Deconstructing Broccoli Ditto—Dilly Dumplings December 7, 2009

What's the dill?

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the latest issue of edible AUSTIN magazine (No. 11 Winter 2009).  What a wonderful way for the baby-bound and nearly housebound to start out “Eat Local Week” ( December 5-12, right here in your own town.)  Of the wealth of inspiring and well-written articles (including Jardine Libaire’s thoughtful piece on my favorite charcuterie source in “Marketplace” Dai Due Butcher Shop),  I found my kitchen self particularly compelled by Boggy Creek Farm matriarch Carole Ann Sayles’ “Seasonal Muse” column, Deconstructing Broccoli. Versatile, delicious, easy to prepare and of course, a vetted superfood, broccoli effortlessly negotiates the meal from soup to dessert (see my Broccoli Surprise Carrot Cake recipe).

My cornucopic dill bouquet from Finca Pura Vida (now at the budding HOPE market on Sundays) dared me to dumpling with the spoils of Thanksgiving, plus leftover broccoli stems.  The stew component is flexible.  Use whatever suitable vegetables you have.  And if your palate bears the unfortunate scars of a dried dill past, remember you can always substitute plenty of parsley, or even celery leaves or fennel fronds.

Quickly mixed with Richardson Farms locally-grown, freshly-ground whole wheat flour and organic heavy cream, these delicate dumplings are the lightest, most tender I’ve ever tried.

TURKEY AND DILLY DUMPLINGS makes about 8 servings

• a couple Tablespoons good fat.  Roasted poultry fat, bacon grease or butter are good choices.
  
• local or organic onions, chopped kinda fine
  
• local or organic carrots, diced (approximately) smallish
  
• 2 bay leaves.  You can buy bay leaf plants at our local farmers markets and nurseries.  Bays are quite hardy and easy to take care of.
  
• local broccoli stems, well peeled and diced or other local and/or organic veggies, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
• organic garlic, a clove or so, minced
  
• fresh herbs—I like lots of fresh thyme and a little fresh rosemary.  Grow ‘em!
• 1/3 cup organic flour—I sometimes use whole grain flours for thickening, but all-purpose flour lends a cleaner look.  Whole Foods 365 brand is usually the best buy.
  
• ¾ cup dry sherry.  I recommend a brand that you can drink, as opposed to “cooking sherry.”  It doesn’t have to be top of the line.  I buy Osborne because I can get it at work.
• 5 cups good broth, preferably homemade.  Our middens made for two large batches.
• 1/3 cup organic or local (such as Promised Land) heavy cream.  I usually use Organic Valley.  Click for a coupon.
  
• 2 teaspoon or so kosher salt.  I use Diamond Crystal.
• 3 cups cooked shredded turkey or chicken dark meat.  I freeze leftover cooked turkey meat in broth.

• 242 grams (about 2 scant cups) whole wheat flour—either Richardson Farms or organic
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder, sieved.  I like Rumford non-GMO and aluminum-free.
  
• generous ½ teaspoon salt.  I recommend Real Salt.
  
• freshly ground black pepper
• local and/or organic lemon zest
• ½ cup chopped fresh dill.  Don’t forget to stash the stems for the stockpot.
  
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream

• freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste.  Local Meyers are easy to find—and grow!

In a Dutch oven or other suitable stewing pot, saute your aromatics and veggies in the fat until the onion becomes translucent.  Add the flour and cook and stir for a minute.  Pour in the sherry and stir, scraping the pan bottom to release any fond.  Pour in the broth and cream and add the salt.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat until the veggies are cooked.  If you’re using broccoli or another potentially odiferous cruciferous, add it later to avoid overcooking.  Carrots will take about 20 minutes, so add broccoli after about 15 minutes.  Taste for salt and add the meat.

Whisk the flour together with the next five ingredients, then stir in the cream with a fork.  The dough will be firm.  Using a spring-loaded scoop (my preference) or a couple of spoons, scoop out small golf ball sized dough blobs and drop them into the simmering stew as you go.  You should wind up with around 18 dumplings.  Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, until the dumpling have about doubled in size and are cooked through.  Squeeze some lemon juice around the perimeter and sneak your wooden spoon in from the sides to incorporate it into the stew.

Serve hot!

Glittereati a Go Go December 5, 2009

Sometimes circumstances call for expediency in technique as well as execution.

