daily bread journal

Clean Out The Fridge Pasta

2011-05-25T20:17:00.001-07:00

It's been a crazy time. We've been searching for a new receptionist at the clinic, and I seem to be the most computer savvy of the group. Scary, that. But anyway, it falls to me to put the ad in craigslist. A simple part time receptionist job, paying a mere $10 per hour, and I got over 200 responses the first day. After plowing through the first 30 resumes, everyone began to sound alike - all young and enthusiastic and certain that they had what it takes to contribute to our office. "Attention to detail" was often followed by a misspelling. Work history of a month here, a couple of months there.

I began forwarding the ones that sounded like that had at least something going for them to one of my colleagues. I couldn't differentiate on that level - I was drowning in "relevant skills - MS Office, venipuncture (? - I'm an ACUPUNCTURIST!), great ability to communicate, etc." I began paying attention to people who had a background in the arts - at least their resumes were different. And we actually thought we had found someone - a graphic artist with marketing background. But she suddenly realized that she shared a car with her partner and so wound up declining the job.

There is a possibility that we might have found someone. I don't want to get too enthusiastic about this, but one must have hope.

The kitchen is so much easier. Especially before you go away on vacation. You boil some pasta and make a sauce out of whatever leftovers you've got. In this case it was onion, tomato, eggplant and a bit of red pepper. Of course garlic was in there, but I don't consider it to be a leftover. It's like onion or salt - a staple.

I drive to New Mexico starting tomorrow. I decided to take an extra day and go to White Sands outside of Alamogordo. Never been there before, and from what I can tell, it seems like it would be a photographer's heaven. I'll let you know.

Meanwhile, enjoy this Memorial Day weekend. Drive defensively and have fun!

Old World Easter Eggs in San Diego

2011-04-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

I live in the best neighborhood. Really - I do! I've never lived anywhere else where I've had such an interesting, diverse and friendly group of people surrounding me. At least, none that I knew. I lived in Manhattan for many years, but when you live in Manhattan, you don't know your neighbors. You might recognize them in the elevator, but you don't invite them over for dinner. Or for coloring Easter eggs.

One of our neighbors has a house here and another one in Colorado. She goes back and forth between the two places, and right now she's here. But she'll be leaving in about a week, so her neighbor invited a group of us over for a drink and to say so long to Patty, our "migratory bird", as she is now being called. As far as we all knew, it was going to be an evening of wine and nibblies. That's it.

But when we arrived, we discovered that our hostess had a more interesting evening planned for us. She's originally from Switzerland, and came to San Diego via Alexandria, Egypt, where she lived for many years. Like all people who tear up roots and relocate elsewhere in the world, she brought certain traditions with her, and one of them was her way of coloring Easter eggs.

We sat around the table in her kitchen, and before us was a bowl of water, in which were all sorts of leaves from around her yard. There were at least 3 dozen fresh eggs for us to use, and a pile of cut up old stockings. Stockings! Remember those? Seems there's a reason not to throw them away - they're useful for all sorts of things, including coloring Easter eggs.

The method is simple. You take a wet leaf and lay it on an egg. Keep any stiff stems on the side away from the egg, and let the wet leaves touch the egg. Use your fingers to spread the leaves out, making sure that the individual elements are separate. When you are satisfied, pick up a piece of stocking, which has been cut in a square, stretch it out and lay it over your egg, pulling the ends together. You will now have an egg, tightly wrapped in a piece of stocking. You may release a corner of the stocking if you wish to re-adjust a leaf, which might have slipped out of place in this process.

When you are satisfied, pull that corner of the stocking back, twist the stocking ends, wrap a thread around the twist and knot it to secure the stocking. The tighter the stocking is wrapped, the less likely it is that the die will get under the leaf. Cut off any extra stocking and thread ends, so that you will have only a very short piece of stocking left and just the tiniest snippet of thread. You will now have an egg, with a leaf (or leaves) stuck to it's side, wrapped tightly in a piece of stocking which has been twisted tightly and secured with thread.

When you've done as many of these as you'd care to do, it's time to die them. The three eggs on the left of the photos up above - the ones that are a kind of reddish brownish color, are died with onion skins. "They hate me in Henry's", our hostess told us. "I just gathered the skins and didn't buy the onions." The other two colors are from natural dies that she brought back from Switzerland. The bright pink color is from something called Cochinille (I have no idea of the spelling) - which is a bug! The dark brown is from a kind of wood. I'm sure you can experiment with local plants.

Eggs were died for at least 30 minutes, and possibly more. After the second glass of wine, no one was counting. We each left with our "nests", and stronger ties to each other as neighbors.

And then I brought them home.........

Does anyone know how to say "This is not a toy" in cat?

Salad days

2011-04-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Remember those currants from the last post? I fell in love with them. Addicted, you might say. Which is funny, because I have no reason to feel addicted to currants.....I mean, why not just plain raisins? But when you add cinnamon and sugar and let them soak? Well, it definitely kicks those puppies up a notch.

So what if salad seems to be all I'm eating these days? (It's not, but it seems to be the only thing I bother to photograph and write about.) We're still having some gloomy weather here, but I'm in one of those "I must have greens!" moods, so salad works for me.......endless variety of ingredients, wonderful contrasts of flavors, all brightened by a zippy vinagrette. Besides, when you're eating by yourself, you don't even have to take it out of the bowl. How's that for easy clean-up?

So this time I marinated some chicken and cooked it on the grill. Someone had given me her home-made guava syrup, to which I added a little soy and some red chili to make a quick marinade. If you don't happen to have a friend who hands you this lovely gift, you can find it at Amazon. Click here for the link.

The rest was easy - assorted baby greens, a small, heirloom tomato, currants, cukes - whatever you've got. The currants worked well with the zesty chicken on the one hand, and a cool cucumber on the other. My dressing was the same as the last post.

Enjoy!

Warm enough for salad...

2011-04-03T20:39:00.001-07:00

We finally dried out. It was beginning to feel like Portland around here, with rain, rain, and more rain. Don't get me wrong - my garden was loving it, and I was loving not having to do the work of watering. But it was beginning to wear on me, especially since southern Californians do not know how to drive in bad weather. It was scary out there, trying to get to work every day when people are roaring down the freeway, texting or whatever they're doing other than paying attention, and the roads are wet.

So when the sun came back this past week, it felt good, even if the temperatures stayed cool until 3 days ago. Cool was fine with me, and it helped everyone's spirits.

I was able to get outside and yank out a ton of weeds from my garden, as well as get in some walks. The sunsets have been pretty spectacular with the clouds we had....

And everyone migrates to the beach to watch the show.....

With the cool temperatures, winter squash is still an attractive option, but with the sun out and the temperature inching upward, so is a salad. So I was delighted to find a recipe in Food and Wine which combined the two. Needless to say, I tinkered.......

Ginger Roasted Winter Squash

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup dried currants
2 1/2 pounds thick-fleshed sugar pumpkin or acorn squash, halved and seeded - I used butternut
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and ground pepper
One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
2 tablespoons crème fraîche - And if you leave this off, no one will miss it and the fat content will be lowered.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325. In a small saucepan, combine the water with the sugar, vinegar and cinnamon and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the currants and simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Rub the squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Using a fine grater, grate the ginger over the cut sides of the squash and rub it into the flesh.
Transfer the squash to the prepared baking sheet, cut side down, and roast for about 15 minutes, until the squash starts to soften. Turn the squash cut side up and roast for about 17 minutes longer, until tender; transfer to a work surface and let cool slightly.
Increase the oven temperature to 425. Cut the squash into 1 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Lightly rub the foil with oil and arrange the squash on the baking sheet; roast for about 25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until golden and crisp along the edges.
Arrange the squash on a platter. Discard the cinnamon stick from the currants and add the currants to the squash. Drizzle with the pickling liquid and crème fraîche and serve.

NOTES

One Serving 226 cal, 7 gm fat, 2.3 gm sat fat, 46 gm carb, 5 gm fiber.

I brought this to a dinner at the neighbors. They were still talking about it the next week!

Greetings from cyberspace

2011-03-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

It's been forever, I know. Don't know how that happens, other than birthdays and visitors and presentations and a trip to Chicago in the winter - of course - and then there's the matter of my neighbor. He's learned to cook, you see, and so he's always inviting me to join them for dinner. "Hey, I just made some Chinese style spare ribs!" Or "I'm making a chicken stir fry - wanna join us when you get back from work?" And then the next thing I know I look up and it's March.

Truth is, I've been taking lots of walks, and sometimes even taking my camera. I love to traverse Balboa Park and check out what's blooming in the canyons.

There are these wonderful flowers which look like they're in the pea family...

And, of course, there are the beautiful grasses...........

As well as the man-made structures.........

And yes, I've even been eating. Nothing fancy these days, though I did make some amazing French Toast with a dash of orange oil and some grated orange peel mixed in with the eggs...

And one night I concocted an Israeli couscous dish with some sweet potato, cranberries, onions, some cinnamon and slivered almonds. Very Moroccan, I thought. Very tasty.

And this evening I had friends over for dinner. I've been on a chicken craze recently, perhaps because I haven't eaten any in a while. So this evening I made some chicken coconut soup, or tom kha gai. I've made this before and I've always loved it. I made my own stock using both water as well as organic chicken broth, so it was rich. After removing the chicken and saving the meat, I added coconut milk, a chunk of galangal, some kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce, as well as some lemon grass, which I scored from my neighbor who had bought some frozen from our local Vietnamese supermarket. When the whole thing came to a boil, I turned it down, simmered it and added some sugar and crushed about 3 of those tiny green chilis you get in Asian supermarkets. Always a crowd pleaser, even with one of my friends who doesn't ordinarily like soup.

Also made some chicken curry, and because my friends brought their 5 year old son, I made some spaghetti with a red sauce.

But did I have time to photograph our food before we ate it? No. And that has been part of my problem of late. Either I'm eating at the neighbors house or I don't have time to photograph what I just made. Which is why I've dragged my heals on this blog. But somehow, with the time shift, I feel that I can pack more into a day, including some photography at the end of the day. It's no longer dark when I leave my clinic. Renewal is in the air........

Focaccia - an old fashioned miracle

2011-01-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

I love everything about the kitchen - except for cleaning it, of course. But I love the way my kitchen looks. I love the smells that emerge from it when I'm cooking. I love the feeling I get when I walk into it to prepare food - the beginning of an adventure! I love sharing the food I make with others, and I love the food other people share with me. The sharing of our food is the most basic of all activities. It's what makes us companions - those who literally break bread together.

I think of myself as more of a cook than a baker, except when it comes to bread. I'm crazy about bread! But when it comes to baking, I feel fairly restricted. In other words, I tend to follow the recipe. With cooking, I'll throw in whatever strikes my fancy, but with baking, I don't trust myself.

I have a neighbor who has taken it upon himself to learn to bake bread. He's not someone I would have thought of as a baker - he's a real estate entrepreneur. He can grill meat and veggies, but that's usually about it. However, recently he's decided that it's time to learn a thing or two about baking. Not knowing anything about the science of baking, he felt no restrictions whatsoever, and so he just dove in.

One day he came up to my house and we decided to bake focaccia together. He had made a number of them which he had shared with me, and while they tasted great, they all came out rather flat. I suspected that he wasn't letting the dough rise enough. I asked him to bake the bread, and I'd be his assistant. "Do you have yeast?" I gave him a packet. He heated a cup of water, poured it into a large bowl and added the yeast and a tablespoon of sugar. We sat down to enjoy a cup of tea together.

After about 20 minutes he said "I usually start out with two cups of flour. Do you have a regular cup?" I gave him a measuring cup. He looked at it funny and asked "Don't you have a regular cup?" "You can use that - it's OK".

He put flour into it, but didn't fill it. He dumped it into the yeast mixture and began mixing it with his hands. It was too sticky, so he added more flour. And a little more. "I'll need a place to knead this." I cleaned off the island. "Put a bunch of flour on there." As he began to knead, I kept sprinkling more flour on the island so it wouldn't stick. When it finally got to the right consistency, we cleaned the bowl, sprayed it with oil, put the dough in, then sprayed the top of it and covered it with a towel. "I like to let it rise in the microwave." But my micro wasn't big enough, so I put some hot water in a pan, turned on the oven light, and we put it in there.

He left to do a few errands saying "I'll be back in about 50 minutes or so." About an hour later, I pulled the dough out. It had risen to a light, fluffy cloud. I took it out and flattened it down, adding cheese to the top and folding it over like an envelope. I kept doing this until I had what must have been at least a cup and a half of cheese in there -- maybe even a cup and three quarters. All I know is that by the time I had incorporated all the cheese, it kept popping out the sides. I repeated the spray and cover process and put it back into the oven, with some more hot water.

He came back and asked about it. When I told him what I had done, he said he'd be back in a half an hour. About 40 minutes later I took it out, spread it onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and dimpled it. As I was pouring the oil over the top, he came in with a jar of jalapenos. I didn't have any parmesan to sprinkle over the top, so we had to make do with what we had - some sea salt. I turned the oven on and let the dough rise as the oven was heating up.

This must have been more time than he was used to letting the dough rise, because it came out beautifully - puffy and cheesy, with the bite of jalapeno on top.
About 5 days later I got a phone call at work.

"I'm feeling guilty," he said.

"Why?"

"Because I just made this pizza from that focaccia bread recipe. Remember how we talked about it being right to use as pizza dough? Well, it turned out great. I feel I should share it with you."

"Don't feel guilty, I'll be leaving work in about 20 minutes. I'll come right home."

"Come on over right away - I don't want it to get too cold."

I'm sorry, but I couldn't photograph it first. I had to eat some. He had topped it with artichoke hearts, olives, peppers, and I don't remember what else - if anything. I was too busy devouring it. At least I got this shot before we polished it off.

Farewell, 2010

2010-12-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

A trip to New Mexico the week before Christmas obliterated all thoughts of blog posting, of work, of being productive in any way. I arrived as I have so many times before - tired, hungry, and in need of some serious rest. I had only two things on my agenda: the annual solstice party I've attended for over 25 years with my close friends, and a Christmas eve party with a group of people I've known for almost as long. The rest was unimportant.

The weather cooperated. It was cloudy for much of the time -- unusual for New Mexico at any time of the year. The winds were ferocious. One day, we had snow flurries, which prompted me to build a fire in the kiva fireplace in the living room. I sat in front of it all day and read "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" by Betty Smith. I've known about that book all my life, and if they made a film of it, I probably saw it. But this was the first time I read it, and what a rich and rewarding read it is. It's the kind of writing we don't see much of anymore - subtle and nuanced, rich in it's descriptions, and a story where not much "happens". No shootings, no drug busts, no gangs, no jet setting around the world - just life as it was lived in the early part of the 20th century in Brooklyn.

So I end 2010 with a wish for all of us: That 2011 brings us all the food we'd care to have on our tables, and enough left over to donate to those less fortunate. All the clothing we need to keep us warm in the winter, with enough left over to give to those who have less. And the warmth of family and friends to light our hearts for the entire year, no matter what the weather. May you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Post-Thanksgiving Persian Style Eggplant

2010-12-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I wished this looked as good as it tastes, because it actually tastes quite good. It's the walnuts. I know it is. They made everything tan. But when I served this at a potluck recently, people actually went back for seconds.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The potluck: A friend had just returned from a trip to Iran with National Geographic Expeditions. They went to all sorts of places - many of the places that tourists would want to go, and some places up in the north that most tourists never make it to. They visited sites whose history stretches back over 4,000 years. The roots of that civilization run deep.

During the course of this trip, their guide was quite open with them, and they had a chance to ask all kinds of "sensitive" questions. The outcome was not surprising: The news we get in this country isn't the same as what the people in Iran think and feel and know to be true. It's the blind men and the elephant all over again. I don't pretend to have a handle on the truth here, just a great appreciation for some understanding of how the people of Iran view the US - they were overwhelmingly positive about Americans - and how they viewed our respective governments - they felt that the problems between our countries had more to do with government than the people.

A lively discussion followed the slide and video show my friend presented to us. I was delighted to be in the company of a group of people who have traveled widely and who were interested in other cultures and ideas. I was also delighted to be treated to some imaginative food. One woman brought a dish which consisted of lentils, dates, beef and I don't remember what else. I must find out in order to create something in that theme. It was the only other dish which might have been considered Persian. (Just think "lamb" instead of "beef".)

I knew I was going to do an eggplant dish as a compliment to the theme of the evening. And once I understood that eggplant would be my contribution, I immediately thought of combining it with walnuts and pomegranate. Very middle eastern. I searched and found a recipe - I can't remember where - which I followed quite loosely. This is what I copied for the ingredients:

5 Asian eggplants (2lb), or 2 large common eggplants with bitterness removed
6 t Olive oil
1 Medium-sized onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tsp Ground cumin
1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Ground turmeric
1 tsp Crushed red pepper
1 cup Chopped fresh parsley
2 cups Chopped cilantro leaves, plus 1 cup leaves for garnish
1/2 cup Chopped fresh mint
2 cups (1/2 lb) toasted walnuts
1/2 cup Pomegranate paste diluted with 2 1/2 cups water, or 3 cups pomegranate juice
1 t Honey or brown sugar, as needed

And the preparation:

1. Peel eggplants, and remove stems. Place segments of common eggplants, if using, in salted water to remove bitterness. Rinse Asian eggplants, squeeze out water with towels and slice into 1 inch thick rounds.

2. Heat 4 T oil in deep skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant, and saute on all sides about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove eggplants from skillet, drain on paper towels and set aside. Add remaining oil to skillet, and reheat over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Add garlic during last few minutes of browning onions, and continue cooking. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, turmeric, crushed red pepper, parsley, cilantro and fresh mint, and saute for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

3. Grind walnuts in food processor until very fine or sauce will be gritty. Combine walnuts with diluted pomegranate paste and honey, as needed, and stir until sauce is smooth.

4. Pour sauce into skillet. Return eggplants and seasoning to skillet, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer mixture for 30 minutes, or until eggplants are tender, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon. If sauce is too sour, add more honey or brown sugar to taste.

Kitchen Notes:

OK, so I didn't do this exactly. I didn't get to the store which sells pomegranate seeds, but I did find myself in Whole Foods where I got some pomegranate molasses. I've been wanting to experiment with it for some time, and this seemed like the perfect excuse. I think pomegranate molasses has become my new favorite ingredient! You'll need some brown sugar for this, as the molasses isn't all that sweet, but keep tasting it till it seems right.

Oh, and that step #3 above? That's where everything turns tan. I'm thinking that I'm going to experiment next time with some chopped walnuts and adding some pomegranate seeds to make it look prettier. I'll also use some pomegranate juice in addition to the molasses to have enough sauce.

If you try this one and experiment with it, I'd love to hear how you changed it!

Mac-n-cheese for fall

2010-11-14T23:36:00.000-08:00

I kept wondering what I was going to do with that second half of the pumpkin. Pumpkin bread kept coming to mind - or perhaps muffins. They'd be great to bring to work. Oh, but I really wanted those pumpkin muffins! But somehow, they just didn't want to be baked. It seemed to me that the pumpkin had other ideas, and it was my job to figure out what those ideas were.

So I thought about it as I went about my days, cooking other meals, reaching into the pantry for other ingredients, and spying that pumpkin, lying in it's bag in the bottom of the fridge.

Just who ARE you, and why can't you just be something ordinary, like bread?
Pumpkin was silent.

I began using the island in my kitchen to cut mattes. Our office has been redecorated with new colors, a new desk and new carpeting. There's a lot of wall space, just waiting for something to go up, and I've got a lot of photos that need to be hung up. A friend gave me a matte cutter, and I've made more trips than I'd care to think about to the art store for mattes. It's been fun, but humbling. My friend who gave me the matte cutter told me that it was simple. It's not. I've yet to achieve that perfectly straight edge, even though I'm using a blade that hooks onto a metal rail, so to speak. But I will get better at this if I keep doing it. I'm determined....

So my kitchen has been used for art projects more than cooking. (It's a good think I make large amounts when I cook -- I'd never survive without leftovers!) Art projects make me hungry, and I find myself snacking. Reaching into the pantry for some dried fruit....or just searching for an idea....

And then I realized that I've been looking at the answer to pumpkin's second incarnation all along. That jar with the little elbow pasta, sitting in the front of the pantry..... It's getting dark early, and even though it isn't particularly cold, it's still the time of year where I start looking for comfort food. How about a pumpkin mac and cheese? Never heard of it, but it sounded like it might work.

I started by making some browned sage butter, then added the pumpkin, which I had mashed with a potato masher. And then I grated some sharp cheddar. I bought a package which weighed in at .72 pounds, and I used about half of it. After stirring that into the mashed pumpkin, I added the mixture to the cooked pasta, scooped it into baking dishes and popped it into a 375 oven for about 15-20 minutes. It turned out surprisingly well for something that took almost no time or effort to make. It had a nice balance between sweet and salty, and that hint of sage in the background. The only thing I might tinker with is the idea of throwing in some roasted pumpkin seeds. I think I'd like the crunch...

The dish you see in the photo was given to me by the wonderful Cynthia over at Tastes Like Home. I made a comment on her blog that I loved the serving pan she had in one of her photos, and the next thing I knew she sent me two of them! Is that gracious, or what?

Pumpkin Soup

2010-11-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again. I absolutely adore autumn!! My biggest problem with living in San Diego is that the weather here is so incredibly temperate the whole year long, that we don't get that achingly beautiful autumn that I remember from childhood. Oh, we have it - but if you live in town you have to drive to the mountains to really experience it. It's only about an hour's drive, but that's different than walking out your door in the morning and feeling it, seeing it, smelling it. And yes, tasting it.

Autumn is winter squash time. Pumpkin time. Oranges and dark, dark greens. I had a large pumpkin sitting on my counter, threatening to rot. I do not, as a rule, let food rot. I love food too much to let it rot. So I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds, put a little olive oil on it and roasted it, cut side down on a cookie sheet.

That stopped the rot. Now I had to figure out how to deal with all this pumpkin. This post is about half of it. The soup half. I've made plenty of squash soups in my life, but I don't believe I've ever made one using pumpkin. But in China I ate pumpkin made with garlic - a combo which intrigued me and which turned out to be drop-dead phenomenal. I have no idea what else went into it, but we all ate that one down in a heartbeat. Anyway, it got me to thinking about pumpkin as having much more value than just as a pie filling. So I decided to go for a soup - with an Asian flare.

Now I had to decide what I meant by an Asian flare. I decided that fish sauce and sugar - two basic ingredients in Asian cooking - were essential. And then there's lime. Since I couldn't decide between Kaffir lime leaves or lime juice, I decided to do both. I threw in a handful of leaves, and at the last minute opted for lime zest.

Chicken stock and low fat coconut milk combined to make a tasty stock. I decided not to puree the soup, but to leave some chunks of pumpkin in it. When I tasted it, it still needed something.... maybe some more salt? I scoured my pantry and spied a bottle of Ponzu. Perfect! A good splash of that and voila! A Halloween-cum-Thanksgiving pumpkin soup, perfect for guests, and rescued just in time before it was devoured by a certain new cat.....What's your favorite way to use pumpkin? I need ideas for Part II!!!

