Off the Eaten Path A collection of short stories about food ALONG THE PATH, COLLECT SMALL PEBBLES OF WISDOM I HAVE COLLECTED COOKBOOKS AND RECIPES OVER THE YEARS AND FOUND THAT AT ONE POINT I WAS REALLY ONLY USING THEM FOR REFERENCE. LOOKING AT THE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES IN MAGAZINES FOR IDEAS OR PRESENTATIONS. SINCE COOKING IS A PROCESS OF SURVIVAL THAT CAME WITH UG AND OG IN A CAVE LONG AGO, AND, SINCE THE WORLD HAS EVOLVED, IT DOES SEEM STRANGE THAT THERE ARE A FEW OUT THERE THAT SIMPLY CANNOT EVEN BOIL WATER. I AM NOT PUTTING THESE PEOPLE DOWN, AS THEY ARE USUALLY WONDERFUL EATERS, THEREFORE, THE GOURMET AND THE GOURMAND. A PERSON NAMED GEORGE HERBERT SAID: "ALL THINGS REQUIRE SKILL BUT AN APPETITE." WHEN A PERSON IN IS A POSITION TO BE COOKING AND SERVING ON A LARGE SCALE, OR ON A REGULAR BASIS, IN THEIR LIVES, ONE WILL EVENTUALLY DO A LOT OF IT BY ROTE. FOR THOSE WHO NEED A HINT, A NUDGE, AN EASIER WAY, THERE SEEM TO BE AN ENDLESS LIST OF IDEAS FROM EVERYWHERE. NECESSITY, BEING THE MOTHER OF INVENTION, HELPFUL HINTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. J ALWAYS OF COURSE, IT HELPS TO READ AND REREAD THE RECIPE THROUGH AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE STEPS, BEFORE YOU BEGIN. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE INGREDIENTS OR EVEN THE MEASUREMENTS, {EXCEPT WHEN BAKING, I THINK THOSE MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE RESPECTED}, BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE EXACT, YOU NEED TO HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS AT HAND. THEN IF IT DOESN’T TURN OUT, YOU CAN ALWAYS BLAME THE RECIPE. I CAN REMEMBER A FEW TIMES, SOMEHOW OVER LOOKING A CERTAIN INGREDIENT AND HAVING TO PUT EVERYTHING ON HOLD AND RUSH TO THE NEAREST MARKET. THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, WOULD NOT HAVE COME TO AN END IF I HAD OMITTED IT. UNLESS IT WERE THE APPLES FOR AN APPLE PIE. SOME ONE SAID "COOKING IS NOT CHEMISTRY. IT REQUIRES INSTINCT AND TASTE RATHER THAN EXACT MEASUREMENTS." WHAT I REALLY ENJOY WHEN I COOK IT TO DO "EYEBALL" COOKING, AS I CALL IT. I JUST EYEBALL THE STUFF AND SAY O.K., THAT MUCH OF THIS AND THIS MUCH OF THAT, AND IT ALWAYS WORKS IN SOUPS AND STEWS, SAUCES, JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING EXCEPT BAKING, WHICH DOES NEED SOME EXACTNESS. HANDS ON COOKING, IS VERY THERAPEUTIC. WHEN YOU ARE CHOPPING OR KNEADING IT CAN BECOME A MEDITATION. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A STRESSFUL SITUATION, AND HAVE A WAITING PERIOD UNTIL THE SOLUTION IS WORKED OUT. TAKE THE TIME AND RETREAT TO THE KITCHEN. BAKE UP A BATCH OF COOKIES OR MUFFINS AND TAKE THEM TO A FRIEND. I DO THIS FREQUENTLY AND IT IS A GREAT STRESS RELIEVER. J Brewed Awaking I don’t know about you, but the thought that comes to mind when I first wake up, (after my furry alarm clock is through tap dancing on my face, and rattling the blinds, pulling my hair with her teeth and making quite sure that she should come first), is coffee. After feeding the Queen, I then have to decide whether to make a real ritual of it and grind the beans in my ancient coffee mill or scoop in to the already ground, (kept for dire emergencies) or jump on Jessica and bike down to Starbucks for a Latte. I walk every morning, or I swim laps, or bike, but whatever, coffee comes first. Did you know that the world’s first coffee house was opened in Constantinople in 1475. England opened it’s first coffee house at Oxford in 1650. Coffee was selling for 5 Pounds an ounce. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce." But certainly a cuppa needs a little something on the side. Several years ago my friend Marilyn and I went on a "scone hunt", up and down the Marin coast. Stopping at little cafes along the way, definitely off the eaten path, testing the texture, the taste and of course the crumbliness. Thinking of her the other morning, and needing to do some therapeutic cooking, I tried yet another version of scones. I like this one because is has a different twist. They are somewhere between a muffin and a scone, so I call them scruffins Go to the kitchen link and click on the scone picture. Enjoy! J The history of Scones In the history of breadstuffs, there is a tantalizing but inconclusive bit of information regarding the proper pronunciation of this delectable kin to the biscuit. A working class family in England pronounced it with the long "o", so it was scone, like own. The upper class claimed it to be properly said : scon, with a short "o". On the other hand at the base of the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey, there is a chunk of rock called the Stone of Scone, pronounced scoon. So, it seems the upper class, the working class and the royal family all say it differently. So choose your own way and enjoy! Go to the scone recipes
OFF THE EATEN PATH~ The English have a dish called "Bubble and Squeak" which is basically beef and cabbage cooking in the same pan, making this sound which gave it it’s name. The term "simmer" is onomatopoeic: the sound produced when liquids are cooking just below the boiling point. If one had a boring day , you could rename various foods according to their sounds. Now aren’t you glad you learned this? CHOCOLATE!!! How could we live without it?……. It originated in Mexico The word comes from the Indian "xocolatl", which translates to "bitter water". Introduced to France in the seventeenth century, first popular as a beverage. Milton S. Hershey made the first commercial candy bar in Lancaster, Pa. in 1874. +The word dessert comes from the French, "desservir", which means to "clear away"; i.e., prior to enjoying the sweet course, the table was cleared away. Go directly to desserts! A LONG STORY A baker in Thailand crafted the world's longest noodle, in October 1988. It was 2900 feet long according to Japan Airlines. Some 120 pounds of flour, a gallon of oil, and 360 eggs went into it. A noodle making machine had to be cranked around the clock for an entire day to produce it. Can you imagine the suction it would take to slurp that one up? Check out the pasta link.
COMFORT FOOD ~ EDIBLE THERAPY IT SEEMS THAT AS WE GROW INTO ADULTHOOD, PHYSICALLY, WE STILL RETAIN SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES OF OUR CHILDHOOD. THESE ARE USUALLY MEMORIES THAT BRING BACK GOOD OR BAD TIMES. I THINK OF THE GOOD TIMES, OR OF THE BAD TIMES THAT WERE MADE BETTER BY COMFORT FOOD. IN A PERFECT WORLD THERE WOULDN’T BE ANY STRESS, WE WOULDN’T NEED TO BE COMFORTED. ERGO, YOU WOULD NOT NEED MACARONI AND CHEESE, MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY OR CUSTARD. I’M READY!! COMFORT ME! WAS IT AN INSTINCTUAL ACT TO FIX MILK TOAST, CHICKEN SOUP, OR BREAD PUDDING OR FRENCH TOAST? THESE CONSOLING COMESTIBLES, HAVE COME DOWN THROUGH THE AGES, AT LEAST IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD. PASSED ON FROM GRAMMA TO MOM, TO HELP US FEEL BETTER, GIVING IN TO THE ORAL SATISFACTION OF TAKING IN FOOD, BUT IN A LESS SPIRITED WAY, THAN A FULL COURSE FOUR STAR GOURMET DINNER. MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND, CHARLOTTE, WAS FROM TENNESSEE. I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT HER HOUSE AND HER MOTHER WAS A SOUTHERN COOK, BUT ALSO A MOTHER WHO HAD TO MAKE ENDS MEET FOR HER FAMILY. ONE OF THE THINGS SHE WOULD MAKE FOR US, WAS PIMIENTO AND CHEESE. VELVEETA CHEESE AND DICED PIMIENTOS MELTED TOGETHER, AND SPREAD ON WONDER BREAD. I’M NOT KIDDING! BUT WE SCARFED IT DOWN WITH SMILES ON OUR FACES. FOR HER DAD THE BROTH FROM COOKING GREENS WAS SOLELY HIS. HE WOULD SIT AND EAT HOT CORN BREAD WITH BUTTERMILK POURED OVER IT AND DRINK A GLASS OF WHAT HE CALL "POT LICKER". PURE COMFORT FOOD! ************ Here are some ideas, slightly off the eaten path. Eating in Bed There is a certain privledge to living alone. I can sleep with my dog Puck and my cat Annie with no repercussion from anyone. I could also eat in bed if I choose to as there is a secret indulgence to eating