I'm seein' stars!

À la Kerala—South Indian Style Curried Vegetables December 4, 2009

Finally the baby will eat cauliflower!

If you’ve made a batch of the garam masala from the Dilly Dal post you can also whoop up an easy veggie side to round out your Indo-meal.  All kinds of seasonal vegetables (any time of year) will work.  My most recent batch juxtaposed the last of this year’s summer squash (that exceptional variety from Finca Pura Vida) with my second Texas cauliflower of the season.  Plus fall peppers, spicy green jalapenos and serranos, and those sweet little orange cuties from Flint Rock Hill.  Almost any combination will unite harmoniously.  Green beans get along graciously right now.  Organic potatoes and frozen green peas can round out the chorus any time of year.

SIMPLE SOUTH INDIAN STYLE CURRIED VEGETABLES serves four to six

• 1 Tablespoon organic extra virgin coconut oil.  Whole Foods 365 brand usually offers the best price.
• ½ teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
• 1 inch chunk of fresh gingerroot, minced.  I almost never peel ginger but I’m not gonna try to tell you how to handle your root.
  
• chopped local or organic onion—as much as you like
• 1 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• peppers, if available, spicy or sweet, cut up how you like or left whole (if desired) if spicy
  
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 more Tablespoon garam masala
• about 5 cups raw vegetables, cut into bite-sized chunks or pieces
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• salt to taste
• 1 cup organic coconut milk
• turbinado sugar if necessary
• about 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro—Yay!  Local fresh cilantro is back!

• fresh lemon, if desired

In a large pan, such as  3-quart saute pan or Dutch oven, heat the oil with the mustard seeds.  Allow the little orbs to sputter, turn gray and go “Pop!” then add the ginger and onion.  Stir fry until the onion softens and browns, then add the garlic, peppers and 1 Tablespoon garam masala.  Stir around then add the turmeric, a scant teaspoon of salt and your veggies, being mindful of varying cooking times, and stir and fry until browning.  Harder vegetables such as potatoes and cauliflower will require more cooking (and probably a little water and a lid to steam them through) than summer squashes .  If you are using frozen peas, DO NOT add them now.  They’ll jump in much later as they need only a thawing heat-through.

When all your veggies have taken the plunge (except the peas) and are nearing doneness, add the second Tablespoon of garam masala and the coconut milk and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and reduce the coconut milk to a creamy sauce.  Add the frozen peas now, is using.  Taste for salt and sweetness, correcting if necessary.

Festoon with cilantro and brighten with a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Dilly Dal December 4, 2009

Dilly Dalling--not to be confused with dilly-dallying

Cooked dal is not so photogenic. Check out chana dal in the raw.

I’m cold and I have a cold so I want soup.  Fresh local dill is easy to find right now and I bought a large, lush frondly bunch from Finca Pura Vida at the fledgling HOPE market on Sunday.  If it snows today, and it might, I’ll transport myself to Shangri-la via Kashmir with a warming bowl of hot dal and rice.  Keeping things simple and utilizing the pressure cooker to speedy up my fantasy.

Potentially exotic ingredients are called for here: chana dal, garam masala (you can make this yourself—see bonus below), and asafetida. Down south (Austin), you’ll score the best buys on harder-to-find Indian staples at Fiesta (Stassney and I-35).  Up on the north side, I patronize MGM.  Those folks are nice and the selection is great.  Sometimes you can even find little potted curry bushes.  You can keep them in a (bigger) pot to bring inside for the winter, or you can transplant them outside.  They’ll freeze to the ground, even covered up (although we haven’t tried Christmas lighting them for warmth).  But when the weather heats up again, and you know how it will, your curry bush will greenly resurrect and once again you’ll be wondering when you’ll ever get a chance to make up a large batch of curry leaf-based curry powder to share with your friends.  Happens every year.

DILLY DAL makes a big potful

• heaping 1 cup of chana dal, picked through, soaked for 5 hours and rinsed.
  
• 6 ½ cups water
• 1 bay leaf–We’ve been growing for years, so we use ‘em fresh.
  
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt.  I use Real Salt.
  
• 1 or more cloves of garlic, smashed.  Local garlic not synchronizing with local dill this time of year, you can omit this ingredient.  Or use domestic organic.
  
