:00.001-08:00

I spent Christmas with my mom and my brother. It was a miraculous few days because we were almost entirely without technology; the internet, phones, even the radio were all out of commission. The result was a luxuriously simple holiday.

We made a big Indian feast on Christmas eve (to enjoy all of the chutneys I'd made), and on Christmas day we went for a big hike and then my brother, David, and I made raviolis.
It was my first time making raviolis and they were so simple and turned out deliciously!

We used a pasta maker and a little ravioli crimping tool but I'm sure you could just roll the dough out and use a fork to crip the edges. The dough is simple and the filling is as well.

For the dough:

2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface; shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually draw in the flour from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion. Use 1 hand for mixing and the other to protect the outer wall. Continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Knead and fold the dough until elastic and smooth, this should take about 10 minutes. As our directions said: Good dough never sticks to your fingers.

Brush the surface with the remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap; let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

Meanwhile make the filling by combining in a bowl and mixing well:

1 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup crumbled chevre, at room temperature
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten

Dust the counter and dough with a little flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it through a pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening until the machine is at the narrowest setting; the dough should be paper-thin, about 1/8-inch thick (you should be able to see your hand through it.). Dust the sheets of dough with flour as needed. You can also make these by rolling the dough with a rolling pin, but it's just a little trickier..

Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour, lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue. Drop the filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. With a ravioli press or your fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with a fork or the ravioli press to make a tight seal. Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.

Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; they'll float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon.

We made a simple mushroom sauce to go on top.... just sauteed mushrooms and onions, a little flour, cream, white wine....I wanted white truffle oil (as I usually do!) but there was none to be had.

Cornmeal Orange Waffles with Hazelnut Butter

2008-12-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

Corn and citrus are a magical combination. My first introduction to this splendid pair was the Corn Lime Cookies at Los Bagels in Arcata. The crunchiness of the cornmeal and the sweet tartness of the citrus is sublime.

This is my waffle incarnation....it serves two very hungry people or 4 more moderately hungry people.

3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup spelt flour (or you can use wheat)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons rapadura sugar or brown sugar
2 large free range eggs
1 cup yogurt
3 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
3 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil

Hazelnut Butter:

1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons maple syrup
tablespoons orange zest

First make the butter by toasting the hazelnuts in a heavy pan until lightly brown and fragrant. In a small bow mix the syrup and butter and beat with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in the nuts. Scrape into a serving bowl. Alternatively you can heat the mixture and pour it over the waffles.

Then make the waffles....In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk in the eggs, yogurt and zest until well blended, then stir in the butter or oil.

Cook in a hot, greased waffle iron and serve piping hot with the butter.

Morrocan Curried Lentil Soup

2008-12-20T01:13:00.001-08:00

This is a warming winter soup- make a big pot and keep it on the stove.....
It is delicious with a little creme fraiche on top (or yogurt or goat cheese- just anything creamy).

I used to have a philosophy that any soup was better with 3 universal toppings: avocado, goat cheese and cilantro.... So far, I have found that it works with most soups...

serves 6 or so....
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
6 cups vegetable stock or water
2 cups red lentils
1 piece kombu
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
salt of course.... to taste
creme fraiche (optional)

Sautee the onions in large, thick bottomed pot....add the garlic after about 10 minutes or so....saute a bit longer. Add the ginger and saute a few minutes more. Before the onions or garlic start to brown, but are nicely cooked through, add the celery, carrots and continue to cook, adding more ghee or oil if necessary.

Stir in the tomatoes, stock, lentils, kombu and spices. Bring to a boil and then simmer....for about an hour or so, or until the lentils are nice and soft.....

top with chutneys or creme fraiche.... It would be delicious with a spicy glass of syrah.

Huckleberry Apple Tart

2008-12-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the last of our tree's apples that I needed to use, and still a few huckleberries in the freezer from Thanksgiving. I decided to make a tart.
The crust I made with white spelt flour- and coconut oil and ghee. I added a few tablespoons of sugar to the crust as well as a 1/2 tsp or so of salt. I think the sugar in the crust made it extra crispy, which was nice.
The coconut flavor wasn't too overpowering and blended nicely with the apples. Sorry I don't have a more precise recipe- but tarts are so simple!

I just blended a cup or so of flour with the sugar and salt and then blended the coconut oil and ghee in in with my finger tips- just enough so it is well integrated- maybe 1/2 a cup of oil total. Then I sprinkled some cold water on- just maybe a tablespoon. It held loosely together in a ball- but not tight enough to roll out, so I just put it in a tart pan and patted it down. The less water you use the better the crust!

Then I just mixed the apples, and huckleberries and a few tablespoons of sugar as well and spread the mixture over the crust. I baked it at between 350 and 400 for about a half hour.

It was delicious- my roommate Annie called it a "tart orgasm" which doesn't sound the best, but I was flattered none the less...

Cumin Pecan Shortbread

2008-12-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

My friend John and I made a version of these shortbread cookies for our teacher who was getting married last week.

Shortbread is endlessly versatile- you can experiment with many flavors- saffron, almond, cornmeal-citrus, cardamom and lavender are some of my favorites.

RECIPE:

2 tbsps cumin seeds

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 pound unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Dry roast the cumin in a heavy frying pan until fragrant, then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients to form uniform dough. Divide into several balls and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so. Working one batch at a time, roll the dough out on a cutting board covered with parchment paper. Roll to about an 1/8th of an inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. The dough can also be rolled out in logs, then sliced into disks.

