Won't Lose Me in a Crowd-80's edition

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. I do try to avoid complaining but sometimes it gets the best of me. I'll try to keep the grumbling to a minimum though as I get sick of hearing about it too! Thanks for indulging me though.

How's everyone's Rocktober coming along? We've been trying our best to get into the Halloween spirit (see what I did there?) but the rainy, steamy weather has been most uncooperative. I think today was expected to be the last of it, though we don't have a frost in sight for a while. I don't have plans for the green tomatoes beyond a few batches of chutney, but it might make sense to make a batch of vegetarian green tomato mincemeat. I could pickle the tomatoes, but I'm the only one that will eat a sour pickled tomato and I rarely want more than one. I'm still pulling in ripe tomatoes, so with a bit of luck I won't be too overwhelmed with underipe ones. 

 I've owned this sheer jacket for a few years, and it was only as I dressed last weekend that I noticed a bit of paper stuffed in the arm. I've been wearing the original price tag around for three years (the jacket is sheer-it must have been noticeable). *shakes head*. Goodness. What's worse, some fool paid $99.00 for it and never wore it before donating it...or else they overlooked the tag as well. Who puts a price tag up a sleeve anyway?!

 The skirt proved difficult to photograph, but you get the idea.

Outfit Particulars:
Nabi jacket-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage satin blouse-Goodwill
Skirt-Goodwill
Tights-Walgreen's
Vintage leather boots-Goodwill
Brooch-Goodwill
Belt-Goodwill
Vintage Gaymode handbag-Goodwill
Fragrance-Geminesse

If you own a spider ring this is the time of year to wear it. We've had some lovely orb-weavers outside our window, big garden spiders, and the usual house-dwelling sorts. We don't get wolf spiders in this house like we did on the farm, so there's nothing here willing to take a bite out of us. I leave them alone, and they largely do the same with us. 

 I spotted this dress at Goodwill for .99 cents last week. It still had the $30.00 tag from the defunct vintage shop that was trying to sell it as 80's cool. Look, it was 80's-definitely, but this was never the sort of dress a "Cool" person would have worn. My mum would have worn this-and possibly her mum as well. It has gigantic shoulder pads (I'd place this circa '84-'86) and is made of a parachute material. It is too big on me as the shoulders kept slipping, and I had to wear a belt to keep it from twisting as I sat, but I really purchased it for my collection. I like pieces that are representative of the sort of thing people wore daily, not just for special occasions. I very much doubt I will be wearing it again, but I don't regret purchasing it. I would NOT have spent $30.00 on it. 80's stuff is still easily available-you don't need someone to curate it for you.

I do like the bright colours-but I wouldn't have been caught dead in a dress like this at the time.

 Outfit Particulars:
1980's dress-Goodwill
Boots-K Mart
Belt-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage purse-Sequels
Earrings-Goodwill
Black bangles-both Goodwill
Fragrance-Shalimar

In other news...we've been out enjoying all the wonderful parks Nebraska has to offer.

The boys at Lakeside Park (gosh, they really got creative naming that one).

 Yellow-Rumped Warbler at Chalco Hills NRD

 Red-Tailed Hawk at Walnut Grove park.

 Wherespan lake on an Autumn morning.

 Somewhere in this tree are the first Dark Eyed Juncos we've seen this year (the Juncos are here! The Juncos are here!) which is always a source of excitement for birders. The birds are quite small, and camera shy.

As the Autumn migration is underway we're seeing more snow geese, gulls, pelicans, ibises, and cormorants. The yellow rumped warblers no longer migrate, and can be found in Nebraska year round, but they are more difficult to spot in winter plumage. If the weather cooperates, I'm going to try and take Danny out early before school each morning so he can take advantage of Nebraska being in the flight-path for all these birds. I'm not a morning person, but I have a travel tumbler and plenty of tea.

Anything interesting flying through your neighbourhood?  More importantly-what are you doing with your green tomatoes?

The Natural Habitat of Vintage Maxis...

...in front of the Goodwill, of course.  What can I say, they have the best walls for photography. This particular Goodwill also has a mini-nature preserve in back of the store...

Outfit Particulars:

Batik cotton maxi dress-Goodwill

Necklace-K Mart

Shoes-Hand-Me-Ups

Collins-esque bag-Goodwill

Bangles-Gordmans

Fragrance-Bvlgari Omnia Coral

 We like visiting this location as there's always good bird watching...