• 1  heaping teaspoon turmeric
• ½ cup chopped fresh locally-grown dill.  Easy to find right now.  Maybe in your own yard!  I save the stems for stock.
  
• ½ teaspoon garam masala.  See Bonus recipe below.
  
• 1 Tablespoon plus 2 Tablespoons ghee (divided use), preferably homemade from organic butter.  See my simple instructions.
  

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 to 6 dried whole red chiles.  You can crush these up a bit if you want to feel the burn.
• ¼ to ½ teapsoon powdered asafetida.  Click the link to read about this odiferous spice’s potential for combatting H1N1 as well as other respiratory afflictions.  I wouldn’t omit this unless you use plenty of garlic.  Then I still wouldn’t leave it out.  I love that stank!
  
• ½ a small to medium local or organic onion, chopped
  
• 3 whole organic canned tomatoes  (use fresh when in season), crushed with your fingers or chopped with a knife

• fresh lemon, if desired—Local Meyers or regulars are great—otherwise go for organic.
• cooked basmati or Lowell Farms Texas-grown organic jasmine rice, optional but complementary
  
• toasted Margarita’s (outta Manchaca) organic whole wheat flour tortillas or chapatis, optional but appreciated
  

If using a pressure cooker, place dal and the next seven ingredients, plus the 1 Tablespoon of ghee in the pot.  Lock the lid on and bring to high pressure over high heat.  Turn the heat down to maintain consistent pressure and cook for about 20 minutes.  The cooking time for softening your dal will depend on the age of the beans.  If the chana dal has been sitting in your pantry for a while, or languished at the store for too long (less likely at an Indian foods market), expect a lengthier cooking time.  At any rate, check the dal after 20 minutes.  Take the pot off the heat and let the pressure drop for 10 minutes.  Release the rest of the pressure by flipping the quick-pressure release switch (however that works on your appliance).  Be sure to open the lid AWAY from your face and arms to avoid steam burns.  The dal should be soft and broken down.  If it’s undercooked, give it another five minutes or so.  If you’re not in a hurry you can finish cooking the dal without pressure.  If you’re really trying to kill some time, you can do all the bean boiling in your regular soup pot.  It’ll probably take at least an hour.

Using an old-fashioned egg beater or a whisk, agitate the dal into a rough puree and correct the salt, if necessary.  Now for the chaunk (or tarka or bagar or a number of other similar terms).  Heat the 2 Tablespoons ghee in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  As soon as it melts add the cumin seeds and chiles.  Monitor the spices as they fry and toast and when they look and smell just right to you—as browned and roasty as you please—quickly dump in the asafetida and give the pan a swirl before adding the onions.  Get ‘em browned a bit then add the tomatoes and fry the mixture until the tomatoes break down and glisten with ghee.  Pour the chaunk into the dal pot and let the flavors get acquainted for a couple minutes before serving.

Ladle over rice, or not, and brighten with a little lemon juice if you think it needs it.  No one minds a flatbread on the side, either.

BONUS RECIPE:  GARAM MASALA makes about ½ cup

• 2 Tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
• 9 cloves
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 ½ to 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Place all the spices in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Toast, shaking the skillet occasionally, until the coriander seeds have browned a shade or two darker and the spices smell righteously roasty to you.  This is YOUR garam masala, so trust your senses, especially your smeller.  When the spices have finished blooming, transfer them to a shallow baking pan, preferably aluminum or other thinner metal, to cool.  When fully cooled, decorticate (remove the pods from) the cardamom and grind all the spices together in a spice grinder.  I use a Krups coffee grinder from the thrift store (of course).  Stir the ground mixture to blend well and store in a jar in the refrigerator for greatest shelf life.

Carrot Souffle December 3, 2009

Be sure to store your carrots coiffed (de-coiffenated?). Cook the tops in soups and stocks.

We bought local carrots from two different booths at Sunset Valley Farmers Market last Saturday.  Yay!  It’s finally carrot season again for Central Texas!  Here’s another party dish for holiday jollification (I didn’t even make that word up).  This bright, sweet souffle showcases your orange roots, highlighting their dulcet notes with the buttery crunch of new crop Texas pecans.

CARROT SOUFFLE

• 2 pounds local and/or organic carrots.  Use orange or mostly orange.  I’ve tried it with mostly the maroon ones and the puree was muddy looking. I almost never bother to peel carrots, by the way.  But that’s up to you, of course.
  
