GIFTS FROM THE KITCHEN AND THE HEART

Gifts from the Kitchen and the Heart

            Holiday shopping may be where it is ‘at’ presently, but there is another way to tackle that unfilled shopping list. Cooking in all its forms has often been defined as a labor of love, a gift from the cook to those meant to share the food created. So, what better expression of that warm sharing than those gifts created in your kitchen?

            We usually try to find an individualized gift meant to please the receiver both in appearance, taste and size. With gifts from the kitchen you can omit any worries about size unless the receiver is a gourmand and would find the offering insufficient. But they are likely to be polite and just try to savor the gift. If you make preserves of special pickles you can even partially fill your Holiday list during the summer and early autumn and store the product in a cool dark place until the gifting season.

            As for appearance, packaging can still be done with a lacy ribbon or sprig of winterberry and the edible part is beautiful by definition. And it is very easy to individually tailor gifts to the taste of the receiver. There is that special friend who always needs to receive dilly beans and dill pickles, different family members are partial to currant jelly or peach conserve, others like blueberry jam and the grandchildren always count on gram’s lemony chocolate chip cookies.

            With family and friends scattered far and wide these days, such personalized gifts also send with them the flavor of long held relationships. A special example is my memory of the year my younger son was traveling the world with a backpack and two cameras. For 6 months we had communicated by letter (before the time of universal email), which I had to send to cities or towns at ”Poste Restante”, where he would pick up his mail. Christmas came and I sent him a large coffee can filled with buttery cookies from a family recipe to Auckland, New Zealand in care of “Poste Restante”.  Apparently he made quite a spectacle sitting on the wide Auckland post office steps outside and eating every one of those cookies right there. I never did ask him if he got a stomach ache.

            Baked gifts are particular favorites this season and can be both savory and sweet. Many cookie recipes make 3 to 4 dozen cookies, which can be distributed for more than one recipient. Gluten free versions can be made easily of many of these, by substituting rice flour for wheat flour. Some of my favorite gifts are savory crisps made with cheese and pecans.

                        Savory Manchego Crisps

            Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Toss thoroughly 3 cups coarsely shredded aged Manchego cheese with 2 Tblsp. flour (or 3 Tblsp. rice flour for gluten free). Spoon level tablespoons of mixture 4 inches apart on parchment lined baking pans, spreading the mounds slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool crisps completely on the pan and remove with a thin spatula. Will keep for several days stored in an airtight container between layers of wax paper (36 crisps)

                                    Pecan Cheese Crisps

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 1 ½ cups coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese (6oz) with ¾ cups toasted chopped pecans. Place 1 Tblsp. on parchment lined baking sheet, slightly flatten and bake 7-8 minutes. Cool and store like Manchego crisps. (24 + crisps)

            The recipe of Lemon squares originally came from my friend Jane Button and has deliciously served many throughout the years. (24 + crisps)

                                    Lemon Coconut Squares

            Blend 1 ½ cups flour with ½ cup packed brown sugar in a bowl and cut in ½ cup cold butter until crumbly. Spray a 13x9 inch glass dish with a butter flavored baking spray. Press the flour mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake at 250 degrees for 10 minutes. Meanwhile combine: 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 ½ cups shredded coconut, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 2 Tblsp. four, ¼ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. vanilla. Spread on top of the baked crust mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. While baking, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tblsp. melted butter and juice of 1 lemon. Drizzle lemon mixture over the baked cake while still warm. Allow the flavors to blend overnight, before cutting in desired size squares. Cookies will keep in pan lightly covered for several days.

            Most cooks have their own Holiday favorites to savor and to gift and as these gifts are created in the kitchen their aromas continue to fill the house as added harbingers of  the season.

            (I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

THE SHRINKING DECEMBER DAYS

Those Shrinking December Days

            I have always felt that Dr. Einstein missed something in his musings on relativity to account for “the shrinkage of days of December”. (My husband, a physicist assures me that he did not!)  Still, although Dr. Einstein was a most sociable man, I am told, he never really had to cope with the demands of the Holiday Season in practical terms. Friends, cafes, restaurants and ‘weinstubes’ undoubtedly kept him comfortable during the winters in Switzerland and Germany when his mind was on other things.