Place the cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and bake until lightly golden, about l5 minutes. Allow cookies to cool slightly, then transfer to racks to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Christmas Presents!

2008-12-11T00:54:00.000-08:00

So I had an idea....I have more jam and chutney than I know what to do with... After selling it to several friends for Christmas presents, I decided to offer that here- they make great gifts!

I will wrap, label and tie them with pretty ribbons, and send them wherever you'd like!

These are generally what I have right now, although this is always changing.......

-candied grapefruit plum chutney
-black pepper plum chutney
-goji berry pear chutney
-saffron apple chutney

-rum-poached plums (delicious as a dessert on icecream)
-plum cardamom jam
-vanilla quince jam
-orange spice marmalade

some of them I only have small jars, some I have big.... some I have both......

i also have infused olive oils, honey, salts and vinegars if you're interested.
let me know if you're interested.....
suzannedunning@gmail.com

Nectar of the Gods

2008-12-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Last summer I worked at the Slow Food festival in San Francisco for a friend of mine, Peter, who makes Ghee. Ghee is made from butter, which is boiled for several hours until all of the milk solids settle to the bottom and eventually burn off. What is left is ghee. It is lactose free, easy to digest and delicious. I was deeply immersed in ghee for 3 days- selling it, talking about it, cooking with it and eating it. In that time I learned a lot from Peter, who is an Ayurvedic doctor and a magnificent story teller. By the end of the festival I was so hooked on the magnificence of ghee I was eating it with a spoon!

"This is the secret name of ghee:
'Tongue of the gods', 'navel of immortality'.
We will proclaim the name of ghee;
We will sustain it in this sacrifice by bowing low.
These waves of ghee flow like gazelles before the hunter...
Streams of ghee caress the burning wood.
Agni, the fire, loves them and is satisfied." - The Rig Veda

For thousands of years in India life revolved around ghee. It was used in cooking to increase the flavor and nutritiousness of food, as a medium for herbs and medicines to make them more absorbable, on the skin as a moisturizer and protector, as an offering of grace to the gods, and in temple lamps, which are said to emit the most beautiful light in the world. The light of burning ghee is said to ward off negativity and evil influence. Throughout the texts of ancient India are stories of the gods fighting over this divine, life-giving substance. It is described in the Vedas how ghee is believed to be the source of the entire universe. Before the world was created there was only a vast sea of matter. It was only after this undifferentiated mass was churned, like butter, that the world took form.

Milk is considered divine because is made entirely from the sap or 'life blood' of plants- which are made entirely from sunlight. Milk is then condensed into butter- which is about 80% fat, and 20% milk solids and water. This is then condensed further to make ghee. So ghee is essentially condensed sunlight!!!

In Ayurveda, ghee is viewed as completely satvic, meaning that it is deeply cooling and balancing. It tonifies the tissues and organs and is slightly cleansing. It is the ideal cooking oil because it can be heated to high temperatures, but won't burn or turn into a trans fat the way olive oil will.

When ghee is massaged into the skin, it bypasses the digestive system and allows the qualities of ghee to penetrate directly into the deeper tissues. It is said that sixty per-cent of what is placed on the skin is absorbed into the body. We literally ‘eat’ what we put on our skin.

It is imperative that one eats only organic ghee. Non-organic ghee contains a concentrated amount of any hormones, or pesticides or antibiotics that were in the milk. The fat we consume becomes stored in our tissues and cells, therefore unlike for instance, non-organic lettuce, which may contain some pesticides, but will largely pass through the system, any hormones or pesticides in fats will be stored in the body.

Ghee is delicious in almost any way you would use butter. Look for ghee (or butter) with the brightest yellow color, because this will indicate how much green, fresh grass the cows had access to. Peter's ghee is Ancient Organics. It is made from Strauss butter- which was voted the best in world, (but I happen to know that the butter my father makes is actually the best!) Strauss's butter is excellent because they have mostly Jersey cows, which produce milk higher in beta-carotene than normal Holstein milk cows (the black and white cows). Also their cows are roaming around the hills of Marin eating grass, so you will notice in the winter the butter will be a slightly deeper yellow color because the cows are eating greener grass!

My dad uses Guernsey cows, which are even better than Jerseys. (The reason everyone doesn't use Guernsey or Jerseys is because, although their milk is better, they produce significantly less of it). He molds it in old, wooden butter molds and tops it with a clover!

You can make your own ghee if you feel inspired. It is important to use the best unsalted, organic butter you can find.
In fact you can make your own butter too.....or milk your own cow...but that's considerably more work....

RECIPE:

1 pound unsalted butter

Put the butter in a heavy, medium-sized pan. Turn the heat on to medium until the butter melts.

Turn down the heat until the butter just boils and continue to cook at this heat. Do not cover the pot. The butter will foam and sputter while it cooks. As it boils, moisture evaporates off and it will begin to clarify and the butter will turn from cloudy yellowish liquid to a more golden color. Whitish cloudy milk solids will rise to the top and sink to the bottom. Do not stir. After a half hour an hour your ghee will be ready. The ghee will be a clear beautiful golden color with a wonderful smell that some have compared to popcorn. The moment ghee is ready is critical and lasts only a short time. If the ghee is cooked too little, moisture will remain in the ghee and it will lack in exquisite taste and qualities. Also, because of the moisture, it will tend to spoil or sour. If ghee is cooked too much, it will burn, turn slightly darker and have a certain nutty flavor. After the ghee is ready, skim off the top light crust of whitish milk solids. Whitish curds will begin to form on the bottom of the pot. Keep a close watch on the ghee, as it can easily burn. After a while it will become a clear, golden color. You will have to take a clean, dry spoon to move away some of the foam on top in order to see if the ghee is clear all the way through to the bottom. Let it cool until just warm. Pour it through a fine sieve or layers of cheesecloth into a clean, dry glass container with a tight lid. Discard the curds at the bottom of the saucepan.

