Summertime Hot and Sunny...So Why Am I Craving Short Ribs???

July 8, 2016

       I have no idea why, as it’s not winter and it is the middle of summer, hot and blasting as Arizona does from time to time, but I have been thinking about short ribs. Brown crunchy outsides, fall off the bone tender, succulent short ribs, with mashed potatoes.  And you know how the universe sometimes looks your way and smiles?  Well, that’s what happened.  They went on sale for $3.99 a pound, and I was on them like a hound on a rabbit! 

       So pulled out the cassoulet dutch oven, and just finished with a big pot on the stove. Needs to simmer for 2-3 hours, but that’s okay because these are for tomorrow night, not tonight. Tonight it’s El Gato Azul tapas, while listening to our just returned from Austin friend Kaileena and her drummer Dan for some great tunes, outdoors on the patio in the heavenly Prescott summer night air.  This is living…and delayed gratification for those ribs tomorrow!!

As a repeat with leftovers, put a can of sauerkraut into a heavy pot, rinsing prior to using. Put in 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, and a little salt, ½ of a small diced onion, along with some warm water and cook for a couple minutes.  Put in the leftover ribs, and cook until all ingredients are hot and ready to go. Add salt and pepper as needed. Served with mashed potatoes, this is a recipe that brings back yummy memories from my childhood and is fabulous on a cold winter’s night.

Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 beef short ribs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil (I like garlic or tuscan herb flavored, but any will do)

2 Tablespoons butter
3 carrots, diced
2 shallots, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 ½ c. red wine

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 box of beef broth or stock (about 4 cups)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

I cook these in a heavy duty dutch oven on top of the stove.  However, once browned and all ingredients added, you can just put them in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F.

Salt and pepper the ribs, then dredge them in the flour. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, add the olive oil and butter to the pan and raise the heat to high. Brown the ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove the ribs and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, shallots and onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Splash in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavorful fond. Add the broth, the worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid. Add the ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged—if not add more broth or water to cover.

Cover with tight fitting heavy lid. Turn burner to low. (Or at this point you can put on the lid and transfer to the oven). Cook until the ribs are fork-tender and falling off the bone, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes with the lid on before serving. At the last minute, skim the fat off the top of the liquid. (You can also refrigerate the mixture, then remove the solid fat from the top.) Made the day before, and reheated for the meal, the flavors mingle and grow and I believe are even better than when just cooked.

A Thousand Days in Prescott: A New View of Life

12-27-2015---

     All four burners on the top of the stove are full.  One with a pot of Potato and Ham soup that is just finishing for a late lunch later today.  Another is a tea pot of water...always there to begin a cup of tea or a pot of French press coffee.  Another has a beautiful ceramic bowl filled with large white beans and water, soaking to be made into a succulent Cassoulette, with chicken thighs brownedd in olive oil then braised with fennel, leeks, celery, onion, herbs, and olive oil, chicken stock thrown in along with pieces of garlicky sausage, and extra chervil, fennel seed, salt, cracked pepper and basil for tomorrow's repast. And last, but certainly not least, is a bowl filled with a large ball of bread dough, rising for the first time to later be punched down, risen again, and put onto cookie sheets to make a beautiful crunchy loaf of French bread to go with the Cassoulette.  It's a bountiful vignette!

    Sleeping in late today, I awoke and made a cup of my new favorite tea...Blackberry and Sage.  Flavored with a little raw sugar, not because I believe it to have any healthier properties than the regular white sugar, but because I love the flavor of it. With a little half n half, I snuggled into my big recliner chair, propped up my feet, and began again the book that was sent to me by my wonderful friend Priscilla, who knew I would be taken into it.  I have been reading "A Thousand Days in Tuscany" for two days, .  Again I am transported to another place, people of different culture, daily rhythms of life, beliefs, and habits.  Ones that seem to resonate with me each time I read a book about Italian country life. My friend Laura resonates with France, in particular Paris, and surrounds herself with the ambiance that is Paris in her home.  It's a wonderful place to sit and talk and have tea or wine or whatever as it is part and parcel of her existence.  And while I believe Laura to be Parisian in her heart (even if her lineage is Swedish), I believe somewhere in my soul I am truly Italian, rather than Swedish, German, English, Scottish, and whatever else turns up.   Earthy, emotional, caring, dramatic at times, I simply resonate with Italian bravado and Italy.  