            This year the annual “shrinking day” phenomenon seems to have been made worse, since December sort of crept up on us while we basked in ignorance of the seasons. November felt like early October even with the leaves mostly gone. The grass was green, the days warm for no more than a light jacket and the occasional late tourist could be still sporting shorts. Thanksgiving was almost a surprise occurrence and suddenly it was December, without even a few snowflakes to give us fair warning that the calendar was filling up with events, parties, family visitors and that shopping list, which still looked quite unfilled.

            Remarkably, all this activity has its necessary counterpart in food. We need food for not just potlucks and visiting friends and family, but there is the necessity of everyday meals that can not be ignored even in face of the “shrinking day” phenomenon. So, it is time to plan and regroup in the kitchen for everyday meals that are simple and meals that can serve multiple occasions.

            Eggs are not only breakfast food or decorative luncheon additives.  The Spanish adopted that concept centuries ago with the Frittata. This is really a simple and quick egg dish with some eggs, potatoes or some other firm vegetable, cheese, light meat for flavoring and an optional colorful touch. Surprisingly it is quite delicious and filling. Pre-cooking the potatoes in a microwave oven, simplifies the process.

                                    Potato, spinach and Canadian bacon frittata

            Microwave 5 oz spinach in a glass bowl covered with wrap 1 minute, until wilted. Squeeze out most of the moisture and set aside. Peel and slice 2 -3 large potatoes in ½ inch slices. Place in the glass bowl and microwave covered for 5 minutes.  In another bowl beat 5 large eggs with 2 Tblsp. half-and half, ½ tsp. salt and 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce. Stir in ¼ cup crumbled Feta cheese and set aside. Set oven rack about 5 inches below heat and turn to broil. In a large oven proof pan pan melt 1Tblsp. each butter and olive oil and sauté the microwaved potatoes until golden. Stir in 4 oz. Canadian bacon cut in julienne strips, spinach and egg mixture.  Using a large rubber spatula, turn mixture until large curds form for about 2 minutes. Spread mixture evenly in pan and cook for another 30 seconds. Sprinkle an additional ¼ cup crumbled Feta cheese on top and place pan under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes to brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes after removal from the oven, then cut in wedges to serve.

            Variations on chili are very useful at this time, since a hearty bowl can serve a simple supper for a crowd or be the source of pre-made dinner for several days during the week.

                             Black Bean and Corn Chili

Black bean and corn chili has eye appeal with the contrasting colors as well as a distinctive taste. Soak 2 cups black beans overnight in cold water. Drain, place in a pot with 1 tsp. salt, cover with 2 inches of water and bring to boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 45 minutes. While the beans are cooking brown 1 ½ lb. lean ground beef in a large pan in batches and remove from the pan and set aside. Pour off any excess fat and add 1 large chopped onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is browned. Stir in 1 ½ chopped stalks of celery, 1 Anaheim pepper and ½ bell pepper, coarsely chopped and continue to cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tsp. ground cumin and 1 Tblsp. chili powder. Stir for about 1 minute and add ½ cup water. Deglaze the pan with the water by scraping the bottom of the pan free of any stuck material. Transfer the vegetables to a 3-4 quart pot.

            Drain and rinse the cooked beans and add to the pot, as well as 1 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes, 2 cups water, 2 Tblp. tomato paste, 1 Tblp. Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp. sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil and cook on low heat for 40 minutes. Add the meat and continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the beans are the desired softness. If chili appears too thick, add a bit more water. When ready, drain and rinse the contents of an 11 oz can of steamed corn niblets and add them to the soup. Adding the corn last, keeps the color contrast best at the table. Serve the chili hot with chopped onion and grated cheddar cheese on top. Large corn chips for dipping and garnish along the edges are always an attractive addition.

            December days may appear to be shrinking by decreased daylight hours this time of the year and the multitude of activities we cram in them. Fortunately we can alleviate the problem by judicious planning and some easy recipes.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)