Ghee can be kept on the kitchen shelf, covered. It does not need refrigeration. The medicinal properties are said to improve with age. Don’t ladle out the ghee with a wet spoon or allow any water to get into the container, as this will create conditions for bacteria to grow and spoil the ghee.

Two pounds of butter will fill a quart jar with ghee.

Peter talked a lot about the atmosphere that the ghee was made in. He makes it in the traditional method- only on the waxing or full moon, while singing traditional mantras- you don't have to do this though!

Vata Kitchadi

2008-12-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

With the post-thanksgiving sluggishness that seems to invariably set-in around this time of year, I thought I would post a recipe for kitchadi (pronounced "kitchari"). Kitchadi is a a simple, nourishing dish that is good for gentle cleansing, or whenever your digestion is a bit "off".

Ayurveda, the sister-science to yoga, teaches that there are three "doshas" or primary elements that manifest as mind-body types- vata, pitta and kapha. From the Ayurvedic perspective everything must be digested- everything we see, experience or in anyway take into our being, must be processed. If food isn't properly digested it creates what is called "ama"- or toxins. If an experience isn't properly digested, we call it trauma.

In order to properly digest our food, there needs to be a strong digestive fire burning. This fire which you feel when you're really hungry or when you eat something and feel full of energy afterwards because the fire is burning cleanly, can periodically become low, or even go out. This often happens after over-eating (i.e. after Thanksgiving!) In this case you have to build the fire back up slowly- starting with kindling and working up to bigger logs. Kitchadi is perfect kindling!

Kitchadi is complete comfort food- it balances all three doshas. It is particularly beneficial for the stomach, lungs, liver, and large intestine. Mung beans are also revered for their detoxification properties. It is very gentle on your system, and can be eaten for an extended period of time to gently detoxify your system (I recently ate pretty much only kitchadi for an entire month).

Here white basmati rice is used because it is easier to digest. Similarly, split-hulled mung beans are used. Unhulled green split mung beans are pretty readily available, but to find hulled, yellow ones, you usually have to go to Indian markets. The green ones work fine though.

Here is a basic recipe that will serve about 4 people. It is especially good at this time of year (the time when Vata is most imbalanced due to the cold and the wind).

RECIPE:

1 cup white basmati rice
1/2 cup yellow split mung dal
3 tablespoons ghee
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
black pepper to taste
1 piece of kombu seaweed (optional- helps make beans more digestible)
1 small handful shopped cilantro leaves
5 cups water

Wash the rice and the dal twice using plenty of water. If you want to make the kitchadi even more digestible, soak the dal for a few hours before hand adding some whey to the water.

Heat the ghee in a large saucepan with a lid. Add the cumin, mustard seeds and coriander and cook until they begin to pop. Then add the washed dal and rice, ginger, turmeric and pepper, kombu and water.
Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Turn down the heat to low and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Cook until tender- about a half-hour. If you want the kitchadi to be thicker- cook it longer- or you can eat it more like soup.

Top with cilantro and add salt to taste (to increase the detoxifying properties add less, or no salt).
Enjoy and remember not to eat too much! It's just kindling after all!

Meyer Lemon Roasted Beet Salad

2008-11-22T14:58:00.001-08:00

To me, beets are the ultimate autumn vegetable. Their sweet earthiness is supreme comfort. I love them roasted with garlic, or boiled and served with butter and cumin, or blood oranges. They are lovely in a breakfast hash with bacon, or raw, grated in salads.

Beets are incredibly healthy, which makes sense intuitively, since their deep color is so similar in appearance to our blood. Since Roman times, beet juice has been considered an aphrodisiac. It is a rich source of the mineral boron, which plays an important role in the production of human sex hormones. From the Middle Ages, beets were used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood. The greens bring an additional set of nutrients to the plate, most notably beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron and calcium, and are delicious steamed and served with butter.

RECIPE:
serves 12
2 lbs red beets
2 lbs golden beets
salt, pepper
2 meyer lemons, zested and juiced.
3 tbsps sherry
1/4 cup olive oil
6 endive
1/2 lb baby arugula or watercress
fresh chives
dried tarragon
1 cup toasted walnuts
goat cheese or blue cheese- 1 cup or so, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about 1/4 inch of stems. Scrub the beets, dry them, and then rub them in olive oil, salt and pepper and lemon zest. Then place them in the middle of a large sheet of tin foil and close to make a pocket. Place on cookie sheet and bake for about an hour or until tender to a fork. When done, remove skins and chop the beets.

Make the dressing, by whisking together the sherry, lemon juice, olive oil, tarragon and chives.

Pour the dressing over the beets and mix well. Add the chopped endive and arugula or watercress and mix again, gently. Add the nuts and cheese and some fresh ground pepper, and enjoy.

The beets can be roasted a day or two before using, also the nuts can be roasted before hand. Even the dressing could be made a day ahead if you were really trying to be efficient.

Cauliflower Soup with White Truffle Oil

2008-11-21T22:47:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving requires a bit of strategy-- I didn't always know this. My goal used to be to create as enormous an extravaganza of indulgence as I could. I imagined a giant medieval feast with everyone ending up stuffed to unconsciousness and used that as my model- men waving turkey legs in the air with drops of gravy clinging to their beards, pigs roasting on spits, the air thick with smoke and the aroma of curing meat, children chasing dogs around the table with bits of stuffing mashed into their hair and cranberry sauce all over their faces, belching women with abundant cleavage, butter and truffles, rich burnt sugar and rotting leaves....

