Birthday Bounty

I am 26 now, as of last Friday.

And a glorious day it was. 

Friday has always been my favorite day of the week.

I have been thinking about the placement of birthdays, and I am glad to have my birthday at the beginning of the year. 

Probably each month has its benefits, but January has a crisp newness that is bigger than me. I like that. Plus, now that I am old enough to forget how old I am, being born at the beginning of the year makes it easier to calculate, which is probably why most of Asia traditionally adds a year to their age on the Chinese New Year regardless of their month of birth.  (Happy Year of the Dragon by the way.)

Nathanael was the crafter of almost all of the things that made my birthday so fantastic.

The main thing I created was the wonderful brightly colored outfit that is not shown here...but probably would have landed me a part as one of the Wizard of Oz munchkins back in the day just so that Technicolor triumph could have been fully appreciated. Though, Nathanael did help me decide that it was not too ridiculous for work...being that it was Friday and all.

Isn't this wrapping job fun? 

Newspaper never looked so fine.

Nathanael received some restaurant recommendations from people in his office, but he decided that he could make a more delectable meal at home (and without spending our using up all of our money). So, while I relaxed in the living room reading some junior fiction, he created a mystery dinner masterpiece. The first course, was beer cheese soup fit for any Wisconsin palate.

Next was a salad of romaine lettuce, pecans, craisins, and apple poppy seed dressing. 

Next, because our kitchen is small, he brought these into the living room to cool, which should have probably keyed me in on the main course, but I was still oblivious...

to the seasoned hamburgers sizzling away.

But once I figured it out I was pretty excited about both the burgers, and the toppings; red wine caramelized onions, slices of avocado, and shoe string potato chips for a bit of crunch.

I went to bed stuffed to the top.

Then, the next morning, my second day of 26, Nathanael took me out for a mystery breakfast. I was a little worried he was taking me to ihop (I love waffles, but I just wasn't in the mood for that particular atomosphere). Not only was I not disappointed, but I was quite excited. He brought me to a beignet shop. The setting of which is more like a European cafe. 

(Taking more pictures of the two of us together is my one New Year's resolution. As you can see, it is in its early stages. Also, those are the clothes we are wearing indoors and out these days.)

Ah beignets.

If you haven't tried them...

well...

get yourself down here to Louisiana to visit us!

A bounty of Dill

Nathanael and I have been having a very fun time sharing our harvest with our friends and neighbors. When we have given them beans, peas, carrots, spinach or even beets, everyone is ready to share with us how they plan to use them. When it comes to herbs, however, particularly dill, most people have looked in the bag and said, "So how do I use this one?"

   I have to admit I am sort of in the same boat. I love dill, but I don't have a plethora of ideas to utilize it. My first thought is always pickles, but I do have a friend who always makes dill omelets. Our neighbor from Romania recommended tossing dill with other vegetables in a salad, and my dear walking partner from Iran told me she makes dill rice to go with fish (which I recommend by the way, especially with a flavorful brown rice and butter). But, despite the beloved fish and dill combination, I was really looking for a dish to recommend to everyone that would use things they already had...because we really have a ton of dill.

  

If I were a Black Swallowtail Butterfly (also known as Parsley caterpillar), I might spend my whole life surviving on the stuff, and wandering around looking resplendent. 

Papilio polyxenes asterius

These guys were rawists...dill-ists in fact, but had no recipes to share with me.

Inspired by the enormous bunch of dill I gave her, my friend Hannah discovered just the thing I was looking for. A very basic dill potato recipe from Veg Recipes of India. It is simple and quick, but also a perfect way to really appreciate the flavor of dill. The amounts are imprecise; you could spice it up, or add other root vegetables if you wanted to be creative*, but leaving it basic will also please your palate.  

Dill Potatoes yield 4-6 side servings
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 big bunch of fresh dill leaves, chopped (about 1 cup or more when hard stems are excluded) 
3 to 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch rounds
5-6 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the oil, and once heated add garlic and saute for one minute.

2. Add potatoes and saute for a few minutes until they begin to soften, perhaps 6-7 minutes.

3.  Add dill leaves and spices, mix well. Then, add salt and 1/2 cup to 1 cup water, cover, and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes. If the water dries up add more.

4. Remove the lid and cook until liquid has evaporated and potatoes are very tender.

Serve as a side dish, or with dal and rice or chapatis.

*Dill and carrots are related so they are also a delicious combination. Prepare them similarly, adding about 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds to the oil at the beginning, a bit of ginger with the garlic, and some powdered cumin and coriander with the other spices.

What recipe comes first to your mind when you think about having boatloads of fresh dill?