• 6 or 7 Tablespoons organic butter, cut up.  I recommend Organic Valley.  Click for a coupon.
  
• 1/3 cup turbinado sugar.  I buy this in bulk at Central Market for $1.49 a pound.
  
• ¼ cup organic heavy cream.  I usually use OV.  Click for a coupon.
  
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 local eggs
• 3 Tablespoons organic all-purpose flour.  Whole Foods 365 brand in the 5# bag is generally the best buy.
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, sieved.  I like Rumford—non-GMO and aluminum-free.
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• dash freshly grated nutmeg

• scant 3 Tablespoons softened organic butter.  See above.
  
• scant 3 Tablespoons organic all-purpose flour.  See above.
  
• heaping ½ cup Texas pecan pieces
• ¼ cup light brown sugar.  I buy CM Organics brand in the two-pound bag for $2.99.
  

Boil carrots in salted water until tender, 20-30 minutes depending on size and how you cut them up.  Drain (I save the cooking water to make rice) and combine in food processor with butter and sugar.  Process until pureed then pour in cream, vanilla and eggs with motor running.  Combine dry ingredients, sprinkle into processor and continue to process until very smooth.  Pour mixture into a buttered 2 quart baking dish (I use a round Pyrex casserole bowl, the same one pictured).

Mix the last four ingredients until combined.  Use your fingers to drop little clumps all over the surface of the puree.  Bake souffle in a preheated oven at 350º for about 45 minutes until the top is browned and the mixture is set.

This dish really is pretty and tasty and just right for a party.  I’ll post a photo the next time I make it.  Until then, enjoy the raves.

Lemon Spinach Couscous Salad November 30, 2009

when life hands you lemons, give 'em to the kids

Tis the season for Texas citrus and spinach.  Visiting the Sunset Valley Farmers Market this past Saturday we found a mountain of meyer lemons for sale.  2 for $1 grade A and 4 for $1 bird-pecked.  The kindergartner picked 8 from the pocked patch.  And Cora Lamar’s famous triple-washed savoy spinach, grown at Oak Hill Farm in Poteet, beckoned on Turkey Day despite the traditional table.

Now that (thankfully?) Thanksgiving’s dwindled middens have made room for the rest of Central Texas’ generous cool-weather bounty, you can relax and whip up this easy, brightly flecked and flavored dish, sized for a crowd.  Just in time for yuletide merrymaking.

LEMON SPINACH COUSCOUS SALAD makes a large, “entertaining size” batch

• 2 teaspoons organic or local olive oil.  Try Texas Olive Ranch.
• 1 smashed organic garlic clove
• a pinch or so red pepper flakes, to taste
• zest of 1 or 2 organic and/or local lemons
• 1 10-ounce bag Oak Hill Farm triple-washed spinach—$2.99 a bag at Central Market, or other local spinach, washed well if necessary, coarsely chopped

• 2 cups organic couscous.  Most bulk departments stock this.
• 2 ½ cups water
• zest of 2 organic and/or local lemons
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt.  Trust your taste.
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon organic butter.  Organic Valley of course.  Use your Whole Foods Whole Deal coupon for $1 OFF or click here for a coupon to use at another location.
  

• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice from your organic and/or local lemons
• 3 Tablespoons organic or homemade white wine vinegar.  I like Spectrum.
• 1 ½ teaspoons turbinado sugar.  I buy this in bulk at Central Market.  Don’t forget to bring your own container.
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt.  I use Diamond Crystal brand.
• 1/3 to ½ cup top-quality organic (or your favorite Texas-grown) extra virgin olive oil.  I love Spanish Villa Blanca, not too preciously-priced at $9.49 for a 17-ounce at CM.
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste

• crumbled local chèvre or feta to taste, about 4 ounces.  Try Swede Farm Dairy, Wateroak Farm, Maid in the Shade and Pure Luck for goaty goods and Full Quiver Farm for a feta de vaca.
  

Cook the spinach:  In a very large (I use a 6-quart) saute pan or skillet heat the olive oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes.  When they start to sizzle add the lemon zest and spinach, in batches if necessary.  Stir and fold the spinach around the pan until well-wilted.  Remove from the pan and spread out on a plate to cool.