Anyway, that vision still holds a place in my heart, and I reference it occasionally, but I've learned that in order for people to feel completely satisfied at the end of the meal, it has to be gently guided- I imagine the meal as a bell shape with the entree as this big crescendo that you have to build up to. People have to start off slowly, or they won't properly appreciate the experience- it takes a minute for people to even realize they're eating, so don't waste all your efforts on the first dish, but you do want people to be intrigued about what's to come- it's a fine line.

There have been thanksgivings where I slaved over the desserts- but people were too overwhelmed at the end to appreciate them. Similarly, I've made the mistake of serving huge cheese platters and deviled eggs as appetizers and filled people up before they even saw the turkey. Here are some tricks I've learned (I think they generally apply to relationships as well).

First, people will eat pretty much whatever you put in front of them- it's up to you to decide how much energy you want to put into cooking- don't overextend yourself or you won't have fun. Second, always leave people a little hungry for more- even at the end- leave space for the gods as they say.
Thirdly, people can only focus on one or two things at once- so keep a focus to your meal and to each dish.

I always start Thanksgiving with soup- usually a pureed soup- not a big bowl- just a small bit, and not too heavy- not tons of nuts, or meat, maybe just a little cream. Simple flavors- with maybe a small, delicate little twist.

Here is a good one to start.....

CAULIFLOWER SOUP RECIPE:

Serves 12- disciplined, non-gluttonous people

10 cloves garlic, sliced
1 few tablespoons ghee or olive oil
3 heads of cauliflower (about 4 lbs)
2 quarts vegetable broth
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/4 cup cream
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chives to garnish
salt and lots of black pepper
few tbsps white truffle oil

optional other garnishes- goat cheese, fried garlic slices, toasted almonds...

Cut the cauliflower into florets and bring to a boil in a large pot with the stock. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for a while- about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a tbsp of ghee in a pan and pan-roast the garlic until brown (careful not to burn)

Add the cream and creme fraiche, garlic, nutmeg and spices.

Puree and serve hot with chives and a drizzling of truffle oil

If you warm the bowls ahead of time the soup will be hotter.....you can make this the day before and just heat it up the day of......enjoy

Mashed Potatoes and Celery Root with Crispy Leeks

2008-11-17T09:33:00.001-08:00

This is the first of a few Thanksgiving recipes that I will post, so you can begin thinking about the feast ahead (oooooo it's so exciting!)

What makes this recipe so unique is the use of ghee instead of butter. Ghee is easier to digest than butter because it has no lactose in it, which means that the butter-belly syndrome typical of thanksgiving will be minimized. And it's just so delicious! Here the tartness of the creme fraiche balance its rich sweetness.

I leave the skin on my mashed potatoes because it's nutritious, and I think delicious, but you're more than welcome to peel the potatoes if you'd prefer.

Celery root is that odd hairy looking lump you'll see in the produce section- it looks like the most unappetizing thing ever, but it's really quite delicious, and the crisp vibrancy lends itself well to the creaminess of the potatoes.

The type of potatoes you use matters! Some are more flaky and dry, others have thicker skins. The best for mashing are russets and Yukon gold.

RECIPE:

3 Celery roots
4 lbs potatoes
1 tbsp salt
5 tbsps ghee
1/3 cup creme fraiche
1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup minced chives or parsley
black pepper
2 leeks
several tbsps safflower oil or ghee for frying

Peel the celery root- making sure to remove all the fibrous parts. Cut the potatoes and the celery into 1 inch pieces. Bring to a boil in a large pot of water. Add salt and cook until the vegetables are soft (about 10 min).

Meanwhile, chop the leeks into 2 inch logs- then chop lengthwise- creating thin strips. Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the leeks and fry less than a minute until golden. Use a fork or slotted spoon and drain the leeks on paper towels.

Drain the soft, cooked vegetables. In a large bowl (or in the same pot), mash the vegetables with a fork or masher. Add the ghee, creme fraiche. Mash thoroughly. Add the cream only if you'd like the potatoes a little creamier. Add salt, herbs and fresh ground pepper to taste- mix thoroughly.

Top with the crispy leeks.

Chai for sipping.....

2008-11-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

At this time of year, I'm almost always in the mood for a warm glass of chai. A pot of chai on the stove seems to completely balance a rainy day. As much as I love chai, I never buy it at cafes because it's rarely homemade- and therefore usually way too sweet. Chai is made a million different ways, so experiment and find the way you like best. Personally, I like my chai really spicy and with lots of cardamom. I also like to add a touch of butter to the top.

Something I don't like about most Chai is that cinnamon dominates all the other flavors. I think Americans use too much cinnamon in general. I once worked with a German pastry chef who called all American pies "Cinnamon pies", because that's all she said she could taste. While cinnamon can be divine in the right amounts and in the right places, you have to be discerning with its use, especially if what you're using isn't actually cinnamon, but cassia bark instead.
Most people are not aware that there are two types of cinnamon, and what is generally labeled "cinnamon" is actually Cassia bark- which is a completely different tree and isn't nearly as good (or as good for you). True cinnamon is often labeled Ceylon cinnamon- the bark is thinner, more crumbly, and has a much more complex and gentle flavor. It aids in digestion by calming the stomach, fighting bacteria and fungus. I always buy it in Mexican markets, but I'm sure you can find it other places as well.
The type of tea used to make chai is important as well. Traditionally Darjeeling tea is used, but Assam tea would work well too. What's most important is that the quality of the tea is good. Look for a 'first flush' darjeeling, and make sure it is fresh.