 Like this goldfinch with a beak full of thistle.

Closer to home we spotted this butterfly on my coneflowers.

 And this praying mantis outside the art supplies store. He was happy enough to sit for several minutes having his photo taken.

 "Be sure to get my good side."

When Danny was small, the occasional praying mantis would jump onto the window. They move their hands back and forth, and I had the kid convinced it was waving to him. Sadly, he no longer believes the praying mantis is waving, but he was concerned it might leap out at me after a bit. I backed off to finish the photos.

 Back home, we tried photographing this maxi in a gale. The sun was shining, the wind blowing, and every single photo had me making some sort of stupid face. Every. Single. One. So here's my very nice polyester maxi dress and a stupid face thrown in just for fun.

 Outfit Particulars:
1970's maxi dress-Fairytale Costumes, Omaha
Shoes-K Mart
Collins-esque bag-Goodwill
Earrings-Target
Bracelet-Yard Sale in the abandoned mall
Trifari brooch-Hand-Me-Ups
Fragrance-Courreges in Blue, vintage formulation

Such a great print, but maddening to photograph. 

Monday is drop-off day for the fair which means Danny will be furiously baking this weekend. He's entering two breads, a white cake, cinnamon buns, oatmeal cookies, quick bread, and of course seven different jams and pickles. The excitement around here...can you feel it?! I know you can. Probably. Well try, damnit.

 I'll leave you with a dead easy way to make a meal out of tomatoes.

6-7 large-ish ripe tomatoes
A handful of herbs-thyme, basil, oregano, etc.
Black pepper and salt to taste
Olive oil to taste

Toss it all together in a pan, chuck it in a 275 degree F. oven, and leave it alone for an hour or so. Once the skins peel easily off, remove them, then coarsely chop the tomatoes. Serve with some grated cheese over pasta, or on toast with additional olive oil and freshly torn basil leaves.

I told you it was easy. I don't like complicated in the summer.

Uh oh, the weather alarm just sounded. Tornado watch? In August?! Well I'll be damned. I just took a look out the window, and it is indeed looking ripe for severe weather. This is madness, at this time of year. Oh well, at least we have a proper basement here with a cement foundation unlike the dirt storm cellar on the farm . Guess I'd better go harvest the last of my pattypan squash before the weather comes through-I'd hate to lose them. *Grumbles about severe weather season being in Spring, not Summer*

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Purses, Produce, and Pie (Oh My!)

 Time to showcase some more bags from my collection. This style of bag, sometimes called a, "Bottletop" or "Expansion-Top" has been around from at least the 1920's. This bag of course is not from that era, and I'd place it somewhere in the 70's or 80's.

 Danny was amazed to see how it opened. It was like some sort of magic trick as he'd been trying to understand what on earth it was. Yeah sure, "computer age" blah, blah, blah. It really doesn't take much to befuddle kids these days. Just for fun, sometimes I like to pull out the Victrola and tell him to crank it up.

"Oh, I get it now!"

The label is a dead giveaway that this is NOT a flapper-bag (no zip-codes in the 20's, and we weren't importing from Hong Kong). I'm labouring the point because I see so many of these for sale online that are clearly later plastic beads and hardware that wasn't around in the 1920's. Styles get recycled, so you have to use a bit of common sense when shopping for vintage.


The next bag has been in my life at least 45 years. Maybe more.

Every year for my birthday, our housekeeper would buy me the same thing-a small handbag and a pair of nice gloves. Only once did she deviate from that pattern and present me with a set of fancy applique hand towels, which are in use in our powder room today. Otherwise, it was bags and gloves. Somehow, this bag alone survived. I can remember the others-a particularly nice red and white beaded one comes to mind, but I didn't hang onto them.

 I suspect this bag survived so long because I didn't use it, and its sole purpose all those years was holding something sentimental within. Every time I'd move house it would get packed into another box to be forgotten until the next time I discovered it with the subsequent move. Being small enough to store easily, I never saw the need to discard it, and I always knew where the contents were. I suppose by now you want to see what I've been carting around in my little handbag from Ella Mae all these years.

Yep, crumbled carnations and the plastic backing and ribbons the bouquet was affixed to. At some point I sealed them in a ziplock (I don't think those existed in 1974). I recently thought it a good idea to label them in case I lose my mind or something.

So that's the purses. On to the produce.