Food in China

2010-10-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

With close to one and a half billion people to feed, the Chinese use all available space to grow food. And what food!!! Amid the rice terraces, you'll find plots of taro.
And one day, while hiking through the mountains, we came across this woman washing these huge vegetables in a stream. What kind of veggies? I haven't a clue.Everywhere we went, there was corn. Corn hanging from buildings...

And corn ears being shucked by a local farmer....Was this corn for the pigs or for human consumption? We never found out. But every little restaurant we went to had fresh food which was prepared when we ordered it...
And of course, there were some restaurants we avoided...(if you can read the sign, you'll know why!)
Congee was prepared on the streets the way pho is available everywhere in Vietnam...
And thank God we didn't have to live without chili!!!

It was definitely fall. You didn't have to be on the streets of Manhattan to smell the chestnuts..
But you knew you weren't in Manhattan when you saw the sugar cane...China is a food lover's paradise. It is a photographer's paradise. It's also a high tech and high fashion mecca. There's so much to say about it that I obviously cannot say it all in one post. But I'll leave you with one thought. Consider this:

Beijing is the size of Belgium.

And that's just the capital. One city.

Nothing in China is on a small scale....

To be continued....

China!

2010-09-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'm off to China! Flying to Beijing first, and then down to Guilin for a photo tour. It's hard for me to believe that after all these years of practicing Chinese medicine, I'll actually be going to "the mother land"!!!

I'll be back in early October......Until then, tsai chien!

Pie Are Squared

2010-09-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

I first heard the term "tamale pie" from a friend of mine who gave me the recipe. I've long since lost the recipe, but the concept stayed with me, even through "The New Mexican Years". Admittedly, this bears no resemlance to tamales, but that's America for you. Grab onto a good idea and run with it.

Because I'm an acupuncturist and involved in wholistic health, people who don't know me assume I'm "pure" - or whatever they mean by that term -- that I'm a vegetarian or a vegan. I'm not, although I often eat vegetarian meals and can whip up a pretty impressive vegan meal. But periodically the carnivore in me emerges, and when it does, anything goes.

This week, the carnivore came out. I found myself at Whole Foods in front of the meat counter, staring at a package of buffalo meat. I decided it had been way too long since I'd made a tamale pie, so I grabbed some of it, as well as some Kosher ground chicken. I was off to make "White Girl Tamale Pie". Let's face it - the words "tamale" and "pie" in that order in a sentence = white girl! Sounds to me like something that's more out of Good Housekeeping magazine than out of New Mexico magazine.

The concept is easy - Just put a layer of corn tortillas in the bottom of a baking dish. Cover that with a layer of your favorite meat, onion and chili, add some black beans and corn, grate some cheese over the top and throw it in the oven at 350 until it starts to bubble. I use Hatch green chili, but you could just as easily use red chili powder. If you buy a tin of chili powder in the supermarket, it will often come mixed with oregano. That, to me, is not what I mean when I say "chili". Chili is a pepper. It can be red or green, but it's a pepper. It's not a mixture of meat and beans and peppers either - though if you're from Texas it is. But if you're from New Mexico, it's peppers. If it's powdered, it's just peppers. When they ask you in a restaurant "red or green?", they're talking about the peppers - often mixed with onion and garlic.

Anyway, since this is White Girl Tamale Pie, you can pretty much turn it into whatever version of Betty Crocker that suits your fancy. Mine turned out a little too mild for my taste, but I remedied that by adding some chopped tomatoes which I picked from my garden, some more green chili and some diced red onion, mixed together to make my own version of salsa.
I think the reason I opted for turning buffalo and canned beans into White Girl Tamale Pie is because I can't think these days. I needed something that could sustain me for several days without my having to come up with something original. You see, my precious cat disappeared the last day of August. It's been devastating. I've had a number of wonderful cats and dogs in my life, and each is special. But then there was Boo.Right now my hope is that someone took her, because there is no sign of anything else in the canyon behind my house. I've scoured it and today a friend of mine scoured it for an hour and a half. Nothing. I'm leaving for China next weekend. My greatest wish is that Boo will show up somehow before I leave....standing at the front door, complaining.

MFK Fisher Revisited...Or...Pass the Wolf, Please..

2010-08-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

The news is a constant source of sorrow. There's seldom a bright spot - it's all about job losses and housing prices falling, and people unable to afford health care, and criminal politicians. And all of that against a backdrop of global warming and unending wars.

So it seemed like a good time to re-read MFK Fisher's "How To Cook A Wolf". First published in 1942 against a backdrop of wartime food shortages, the book was written as a meditation on how to live with grace under the cruelest circumstances. With the wolf sniffing at the door, the most practical response is to learn how to cook the wolf. She speaks of the men and women who cooked and marketed their way though the war who "will feel, until their final days on earth, a kind of culinary caution: butter, no matter how unlimited, is a precious substance not lightly to be wasted; meats, too, and eggs, and all the far-brought spices of the world, take on a new significance having once been so rare. And that is good, for there can be no more shameful carelessness than with the food we eat for life itself. When we exist without thought or thanksgiving we are not men, but beasts."

I consider myself among the lucky... I have a job. Well, I'm self employed, so of course I have a job, and even though business is slower than it's been, I still have work. I've seen the wolf in the canyon below my house. My neighbors have reported it in their back yards. But so far, he has not come to my door.

How to Catch the Wolf

A creative economy is the fuel of magnificence.
Aristocracy, Ralph Waldo Emerson

While I'm not always sure about the magnificence, I know that everyone around me seems to be more interested in the notion that food comes from the earth. Small pots of herbs seem to be springing up in everyone's kitchens or tiny side yards. More people are joining community gardens. When I put my lunch in the fridge at work yesterday, I noticed one of those black plastic, one gallon pots from a nursery, sitting next to the sink with tiny yellow and red grape tomatoes in it. Someone's overflow.

Leftovers have become popular again. I've known people who, for many years, wouldn't consider saving leftovers. At the end of each dinner, they'd toss whatever was left over into the garbage. I always stood there in mute horror as I watched perfectly good food being thrown away. Now these same people, while not always creative with their leftovers, are dumping them back into a container and stashing them in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch.

When I lived in New Mexico, I learned about leftovers. Bob would always cook huge meals, even though there was usually just the two of us. But that gave us plenty of leftovers - some eaten "straight up" (just the way they were cooked originally), and some turned into another kind of a dish - a soup, a stew, a curry. One of Bob's go-to solutions for leftovers was pasta or rice. By sauteing an onion and some garlic, he primed us for a meal. If anyone walked in at that point, there was the inevitable "Boy, that smells good! What are you making?"
These are two variations of my standard leftover fare. There's a rice version with some leftover veggies, and a pasta version (about to be popped into the oven) with some chopped up chicken breast (left over from a barbecue) and the remains of some mozzarella cubed over the top. Both could be considered as being made by someone "living on a war budget", but the addition of herbs (fresh from my garden), and/or chili and some rich cheese, yields - perhaps not magnificence - but surprisingly satisfying meals.

A cool summer brings out the baker in me

2010-08-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

While the northeast is sweltering under oppressive heat, we in San Diego find ourselves wondering when summer will begin. We've had May Gray, June Gloom, and July forgot that it wasn't June. Now it's August and the sun is starting to poke out in the afternoon. My tomatoes are still green. The basil is in it's infancy still. I don't have enough sun in my yard to plant corn, nor would the infestation of gophers for the last 2 years make that a wise choice.

So when all else fails, I bake.

I had two friends staying with me recently who, when they saw these loaves come out of the oven, declared them to be "Jesus loaves". Gotta love that -- the Jew bakes Jesus loaves! But they do smell divine as they're cooling on the rack. And they're sourdough, so they're perfect for all manner of things - cheese, French toast, or just dipping in some lovely olive oil.

I got the recipe from Peter Reinhart's book "The Bread Baker's Apprentice". The recipe goes on for 3 or 4 pages - and that's after you've gotten your starter (barm) going. So there's no way I'm going to post that here....I'd be up for the rest of the night. But I DID bake a sourdough bread and posted the recipe a couple of years ago. You can read about that here. The picture I took of that one was stunning......I must find that book again!

Mission Valley Acupuncture is now on facebook! I hope some of you stop by and have a look. My posts are about health, but of course, that includes food!

Trouble came and went...and then we ate

2010-07-31T22:37:00.000-07:00

My transmission died on the way to New Mexico earlier this month. I was heading east on the freeway, about an hour from Tucson, when I noticed white smoke coming out of the back of my car. I don't understand white smoke. I just knew that when I pressed on the gas, the engine revved up but I didn't go any faster. I checked the temperature gauge and it was normal. I drifted over to the side of the road and manage to coast part way up an exit ramp and stopped on the side. There was a car stopped in front of me.
I pulled my cell phone out and searched for my AAA card. The man in the car ahead of me got out, walked back to my car and told me to pop my hood. I did, but didn't pay much attention to him. I was busy trying to find the phone number for AAA outside of California. Turns out that this man was truly an angel sent to help me. It took over 45 minutes for the AAA man to figure out where I was, even though I was on an exit ramp on a major freeway. The man from the car waited patiently while I tried over and over again to explain to AAA which exit I was on and where it was. The man from the car checked my oil level and fiddled with who knows what before heading back to his car. I noticed him moving stuff around in his car, making room in the back seat. That's when it dawned on me that he was making room for my luggage.
"Where are you going?" he asked me, when I finally got off the phone.
"Tucson".
"So am I. I'll drive you to where you need to go."

When the tow truck showed up, they asked me where I wanted my car towed. How should I know? I told them I wasn't familiar with the area and didn't have a clue. They suggested a Pep Boys in Casa Grande - the closest town. At 6:30 on a Saturday night, I didn't have a choice. I transferred my luggage to the man's car, got in and he followed the tow truck to Casa Grande. After the men pushed it into one of the bays, the man from the car told them "You treat this woman right. Be good to her." They told me they'd diagnose my car the next day.
I got back into the man's car and off we went to Tucson. The logical side of my brain told me that I might have been nuts getting into a car with a stranger, but my heart told me that this man was good and wouldn't harm me. My heart was right. He drove me to my friend's house in Tucson where I always spend the night on my drives to New Mexico. We fed him some dinner, and when he went to leave, he took my hand and said "It was nice meeting you, even under these circumstances. The only thing I ask is that you pass it on to someone else who is in need someday."
Transmissions do not get repaired on Sundays, so I wound up renting a car and driving to New Mexico. That meant that I had to leave for Tucson on Friday morning in order to drop the rental car off and get to Casa Grande before they closed for the weekend. I followed my friend back to her house, spent the night, and drove back to San Diego the next day.
Now, the transmission saga meant that I didn't make it to New Mexico in time to join a couple of friends of mine who drove out a day ahead of me. We were all going to stay at my house and I was going to show them around. They only had a slightly long weekend, while I was supposed to be staying a week. When I got back to San Diego, they were at my house, waiting for me. I drove up and they came out to help with my luggage. All of my stuff was moved inside by the three of us in one trip. This might sound normal to many of you, but for me, it was heaven sent. I didn't have to do everything myself - what joy! And when I got inside, they had a glass of wine poured for me, and dinner was ready.

We started with a chilled melon soup:
My friend Darren sauteed an onion and some shallots until they were past translucent, added some sugar, thyme, and a healthy dose of fresh ginger. Then he added the "meat" of a whole honeydew, some thinly sliced white potato and some chicken stock. After it came to a boil, he simmered it for about 5 minutes and stuck it in the fridge to chill. The food processor churned it into soup, and after straining, he added some sour cream.

Heaven.

And them we moved on to the salad.........
Endive, sliced thinly, white anchovies, ruby grapefruit and shaved Parmesan. He didn't use the tips or the bottom of the endive - just the center part...and then dressed the whole thing with white balsamic, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. After tossing and draining it (reserving the liquid), he arranged the slices of grapefruit over the top, squeezed the membrane of the grapefruit into the dressing and drizzled it over the top.

It was, in fact, over the top.

And then came the clams.........

After sauteeing shallot, garlic, sweet onion and fennel in olive oil and salt, Darren added the clams and covered the pot. He cranked it up to high to get them going. When they started hissing, he threw in a glug of cognac and finished it with some fennel leaf.

If trouble had to come my way, it came in the kindest, most gentle way I can imagine. I'm so grateful for the help I got on this past trip. There was stress involved - yes. But I was taken care of too, at every step of the way. How lucky is that?

Fourth of July with Flag Cake

2010-07-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

So this is what my sister does when she isn't celebrating major birthdays. Is there any wonder that everyone loves her?

I hope you all had a spectacular Fourth! I celebrated at a neighbor's house, where there was wine and food and even some live music! Everything paused at around 9pm, because from my neighbor's deck we could see the fireworks display over the bay. It's coordinated with music which one of the local radio stations plays. And when it was over, the trio that my neighbor hired began playing again - some original songs as well as some oldies. And the best part was that I could walk home, without having to fight traffic.

And tomorrow I get to sleep in..........;-)

Finishing a Video, Focaccia With Pine Nuts, Mushrooms

2010-06-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

While digitizing the family's history is the larger project, the more pressing need has been to finish the digital slide show for my sister's upcoming birthday. I finished it last nite. My plane leaves at 8am tomorrow morning. This will be a brief post.

This has been an amazing learning curve. While my hobby has been taking photographs, putting together a digital slide show involves all kinds of knowledge which - as an acupuncturist - never comes into play in my life. But they say that one way to keep your brain young is to challenge it. I guess in that case, I've lost about 5 years in the last two months. Challenge? I'll say!! I am now aware of hidden corners of the digital world - such as formatting for DVDs and limitations of various programs. My eyes have become redder and my bottom has become squarer from sitting in front of a computer for so long.

But in the end, it comes down to the results. And I must admit to being pleased with the results. I'm glad I learned as much as I did with this, because it will make the next project flow more smoothly. There are photos going back to the late 1800s, and a few from 1900 and 1901. I've learned to be a ruthless editor, and to be obsessed with getting the right image to be on the screen at just the right moment in the particular song.

And through this whole process, I've managed somehow to tear myself away often enough to socialize with friends. And for me, that always seems to involve food. (I pick my friends carefully too!) So when I was invited a few weeks ago to a friend's party, I jumped at the chance to make this focaccia bread again. I had made it before and loved it. It's amazing how long a single focaccia can sustain you. Especially when you spend your days and nites in front of a computer!

To see the recipe, click here. The only difference is that this time I made it as a rectangle and topped it with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms and pine nuts.

Project Update and Lentil-Quinoa Salad

2010-05-27T10:36:00.001-07:00

"Could it be that it was all so simple then........Or has time re-written every line?" I look at the photo above and think - "both". It was much simpler then, in the sense that there were no cell phones, no computers, no internet, and I'm pretty sure that when this picture was taken back in 1938, there was no television either. I don't know when TV came into popular use, but I think it was after 1938. So life was simpler. It took a long time for news to reach us. In 1938 there was a war going on in Europe, and the images of that war reached us via newsreels, which were shown in movie theaters. Radio existed, of course, so people here heard the news, but it was all so far away. Until, of course, it reached us at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. But back in '38, it was still a distant war on another continent.

Life was simpler then because we didn't think it was necessary to stay in touch every day with everyone of our "friends" on facebook. We didn't need to answer the phone while we were driving. People wrote letters by hand and mailed them. There were times and places where we could be alone, or with our families, and if people wanted to talk with us, they'd have to drop by. My aunt used to drop by on her way somewhere, and leave a steaming hot apple pie in our kitchen, admonishing me to let it cool first before eating it. My uncle would stop by every Sunday to do the New York Times crossword puzzle with my mom. My grandparents, seated in the center of the photo above, would stop by on Sundays and take my older brother and sister out for a ride in their car. It was called a Sunday drive, and people used to do that for pleasure.

Or has time re-written every line? There's an uncle and an aunt in the photo above who later divorced. There's another uncle in that photo who caused a huge rift in our family, which has fortunately been healed by the cousins. The youngest blond girl, seated on her mom's lap above was the first to reach out to heal the rift. We never speak of what happened back then, because we have different understandings. But when we are children, we hear from our parents what has happened in our families, and so naturally she would have heard a different story from her parents than I heard from mine. And over the course of time, we have all come to the conclusion that we would rather have family than be right.

My current project is almost complete. I am waiting for a few more photos from a woman who knew my sister when she was in her 20s, and who had photographs of her from those days. (We didn't have cell phones with cameras back then, so photos were not taken as often.) Last nite I learned that I have a program on my computer that will take my slide show and convert it into a DVD which can be played on a DVD player. It wouldn't have occurred to me that this would be an issue until a colleague of mine mentioned it because she had made a slide show for her dad on his 80th birthday. That's when she discovered that there was more to it than making a digital slide show on a computer. There's the final step. She also told me that I should have the final product in more than one format, since it's possible that what works for me here might not work for me on my sister's equipment.

Delving into my family's past, going through all of the photos of us through the ages, has made me even more keenly aware of the beauty of simplicity. I don't want complicated or fussy. I've never been drawn to it, but I'm even less interested, if that's possible. I'm so grateful that I love to cook. I'm so grateful that I'm not a fast food person. It's a throwback to an era when food was made at home, and we brought it with us when we went anywhere - from school (lunch boxes), work (brown bags or lunch pails, depending on your job), or to the beach (soft coolers with ice). I consider it normal to eat fresh food, as do the readers of this blog and all of your readers as well. We have been the exception for a long time.

I made this lentil and quinoa salad to bring with me to work. It lasted for days, freeing me up to concentrate on making a slide show for my sister's upcoming birthday.
My husband used to say "start with what you've got in the fridge." As long as you've got a well stocked fridge, this works well. I learned back in those days to keep a pantry and fridge well stocked, so I had almost everything I used in this salad - quinoa, lentils, cherry tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. I had a necessity for arugala that day. Don't know why, but sometimes these things just happen. Whole Foods is a short distance from my house and provides me with a small amount of exercise when I walk there. I have parsley and mint growing in my garden. So what I ended up with was a kind of variation of tabbouleh, but slightly more substantial with the addition of lentils. Since both lentils and quinoa cook quickly, this dish was a breeze to put together. A lot easier than a slide show, but satisfying, and simple. Because these are the good old days.

Revisiting Meema's Noodles and Cabbage

2010-05-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned that my sister is having one of those "big" birthdays, and that I'm making a slide show/video for her? When I wrote that, I thought of it as being a project which wasn't really going to be all that big. Not nearly as big as re-doing my website.

WHAT WAS I THINKING????

This project is enormous, thanks to the fact that it's the beginning of an even larger project - of course - which involves me digitizing basically my entire family history and making a movie of it. Why not, I say? I only have photos going back to some time in the 1800s, after all.....Nothing like having to scour the archives of the Mayflower for records. Sheesh! Piece of cake!

But in the meantime, I'm doing this "little" project, which has me staying up until insane hours of the night. But the upside of it is that I have been spending an enormous time with my family - if only virtually. I'm visiting relatives who have been gone for years. Each time my niece or brother sends me a box of old photos, I thrill to the sight of an uncle, wearing a crisp white shirt and pants, leaning casually against a railing, somewhere in Paris. Or my father and his best friend, pausing on the road in Cuba on their bicycle trip. My dad's best friend is wearing argyle socks, and they are both wearing leather shoes. Sneakers - let alone bicycle shoes - weren't invented yet.

These hours spent with my family made me remember my meema's noodles and cabbage. I posted about that dish here. The only difference in the way I make it these days as opposed to the way Meema did, is that I tend to use Smart Balance instead of butter for the most part. I'll add a little butter in at the end, because I want/need that flavor. Some recipes shouldn't be tinkered with, I know. But I want to live long enough to pass this on to my great nieces and nephews. And I want to pass along our family legacy to them as well. I want them to know where they came from. Who came before them. Whose laughter they will never hear, but whose genes they share.
The dish, of course, was my mother's. I know she's smiling at me whenever I eat her mom's "signature" dish.

Zucchini Rice Casserole

2010-04-29T22:58:00.001-07:00

When I was in my 20s, I moved into my own apartment for the first time. My mom bought me a set of cutlery, as well as some glasses. Someone gave me a copy of "The Joy of Cooking", and I bought myself "The New York Times Cookbook", written by Craig Clairborne. Another friend came over and laid down new brick colored vinyl tiles in my kitchen, and the pots and pans were salvaged from an assortment of friends and relatives. When I was in my 20s, my cooking came from cookbooks, with additional help from my nose. I would open each jar of herbs and spices, give each a sniff and think "yes" or "no" about including them in the dish I was making. It was just a little scary, deviating from the recipe before me, but somehow I trusted my nose, and the dishes were usually quite edible.

When I met my husband and moved to New Mexico, I rarely got to cook. Bob loved cooking, and I was his sous-chef. He would tell me what he wanted chopped or sliced, and I would watch as he deftly maneuvered pots, pans, water, oil, various meats and vegetables. He opened jars of spices and threw handfuls into the pot without ever sniffing them. Then he'd walk over to the fridge and look into the door compartments or the bins below the shelves for something he might have forgotten. The first time I saw him cook, it was also a little scary. He was so brazen with his use of herbs and spices, I imagined that the outcome would be more than my palette could handle. He never followed a recipe. His food is what truly won my heart.

From Bob I learned to start with what I've got in my fridge. I learned not to be shy with my ingredients. That garlic needn't be doled out in half teaspoons, and that mushrooms could be thought of as an herbal addition to other veggies instead of being used as a vegetable dish. And I learned about prinicples - that if a recipe called for lemon, for instance, and I didn't have any, I could use a bit of vinegar instead. It would give me that sour taste. Or that beer was a perfectly good liquid to add to a stew, even if I didn't drink it as a beverage.

Now I live on my own again in a small house, and create meals which I can use all week. I start with what I've got in my fridge because shopping for food trumps shopping for clothes in my book, so my fridge usually has interesting ingredients. I love my farmer's market and the organic produce I get at various markets. With a few fresh ingredients and a little imagination, I now find it easy to throw together a dish which can satisfy for days. This one was made with the skills I learned from Bob and it had organic zucchinis and cherry tomatoes, onions and garlic, herbs, rice, and peccorino-romano cheese sprinkled liberally on top. And I ate it with a fork which I still have from my first apartment, on a plate which I inherited from my mom.

Boring meals and bad photos

2010-04-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

I can be a bit obsessive. For instance, when I start on a project that interests me, I have a hard time tearing myself away from it and going to sleep. When I was a child, this translated into reading in bed under the covers with a flashlight. (Didn't everyone do that?) And then the next morning telling my mom that I felt awful and my stomach hurt and my head ached. She'd let me stay home from school, and once she and my dad were gone, I'd grab that book and spend the day in bed finishing it.

Nowadays this obsessive tendency manifests as an inability to turn out exciting meals. I rely on my old standbys - a scrambled egg, a roast chicken, open a can of salmon and make salmon salad - a bit of celery, some onion, a squeeze of lemon. No more capers left in the fridge. Oh well...at least I've got bread in the freezer, and the lettuce is still recognizable. It will do.

I've never been a food photographer. I marvel at the way so many of you make me want to jump through the screen, fork in hand, and start digging in. This is a special talent which I do not possess. Instead, I am primarily a people photographer, interested in travel, photography and writing. And that, my dear readers, is where I've been for the last...almost month. I've been re-doing my photo website. Because good has never been good enough. So I've been at work on my images, creating a new look to the site, and making it feel more the way I want it. It's been exhausting. I fall into bed at weird hours, my neck aching from sitting in front of my computer for so long. All of this has been inspired by a photography workshop I took in March in Santa Fe.

