I made bread!

I've established at this point that I'm more of a cook than I am a baker. So it was really exciting for me last Saturday when I learned how to bake really good, French-style sourdough bread. There are two girls at Wesleyan, Tressa and Ellie, who are into organic and local food, and they a ran an instructional workshop on Saturday on homemade bread, butter and yogurt. It was so fun!

The girls ran us through the basics of making and maintaining sourdough starter and kneading, proofing, and baking bread. We also tasted two yogurts they had made the night before: raw milk (runny, rich and grassy-tasting) and pasteurized milk (firmer and somewhat bland in flavor). We also made butter, which (with the aid of modern technology) is crazy easy: all you do is whip cream with a Cuisinart or electric mixer until the butter separates from the buttermilk. Then you knead the butter in your hands to squeeze out the last of the buttermilk and wash it off in cool water. Add salt to taste and wrap in wax paper and you're done!

After gorging ourselves on warm, fresh bread with butter and yogurt with maple syrup and honey, we got sent home with parting gifts: sourdough starter, butter and buttermilk, raw milk in glass ball jars for making yogurt, and bread dough to bake.

But here comes the depressing part: I hate to admit it, but since Saturday I've tried on two--two--occasions to make yogurt, and failed. And it seemed so easy. All you have to do is heat the milk to 180°, let it cool to 110°, then add it to a few tablespoons of plain commercial yogurt that you've placed in a warmed ball jar, mix and let stand undisturbed in a warm place for 8-12 hours. After that, you should magically have yogurt. But all I've had both times was stringy, gooey warm milk that smelled like yogurt. Yuck! I suspect that my milk temperatures have been off, since I've been eyeballing it (I don't have a candy thermometer, but I think I need to get one). Either that, or the warm place I've been keeping the yogurt-to-be (a preheated oven that I then turned off) hasn't maintained temperature overnight. Who knows? I'm almost afraid to share this in case it goes awry again, but I have another batch in the oven right now. I still didn't use a thermometer, and if it doesn't work I'll buy one this weekend and try yet again. Oh well. Making yogurt (or failing to make yogurt, as the case may be) is really fun--it feels less like cooking and more like a second grade science experiment (baking soda/vinegar volcanoes, anyone?).

So as not to end this post on a down note, I'll display my workshop success below. Behold, the most basic and most satisfying of foods: freshly-baked bread. Mine is the long baguette in the front to the right.

Recipe index

Soups
Asian Soba Noodle Soup with Chicken and Tofu
Chilled Summer Squash Soup with Yogurt and Mint
Gazpacho
Kale and White Bean Soup with Sausage
Lentil Soup with Spinach and Potatoes
Pork and Cabbage Wonton Soup
Spice-Roasted Carrot Soup with Yogurt
Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage Soup
Thai Chicken-Coconut Soup
Turkey Mushroom Barley Soup
Velouté aux Potimarrons (Puréed Squash Soup)

Salads
Asian Vegetable Slaw
Carrot and Fennel Slaw with Cumin-Honey Dressing
Corn, Black Bean and Red Pepper Salad
Green Bean, Roasted Red Pepper and Cherry Tomato Salad with Toasted Almonds
Lentil Salad with Potatoes, Red Peppers and Shallots
Mango, Tomato and Red Onion Salad with Lime
Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella)
Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Spinach and Arugula Salad with Apples and Toasted Walnuts
Steamed White Asparagus with a Soft-Cooked Egg
Summer Tomato Salad with Grilled Corn and Fresh Basil
Warm Squash Salad with Candied Pepitas
Wheatberry Salad with Beets, Wax Beans and Fresh Cheese