in bed which perhaps explains why it has not received the uniformly good press of other things which go on in bed and which are certainly no less an indulgence. But... eating in bed would be a totally disaster for me, as it is difficult to eat at the table with the two huge brown eyes looking at me as if I had never fed him a morsel in his poor pitiful life. He knows the sound of opening the refrigerator.When he is in his sleep-coma, he hears and recognises the sound of the jar I keep MY cookies in, although I did used to keep his there, before I had to put him on a very strict diet. So I totally understand the conditional reflex there. The experts say that there are only two things that should be done in bed, sleep and the other "S" word. But don't all of us voracious readers take a book to bed or have a stack of them waiting for us to puff up the pillows and snuggle into a good read. And maybe have a couple of cookies and a glass of milk on the bedside table, with a few crumbs visable on the pillow case the next morning. There are many comestibles that can be enjoyed in bed, so the idea is to change all those table meals you only thought about from wistful fantasies into tummy warming trays of food. So heres to eating in bed for those that have that luxury... But first... Tell me why was there a Princess of long ago with a Pea in her bed, well, hidden under 20 mattresses, but nevertheless, maybe she in fact was having a midnight snack and when the King found out and her sizable staff hadn't straightened up yet, she made up the flimsy excuse that her status as a Princess had been challenged and this one way to prove that she was in fact a princess; so tender, kind and gentle and all those attributes that a princess's should have. If she could sleep through a whole night without tossing and turning, with a single pea under all those mattresses, then she must surely be a true, bonafide, genuine, dyed- in- the- wool, blue-blooded Princess. Remember your childhood illnesses? Milk toast, bitter tea, crumbs between the sheets, and no TV at the end of the bed. Rushed to bed at the slightest sniffle. Though the fare that was served you was boring and tasteless for sure, you were allowed to "eat in bed!" And table manners or in this case bed manners did not exist. When you were eventually served what the rest of the family was having,you could eat your peas with a toothpick, and make skyscrapers from the mashed potatoes. Or if you were served the horrible and dreaded "breaded tomatoes" as I was as a child, you could sneak into the bathroom and flush them, of course there is one problem with pretending to eat it all, and that is that you must of loved it and so it would be served again. Soon! To make eating in bed a successful project, first of all you need a good bed. Do not skimp on the mattress; if necessary, sell your diningroom table, you won't miss it. A firm one is best as it reduces the jiggling. Many pillows are needed or one of those wedge shaped bolsters. Buy the finest percale sheets, they are well worth the expense, sell the diningroom chairs if necessary. The bedside table should be large enough to accommodate the extras like the radio, reading lamp, clock, Kleenex for those tear jerker stories, oh, did I mention that reading and eating are like peanut butter and jelly, a pair. Or a good movie goes well with the munching in bed. So maybe a small TV on the bedside table. Remember, two's company and three's a crowd, these recipes are for when you are eating alone in bed, unless you have a bed partner as outrageous as you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Grapes Veronica Remove the stems from one bunch of seedless grapes, wash and pat dry. Put a generous amount in a well chilled crystal serving size bowl. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar pushed through a sieve. Top off with a lovely dollop of sour cream, eat with a silver spoon. Like the princess did. This recipe is equally good with raspberries or blue berries.