Golden: Sweet Potato Black Bean Mole

When we lived in Wisconsin, dairy was a bargain; cheese, mustard, cranberries, and honey were plentiful, and there was an enormous employee owned grocery store where food was priced so that even graduate students could eat. In our new home grocery shopping and I are not as good friends. 
I have always liked the idea of buying local and seasonal produce, but now that I am out of my home climate and apples are $1.89/lb on sale in the fall, I've realized I should take an even harder look at the whole thing and make an effort to cook like a southerner....though perhaps with fewer sticks of butter.

Hurray for Rain!

Today is a rainy day. Finally.

Nathanael and I have been hoping for rain for a while now. For weeks there have only been slight sprinkles mixed in with the ever increasing temperatures (in the 80Fs lately). 

So, a week ago Saturday (the 19th) we tried our best to provide water to the garden during our visit, though the soil dries into white concrete right before your eyes. Up to that point the germination had been disappointingly low.

Last Saturday the beets were one of the only things looking ok.

And most things that had germinated (except the beets) were being devoured by fire ants and their little aphid friends. Including me, incidentally...though not by aphids...I do move more quickly than that.

Our poor Chinese Red Noodle Beans.

 We decided to start our Solanums (Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants, etc.) in trays, so they could receive more constant moisture and better soil in which to start life.

So they are looking rather sprightly, and will probably be ahead of the game (weeds and ants) when we plant them in a week or two.

Much to our elation, after watering throughly a few times last week, things were looking much better when we returned this past Saturday (the 26th).

 More bonus points* to the person who guesses what these little plants are....they're one of the ones I am the most excited about. (Reference our display of seed packets for a hint.)

We had previously picked a little bit of mustard greens and dwarf pak choy, 

A Chinese Chicken and Pak Choy I made for a quick dinner.

but this time we we able to pick more of each of those, thin the beets (and take the lovely beet greens), and also harvest lots of lettuce and spinach.

I think beet greens are so beautiful.

Their color is even more brilliant when they are sauted,

 

but we prefer them raw, mixed with our lettuces and spinach for a big colorful salad.

On Sunday we returned to finish planting all of the Cucurbits (Melons, Pumpkins, Squash, Gourds, Cucumbers, etc.), and many of the plants had grown buy 1/2 or more since the previous day! All of that watering paid off, so hopefully the current torrential downpour will also encourage our little plants to flourish rather than wash away.

It is so strange to not only be gardening in March, but to be harvesting too!

Are you planning a garden, planting seeds, or anticipating particular produce at the farmer's market?

*The mystery seeds on Monday were Black Mustard, Fennel, and Urad Dal. Congratulations Melissa for guessing two out of three. You've earned two bonus points and have been rewarded with a button for your shop in my side bar.*

Golden: Mug Nu Saak--Mung Beans With Yogurt

Do you recognize these lovely olive green legumes?

Red: My Quick Meal

I could not have a red series on the blog without sharing my recipe for tomato sauce with you. First because it is a great quick meal, and is exceptionally adaptable. Second, because this is one of my top three go-to meals when I'm not feeling creative (I always have the ingredients). And third, because if you are eating pre-made sauce you're just missing out.

I am biased, yes, because as I grew up my Mom (who has completely Italian ancestry on both sides) was constantly making sauce and creating some delicious dinner for us with it. Pasta, homemade pizza, calzones, lasagna (the only casserole she made), and even homemade crepe-like manicotti a couple of times. And now that we're not small picky children anymore she's been telling us about eggplant Parmesan, polenta, and rice lasagna.

My first taste of pre-made sauce was at my grandma's house, and my little self didn't know what was wrong with the meal, but I knew something was missing, just like something was up with the bread because the "butter" was actually margarine...

New Textures and Tastes

 A number of weeks ago, an acquaintance of mine from our apartment complex and I began walking together on weekday mornings. Since our route is a six mile loop, it takes us just under two hours to complete, and we have quickly become good friends. She is from China, and we both love to learn about the traditions, foods and other differences between our two countries, so we have hardly a moment of silence.
    It has seldom rained in the morning here, but usually at night, so we have only had one rain cancellation on our walk. However, we decided to turn it into a grand occasion. She came to our apartment to play games and have tea with me, and carried with her these neat little pumpkin shaped snacks. They were molded out of a dough composed of sweet potato puree mixed with sticky rice powder. As the stem and as a filling, she used red bean paste. They are a bland little snack of an uncommon texture around here, but it was fun to have them with our tea. (She said I could roll them in sugar if I wanted them to be more dessert-like.) In exchange for this treat I taught her to play Pass the Pigs and Phase 10. Perhaps not the most iconic of American games, but we had fun nonetheless.