Side Dishes
Caribbean-Spiced Rice and Beans
Celery Root Mashed Potatoes
Classic Potato Latkes
Classic Potato Salad
Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes with kale)
Indian-Spiced Roasted Cauliflower
Marinated Kale on Garlic Toasts
Minestra
Oven-Roasted Asparagus
Potato-Beet Latkes
Roasted Cauliflower with Capers and Breadcrumbs
Roasted New Potatoes
Sauteed Chard with Dried Cherries and Pine Nuts
Simple Stewed Lentils
Slow-Cooked Green Beans with Garlic and Tomatoes
Spring Vegetable Saute
Stir-fried Green Beans with Sesame Seeds
Tabbouleh
Traditional Southern Collard Greens
Warm Mediterranean Vegetables (Ratatouille/Caponata)
Wild Rice and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Main Dishes

Poultry
Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms, Leeks and Red Wine
Chicken and Broccoli Fried Rice
Chicken Mole Poblano
Chicken Tacos
Grilled Chicken Marinated in Honey, Mustard and Soy
Jerk Chicken
Kitchen Sink Turkey Burgers
Mediterranean-Style Turkey Burgers
Mixed Greens with Duck Meat, Apples, Currants and Pecans
Roast Chicken
Roast Chicken 2
Soy-Braised Chicken Thighs with Star Anise and Brown Sugar
Turkey Fried Rice

Meat
Eggplant and Pork in Chile-Garlic Sauce
Grilled Marinated Flap Meat Steak
Kofta Kebabs
Lamb Meatballs with Fresh Herbs and Feta
Lamb Shoulder Chops Braised in Tomatoes and Red Wine
Parmesan and Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops
Puerto Rican Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder (Pernil)
Safaid Keema (Indian Ground Lamb in Yogurt Sauce)
Southern-Style Barbecued Pulled Pork
Steak, Pepper 'n' Onion Stirfry
Thai Beef Salad with Lime Dressing

Seafood
Asian-Style Fish Cakes
Fish Tacos
Pescado a la Veracruzana (Fish Fillets, Veracruz Style)
Squid, White Bean and Tomato Stew
Stuffed Squid Braised in Aromatic Tomato Sauce

Vegetarian
Baked Goat Cheese
Baked Marinated Tofu
Baked Stuffed Delicata Squash
Black Bean Cakes
Braised Eggplant with Tofu in Garlic Sauce
Coconut-Braised Chickpeas with Spinach and Lemon
Curried Red Lentils
Garlic Toast with Sautéed Beet Greens and a Poached Egg
Grilled Pizza
Mexican Chilaquiles with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans
Mexican-Style Beans
Mushroom Quesadillas
Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Herbed White Bean Spread and Arugula
Potato, Red Pepper and Spinach Frittata
Revueltos (Spanish-style scrambled eggs)
Salmon, Leek and Dill (Crustless) Quiche
Savory Leek, Mushroom and Ricotta Tart
Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli with Tofu

Pasta
Bowtie Pasta with Fresh Plum Tomatoes, Green Beans and Basil
Calamarata with White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes
Cold Sesame Noodles with Vegetables
Pasta with Squash, Leeks and Lardons
Penne with Cherry Tomatoes, White Beans and Chicken
Rigatoni with Broccoli Rabe, Fresh Tomatoes and Italian Sausage
Spaghetti with Green Beans, Potatoes and Pesto
Whole-Wheat Penne with Tomatoes and Dandelion Greens
Ziti with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Breakfast
Cinnamon-Almond Granola
Corn Griddle Cakes
Homemade Yogurt
Matzoh Brei
Sourdough Pancakes
Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote
Sweet Milk Scones

Desserts and Baked Goods
Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Apple Tarte Tatin
Banana Bread
Black Magic Chocolate Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Ganache
Bruléed Apple, Rhubarb and Blackberry Galette
French Country Sourdough White Bread
Grandma's Blueberry Cake
Middle Eastern Orange and Almond Cake
"Queen of Sheba" Chocolate Torte
Pumpkin Apple Bread
Rhubarb Sponge Cake with Almonds
Skillet Cornbread
Sourdough Starter
Za'atar Flatbreads with Cucumber-Yogurt Salad