********** Brownies Ala Elizabeth Barrett After she served these to Robert Browning, he married her and took her to Italy, so it is said. In a double boiler melt 1/4 lb. of butter (never, never substitute with margarine, it is nothing but a tub of chemicals, but don't get me started!!) Remove from the heat and mix in well: 1 cup of granulated sugar 1/2 cup of flour 2 eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla, imitation is useless, it evaporates. Beat until it is well blended and lighter in color. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts, that you have baked in a 350'oven for 10 minutes to bring out the flavor. Reduced oven to 325' Bake in a buttered and lightly floured eight inch square baking pan for 25 minutes. Do not over cook. Let cool. Cut into squares and take to the bedroom with a tall glass of ice cold milk. "How do I love thee, let me count the ways? $$$$$$$$$ Nest Eggs In these times of monetary stress, if the market has dropped and your nest egg is in jeopardy, you may need a little bit of company with solid nourishment. Hard boil six eggs by placing them covered with cold water, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Pour off cooking water and cover with iced water at once to stop further cooking and prevent the yolks from discoloring and the shells come off easily. Cut the cooled eggs in half. Remove the yolks gently so you do not damage the whites. Mash the yolks and moisten them with mayonnaise, or sour cream or soft butter with a slash of vinegar. Season with a little dry mustard, a dollop of catsup or Worchestershire sauce. Add any of the following depending on your taste at the time: Anchovy paste Chopped chicken livers Chopped ginger and sour cream Chutney Caviar Deviled ham Chopped chives, tarragon and parsley Capers Put the fillings you have chosen back into the white shells, using a pastry tube to make it more elaborate. For improved flavor remove from refrigerator 1/2 hour before enjoying. Your returns will be flavorable. A cold Samuel Adams would be a nice accompniment! **********
Soothers and Consolers
We all need a shoulder in those times when the bottom seems to have dropped out of the boat. When you are really up against it and a support system is not available. Eating in Bed is the answer. Where else can one go to and let go in justifiable distress but in the privacy of the bed? Whatever the cause you have already got out of the wrong side of the bed, so console yourself and get back into the right side with these compensators.
********* MEAT BAWLS One pound of ground round steak, ask the butcher to grind it for you. 2 raw eggs 1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs, soaked in 1/2 cup of milk. Salt, pepper and 1/2 t. ground nutmeg 1 small onion, diced (go ahead and cry while you chop, get over it!) 2 T. chopped parsley One can of beer Shape meat into golf-ball sized balls. Heat 2 T. olive oil in skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove to paper towels to absorb oil. Heat oven to 350' Place meatballs in oven proof dish and pour a can of beer over them. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from pan, discard beer. Serve with a sauce of sour cream and pesto or slices of soft French Bread. Peanut Butter and....? Just the jar and that silver spoon will work, but to dress it up a little there are so many things that go well with PB. (I have recently discovered Sunflower seed Butter, equally good, less salt) Long ago a woman I worked with gave me this interesting combo. I make it an put it on Ritz crackers or just eat it with the spoon. I cup of smooth or chucky PB, your choice 4 Slices of lean bacon, cut in bits and rendered until it is a nice dark brown, not burned 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish Sounds weird, but make a little batch and try it. This same women used to stick a peppermint stick in a dill pickle and eat it like an all day sucker. Go figure! ...goes with: Bread and butter pickles Sliced bananas Chutney and Jam or Jelly, of course
I know eating in bed is like a couch potato, probably a first cousin, I am told a good way to loose weight is to eat only half of what is on your plate.
Half and Half
Puree in a blender equal amounts of cooked carrots and potatoes, for more flavor you can throw in a piece of onion while the veggies are cooking. Drain, saving some of the liquid. Puree in a blender until smooth and no lumps. Add a little of the water if needed. Then add half and half and butter to taste. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. As you see, this is only half potatoes, half carrots and half and half. Can't be fattening. Pour into a nice soup bowl, or thin down a bit and drink from a good sized mug. A few croutons on the top couldn't hurt. Tasty! For more comfort food go back to the RECIPE link and then to Comfort Food.
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