But at long last, I can say that I am happy with the results. Yesssss!!! If you are interested in visiting the site, here's the link: wanderingeye-photo.

I should mention that my sister is having one of those "big" birthdays in June, and I have decided to put together a slide show for her. Photos of her when she was a child, all the way through the present tense, adding appropriate music. Another big project, but not quite as big as redoing my website. I will try to visit everyone's blog, but if I don't get to yours, please understand. I will be back. Promise!

In the meantime, I have posted a lousy photo of a pretty good stir-fry I threw together recently. It was some crazy hour of the nite when I photographed it and couldn't stand the yellow color of everything. So I did something, and right now I can't remember what it was. The result? Pink peppers. Yuck! At least the stir fry tasted good.

Sometimes food is more than food....

2010-03-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,
I made matzohbrei this morning and thought of you....standing there in your blue robe, the skin on your arms grown almost paper thin, your nails perfectly polished. You held the spatula and waited patiently as the egg and matzoh mixture simmered slowly. Periodically you would carefully lift an edge and peer under to see if the underside was done - a toasty golden brown.

I see you in your kitchen, surrounded by the things of your life - your Good Housekeeping cookbook, the small, cream-colored pitcher with the gold band around it, the beautiful cobalt and white bowl in which you kept fruit - bananas for dad's cereal, oranges because you lived in Florida at the time and could get them even sweeter than those of my childhood...perhaps grapes, if they looked good. New things are in that kitchen, too -- your George Forman grill (did you use it more than once?) and a brand new, red tea kettle. ("Please drain and dry it after using it!")The radio is on, playing classical music softly in the background, (sorry, but I had to change it from that "elevator music" that you had going when I first arrived. Not that you minded classical, but the elevator stuff was much more consistent, like a daily dose of oatmeal), and we sat down to eat off your Blue Danube dishes.I have those dishes today, but not the tall, clear plastic pepper mill in which you kept black and white pepper corns, which I used in abundance on my matzohbrei. Nor do I have the etched crystal glasses with the round blue bases - almost like wine glasses without stems. I don't have the beautiful linen tablecloth and napkins, or the "good" silverware we used for our seders. And most importantly, I don't have you.Are there foods which play an important role in your life - not because they are elegant, or complex and rich, but because they evoke your childhood?

I'm back....

2010-03-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

Springtime can be unpredictable in Santa Fe. I drove there for a week to do a photo workshop in portrait photography - not studio work, but working under all kinds of conditions - from the streets of the city, to being outdoors in the blazing sunlight in the middle of the day, to being indoors in a Harley dealership under fluorescent lights. The week started and ended with a blizzard...
I was a little concerned because my car didn't have snow tires and has rear wheel drive. But "fiddle-dee-dee", I said, and drove off to the workshop, conducted by the Santa Fe Photography Workshops and taught by Paul Mobley - a commercial photographer whose major interest is in photographing people. His latest book - "American Farmer - The Heart of Our Country" - is available on Amazon. It's filled with gorgeous, heart-felt photographs and touching stories from farmers and ranchers across this entire country. I know that if you're reading this blog, it's because you have an interest in food - cooking it and eating it. Well, this book fills in another piece of that story - the people who grow and raise the food for us - and it presents them with great dignity.
So, as I started to say, springtime can be unpredictable in northern New Mexico. The workshop started with a dinner given in a lovely gated community near the workshop facilities. When I arrived in Santa Fe, it was sunny. By the time I finished having lunch with a friend and finding my way to the house I was staying it, it had begun to cloud over. By the time I left for the dinner, I was driving in blizzard conditions. I managed to make it both there and back, even though the street sign was covered in snow by the time I drove home.
The next morning proved....interesting. All of the windows of my car were covered in sheets of ice. Needless to say, I didn't have an ice scraper. I live in San Diego, after all. I found a package in the trunk for a wheel lock (don't ask me what that is!), which comes with the cardboard on the back and that molded plastic on the front -- you know the kind - the stuff that you need a hacksaw to tear open? I used it to chop away at the ice on the windshield. It barely budged. My windows wouldn't go down, either, as they were frozen in place. So I held the door open with one hand and backed slowly out of the driveway, leaning out of the car to see where I was going. Fortunately, no one was coming, and I managed to maneuver myself onto the road with no mishaps.
But I knew I couldn't drive the 4 minutes to the workshop with the door open and my head hanging out of the car. So I pulled over, grabbed my improvised snow scraper and began hacking away again at the ice. This time I was more successful, chipping out a modest hole in the front and back, and a small hole on the side window. It was just enough visibility to ensure that I wasn't hitting anything, and I made it to the workshop, although I was shaking a little by the time I got there.
I knew that if I could make it there, then by the time we took off for the day's shooting, the sun would be out and the ice would have melted, which is exactly what happened. The rest of the week was sunny and warm - perfect spring weather. and then the last day - snow again!
But as they like to say in New Mexico, if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes. It will change. And so it did...
Anyway, that's where I've been and what I've been doing lately. Not much cooking - eating out in restaurants instead. That's something I rarely do at home. One of my classmates took some shots of the food at Maria's - my favorite New Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe - but so far I haven't received them. If I do get them in a reasonable amount of time, I'll post them. If not, I will no doubt have lots more to post here of my own cooking. I'm still editing and sorting when I'm not at work. But my kitchen will not remain idle for long - it's still my favorite room in the house!

Oh - and if any of you are interested, here's a link to the final show of the students' work from the workshop. What I can tell you is that the people who walked in the door were snapshot photographers at the beginning of the week, and photographers by week's end. Paul was truly an amazing teacher!
Friday Nite Show

Fresh, fresh, fresh

2010-03-02T16:41:00.001-08:00

I once tried to do a week's worth of cooking based on the alphabet. I don't know what came over me, but I decided that I'd try making each meal with the main ingredients of only one letter. For "A", I think I might have used apples, but I could have just as easily used "Asian pears". (I'm flexible. I don't recall now what I paired that with (Angus beef?)"B my name is butternut squash"....and I'd be delicious with bass..C is easy. I love cauliflower! And it could be paired with crab, or made into a chowder with corn.
D can be done with delicata squash..and Dover sole?You get the picture. The only important thing then, as it is now, is that the food be fresh.

I'm not sure how far down I made it before I was invited out to join other people for dinner. There's no way to do this in a restaurant, so that ended my alphabet soup. Or stew. Whatever.

Have you ever done anything quite this crazy? What's your version of playing with your food?

Lox, because I can

2010-02-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up on Long Island, lox and bagels were standard Sunday morning breakfast. Sometimes we would be treated to smoked whitefish too, but lox was a given. That and the Sunday New York Times. My parents would disappear behind the paper while my brother would either be teaching me some math he had learned (he was 2 years ahead of me in school), or we'd finish our bagels and head off to the basement where he'd be building his latest radio.

When I was growing up I never gave a thought to where lox came from, because I knew where it came from. It came from Max's delicatessen. That's where all the best stuff came from, including the best stories. It was kind of the central point of town, and every one of my parents friends shopped there, and everyone had their own funny story of what happened that day at Max's. Max was a character, to say the least. To begin with, Max was not actually his real name, but when he bought the store sometime before recorded history, it had a sign on it that said "Max's Delicatessen". So rather than change the sign, he changed his name.

My favorite story is one which could never happen in today's world, but is indicative of what it was like back in the days when people trusted each other. Max had a policy of giving any cop who was on his beat a sandwich for a quarter. Yes, you read that right - 25 cents. While it's true that everything cost less back then, 25 cents was still cheap enough to not cover his cost, I'm sure. But Max did it anyway. Max also used to yell at everyone who came into the store "Whaddaya want to buy this junk for???" Everyone laughed and Max would laugh too. One day Max looked out the window and saw a cop about to write a ticket for one of his customer's cars which was double parked outside. Max dropped his knife and ran out the door shaking his fist and screaming "If you give my customer a ticket, I'll poison you the next time you come in here!!!" The cop put away his book, and walked away laughing, as did everyone in the store. No one left Max's hungry, and no one left grumpy.

So, back to the lox. We always bought it from Max's, and it was always sliced paper thin, which was just the way we liked it. I've had different versions of it since then, and while I've always loved lox, some is better, and some - while perfectly edible - isn't the best. It wasn't until years and years later, at one family gathering at my brother's house, when my niece Rachael (who is a rock star chef, if you want my opinion) brought gravlox which she had made, that I realized that people actually could make lox. Not only that, but it could be smashingly good. Now, I know that gravlox is lox with a college education, but still, when you get down to it, we're talking salmon which has been salt cured.

Fast forward again to another family gathering (we do love to get together!), this time at my other brother's house in Florida, and my sister in law served lox and bagels for breakfast. It was terrific, and when I asked her where she got it, she said "I make it." (She's from Siberia.) "You did?" "Yes. It's seeemple. You just take 3 tablespoons salt to one tablespoon sugar. You mix together and then rub all over salmon. Cover it and leave it on counter over night. In the morning, there will be water in dish. Dump out water, wash salmon, take paper towel and dry. Rub a little olive oil on it and put in refrigerator for 3, 4 days. You have lox."

I've been making it ever since. I miss going to Max's and hearing him shout at everyone. But at least I can have lox any time I want - even on a Tuesday.

One Note: Use the fattiest lox you can find - it's better.

Crab Chowder for a Rainy Day

2010-02-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

Or should I say rainy week? It's not that I'd want to live in a place where it rains all the time, but I do love the rain we're having. I wish I had the time tomorrow to drive up to the Laguna Mountains to photograph in the snow. It seems to fall on the evenings where I have to go to work the next day. Most uncooperative! When I was up there last weekend, it looked like this:
It was raining when I took that photo. I drove up hoping that when I got above 4,000 feet I'd find some snow. No such luck. The predictions are that the snow levels should be down around 3,000 feet this evening. The photo above was taken closer to 6,000 feet. I'd love to see the world blanketed in white, and have the sounds of traffic muffled by the snow. If it lasts until Thursday, maybe....just maybe....

But the canyons are green and the little seeds I've planted from those heirloom tomatoes I bought at the farmer's market are getting a good soaking. I'm excited about having tomatoes in my garden again this year. Meanwhile the chard is up and thriving, and I also planted radicchio for the first time. Why not? That's something that makes San Diego special -- all the things that grow here with barely a nudge from me.

I don't have a fireplace in my little house, but if I did, I'd certainly fire it up. These days are made for fireplaces and soups. I think when I was younger, I had this fantasy of being able to spend my winter days curled up in front of the fireplace with a good book, some classical music playing softly, and a bowl of hot soup on the table next to me. Well, I've got the classical music. I've even got an incredibly good book I've been reading -- "The Short Stories of Lydia Davis". She's a spare writer with an astonishing grasp of psychology. And now, thanks to a little "extra" time (what on earth is that supposed to mean?), I've got a rich, warming soup.
Chowders are wonderful repositories for this and that - the things you don't have a lot of but which add depth and complexity to a meal. I've made clam chowder before, and I thought of this as a variation on that theme. With some milk and fish stock as a base, you can pretty much add any of the standards of a good chowder. For me that included a couple of small potatoes I had gotten at the farmer's market - red ones that hadn't made it into another dish. I started with them, some onions, a couple of stalks of celery, a little garlic (of course!) and a red pepper, sliced and put into a pot to saute in butter before adding the stock and milk.

I'm usually conscious about the amount of fat I consume, but this rain and the cooler temperatures it brings has made me crave more of it than usual. So instead of using Earth Balance, I used real butter. Even added some cream to make it richer. Let's just say that when I decide to "sin", I don't mess around! I used canned crab meat, but if you've got the time and patience, you could use fresh, and you could combine different kinds of crab meat - snow and king are good choices. And because there was a little bit of corn left in that bag in the freezer, I threw it in as well. A pinch of salt, a dash of sugar and another dash of cayenne pepper brought the whole thing together.

The only part of the picture that doesn't match that fantasy? I have to work tomorrow. But fortunately I enjoy what I do! And I'll have some wonderful leftovers waiting for me at the end of the day.

Fritata as Executive Compensation

2010-02-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

I had plans for today. Oh yes, I had plans. I was going to go to Costco and pick up some prints I had ordered online just to test the system. You see, I want to start printing some of my photos, but before I go crazy, I want to make sure I understand how to do it right. So I'll be starting with Costco, and learning how to make the prints come out the same as what I see on my monitor instead of with some crazy blue tint. Whatever.

And then I was going to go for a nice long walk. I spent this past weekend sitting. My current acupuncture teacher was in Pasadena, so I drove up to LA for the weekend and sat through classes on both Saturday and Sunday. My teacher is terrific, her information is invaluable, but by Sunday afternoon I had had it. I couldn't focus anymore. I needed the CEUs, and I knew that even in my state of diminished attention, I would still be able to latch on to a sentence here and there, and that they would be incredibly useful. So I sat for two days and felt like I had a square butt by the time I left. I really, really needed that walk today!

And then, because I had spent the weekend in Pasadena, I didn't have time to do any cleaning around the house. So I needed to do some basics - like the bathroom sink and the kitchen counters. And of course, there's always cat hair that needs to be vacuumed. But I don't want to bore you with this list - it's not why you, dear reader, have come to my blog.

So why didn't I accomplish any of this? Not one single thing on my list? Because I spent the entire day trying to figure out how to insert an image and some type into another image in Photoshop. I had my layers. I created new layers. I inserted the image in one and the type into the next. And then I flattened the layers and the image and the type disappeared. For those of you not familiar with Photoshop, this is all gobble-dee-gook, and I don't want you to even begin to try and puzzle it out. You'll miss a perfectly good day. But since I am redoing my photo website, I really need to figure this out!

There are times when I wish there was no such thing as modern technology. I waste my day in front of a machine in my little office instead of getting outside, doing some work in the garden and getting the fresh air I need. The antidote? Cooking. Yes, I have a combination stove with gas burners and an electric oven, and this, too, is technology. But that's different. It's the way I reward myself for everything else I do, be it the back breaking labor of digging up plants or hauling tree limbs in my garden, or the tedium of figuring out how to deal with the minutiae of my digital darkroom.

So sit down and join me, won't you? We're having a fritata with onions, tomatoes and roasted asparagus. Believe it or not, we have had some asparagus on sale recently! Wasn't it Mae West who said "I can resist anything but temptation"? Well, for me, asparagus is temptation. And I already had the eggs as well as some tomatoes.

1 onion, diced
1 tomato, sliced
5-6 roasted asparagus
6 eggs, beaten, using only 3 yolks. (My reduced fat version).
1 TBS Earth Balance (Or butter, if you wish).

Since I prefer my onions well cooked, I heated the pan, put the Earth Balance in and added the onions, cooking them until toasty.

Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces.
Add asparagus and tomatoes to the eggs.
When the onions have cooked, pour the egg mixture into the pan.

Allow to cook over medium heat until the bottom has set and there's only a little bit of runny egg on top. Place in the oven under the broiler until the top has cooked and the eggs are set.

Serve slices with crusty bread.

It's hard to stop at one slice, I know. Especially when you're seeking comfort in simplicity. Go ahead -- help yourself to another slice....

Wild Mushrooms and more memories...

2010-01-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

I took a walk through Balboa Park today, while it was getting grayer but still warm. There are canyons in the park where I have seen coyotes sunning themselves in the past. Today's hike yielded the greening of the grasses and trees. I live in a drought-deciduous climate, meaning that trees and shrubs around here lose their leaves (and grasses get browner) with the warm, dry weather of summer. Once the rains come - which is winter time - everything turns green and lush. Well, we've been having a rainy winter this year, and I, for one, am grateful! Yes, I love the sunny weather, but we needed the rain. The reservoirs needed it. The earth was parched and thirsty. Those of us who live in San Diego often tend to forget that this is a desert. It's easy to forget that when you look at the lush, semi-tropical plants growing in the neighbors yards. Having spent 12 years living in New Mexico, though, water consciousness is part of my fiber. I may not have had to ask what the water source was when I bought my house here, but I tend to distrust the endlessly sunny skies. Where's the water going to come from? After 5 years or so of drought, we were sorely in need of the rain that has fallen this year.

The other thing I take note of when I'm out and about is what's blooming and growing, and what changes might be occurring. For instance, I finally got out to the back yard to dismantle the trellis which had been holding up my Cecil Bruner climbing rose. It had collapsed in the rains - the bottoms of the posts rotted out. After dismantling this thing, I decided to trim back the rose itself, as it was bending quite severely. (It had been....well, let's just say that it had been a while since the trellis had collapsed.) Anyway, in lopping off the old, dead wood and some of the larger branches, I noticed that there were new leaves - young and red - sprouting.

I love when nature captures my eyes. Those young leaves were a reminder of the season here in San Diego. We would not have gotten them for several more months in New Mexico, but here, it's rainy season, and that's when things often get going. The other thing that gets going is wild mushrooms. They are springing up in some of my flower pots and on some people's lawns. I have learned to identify 2 types of wild mushrooms - boletus and inky caps (or shaggy manes). That's it. I wouldn't attempt to pick any other kind, unless I had a mushroom ID book - I've heard the stories... And here in San Diego, I haven't attempted to pick any, not having seen either of the two in my repertoire.

Until today, that is.

I was headed back and striding past a large old tree when I spied them. I veered off the path and walked over to a cluster of mushrooms growing through the leaves. I stuck my finger under the caps and rubbed the gills. When I looked at my finger, it looked like I had just rubbed it across a puddle of that old fashioned black india ink. The shape and color was right, and there was the ink. I looked around and saw several more clusters. I picked the best ones I could find and headed home.

With the help of some beef broth, an onion, some leftover quinoa, the remains of the carrots I had bought at the farmer's market, some baby spinach and one portabello plus a few dried porcinis, soaked first in boiling water, I had a delicious, rich soup. The inky tops turn the broth darker - a perfect compliment to the darkening skies. And a lovely way to extend the odds and ends in the fridge, creating several more meals.

One last note: If you aren't sure whether or not a particular mushroom is poisonous or edible - DO NOT EAT IT! There are good mushroom ID books out there, and there are groups of mushroom freaks who love to gather together to discuss and forage. Most mushrooms won't kill you, but it's not an area to tinker about in. For instance, the kind of inky cap I picked today has a nickname of "alcohol inky cap". Why? Because it has similar properties of Antabuse. In other words, it would make me feel quite sick if I consumed alcohol within 2 days of having consumed it.

Couscous, squash and a longing for a simpler time

2010-01-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

See that plate? It was one of 4 which was hand painted and given to my parents on their wedding. Painted on the bottom it says: To Marcy and Cy, January 25, 1931. They were soul mates who had a 60 year honeymoon. My dad died in 1991, the day after Mother's Day. He was 9 years older than my mom, who died 9 years later, on Father's Day. They both made it to 90.

They lived in a simpler time, in some respects. Even though they lived through 2 world wars, news traveled slowly back then. The way people heard about the war was through the radio and the way they saw it was through newsreels. World War II was probably the last major war to garner national support. (The Korean War was called a "police action".) You didn't think twice about what your neighbor thought of the war - you knew. We were all in it together as a nation.

They lived through a depression, too. The jobless rate was something closer to 25% back then. People were hungry and out of work. The government stepped in and created programs to help put people back to work. Ultimately it was World War II which brought us out of the depression and put this country back on it's feet. We emerged from that war as international heroes, admired and respected by pretty much everyone in the world.

And from that point on, our trajectory has been like a rocket to the moon. In fact, it was a rocket to the moon, and we all applauded that moment. New technologies have continually emerged, and we have embraced each one of them with enthusiasm. Cell phones, ipods, netbook computers, digital cameras - the world is at our fingertips...at my fingertips...and I've grown used to that.

Until the power went out today. And for some reason my cell phone decided to stop working. Suddenly, it was like being back in time. No computer? No cell phone? Whaaaaat?????

So I took myself out to the beach - with my digital camera, of course. (Thankfully, that still worked!) There have been storms coming through San Diego, and the tides have been high and the waves have been enormous!For these gulls, the world hasn't changed much since my parents time. The ocean still crashes against the rocks, and food is the issue of the day. The air currents still lift outstretched wings. It was the reminder that I needed. It reminded me of one of my favorite poems - "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver, who wrote "Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination."

The world did, indeed, offer itself to my imagination, and when I got home I found that my electricity had returned, my cell phone worked when I used my bluetooth, and I was hungry for a simple meal. One of my go-to dishes for healthy fast food is couscous. It's quick, easy and versatile. Chop up some onions - both red and yellow, slice some squash, chop some parsley and garlic and you've got dinner as quickly as you can saute. The couscous will soak up the boiling water (or chicken stock, if you've got some - which I did after last week's chicken) in a matter of minutes. Any leftovers in the fridge can be used. And when you think about it, every meal is a special occasion, so why not drag out the "good" dishes? Why, you can even light candles and turn off those electric lights if you want to make it a really special occasion.

Another Day, Another Hike

2010-01-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

I think I'm addicted. It's about a 20 minute drive from my house to Torrey Pines State Beach. I've been there maybe 4 times in the past week, and I'm finding it difficult to believe that I won't be there tomorrow. Work can get in the way sometimes...
I don't try to keep up with my friends. They are much younger, and they've got jet fuel for blood, I think. Instead, I pause and take photographs. Each time I've been there, it's been a slightly different time of day. Usually morning, but the difference of a half hour completely changes the light. It's interesting how I live by the ocean, and yet I don't take advantage of that often enough. I find myself drawn to walking in places where I don't have to get into the car. Perhaps it's worth the increase in the carbon footprint after all? The smell, the sound, and yes, even the sights are exhilarating.Even though it's whale migration season, I haven't seen any. Perhaps it's time to go out on one of those whale watching boats. I've only done that once, but it was a thrill to cruise slowly next to that gentle giant of the sea. In the meantime, I walk along the shore and content myself with the gulls, and with children signing their works of art in the sand...How do we measure our days? When we have jobs, we know what day of the week it is. We know when it's time to be at work, time for lunch, and time to go home. But what do we know of our days? When we work inside, we don't know much about the changes in the light and temperature that mark the seasons. The earth moves through it's seasons without us. If we shop at farmer's markets, we can get a better sense of the season by what is being offered for sale. It's why I no longer shop in regular supermarkets - except for those occasional things I find so useful, like kosher salt or Dijon mustard. The food which isn't coming from the farmer's market either comes from places like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or, on the opposite end of the scale, the Asian supermarkets.

Sometimes the season seems to be dictated by holidays - such as the season for chestnuts. If you want to make something with chestnuts, you'd better get them before Christmas. I hunted for them in 3 different grocery stores this past week and none of them had any. Not even in jars. Which is why I'm glad I had leftovers from the holidays. Because when you're looking to spruce up a chicken with a sauce that's so good it's scary, you just might need chestnuts.

I found a ginormous Rosie chicken at Henry's. It was enough to feed the multitudes. I needed a sauce that was as big as the chicken, and I found one which I doctored. Originally intended as a sauce for a goose, I decided that a bird was a bird, and that this sauce would work well with chicken. It did! The recipe makes more than enough sauce, but it freezes well, so go ahead and make it. You'll be glad you've got it on hand for one of those "ding-dong doorbell, company's here!" kind of days.