     In reading the book, I'm thinking about how each holiday season, I anticipate the season with such expectations, and have rarely been gratified with the outcome. Each year I seem to end up depressed and sad that the Rockwellian Christmas I imagine has yet again not happened.  I over decorate, over cook, over work, under sleep and pay for it all. This morning, in reading passages from the book from around the Christmas time and the things happening to them, around them, with them, I realize I need to take a lesson. There were no gifts, save for trees, beautiful evergreens with root balls wrapped in burlap, strewn about the house to make a small forest and fill the house with the smell. To make being away from their old home and being in this new place and home, more bearable and less painful for the woman of the house. No further gifts were needed, as this came from the place in her husband's heart where he knew her and knew what she needed. 

   The mild tiff with my son this morning, had during texting, was not necessary.  He is what he is, and while I pray he certainly does love me, his actions are male and a bit self centered and that's just how it is. I take this personally, I get my feelings hurt and feel horrible, I say something...the "guilt" word comes out, and then it's downhill from there.  Bad form on my part. 

     So I think I need to put less weight on holidays, and more weight on the joys in my life each and every day.  Expectations for certain big events leads to a downfall each and every time. So more should be put into everyday living and doing and enjoyment. Small simple things...calling a friend to come join us for soup instead of a big party; going to the coffee shop with or without a book and enjoying whomever I'm with each and every moment.  Making bread and love the smell as it comes out of the oven, even though I know I will only get to enjoy a small taste due to the wheat intolerance, but knowing I'll drink in the lusciousness each time I see Roy or a guest sink their teeth into it and watch their face light up with the taste in their mouths. A call to him, announcing our desire to take a road trip over to see him and his family if that would be okay, and then doing it spontaneously.  After all, we are retired and have nothing to keep us from doing spur of the moments random acts of joy!

    I will sit quietly and truly enjoy reading a book, or sipping a cup of tea; I will sit on the front porch (once the temperatures come up above freezing again) listening to the quiet rustles of leaves, scampering of squirrels, cawing of ravens; I will take the time to hear, smell, listen and love each part of my days, even when things are schifoso,  knowing that without the bad, the good cannot be enjoyed. 

    So to all, a 2016 filled with being alive, being open, being amazed at life each and every day. Going with the seasons, going with the ebb and flow, acknowledging those in our lives that mean so much to us, and making each moment count!  

Felice anno nuovo!!

Gluten Free Isn't Always Inspiring---But There Are The Exceptions

        

       It’s funny how when searching the internet for one thing you often come across something else that peaks your interest…or 50 other things if you get into that loop!  I am in the midst of planting my garden, and have some Black Valentine Heirloom Bean Seed to plant. However the package does not tell me if they are bush or pole/runner beans and that’s truly a need to know for my small garden spaces. So on to Google to find out. But one there, up comes this recipe and since we’re going to friends’ this evening for a little cook out, and I had all the ingredients on hand, I whipped up a batch to try.

         Being gluten/wheat intolerant, I’ve tried lots of recipes for gluten free baked goods. I have yet to find a gluten free bread, homemade or purchased, which gives me the magnificent crunchy crust and buttery inside of homemade French bread of other artisanal breads …there is just no substitution for gluten in bread. The more the better!  The Gluten Free Bread recipe  which I previously posted is one of the best I’ve found, but that is always precluded with a “but”….

         However, along the way, I have found some delicious recipes for gluten free items that blow my mind. One is the Moist Chocolate Quinoa Cake posted in a previous entry.  Now I have come across this amazing Black Bean Brownie recipe. Moist, tender, chocolaty deliciousness, and can be made as a vegan treat my omitting the eggs and substituting water. The ingredients are easy to find and readily available (another problem with gluten free recipes), and by using the food processor takes only minutes to make. This recipe can and should be served to guests, friends, family, and anyone who loves brownies, whether gluten free or not. And for an added zing, make a light glaze using powdered sugar, espresso powder, cocoa powder and water to drizzle over the top once the pan of brownies is completely cooled., and allow to harden to a crunchy sweet deliciousness.                                   

         Just remember…do not use seasoned black beans, i.e. Cuban Black Beans, in this recipe. I’m not sure, but I imagine you would not be happy with the results! 

Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

(adapted frommylittlecelebration.com.)

 makes about 12 brownies, 350 degree oven)

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. can (1 3/4 cups) of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2.5 tbsp. flax seed meal 
• 2 regular eggs or 6 tbsp. water for vegan alternative
• 3 tbsp. melted coconut oil
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raw or brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Instructions

1.    Lightly grease an 8 inch square cake pan or 12-slot standard muffin pan, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees

2.    Combine flax and water in your bowl or food processor. Mix briefly and let rest for a few minutes to hydrate.

3.    Add all remaining ingredients and blend well until batter is very smooth. Add water by the teaspoon until the batter resembles the consistency of cake batter

4.    Spoon into batter into muffin tin or pan evenly.

5.    Bake until the edges pull from the sides and the top appears dry (about 20-26 minutes).

6.    Let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. They will be tender, so remove gently with a fork. The insides are meant to be very fudgey, so don’t be concerned if they seem too moist – that’s the point. 

7.    Store in an airtight container or refrigerate to keep longer (they probably won't last that long, though).

These brownies run 140 calories each, and pack a lot of taste in addition to 163 mg of fiber, and 5g of protein. Granted, they aren't health food, but they are gluten-free and began with the egg-free alternative (which is a lot to ask for from a dessert that still tastes great). Even better, this dessert will pass the taste-test with your non-vegan, glutinous friends - which means you can still enjoy food with them, and not worry about intestinal distress later. 

The Diversity of Receiving Bountiful Baskets (bountifulbsket.org)

At last I remembered to order our Bountiful Basket on Monday. It’s been quite some time since we’ve had the joy of getting up early on Saturday morning and picking up our “surprise package” of fruits and vegetables from Sally and Tanya, but finally today it has been received.

And what a package!  Beautiful curly leaf lettuce, celery (whoo hoo as I’d just used the last of ours last night), potatoes, gorgeous crisp red bell peppers, Roma tomatoes (to go with the curly leaf lettuce and some basil  and sorrel from the Farmer's Market), bananas, kiwi, pears, pineapple, mushrooms, oranges, and last but absolutely not least Dragon Fruit!

Neither Roy nor I have tasted Dragon Fruit prior to today. I knew what it was, but Roy was so excited about this “weird” looking fruit, so he got on the computer and looked it up. It is low in sugars and filled with

Vitamin C, phosphorus, fiber, and antioxidants, a powerhouse of goodness for  you. Ours was perfectly ripe per the description on the web site, so we were ready and raring to cut it open and try it.  A cactus fruit, it MAY grow in our zone with some extra care and protection, so he wants to order one. I’m game!  It is so beautiful and exotic looking when whole…a beautiful dark pink/red color with soft light green spikes coming out from the skin in various places. And then you cut it open and WOW.  The outside skin of magenta surrounds a creamy white center exploding with tiny black seeds.  The taste is mild—a bit like a kiwi but not so sweet as a ripe one nor as tart as a not-quite ripe one. Nice consistency…not mushy but not crisp or crunchy either.   Good for you, nutritious, delicious, a treat for the eyes and palette…sounds perfect to me. 

So I got right to work making breakfast, after Roy came to me rubbing his stomach and in Japanese telling me “my stomach is empty”.  First, the potatoes--sauteed lightly in olive oil with a touch of butter, I seasoned them with a pinch of 

 Panch Phoran (aka Bengali 5 Spice if you're looking to purchase, but the recipe is easy and here on the blog), salt, pepper, and turmeric--then cooked them until golden brown. Also added some mushrooms.  Served with two over easy eggs (with a puddle of Chalula hot sauce on them—Roy can’t eat eggs and most other foods without it), along with banana and kiwi slices, a wedge of Dragon Fruit, and a toasted biscuit from dinner last night, it put a big smile on Roy's face when he sat down to eat. It didn't go away after tasting everything either!

    This was a new adventure for us in food, with a fabulous ending (they don’t all come out as good).  I think it's important that everyone at least try all fruits and vegetables at least once.  They're good for you, help control weight, supply not only vitamins and minerals but anti-oxidants and enzymes that you can't get by taking a vitamin pill, and they expand your palette--especially good for children.  I’ll let you know if/when we get ours and keep you informed of how it grows here. Winter will be the test, so you’ll hear more about our Dragon Fruit experiment in the future.

