SaturDAY toasted banana walnut tea loaf

 Food Memoir, helpful tactics  1 Response »
Jan 302012
 

Sunny winter SaturDAY eats
Toasted Banana Walnut tea loaf w/Peanut Butter & Beach Plum Jam
Making It (on) Your Own
What I find so much fun and liberating about cooking is reviewing recipes, seeing what ingredients are called for and then working with what I have, making recipes my own.

I had that all to familiar over ripe banana on my kitchen table for way too long. I started looking up banana bread recipes when I remembered a fabulous moist ‘tea loaf’ I had during the holidays when I began searching recipes for a banana tea loaf which I thought would be moister than your standard banana bread.  The recipe I chose to work with was English. The measurements were in metrics and from the git go I knew I didn’t have enough butter. The recipe called for 3 oz of butter which translates in my mind to 3 Tablespoons – of butter.  I had about two Tablespoons of butter – I added a tablespoon of oil.

You’re suppose to ‘cream the castor,(fine sugar) and butter ‘till fluffy. I only have an old hand mixer and used organic Turbinado sugar. Nothing looked fluffy or creamy about my sugar and butter when I added the two eggs which were meant to be beaten before adding them to the creamed butter and sugar. Next mash the bananas – which becomes a liquid to be added to the dry ingredients: 8 oz of flour a pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. sugar & butter, alternating between the liquid of creamed butter, sugar and the eggs and then the mashed bananas.

I had an aluminum loaf pan I didn’t even prep, meaning I didn’t butter or flour coat the inside. I simply poured the batter into the unprepared, virgin aluminum loaf pan.  I got that into a preheated 350 degree oven. – Wait – maybe the oven wasn’t preheated enough. Maybe that could effect the loaf’s density and moistness?  Oh right, I remembered I had walnuts in the -fridge and combed them them through the batter in the loaf pan.

As far as I’m concerned this loaf was almost a flop. I was disappointed with the texture, moistness,(or lack there of) and density but I don’t believe it’s because of the few adjustments I made. If it is – I’m livin’ with it & lov’n it actually thanks to the mighty TOASTER.

It’s a beautiful sunny winter Saturday.  I went to the Tompkins’ Square library to put a number of books on hold. I got hungry on the short walk over there and all I was envisioning was sitting down to a hot cappuccino & a good croissant. Luckily the perfect place isn’t between my place and the library – SMILE

I came home and whipped that banana walnut loaf out of the freezer.I cut two nice slab like slices w/a serrated knife and into the toaster they went.  

Toasting is a prescription I can see getting addicted to.


I liberally spread good organic peanut butter onto the two toasted banana walnut loaf slices and topped each with a tablespoon of East Hampton beach plum jam – a delicacy item I cherish and savor and a steaming cup of Yogi Black Chai tea.

As I sat down and dug into my toasted banana walnut loaf slice, PB & J and took a good long sip of that tea I had a laugh as I heard the voice of  an old mate/friend  in my head saying, “PB & J on toast, that’s the “Breakfast of Champions”. I must say I’m feel’n like a Hero as I sit here perfectly satiated, happily writing this piece.

 

 

 

 Posted by FoodD at 9:51 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Karashi-Mentaiko

 Food Memoir, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Dec 182011
 

Karashi-Mentaiko in cream sauce over angel hair pasta

If the title and the main ingredient product shot hasn’t intimidated or scared you away, you’re a special one and we’ll be rockin on. I’m thrilled to share a fabulous dish that takes minutes to cook and costs less than $3 per serving.

Hiroko, the woman I work with, told me she made her daughter’s favorite dish the other night because she won a Naginata championship. Katie is a champion in various Japanese marshal arts but Naginata is her absolute passion.

“So what’s Katie’s favorite dish” “Karashi Mentaiko, it’s spicy codfish roe in a cream sauce over angel hair pasta.” Now I did a full body spin around and said, “Wait, I love that dish. I order something like that at Typhoon, the hugely popular Japanese lounge in the E. Village.

Hiroko tells me the dish is so easy to make and it takes no time at all.  Inspired by her instructions and her daughter’s taste buds I was determined to make the dish myself. Later that afternoon I joined Hiroko on her weekly grocery-shopping trip to Sunrise Mart, the Japanese specialty Mart in the E.Village, so she could show me exactly which codfish roe to use. It’s called Karashi-mentaiko in Japanese.  For English-speaking-me: spicy Pollock roe. I paid $7.50 for a package with 2 large pieces/sacs of the Karashi-Mentaiko.

I was tripped up by one of the ingredients Hiroko used because I don’t typically cook with cream or milk for that matter. Then I thought to myself, I have fabulous whole milk yogurt from Trader Joes, I’m gonna try and make it with that.