Chicken with Chestnuts, Prunes and Cognac

1 16-ounce package pitted prunes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 3/4 cups dry red wine
1 1/4 cups prune juice

1 orange, quartered
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces
4 bay leaves
One large chicken

6 tablespoons Armagnac, Cognac or other brandy (I used Courvoisier. Why bother having brandy that you don't want to drink?)
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 7 2/5-ounce jar steamed or roasted chestnuts
Chopped fresh parsley

Combine prunes, stock, 1 1/2 cups wine and 1 cup prune juice in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove mixture from heat. Transfer 12 prunes to small bowl, using slotted spoon.

Preheat oven to 375°F. You'll only need half the orange for one chicken. Rub inside and out with cut side of orange. Combine salt and pepper and rub inside and outside chicken. Place orange, onion, bay leaves and 6 drained prunes in cavity. Tie legs together. Place bird on rack in roasting pan, pierce the skin in a few places and pour about 3 tablespoons of the sauce over it.

Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F and roast 30 minutes longer. Continue roasting and basting with wine mixture until done.

Strain prune poaching liquid, reserving prunes. Degrease roasting juices. Add 1/2 cup poaching liquid to roasting pan and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer to heavy medium saucepan. Add Armagnac, remaining poaching liquid and degreased roasting juices. Boil until flavors are intense, about 15 minutes. Knead butter and flour together. Whisk into sauce in small bits and simmer until thick, about 8 minutes. Add poached prunes and chestnuts and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.I have no idea why the flavors of this sauce penetrated the bird so well. As you can see, I poured the sauce over the bird with the skin on, but the meat was well flavored too. It's possible that this will become my next addiction. I'd better keep those hiking shoes by the door!

Mushroom Barley Soup for a New Year

2010-01-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes food follows me around. Like a puppy, I find it hanging around waiting for my attention, the way this soup did. I first tasted it at my sister's house during my Thanksgiving stay, and the richness and depth of this version of a simple, old-fashioned soup caught my attention and made me sit up and take notice.

The next time I noticed it was while I was in New Mexico. I THOUGHT I had a huge jar of dried boletus mushrooms, which (I might be wrong about this one) are the same as porcinis. They grow wild in the mountains, and at one time I had an entire jeep load of them. Literally. Anyway, it was the porcinis that made this soup stand out, and that big jar in the cabinet above the stove looked like the porcinis I used to have. Seeing it was like seeing that puppy just wagging it's tail and grinning. "OK! I'll do it!" I said to the dog.

I made a huge pot of it and invited some friends for dinner. I had a great artisan bread and some zinfandel, and while the soup was quite satisfying, it lacked that intensity I was expecting. Seems that the mushrooms were shitakes, and not porcinis. It's like finding out that you've got a Shih Tzu and not a Labradoodle. You were looking for the exotic, but wound up at the wrong breeder. Not bad, just not what you were looking for.

So when I got back to San Diego, we were still having our version of a cold snap, and I felt like I was on a mission. I was going to make this soup and this time I was going to get it right! I did. It turned out to be the perfect meal for a cold night - warm, rich, and inviting. The kind of meal you want to linger over with a friend, pouring another glass of wine and letting the conversation continue.

Mushroom Barley Soup

1/2 C. dried porcini mushrooms

8 oz. butter

1 very large onion or 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

6 peeled and finely chopped garlic cloves

1 1/2 lbs. fresh mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

4 stalks of celery with leaves, diced

3 big carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/2 C chopped parsley

2 T. flour

2 quarts beef broth

2 1/2 C barley, rinsed. (I think you should use 2 C at the most. I find the recipe heavy on barley)

2T. kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1. Soak dried mushrooms in 1 qt. hot water for 1 hour. Strain through a filter or cheesecloth. Reserve the water. Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms and set aside.

2. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat and saute onions and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, celery, carrots and 4 T of parsley. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir until blended. Stir in the mushroom soaking liquid until blended, then stir in the beef broth and 6 C water. Stir in the barley, soaked mushrooms, 2 T salt and pepper to taste.

3. Heat the soup to boiling, stirring frequently, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.

4. Add the remaining parsley, mix thoroughly and add more water if the soup is too thick. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Yeild: 12-16 servings.

And ending the year with stars...

2009-12-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

I'm ending this year's postings with gratitude. I've been blessed with another year of health, friends, family, and, of course, food. Wonderful food! And I'm grateful to each and every one of you who has read my blog, enjoyed it, and left comments for me. I love reading your blogs, and find inspiration in your photography, writing, and the enormous sensitivity of our food community when it comes to issues involved with the foods we eat. It reminds me of a quote I read recently of Wendell Berry, who said "Eaters must understand how we eat determines how the world is used."

I wish each and every one of you a joyous, healthy, holiday season, and leave you with a simple, but simply delicious recipe for a mouth-watering cookie, posted originally on the blog Smitten Kitchen. This was the third cookie I brought to the cookie exchange, and one I could have eaten till I was positively round.

Toasted Coconut Shortbread
Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2004

The original recipe was double this size, yielding six dozen cookies. I halved it.

1/2 cup (about 1.5 ounces) unsweetened shredded coconut*
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature**
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (Updated: for unsweetened coconut, the smaller amount; sweetened, the larger amount)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until coconut is light golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Cool completely, then grind in a coffee grinder, food processor or blender until coarsely ground.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla. Beat in flour in 2 additions. Stir in toasted coconut. Gather dough together, flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough disk on lightly floured work surface to scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using 1 3/4- to 2-inch-diameter cookie cutters, cut dough into rounds. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and reroll; cut out additional cookies.

Bake cookies until light golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week.)

One final note: I was informed that my copying of a recipe from The Luna Cafe (my last post) constituted a violation of copyright laws. I am not a lawyer, I'm a food blogger who made the mistake of thinking that it was OK to copy a recipe if you didn't claim it was your own, you gave the author credit as well as a link back to their blog. As I've never had any objections to this practice before, I was surprised to learn that not everyone approves of this practice. But since it's not my intention to harm anyone's private property, I have removed the recipe from my last post. I have left the link to The Luna Cafe's post with the recipe for what I called "Mole Moons", so if any of you wish to find that recipe, you can click on the link.

Polka Dots and Moonbeams

2009-12-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

OK, I have to confess something. I made a confession last week, and now I have to confess that my confession wasn't accurate. (Don't you just hate it when even your confessions aren't entirely true?) I said that I don't often eat desserts, and that part is true. What I left out, was that when I find something I like in the dessert world, I just don't stop eating them. And at this time of the year....well, it's hard to get through a day without some kind of sweet staring at you, singing it's sweet little song. And like a siren, it lures you in. So the walnut cake I found so irresistible last week was gobbled up quickly and has become an insistent memory.

And then came this past Sunday's cookie exchange. I had attended it last year and found that the camaraderie was at least as good as the cookies. This year's invitation set something off in me that I still don't understand. Perhaps it was fueled by the walnut cake. Perhaps the taste of a spectacular dessert made me lust after more. I don't know. All I know is that instead of making the requisite one kind of cookie, I was whisked off to cookie nirvana, and the next thing I knew, I was up to my elbows in flour and butter, concocting not one, but three different kinds of cookies. (Is there a "cookies anonymous" out there?)

Since the blogosphere is filled with spectacular bakers, I figured I wouldn't have any trouble finding recipes that sounded interesting and different. I was right. I turned first to one of my favorite bakers, Patricia over at Technicolor Kitchen. Not only does she bake divine looking sweets of all kinds, she also photographs them beautifully. And she posts about them in both Portuguese and English! Anyway, I was treated to a mouth-watering photograph of her spiced sables with eggnog glaze. Cookie #1.

I have absolutely no idea how I came across The Luna Cafe, but I am forever grateful for the wonders of the internet for leading me to this site. On it I found the recipe for the most amazing cookie I've ever tasted. Seriously. You can stop reading the rest of this and just jump to the recipe. I'll understand. When it was my turn to explain to the crowd what I had made for the cookie exchange, I didn't know what to expect when I told people that I had made a chocolate cookie that had ancho chili powder and cayenne. All I can say is that I should have at least doubled the recipe. One woman called it a mole cookie. Since everyone's recipe for mole is different, it's possible. But I do love the sound of "Mole Moons", don't you?

Enough said. You've been reading enough already. Time to get down to the baking. I'll post the recipe for the last of the cookies next week.Spiced Sable Rounds With Eggnog Glaze

Cookie Dough:

1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, cold and coarsely chopped
1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
2 eggs
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
4 cups + 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Glaze
1 egg
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon dark rum - I used white
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 cups + 2 ½ tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
freshly ground nutmeg, for scattering

Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine. Add lemon zest, spices, flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. Divide dough in four equal parts and form each one into a log that is a little more than 3.5cm (1 ½ in) thick. Wrap well in baking paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Unwrap one of the dough logs (keep the others in the fridge) and slice it into 6mm (¼-in) rounds. Place onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until just golden – mine needed 15 minutes for staying in the fridge for 24 hours.
Repeat with the remaining logs.
Make the glaze: whisk egg, brandy, rum and vanilla paste (if using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds with the back of a knife and add to the bowl) in an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk until thick and pale.
Spread icing over warm cookies then scatter with a little nutmeg and cool on a wire rack. Let glaze set completely before storing the cookies.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 90 – I halved the recipe and got 48

Mole Moons

In order to find this recipe, you will have to click on the link above for The Luna Cafe. The Kitchen Notes below are my own, and have not been copied from any other source.

Kitchen Notes:
First of all, unless you plan on using the parts you cut out to make your moons less than full, don't count on there being anywhere near 6 dozen cookies. Definitely double this recipe. And forget about them lasting for weeks. They'll be eaten long before then. Also, I thought I would be making some orange flavored glaze to decorate these with. I had no time, so I used the eggnog glaze from the other cookies. Worked like a charm!

Walnut Cake

2009-12-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

I confess I don't often eat desserts. It's not that I don't love them - I do. But if the meal is good - and it often is - I often don't have much interest in eating more at the end of it. I look at all those photos you guys post showing spectacular desserts and I drool at the sight of them. But the same problem arises each and every time I'm done with a meal - I'm full! Boring, I know, but what can I do?

Now, the obvious solution would be to wait a bit, let the meal settle, and then go back for dessert. It works, and I've occasionally done that. Thanksgiving is the perfect example. Sitting around the table with 13 family members, all talking and laughing and sharing stories - it's easy to take time eating the meal, which many of us helped to make. It's one of the reasons I love this holiday. I get together with my family, whom I love, and it's about being together and sharing a meal - not about shopping for gifts.

At the end of that meal, we were treated to the traditional pumpkin pies, which my eldest brother has perfected. This year he experimented with 2 different crusts, both of which were perfect.

And then came my sister's walnut cake.

When I looked at it, I thought it might be somewhat dry. WRONG! It was perfect. I mean perfect as in this would be the cake to bring to any gathering and enjoy watching people's faces as they took their first bite. And then their second slice. And then watch them eying that last slice, debating whether or not to be polite and let someone else have it, or bold enough to reach for it themselves, halfheartedly offering to share. My sister, who has mastered the art of baking as well as anyone I've met, always offers an alternative to pumpkin pie for those who aren't partial to it. Every year it's terrific. This year it was an understated miracle.
I'm not certain where she got the recipe, but here it is as she sent it to me:

OLIVER'S GRANDMOTHER'S WALNUT CAKE WITH SAUTÉED PEARS AND CINNAMON CREAM

Serves 6-8

Cake:

1 stick of unsalted butter

3C walnuts

1C sugar

5 eggs, room temp.

1/2 C flour

2 Tbls. Kirsch (I used 1 Tbls. Poire William)

xx sugar

350 degrees

Use 2 tea. of the butter to grease a 9" round baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Use 1 tea. of the butter to grease the paper.

Put walnuts on baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes til they darken slightly. Cool. Grind in processor to fine powder. In a large bowl, beat remaining butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add nuts, flour, and kirsch. Mix well and pour into prepared pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes, depending upon oven. When cool, dust with xx sugar.

Sauteed Pears:

2 Tbls. unsalted butter

6 small or 4 large Bosc pears, cored, peeled, and cut into 1/4" dice

2 Tbls. brown sugar

3/4 tea. ground cinnamon

1 tea. ground nutmeg

2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice

In a saute pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook the pears, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or just until softened. Sprinkle with the sugar. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice and mix well. Cover to keep warm.

Cream:

1C heavy cream

1Tbls. sugar

1 tea. ground cinnamon

Using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, whip the cream and sugar until the cream is thick but not dry. Add the cinnamon and continue whipping until the cream is the desired consistency. Serve the cake topped with the pears and the cream.

Thanksgiving in East Hampton

2009-12-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

I love East Hampton in the winter. The history of this place is bathed in pale light, and bare trees etch the sky in the afternoon...
Main street is devoid of tourists.And Louse Point - an awful name for a beautiful place - harbors no hoards of summer sunbathers. At this time of the year, East Hampton gives the brief illusion that it is what it once was - a haven for artists and writers looking for some space in which to paint large canvasses and write books. The Hamptons, in those days, were filled with fishermen and farmers who were willing to be good neighbors and trade food for paintings in some cases. A local family out there came into a couple of Jackson Pollack's that way before anyone had ever heard of him. It's a place where you can still find an independent book seller on Main Street, with creaky wooden floors and people who smile at you and say hello.It's where I purchased "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver - a book which had been on my "list" for too long, and which I started reading on the plane home. I may be the last person in the food blogosphere to read this book, but if by any chance you happen to have it on your list as well and haven't gotten around to reading it - it's time. She writes about a year in which her family lives by the locavore's credo. Her arguments in favor of S.O.L.E. food (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) are cogent and well researched. It's something I posted about here, when I wrote about Amaltheia Dairy's organic goat farm.

I must confess that I feel something close to giddiness when I see the many streams that are currently feeding the local food movement. As a health care practitioner, I couldn't be more pleased, and I say "It's about time!" The high cost of cheap food is nothing short of insanity, and I don't believe that we are a nation so bereft of ingenuity and insight that we cannot come up with a better plan. Fortunately, the word has been getting out - in books, movies, magazine articles, as well as on TV shows and radio programs. If Congress cannot figure out how to craft a reasonable bill addressing health care (is anyone surprised?), then your local farmers can. We can start with the simple fact that what you put into your body might - just might - have something to do with what you get out of it. Think about putting 20 octane gas in your car. Would you do it? Then look around you at all the people who have been sold the idea that it's OK to put the equivalent of 20 octane food into their bodies. It gives me the shudders.

But back to East Hampton.......
It's a locavore's definition of heaven. The roadside markets are filled with the produce of the season, including pumpkins as far as the eye can see, giant cauliflower.......even purple ones.....
And even bigger turnips!
And my sister, who lives in East Hampton year round, wouldn't consider buying her food from a regular grocery store until the dead of winter, when the farm stands have shut down. So our Thanksgiving feast consisted of a turkey from a local farm, roasted brussel sprouts, carrots and purple cauliflower, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and white potatoes from the farm stand, and baked goods made with eggs from a local farm.

I love my sister.

And when I get her recipe for the walnut cake she made, I will post about it. (I photographed it with my cell phone. Don't expect miracles!)

Did you get to eat any food for Thanksgiving which was produced locally?

Duck a l'Orange and another hike

2009-11-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

This is the perfect time of year for hiking in southern California. The heat of summer is gone, but the temperatures are still warm enough for a tee shirt. Besides, I am not good at languishing indoors. I am much better off when I move, getting my blood circulating. Especially on the weekend before Thanksgiving. It will take most of the day to fly to the east coast, and then I'll be with my family. We will be eating, and eating often. We will sit a lot. With any luck, we'll get a walk in. A walk. One. And that will be followed by a meal.

So now is the time to get out and move. And we have a park in San Diego called Mission Trails Regional Park which is an incredible resource. It's probably about 15-20 minutes from my house, and it has 4 mountains in it. I've hiked three of them. The landscape isn't lush - it's more desert chaparral, but depending upon where you enter the park, it can be beautifully quiet.
There are parts of the park which are dedicated to hikers, and parts which are shared with mountain bikers. We did pass several bikers, but only several of them. The rest of the time, we had the place to ourselves. I hiked with D and another friend K - an ex bicycle racer. He told us that he used to bike in the park up the side of one of the mountains until he had to lift his bike and carry it up to the top. To each his own. We went in on the south side of the park, crossed a small dam and hiked uphill. A long, steep hill. Then down the other side to a wash, where we headed north towards the trail which leads to both North and South Fortuna mountains. I knew I wasn't going to make it to the top today, so we looped back before we headed up the steep gravel strewn path. We had several more steep hills - both up and down, and by the time we got back to the car an hour and a half later, I'm sure we had a total of at least 600 feet of elevation changes. That might be an underestimate, but it certainly isn't an overestimate!

One of the good things about hiking for several hours is that it makes me hungry. And when I get hungry on a Sunday, I want to make food for the week. This week will be a short one, as I'm leaving on Tuesday, but I have room in the freezer. And I know that I will not be bringing home any leftovers from Thanksgiving. So I will not get to cook that week of turkey recipes -- the sandwiches made with cranberry sauce and the turkey curry and soup. So I decided that I would make a duck. I haven't had duck in years, I think, and I do love it. That coupled with the fact that I have a friend who just bought a house with orange trees made me decide on duck a l'orange - a tried and true standby.

My necessity for a rich, orange flavor led me to include several sources of it - including some triple sec. You can add any kind of extra kick which appeals to you - either in the form of a liqueur or orange extract or even marmalade.

Duck a l'orange

	1 tsp table salt
	1 tsp black pepper
	1 fl oz orange-flavored liqueur
	1 tsp Smart Balance Organic whipped buttery spread, margarine
	4 pound(s) uncooked duck with meat and skin
	1 1/4 cup(s) apple juice
	1/8 cup(s) fresh orange juice
	1 Tbsp raw orange peel
	1 cup(s) onion(s)
	1 clove(s) garlic clove(s)

Wash duck and pat dry. Make slits in the duck skin and poke a mixture of salt and pepper under the skin, as well as rubbing the outside with it. Chop onions and garlic and stuff the cavity of the duck with the mixture.

Place duck on a rack breast side down, splash a couple of tablespoons of Triple Sec over the top, then dot the top with butter and place in a 400 degree oven. Keep your baster handy, as you will be basting this bird often.

At this point you can do whatever other chores need to be done, but don't wander too far. You will need to keep basting the bird, and there will be plenty of fat to do so with. After 20 minutes, turn the bird over, baste again and roast for another 30 minutes. You will want to baste it about every 10 minutes.

Pull the bird out, making sure that all the juices from the cavity run back into the pan. Pour everything from the pan into a large measuring cup and stick it in the fridge. After a while, you'll be able to scrape the fat off the top. You won't be left with much, but that's OK - you can build your orange sauce from here.

Return what's left to the pan and turn on the heat to medium. Grab your whisk and start stirring......Keep stirring.....and when it gets real bubbly, you can add the apple and orange juice as well as the peel. Stir some more. If you notice it's particularly thin, as I did, you can add either cornstarch and water or flour and water - whichever you have on hand. Be sure to mix them together first before adding them to the pan, as this reduces the lumps. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

I heard a story on the NPR the other day about apple farmers in the northeast who are starting to make hard cider. They are trying to bring back a craft which was popular back in colonial times. Have any of you tasted any of this? I'd love to hear about it. I would imagine that this would be a meal which would go quite well with hard cider. As I didn't have any, I savored what I had - a nice Sangiovese. It worked.

New Kitchen for an Old Home

2009-11-17T22:25:00.000-08:00

Back in 2003 I knew I had to do something about my house. The plumbing was on it's last legs in the bathroom, and I was brushing my teeth in the bathtub. I had thought about remodeling my house - it was 700 sq. feet - but it was only a thought until the plumbing became a real issue.

I live next to a house which could easily be on the cover of Architectural Digest. It has great "bones". It sits down in the canyon and from up here you can't really tell how large it is. It was designed by an architect who lived there when I moved into my house as a renter. He sold it several years later to a man who is also an architect, who gutted the inside and upgraded pretty much everything. By then I had bought my house. I was friendly with both owners, and so when I mentioned that I wanted to remodel my home, they both gave me drawings of possible remodels. I appreciated both gifts enormously, but neither one of them really spoke to me.

So I invited a couple of friends over to dinner, and after wining and dining them, I dragged out the plans I had been given. "What do you think of these?" My friend John said "You need to think of the outside walls of your house as your space, and then ask yourself what you want done with that space." "That's exactly the kind of thinking I was looking for, but didn't get in either of these drawings!" I answered. While John and I were talking about the space and how to think about it, his partner was sitting quietly studying my house. He finally said "You know, this is a lot like the house I built for my mom in Tijuana. Do you want to see what I did?" "Sure!" And I handed him a piece of paper and a pencil. He sketched out the plans for what would turn into my current home.

I moved in with a girlfriend at the end of April of that year, and at the end of September I moved back into my new old home. The house, which was built in 1940, now has a new roof, all new windows, new plumbing, new electrical and new floors. Most of the old plaster remains, including the lovely arches that were part of the interior and which give the house a Tuscan feeling. I have increased the footprint by about 200 sq. ft, bringing me up to a grand total of 900. I now have 2 bedrooms (the master is big enough to walk around the bed when making it - yeah!!) and two bathrooms, having moved the kitchen up to the front of the house off the living room. I am in heaven.

There are people who say that remodeling a home is fun. They claim that shopping for granite and sinks and faucets is terrific. I have heard that. I have actually heard that. But right now I cannot remember who these people were or what planet they came from. They obviously weren't single and working, trying to support themselves. But if I never have to remodel another home in my life, I'd be quite content, thank you very much. It's like trying to squeeze yet another life into an already packed one.

But I must admit that I absolutely love my home - and especially this kitchen. I stressed over the cost of that hand made glass light fixture over the island. But now each time I walk into the kitchen I see happiness hanging over that island, and it makes me smile.

This post is inspired by Penny over at Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen. She asked us to post a photo of our kitchens on Wednesday. It's 11pm on Tuesday nite. I think it's close enough for government work!

Pork Roast with Persimmons

2009-11-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

My friend D and I took a hike today. I mean, it was one serious hike. We started at the glider port in La Jolla, which overlooks the ocean. I cannot believe that I've lived here since 1986 and have never been to the glider port! We hiked down the path from there to the ocean. It's fairly steep, but has steps. We came out on the south end of Black's Beach and headed north, walking all the way to the north end of Torrey Pines. Then we headed up the road and hiked along the top of the cliffs until we got to the north fork of Broken Hills trail. From there, we headed down to the beach again and then walked back to the trail by the glider port.It's interesting how the cliffs are so different on the north end vs. the south end of the beach. On the north end you get vertical cliffs with no vegetation. On the south, the cliffs are more gentle with shrubs growing up the sides. All along the top, there are the Torrey Pines - far fewer than there used to be before the drought weakened them and then the beetles came in and finished the job. But still, there are some left on top, and they are quite beautiful.
The hike up was killer. It was the last of the 8 miles, and just as steep. The stairs didn't seem as friendly. I was self cannibalizing by the time we got to the top, and I was out of water. Fortunately, there's a little place up there which serves sandwiches. We got the last of the grilled salmon on rosemary sage bread and a fresh bottle of water. For $10, we could eat our sandwich and watch the parasailers as they leapt towards the cliff, looking like some strange puppet hanging from a giant, arched nylon wing.