Tapas Night

           There are times when you really don’t want to take on a big meal, and your frig is full of leftovers that you need to incorporate into a meal.  Well, that scenario says “Tapas” to me!  I love the small plate meals that originated in Spain. Pieces of toast were perched on the top of wine glasses to keep out flies and ingenious tavern owners started putting a couple olives, or a piece of salami or cheese on top and that evolved to little plates served with the drinks. In this manner, people can have 1 or 2 bites of this and that, trying each one and rejoicing in the variety of tastes, textures, and spiciness, until feeling utterly satisfied. This is one reason people like buffets…you see the menu and you think you want a burger, but then you see the coconut shrimp, or Chicken Picata, or…but you don’t want to spend the money nor have all the leftovers (because you can't possibly eat 4 different entrees) it would take to purchase 4 different dishes that you seem not to be able to make up your mind and choose just one.  Tapas is perfect.

           Locally we have a wonderful tapas restaurant, El Gato Azul. Great atmosphere, delicious small bite plates, fabulous wait staff (Maurice is a jewel) and a great sangria. But being on a tight budget, that’s a real treat for us to do.  By doing it at home, you have a delightful array of foods to choose from without the guilt of going out.

           To that end, I looked at the leftovers and things we had on hand, and came up with Crab Stuffed Avocados (this did not come out too great…need to rework it as has  great potential), Stuffed Mushrooms, Greek Marinated Garbanzo Beans, Stuffed Celery,  and Spicy Mushrooms.

             So tonight when you're wondering what to do with the this and that's in your refrigerator, set up for a trip to Spain and serve Tapas!!

Stuffed Mushrooms,

 I used some corn chex cereal (gluten free) and crushed it for the bread crumbs, added the chopped stems from the button mushrooms, some garlic and minced onion, thyme, crumbled feta, and small diced salami.  Sauted onions and garlic along with mushroom stems, salami, and thyme, then removed from heat and let cool a minute. Then added the feta and stuffed the mushrooms. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake until mushrooms are done. Serve warm.

Greek Marinated Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients

15 ounces garbanzo beans, 1 can, drained
or cooked dry garbanzo beans

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Brown Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1/4 cup red onion, minced

1 clove garlic, pressed

3/4 cup celery, sliced, with leaves

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ t. chili flakes

Directions

Place olive oil, red onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper into medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, add vinegar, soy sauce and garbanzo beans, basil oregano and chili flakes. Bring back to a simmer stirring occasionally, turn off heat, cover pan and let sit until room temperature. To store, put into glass jar in refrigerator. To serve, drain marinade off garbanzos and put into bowl with a small spoon. Sprinkle top with fresh parsley flakes.

Spicy Little Mushrooms

1 lb button mushrooms

¼ lb. butter

½ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 T. sugar

1 T garlic powder

1 T. onion powder

2 t. paprika

½ t. cayenne pepper

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat, add mushrooms. Stir until coasted. Add worchestershire sauce & spices. Mix again, cover & cook for about 15 minutes or until mixture separates.  Serve hot. 

STUFFED CELERY

1 8OZ package cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons honey (I used black walnut honey)

3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 Tablespoons lavender pepper

Put room temperature cream cheese into medium mixing bowl. Drizzle with honey, put int walnuts and mix until completely incorporated. 

Prepare 2-3" pieces of fresh clean celery. Using a small off set spatula, spread cream cheese mixture completely along celery. Sprinkle top of each with a pinch of the lavender pepper. Arrange on serving platter, Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

The Smell of Fresh Bread from the Oven--November 18, 2013

     As Roy came in the front door from taking Guayo for a walk, his first words were "I smell bread!  I smelled it before I ever hit the driveway."
     It was true. I had just pulled two loaves out of the oven and the aroma was wafting through the house and down the street. I first caught it when I was outside hanging clothes and went back over to the basket to get more towels. It was sitting near the back door, and the scent was pouring out.

It's a double edged sword for someone who cannot eat wheat...the smell is so delicious it makes you dream of a big slice of crusty hot bread slathered with butter, and then it becomes a complete disappointment when you remember you can't have it. You know, Lactaid has been invented for people with dairy intolerance, why hasn't something been invented for gluten/wheat allergies????
      But even though I can't eat it, Roy loves fresh bread, and it's so much cheaper to make then to buy good bread. Plus you know exactly what's in it when you buy your  flours from the local organic market, Honeyman's, and use pure local honey and maple syrup for sweetener, and add some extra wholesomeness by adding flax seed meal, thus increasing the Omega 3 content and giving it a rich nutty flavor. No preservatives, no transfats, no processed sugar or other ingredients....a trip back to a gentler more delicious time.
     But there was another surprise awaiting him. I had made

some Pumpkin Butter from pumpkin I'd canned from the garden last fall. 
     So here's my recipe for Nana's Whole Wheat Bread. Enjoy them both;  together or put the Pumpkin Butter in empanadas, on muffins, on pancakes, or even on your finger.