In Kashmir, chai is known as Kahwah, and is made with green tea and no milk. It doesn't use any of the intense spices like black pepper or cinnamon and therefore has a more gentle taste- I think of it as chai's sweet little sister. The history of chai is very much connected to Ayurveda, the science of India that dates back five thousand years. Traditionally each family would have their own recipe of herbs and spices that was based on available ingredients and the constitutions of family members. Typically this is a highly potent blend that has a myriad of medicinal and health promoting properties. Consuming chai regularly increases the digestive fire, elevates metabolism, and aids the elimination of waste and toxins. The warm spices counter-act the cold, kapha-inducing weather. Enjoy.

MASALA CHAI:

-makes enough for two people to enjoy (or one person for a whole afternoon)

6 cardamom pods
1 tbsp crumbled cinnamon bark
2 whole cloves
1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
6 black pepper corns
2 heaping teaspoons Darjeeling tea
1 cup water
1 cup whole milk (it's good with coconut milk or other milks as well)
touch of butter
pinch of salt
rapadura sugar or honey to taste

Lightly crush all the spices in a mortar to release their fragrance. Add the spices to a the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Then add the milk and heat again- but don't let it boil. Turn off the heat, add the tea and let steep for about 3 minutes.

Add sweetener, butter and salt to taste.

KAHWAH (the sweet little sister) :

4 cardamom pods (pounded slightly to release fragrance)
a pinch of saffron
1 tbsp rose buds
2 cups water
2 heaping teaspoons of gunpowder green tea
a touch of honey if you'd like

In a saucepan combine the spices and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Add the tea and turn off the heat- letting it steep for 2 minutes or so before straining the tea into cups.

This tea also traditionally is served with a few finely chopped almonds on top.

Snow Moon Chutneys

2008-11-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

It's the full moon. Last night, the glorious orb rising in the sky was so large it almost seemed like an intruding guest on the horizon- its reflection shimmering across the bay. In the agrarian year, there are thirteen lunar cycles. Most of the cultures of the world have names for each of the moons. These names vary depending on the culture- so for instance, many of the native tribes of the pacific northwest have moon names that refer to salmon, while agriculturalists of the Southwest have many moon names that refer to corn.

In her book, Full Moon Feast, Jessica Prentice explores each moon cycle. The moon that we are entering now was called the Snow Moon in sixteenth-century England. It was the time when the first snows began to fall- when people were gathering there last stores of food for winter and preserving the last of the harvest.

Almost every culture around the world has a traditionally "cultured" food- which is how people preserved food before modern canning and refrigeration. Much of the world depends on lacto-fermented vegetables to help the body digest the meat-heavy diet of winter, when fresh fruits and vegetables are scarce. These foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut were traditionally made with whey, which allows a slow careful decay- by introducing micro-organisms that our bodies need. With the introduction of pasteurization, people became obsessed with "sanitized" food. Food began to be cooked at high temperatures, killing all of the helpful bacteria, leaving our bodies susceptible to viruses and harmful bacteria. The lactobacilli in traditionally fermented vegetables and fruits enhance their digestibility, increasing their vitamin levels and restoring the healthy partnership between our bodies and the billions of microscopic organisms which we need to stay healthy*

To make the whey for these recipes, simply put a quart or so of live, organic, whole-milk yogurt in a colander lined with cheesecloth. Let it sit over night in a bowl. The liquid that drains out is whey- in the cheesecloth is yogurt cheese- which you can use like cream cheese- it's delicious!

Here are two recipes for chutneys. One is lacto-fermented, the other is cooked. You could make the persimmon chutney in the same way the cranberry chutney was made- I just wanted to present two styles. They would both be delicious with turkey, so you can start some of your Thanksgiving cooking now! The persimmon chutney I made with Fuyu persimmons because I have such a surplus, but you could also make with Hachiyas- it would be more jam like.

Make sure to use organic cranberries, yes they're much more expensive, but it's worth it. Cranberries are grown in big bogs, which means that conventional cranberries are sprayed with pesticides by saturating the entire bog in toxic chemicals. As Dan Wandler, a cranberry farmer in Wisconsin says of the difference between organic and conventional,

"After we used to spray the bog, you didn't hear a sound for two weeks. You knew you'd killed something. Now the bog is full of sound. There are beneficial insects, and that means the frogs have something to eat."

ORANGE CRANBERRY CHUTNEY:
1 1/2 pounds fresh cranberries coarsely chopped in food processor.
1/2 cup filtered water
grated rind of two oranges
juice of two lemons
1/2 cup dark raisins
1 bosc pear- diced
1 red onion- chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tbsp. brown mustard seeds
1-1/2 cup sucanat
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup whey

Mix the water, lemon juice, sucanat, salt and whey. Add the cranberries, pear, and raisins and spices and mix well. Press the mixture into quart, wide-mouthed jars. Press the mixture down, adding more water if necessary to cover the fruit. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days before transferring to the fridge. It will keep for 2 months in the fridge.

" Spice a dish with love and it pleases every palate" - Plautus, Casina, 200 B.C.

PERSIMMON LIME CHUTNEY:

6 large ripe persimmons
1 small onion chopped
1 jalapeño chili chopped
1 tsp. celery seeds
1/2 cup dates, chopped
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup chopped candied ginger
1/3 cup sucanat (or other unprocessed sugar)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients, except persimmons in a pot- bring to a boil and simmer for at least a half an hour. Add peeled persimmons and boil slowly until it thickens- about 20 minutes more. Pour into hot sterilized jars. Makes about a pint.