Cook the couscous:  In the same pan (don’t even bother to wipe it out), bring the water and next four ingredients to a boil over high heat.  Dump in the couscous, give it a thorough stir and quickly put a lid on the pan.  Remove the pan from the heat and let the couscous steam itself for 5 minutes.  Take the lid off and fluff up the couscous.

Mix the Dressing:  Combine the lemon juice and vinegar and stir in the sugar and salt.  Whisk in the olive oil.  Season with black pepper.

Assemble the Salad:  Chop the spinach again and stir it into the couscous.  Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss well, tasting for tartness (add more lemon if needed), sweetness (add sugar—organic granulated—if necessary), and salt and pepper.  Lastly, gently fold in the cheese.  Serve cold.  Keeps well in the fridge if you’ve a mind to makin’ it ahead.

Take these Waffles and Stuff ‘em! (in your stuffing hole) November 29, 2009

two small waffles for mankind

We eat stuffing all year round.  It’s a delicious and thrifty way to use up stale bread, which we accumulate in the freezer. When the “old bread for stuffing” bag is full, I bake up a batch.  No tellin’ what’ll end up in the pan:  assorted vegetables, nuts, cooked grains and meats (bacon!).  Mix ‘n’ match bread types for hybrid vigor.

What are you gonna do with that leftover Thanksgiving stuffing?  Today’s Sunday, so make waffles!

STUFFING WAFFLES yield varies

• 1 stick (4 ounces) organic butter, melted and cooled a bit.  You know I love Organic Valley.  Use a Whole Foods Whole Deal coupon for $1 OFF or click for a coupon to use at another store.
• 2 cups yogurt (homemade is great), buttermilk or a 50/50 combo of yogurt and milk (stir it up and let it sit while the butter melts).  I buy local goat milk from either Swede Farm Dairy or Wateroak Farm.
  
• 2 local eggs
• about ½ teaspoon salt, to taste.  I use Real Salt.  I get this in bulk at Whole Foods.  You can bring in your own jar.
  
• sweetener to taste.  For a cornbread dressing version (baked with unsweetened cornbread) I use 2 Tablespoons local honey (Good Flow).  For a (regular) bread stuffing version, I’ll use maybe 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar.
• 41 grams (1/3 cup) organic all-purpose flour.  WF 365 brand in the 5# bag is usually the best buy.
• 41  grams (about 1/3 cup) whole wheat flour.  I use either organic or Richardson Farms locally-grown.
• 40 grams (about 1/3 cup plus 1½ Tablespoons) organic whole wheat pastry flour.
  
• 2 teaspoon baking powder, sieved.  I like Rumford, aluminum-free and non-GMO.
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, sieved.
• freshly ground black pepper, optional
• 2 cup leftover stuffing, chopped.

Whisk together the yogurt, eggs, salt and sweetener, then whisk in the melted butter.  In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients, through the black pepper, and whisk until mixed.  Whisk the stuffing into the yogurt mixture, then whisk in the flour.  Let the batter rest, covered,  in the refrigerator for about an hour.  Bake in a greased, preheated waffle iron.  Timing and batter amounts will vary depending on the size and design of your iron.  I prefer a deep-pocketed Belgian-style waffle iron for most of my waffle recipes and I recommend that style for this one as well.

Organic maple syrup tastes great on these savory waffles.  Or, pour gravy on em!  We already ran out.  Leftovers only stretch so long.

Greening Turkey Day–Homemade Rolls November 24, 2009

Great Goose Grease!

I picked up a pound of Dai Due’s famous country style breakfast sausage (stick some in your stuffing!) this past Sunday at the new HOPE market.  Open from 11am to 3pm, this new market fit snugly into our schedule and we were thrilled to see our old friends Edgar and Gayle (and their gorgeous bell peppers!) from Finca Pura Vida.

Dai Due was also hawking goose fat, one of my favorite shortenings.  Mild and soft, goose grease gives excellent flavor and texture to your homemade rolls.  I’ll be cranking out my traditional recipe on Thursday.  It’s an old reliable standard and you can substitute duck fat, quality lard (such as Dai Due’s), or an honest compatible oil for the goose fat.