When we got home I was aching, smiling and chilled. A pork roast seemed like the perfect way to warm up, and will provide much of my food for the week. I had purchased some persimmons about a week ago and they were finally ripe. Pork and fruit go so well together, I knew I had to combine the two. I had a 2# pork tenderloin ready to go. Besides, I was inspired by Terry's recent post over at Blue Kitchen. I needed some pork! Not the same dish, but pork nonetheless.

I decided to brine the pork first. Or at least, my version of brining it. I just combined 3 TBS of salt with 2 TBS of sugar, mixed them thoroughly and rubbed them all over the pork. I let it sit for about an hour and a half while I prepared the fruit. This is the method I use when I make gravlox, and it does a nice job of drawing the water out of the fish, so I figured it would do the same for the pork. It did.

While my pork was brining, I cut up an onion, about 4 good sized mushrooms and the persimmons. I used a spray of oil in the pan and added about a tsp. of butter and some minced garlic. I prefer both my onions and my mushrooms cooked well, so they took about 6 minutes or so on medium heat. After about 4 minutes, I added the persimmons which I had chopped coarsley, as well as some thyme.

I got out my large roasting pan, took out the rack and laid down sprigs of fresh rosemary across the bottom. I washed the salt off the pork and then placed one half of the tenderloin - flat side up - on the bed of rosemary. I spooned half the fruit mixture over it, then laid the other half - flat side down - on top, finishing the whole thing off with more of the fruit mixture. A splash of apple cider went over the top. I cut a red cabbage into quarters, and added a couple of potatoes cut in half and into a 350 oven it went for about an hour.

Brining has become one of my favorite things. The tenderloin came out juicy and moist, and the apple cider and rosemary played off each other, balancing sweet and aromatic. The persimmons were sweet but not at all cloying. To borrow a phrase used by Terry, this roast was good. Company good. And the cool part was that I got to soak my aching body in a hot tub while it was roasting....

Breakfast Bread Pudding on cool mornings

2009-11-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

The days have turned hot enough to warrant shorts for a hike, but the night time and mornings are cool enough for a sweatshirt. I go out for a run/walk these mornings and smell toast and coffee coming out of the kitchens in the neighborhood. Why is toast such a comforting smell?

I jog through my serene neighborhood and pass people walking their dogs. The liquidamber trees are finally red. Occasionally I will pass someone talking on a cell phone, or a car will drive by with it's driver on her way to drop the kids off at school. But other than that, it is quiet. It almost feels as though the world is holding it's breath, waiting for something to happen.

Twenty years ago today, something did happen. The Berlin Wall came down. I've been listening to the radio all day, and there have been stories of people who were there, walking from east to west in amazement. It didn't seem possible. One young couple who had already fled to the west found themselves like salmon swimming up river. They were heading to the east to tell his parents that they were going to be grandparents. She had gone to the doctor that day and discovered she was pregnant. They were the only ones headed from the west to the east. That, too, seemed impossible.And apparently Mstislav Rostropovitch went to the wall and played Bach on his cello. Can you imagine this? I mean, I can imagine Bono organizing a concert for something like this. But to just show up spontaneously and play without benefit of bodyguards? It boggles the mind. The world has changed in 20 years.

I come home from my run/walk, sweaty and in need of a shower and some breakfast. My friend D made a bread a couple of weeks ago. No recipe (he never uses one) - just threw things together and knocked it out in an hour. He didn't love it. I did. It had currents and walnuts and poppy seeds. I have no idea what that round of citrus looking thing was in it, but it had a citrus-y thing on the bottom. Oh, and some kaffir lime leaves stuck to the bottom as well. I ate it as bread while it was still edible, and stuck it in the fridge when it began to harden. Then I found this recipe for bread pudding on the Weight Watchers site - a mere 4 points on their calculator. I adapted it to my current bread situation. I'll give you the recipe as it's written, but you can substitute any kind of bread, I'm sure. Raisin bread would work great, I suspect.....
4 oz. French bread, day old, trimmed of crust and cubed. About 3 cups.
2 small peaches, pitted and chopped
2 TBS raisins, or dried cherries
1/3C low-fat, ready-to-eat granola
3/4 C 1% low fat milk
2 TBS sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

One day before serving, lightly spray a 1 qt. glass or Pyrex baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine bread, peaches, raisins and granola

Whisk together milk, sugar, egg and cinnamon. Stir into the bread mixture. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to 350F. Uncover bread pudding and bake 30 minutes or until bread is golden.

Kitchen Notes:

The original recipe called for this to be served with warm, reduced-calorie pancake syrup, but I find that totally unnecessary. With the peaches, raisins and sugar, I personally don't need any more sweet taste. Besides, I don't buy low-fat pancake syrup. Or low-fat cheese, for that matter. I will eat less cheese if I must, but I won't substitute the flavor of a full fatted cheese. Sacre Bleu!

I don't have low fat granola. It wouldn't occur to me to buy such a thing. Or 1% milk, for that matter. I used regular granola and low fat soy milk. I didn't need to add raisins, and I only used 1 TBS of sugar. Needless to say, I didn't measure the cinnamon!

For anyone wishing to lose weight, I'm still promoting the Weight Watchers approach. You can eat anything -- it's about portion control primarily. Fiber intake too. I don't worry about following their recipes exactly. (Have I ever worried about following ANY recipes?) Interestingly enough, I heard another story on the radio today which said that research has shown that for those who diet, if they restrict certain foods, those foods act as drugs when they are re-introduced into the diet later. So if you don't eat potatoes, for instance, you will find yourself addicted to them if you eat them later.

So I'll stick to Weight Watchers, have a glass of wine with a dinner of protein and veggies and a half a baked potato. And I'll devour some bread pudding for breakfast. To date, I've lost 8 pounds.

Something so simple...

2009-11-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

So my question to you is this: How do you have a food blog, cook, photograph, eat, think about and write about food - and lose weight? It's not that I'm obese - I'm not. But my recent trip with my sister yielded over 400 photographs and about 5 extra pounds. Now, 5 pounds isn't much, I realize. But that was on top of the 5 that had crept up over the last....oh...maybe 3 years. And as we all know, Thanksgiving is around the corner - a holiday devoted to gluttony. And I'm going to my sister's house, and she is a phenomenal chef as well as a superb baker. ("Superb" might be an understatement, actually.) And my entire family loves to eat. And cook. So I'm staring into the headlights of an oncoming train - and that train is called "The Weight Gain Express."

Better to get some of these unwanted pounds off now, I say.

Now, some of you might be asking yourself "How is it that she's talking about losing weight, and yet the photo on the top is of potatoes, of all things! I mean, isn't that the first thing you cut out when you want to lose weight? (Notice that at no time do I say the "d" word here. It's a 4 letter word and I don't like it.) Well, that depends upon how you choose to go about losing weight, and most of us go about it the wrong way. We start with our food intake and then add on the exercise. That's backwards. At least, for most people it is.

I happen to be fortunate to live somewhere where I can go outside pretty much the whole year and get some exercise. Except when it's raining - which it does less and less of every year - I prefer to take walks. Long walks. Like, for instance, walk to a friend's house in downtown San Diego, which is about 3 1/2 miles from my place. Or I'll walk to do my grocery shopping. In that case, the walk is only about 3 miles round trip, but on the way back I'm carrying weights. Last time I did that, I actually weighed what I was carrying when I got home. 23 pounds. (I did curls on my walk home with the bags.)
Years ago I traveled in France with a friend and her mom. When we parted ways in Niece, I took off by myself and went to Arles - a lovely city with a Roman arena, and the place most people associate with Van Gogh. I found myself seated on the patio of a restaurant right across from the arena, and at the next table was a woman "of a certain age" seated by herself. We smiled at each other and she asked "Vous et toute seule?" (You're alone?) "Oui". And she gestured for me to come join her, which I did. I got to practice my French for the evening, as we ate our wonderful dinner, followed by a long walk on a balmy night. She was wearing a knit dress which made it clear that she had a terrific figure, so I asked her if she belonged to a gym. She laughed at the idea. No, she said, I walk. She walked everywhere, and that was her exercise.

So now, back to the potatoes. I decided that since I'm already walking everywhere, doing yoga, even lifting weights from time to time (other than grocery bags, that is), and my bike is in the shop being repaired - I needed to focus on what I was eating. And since I've been slim all my life, I'm not really programmed to do any of those popular kinds of diets. I don't intend to drink a shake and call it a meal - not unless it's a breakfast smoothie. I've examined many of the diets that are out there, and the only 2 that make any sense to me are the South Beach diet and Weight Watchers. I've done South Beach before and it works. That is, until you start adding carbs back into your diet - bread, pasta, potatoes, baked goods etc. -- you know, all those foods that will, eventually, creep back onto your plate. Especially at Thanksgiving and during the holiday season.

Which left me with Weight Watchers. This is something I've done before and it works. You can eat anything - even potatoes - and lose weight. It's a question of how much you eat, rather than what you eat. It's a weight loss program designed for someone who loves to cook and eat and yes, even have a glass of wine. So far I've been on it for two weeks and I've lost 6 1/2 pounds. I've even "fallen off" the wagon and had brownies and salmon spread on crackers and chili con queso on chips at a party one night. That added a pound, but it came off quickly as I got back on track.

This evening I will be enjoying a dish I made from the 4 different kinds of eggplants I bought at the farmer's market this past weekend - bright orange Turkish, a green Japanese, and 2 small, round purple ones - sliced up and added to a pot with onions, garlic, ground turkey, peppers and tomatoes. (I decided to have a "nightshade" meal.) To go with that, I will be devouring the rest of these roasted potatoes. The photograph would have been better if I hadn't eaten several slices before I photographed the dish, but oh well. It was worth it. ;-)

I sliced the potato and put it in ice water to soak while cooking the above dish. When the pot was ready, I drained the potatoes and patted them dry, put a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl and tossed them with salt and pepper. The oven was preheated to 400 degrees and it took about 50 minutes to roast. Can potatoes really be this sweet???

Fall food...

2009-10-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

Fall doesn't start in San Diego until November. Now, I realize that November is just around the corner, but every year around this time, I get antsy for fall food. I remember hunting for boletus mushrooms in New Mexico, which were always plentiful a week or two after the summer rains. Depending upon the year, that could make them pop out any time between August and the end of September. Mushrooms always made it into our fall menus. As did squash. We never sprayed our garden with pesticides, so we did battle with squash bugs all summer -- horrid pale things which latched on to every squash and squash stem. Just seeing them gave me the creeps and turned me murderous. Soapy water, alcohol and water - anything that would kill them and leave the plants with no poisonous residue - I was on it!

Having spent 2 weeks of eating mostly beef in Montana and Wyoming, I decided that my body needed a break. I needed a satisfying vegetarian meal. And having seen some gorgeous fall scenery in Wyoming and South Dakota, I knew that I needed the fall food to go with it.
I don't know about you, but when I look at scenes like this one, I find myself wanting foods that, at the very least, compliment the colors. There are so many fantastic squashes at the market these days. I could probably do a post every day for a week on a different winter squash, and never repeat myself and never get bored. And truth be told, the recipe I came up with would work well with any winter squash.This recipe all came together after I had been cooking with a friend a couple of weeks ago. We wound up making a red rice dish with lemon zest and dates which worked beautifully with the entree that evening (5 spice rubbed pork spare ribs). I made something similar several days later, only using wild and brown rice instead of the red rice. So I had these leftovers, you see.... And that, for me, is where some of my favorite meals start.

Here's a recipe which replicates, to the best of my ability, what I did. I leave you to your own imagination after that........

1 medium acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
2 sprays of cooking spray
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1 cup cooked wild and brown rice mixed
1/3 cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup dried dates, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet, spray with cooking oil over the tops and insides of the squash halves, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add the onion and celery, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in the rice, almonds and dates and lemon zest.

Divide the rice filling among the roasted squash halves (about 1/2 cup for each) and drizzle an additional TBS of melted butter over top, if desired. Continue roasting until the squash is completely fork tender, the edges have started to brown, and the filling is heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Kitchen Notes:

I don't know about you, but I've just recently learned that sawing a winter squash in half with a serrated knife is the way to go. I'm amazed that I still have all my fingers, after all these years of using a sharp knife - either a cleaver of a good, strong chef's knife!

Organic Goat Farming in Montana

2009-10-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

"First, seventy-two labors brought us this food. We should know how it comes to us."
Thus begins the Buddhist meal verses - the ones that are repeated before each meal, like saying grace. "We should know how it comes to us" is growing in popularity in this country - as in the "Buy Local" movement, in the "Slow Food" movement, and in the USDA's program "Know Your Farmer, Know your Food". More and more of us have become interested in knowing where our food comes from, which is part of the reason why farmer's markets are becoming more and more popular in cities across America. We want to meet the people who are involved in growing our food - to put a face and a name to our veggies. Perhaps this deeper connection to our food gives us a deeper connection to our own bodies than we have when buying food in a Styrofoam tray, wrapped in plastic in the supermarket.

This connection became even more apparent to me on my recent trip through Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. In my last post, I talked about potatoes. I cannot think of anything more grounding than the deeply inhaled scent of a warehouse filled with earthy potatoes. You cannot help but smile when you feel practically every pore open to absorb whatever molecules of potato might float by on the air. And our host and guide through that cavernous building could not have been nicer or more open to our questions.

From Idaho we went to Montana, and it was just outside of Bozeman that we were treated to another unforgettable connection with food and the people who produce it. I had been given a brochure for the Amaltheia Organic Dairy in Belgrade, Montana, owned and operated by Sue and Mel Brown. I emailed them before we left and got a response from Sue, telling me to call her husband and he'd be happy to give us a tour of their farm when we got there. With the help of our cell phone and two sets of eyes carefully watching for road signs and numbers on the mailboxes, we managed to pass it and turn around only once. There are no signs - just goats in several enclosed areas set far back from the road. We drove up and passed a young man shoveling hay by the fence with dozens and dozens of goat heads poking through, eagerly devouring the fresh meal.Mel Brown is as laid back a man as your likely to meet, with an easy smile and a dry sense of humor. As we stood in the shade of a tree with a goat gently nibbling on the strings at the bottom of my cargo pants, Mel talked to us about animal husbandry and the food industry in this country. Originally from England, he spent time in Guatemala and did the first embryo transplants in cattle. (As a result of that work, women who want to get pregnant and need to have an embryo transplanted can have that done - it's the same technology.) From there he came to this country and worked at first with cattle before he and his wife started Amaltheia back in 2000.

When Mel told us that there were four corporations which produce most of the food in this country, even I was surprised.

When I got home I heard an interview with Tom Vilseck, our Secretary of Agriculture, confirming what Mel had said - that approximately 70% of the food in this country is produced by less than 4% of the farmers. Basically, our food comes from ADM (Archer Daniels Midland), Cargill, IBP (Iowa Beef Producers) and Tyson. That's a huge amount of money controlled by a very select few. The consequences of that are so far reaching that it would take a book - or many of them - to sort it all out. (As a kind of aside, Jenn, our very own Leftover Queen selected me to win her giveaway of the book "Stuffed", by Hank Cardello. If you want to read about at least some of the consequences of giant agribusiness controlling our food, I suggest you read it.)

So how do people like Mel and Sue make it in this country? How do individuals go up against the giants? The short answer is "It ain't easy". But the good news is that the old adage about timing being everything is what makes Mel and Sue's business shine like the north star. Because the tide is definitely flowing in their direction. People are beginning to wake up to the consequences of our current methods of food production. Yes, we can produce a tremendous amount of food at an amazingly low price. That is, if you only count the price at the cash register. But over the years it has become more and more apparent that our food production techniques are making us sick.Sometimes it's obvious, as when there's a recall of beef due to the presence of e. coli. Mel addressed the issue of e. coli and said that it could be controlled easily if the cows were allowed to grass feed - especially at the end. That would change their ruminant and eliminate the bacteria, but it would cost more to do it that way. As things are done now, the cows are corn fed - or overfed - and as a result they have to be slaughtered sooner rather than later or else their organs would all break down. (I'm sorry - I'm really not trying to make that steak look less appealing! But I AM trying to make a case for grass-fed beef.)To paraphrase something Mel said, farmer's don't know how to farm anymore. Unless they can spray everything, they don't know how to produce. And this is precisely why people like Mel and Sue are in the right place at the right time. Because people are literally hungry for food that is produced organically, ethically and sustainably. The goat's milk cheese produced by Almatheia made with vegetable rennet, not only rivals anything produced conventionally that you can find in the supermarkets, but it also satisfies that hunger to keep your dollars flowing in the direction of that which is sane and sensible, good for you and good for our earth.

But wait - there's more! A byproduct of making goat's milk cheese is the whey. What does an organic farmer do with all that whey? In Amaltheia's case, they use it to feed pigs. So they are raising pigs on an organic diet. We didn't get to taste any pork products while we were there - I don't think the pigs are ready yet - but they looked as happy as pigs in......... Well, let's just say they looked happy.And then there's the matter of manure. Lots of goats + lots of pigs = lots of manure. So what do you do with it? Why, compost it, of course. And use it in your garden to produce an enormous crop of vegetables. (And of course whatever vegetable matter is left over at the end of the season will be feed for hungry animals.) And when there's still huge piles of it left after you've used all you need? Why you offer it to neighboring farms so that they can benefit as well. And then, of course, it becomes obvious that chickens would be a good next step. There's room. There are pens. And as someone who has actually raised chickens myself, I know the difference between an organic egg which was laid within the last week where you have to smash it against the pan in order to break the shell, vs. those anemic looking thin-shelled things available in the grocery stores. No contest.

We left after several hours (and some luscious samples - thank you, Mel!) and headed east across Montana. We were driving through cattle country, and I gazed out the window at all those cows grazing peacefully on the hillsides. They were all still healthy because they were doing what cows do naturally - eating grass.

We all have a choice in what we eat, and I don't know anyone who is perfect 100% of the time. We eat healthy foods and we eat junk food, just as we exercise and then "fall off the wagon". My personal commitment to my own health includes eating organic foods as often as possible. I don't stress over it when I go out or eat at a friend's house, but when I go to buy fruits and veggies, you'll find me in front of the organic section. Same thing with chicken and eggs. I make those choices because I know how to stretch my food dollars. The organic chicken I purchased recently was initially roasted and fed 2 people. The leftovers went into making Tom Kha soup and curried chicken salad with coconut, almonds and cranberries. And I still had a leg and thigh left for lunch today, with green beans, almonds and shitaki mushrooms.

What do you do to stretch your food dollar? How important is it to you to eat organic food?

I also want to urge you to visit Amaltheia's website: Amaltheia Dairy. You'll find a beautiful selection of cheeses available for purchase.p.s.: This just in from Sue: Monsanto just bought the largest wheat seed company in Montana. So the number of players in the food industry just got smaller.

Potatoes make the meal

2009-09-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

I don't think I will ever look at a potato the same way again. I've always loved potatoes - baked or mashed or fried - and I've always considered them simple but satisfying food. But after visiting Walters Produce in Newdale, Idaho, I've gained a new respect for the lowly spud.

My sister and I have been on a road trip through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, and tomorrow we will head for South Dakota. Our first stop was in Tetonia, Idaho - just west of the Grand Tetons. We opted to stay at a bed and breakfast in Idaho, rather than pay the exorbitant prices in Jackson, Wyoming. The Locanda di Fiori, or Inn of the Flowers, turned out to be more than we could possibly have imagined. It was, in short, perfection. The owner - Carol - has become our new best friend. Not only did she pay attention to every last detail, including Ralph Lauren sheets and towels, organic soaps, and herbal teas in our room, but her breakfasts are to die for. Our days started with fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, French toast, ham, and the best coffee west of the Mississippi. They continued with laughter, intelligent conversation, the last float trip of the season down the river in Jackson, Wyoming, with the Barker Ewing company, where we saw moose, river otters and bald eagles - to mention just a few things. Carol then bought us some wine at Dornan's restaurant in Moose - yes, that's Moose - Wyoming, with a spectacular view of the sunset over the Tetons. We laughed and talked and wound up having pizza and more wine as we watched the colors change.

She then guided us back to the inn, where we changed into our suits and soaked in the hot tub for about an hour, sipping wine and practically listening to the stars crackle in the crisp night air. The next morning we said our goodbyes, and we headed off to Newdale. Carol had told us about the potato processing plant there and said that we had to visit it. At this point, we knew that we'd like anything she said, so we crossed the tracks, turned right, and drove down to the office.W. Jeffrey Walters and his brother are the third generation owners and operators of Walters Produce.
He took us on a tour of his facility, which processes something like 800,000 pounds of potatoes - mostly from Idaho. The soil in Idaho is volcanic - a rich, black soil which produces potatoes unlike any other kind in the U.S. Potatoes from farms owned and operated by the Walters family, as well as farms all over Idaho and surrounding states arrive daily by trucks. They are graded, sorted, washed, inspected, bagged, boxed, dried, shipped and stored - all in a giant, automated facility which employs hundreds of workers - many of whom are on a work program from the local prison.With every step through the plant, we inhaled the earthy smell of potatoes. Right now they are processing mainly russets, with some Yukon golds. At different times of the year, there are different varieties being processed. By the time we left, we absolutely needed to have some potatoes! We both opted for some of the medium sized ones - perfect for baking. He was so kind - he gave us a small bag of them, even though we only asked for 2! So far we haven't stayed anywhere where we have baked them, so we will probably go back with them in our suitcases. But what a fabulous souvenier! It beats a tee shirt any day!

Using up leftovers before my next trip...

2009-09-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

I know....I know..... I seem to be going on more and more trips lately. I just got back from Orcas Island and now I'm headed off to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. And Montana. And South Dakota. I mean, there's a buffalo roundup in Custer State Park just minutes from Mt. Rushmore! What's a gal to do? When I was in New Mexico over Memorial Day weekend, a friend told me that she had gone to it several years ago, and the ground shakes under your feet as 1500 bison come roaring over the hill. I knew I would have to check that out. Besides, I've never been to that part of the country, and it's something I've wanted to do for a long time.

So I'm doing my own version of a roundup here at home. I'm rounding up everything I've got lying around the fridge and trying to eat it before I leave. While I try to limit the amount of pasta I eat, it really is the very best way to incorporate leftovers into a tasty meal. Now I need to invite the neighborhood over for dinner so that I don't have leftover leftovers!

This meal is one that doesn't really have a recipe. You take whatever pasta you've got and cook it. You add whatever leftovers you've got. With me, it was mainly grilled veggies, tomatoes from my garden (not exactly "leftover", but I did want to eat as many as possible!), and some goat cheese. I tossed it together with some olive oil and had a simple, tasty meal. I've done this many times over the years and it's always different depending upon the leftovers, but it always works.
I'll be leaving tomorrow and back on Oct. 1st. But before I go, I wanted to respond to something that Terry B from Blue Kitchen wrote in his comment on my last post. I had stated that part of our national obesity problem comes from petroleum - that we'd rather drive than walk. His response was a good one (I'd encourage you to read it). He stated that it was a cultural thing - that Chicago was a walking town, whereas St. Louis was not. I get this one. I was born on Long Island, and New York City is a walking town, as are pretty much all the cities in Europe. When I lived in the mountains of New Mexico, it wasn't common for people to walk to the grocery store, even though it was only 1 1/2 miles away, because there were no sidewalks. But New Mexico is a place where people who love the outdoors go to live. Instead of walking to the grocery store, people go for hikes in the mountains in the summer and ski in the winter.