Sauces, Salsas and Spreads
Baba Ghanoush
Basil-Walnut Pesto
Bitter Greens Pesto
Classic Guacamole
Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Fresh Tomato Salsa with Sauteed Corn
Herbed White Bean Spread
Hummus
Hummus with Marinated Chickpeas
No-Cook Tomato Sauce
Pico de Gallo
Pineapple Salsa
Radish Salsa
Salsa Verde
Spinach and Almond Pesto with Lemon
Sweet and Smokey BBQ Sauce
Tomato and Red Onion Salsa with Roasted Corn Kernels

Snacks/Miscellaneous
Asian Pork Broth
Fresh Herb Marinade
Grilled Halloumi Cheese
Homemade Applesauce
"Mexican pizza"
Pickled Carrots
Pickled Red Onions
Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Tutorials
How to Make Almond Flour
How to Trim Artichokes

The last soup of the season

It's springtime here in Connecticut, and the time for soup has almost passed. But when I was considering what to make with the kale I got from the co-op, kale and white bean soup immediately came to mind. Deeply flavored with browned sausage, tons of garlic and a touch of red pepper flakes, it's the perfect dish for these last few cool spring nights:

















It's a dead-simple recipe, if you can even call it that. In a large pot, brown six ounces of fully-cooked sausage of any kind in olive oil (I used andouille, but chorizo is my personal favorite). Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and sweat one large, finely chopped yellow onion in the remaining oil. Add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic and cook a minute more. Then, add one bunch of kale that you've washed, destemmed, and torn into bite-size pieces. Cover the pot and let the kale cook out most of its moisture. Add back the sausage, along with one small can of drained white beans, one small can of chicken broth, and a can-ful of water. Cook, covered, for about 15-20 minutes more, until kale is dark green and tender. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and enjoy.

The bread of affliction

It's Passover, at least for another day or two. I've been meaning to make some Passover food for the blog for the past week, but didn't get around to it until today. Although I don't keep kosher for Passover, I have a lot of affection for many Passover dishes. When I lived at home, my family and I would always go to seder at my cousins' house in New Jersey, and we ate very well: chicken-matzoh ball soup; tender long-cooked brisket; sweet and sour meatballs; various vegetable kugels; and, best of all, the desserts. Oh, the desserts! Light-as-a-feather sponge cake, sweet and lemony and towering high over everything else on the table; dense, chewy vanilla meringues studded with bittersweet chocolate chips; flourless chocolate cake heavy with ground hazelnuts.

And then, of course, there's matzoh. It's not very good, and it's not supposed to be--eating it is supposed to remind us Jews of our flight through the desert all those thousands of years ago. I always think it's funny when people say how much they like matzoh, because those people are never Jewish. If you had to eat the stuff growing up, it pretty much loses its novelty.

That said, there are certainly lots of applications for matzoh that I think are delicious. It's hard to argue with a matzoh spread thickly with salted butter, for instance. I like it piled high with haroset, an apple-walnut chutney that's a traditional component of the seder plate. And my very favorite matzoh recipe is matzoh brei. Matzoh brei is, very basically, a kosher for Passover version of French toast. You break up the matzoh and soak it in beaten egg, then fry it up in a pan and eat it either sweet (with honey, maple syrup, jam, or cinnamon sugar) or savory (with butter and salt). It's simple, homey, and satisfying--and with coffee, it's the perfect breakfast. In fact, that's what I just finished eating. Here's how I made it (serves one):

First, break up two matzohs into bite-size pieces. Place them in a colander and run water over them for 10-15 seconds, until they're moistened:

Next, beat an egg in a bowl and add the matzoh. Mix it well and let sit for about 5 minutes, so the matzoh soaks up the egg:

In the meantime, heat up a small pan and grease it generously with butter. Add the matzoh mixture and press it into the pan. Cook over medium-low heat for about 6-8 minutes, flipping once, until the "pancake" is browned on both sides:

If you're a savory kind of person, eat the matzoh brei with more butter and some salt. If you're like me, though, you'll want to enjoy it with jam:

Breakfast is served.

P.S. Here's an excellent article on the merits of sweet vs. savory matzoh brei from the New York Times.

Co-op time

Valencia oranges, collard greens, baby portabello mushrooms, anjou pears, and an ear of corn.