*If you're interested in making sauerkraut, kimchi, or other lacto-fermented foods you can look at Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

Persimmon and Pomegrante Salad

2008-11-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I needed to quickly come up with a dish for a food-ecology event I was co-hosting. One of my favorite challenges is the "see what you can make with only what you have" game; this is what I came up with.
I went out to the garden and picked a big basket full of pink lady apples and persimmons. I had gotten a beautiful savoy cabbage from my friend Suchi and a few pomegranates from my friend David's tree.
Fuyu persimmons are the non-astringent variety- they are hard when you pick them and only soften a little- they are not mushy like Hachiya (or Hayachi, as I called them until a few days ago when my friend (and teacher) Tamar made fun of me). It is believed that persimmons picked on the night of a full moon have many more of the small dark brown speckles in them, and those speckles make the persimmons sweeter.
RECIPE:

3 fuyu persimmons- bright orange, slightly soft
1 pomegranate
2 green apples or pink-fleshed apples, chopped into small pieces
1/2 head of Savoy or Napa cabbage thinly sliced
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 cup sunflower seeds.

I simply chopped everything, meanwhile toasting the sunflower seeds in a pan on the stove (shaking regularly to make sure they didn't burn)- then I mixed the seeds in with the fruit and the cabbage, and mixed in the lemon juice and olive oil, and sprinkled the pomegranate seeds on top. The colors were beautiful.

You might also try this with mayonnaise-although the colors might not be as brilliant, or also with toasted walnuts or pepitas instead of the sunflower seeds. Also, some very small pieces of red onion might be nice. Enjoy.

Bagels for Obama

2008-11-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

For the first time in my life, I'm proud to be an American...
For the first time in my life, I understand democracy...
For the first time in my life, I'm not planning my escape from the US!

Something very deep in our consciousness has shifted, and I am so grateful.

I remember last spring at the farmer's market, I saw a little boy- probably less than 8 years old, pulling a red wagon filled with apricots that were obviously from his tree. I was instantly reminded my adventures selling things as a kid- little bouquets of flowers, fresh-picked loganberries etc.- my brother and I were always trying to make as much money as possible, selling whatever we could. The sign hanging from the side of the little boy's wagon said "Apricots for Obama". I asked him how much they were, and he said, "As much as you want to give."

So, I thought about a recipe that would honor Obama, and I thought, 'Bagels!'- because of the "O", of course, but also because growing up in Arcata, we went to 'Los Bagels', the Jewish-Mexican bakery in Arcata, almost daily. They make delicious bagels, knishes, and pan muerto during Dia de los Muertos. The ingeniousness of Los Bagels is that they have combined two, seemingly-unrelated cultures, creating a synergistic explosion of bagels and empanadas- something I would like to think might only happen in the U.S.

And, like other ring-shaped objects, bagels are said to bring good luck and possess magical powers!

RECIPE:

- 2 cups warm water
- 2 (1/4-ounce) packets active dry yeast or 2 cakes of fresh yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 5 to 6 cups white, unbleached, organic flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
-2 teaspoons vegetable oil
-2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, sea salt etc.

Combine the water, yeast, and sugar and let stand until it gets foamy on top
(about 5 minutes). Slowly add 4 cups of flour and salt. Begin mixing with a spoon. Add another cup or so of flour- working with your hands to mix the dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, adding just as much flour as needed. (Dough should be heavier and stiffer than regular yeast bread dough.)

Grease a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal parts and form each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into a snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around your dominant rolling hand. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Now take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish these two ends together.

Let the shaped bagels rest for about 20 minutes on the counter. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease a baking sheet with the remaining teaspoon of oil.

Fill a large, heavy pot with water and a little sugar (maybe a tablespoon or so). Bring to a boil. In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan.

If you want to add toppings- spread the topping out on a plate- and lay the boiled bagel face down. Then place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turn over and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until golden or when tapped on the bottom, the bagels sound hollow.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

A Note on Yeast:

The word "yeast" comes from the Sanskrit 'yas' meaning "to seethe or boil". Yeast is a member of the fungus family and is a single-celled fungi of which there are about 160 different species. The carbon dioxide it produces is the result of the yeast feeding on the dough and is responsible for bread rising.

Most people are familiar with using dry yeast- the granulated packet kind. But fresh yeast, which is sold in paste form is used in most of the world and is much more flavorful- and reminds you that you're dealing with a living creature (not a packaged product- if you do use dry yeast, always check the expiration date).

Fresh yeast is ivory colored with a yellowish hue and is soft and moist and should easily crumble. Make sure it is fresh smelling and there are no dark or dried places on the yeast. It is highly perishable and must be used within a short time of opening (or you can freeze it to make it last longer).

The French Girls' Caramel Corn

2008-11-02T16:37:00.000-08:00

I made this last night for a Dia de los Muertos party that I went to with my dear, dessert-loving friend Juliet.
I made a variation of a recipe that is in The Super Natural Cookbook by Heidi Swanson. This recipe is quite easy but you have to be on your toes- the popcorn can easily burn as well as the caramel-sugar mixture. Be prepared to 'shake, shake shake, shake yo'...just kidding. Anyway-

If you feel so inclined you can make it into popcorn balls, by coating your hands in ghee or butter and shaping the caramel corn while it is still hot.