We grew a number of tomato varieties this year. The German Johnson (stop snickering) don't get terribly red when ripe, and this does make harvesting a bit of a challenge. We also grew Beefsteak, Betterboy, and Abe Lincoln.

You want some pie, don't you?

This is Bluebarb pie (blueberry rhubarb). As blueberries and rhubarb don't come into season at the same time, I stock up on rhubarb in the spring, and freeze it just to make this pie. Well, sometimes I make apple-rhubarb because Danny likes that one too, but I'm really only in it for the blueberries. The boys don't like rhubarb and custard (I know, I don't understand it either)so the beautiful pink stalks only really find use in pie. This is a straightforward recipe, and you can bake it with the fruit fresh or frozen. I do like to defrost it a bit if using frozen so it will blend with the tapicoa pearls, but it can still be a bit icy to accomplish that.

For the Filling:
4 cups blueberries
2 cups cut-up rhubarb
1/3 cup quick tapioca
1 1/2-2 cups granulated sugar (go with what you prefer)

Mix all together and let stand 15 minutes while you make the pastry, giving the fruit a stir now and then to distribute the sugar and tapioca.

For the pastry:
1/3 cup ice water (you may not need it all)
3/4 cup good quality unsalted butter (cheaper butter has a higher water content)cold and cut into tiny bits
2 cups instant blend flour (I use Wondra)
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or a couple forks if your prefer) until fine crumbs. Slowly add the water adding just enough until the dough comes together in a ball. You can always add a few more drops if needed, so add slowly. Try to avoid over-handling the dough. Divide in two, and roll out thinly.

Line the pie plate with pastry and fill with fruit. Cut-up another 2 tablespoons of cold butter and dot the top of the fruit with it. You should try to pile the fruit highest in the centre as it will sink considerably as it cooks. Cover with top piece of pastry and crimp edges closed.

Topping:
Brush the top of the pie with heavy cream (or milk if you don't have any) and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. Cut vents in top to steam, and place the pie tin on a baking sheet with a rim. The pie will bubble and boil over and you will have a terrible mess if you neglect this step. It is normal for this pie to lose some liquid on the pan, so be ready for it.

Bake pie at 400 degrees F. for about an hour, but start checking at 50 minutes because ovens vary. You really should see something bubbling up through the vents to indicate it is done. If your pie is browning too quickly before the filling is cooked, cover it lightly with some foil.

Because this is an all-butter crust it is less flaky than a crust with shortening or lard. It will however withstand a wet filling without going soggy on you, so there's a bit of a trade-off. We're on the fifth day with this pie and the bottom crust is still in good shape.

Store the cut pie in the fridge, but warm it to room temperature before serving (or blast a slice in the microwave if you're feeling fancy.

Come on over, we still have a few slices left.

We're having torrential rainfall these past few days, and a cold front has brought some welcome cooler weather. I have a pot of black bean soup bubbling away as I type, and a loaf of crusty bread ready to go in the oven. It is a good day to stay indoors, that's for certain.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

I continue to be amazed at how good greenhouse tomatoes can be. The winter can seem endless in these parts, but a good tomato does  the job of temporary distraction (at least until I peer out the window).

This salad is quick enough, just don't make it too far ahead as tomatoes don't like the fridge for too long.

You Will Need:

2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut in whatever shape your heart desires (Personally, I like wedges, but your salad, your rules)
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
1 large cucumber, seeded if not a seedless variety, and thinly sliced.

The Dressing:

4 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon chervil
A pinch of tarragon
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon dill
A nice big grinding of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Mix well, pour over salad and let sit at least ten minutes before serving.

Unfortunately, it is still January...but hey everybody, look...salad!

Tomato Phyllo Pie

Earlier this week, I made this pie to have a quick meal with leftovers that would work cold. So much of what I cook, I don't bother posting as it seems too "ordinary" however, with New Year's Eve coming up], I thought this could be pressed into service as an appetiser. It also works as a main course with a nice salad. I don't remember where I first came across this recipe, but it isn't original. I've done my own thing with it over the years, but I see no reason you can't do the same, and add greens, or use vegan cheeses, or whatever else you like. Phyllo is so versatile, and quick once you get the hang of working with it. Make sure you have it completely thawed, and at room temperature before you start working, or the sheets will become a fiddly mess. If you're slow with this sort of thing, keep the sheets beneath a damp towel as you work to keep them from drying out-personally, I never bother, but I'm comfortable working with phyllo.