If it weren’t for the somewhat tedious exercise of scraping the roe out of the very thin membrane sacks the roe is in

removing karashi from membrane sacks

and the 9-10 minutes it takes to cook dried spaghetti or 3-4 minutes for angel hair, this dish would honestly take no more than 5-6 minutes to prepare. A new SpecialD for sure.

WHAT YOU’LL USE

1/4# – Angel hair or spaghetti – Use organic pasta that is made from semolina, whole durum wheat. I suggest no longer using enriched pasta.

2 sacks of spicy Pollack roe, (Karashi mentaiko or non spicy is called tarako)

2 T butter or olive oil

2 t Tamari or soy sauce – optional

2 T – cream or whole milk yogurt

For Garnish:

Dried nori cut into thin strips, scallion slices, chiffonade shisho leaf, an edible leaf in the basil & mint family, alfalfa or radish sprouts

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Bring 5-6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil.

While the water is coming to a boil, slit the roe sac length wise and scoop the roe out with a spoon onto a plate. Discard the membrane.

In a saucepan over a medium heat, add the olive oil or melt the butter, add the soy. Turn off the heat and mix in the roe and whisk to break up any clumping of the roe.

This is where I substituted the yogurt for cream. I used about 2 heaping Tablespoons and whisked everything together, making a lovely sauce.

At about this time the water should have come to a rolling boil. Add the desired amount of pasta and cook until your desired tenderness. If you’re using angel hair 3 minutes is perfect. If you’re using standard spaghetti, 9 – 10 minutes. Reserve at least 1/2 C of the cooking liquid. drain the pasta and add it to the pan of codfish roe sauce immediately – still dripping from the cooking liquid is fine .  Stir in the sauce pan to coat the pasta well.

Place in bowls and garnish with any of the suggested toppings or anything you may choose or have around.

Enjoy. It’s Dlicious, it’s Dlightful, its Delctable.

 Posted by FoodD at 1:10 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Recipes for Hurricane Survival

 Food Memoir, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Aug 282011
 

Dear friends, the frenzy to forage for food and running to the market as an emergency situation looms and standing on a line that wraps around the perimeter of a supermarket I think is downright foolish.  If we follow my simple theory about the importance to “maintain basic staples” we’d all be in much better shape even under non emergency conditions. We’ll be proactive and not reactionary.

So lets look at what non perishable foods to keep around. The first item that leaps to my mind is GRANOLA.  I’m also totally into this new food item I just came across called GLAD CORN. It’s over sized half popped corn kernels, all organic of course. Dried fruits and nuts, especially almonds are great to have around. I have two packages of Kame rice crackers and a tin or two of fine fish, sardines in olive oil or mackerel. Certainly beans & grains are important to keep around. Quinoa is my favorite due to it having zero salt and fats while being very high in protein.

I’m gearing up to shoot a Recipe$ 4 $urvival episode during the hurricane.  The dish I’m  going to make is far from seasonal but it will be OH SO GOOD.  I’m going to make sugar plum grape tomato and vidalia onion RISOTTO.  Stay tuned.

Here’s to cooking up a storm.

X OMe, FoodD

 Posted by FoodD at 10:37 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

cOMplementary meal

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May 172011
 

When I first made this meal and video I called the piece ‘Colorful Meal’ but as I look at it now and begin to write this piece I’m gonna call it what I have, THE COMPLIMENTING COMPLEMENTARY MEAL.

The dish is complementary because the colors and textures are opposing and harmonizing while also being complimentary because it is flattering and gracious and when I typed the word complementary I spelled it with an I and noticed the synonyms were not the synonyms of the complementary I wanted but now I’m off on the subtle difference in the spelling of the word(s) which compliment each other – Let’s get on with it awreaD.

Clearly it’s the colors of the raw materials that got me going, the red/orange of the salmon, the green of the watercress and pea puree and the yellow of the creamed corn. There are so many ways to take this dish over the top so let’s consider this a strong foundation for always serving and whipping up complementary dishes, I say here’s to juxtaposition on a plate!

At first you would think the watercress & pea puree and creamed corn are complimentary, meaning too much alike but I think the dish works on a whole. I think steamed carrot or a thick slice of a warm, sun-ripened, farm fresh eastern LI tomato off set on the plate would certainly also add to the dish.

The first thing I made was the CREAMED CORN

Dice and sauté an onion. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil or the equivalent of butter SIDE NOTE I happen to have butter around, which I RARELY do but I was making and testing recipes for scones like a crazy person for one of my ParTEAS™ which I held and hosted at The Ivy Brown Gallery last month. to the sautéed onions then sprinkle with flour. Now you’re making a roux. Add milk and you’re making a white sauce. Add the corn and some water, mix and let cook. Now you’ve got creamed corn.