Here in San Diego, there are sidewalks, but walking is still looked at with suspicion. Jogging? No problem. But walking? Is there something wrong with your car? Perhaps when the price of gas gets up to what Europeans have been paying for years and years, even people in San Diego will consider putting on those new walking shoes and actually walking in them!

Have a great couple of weeks, my friends! Oh - and if anyone knows of a great little restaurant in Bozeman, Mt., or anywhere near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I'd love to hear about it!

Obesity, "Stuffed Nation", and further thoughts on food

2009-09-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Jenn, our very own Leftover Queen and founder of the Foodie Blogroll, has brought up a subject which has been on my mind for years. It was prompted by the book "Stuffed" by Hank Cardello, who is also the author of the blog Stuffed Nation. Jenn has asked us to write about our thoughts on the escalating obesity rates in the U.S. as well as food policy in this nation.While I have not yet read Mr. Cardello's book, I'm someone who has been in the "alternative" health care field for the last 18 years, and have had lots of time to think about food and health. I have had many people call me to ask if acupuncture will help them lose weight. (The short answer is "yes", but the real answer is more complicated than that - perhaps a subject for a future post.) People are truly searching for ways to lose weight and are willing to put their dollars to work to do this. Snack food companies have understood this for years, which is why the supermarket aisles are filled with fat free and sugar free foods as well as "diet" sodas. So why is it, with so many diet foods at our disposal, are we gaining so much weight?

For many years, I'd tell people that the answer was petroleum. Petroleum, you ask? Yes. People will get into a $25,000 car, move it 8 blocks to the supermarket, and then go in to buy a fat free or sugar free snack food, hoping it will help them to lose weight. In Europe, where people have paid over $6 per gallon for gasoline for many years, they walk. They walk in the winter and summer. They walk in the rain, the snow, the heat and humidity. I remember years ago when traveling by myself in southern France, I met a woman at a restaurant in Arles. She invited me to sit with her as we were both dining by ourselves. After dinner we took a walk together and I noticed that she had a great figure for a woman "of a certain age". When I asked her if she belonged to a gym she laughed. "Mais non!" She told me that she walked everywhere.

I live in southern California, where walking is looked upon with some suspicion. I walk anyway. I came back from a grocery store which is about a mile and a half from my home, carrying my groceries. A neighbor looked at me with surprise and asked "Did you walk to Henry's???" "Yes." And I wondered if this woman would consider it strange to walk 3 miles if she was in the mountains on a hike? I doubt it. Just strange to do it where there's pavement.

So petroleum plays a big role in our obesity, because it enables us to easily move from here to there without having to expend much effort. (Read "calories"). We take the elevator. We drive the car. The guys who are out there doing yard work are using those gas powered blowers to blow the leaves around, rather than an old-fashioned rake, which requires more effort. If you've seen the movie "Wall-e", you can see the exaggeration of what petroleum has done to us. We have become rounder.

Another reason we are gaining weight as a nation is the subsidies we pay our farmers for corn and soy products. Corn is what they use to fatten cattle. High fructose corn syrup is what they put in almost anything out there that's sweet. In other words, we have marched ourselves into a national feedlot, happily eating our corn and growing fat. Farm subsidies are part of our national policy, and I can imagine that there'd be a cogent argument in favor of subsidies. I won't get into that now, but there is something called the Law of Unintended Consequences. Whether you're in favor or against subsidies, it must be recognized that where we, as a nation, put our dollars affects all of us. And when we make it a national policy to subsidize certain crops, it makes it seem that they are cheaper. When we perceive that these foods are cheaper, we will find more and more ways to use them, whether or not that perception is based in reality. Taxes pay for subsidies, after all, so it's a question of whether we pay more in taxes or more at the supermarket.

And finally, there's the way many of us eat. I mentioned in my last post that I had seen the movie "Julie and Julia". When Julia Child was writing her book, fast food restaurants either did not exist, or if they did they were in their infancy. Women, for the most part, cooked. Meals were made primarily from scratch. "Convenience foods" were an outgrowth of WWII. They came from the rations that the soldiers used in the field - the dried and powdered foods that were developed to feed the troops. After the war, food manufacturers tried to sell these foods to women, but initially women rejected them. They didn't want to "just add water". After some research was done, it was discovered that if women had to do more than add water - if they had to add an egg and some oil to the cake mix - they were more willing to buy the convenience food. It was probably the first "crossover" concept in the food industry, and it was an enormous success.

Another post-war development was the electric (and gas) refrigerator, which replaced the ice box. As refrigerators developed, their freezer components went from the size of a couple of ice cube trays to what we see today. All of this invited the food industry to create newer convenience foods, and today we have what I'm sure must be a multi-billion dollar industry which has the capacity to feed many people for a relatively low cost. The hidden cost, of course, is the consequences of eating all this processed food - most of which contains corn and soy, as well as ingredients which are unpronounceable. If you can't pronounce something, how do you know it's food? Will your body recognize it as food? Or is it the equivalent to putting 20 octane gas in your tank? Would you consider putting 20 octane fuel in your tank? I doubt it. But most people are more than willing to put "20 octane fuel" in their bodies. Then they wonder why they don't feel well, and where this "dis-ease" came from. Perhaps what we put into our bodies has something to do with what we get out of them?

The increasing popularity of the "slow food" movement, and the idea of eating locally produced foods is something which would make grandma smile in her grave. She'd recognize it for what it is - common sense. What we are discovering is that common sense produces some darned good eating. We are being told that it's not really possible to make the leap to common sense right now - that it's too far from where we are to the common sense of eating home made food produced locally. I'm not convinced of that. It seems to me that one of the "silver linings" of the recent economic downturn is that more and more people are learning about gardening, and how to grow their own food. Will it replace modern agribusiness? No. Of course not. I would never underestimate the power of the money behind modern agribusiness. But I'm pleased to see an increasing number of community gardens which are springing up. And I'm thinking that at the very least, the kids who are getting to help their parents out in these gardens will make an important connection between the food they eat and the land it comes from.

I'm reminded of going to a local, high-end appliance store when I was remodeling my house back in 2003. A salesman was walking me around the store and showing me all the different appliances which I would need in my new home - stoves, refrigerators, faucets, showerheads etc. As he whizzed down a hallway with me in tow, I stopped in front of a gorgeous stove. "What's that?" I asked, breathlessly taking in this gleaming steel object with copper railings and a flat top with concentric steel flat circular plates set into the top. "$35,000," he answered, as he whizzed off. Later, I wandered back to have a closer look. I believe it was a La Cornu stove, with 2 ovens. He told me that the way you adjusted the heat on the top was to move the pot closer to the center of the rings for higher heat, and further away from it to reduce the heat. "Just like my friend Julie's wood cook stove", I thought. And then I laughed. To think - modern technology has advanced us to the point of cooking on a wood cook stove without the wood, and at a much, much higher price.

Our taste in food just might be going back to the time when grandma was a girl, too. If we can keep the price down to under $11 per tomato, we just might be on to something!

One last comment. For those of you who think you do not know how to cook, or live with someone who thinks they don't know how to cook, I have a wonderful story. A friend of mine's husband had his best friend visit from Ohio. The friend made dinner for all of us. My friend's husband looked at his old friend and asked incredulously "You know how to cook???" "No" said the friend. "But I know how to read."

Summery Couscous

2009-09-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

I just discovered how much it costs to run my fans. Unbelievable!! I have no idea how much worse it could be if I had air conditioning. I don't want to know - it's heart-stopping enough with just fans running, doing a semi-adequate job of keeping this place cool. My kitchen is running on half time. I'm running on half time. They say it will be cooler this weekend. I can't wait.

Going to the movies in the middle of the day is an ideal way to beat the heat. Have any of you seen Julie and Julia? It's lovely. I've always adored Meryl Streep, and she's perfect in this role. For those of you who already have cookbooks published, you can probably relate to it even more. I think, though, it might have taken her longer than anyone writing today, if for no other reason than the fact that she used a typewriter. A typewriter! I remember those days, people. If you don't remember them, then you can't imagine how fantastic these computers are. They are a godsend - trust me.

I have lovely heirloom tomatoes growing. I think they're called plum tomatoes. I got them at the farmer's market, lured by their rich purpley color. I dried the seeds from one and planted them. Now I have 3 tall plants with green fruit hanging on them. When they ripen, I will have to find something special to do with them. But meanwhile, I picked a bunch of my little cherry tomatoes to feature in the couscous I served at the last dinner party. This was the star of the show for the vegan, but I must say that those of us who are omnivores also loved it. It's quite simple, really, and worth turning your oven on for - especially if you plan on having dinner outdoors.

For tomatoes:

a large handful of cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 fresh basil leaves
12 whole fresh oregano leaves plus 3 tablespoons finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest, removed in strips with a vegetable peeler and finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F.

Toss tomatoes with sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and arrange, cut sides down, in a small shallow baking pan. Heat oil in a 9- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in basil and whole oregano leaves, then pour oil over tomatoes. Roast tomatoes until very tender but not falling apart, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer tomatoes with a spatula to a large plate, then pour oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl or measuring cup, discarding solids. Stir in chopped oregano, zest, juice, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Cook Couscous

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then toast couscous, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth, water, and salt and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and couscous is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes, then stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon oregano oil. Season with salt.

And then, because I wanted a more complete protein in this dish, I opened a can of garbanzo beans, drained them, and added them to the couscous before stirring in any of the oil. I topped this dish with the tomatoes and voila! A side dish for the rest of us, a satisfying dish for the vegan.

For health news, you can visit Mission Valley Acupuncture.

3 Good Reasons to Invite People to Dinner

2009-08-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Why on earth would anyone decide to have a dinner party when it's bloody hot and humid? I don't have air conditioning, after all, so the party had to be outdoors. But that meant cooking. Yes, that thing I love to do but which involves heat. I had the distinct feeling that I was suffering from heat stroke when I invited a few new friends. The woman is a borderline vegan. She cannot deal with dairy and doesn't eat meat or drink alcohol. The two men on the guest list had no such restrictions, so my challenge was to come up with something which would satisfy everyone and leave me awake and alert when they arrived. I didn't want to be seen disappearing into a puddle on the floor, wailing "I'm melting........I'm melllllting!!!"

So why put myself through this? 3 good reasons: First of all, I had a good reason to call someone to clean my house. When you live in 900 square feet, you don't often call someone in to clean. It's embarrassing to admit that you can't manage to keep a small space clean. I usually DO manage to keep it at least somewhat presentable, but I wanted it CLEAN, and oh, do I love love love the results! Even my refrigerator shelves are sparkling!

Secondly, I had a great reason to clean off my table outside, as well as sweep up the path and the little deck. I think I added about 4 inches to the compost. Watering and clipping made the garden look especially fresh and inviting.

And last, but certainly not least, I got to make food that I hadn't made before. When you live by yourself, having company over is cause for experimentation. So I made 3 dishes which I hadn't made before, plus an alternate version of one I have made. I plan on dribbling these recipes out to you, dear readers, rather than lay them all at your feet at once. The one thing that I made which I have no photograph of is the focaccia. Too bad, as it was quite stunning. (Yes, I'm mad enough to have even baked for this occasion!) Half of it had feta cheese and half had none. I got the recipe from Peter Reinhard's "Bread Baker's Apprentice", p.164. This was one thing I hadn't made before, but I will let you search out that recipe for yourself. I love this book and so far haven't had a single failure when I've followed the recipes.

The first thing that came to my mind when I pondered what to make for this gathering was Moroccan food. There would be meat for the meat eaters, and grains and veggies for the vegan. Perfect. I turned to several sources, but settled on the Moroccan Lamb Tagine from Epicurious. It had what I wanted - nuts and fruit. I, however, didn't follow the recipe. Surprised? I thought not. I'll give it to you here the way it's printed, but please go to the kitchen notes. It not only tells you how I tweaked it, but what else I would do when making this dish in the future.

Mrouzia (Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Almonds and Raisins)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons ras-el-hanout*
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
3 cups water
3 lb boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, coarsely grated (1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups raisins
1 1/4 cups whole blanched almonds
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Whisk together ras-el-hanout, salt, pepper, ginger, saffron, and 1 cup water in a 5-quart heavy pot. Stir in lamb, remaining 2 cups water, onion, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and butter and simmer, covered, until lamb is just tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in raisins, almonds, honey, and ground cinnamon and simmer, covered, until meat is very tender, about 30 minutes more.

Uncover pot and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until stew is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes more.

Cooks' note: •Tagine can be made 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered.

Kitchen Notes:

1. Paula Wolfert, author of Couscous and Other Good Foods from Morocco, says she bought some ras el hanout in Fez years ago and had it analyzed in New York. That sample contained 26 ingredients, including ash berries, belladonna leaves, cantharides, galingale, and monk's pepper (cantharides, another name for the beetle known as Spanish fly, and monk's pepper being only two of the supposed aphrodisiacs that occasionally find their way into ras el hanout. It can also contain hashish). Ras el Hanout can be purchased through specialty stores, though it can also be made (legally) at home from the following ingredients:

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp aniseed, or fennel
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cayenne or red chili
1/2 tsp lavender
1 Tbsp white peppercorns
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice berries
1 tsp ground cardamom

2. I had a large bag of slivered almonds in my freezer. Need I say more?
3. The recipe calls for 1/2 C honey and 1 1/4C whole blanched almonds. Too much of both. The next time I make this, I'll add 1/4C honey as I found it a bit too sweet for my taste. While I love almonds, I thought there were too many of them in this dish. Having said that, I must say that I seemed to be the only one that felt that way, so I would recommend that you start with less of both and see how you feel about increasing either one or both of those ingredients.

Eating and Drinking in the Northwest.

2009-08-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

I spent the last 10 days in the northwest. Seattle to start with, and then out to Orcas Island. The alleged purpose of this trip was to do a meditation retreat, but it turned into a celebration of foodie paradise. Seriously. No, I mean seriously.

I went with a friend who had been going to Camp Indralaya for years and years. We stayed in a cabin and participated in the beginning of the retreat, but after a while it became obvious to us that our real need was for exploration of the island and the incredible food available. So for 5 days we walked and explored the lush gardens and orchards of Indralaya as well as the surrounding area.

What I didn't get a shot of was the deer. They were everywhere. Totally unafraid of us. You could practically feed them out of your hand. In fact, I'm sure with a little patience it could have been done. There were also bunny rabbits which hopped up to you if you walked out of the kitchen. They were jonesing for some leftovers, and they made no bones about it.

At the end of this idyllic stay, we drove back to Seattle and I had another day to explore. So where did I go? To Pike St. Market, of course! It's the best free show on earth - from the flying fish....

to the flying crabs....

to the produce and honey........

to the fresh flowers and the street performers.......

So much to see and do......So much to eat! But no cooking this past week. None at all. On the one hand, that suited me just fine. On the other, with so many fresh ingredients, it was foodie hell not to be able to cook! But I'm back now. I went to the farmer's market here today and realized how limited it is. Better than nothing, of course, but so very, very limited compared to the northwest.

But at least I don't have mold growing on me, and that's a delight!

Still on a Corn Binge

2009-08-04T13:59:00.001-07:00

I'm getting ready to go on a much needed retreat up to Orcas Island - part of the San Juan Islands north of Seattle. A friend of mine has been telling me about a place he goes to for years - it's called Indralaya. We'll be doing some meditation, maybe some yoga, hiking, canoeing, and generally being out of touch with the rest of the world. The line "The world is too much with us" keeps resonating in my head, and this coming week will be a chance to change all of that.

It's funny. When I read what I've just written, I can't help but laugh. I absolutely love what I do and the people I work with. I've traveled enough in this world to know how lucky I am. But that doesn't mean that even the luckiest among us don't need time off. We need to recharge. Does everyone need this? I don't know. Maybe there are people out there who are content doing whatever they do in their day to day lives and don't need a change of pace. Apparently, I'm not one of them.

What do you do to recharge and renew? I'd love to hear about it!

So naturally, when I'm about to go on a trip, one of the things that I must do - aside from making sure that the cat has staff in place - is clean out the fridge. And since corn has been so abundant and delicious lately, I decided to continue my corn addiction with a spiced up version of a simple cornbread. This is one of those recipes that I took from the Joy of Cooking and then tweaked. Joy of Cooking usually delivers simple, no-fail recipes. Tweaking them "kicks them up a notch."

1 C AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt

Sift all ingredients into a bowl.

Add:

3/4 C yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 T powdered chipotle chili (see Kitchen Notes)

Combine and beat:

1 C buttermilk
2 eggs
3-4 T melted butter

Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry in a few swift strokes. You may add

1/2 C fresh corn kernels (or whatever amount you get from cutting the kernels off of 1 ear)

Pour the batter into a 9X9" pan or a muffin tin. Bake in a preheated, 425 degree oven for 1/2 hour.

Kitchen Notes

I used chipotle chili, but you can use any kind you'd like. They all have a different flavor, and they're all good!

Summer Corn Salad

2009-07-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

To me, there are two main reasons to have a garden. The first and most important one is for fresh tomatoes. I have no idea how modern agribusiness has managed to rob these miraculous fruits of their sensational earthy sweetness, but they have. From my perspective, those genetically altered red round things in the store should be called something else, not tomatoes. A fresh off the vine tomato can bring tears of joy to my eyes. A store bought one brings a yawn to my lips.

The other reason to have a garden would be to have fresh corn. Now, when it comes to corn, I have gotten some wonderful corn from our farmer's market. I have even bought delicious corn from the store. And corn does say "summer", in a clear, fresh yellow or white voice. So I have no problem with buying wonderful corn when it's in season.

But have I told you about when we had a garden in New Mexico and grew corn? When it was ready for picking, there would usually be tomatoes ready as well. Bob and I agreed that dinner should be corn and tomatoes. He would grill or saute the tomatoes with some fresh herbs from the garden and a little olive oil. I would place a large pot of water on to boil, add a touch of salt, and when it was almost boiling, I'd set out to the garden to pick corn.

We had a large compost pile back then, and I'd stop at the compost, shuck the corn, and then head in to the kitchen with my clean, freshly picked corn. Someone had told us that the sugar in corn turns to starch in the space of about 15 minutes. I have no idea if that's true, but I can tell you that those ears of corn had a taste that I haven't experienced anywhere else, because I've never gone through that ritual anywhere else. And I do believe that those ears of corn had more sugar in them than even the sweetest organic corn from the farmer's market. Perhaps it's merely my memory that makes them sweeter. But I also remember that we both were in agreement on this one - that those ears of corn were the best ever!

But there's a wonderful recipe that I got from Rachael over at Fresh Approach Cooking which I absolutely must share with you. I made it for some friends who were coming to dinner. One of them confessed to me at the end of the meal that normally he doesn't like corn. I stopped counting how many times he went back for more. He couldn't get enough, and neither could anyone else. People raved about this one, and you will too. Not only because it's so good, but because it's also fresh, light, and incredibly easy to prepare.
Cut the kernels off of 6-7 ears of corn. Place in a large bowl.
Cut the green parts off of 2 good sized leeks and clean
Slice the leeks in 1/2" slices
Put the leeks in a pan with some oil and butter and cook over medium high heat until soft - about 10 minutes
Cut cherry, grape or plum tomatoes in half.
After removing the leeks from the pan, throw the tomatoes in briefly - maybe 3 minutes.
Coarsely chop a handful of basil - you may use purple or green - it doesn't really matter
Toss all ingredients in a large bowl and add white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

If you plan on having enough to serve your guests, you might want to make extra. You will have a hard time stopping your taste testing.

Thank you Rachael!!! You are amazing!

Money

2009-07-16T21:14:00.001-07:00

No time to post about food today. It's been a busy week with much of it devoted to food, and some of it devoted to photography - but not the making of extraordinary dishes, and not the taking of pictures. I've decided that it's actually time to learn more about photoshop, so I am actually spending time with the book I bought, trying to learn something about this monster of a program. I have assisted others in the preparation of extraordinary meals, and have benefited from having amazing leftovers. In other words, it's been one of those summer weeks.....

What do you do in the summer, when you're not turning out quick, fresh summery meals?

I wake up to the news each morning. These days the news has to do with the economy, with money and how it, or the lack of it, has been affecting people's lives. It has been such a drumbeat of fear, scarcity and gloom, that I find myself drifting back to sleep instead of listening to it. We, as a species, managed to survive the Great Depression. I suspect that we will also survive this thing - whatever it's being called these days. To that end I offer you, dear reader, this poem by John Updike, entitled "Money":

Money

by John Updike

Money is such a treat.
It takes up so little space.
It takes no more ink
for the bank to print $9,998
than to print $1,001.
It flows, electronically;
it does not gather dust.
Like water, it (dis)solves everything.
Oceanic, it is yet as lucid
as a mountain pool; the depositor
can see clear to the sandy bottom.
It is ubiquitous and under pressure, yet
pennies don't drip from faucets.
Money is so tidy, so neat.

It is freedom in action: when you
give a twenty-buck bill to the cabbie,
you don't tell him how to spend it.
He can blow it on coke,
for all you care. All you care
about is your change. No wonder
the ex-Communists are dizzy. In
the old Soviet Union
there was nothing to buy,
nothing to spend. It was freedom
of a kind, but not our kind. We need
money, the dull electric thrill
when the automatic teller spits out
the disposable receipt.

Kaffir Lime Lemon Drop, Irma Rombauer and Balancing Joy and Recession

2009-07-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine gave me a magazine the other day in which there was an article about the Joy of Cooking, and it's author Irma Rombauer. I've had this book ever since.....well....let's just say since before I can remember. It was the first book I used to bake French bread. I've relied on the conversion tables, and when I lived in New Mexico, the advice on cooking and baking at high altitudes. I didn't know much about it's author, Irma Rombauer. I wasn't aware, for instance, that her husband had committed suicide after the 1929 stock market crash, and that Irma turned to writing a cookbook as her way of coping with the loss. I'm not sure I ever realized that this book came out originally in the 1930s, and that it addressed the struggle of putting food on the table in economic hard times. I just used it as a reference book more than a cookbook, and for that purpose it worked very well.
The copy I've got was published in 1964 by Marion Rombauer Becker - Irma's daughter, and was "modernized" to include new sections called "The Foods We Eat" and "Know Your Ingredients". I absolutely adore the story with which she opens her section on the foods we eat. "We enjoy the cynical story of the old-fashioned doctor who insisted first on going straight to the kitchen of the afflicted household. Not until he had effusively thanked the cook for giving him a new patient did he dash upstairs to see how he could relieve the cook's victim."

Irma was apparently an excellent hostess. She could throw a party in a heartbeat and keep everyone entertained. The current edition of the book begins with how to set the table, and includes instruction for both formal and informal dining etiquette.
Her original edition also started with entertaining, and apparently began by extolling the virtues of cocktails. She declares that whatever mixtures you put together for your cocktail, you should keep the alcohol content of your drink up to 60% and never below half. It's pretty clear why she was such a successful hostess! She also admonishes us to remember that since cocktails are served before a meal, they should never be too sweet or overloaded with cream or egg. Their job is to stimulate the appetite, not to spoil it.