You Will Need:

20 sheets phyllo (about 1/2 package)
3-4 ripe tomatoes, sliced thin and drained
4-5 shallots, sliced thin
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a stem's worth of fresh leaves if you have them)
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
Olive oil for cooking and brushing phyllo sheets
1 cup cheese (I used a combination of romano and provolone)grated
Optional handful of sliced olives

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking sheet. Cook the shallots in about a tablespoon of olive oil with the herbs over medium heat until they are soft, but not browned. Remove from heat and set aside. Salt carefully as the cheese you use may be salty.

 Layer 10 sheets of phyllo in the pan brushing each lightly with olive oil as you go. Spread half the cheese over the phyllo, then arrange the tomatoes in a layer. If using olives, arrange them as well. Spread the cooked shallots over the tomatoes, then top with remaining cheese. Layer another ten sheets as before, and when completed, tuck the sides under inside the pan. If you have extra phyllo sheets, crumple them up, and place them atop the pie. Brush everything (including the crumpled phyllo) with more oil, and pierce the pie several times with a sharp knife. Bake about 40 minutes, or until deeply golden. Let it stand at least five minutes (ten is better) before cutting.

Spinach Pie and Tomato/Onion Salad

Crap photo, great pies.



This recipe makes a huge batch. That works fine for us, as we enjoy leftovers (I like to cook and get it over with). If you prefer variety in your diet, the recipe may be halved.

I made these in individual pies as they travel better for lunches. You can however, layer it into one or two large rectangular pies that you serve cut in squares. I also opted for clarified butter, though the phyllo can be brushed with olive oil if you prefer. I'm not a cook that insists on following the recipe exactly. I don't use garlic in my spinach pie, but some people do. I use scallions here some people would use shallots. I used frozen spinach, but fresh would work too. I think you get the idea.

You Will Need:

1 box frozen Phyllo (it should have two rolls in the packet-you'll need both if not halving) thawed
1/2 cup clarified butter, melted (you won't need it all, but better to have it) or olive oil for brushing
3 blocks frozen, chopped spinach, cooked, drained, and squeezed dry
1 lb. cottage cheese drained through a sieve overnight, then forced through the sieve until smooth
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 ounces parmesan cheese, crated
1 bunch scallions, chopped fine
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt/Pepper to taste
3 large eggs

Combine everything except phyllo and butter in a large bowl and mix very well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and grease a baking sheet. Work with one roll of phyllo at a time, and keep it covered with a damp cloth to prevent it drying out as you go.

To make individual pies:

Cut sheets in half. Brush a sheet lightly with butter, and top with another sheet. You need about 5, but you could do more (no more than 8). Don't soak it with butter, but make sure to brush the edges so it won't dry out. Place a dollop of filling in the centre. Carefully fold over into a triangle trimming anyway any excess. Fold up edges. Brush top and edge generously with butter. Pierce the top with a sharp knife. Repeat until you have a full tray (you can make the rest as the others bake).

Bake about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on racks. These are best served at room temperature.

To make a large pie:

Do about 5 sheets of the full-sized phyllo for the bottom. Spread on the filling. Top with an equal number of sheets. Fold up edges, brush with butter, pierce and bake. This will take longer. You can also do this in a greased, rectangular pan, just make sure to tuck the top layers down the sides as you go. It is also nice to crumble a few sheets for the top, and brush them with butter-it makes an attractive pie.


Tomato/Onion Salad:

3-4 ripe tomatoes, cut into 8ths.
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, stemmed
(about) 8 olives (I used Kalamata, but any you like will do)
1 small onion, sliced as thinly as possible
1 tablespoon dried chervil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small jar pickled artichoke hearts
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt/pepper

Set your tomatoes, olives, onion, and drained artichoke hearts in a bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the thyme, chervil, sugar, vinegar, oil, and salt/pepper. Mix well. Pour over the tomato/onion mixture and let sit, covered in the fridge several hours before serving. Bring it to room temperature, and serve it over crisp, cold lettuce.

Green Beans/Carrots/Red Peppers/Onions/White Beans

Served at room temperature, this vegetable dish is versatile. Serve it over hot rice, with a wedge of fried polenta, or even a hunk of nice bread. As with so many salads, this improves after the first day. This is a variation on the Green beans dish in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I've substituted so many ingredients over the years, keeping the technique essentially the same. Don't have white beans? Try chickpeas. Don't have green beans? Try broccoli. The one thing I did was reduce the amount of olive oil because no vegetable dish needs 3/4 cup of olive oil. Fine, maybe eggplant, but otherwise...