RECIPE:

1 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup popcorn unpopped
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasseses
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup black sesame seeds

Heat the ghee in a large, heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Add the popcorn and begin shaking- until it begins popping- keep shaking, don't stop shaking or the popcorn will burn. Just keep shaking- until you stop hearing the pop. Then remove from the heat and take off the lid and pour into a bowl leaving the un-popped kernels at the bottom.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the same pot mix together the remaining ingredients minus the nuts. Heat over medium heat- swirling the pot around to stir. When it begins to bubble all over, turn off the heat, and stir in the nuts and seeds and popcorn and mix well, until the popcorn is entirely coated. Turn onto the baking sheet and let cool.

Dead Mousse

2008-10-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

With Dia de los Muertos in a few days, this recipe is in honor of the dead- 'mousse muerto'. It is in place of 'pan muerto', which is typically made (although I recognize that 'dead mousse' doesn't have quite the same ring as 'dead bread'. Thank god 'los muertos' have a sense of humor).

This recipe was inspired by my friend Emma, who I made chocolate mousse with a few days ago in honor of her 25th birthday. She doesn't like things too sweet (which I guess you could say is appropriate for Dia de los Muertos), so instead of sweetness, we made it extra chocolaty. Like Emma, this mousse is incredibly rich, a little spicy, and very, very intense.

In honor of Dia de los Muertos, I added a little cinnamon and a dash of cayenne, a reminder of the importance of a little spice and levity. A layer of dulce de leche on top with a sprinkling of sea salt would be divine. Whipped cream is, of course, delicious on its own, but scraping the inside of a vanilla pod and mixing the seeds into the cream as you're whipping it, makes it especially worthy of the dead. Vanilla is the seedpod of the beautiful vanilla orchid, and is, therefore, a testimony to the fragrant, pungent and richly-woven world out of which this ancient holiday emerged.

For more than three thousand years the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America practiced a form of Dia de los Muertos. Originally it was celebrated on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, at the beginning of August, and was celebrated for the entire month, during which time, the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as "Lady of the Dead," who was believed to have died at birth, kept an eye on everyone.

Not even the force of catholicism's blow, or the brutality of Cortez could eradicate the scent of vanilla and cayenne from this tradition. The honoring of the continuum of life and death was too deeply steeped in the blood of the people.- The dead refused to die.

The Spaniards did succeed in moving the holiday so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today. Their hope, I suspect, was that it would soon be over-shadowed and forgotten, which, gracias a dios, didn't happen.

My grandma, Dorothy Mumper (or Grand Mumper as she briefly attempted to have us grandkids call her), died a few months ago at the age of 94. While alive, she had a ferocious sweet tooth and a fairly satanic sense of humor, so this recipe is in honor of her. I trust that, dead, she will appreciate it as much as I think she would have alive.

RECIPE:

8 oz. unsweetened South-American chocolate
3/4 cup cream (you could substitute coconut milk)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne (or more or less)
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/4 cup cream (for whipping)
1 vanilla bean
agave nectar to taste

Chop the chocolate coarsely and mix it with the cream in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until the chocolate begins to melt. Remove from the heat and stir until completely melted.

Whisk eggs and the sugar in a fairly large bowl and set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir, while scraping down the sides of the bowl until it is hot to the touch (keep testing the temperature). Remove the egg mixture from the the heat and beat with a whisk or a mixer until it begins to get light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl. Add the cayenne and cinnamon and stir well. Stir in the egg mixture, adding a little at a time, until it is thoroughly combined.

Pour the mousse into individual cups and refrigerate for a few hours.

Before serving, sprinkle with sea salt. Whip the cream with the agave and vanilla, adding a spoonful (or two) to the top of each cup. disfruta!

Morning Miso

2008-10-27T15:53:00.001-07:00

According to Japanese mythology, miso is a gift to mankind from the gods to assure lasting health, longevity, and happiness.

Six months ago I began eating soup for breakfast in an in an effort to solve the digestive problems I'd been having. As soon as I started eating soup in the morning, all my problems went away. Having revolved around elaborate breakfasts of eggs and grains for most of my life, this was a huge change for me, but since the first day of trying miso for breakfast, I haven't gone back. Nothing makes me feel as good as miso soup in the morning. From an Ayurvedic perspective, this makes sense, since agni (one's digestive fire) is generally small in the morning and needs to be "stoked" with a small, easily digested meal that acts as kindling to the fire.

The idea of soup in the morning may not sound very appealing, but I encourage you to try it and see how you feel. To most people (at least in the US), breakfasts are usually sweet (from the ayurvedic perspective, this including things like toast, cereal etc.) Much of the world eats a savory breakfasts consisting of mostly vegetables. Even if you don't want to give up pancakes and eggs, you can still make this soup any time- it's quick and versatile and so delicious. This soup only takes about 10 minutes to make and can be made with almost any vegetables you have on hand.

Miso is a food that has been eaten for centuries in Japan. It has is usually made from soybeans and either rice or barley, which is then mixed with seasalt and the koji culture, but can also be made from various other grains and legumes. Unpasteurized miso is a living food that is filled with digestive enzymes which ward off harmful organisms, creating a healthy digestive system.

I use white miso paste because it has a mellower, softer quality than the darker pastes, but experiment and see which ones you like. Miso made from garbanzo beans, is especially good as well. But don't use the instant miso packets, because miso is a living, fermented food and it loses most of its healthful qualities in the dried form. Many health food stores sell miso in bulk, but make sure it is unpasteurized and organic. One of the best makers is South River Miso.