SOFT DINNER ROLLS makes one dozen

• 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast—NOT Instant or Bread Machine or Rapid Rise
• ¼ cup warm water—a little above body temperature
• ¼ cup turbinado sugar.  I buy this in bulk at Central Market.  Don’t forget to bring your own container.
• ¾ cup plus 2 teaspoons local milk .  I use goat milk from either Swede Farm Dairy or Wateroak Farm.
• 6 Tablespoons organic butter, cut up.  I love Organic Valley.  Whole Foods has OV on sale for $4.99 per one pound box.   Minus their $1 OFF Whole Deal coupon, you can buy just about the tastiest butter around for only $3.99 a pound!  Or click for a coupon to use at another store.
  
• 2 Tablespoons goose fat.
• 1 local egg
• 12 ounces (2 ½ cups plus 2 Tablespoons) organic all-purpose flour.  WF 365 brand in the 5# bag is usually the best buy.
• 4 ounces (1 cup) whole wheat flour, either organic or Texas-grown Richardson Farm’s.
• 1 teaspoon salt.  I use Real Salt, available in bulk at Whole Foods.  Bring a container!
  
• 3 Tablespoons organic butter, melted, for shaping the rolls
  

The method here is standard yeast-dough procedure.  Proof your yeast in the warm water with a pinch of the sugar.  Scald the milk, remove from the heat and add the butter and goose fat.  Let cool to just warm.  I like to use my stand mixer (or bread machine) to knead dough, so I put the dry ingredients into the bowl, then dump in the liquids (including egg) and let ‘er rip.  Kneading with the mixer should take about 7 to 10 minutes to develop a soft, smooth dough.  You can also knead it by hand, but I have a harder time changing diapers and rescuing the toddler when I’m up to my elbows in dough.

Place the dough into a large buttered bowl and roll it around a bit to lube the entire surface.  Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let the dough rise for an hour or so, until doubled.  Press the dough down with your hands and let it rest for 5 minutes while you prepare to shape the rolls.

Divide the dough into 12 equalish portions.  I admit to frequently using a kitchen scale for this step, but it’s not crucial.

I usually shape the rolls into knots, as in this totally unflashy (but better than my currently non-existent) video.  Sometimes I also shape double knots.  Place these rolls onto a lightly buttered baking sheet.  An easy method for shaping is the “cloverleaf”.  Simply form each roll portion into three little balls and place them in well-buttered muffin tins (1 roll=3 balls in one muffin cup).  Brush the formed rolls, whatever their design, with the melted butter.   Cover them with plastic or an overturned large roasting pan and let rise for about 45 minutes, until puffy and approximately doubled.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 375º oven until evenly golden brown and done, about 12 to 15 minutes.  Serve piping hot with great butter.

Greening Turkey Day–Soup November 24, 2009

sweet potatoes in the pot

Thanksgiving’s trottin’ up fast.  My Turkey Day celebrations have changed dramatically since having a couple of kids.  It’s been years since I’ve made a homemade pâté de campagne or boned out a duck.  I let friends and relatives take over most of the cooking now.  I contribute what I can manage and there’s still plenty to go around!

Today’s the last day for HEB’s incredible deal on Texas sweet potatoes at 19¢ a pound, as well as specials on Texas green beans for 77¢ a pound (casserole!) and Texas apples—cameo (love those cameos) and fuji—going for $1.27 per pound.  Put a pomme in you pie or add apples to your stuffing.

In the years BC (before children) I always cooked up a Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Soup as one of the big meal’s starters. My Thanksgiving spread showcased New World foods, and this recipe, with its sweet potatoes, jalapeño, tomato juice and peanut butter, kills four birds with one tureen!   I won’t be making it this year, but folks with a little more time on their hands (this is an easy soup) can enjoy this rich, warming precursor to the main event.

PEANUT BUTTER SWEET POTATO SOUP makes about a dozen small servings

• 1 Tablespoon oil or fat of choice
• 2 cups chopped local onions–choose your colors
• 2 or 3 teaspoons grated fresh organic ginger root
• a couple or so cloves of garlic, minced.  Local has about dried up.  I go for domestic organic.
• 1 local jalapeño.  Leave whole if coddling delicate palates.  Otherwise, chop it up!
• 1 rib of organic celery, chopped.  Local isn’t available yet—Edgar of Finca Pura Vida says it’ll be about three weeks.  But you’ve probably already bought this holiday cooking staple, anyway.
• 1 cup chopped organic carrots.  Inexpensive year ’round, another holiday must-have.
• a couple sprigs of fresh thyme.  This herb’s easy to grow (most are), but you can buy fresh Texas-grown herbs at Central Market and our farmers markets.  Thyme and sage are Thanksgiving essentials!
• 1 bay leaf—I love fresh (been growin’ it for more than a decade) but dried will do.
• 2 cups or so chopped Texas sweet potato.  I use one medium-sized.  I usually don’t bother to peel them.  That’s up to you, though.
• 1 teaspoon salt.  I like Real Salt.
  