You Will Need:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large, mild onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 carrots (more or less) cut into thick match sticks
1 large sweet red pepper, cut in thick matchsticks
(about) 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped(tinned are OK if you make this out of season)
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 large bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt/Pepper
Pinch of ground cloves
1 stem fresh parsley
1 tin white beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup water
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed, blanched, refreshed under cold water and drained
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and then add the carrots and onions. Cook about five minutes over medium heat just until the onions soften-you don't want them browned. Add pepper, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, salt/pepper, cloves, and parsley. Add beans and water. Cook, uncovered for ten minutes over a low simmer. Meanwhile, blanch the beans.
Add green beans, and cover the pot. Cook another twenty minutes, or until green beans are tender and liquid has mostly evaporated. If you still have more than 1/2 a cup liquid, remove with a slotted spoon the vegetables to a bowl, then turn up the heat and reduce the liquid until you have no more than 1/4 cup. Pour it over the vegetables.

This is best served slightly warm, or at room temperature.

Homemade Grape-Nut-ish Taboulleh (sort of)

These aren't actual Grape Nuts, and this sure as hell isn't authentic taboulleh. That said, it makes a lovely salad that everyone will marvel at once you tell them what it contains. It shouldn't work, but it does. As I had made so much of the homemade cereal, I thought I'd give this a try. I'd seen it mentioned before, but it always sounded so terribly wrong, in so many ways that I never considered it. Well, that was before I had a couple pounds of cereal sitting in my kitchen.

I can't vouch for this recipe made with the store bought cereal, but everyone went (grape) nuts for this version (sorry, I had to, but as compulsions go, bad jokes are a pretty mild form of the affliction).

2 large tomatoes, skinned seeded, and chopped
1 1/2 cups Grape Nuts-ish cereal
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (I had the flat kind, but I'm not a parsley snob, use what you like)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried mint
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt/Pepper

Mix it all together and chill. It should get stirred a few times before serving, and should be permitted to marinate at least 4 hours.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

This can be served warm or at room temperature over rice, or as I did tonight, cous cous.

You Will Need:

4 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cups chickpeas
2 stalks celery, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon peel, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch cinnamon
Chopped green olives to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

In a frying pan over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of oil, the celery, garlic, lemon, parsley, thyme, sage, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook just until the celery begins to soften. It should still have some crunch. Add the chickpeas, salt and pepper, and mix well. Stir in the tomatoes and olives. Cook until just heated through.

Creole Rice a la Provencale-La Cuisine

One thing I've taken from Raymond Oliver is that there are numerous ways to prepare rice, and some recipes do better with a particular technique. In the past, I would have dismissed this, but after making several of his rice-based dishes, I have come to an appreciation of this detail. Steamed rice is not the same as boiled rice, or boiled and steamed rice, or boiled and baked rice, or rice coated in oil and fried before steaming, etc. The texture of this dish would have been unpleasant prepared with the steamed/absorbed water method. As someone who grew up eating Minute Rice, and basically, liking it, I can assure you I'm not even close to fanatical about rice. Some people are really hung up on on their rice. That said, I'd encourage you to try this slightly different approach to something you've probably made a standard way for years. I wouldn't have you bother if I thought the results were marginally different, but I really do feel it helped the rice hold up to the vegetables and sauce.

I served this on a large platter, and it really looked spectacular. I should have taken photos. The one addition I went for, not in the recipe was some pan-seared veggie Chorizzo sausages cut-up in the rice. I felt that elevated it from a side dish to a main course.

For The Rice:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Wash rice in cold water and rinse several times. Drain. Place into a large pot of boiling, salted water. Stir to prevent sticking and boil 12 minutes. While it boils, prepare a kettle of boiling water.
Drain rice and rinse with cold water to remove extra starch. Rinse with boiling water to heat it back up. Drain. Stop looking at me that way-I know this sounds odd.

Put rice in a casserole dish and cook it, uncovered in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until dry and fluffy. You can fluff it with a fork. Go on, you know you want to.

Keep warm until vegetables are cooked.