This can be made with almost any vegetables you desire. Every morning the soup I make is completely different from the morning before. I often find that the fewer vegetables the better. Also, experiment with different ways of chopping the vegetables as well. To the Japanese, in order to completely nourish you, food needs to be beautiful as well as delicious. If it's not beautiful, you will never feel "full". I use the moments chopping the vegetables as a sort of meditation. And I always try to leave enough time to sit down and eat in a peaceful way. Here is just one possible version- this serves two.

RECIPE:
1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
1/2 a leek
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1/4 cup wakame soaked
1/2 avocado for garnish
miso (the amount varies depending on the strength of the miso. Usually its about 1 tsp- 1 tbsp per serving).
3 cups water or vegetable stock
cilantro for garnish
a dash of black sesame seeds

Put the wakame in water to soak for a few minutes. Heat the oil or ghee and add the leeks (meanwhile chop the other vegetables). Add the rest of the vegetables and cook a few minutes more. Add the water or stock and wakame and cook about 8 minutes more, or until the vegetables are soft.

Then in a small bowl, mix the miso and a small bit of the warm broth, stir with a spoon until the paste dissolves, adding more liquid if necessary. Add the rest of the soup to the miso. (boiling miso kills the beneficial enzymes.) Top the soup with the avocado, cilantro and sesame seeds and enjoy.

I believe that miso belongs to the highest class of medicines, those which help prevent disease and strengthen the body through continued usage.... Some people speak of miso as a condiment, but miso brings out the flavor and nutritional value in all foods and helps the body digest and assimilate whatever we eat... —Dr. Shinichiro Akizuki,

Pt Reyes Wild Mushroom Soup

2008-10-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

I spent the past weekend at the Pt. Reyes Hostel. Needless to say, I showed up with a tremendous amount of food- more than enough to feed all of the guests staying there.

This is one of the recipes that emerged......an inspiration made with Peter- a
pu erh drinking, circus performer living in the French alps and Daniel, a Kentucky native with sparkling blue eyes in the midst of a skateboarding journey to South America.

We ate it with a warm, crusty sourdough baguette, and a fig and ricotta insalata salad.

RECIPE:
1/2 yellow onion chopped
2 shallots chopped
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
4-5 stalks diced celery
2 pounds various mushrooms- chantrelles and morels are my favorite, but unless you can find them wild (and they are popping up right now), you might want to do more crimini, portobello, etc. - chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 potato diced in small cubes
1 tablespoon thyme (dry or fresh- use more is using fresh)
salt and pepper
some dry white wine
parsley chopped for garnish
white truffle infused olive oil (optional)

Saute the onions and shallots for a few minutes, then add celery and potato, saute a few more.

Add all of the chopped mushrooms and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes more, or until some off the liquid has cooked off.

Add the stock, and spices, cook 15-20 minutes more.

Garnish with parsley and a drizzle of white truffle oil......(I didn't have truffle oil when I made this, but the whole time I was eating the soup, I wished for it.)

This would also be good with wild rice instead of potato, and also cream makes any soup heartier-although I would imagine it might detract from the mushroomieness.....

Ginger-Miso Roasted Kabocha Squash

2008-10-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

I bought a beautiful kabocha squash at the market on Sunday because as I stood looking at all of the various types of squash- not exactly knowing the difference between any of them, or even knowing if I wanted to buy one, a cute man walked by and said "Get a kabocha".

So I did. And was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. It has dense, delicious orange flesh.

I came across an article on winter squash in Sunset magazine and got excited to try their version of this recipe... needless to say, I changed a few things.

I bake the squash extra long so it gets a little crispy on the edges and almost caramelizes.

Recipe:

1/3 cup white miso
5-in. piece fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup sherry or sake
6 tablespoons oil (I used a mix of red palm, ghee, and olive oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 kabocha squash, seeded and cut into 1/4-in. slices

toasted sesame oil

Oven to 375°. Whisk all the ingredients minus the squash and sesame oil together... then arrange the squash on a baking sheet- drizzle about half of the sauce over the slices and turn them so they are entirely covered.

Bake for about 15 minutes, then brush slices with remaining sauce (you will have some left over) and cook until tender when thick edges are pierced with a fork, about 10 to 15 more minutes.

Drizzle with the sesame oil (tahini might be good also)

enjoy!

Rosemary chocolate fig spread...

2008-10-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

15th of October

The mornings have begun to be cooler, I suddenly find myself cold when I leave my room in the early morning to go outside- slippers are in order....
The days are still warm though...Indian summer, and the fig tree is slowly offering up its jewels- one at a time almost... a coy seductress....

After a few days of neglect, there was a basket worth of the soft, sun-warmed fruit interspersed among the bird-pecked offerings- the ripe insides torn open like carrion.

RECIPE:

4 cups quartered figs
1 cup organic sugar
1/2 bar dark unsweetened chocolate
1/2 lemon squeezed
1 tablespoon minced rosemary

I quartered the figs and boiled them with sugar- slowly the pink seeded interior dissolved, leaving the firmer outsides floating in a translucent dark purple soup. I let them cool and then pureed them in the food processor, which turned them into a pinkish brown puree dotted with the seeds.

I returned it to the heat and mixed in some chopped rosemary and some finely chopped dark chocolate.- Decadence.... almost like a healthy nutella- although nothing's as good as nutella....

I canned it in a water bath, but I don't think it can keep on the shelf because of the chocolate content.

It would also be good with lavender instead of the rosemary.......

Hello Blog, Nice to Meet You!

2008-10-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

This is my new culinary Blog.

I will use it as my on-line journal of recipes and experiences in the kitchen.

Hopefully one day it will evolve into a restaurant......

until then, thank you for reading!