TIME FOR BREAD

Time for Bread

            Isn’t there a rule somewhere about NOT having more than one blizzard a season?  Apparently mother nature makes her own rules and human inconvenience remains for consideration just for humans.

            Exciting wilderness stories about snowstorms in mountains that close of roads for weeks somehow seem to have lost some of their luster this winter, though modern day cabin fever is hardly the stuff  compared to old legends. Somehow, sitting in a warm house, while the storm howls across the meadow outside, is really not much of a hardship. But time does have a way of stretching when you are not a snowshoe aficionado and have relegated even the shoveling to others.

            This is the perfect time to undertake activities that with our normal schedules seem too time consuming. One of these is making bread.  And I don’t mean quick mix muffins or brownies, but real bread where you start with those original miracle makers called yeast. Some anthropologists insist that humans first tamed yeast for fermentation of mood enhancing spirits, but it is the combination of yeast and grains in production of bread that probably allowed human populations to spread across our globe.

            With soups and stews as staples this time of the year, fresh baked bread is a welcome addition to any meal. I like the following recipe, since it allows me to make caraway dinner rolls and a desert from the same batch of dough. Although I make mine for ease in a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook, hand mixing and kneading for 10 minutes will give you the same result.

                                    Multipurpose and roll dough

            Melt 1 stick of butter in a small bowl, add 1 cup milk, 3 Tblsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt,

½ tsp. freshly ground cardamom (optional), heat to lukewarm and transfer to large mixer bowl. In a cup stir in 2 packages dry yeast and a small pinch of sugar in ½ cup lukewarm water, set aside until the yeast mixture rises to top of cup and then add to the mixer bowl. Fork beat 2 eggs and add to liquid in mixer bowl. Beat in 2 cups bread flour in liquid on low speed, then 2 Tblsp. sour cream. Remove beater and substitute bread hook. Add an additional 2 ½ cups bread flour with bread hook set on low speed. When all the flour has been incorporated, turn mixer setting on 2 or 3 depending on your mixer and continue to mix with the bread hook for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough should easily peel off the stopped hook. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour, cover with a dish towel and set in a warm place to rise (proof) until double in amount. If your oven has a proof setting this should take an hour. Lightly punch down the dough and allow to proof once more.

            Turn dough out on a floured board and divide  with a sharp knife in half. One half will be used for caraway rolls and the other half for a flattened desert cake or a rolled poppy seed cake shown in the picture above.

                                    Caraway dinner rolls

            Stretch pieces of dough in a thick rope and divide the dough with a sharp knife in pieces and roll lightly with floured hands in 1 ½  inch balls. Arrange on a parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Cover with a light towel and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes. Brush each roll lightly with a wash made of a beaten egg with 1 Tblsp. water. Push lightly with thumb to make a slight indentation in top center and place a small dab of butter there. Sprinkle tops lightly with some caraway seeds and bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool and serve warm or cold.

                                    Apple and raisin cake

            Roll the other half of the dough lightly to ½ inch thickness and spread  out in a well greased jelly roll pan with sides. Peel, core and thinly slice 6 large apples, toss slices with lemon juice and arrange in overlapping rows on the dough, tucking in raisins under the slices. Brush with ¼ cup melted butter and sprinkle with 2/3 cups sugar mixed with ½ tsp. cinnamon. Lightly cover and proof in a warm place for at least 45 minutes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool on the pan and cut in squares for serving.

            The smell of fresh baked yeast bread and apple cake is at least temporarily guaranteed to chase away the cabin fewer blues.

            (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)

SNOWBOUND IN FEBRUARY

Snowbound in February

            Happily no one is foolish enough trust in practical celebrations of Groundhog Day in Maine. Can’t you just imagine shoveling all those feet of snow we have just accumulated last week to even find the hole, let alone what kind of heat lamp would be required to wake the fellow out of contented hibernation just for an appearance?  I can imagine that he might make some very choice groundhog sounds about the apparent wisdom of human interest in his shadow when his burrow was so comfortable!

            Looking out the front window of our house I am in complete sympathy with this mystical groundhog about not going abroad in the current weather. Some years ago it might have been tempting to get out my cross country skis and explore the woods in their wintertime garb, but even in the best of times my ability to stop when skiing was marked by sitting down on my skis with a scream and a billowing of snow. As pointed out to me by my younger son, I have the software for such activities, but the hardware is sorely lacking.

            However, time and housebound confinement often leads to other activities in the kitchen, which tend to be much more manageable. Now is the opportunity to have a really elegant breakfast with a baked casserole.

                                    Dressed up bacon and eggs

Dressing up an eggs and bacon breakfast is easy and fun with a casserole dish that takes very little time to assemble and doubled  can feed a crowd. The following recipe will feed 4-5 people, but can easily be doubled in quantity for a crowd.  Cook, drain and crumble 6 slices of bacon. Thoroughly butter an 8 inch square casserole dish. Spread about 3 cups cubed old French bread (or lightly toasted other types of bread) on the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese. Beat 6 eggs with 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp. onion powder, 1 ½  cups milk and a dash or two of Tabasco sauce (optional). Pour the egg mixture over the bread and cheese. Top with ½ cup sliced mushrooms, ½  cup thinly sliced tomatoes, some cut up pitted Niçoise olives (optional) and the crumbled bacon. Press topping down lightly and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.  Serve hot with garnish of a small clump of grapes and enjoy the complements to the chef.

The relaxed feeling of time is also conducive to slow cooked dinner preparations. This time of the year brings to mind many German recipes and what could be better than a dinner with sauerkraut from Morses. Locally made sauerkraut, some farm sausage and

some scalloped potatoes would be the basis for a simple, but warming meal on any blustery day.

            But then I recalled a conversation with Karin Pratt from Friendship some time ago about the fact that in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it was ‘de rigeur’ to cook sauerkraut in beer. In fact, it was the only way!  This was intriguing. I knew of Weinkraut, the German way to cook sauerkraut with wine, but not beer.  Of course it made perfect sense, since Milwaukee is known for its beer and the Wisconsin wine industry is at best still emerging. The following experiment was definitely tasty with a subtly transformed flavor.

                                    Sauerkraut in beer

            Drain about 5 lb. of sauerkraut and rinse for a few seconds to remove excess salt. Brown ½ cup of the drained sauerkraut in 1 Tblsp. vegetable oil or bacon drippings for about 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the sauerkraut, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. caraway seed and 1 bottle of lager beer. Bring to boil, cover tightly and cook on low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a small amount of water, if the beer evaporates at the end.

            But the meal required a desert, preferably with fruit and not too much effort. Fortunately apples from the refrigerator adapted to an apricot upside down cake without too much fuss. Ah, a snowbound day put to delicious use!

(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)

IN PRAISE OF SOUP

In Praise of Soup

December spoiled us and lulled us in a feeling of complacency with the still green grass at Christmas and with the conveniently forgotten snowstorms of November. January made sure we were reminded of the fact we live in Maine and winters are to toughen us.

When morning temperatures hover below or barely above zero, it is time to pay attention to survival and warmth. Even the blue jays and doves hunker down close to the ground protecting themselves as they peck at the cracked corn on our deck and under the feeder in the yard. It is cold! The bright glitter of snow in pale winter sun may cheer, but does not guard against the gusts that sweep down from the Arctic.

This is the time of year for the heat of a bowl of soup to warm you with comforting or pungent smell from your nostrils to your toes.  Wrap your hands around such a bowl for lunch or dinner and somehow the icy driveway looks less menacing and even the sky on a cloudy day looks less bleak.

Chowders of all types come to mind, but one of my favorites is corn chowder, which of course can be made easily in many variations. My version is more like a thick soup with crumbled bacon on top in place of croutons.

                        Corn chowder with light cream

Crisp 4-5 slices of bacon in a 4 quart pot, set to drain on paper towels and pour off most of the fat. Return the pot to medium heat and sauté 1 large chopped onion until soft, add 2 stalks celery finely chopped, ½ red pepper diced and 2 diced carrots. Stir in 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes and bring to boil. Add 2 medium potatoes diced and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in drained 2 cans crisp corn (or use 2 -3 cups frozen corn), bring to boil and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in 1-2 cups light cream and heat to just boiling. Serve with crumbled bacon on top of each bowl and a bit of chopped scallion greens.

Several friends and our Dutch Neck neighbors were extremely generous providing us with meals during my first weeks at home after my major back surgery. One of those was an incredible pot of corn chowder made by our neighbor Louisa, whose soups never cease to amaze me. One of these days I will try to duplicate it’s rich goodness, thick with cheddar, with finely chopped unpeeled red potatoes and just a hint of jalapeno.

White bean and ham soups are a winter staple and so is chili. However, my Cuban black bean soup is probably less common and now may have become more politically correct.

                        Cuban black bean soup

I like to start with 8 oz. dry black beans, soaked in cold water overnight and cooked for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender, since this gives the beans a firmer texture in the soup. But 2 cans drained and well rinsed black beans can be used instead. In a medium pot heat 2 Tblsp. olive oil and sauté 1 large onion for 5 minutes, stir in 4 chopped garlic cloves, 1 large chopped green pepper, 1 tsp. oregano, 2 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground turmeric, ¼ tsp. red pepper and continue to sauté for a couple more minutes until fragrant. Stir in 1 diced large tomato, 3 cups beef or vegetable broth, 1 cup water, 1 6 oz can of tomato paste, 1-2 tsp. salt, pepper to taste and the drained beans. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stir in 3 Tblsp. red wine vinegar. Serve in bowls with chopped red onion or scallions, red radishes on the side.  If desired, stir in a tablespoon of rum or dry sherry before topping with onion.

From ‘up North’ comes Swedish fruit soup for desert, which is cold and really a compote.  But in days of old, when fresh fruit was not plentiful in many parts of the world,  this was a welcome change for the palate.

                        Swedish fruit soup

In a medium pot bring to boil 3 cups water and add a spice packet in cheese cloth containing: 1 cinnamon stick, 7 whole cloves and 6 whole allspice. Add the thinly peeled strips of lemon zest or a mix of lemon and orange zest. Simmer 10 minutes, add 2 cups regular cranberry juice and 1 ½ cups raisins. Bring back to boil and simmer 5 more minutes, add 2 cups pitted prunes and 1 ½ cups dried apricots. Simmer another 7-8 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove spice packet and strips of zest. Serve lukewarm or chilled. Note: no additional sugar is needed.

The other great thing about soups is that they can be reheated for another ready made meal. Stay warm!

(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)

TO BEGIN ANEW

To Begin Anew

            The yearly gift of January is that we feel we can start with new goals, ambitions and the potential chance that we will carry it through this time. This feeling could be encouraged if at the same time we also got the gift of snowdrops or a crocus or two by the front step, but one should not get greedy as one of those new goals.

            At least we have the annual collection of garden catalogs for dreaming of things to come with colorful pictures of new flower varieties, old favorites and vegetables that look too perfect.  Fortunately the season also came this year with gifts from the family in the form of new cookbooks, to keep me current and intrigued with new taste possibilities to explore in the kitchen. Like many cookbooks these days, these two have interesting associations with restaurants and famous chefs.

            “A BOAT + a whale & A WALRUS” by Renee Erickson has not only a very eye catching title, but also relates to coastal fresh food. It’s relationship to her acclaimed Seattle restaurants do not detract from the recipes approachable by home cooks and in addition contain informative tips for some of her more intriguing selections.

            “The French Laundry” by Thomas Keller is another matter. This comes with a bit of background history. A couple of years ago the family celebrated our younger son’s birthday with a gathering in California. On that occasion four of us splurged on the most awesome dinner I had ever had, at the French Laundry in Yountville, CA. My husband had seen the wistfully regretful look on my face as I wrapped the book for our son’s Christmas present this year and lo and behold, I found it also for me under our tree.

            In fact, the book came in a boxed set with its companion for the family table. Although the original contains such mundane instructions as to how to truss a chicken for a more succulent roast, most of the original restaurant recipes take a pretty steep learning curve for actual achievement of those beautiful small plates. Hence, the companion book looks highly desirable.

            There happens to be only one hitch to that second gift. The book set probably weighs at least 20 pounds! Since I am currently recovering at home from major back surgery and allowed for several months to lift no more than 5-8 pounds, I can’t pick up even one of them! It turns out that a gallon of milk is 8 pounds, my limit. Fortunately I should be fully recovered by the time I need to heft a 15 pound turkey next fall.

            In the meantime, most of the cooking at our house is going to be on a smaller and easily manageable size.  While this precludes some favorite crockpot meals (yes the crockpot weighs a lot), simple ragû mixtures are good on pasta, rice and polenta.

                                    Mushroom and sausage ragû

            Reconstitute 2 oz dried porcini or other wild mushrooms by soaking for 20 min in 1 cup hot water. Remove from liquid, slice and strain mushroom liquid through a piece of paper towel to remove any sand and debris. Set mushrooms and liquid aside. Sautè 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms and porcini with 1 chopped onion, ½ chopped red pepper and 3 chopped garlic cloves in 2 Tblsp. butter for 7 minutes, stir in 2 Tblsp. lemon juice and set aside. In the same pan sear 6 oz. soppressata (or hard salami) cut in ½ inch cubes to slightly render excess fat. Discard excess fat and return soppressata and mushrooms to pan. Stir in ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 Tblsp. flour on medium high heat until well mixed. Slowly stir in the reserved mushroom liquid, 1 cup beef broth and 1 Tblsp. sundried tomato paste. Cook until sauce thickens and is reduced to desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper and serve over hot polenta in a flat soup bowl, garnishing the edges with snow peas heated in boiling broth for 45 seconds.

                                    Polenta + cheese

            Bring to boil 3 cups of water with ½ tsp. salt and 1 Tblsp. butter. Slowly stir in 1 cup polenta (or coarse corn meal), and cook with stirring for about 15 minutes. Add small amounts of hot water if the polenta gets too thick. For cheese polenta stir in ¾ cups sharp cheddar or ½ cup gorgonzola when done, stirring only enough to melt the cheese. Left over polenta can be stored in a small container and reheated sliced under the broiler after brushing with olive oil.

            So, garden and kitchen plans and dreams to the forefront for the next few months. And given that the books get put on a table, I can certainly turn the pages of Mr. Keller’s marvelous tomes!

            (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)

SEASONAL SAVORY SIDES

Seasonal Savory Sides

            It may be “Bleak mid-winter” as stated in poem and song, but looking all around  at bright decorations of the season it is almost possible to forget that this is the darkest time of the year. In pre-historic times, humans wrapped themselves in animal skins and watched the bonfire light flicker on cave walls hoping and dreaming of the warmth of spring and for return of light. Our lights may be less smoky, but they still brighten the dark and our spirits this season.

            No seasonal festivities would be complete without gathering of friends and family.  The pot of stew or roasted boar of the lucky cave dweller celebrations have been replaced by more elaborate tables in our times. Unfortunately many still require help with the basic need for food as demonstrated by the increasing use our local food pantries.

            The winter seasonal specialties often center on sweets in form of mouthwatering cookies and cakes with wonderful and ingenious decorations.  So, today we will focus on savory sides, not only to sidestep the ever tempting sugar high, but also to provide special treats to those who need to avoid sugar and even those who find the holidays difficult because of gluten intolerance.

                                    Manchengo cheese crisps

            Thoroughly mix together 2 cups coarsely shredded Manchengo cheese with 1 ½ Tblsp. flour (or rice flour for gluten free).  Drop level tablespoons of mix about 3 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool on the pan before removing the fragile crisps with a spatula. Makes about 24 wafer thin crisps. Store between layers of wax paper in an air tight container at room temperature.

            Seasonal colorful sides for ham, pork, beef and even roast chicken are decorative on any table. Here are two colorful favorites at our house. Both of these are a bit different from the usual roast vegetables, potatoes or rice.

                                    Barbecued 3 bean casserole

              Drain and rinse 1 14 oz can each of cannellini, garbanzos and black beans. Chop and sautè 2 onions, ½ red pepper, 1 ½ stalks celery and 2 cloves garlic in 2 Tblsp. olive oil for 7 minutes. Stir the vegetables together with the beans, 1 can chopped tomatoes undrained, 1 Tblsp. brown sugar, ½ cup barbecue sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 lb diced linguica (optional). Pour in an 8x8x2 inch casserole sprayed with non-stick baking spray, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Dish can be made a day ahead and reheated.

            One of the colorful vegetables at this time of the year is red cabbage. It gives a color lift to cabbage and other salads, but unfortunately cooked in water it turns an unappealing gray. To make a colorful side dish for meats it requires cooking in a bit of wine or other acidic medium

.

                                    Red cabbage with apples and pancetta

            Sautè 2-4 oz of pancetta in 2 Tblsp. olive oil in a large pan until crisp. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add 6 cups coarsely chopped red cabbage and 1 sliced onion to the pan. Continue cooking on medium high heat with stirring for 10 minutes until wilted. Stir in 2 cored and sliced medium apples and continue cooking for another few minutes, then add ¾ cups dry red wine, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp. ground cloves and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, remove cover and cook with stirring until most of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in pancetta and serve warm. The dish can be reheated after storing in the refrigerator overnight. Instead of pancetta, crumbled crisped bacon is equally tasty.

            As in the days of pre-history, we continue to celebrate the darkest time of the year with seasonal decorations, color at our tables and lights to gather us for our winter celebrations.

(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)