These days, there are many people struggling to put food on their tables. There are many more people trying to keep the roof over their heads so that they will have a place for that table. But the thing to remember is what the ancient wise men told the king when they were asked to sum up the wisdom of the world: And this too shall pass. Hard times call for an enterprising spirit. In other words, it's time to take those lemons that life just handed to you and make lemonade.

Well, I know that I'm one of the lucky ones because I still do have a roof over my head, and being self-employed means that I still have a job. So when one of my patients came in with a huge bag of lemons, I thought it wise to make lemonade. But wait! Why stop at lemonade? Why not put a twist on the old and create something new? Besides, I had some kaffir lime leaves leftover in the fridge, and I wanted to use them. So I came up with this and taste tested it. May I be the first to tell you that it was delicious?

I decided to start by making a simple syrup and flavoring it with the lime leaves. Basically equal parts sugar and water (or less water, depending upon your taste), heat to dissolve the sugar, and throw in a handful of lime leaves - probably at least 8 of them - then let them steep for at least an hour. Pull out the leaves and you can store this in a jar in the fridge.

For each Kaffir Lime Lemon Drop cocktail, you will need:

1 1/2 jiggers of vodka
3/4C simple syrup
3/4C lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients together and shake in a martini shaker. Strain into martini glasses and garnish with a lime leaf.
What's your favorite old fashioned cookbook on your shelf? Is there one you inherited from your mom or aunt, and you just can't let go if it's stained pages?

2009-07-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Every culture has it's comfort foods. For some people, it's a bowl of chicken soup that makes the world seem right, even in the pouring rain. For others, it's fried chicken. And for still others, it's a bowl of chili - winter or summer. We seek these foods out when we're stressed, when we're beginning to feel a cold coming on, or when the world just seems too much with us. Something about their smell, their texture, their taste - tells us that it's OK - we're OK. That this too shall pass.

Now, don't ask me how a nice Jewish girl originally from Long Island winds up with risotto as a comfort food. I mean, if I read the manual, it would probably say chicken soup - right? And chicken soup is great too - don't get me wrong. But these days, with a dislocated little toe and June gloom, I find myself turning to risotto for comfort. The texture is perfect. And someone gave me some sliced truffles which came in water. And I still have lots of dried shitaki mushrooms. So what's a girl to do?

I'll tell you what I tried to do. I tried photographing the risotto with the veggies I had grilled to go with it - red pepper, zucchini and eggplant. For some reason, not even Photoshop wants to open those pictures. They are, apparently, in an unrecognizable format. I see another learning curve in my future..........

Since I've made this kind of a dish before, I'm going to cheat a little and give you the recipe as it appeared here. Besides, I just went back and re-read that post, and in a heartbeat I was back in Rome. If you have the time and would care to take a quick jaunt to the Eternal City, be my guest!

What foods do you call comfort foods?

BTW - The black phoebe is using the bush outside my window as a culinary lesson for her young. Beyond fabulous!

Ingredients:

Leeks:
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup whipping cream

Mushrooms:
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cut into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices
1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Risotto:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups (or more) hot vegetable broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons shaved or chopped black truffle (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

For leeks:
Bring leeks and cream to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are tender and cream is thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

For mushrooms:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss all ingredients on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until mushrooms are tender and light brown around edges, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For risotto:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup hot broth. Simmer until broth is almost absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add more broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in leek mixture, mushroom mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, and truffle. Transfer to large bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Market Tip
White truffle oil is sold at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets. Black truffles are available at specialty foods stores and from igourmet.com. A flavorful substitute for the shaved truffles is the Truffle Gatherers Sauce ($19), which can be ordered from fungusamongus.com.

Kitchen Notes:
I had truffle oil this time, but not leeks. I used scallions instead. And, as I mentioned, I used truffles that had originally come sliced and in a can with water. I have never looked for this type of can. The woman who gave it to me is the wife of a chef. It helps to have connections!!

Shrimp Curry and a Love Affair

2009-06-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Summer is here. I have a lovely black phoebe which visits the bush outside the window of my home office. I love this little bird. He's bold as brass, and doesn't seem to give a rip if I'm outside working in my garden. He's on a mission, and nothing as crass as a human would stop him. He reminds me how simple life can be - aim for the berries. Eat. Perform feather maintenance. Is there a problem?
Summer is here and I've gotten a "new"/used camera body (yeah!! A Canon 40D!), and a "new" lens - a fast 17-55. Yeah, I know - still no macro lens. It will have to wait for now. But the pull towards creativity has gotten stronger, and my ancient Rebel was beginning to feel about the same as using dial-up.

Summer is here, and I'm using my oven less, my stovetop and grill more. Cherries are in the markets, and so are kaffir lime leaves - my latest culinary love. I'm putting them in dishes which could use a note of citrus, and these days I seem to want that note more and more - in my food and soon in a lovely drink recipe. (Stay tuned). My favorite Asian grocery store sells them in those styrofoam trays covered with plastic. I bring them home and freeze them.

Of course, I don't travel to the supermarket with only one item on the list. And I never come home with only the items on my list. I mean, what fun would that be, without room for serendipity? No. I cruise the aisles and wait for inspiration. This past week it came in the form of shrimp. Decent sized shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined and at an insanely reasonable price. How does $4.99/lb. sound? That's what I thought. Me too. Which is why I went for the bag of baby bok choy and some scallions. I had shitakes at home.

I found a couple of recipes on Epicurious for Thai curries that used seafood and kaffir lime leaves. I read them and then went into the kitchen and got to work. What follows is an adjusted recipe, as best as I can remember my own adjustments. I've never felt compelled to follow a recipe, and those of you who follow my blog certainly don't seem to have those constraints either.

Curry Sauce

1 13.5- to 14.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
12 whole green cardamom pods, crushed
3 fresh kaffir lime leaves (3 double leaves)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5 green onions, finely chopped, dark green parts separated from white and pale green parts
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, divided
2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons green Thai curry paste - or more to taste
2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)
10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 small bok choy, sliced lengthwise and then sliced across.

For curry sauce:
Combine all ingredients except shrimp in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking to blend. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cover and let sauce stand at room temperature 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Strain. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

In a separate pan, saute the bok choy over high heat with a little oil for 2 minutes or so. Add to curry sauce and let it sit in the sauce while the flavors are blending.

Heat before serving and drop shrimp in, allowing them to cook until pink - 3-5 minutes, depending upon size.

Serve over steamed rice. I added cilantro to the rice after it had steamed but was still hot.

Presto Pesto!... and a giveaway...

2009-06-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

June Gloom mornings followed by summery afternoons. My garden is happy! I spent my weekend picking the dead leaves and flowers off the geraniums, moving a potted plant so that my heirloom tomato would get more light, organizing my emails and generally doing nothing. There are times when I need to do nothing, but I so rarely feel that I can afford to do nothing. I have succumbed to modern life, as much as I have tried to dodge that bullet. I counsel my patients to stop, slow down, take time out to breathe, remember that the world will not stop if they don't do everything. Well, this weekend I finally took my own advice. I think by doing this, I have managed to dodge whatever it was that was trying to take over my lungs.

I read Katie's terrific post over at Thyme For Cooking about laying out a garden. I could have used her sage advice when I lived in New Mexico and had room and lots of sun for a big veggie garden. Now I must grow everything in pots - flowers, herbs, veggies. We have a gopher infestation in this neighborhood that has me worried. My house is on a hillside which is now riddled with the little beasts, and if we don't do something about it soon, I think I might wind up in my neighbor's living room. But I digress......... Anyway, for those of you with room for a garden, I highly recommend her post. For those of you with little room or little sun, or both (like me), container gardening will yield wonderful results too.

My dad was an incredible gardener. He used to grow the best tomatoes on earth. I may have posted my memories of coming home from school and going straight to the garden to pick a ripe tomato, inhaling it's sun-warmed earthy scent while biting into it and letting the juices run down my chin. I don't know how many tomato plants he used to grow, but I do know that it was always more than we could eat. Which, of course, meant tomato sauce. And tomato sauce meant pasta. When I was a kid, pasta meant spaghetti - or "pisghetti" as we used to call it. To this day I can still see my brother as he sucked a strand of pisghetti into his mouth, the end flailing around and splashing tomato sauce all over his face, shirt and the table while both of us laughed.

When I looked at the shape of this pasta and knew that it wanted something other than tomato sauce. It wanted a sauce with some body. Winter was over, so the idea of a heavier meat sauce was definitely out. Pesto was the only thing that made sense to me at the time, and since basil was making it's appearance in every market and nursery in town, and parsley is growing in abundance in a container in my front yard, this was a no-brainer. The recipe that follows contains approximate amounts, as measuring isn't really my strong suit. I'm entering this into Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Daphne at More Than Words. Thanks to Ruth at Once Upon a Feast for keeping this event organized!Be sure to read the bottom of this post and enter the pasta giveaway! Garofalo has generously offered to send samples to one lucky winner.

Ingredients:

1 head of garlic, roasted whole in the oven
1 C pine nuts
2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cups grated Pecorino Romano
6 C (packed) basil leaves - you may use a variety of basil
2 1/2C flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 TBS chopped anchovies
6 TBS olive oil

Peel the garlic and place the cloves in a food processor until finely chopped, then add nuts, cheeses, anchovies, a large handful of herbs, and 1 teaspoon pepper and process until chopped. Add remaining herbs one handful at a time, pulsing after each addition, until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil and blend until incorporated.

Pesto can be stored in the freezer, so making a large quantity at once makes it easy to have presto pasta!

Pasta give away:

It seems that pasta brings back memories of childhood to everyone. What is your favorite childhood memory of pasta? It can be either eating it or your nonna's sauce filling the house with it's rich aroma. Send it to me at toni AT missionvalleyacu DOT com by June 25th. I will pick a winner at random and Garofalo Pasta will send you some samples.

Black Chicken - A Chinese Medicine Meal

2009-06-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

OK, let me start by telling you that I haven't a clue what makes it black. But if you have access to an Asian supermarket, you just might be able to score one of these chickens. I found mine in the freezer section. It was small and, yes, when it thawed out, it was black. I'm guessing it's the kind of bird, and perhaps something about the food it lived on. I mean, flamingos turn pink because of their food, right? Maybe these chickens turn black because of theirs. I don't want to know. All I know is that because it's black, it's considered a tonic for the kidneys in Chinese medicine. So why not, I asked myself? I hadn't been paying much attention to my kidneys lately - maybe it was time to give them a boost.

But when I saw this baby in the freezer, I decided to try and replicate an idea I had been exposed to a number of years ago when I was still teaching at the Oriental medical college here in San Diego. I had a student from Vietnam, and she invited a few of us over for dinner one night. She made a black chicken and put some Chinese herbs in it. This is not unusual, actually, in Chinese cooking. There's a dim sum place here in town where you can order a soup made with Chinese herbs. They don't use the more........shall we say "earthy"? ones in their cuisine. The use some flavorful ones that add depth as well as medicinal value. The dinner that night many years ago was delicious, and, as an added benefit, it was also designed to leave us all healthier than when we walked in. What follows is my tale, rather than a specific recipe. For those of you adventurous enough to attempt this, don't be surprised when you discover that it's actually quite delicious.

I made my pilgrimage to the Vietnamese supermarket last week where I scored this chicken and some kaffir lime leaves. Around the corner from the grocery store is the Chinese herb store where I send my braver patients. I stopped off and got some goji berries as well as some longan. Many of you might be familiar with goji berries - they have become quite fashionable in Whole Foods market. They are marketed as Himalayan goji berries and sold either separately or in trail mix. In Chinese medicine they are considered a blood tonic, as well as benefiting the lungs as well as the kidneys. They are bright red and beautiful, and I remember as a student, we used to go into the herb pharmacy at school and grab handfuls of them to munch on. If anyone's interested, they are known as Lycium barbarum L., or Fructus Lycii.

The longan is a fruit I became familiar with when I went to Vietnam a few years ago. We were in a boat on the Mekong Delta, motoring through the narrow passageways between pads of thick jungle. Periodically we would spy a young girl on a bicycle pedaling along a pathway which ran parallel to the water. She would smile at us when we waved to her. And then we rounded a corner and motoring in the opposite direction was this boat, loaded with longan fruit.I became fairly addicted to these "dragon eyes" as they are commonly called. They are sweet and not unlike a fresh lychee. Longan (Arillus Euphoriae Longanae) is used in Chinese medicine as a blood tonic as well, and is often used for insomnia, especially in people who can't "let it go".

So armed with my chicken, my Chinese herbs and my lime leaves, I set off to make something for dinner. Even though kaffir lime leaves are usually used in Thai cuisine, I decided that I didn't want to be constrained by ethnicity, but merely by my imagination. I have no memory of what ingredients other than black chicken Dong Phuong put in her dish that night, but it didn't matter. I was constructing something from what was fresh and available. I chose my herbs based on color, flavor, and the fact that women, in Chinese medical thinking, are advised to nourish their blood regularly.

So how to cook this odd assortment of ingredients? Well, you start with onion and garlic, of course - the way I start almost everything I cook. Then I added the (cut up) chicken. Oh - I should warn you - these chickens come whole. I mean, WHOLE. No gizzards (oddly), but with head and feet attached. It was a bit of a shock at first, but by then the chicken had thawed out and I was committed. (Thank you, Terry B over at Blue Kitchen, for getting me to sharpen my knives each and every time I use them! I couldn't have done this with even a slightly dull knife!) When the chicken pieces have been slightly seared on the outside, add some chicken stock, the lime leaves and reduce the flame. Cover and simmer while you pour yourself a glass of wine, fire up some rice, and boil some water to pour over some dried shitake mushrooms. You could use fresh ones if you wish, but they are much more expensive. I get the giant bags of dried shitakes from Costco, and they work just fine. When the rice starts cooking, add the goji and longan. When the shitakes are soft, you may cut them up some more, or just add them as is. (Costco's come pre-sliced.)

Knowing me, I probably threw some fresh or dried culinary herbs in there, but I honestly couldn't tell you what I used. I do remember throwing some fresh thyme into the rice. And I can tell you that this dish more than met my expectations. The sweetness of the longan and goji played nicely off the citrus undertones of the lime leaves.

And I slept like a baby that night.

I'm submitting this post to Weekend Herb blogging, for the first time in many, many months. In fact, it's been so long since I participated in this event, that I just discovered that the mantle has been passed to Haalo at Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once. This week it's being hosted by Katie from Eat This. I want to add a personal note of thanks to Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen for all the work she did to create and sustain this event.

A Pillow at the end of the day

2009-06-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

I don't belong to a gym. I find treadmills about as interesting as a box of rocks. You can walk or run for 20 minutes or more and the scenery never changes. Why would I want to do that? Boring!

I have patients who come to me wanting to lose weight, and they are listening for advice on their diets: eat this. Don't eat that. I disappoint them. I tell them to stop focusing as much on what they eat and start focusing on how much they move. I tell them that the biggest cause of their weight problem is petroleum. They look at me as if I was nuts, until I explain that to get into a $35,000 car and move it 6 blocks to buy a $3 loaf of bread is nuts. Europeans understand this principle, as gas there has been expensive for many, many years. Americans love the gym with the valet parking.

But when you think back to when you were a kid, your mom probably had to drag you inside in the evening to eat dinner. You were outside playing, and didn't really feel like stopping to eat. At least, that's the way it was for me. As adults, though, we don't think about playing as much as we think about exercising, and when we think about exercising, we get depressed. So I tell my patients not to use the word "exercise", and replace it, instead, with the word "play". I tell them to find something they love to do which gets them moving - something that might be called "play". They usually like that idea. Furthermore, for the ones who actually DO it, they find that they can eat more of what they like and still watch the pounds come off.

In my neighborhood, I'm known as "the walker". I walk to the grocery store carrying my cotton bags. On the way back, I use them as weights - lifting and lowering them as I walk. I'm getting my aerobic exercise and working out with weights at the same time. And as a side benefit, I'm getting fresh air and getting to know all the stores in the neighborhood. I'm also a crazy gardener. I chop away at weeds with my hoe and crawl under bushes to pull them out. I haul bags of mulch and carry off piles of clippings. At the end of the day I'm physically exhausted and happy. I'm also ready for some food - and sometimes even some dessert.

Since I don't eat many sweets, I look for desserts that aren't over-the-top with sugar. I was cleaning up the kitchen a couple of weeks ago and came across a Food and Wine magazine from March of 1998. Perfect excuse to sit down and read for a bit! And then I came across an article on a family of chefs from Gascony. The youngest family member is Anne Daguin who, with her husband bought a bakery in Saint-Remy-de-Provence called Le Petit Duc. Anne apparently gets her inspiration from old cookbooks and manuscripts. She found this puffy tea pastry from the recipe book of Marie Gachet, whose father was Vincent Van Gogh's friend and physician. I found myself unable to stop eating them!

Marie Gachet's Pillow

3/4 C all purpose flour
3/4 C marscapone (about 6 oz.)
2-3 TBS raw brown sugar

1. In a medium bowl, stir the flour into the marscapone. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead just until it is smooth. Pat the dough into a 6" square, transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate until cold: 30 minutes to 1 hr.

2. Preheat the oven to 450. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 15 by 12 inch rectangle. Wrap the dough around a rolling pin and unroll onto a large baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the sugar is carmelized in places. Cut the pastry in half crosswise and then into wedges. Serve hot from the oven.

Kitchen Notes

First of all, there is no way that this will roll out to the stated size. I just rolled it out as much as I could. Also, I didn't have raw sugar and so used turbinado - trust me, you won't be disappointed with anything that's granular and brown. But you'd better have gone for a hike or planted a tree that day, because you won't be able to stop eating these!
For health news, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture.

Gravel, A Birthday Party and Empanadas

2009-05-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it takes a special occasion to really do some work around the yard.
Actually, it usually takes a special occasion for me - and this was a very special occasion. My friend Mary turned 94 on the 14th. Now for many people who know her, she's kind of a "mom", but for me, she's my friend. I've never thought of her as a mom, even though my own mom died in 2002. Mary is a woman with a sharp mind, a great sense of humor and a love of people. She's really the matriarch of our neighborhood, and as I said to one of the guests when everyone else had left, Mary is like the hub of the wheel, and all the spokes radiate out from her. She's the center of our little community, and I love hosting her birthday parties. We all gather together and catch up, and we keep our neighborhood together, thanks to Mary.

So this year in preparation for the party, I concentrated my efforts on the side of the yard. I found myself digging and hauling and shoveling, moving stones and cement and gravel and sand. I hired a guy to do the really heavy shoveling - I had gotten 2400 pounds of gravel from Home Depot. Curbside delivery only. I figured it would take about 3 hours to shovel all that stuff into a wheelbarrow and then dump it on the dirt at the edge of the path. This guy did in in a half hour. I told him "You run the wheelbarrow and the shovel and I'll run the rake." We whipped this job out in no time!

So a neighbor showed up with a bunch of chairs and some mozzarella with tomato and basil, and everyone brought something to share. The party was on, and no one was more delighted than Mary. Even though she specifically said that there were to be no presents, not everyone pays attention to those details. So she got a new hat......
And some hooks to hang things on. But they didn't really look like hooks, so Mary began goofing around, pretending to be smoking a pipe......
We started the party at 4:30 in the afternoon, because the only medical condition Mary's got is macular degeneration. So it's easier for her to see when it's light out. By the time the majority of the guests left, it was around 9:30 at night. It had grown chilly by then, but I had lots of shawls which I passed around to all of the women. One woman wore a shorter dress, so for the last hour or so, I loaned her a pair of pants to put on under the dress. Another woman needed an extra layer on top of the pashmina, so I threw a jacket over her shoulders. Even one of the men got cold, and I had a jacket that a friend of mine had given to me when I was visiting him a few years ago. By the end of the evening, I looked around the circle of guests and saw my closet spread out before me!

For the "main course" - if there is such a thing at a pot luck - I made empanadas. I decided to make 2 different kinds - chicken and beef - because I'm never certain if everyone will eat beef. (This is California, after all.) Also, I needed to make one kind that wasn't spicy. Oh, that was hard!!! But I did it. I looked at several different recipes and then basically did my own thing. This was the first time, however, that "my own thing" included tweaking the recipe for the dough. I'm quite comfortable making up recipes when it comes to cooking food. I have never been comfortable, however, changing anything when it comes to baking. This time, however, I had 2 different recipes for empanada dough, and they were quite different. One had more flour and less salt, the other had more salt and no additional egg whites. (Or was it yolks? I don't remember!) They had different amounts of water and vinegar, too. So I "punted". I kinda sorta did something in between, and it worked beautifully. Whew!
So here's the tweaked version of one of the recipes:

Chicken Empanadas with Chorizo:

3 whole chicken legs, including thighs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds total)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1/3 cup finely diced chicken chorizo
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 6 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaves in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

Transfer chicken to a clean plate. (Sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it's not, briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.)**(See Kitchen Notes). When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

OK - so that was the filling for the chicken one. Here's the beef version:

Beef Empanadas:

2 hard-boiled large eggs
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 pound ground beef
2 Italian Sausages, (or chorizo), casings removed and finely diced
2 tablespoons raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving some juice

Cut each egg crosswise into 10 thin slices.

Cook onion in olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Add raisins, olives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and tomatoes with reserved juice, then cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced but mixture is still moist, about 5 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.

Empanada Dough

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large egg
1/2 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.)

Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Roll dough out on a floured surface until it is thin. Very thin is good. I used a bowl as a form and cut around it to form circles. Place the filling on 1/2 the dough, fold over to form a semicircle, then crimp with a fork. For the beef empanadas, I laid a couple of slices of egg, halved, over the top before folding. Brush the tops with a beaten egg, and using a toothpick, poke some holes for steam to escape. Put the empanadas on a cookie sheet and bake in a hot oven - 425 degrees - for around 16-20 minutes, depending upon their size and how crispy you like them.

Kitchen Notes:

Now, let me tell you that there was NO WAY that the consistency of the chicken empanada "sauce" was going to make it to heavy cream. So I skipped that idea altogether and just used a slotted spoon to remove all the goodies from the pan. I saved the sauce, however, because it's delicious! In fact, I've got lots of the mixture left over, and I'm going to add some of the sauce to it and serve it over rice.

Also, I have no idea how much shortening I used. I just kept cutting it in until it seemed "right". All I can say is that it rolled out beautifully and baked up light and fluffy.

And now, for Mary, who is not my mom but my friend, I offer this poem:

Homecoming

by Maxine Kumin

Folding My Clothes

Tenderly she would take them down and fold
the arms in and fold again where my back
should go until she made a small
tight square of my chest, a knot of socks
where my feet blossomed into toes,
a stack of denim from the waist down,
my panties strictly packed into the size
of handkerchiefs on which no trace
of tears showed. All of me under control.

But there was tenderness, the careful matching
of arm to arm, the smoothing of wrinkles,
every button buttoned on the checkered blouse
I disobeyed in. There was sweet order
in those scented drawers, party dresses
perfect as pictures in the back of the closet—
until I put them on, breathing life back
into those abstract shapes of who I was
which she found so much easier to love.

Farmer's Market Fantasy

2009-05-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

I think I've been going to farmer's markets since God made dirt - or sometime around then. What I've noticed is that they're all similar and at the same time they're all different. One of the things I love about them is that I can buy directly from the people who have grown the food. That's an experience you don't get from a store - not even your local organic co-op, if you've got one. There's something very satisfying about having a face that goes with the produce. And there's also the fun atmosphere at farmer's markets - there's usually someone playing music, and people come with their kids, and everyone is generally in a jolly mood. And then there's the dizzying array of fruits and veggies, as well as cheeses and olives and honey and, and, and.... The list is endless, and this is one thing that separates different farmer's markets.