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups organic tomato juice
• 1 cup organic smooth peanut butter.  I prefer the “natural” (i.e. not “no-stir”) for this recipe.  Use what you have.
  
• turbinado sugar to taste, up to 1 Tablespoon (optional)
• 1 cup chopped local green onions.  I’ve been enjoying Hairston Creek Farm’s lovely scallions lately.  If you didn’t buy any this weekend you can still shop for all kinds of local produce (and meat and eggs and dairy) at the Austin Farmers Market at the Triangle this Wednesday, with extended hours from 3pm to 8pm.  Put a little local on your table!

Heat up the grease in a big soup pot and saute the onion over medium heat just until translucent.  Add the rest of the aromatics, through the bay leaf, and saute a couple minutes more.  Dump in the sweet potatoes, salt and water, turn the heat up high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Carefully puree the soup, adding the tomato juice and peanut butter, in your blender until smooth—exercise caution when blending hot liquids.  Return the blended soup to the pot and taste for sweetness, adding turbinado sugar if necessary.  Reheat over low heat until warmed through.

Serve generously topped with the green onions.  For a main course,  ladle over Lowell Farms Texas-grown organic jasmine rice.

Happy Waffle Day! Texas Sweet Potato Waffles November 22, 2009

Texas Wafflin'

We eat homemade waffles almost once a week around here, usually on Sundays (Waffle Day!).  If you’ve stocked up on Texas sweet potatoes (on sale through Tuesday at HEB for 19¢ a pound), and roasted three or so in your toaster oven—they’ll keep for a good week in the fridge—you can whip up a delicious seasonal treat to get your morning off to a great start.

TEXAS SWEET POTATO WAFFLES yield varies

• 1 cup local milk.  I use Swede Farm Dairy or Wateroak Farm goat milk.
• 1 cup local or organic yogurt.  I use homemade.
• 4 ounces (1 stick) organic butter.  I love Organic Valley.  At Whole Foods you can use their Whole Deal coupon for $1 OFF.  Or click for a coupon.
  
• 3 ounces (about ¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon) organic whole wheat pastry flour
  
• 2 ounces(½ cup) local (Richardson Farms) or organic whole wheat flour
• 3 ounces (about ¾ cup minus 2 teaspoons) organic all-purpose flour.  WF 365 brand in the 5# bag is usually the best price.
  
• 2 1/8 teaspoons baking powder, sieved.  I recommend Rumford, aluminum-free and non-GMO.
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, sieved
• 3/8 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 3/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• about 2/3 cup baked Texas sweet potato, skin included
  
• 1/2 cup toasted Texas pecans.  Get yourself some of the new crop.
  
• 2 local eggs
  
• 2 Tablespoons organic dark brown sugar.  I think Whole Foods is packaging their own brand now.  Should be the best buy.  I’m still working on my bag of Wholesome Sweeteners.
  
• heaping ½ teaspoon salt.  I use Real Salt.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.  I like Nielsen-Massey.  They make several varieties and forms including organic.
• zest of 1 Texas orange.  Use a rasp or box grater.

Combine the milk and yogurt and let sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.  Get the butter melting on low heat.  Combine the dry ingredients (pastry flour through spices) in a bowl and whisk together.  Put the milk/yogurt in a blender with the sweet potato and pecans and blend until smooth.  Pour into a large bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients (eggs through zest, plus melted butter).  Dump the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk together just to blend well.  Don’t overmix.  Let batter rest in the fridge, covered, for about an hour.

Bake on a preheated (hot!) waffle iron until done.  The size of your waffles and the cooking time will vary depending on the waffle iron design.  Enjoy with organic maple syrup—Shady Maple Farms is still on sale at Newflower Market for only $17.99 a quart (grade A dark amber and grade B).