You Will Need:

2 onions, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 small, sweet bell peppers, charred, scraped, and skinned (do this ahead if possible)
4 anchovy fillets, drained
2 hard cooked eggs, quartered
1 tablespoon capers
1 sour pickle, sliced (I omitted this)
8 Green olives, pitted
2 tablespoons minced Fines Herbes

Cook the onions in a large pot in the olive oil until golden. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add ginger and tomatoes and simmer, covered over low heat. Add cooked rice and mix well. Put rice mixture in a heated serving dish. Garnish rice with anchovies, eggs, capers, pickle and olives. Sprinkle with fines herbes. Serve immediately.

Banana Ketchup

I buy bananas when they are on sale. No one eats said bananas. I make banana bread. This time, I made banana ketchup.

I had a friend at university from the Philippines who was revolted by American Ketchup . I'm revolted by American ketchup as well, but at least I didn't try it the first time expecting bananas-that would have been quite the shock. Anyway, I have no idea if this is authentic, but the recipe was easy enough to follow. I did have to cook it down and then run it through a food mill as I do not have a food processor-but it worked fine. I now have two quarts of the stuff, so I'm hoping it works well on toast with cheese (it is vaguely chutney-like in flavour). I can't really see this on potatoes. *shrugs*. I'm not buying any more bananas.

Recipe HERE.

Candied Tomatoes-First Attempt

Before








After

These were pierced with a fine needle, and simmered gently for an hour in sugar syrup. After draining, I dried them out in a 170 degree f. oven on parchment paper lined trays for seven hours. The result is somewhere between a sundried tomato and a glace cherry. Pretty good. They still have enough moisture to keep them from being overly chewy.

The next batch I will confit in sugar syrup, leaving them to soak overnight in syrup before repeating the simmer/soak until I reach a candied appearance. That will be more of a hassle. I think. We'll see.

Sofrito

When I saw that Felicity made paella for the Perfect column this week, I knew what I would be serving for dinner. If you're not familiar with her project, the idea is to try various recipes for the same dish until...perfect. I enjoy reading how well (or not) various ingredients and techniques work out. While I did end up preparing paella for dinner, I took the article as a series of tips, rather than a recipe as I had other fish, vegetables, etc. I did for the first time ever achieve the crusty bottom of the rice-something that had previously seemed impossible, and I attribute that to Felicity's good, clear writing, and advice. Where I really diverged was the sofrito. I make killer sofrito.

I can't believe I used to buy this stuff in a jar at the grocer when it is so easy to do yourself. Sure, you need decent tomatoes, so make extra in season and freeze the extra in small freezer bags-you'll be set for a long winter of paella making.

For About 1 Pint Sofrito:

10-12 Roma tomatoes, cut and seeded
1 large bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large, sweet onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
(Here's the part that will sound insane) 1/4-1/3 cup sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon smoked salt (I prefer this balance overall to smoked paprika in quantity)
1/4 cup (or more) olive oil
2 bay leaves

Toss it all in a large, heavy pot and cook it over medium/low heat until very soft. You can take a potato masher, or a wooden spoon and give it the occasional smash. When you are pleased with the softness, run it through a food mill (remove the bay leaves) until you have extracted everything possible form the tomato and pepper skins. Return the puree to a small pan and simmer until reduced to a thick paste. There-you made sofrito.

Risotto With Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, and Courgette

We are not a family that consumes much risotto-practically none, to be more accurate. I've been looking at the jar of Arborio rice purchased ages ago for something I can't well remember, thinking I should make risotto in a sort of, "get it over with" task. So I did. The boys liked it. Hallelujah. Now I have a place to dump leftovers (actually, I'm not kidding).

I followed the recipe from Lidia Bastianich in Lidia's Italian American Kitchen. Unlike many (most) recipes I've seen for risotto, this one gives the home cook an idea of what should be happening to the rice at each stage. That was helpful. I hate when cookbooks assume you will be able to judge if something is done without explaining what "done" is. That isn't a problem with this cookbook.

I really don't understand what the fuss is about 20 minutes of stirring. The way people carry on about making risotto (or polenta for that matter) like they were trying to confit a goose. I've made goose confit, and risotto was a hell of a lot easier). I mean, even Rice-a-Roni requires some stirring (I think).

For the 1/3 cup wine I used dry vermouth. I had a lovely bottle of my new, favourite cheap wine (three bucks!) Aconga, from Argentina-but that's too good for risotto. Really, I cannot believe how good a blended white wine can be. I would make a joke about Chardonnay that doesn't taste like Chardonnay-but it isn't a joke. I really should just go buy a case before the price goes up. Most of the time I use vermouth in recipes that call for dry white wine, as I always have a bottle in the door of the fridge, where wine tends to get used soon after opening.