Another new thing I have tried lately is bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd. I had seen it at a few different Asian markets, but finally purchased it at a produce stand with a wide selection of mostly local produce. I had a recipe for preparing bitter melon from my favorite Indian food cookbook (Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law by Simon Daley).

My recipe instructed me to empty out the seeds and pith, cut 1/2inch pieces, and layer them with salt in a colander for 30 minutes in order to reduce the bitterness, but I have to admit I was still surprised by the intensity. The vegetable reminded Nathanael and I of a cucumber, but dense instead of watery, and the flavor was very reminiscent of a bitter cucumber skin. However, unlike the bitterness of a grapefruit or some cucumber skins, the flavor dissipated quickly and did not disrupt the enjoyment of the other flavors in the dish. I would not prepare bitter melon often, but it would be a neat side dish occasionally. Nathanael will be growing some in his garden during the coming season. (He probably liked it a little more than I did.)

And if nothing else, they are fascinating to look at.

Finally, during our Thanksgiving focused grocery trip, Nathanael and I picked out three Mexican grown mirlitons. They looked familiar, but I neither of us had ever tried one, or heard that name before. When we eventually looked them up we recognized the Spanish name, chayote, which they are more commonly sold under elsewhere in the United States, but here in Louisiana they go by their Cajun name, mirliton. Another cucurbit (member of the cucumber, melon, squash family), the mirliton can be eaten raw or cooked, but either way, it has almost no flavor. Inside there is a single seed, but not a pit, but a very soft squash-like seed, which is also edible and essentially flavorless. 

   We ate our mirliton raw, and it reminded me of a zucchini or summer squash, but very very crisp. Nathanael wasn't a big fan, but I enjoyed it very much, purely for it's interesting crunch. Eventually I had some pieces with salt on them, and ate the others with strawberry-rhubarb jam. I recommend the jam especially.

Chromatic Kimchi

     Until I went to college I did not realize the diversity of my Dad's palate. The fact that he regularly consumed and incorporated international ingredients never really occurred to me. The dried anchovy snacks in the car, the 12 inch pieces of stretched dried bean curd in the cabinet, the "crab crackers" that inflate when you deep fry them; all seemed a little random, but exotic wasn't really a word that occurred to me. Since then international students have been continuously surprised at my knowledge of ingredients from their homeland. Unfortunately, I can't say being familiar with these things has always eliminated my being intimidated by them.
    Enter kimchi. A smell that will drive you away, like sauerkraut only spicier and more complex, and more nose crinkling. Dad ate kimchi, but he did it alone while we all wondered why.
     As I got older I figured one day I would probably like it, but I was in no rush, and it seemed more fun to tease than to be daring. One day Dad finished the last bits of cabbage in his kimchi jar after dinner and left it on the table while Melissa and I were cleaning up. I was in a silly mood (Melissa and I always have fun in the kitchen together), and I began acting out something ridiculous with an altered voice and dancing around the kitchen shaking the kimchi jar. Only when I realized Melissa couldn't possibly think I was that funny did I notice that the lid of the jar had been screwed on crookedly...and that I was covered in garlic rich, deep orange kimchi sauce. Melissa and Mom were merciful (and didn't want to smell me) and let me skip out on dishes to go shower.
     Last year was a big turning point in my relationship with kimchi. My friend Young Wha and I began cooking together once a week; she would teach me to make Korean food and I would help her fine tune her English. Our times together were always amazing and delicious. I am sure there are phrases she would still like to learn, but it seems as though we talked about all of life without any hindrance. Still, cooking words not being on the top of the ESL list, we had a lot of moments that made both of us laugh.
"Sarah! What am I doing with the noodles?"
"You are tossing them."
"Ah! Toss!"
She could probably have a cooking show now.
Kimchi and anchovies were ingredients I was skirmish of at first, but she convinced me.

Despite kimchi being the most ubiquitous thing in Korean kitchens, not everyone makes their own. Young Wha's mother made a big batch every so often and sent it to her daughter (and perhaps other family members). But, curious as I am, I thought I would attempt it. The recipe I chose is from the Momofuku cookbook. Momofuku is a noodle bar owned by the Korean-American chef David Chang. He shared this recipe on NBS's The Today Show, but in case of dropped links I have copied it here. (Orange notes are my own.)