If you have cornstarch, you’d make a slurry of cornstarch and water and add this to the corn, onions and milk and again, have yourself creamed corn.

I poured the creamed corn mixture into a blender and gave it a quick blend. If one has a Cuisinart you’d give the creamed corn mixture a quick PULSE.

Next I brought well-salted water to a boil for the WATERCRESS & PEA PUREE

Add Peas to the boiling salted water. I used 1 cup of peas to one bunch of watercress. Recipes I read call for twice this, 2 Cs of Ps and 2 bunches of H2Ocress.
Once the water has come back to a boil and the Peas have floated to the top, turn of the heat and add the watercress. Let the watercress wilt for 5 minutes in the salted boiled water with the Peas.

While the Peas and H2Ocress were cooking I cleaned out the pan I made the creamed corn in and PAN SEARED AND POACHED THE SALMON

Get a nonstick pan hot. Pinch some Salt of D Earth into the hot pan and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, slices from a good sized garlic clove and a squeeze of 1/2 a juicy lemon. If you have some white wine, black pepper corns, a bay leaf, any of this helps, just COOK YOUR SALMON. I cooked my salmon steak for about 4 minutes on each side with a top on the pan so I was actually also poaching the salmon You may want to cook your salmon in a soy sauce?

Again, pan searing and or poaching?? COMplementary cOMplimentary.

You should be done by now and reaDy to plate.

Get on with it. Dig in. Aren’t you starving?

Much
LO
VE,
FoodD

You can also find Me on youtube via this link: http://www.youtube.com/recipes4survival
or
by clicking the YOUTUBE link on the menu bar.

I look forward to hearing from you.

 Posted by FoodD at 3:23 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Twas Christmas corn pudding poem

 Food Memoir, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jan 182010
 

Twas the night before Christmas when I spoke with a friend.

I asked what was stirring… if even a batter.

A loin was in the oven, trusseled with care and with the hope that broccoli and corn would soon be the sides.

From being nestled in my bed to bolt upright at the visions of a warm creamed corn pudding danced in my head.

Me in my sweats I reviewed a recipe or two and then settled in to make a corn pudding with what I had at hand.

From out of the cabinets, freezer, and cubbies there came such a clatter as I sprang into action.

I tore to the freezer and opened a bag of TJ organic corn. I threw half of the corn into a hot saltwater bath in a sauté pan.

The sweet smelled filled me with joy like new fallen snow. I pureed the warmed corn. Milk would have glistened this concoction – but not from my kitchen.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a colorful bag of farina de granoturco/polenta, two beautiful organic eggs, an onion, a small pad of butter and a fresh sprig of basil.

With all the ingredients together, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment what would be my trick: I blended, sautéed, mixed, soaked, scrambled and poured all as required by name!

I sautéed a diced onion. I soaked 1 cup of polenta in 1 cup of water. I added this to the sautéed onion, a dab of butter and stirred.  I whisked till it was creamy. Now a dash of salt. A dash of pepper and Salt of D Earth went into the creamy polenta!

As dry leaves before a wild hurricane fly, into the creamy polenta went all the creamed corn.  With well scrambled eggs frothy with air I poured in the creamy corn pudding mixture and glared.

And then, with  a twinkle, I added a pinch more salt of D-Earth. A Tablespoon of Turbinado sugar because it was here. I pulled it all together, snapped a picture and turning around to grease up a Pyrex loaf dish in nearly a bound.

With the oven preheated to 350 Dgrees, I chiffonade a small pile of fresh basil leaves. I mixed this into the creamed corn mixture and poured the whole mixture into the greased Pyrex loaf dish and flung open the oven.

OH how it twinkled! The texture so merry! The surface like a new fresco.  The smell like sweet heaven.  My mouth was drawn up like a bow and the oven door was closed.

I caught a glimpse of the time.

With my broad face a smiling I turned over an hourglass and laughed as I took to my desk chair and created a blank page.

The next half hour went by quickly in spite of myself! A wink in my eye and a twist of my head, I knew I had nothing to dread.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to work researching and writing.

Then at about 25 minutes I turned with a jerk and peeked in the oven.

Giving a nod, it was off with the heat and oven door closed and pudding in place!

5 minutes later I sprang into action. I did not give a whistle, but dug through a draw for a spatula and pulled out a plate. I flipped the pudding over, onto the plate.

Like new falling snow I sprinkled the top with more finely chiffonade fresh basil.  I exclaim, to myself. I’m starving and couldn’t be happier with my Christmas corn pudding…and to all, have a rock’n good-night!”

 Posted by FoodD at 10:20 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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