For instance, here in San Diego, the market I go to has lots of clothing and jewelry, hats and pots and pans etc. It seems to be both a farmer's market as well as an ongoing crafts fair. That can be fun, but it's not really what I'm looking for in a farmer's market. Last weekend, however, I went to L.A. for the Festival of Books. Spent a relaxing, stimulating day on the UCLA campus, listening to various authors talk about different aspects of their work. (I chose the panels on fiction and memoir.) I stayed overnight with my niece Rachael - one of the founders and partners of Chicks With Knives, a sustainable, organic, local and ethical food company. The next day, she directed me to the closest farmer's market, which was on Sunset and Ivers.

O.M.G., is all I can say. Trite, I know, but I was, as they say, gobsmacked. (Don't you just love that word?) I found myself loading up the one cotton bag I had taken from the car, and wishing I had bothered to grab the other one. Since fava beans are in season, I knew I needed a serious supply.
Favas, to me, are mysterious and wonderful. I didn't grow up with them. My mom never made them, and I cannot recall the first time I came across them. But once they appeared on my plate, I've found myself looking forward to fava bean dishes every year. I've made them hot and cold, and I'm always amazed at the fact that I love them. I don't like lima beans (one of the few foods I could easily live without), but I adore favas. Is it because I didn't grow up with them, and therefore they're exotic?

In the past, I've always made, cooked and served them hot. This year, it was time for a salad. Maybe because it was hot the day I bought them, but it was definitely time for a salad. This particular dish can be served warm, but I prefer it at room temperature. The recipe - from the May, 2002 issue of Bon Appetite, calls for pancetta. I omitted it because I was interested in making this as a salad and didn't want meat in it. That's just a personal choice, and I'm certain that it would have been eqally as delicious with pancetta.

Saute of Fresh Fava Beans, Onion and Fennel

3 pounds fresh fava beans, shelled, or 3 cups frozen baby lima beans, thawed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 fresh fennel bulb, trimmed, sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground in spice grinder
1 1/3 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup chopped pancetta
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cook fava beans in boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain, cool and peel outer skins (do not cook or peel lima beans).

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel bulb; sauté 5 minutes. Add favas or lima beans and fennel seeds; sauté 3 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and 2 tablespoons dill; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in pancetta and savory, adding more broth if mixture is dry. Simmer until favas are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Mix in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Notes on another topic:

When my computer comes back from being repaired, I will be posting a number of new pages to my website about healthy eating. Of course, I have no idea when my computer will make it's round trip from New Jersey, but I still have faith that it will make it back and be functional. In the meantime, I'm posting during my lunch hour at work. Not as convenient, but it works. But there's still a section on Food as Medicine at Mission Valley Acupuncture. Check it out if you're interested and let me know what you think!

Battle the "Big C" with Stuffed Mushrooms

2009-04-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

I'm battling a small "c", which stands for computer. My computer fried. I think it's literal. I smelled hot plastic for several days, and the next thing I knew, my computer wouldn't turn on. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Fortunately, I have a computer guru who backed up absolutely everything including all my programs. Now I have another battle ahead of me with another "C" - and that stands for Costco. I don't have the original box, but I'm going to try and return it anyway. I haven't had any luck dealing directly with the manufacturer.

But all these battle pale in comparison to the battle with the Big C - Cancer. As an acupuncturist, I have many patients who come to me with cancer. Sometimes it's the nausea from chemotherapy that brings them to me. Sometimes they want adjunct therapy to their western medical treatments. Occasionally I'll get someone who doesn't want to do western medicine at all - just acupuncture and herbs. I never argue with my patients' choices - I just try to support them in what they are going through.

One of the things which I try to impress upon my
patients - all of them - is the benefits of eating well. I
heard an interesting interview on the radio yesterday with a man who was talking about diets. He has studied different diets of people around the world, and has discovered that there's only one which leads to obesity and disease - ours.

Couple that with the research I've been doing recently on chronic inflammation (a condition which underlies most chronic illnesses and can be a pre-cursor for cancer), and one of the things that seems to lead to a decline in health is over-consumption of red meat. Yes, there are many cultures which exist with diets high in meat, and they don't necessarily have high cancer rates, but there are too many other factors involved which come into play as well, making a direct correlation impossible. But the bottom line is that in industrialized, high-stress societies like our own, excessive meat consumption seems to lead to higher rates of disease. In many Asian countries, meat is consumed regularly, but the quantities of meat are pretty small.

Chris over at Mele Cotte knows something about cancer, and she also knows something about cooking. She's had the first one (knocked it out in the first round!) and has a passion for the second. This is her third year of hosting this event, but the first time I've actually entered it.

So what is a healthy diet? There is so much confusing information out there and it all changes so often, how do we know what to do? Here are some basics which seem to play out in the real world:

1. Don't eat processed foods. Food doesn't naturally grow in a box or a can, and definitely doesn't appear in styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic! Try to stay away from things that are sold that way.

2. Read the label. If there's anything there which you can't pronounce and don't know what it is, it probably isn't food. Don't eat it.

3. "Food" and "nutrients" are two different words with two different meanings. Eat food. Don't eat nutrients.

4. Stay away from anything with the word "Diet" on the label. You will not lose weight and it contains things which aren't food.

5. Don't consume high fructose corn syrup. You will only gain weight, increasing your risk of disease.

6. And finally, never, ever, ever microwave anything in plastic. Neither in a plastic container nor with plastic wrap over the top. The plastic will be broken down by the heat and produce a chemical which mimics estrogen in the body, but which is actually carcinogenic.

So - now that we're done with the "don'ts", what do you get to eat? One of the most amazing things on the list that I know of is mushrooms. Shitakes have gotten the press on this one, but it turns out that all mushrooms contain polysaccharides, especially Lentinan. Lentinan is a powerful compound which helps build immunity. Mushrooms are also a source of Beta Glucan and a protein called lectin which attacks cancerous cells and prevents them from multiplying. Pretty cool for a fungus!

Another wonderful food which we all know and love and which is a major cancer-fighting food is garlic. Do you love that, or what? Garlic will not only boost your immune system, but it also helps to break down cancer causing substances. There are studies which have linked garlic and onions (including leeks and chives) to decreased risk of colon and stomach cancer.

Now those of you who have read this blog for a while know that I love my chilis, but it turns out that they are also cancer fighting as well. Capsaicin neutralizes cancer causing substances and may prevent stomach cancer.

So it seems that this little dish I made last week packs a lot of cancer fighting food into one small plate. But the best part is that it tastes good!

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese

Marinated mushrooms

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Marsala (optional)
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
6 large portobello mushrooms

Filling:

1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
1 pound button mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia)
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
1 5-ounce package soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Preparation

For marinated mushrooms:
Whisk first 6 ingredients and Marsala, if desired, in medium bowl for marinade. Stir in thyme sprigs. Cut stems from mushrooms and place stems in processor. Arrange mushrooms, gill side up, in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms and marinate 4 hours, turning to coat occasionally.

For filling:
Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain; cool. Using hands, squeeze excess water from spinach. Place in small bowl.

Add half of button mushrooms to processor with portobello mushroom stems. Using on/off turns, process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to medium bowl and repeat with remaining mushrooms. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and increase heat to high. Cook until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season mushroom mixture with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl; cool to room temperature.

Add spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and breadcrumbs to mushroom mixture; toss to distribute evenly. Add goat cheese and toss gently to distribute evenly. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover filling and let stand at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer marinated mushrooms, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet, gill side down. Roast until beginning to soften, about 15 minutes. Turn mushrooms over. Divide filling among mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over and bake until heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes.

Kitchen Notes:

I added green chili, of course. And I sprinkled some smoked Paprika over the top.

For more health information, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture

Cucumber Dill Soup after a crazy New Mexico trip!

2009-04-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in New Mexico. Now, most people, when they hear "New Mexico", they immediately think "Santa Fe", but my house is in the mountains east of Albuquerque - about an hour south of Santa Fe. Santa Fe is lovely, which is why it attracts tourists and movie stars, as well as all kinds of people who are into New Age thinking - psychics and healers, numerologists and astrologists. Where my house is situated attracts people who have jobs in Albuquerque, but who prefer to "get outta Dodge" at the end of the day. There are also lots of artists living in the mountains, but it doesn't attract the publicity of Santa Fe - mainly because it lacks a real town. Santa Fe is old, has beautiful architecture, and real estate values high enough to attract people with money.

All of that being said, I spent more time in Santa Fe and Galisteo (just outside of Santa Fe) this trip than I usually do, and as a result, I met some pretty fascinating people. The weather was typical of this time of the year in New Mexico - one minute it was snowing, the next it was sunny. Mostly it was windy, but sometimes not. It sleeted one day, and then the sky put on a spectacular show of clouds - the clouds of Michaelangelo, as Joni Mitchell once wrote. I went for a long hike one day and needed no more than a long sleeve cotton top, and I sat outside and ate salad.

On Easter Sunday, we went to hear a talk given by a man named Paxton Robey. Paxton is an engineer who has, over the last ten years, been doing training for large corporations as well as the Department of Defense in computer networking. However, back in 1968 when he was working for a major U.S. airline, he became aware of the fact that he had psychic abilities, and ever since then he has been working more and more in the spiritual realm, working with metaphysical and spiritual seekers. Whatever your take on these kinds of things, Paxton's message is always positive and uplifting. If you're interested, you can check out his website at No Time For Karma.

That evening, we went to a meditation at the Light Institute in Galisteo. I head read about it back in the 70s in Shirley McClaine's book "Dancing In The Light". She mentioned the Light Institute in that book, and also talked about having worked with it's founder Chris Griscom. In those days, Chris was doing past life regressions using acupuncture, and Shirley McClaine was one of her clients. These days there's a free meditation every Sunday evening, and Chris led it on Easter Sunday. Following the meditation, there was a discussion whose theme was "transcendence".

And so on, and so forth.....That was my trip to New Mexico this time. Now, let me ask you something. Do you think that after spending days like that, you would be able to post recipes and photos of food? I mean, even if the food was spectacular? If your answer was "yes", then you are waaaaay ahead of me!! It was all I could do to keep my eyes open past 9:30pm!

Which is why I missed last Sunday's post. Sorry 'bout that.

Now that I'm back in San Diego, the weather has gotten beastly hot. I think it was in the 90s today. THE 90S, PEOPLE!!! That's ridiculous! It's still April! Supposedly it will remain quite warm until around Thursday, when it will be back in the 60s again. So when faced with weather like this, all those plans for roasting more veggies went out the window. I needed that window open and the oven off. It was time for cold soup. And for some reason, it needed to be green, so gazpacho was out.

In Chinese medicine, different foods have different properties. Cucumbers are a cooling food, which is why they're perfect for summer when you want to cool down. (Watermelon is another great cooling food.) I thought of cucumbers and scallions and dill.....and in my mind the soup was made. Now all I had to do was buy the cukes, dill and some buttermilk. I had the rest. I kind of winged it with this one, so proportions are approximate. But you guys are phenomenal cooks - you'll know how to adjust.

Cucumber Dill Soup

3-4 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
4 scallions, white parts and some of the green
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 bunch of dill weed
3 cups of buttermilk
1/2 C plain yogurt
juice of 2 meyer lemons
salt
1 tbs chopped green chili

Thinly slice some of the cucumbers and scallions crosswise and save for garnish.
Coarsely chop the rest of the cukes and scallions and toss into the blender
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend
Taste and correct the seasoning.

Chill. This is important, because it tastes so much more refreshing when it's chilled for at least an hour.

Kitchen Notes:

If you don't have green chili, I would recommend using something spicy. You could use pepper or hot sauce, but be judicious. You don't want the heat to overpower the flavor of the dill, and this is coming from a woman who loves spicy food!!!

2009-04-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

I was telling a friend the other day that I believe the secret to living well is having a good Asian grocery market nearby. There was a large one not too far from me which had been closed for months for remodeling. It recently reopened, and I'm back in heaven again. Large bags of longan fruit, huge bags of snow peas, loofah - a wonderful vegetable as well as a decent sponge - green veggies with no English names, exotic tapioca desserts with things like corn in them, every conceivable sauce and some inconceivable ones too, and some of the freshest fish and meats you'll ever see behind a counter. And all of this sold at recession prices.

Like I said........heaven!

I was in somewhat of a daze by the time I reached the fish counter in the back of the store. But the large tiger shrimp selling for $5.99/pound made me snap out of it in a hurry. I had already picked up a bag of snow peas and another one of baby bok choy. The shrimp practically winked at me, whispering "Hey, honey, how about taking me home with you?" I looked into my cart and back at the shrimp and decided that they had a point. Who was I to argue with perfection?

As usual I just started assembling a meal without thinking about amounts. But you who read this blog are better chefs than I am, so you can pretty much guess at the amounts. Besides, if you're wrong, there's always hot sauce!

After heating up some canola and hot pepper oil in a pan, I added sliced onions and some garlic. When the onions had wilted, i put in the bok choy, which I had cut in half length-wise. After they were lightly seared, I threw in the shrimp and continued to toss the ingredients. The last veggie to go in was the snow peas. I love snow peas in salads and I prefer them very lightly cooked. After the snow peas were in, I added some seasoned rice vinegar, about a teaspoon of sugar, lime juice and a touch of soy sauce.

There's precious little chopping involved in this recipe. The bok choy was only sliced in half. The onions only need slicing. Only the garlic needed to be minced. How simple was this? Simple enough that you could fix it mid-week and still have time for your favorite TV show. Enjoy!

Working the Sides

2009-03-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who recently moved to San Diego from Seattle. Now, having been to Seattle, I understand that the definition of "foodie" is different in that city than it is in this one. I'm thinking now of Pike Place Market, and just the thought of it is making my mouth water. I had never seen a market like that in my life before visiting a friend who lived in Seattle. Wandering through stalls which offered fresh morel mushrooms next to piles of the freshest herbs and veggies was heaven. And of course there was the flying fish. My friend and I picked out a fish for our dinner that nite, the man scooped it off the ice and tossed it to someone behind the counter while screaming something like "incoming salmon!!" The man behind the counter looked up at the last minute, raised both hands just in time to catch that sucker. The miracle was that he didn't drop it! For those of you who have been to this market, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who haven't, you have a good reason now to go to Seattle. Seriously. It's worth it for the entertainment value alone, let alone the quality of the food.Anyway, my friend found a downtown loft which he liked and moved in. For a serious foodie, I'm amazed that this loft suits his needs, as the kitchen is incredibly small. But he assured me that since he's spent lots of time cooking on boats, it didn't matter. And judging from the meal he produced that nite, I would have to agree with him. I am working on getting the recipe and will post it as soon as I've re-created it.

But in the meantime, he made a rice dish which sent me into orbit. My relationship with rice has always been a pleasant one. Sometimes it's the perfect background for a spectacular entree. Sometimes it has a bit more personality than that and can share the stage as a supporting actor. I don't know why this particular version of rice hit a home run with me. Maybe it was the fog that was coming in, making the sweetness of the dates feel so comforting. Maybe it was the Cline's Zinfandel we were drinking. Seriously good Zin for $7.99 at Trader Joe's, and more expensive elsewhere.But whatever it was, the rice dish stuck in my mind, so I decided to try to re-create it. There's no recipe here, of course, just some guidance and possible ingredients. And even though it amazes my sister-in-law, I never measure my rice or my water. I just pour some rice into the pot and cover it with water to about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch above the rice. Then I bring it to a boil without the lid, turn the heat down and put the lid on. It seems to work every time.
Brown Rice With Dates and Lemon

1 C rice
2 C water or chicken stock, or some combination
6-8 dried dates, chopped
zest of 1 lemon, slivered into "matchstick" pieces
seasoned rice vinegar
pepper

Cook the rice in the usual manner, adding the chopped dates and lemon about half way through the cooking process. When the rice is done, fluff with a fork and sprinkle some seasoned rice vinegar over it. Toss and sprinkle some more so that all of the rice will have a little of the vinegar. It won't make your rice soggy, just tasty. Grind some fresh pepper and toss.

Now, if you're like me, there are times when you don't feel like eating a whole dinner. Sometimes you just want to graze. (I'm a champion grazer!) I've had days like that recently, and I've just eaten some of the leftover rice and nibbled on these incredible olives from Whole Foods.
They're called Castelvetrano, and they have (temporarily, at least), replaced Luques as my faves. If you can find them, I highly recommend them!

A Trip to San Juan Capistrano

2009-03-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

I drove up to San Juan Capistrano a couple of weeks ago to do some photography. I hadn't been there in years and years. My memory of it was that it was a quaint town, and that there was a mission where the swallows returned year after year.
What I had forgotten - or maybe I wasn't there at the right time of the year - was how beautiful the town can be when the trees are in bloom...
This time around, I saw it with different eyes. I began to piece together a part of California's history as I exited the Starbucks and walked across the street to the mission. The mission was built in 1776 by Spanish Catholic Franciscans, and is part of the chain of missions stretching through California.

The history of this mission is similar to many such missions in the southwest: The building of a mission, the subsequent conversion of the indigenous people, the destruction of the mission and then the subsequent rebuilding. This history repeats itself over and over. I have seen it in New Mexico and it is here in California as well. What usually happens is that the mission eventually falls into disrepair and is left as ruins which become a tourist attraction. In the case of this mission, there is actually a chapel which is still in use.
But the small entrance fee is worth it just to stroll through the grounds and duck into the restored rooms.

And of course, there's the wonderful fountain in the central courtyard, with it's resident fish, and exquisite leaves floating peacefully....

I was grateful to spend a day with the sole purpose of seeing. I needed that respite from the hectic days that speed into each other, blurred by necessities and phone calls. There in the gardens of the mission, a golden fish glides by with nothing more than the next morsel to think about. It is his inheritance, just as the freeways are mine.

Next week I will have a recipe to share. This week without my lens was given to finishing up all the "gotta-dos" on my list!

My Secret Obsession Revisited

2009-03-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

My camera lens is off being repaired. This leaves me feeling completely out of sorts. I mean, I don't know what to do with myself! It also means that I cannot photograph anything that I've cooked recently. So while I was sipping my morning chai, I decided that maybe it was time to revisit this old post that I did back in March of 2007. I don't have a clue how I did such a good job of formatting the original post - this one's been fighting me for hours!! Hopefully, my lens will be back in time for next Sunday's post - I'm in no mood to spend my Sundays in battle.

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When I was growing up, every time any of us felt sick, my mother always made us tea and toast. Lipton, of course. It was supposed to make me feel better, and I suppose the simplicity of it made sense, but the effect was always the opposite her goal. One lump or two made no difference - I would sip the tea and immediately feel nauseated. I guess it had a Pavlovian effect on me in later years, when the smell of tea would make my stomach queasy. I loved watching English actresses pouring tea into china cups and passing around lumps of sugar. It was all so civilized and lovely. I would have loved to have lived that civilized and lovely life, I thought, wearing those dresses, pouring that.....tea? Oh dear. I needed a substitute.I really cannot remember when it happened. Honestly, I don't recall if I was still living in New Mexico, or if I had moved to California, but at some point in the distant past, I was with some acupuncturist friends who offered me a cup of bancha tea. "Um....I'm not really a tea drinker...." And before I could explain my Pavlovian response, they insisted that this was not like black tea, and I should try it. "Well.....OK...." It was not in my nature to argue with my hosts, after all.
I said a silent prayer and took my first sip. This is tea? Really? For those of you unfamiliar with it, bancha is a traditional , daily use, Japanese green tea variety that is made from mature leaves, plucked in the summer or autumn. Bancha's like a mature samurai - the extra time it's had to mellow in the sun makes it a bit toastier in color, with a sweet, earthy taste. It has nothing in common with the black tea favored by Europeans. It's ability to strengthen the metabolism and aid in digestion, makes it a favorite among those following a macrobiotic diet. All I knew was that it was delicious. Bancha led to sencha and matcha - all from the same tea plant, but picked earlier in the year. These familiar green teas are slightly more arrogant - they have an edge to them, and an astringent quality. As long as they're not steeped too long, they are delicious. Leave the bag in the water for too long and you're probably not going to like the bitterness. Of course, it's easier to put up with the attitude when you know their antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties.

From there, I branched out into Earl Grey. The Earl was a huge step for me, as the basis here is black tea. But it is flavored with bergamot oil, which lends a distinct citrus flavor and aroma. With citrus as it's leading edge, I managed to sail past that black tea flavor without my stomach noticing it. I was making progress. The Earl and I are friends now, but we don't see each other too often.

Then I discovered Spiced Chai, or Spiced Chai Tea, as Trader Joe's calls it. Funny name, that. Since chai is another name for tea, it means that this tea's name is Spiced Tea Tea. Be that as it may, I used to take a teabag and pour boiling water over it, letting it steep for a while until it reached the right color. Then I'd add milk.
But back in 2000, a friend of mine who is a photojournalist went to India to photograph the first Kumba Mela of the new millenium. The Mela is an enormous Hindu festival, and that year it was held in Alahabad. There were about 75,000,000 people from all over the world who converged on Alahabad for the celebration, and my friend was swept up by the colors and sounds and smells of it all. He told me about drinking tea from a street vendor, who would have a pot of water with milk boiling over a fire. When someone ordered some tea, he'd throw a handful of tea and sugar into the pot, then ladel some into a small, low-fired ceramic cup. The cup was "disposable", meaning people would throw them away when they were done.

I was intrigued by the idea of boiling the milk in with the water, and wondered if it would make a difference. I don't eat much sugar, but I figured a teaspoon of it wouldn't make all that much difference.

With my first sip, I became a convert.

Ever since then, this has become my standard morning drink. Yes, I will still have a cup of coffee from time to time, but my morning chai has become my morning comfort. Different brands of chai will have different spices in them, but ginger and cardamom are fairly standard additions. In Chinese medicine, both of those spices are used to benefit the digestive system, and there is a whole school of thinking in Chinese medicine which says that all chronic diseases stem from a poor digestive system. As a student of mine once pointed out to me as I sipped my chai in an herbology class, declaring that my digestion was actually quite good, "Yes, but you self-medicate every day!"

She was right. I do. And intend to continue to do so, enjoying every sip!

I now have an entire pantry shelf devoted to teas. I don't know how that happened. Do they breed in there? And I've discovered something about me. I'm fickle. I'll fall in love, it will last for a while, and then I move on. So while bancha was my first love, my relationship with Earl Grey was more of an affair. Spiced chai is my steady partner in life. But I confess to having a few flings from time to time. There's genmai cha, a green tea with roasted brown rice in it. Genmai has a kind of popcorn flavor, which is appealing from time to time, but not as a steady romance. His first cousin houji cha, a handsome brew made from roasted bancha leaves. With a chestnut color and light, almost sweet taste, I flirt with him in the summer. (He's the most decafinated of the green teas.) And then there's a very special, decafinated rooibos (Afrikaans for "red bush") tea, which a local pastry maker calls Marco Polo Rouge. Marco is from the legume family, and he's oh so sweet and slightly nutty. Someday, I hope we travel together to his homeland. So far, he's been silent on the subject.