The recipe is widely available on the web, and in the book at your local library-so I won't bother with reprinting it here. It is a fantastic book-well worth picking up if you see it at a used sale (I paid $1.00 for mine at the Omaha Library Sale-coming up September 8-11th at the Swanson Branch as well as on-going weekly sales on Thursdays 10-3).

I still had half a courgette left, so I breaded and fried sticks that I served with a rich spaghetti sauce I had leftover. With a salad, it made a nice dinner for an evening that was...you really don't want to know) 104 degrees F. with a heat index of 115 degrees F. I dunno, what's that in Centigrade? Something like 44? You get the idea-hot.

Israeli Casserole

This is another recipe from Jewish vegetarian Cooking by, Rose Friedman.


You Will Need:

1 aubergine
Salt/pepper
2 onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Vegetable oil for frying
4 medium potatoes parboiled in their skin, then peeeled and diced
1 1/3 (1/2 pt) (285 ml) cups vegetable stock (heated)
6-8 ripe medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Peel the aubergine removing as little flesh as possible (easier said than done, I know). Cut the aubergine into thick slices and layer in a colander salting each layer lightly with coarse salt. Leave them at least an hour. The recipe says 30 minutes, but trust me on this-an hour. Wash the slices well, and pat dry. Cut into small dice.

Saute the onion, pepper and garlic in a bit of oil until soft-about 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C) .

Add the aubergine and potatoes and cook until softened and beginning to brown. Transfer to a casserole dish with a lid. Pour the stock, tomatoes, and parsley into the casserole. Adjust seasonings. Cover and bake 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. The casserole is quite liquid when served.

Fresh Salsa-in a hurry

You can have this made in under five minutes.

2 large, ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon dried basil
Juice of a lime
Salt/Pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Mix well, store in a jar in the fridge.

Tomato and Corn Pie

Still using up tomatoes. This recipe relies on tinned corn, and beans because that was what I had. You could of course, use fresh corn or home cooked beans. Danny isn't wild about corn or tomatoes, but once it gets baked in a pie crust he seems to think they are no longer the same vegetables. Funny how everything tastes better in a pie crust.

You Will Need:

(about) 8 large, ripe tomatoes, skins and seeds removed
1 tin corn, rinsed
1 tin vegetarian chili beans, rinsed (it still retains the "chili" flavour without the sickening sauce cheap beans are tinned in)
1/2 cup sliced black olives
3 tablespoons dried, minced onion(these give more of an onion-dip flavour than fresh onions, which was kind of in keeping with the idea I had)
1 teaspoon dried garlic granules
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated sharp Swiss cheese
2 large eggs, slightly beaten

Combine, mix well and pour into crust-lined 9 inch pie plate.

2 layer pie crust


For the pie crust:

2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
3-5 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until fine like cornmeal. Add the water a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Divide in half, roll out and line bottom with crust Fill, then top with other half of crust. Cut vents, crimp edges, and brush with either an egg wash, or heavy cream (I used cream this time). Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. for about 1 hour, or until nicely browned and filling bubbles up through vents. Serve warm or cold.

Barbecue Beef Ribs

Oh look, the vegetarian made ribs!

These are the long ribs, and they are really much more fat than beef. That didn't seem to bother Mr. ETB (also more fat than beef). As I'm currently overrun with tomatoes, I made my own sauce. That was a bit of work, but I'll post the recipe in case you feel ambitious.

For the sauce:

4 quarts tomatoes, cut into quarters and seeded
A splash of olive oil

Roast the tomatoes for 3 hours in a deep casserole in a 225 degree F. oven. Cool, Put through a food mill to remove skins. Remove liquid to a saucepan and boil gently until it is reduced to about 1/3. It should be thick like tomato sauce, but not as thick as paste from a tin.

Add to the reduced tomatoes:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 bay leaf
A generous grinding of black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried mustard
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

Stir together, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

For the ribs:

Dredge the ribs in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Pull off a hunk of fat from the underside of the ribs (there's plenty, trust me) and heat it in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When melted, brown the ribs. Remove from heat, add water to cover, and replace lid. Simmer slowly until tender-about 2 hours.

Remove ribs, and drain. Heat a broiler, and place on a rack over a broiling pan so that the ribs will be about 5 inches from the heat. Baste with barbecue sauce, and cook five minutes. Baste again, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving.