While in Portland, we went to a bakery for a quick snack before going down to Powell’s Books. I picked up a loaf of rye bread for the other half – and for myself, I admit. Good rye bread is a favorite of mine. I never had “real” bread until I left home, where Wonder Bread was the norm; once I did, though, I could appreciate bread and understand why people raved about different breads.
I am settling back into life in California. With still a week off before returning to work, the desire to create and work with my hands is overwhelming. So is the taste for good, fresh food – something we totally enjoyed in Portland. Given this, I dug out The Breads of France, by Bernard Clayton, an author I adore. Pain seigle, a French rye, is one of my favorite recipes. The sponge is set up, outdoors in the sun, to begin its ferment. It has celery seed and dill weed added to it. I have let it set for two or three days, but at least 12 to 24 hours minimum will suffice.
Josh started a sour dough which we will add to the sponge, just to see what a sourdough rye might taste like. The sourdough starter will be used later, for other breads. Did you know that the yeast cake at the bottom of a fermenting cask also can be used to bake bread?
The thought has crossed my mind it might be fun to bake our own bread for the next several months. It could be fun to explore each recipe in Clayton’s book. Then I could attack his other, bigger bread book . . .
Last night, the Beer Man was off building rockets and dining on fine food chez Auntie Am, so I made myself a small dinner. Browsing through Epicurious, using the magic words of “salmon” and “basil” I came across a wonderful recipe for Salmon with Pistachio-Basil Butter. Sure sounded good! But! I had a lot less salmon, didn’t want a lot of butter, and had tons of garlic, basil, and pistachios. Dutifully, I opened a bottle of 2006 Babich Marleborough Sauvignon Blanc (after fighting with its seal for ten minutes), poured myself a glass, and set to work.
First thought – complementary foods. Jasmine rice, and a chopped tomato-cucumber salad.
Next thought – how much is enough? The original recipe called for one stick of butter, which is way too much for two small salmon fillets, but the intensity of garlic and lime and salted pistachios seemed very alluring. My results were something like this . . .
Pistachio-Basil Butter
1/2 c. roasted, salted pistachios
3 cloves garlic
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 stick butter, at room temperature, and cut into small pieces
1/4 c. packed basil leaves
Pulse the garlic, lime juice, and basil leaves together. Add the pistachios. When fine, add the softened butter, and blend until as smooth as possible.
Meanwhile . . .
Preheat oven to 400 F. Oil pan. Lay out the salmon fillets in pan and pour about 1/2 c. white wine into the pan. I had a very small pan, and poured in wine to come about a third of the way up the sides of fillets. Bake the salmon for ten minutes, then place about 2 T. of the butter on each fillet. Bake another five minutes. Remove from oven, and serve.
Observation
I had leftovers of the butter mixture, so tried some of the butter after it had baked for 5 minutes, and some which had not. The flavors blended nicely during the time in the oven, and the butter did not melt and dissolve all over the fish. And the unbaked butter? See below.
Caution!
Someone mentioned in the comment area for this recipe it was really difficult to not just sit down and eat the butter mish-mash. Absolutely correct! This stuff is deadly delicious.
Summer is here, and with it comes an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Temperatures rise during the day, and the desire for food with heat goes along with it. Easy to make, fresh, and with pleasant amount of heat, homemade pico de gallo is just the answer!
Pico de Gallo
8-10 fresh medium-sized tomatoes 1 bunch cilantro / coriander 2 limes 2 jalapeno peppers 1 small white onion or 10-15 green onions pinch salt
Chop up the tomatoes, put into acid-proof bowl with lid. Add the cilantro, plucking the leaves off the stems (takes patience!). Squeeze limes, chop onions fine, and jalapenos. Mix all ingredients; set to mellow at least an hour before serving.
Great with chicken, in burritos, on tacos, in a salad. Vary the heat with the number of jalapenos you use, as well as onion.
There is nothing like an extended amount of work in the kitchen, preparing food from scratch and cleaning up, to make you appreciate modern conveniences (food processors and dishwashers), as well as a sense of pride in feeding one’s family.
I’ve spent the last couple of hours making a number of items from scratch. Everything I made required making pastes out of foodstuffs. For the hummus, I slow-cooked dried chickpeas (garbanzos). These were then ground up in the food processor with garlic, lemon, tahini, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. The tahini meant a light toasting of 4 c. white sesame seeds, and then grinding them into a paste with olive oil – once more in the food processor. Finally, hot green pepper sauce made – yet again! – in the food processor, and combined with cilantro (coriander), garlic, cumin and olive oil. If I had to grind all these things into a paste, using a mortar and pestle, I would be still going at it, and have the muscles of a wrestler!
Toasting Sesame Seeds
Tahini
4 c. white sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2/3 c. olive oil
pinch salt (optional)
Lightly toast the seeds. This may be done in an oven, set at 350 F, or over a medium high heat, in a pan, on the stove top; I did the latter. Be very careful not to over-toast, as there will be a bitter taste in the final product. Stir frequently when doing it on the stove-top or in the oven, and toast until seeds are a light ivory color.
Place seeds in food processor, and drizzle in olive oil, grind until a paste forms.
Add a pinch of salt if desired.
Hummus
Hummus
1 lb. dried chickpeas / garbanzo beans
7-9 c. water
5-7 cloves garlic
3-5 T. lemon juice
2-4 T. parsley
1/4 c. tahini sauce
pinch salt
In slow cooker, place all the beans, and cover with the 7-9 c. water. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8. Remove beans, rinse several times in cool water, agitating to remove the outer skins. Let skins rise to surface of water, and skim off – they look like a flotilla of jellyfish! Drain well.
In food processor, add drained beans, and all the other ingredients; grind until a smooth paste forms.
Hummus can be seasoned with roasted garlic, and toasted pine nuts may be added as well.
Jalapenos (top row) and Serranos (bottom row)
Hot Green Pepper Sauce
This sauce is called zhuk, and is a condiment found in many variations, and with various names, throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and into the Asian subcontinent. You can make it as hot or cool as you want. Chimichurri sauce is similar, but has vinegar and parsley in addition to the cilantro / coriander. You can use whatever hot green peppers you have on hand, and in whatever combination you want. This created a mild sauce with a bit of bite. To make a hotter sauce, you can leave seeds and ribs in the mix.
Chop cilantro. I included stems and leaves. Seed and de-rib hot peppers (be sure to take care not to rub your eyes, wear gloves, and remove seeds and ribs under water). Chop peppers.
Place all ingredients into food processor, grind until it is a liquid in appearance, adding olive oil as necessary. The cilantro and peppers are visible as tiny bits suspended in the oil.
Zhuk
Dinner will be pita slices and vegetables to dip in the hummus. I may thin some tahini into a dressing or as a dip; the zhuk will be set to the side as a hot condiment as a complementary taste.
I’m in a mood for simple food, made from scratch, that is satisfying, will last a few days, and is easy to do. Specifically, hummus! There are some really great store brands available, but now and again, just getting in touch with the process of making it adds to the experience.
Where I live, we are fortunate to have access to some stores with a wide variety of foods and culinary focal points, such as Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Asian. We also have local farmers’ markets and organic food delivery services, whether through co-ops or Whole Foods. And, of course, we have chain stores, such as Vons, or Trader Joe’s.
As we are heading out to different neighborhoods nearby and in the Valley (as in San Fernando, as in Valley Girl Land) for beer-making supplies, we will also pick up some goodies to make homemade hummus. And, while wandering around the net in search of hummus recipes, I came across this totally delightful video about chick peas – more well-known locally as garbanzo beans.
While in Portland, we went to a bakery for a quick snack before going down to Powell’s Books. I picked up a loaf of rye bread for the other half – and for myself, I admit. Good rye bread is a favorite of mine. I never had “real” bread until I left home, where Wonder Bread was the norm; once I did, though, I could appreciate bread and understand why people raved about different breads.
Summer is here, and with it comes an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Temperatures rise during the day, and the desire for food with heat goes along with it. Easy to make, fresh, and with pleasant amount of heat, homemade 
Ink, Yarn & Beer 