NANA'S WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

4 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flax meal
1 1/2 T. active dry yeast
2 c. warm water
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 t. salt
2 eggs (well beaten)

In a large 4 c. measuring cup, put the warm water. Stir in the yeast and honey. Let sit to proof--if it foams up it's good.  

In a large bowl, mix white and wheat flours together. 

Pour yeast mixture into stand mixer bowl. Add eggs, 3 cups flour, and oil. Mix well. Turn off mixer and add flax meal and 2 more cups flour, and mix well. Add rest of flour as needed until a stiff dough is formed.  

Grease a large bowl. Scrape dough from mixer bowl into greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put into refrigerator over night, or sit on counter until raised to double the volume. 

Punch down dough in bowl, and knead in bowl for a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary, but do not make the dough too dry or stiff. Divide in half and form into two loaves. Put each loaf in a greased loaf pan. Brush top with milk.

Put pans in 425 degree oven, spraying bottom of oven liberally with water and then close the door.  In 15 minutes open the door and spray again with water. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until until golden brown. 

Put on rack to cool for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans, brush tops with butter, and continue cooling on rack until room temperature. (Or better yet, cut off one end, slather it with butter and enjoy it for me!) Once cool, put in plastic bags and refrigerate. 

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN BUTTER

1 qt canned pumpkin chunks (my home canned     
     pumpkin is NOT pureed as too difficult to get the 
     core temperature high enough when canning, so is 
     canned in chunks with water with a pinch of salt 
     and a squeeze of lemon added). 
1/4 c. honey
3/4 c. maple syrup (can be adjusted if you want it 
    sweeter or less sweet, but wait until it has cooked 
     down to taste)
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. lemon juice (fresh squeezed)

Put all ingredients into a sauce pan or slow cooker.  Cook until pumpkin is very soft, then use a potato masher to mash as smooth as possible. Put into blender and blender until completely smooth (let cool before doing this). Put back into pan and cook on low heat until deep in color and has a glossy consistency.  Cool and store in jar with tight lid in the refrigerator.

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere--November 3, 2013

Well, Halloween is over, and while I want to keep some of the pumpkins for Thanksgiving decorations and such, I have a vast amount of them this year. I don't carve my pumpkins because I hate wasting them, so I just decorate with them, then figure out what yummy things to make with them.

This year I decided on soup. At least with the portion that wasn't used in making the Roasted Pumpkin Bites from the Kaileena & Bree Bye Bye Party.  So looked at several recipes I had and some in cook books and some on line, and decided to adapt the Spiced Pumpkin Soup receipt from Soup Bowl, a great cookbook with only soups in it. 

Serve with a little salad and absolutely some warm crusty bread (although I had to forego that pleasure due to the gluten, I did make some gluten free croutons from gluten free bread and put them in it and that was pretty darn good!) for a delicious and warming fall meal.

SPICY PUMPKN SOUP

Serves 4

2 T olive oil               

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 T fresh ginger, finely chopped

½ t. Tajin (find in Hispanic markets or  in Hispanc foods section) or cayenne pepper, or paprika

1 bay leaf

4 c. cooked diced pumpkin

2 ½ c. chicken stock (for vegetarian, use vegetable stock)    

1 large pinch lavender pepper

2 T. butter (may be omitted or Olive Oil used in place)

Salt & pepper to taste

½ c. milk, half n half, or cream

¼ c. toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and stir for about 4 minutes until softened. Add Tajin, bay leaf, pumpkin, lavender papper, broth and cook an additional 5 minutes stirring so it doesn’t burn.  Add butter and stir in until melted.  Remove from heat and let cool. 

Once cool, pour into food processor and process until completely smooth.  Put back into pan, add milk, salt and pepper (taste to adjust) and bring back to heat. Turn off burner. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of cream or ½ and ½ to top, along with a sprinkle of Tajin or paprika.