Momofuku Napa Cabbage Kimchi (aka Paechu kimchi)
Yields Makes 1 to 1½ quarts
Ingredients
1 small to medium head Napa cabbage, discolored or loose outer leaves discarded
2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
20 garlic cloves, minced
20 slices peeled fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup kochukaru (Korean chile powder)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup usukuchi (light soy sauce)
2 teaspoons jarred salted shrimp
1/2 cup 1-inch pieces scallions (greens and whites)
1/2 cup julienned carrots
Cut the cabbage lengthwise in half, then cut the halves crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces.

 

Toss the cabbage with the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Other recipes recommended placing the cabbage in a large colander to prevent it from sitting in the water that drains out of the leaves. I didn't have one big enough, so I placed a cereal bowl upside down in my big mixing bowl to lift the cabbage off the bottom.

 

The next day, prepare the sauce.

One of my favorite cookbooks taught me the easiest way to peel ginger. Believe it or not, the edge of a spoon peels off the skin, but very little extra. Try it. It's magical.

After peeling it is best to slice ginger into rounds and then smash the rounds with a mortar and pestle, or with your garlic press.

Combine the garlic, ginger, kochukaru, fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp, and remaining ½ cup sugar in a large bowl. If it is very thick, add water 1/3 cup at a time until the brine is just thicker than a creamy salad dressing but no longer a sludge. You can see that kochukaru (Korean chile powder) is not the same as other varieties found in the United States. I found mine at a Korean food market. The owner told me to let her know how the kimchi turned out. Despite having a lot of kochukaru, the resulting kimchi is only medium spicy, and not especially hot.

Stir in the scallions and carrots.
Drain the cabbage and add it to the brine. Cover and refrigerate. Though the kimchi will be tasty after 24 hours, it will be better in a week and at its prime in 2 weeks. It will still be good for another couple weeks after that, though it will grow stronger and funkier. Some people leave their kimchi at room temperature for 24-48 hours before refrigerating in order to encourage fermentation. This recipe does not call for it, but it is really up to you.

Getting Vitamin A

 Nathanael and I are in the midst of planting our garden. Yesterday we spent the afternoon cleaning out our garden plot, and marking new rows in the sun and warm breezes. The space is pretty large, but I am still impressed by how many things we are planning to grow. The seeds that will go directly into the ground (which is most of them) have not been started yet, but 44 pots of more fragile seedlings are beginning to sprout on our windowsill. Some of the more unique things we will be growing this year include purple carrots and yellow carrots. Last year Nathanael grew three varieties of orange carrots and I have just finished the last batch of them from the freezer using this recipe.

Aubergine

A little while ago Mrs. Long asked me what I would do with an eggplant.
Eggplants are so interesting. We classify them as a vegetable in the grocery store because they are not sweet, but of course botanically speaking they are a fruit. And whichever way you choose to look at them they are completely odd. Eggplants have always reminded me of a dinosaur. They have leathery skin and their sepals (the leaves near the stem) are thick and tough. Inside they are foamy and probably mostly air. So, maybe the dinosaur thing doesn’t go very far. Still, they seem to have little in common with other items we purchase in the produce section.
Growing up my sisters and I were in a 4-H club with our town, and every year the county would have an event called, “International Foods Day”. At this event all of the clubs in the county would represent a country, cook lots of their foods, create a presentation, and share all that they had learned and cooked with the other clubs. The preparatory time with the other club members was always really fun. On different years our club represented Italy, Scotland, Finland, Mexico, Bosnia, and some others. From most of the countries I can still recall the foods we made, and the dances and games we performed onstage. However, the only thing I remember from the year we chose Bosnia is that a few of us were in charge of a food that involved taking strips of roasting eggplant, picking them up, and squeezing them through our hands to separate the eggplant from its skin and seeds. Raw eggplant seems like such a harmless and bland food, but the roasted eggplant was so acidic that it made our hands itch and burn. No one could have known how hard we had worked for that mushy looking dish.
The most recent eggplant recipe I have attempted did not cause any pain, turned out quite delicious, and was actually pretty quick. I will not post it on here because I found it in a library book I highly recommend called “Cooking with my Indian Mother-in law”, which has provided us with Indian food recipes for weeks now. But, if you are really interested in making Aubergine and potato curry, you can either attempt one on your own (which would probably turn out fine), look it up in the library, or email me. I don’t mind sharing other people’s recipes on a person to person basis, I just don’t want to broadcast them to the world when that’s what they wrote their book to do. I will be sending the recipe to Mrs. Long.

*One tip from this recipe that I found really handy was to soak the eggplant pieces in water after you cut them to reduce the bitterness a bit, and the potatoes to keep them from oxidizing. Press the eggplant into the water with a plate because they will float...they are mostly air after all.