Over at the Dessert of the Month Club, my month was October and I totally blew it, put it off and procrastinated. But here it is, not as finished as I would like it, but darn close.
For my month (ahem, October) I decided to feature a Greek dessert that uses honey: Loukoumades! Most people know these treats from Greek Church Festivals, but if people knew how EASY they are to make at home it might blow their minds! They are commonly referred to as “Greek Donuts” and my parents ate them in the winter rather than summer because they were a quick and warm dessert they could enjoy after a long day in the fields harvesting winter crops. So don’t wait around for the next Greek Festival in Spring! Make them at home tonight!
Λουκουμάδες • Loukoumades
Ingredients:
• 1 packet active yeast
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 cups of luke warm water, pour gradually ‘til dough is sticky
• honey
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together, cover bowl and let it rise until double in size. Heat oil for frying. When the dough is ready, dip spoon in water (so that the dough doesn’t stick to it), scoop up some dough, and then drop the spoonfuls into the hot oil. They will puff up and then turn them over so that they get golden all over. When golden and crispy remove them with a slotted spoon to a papertowel covered plate to drain excess oil.
Heat up some honey (you can mix in some water to make it more runny) and drizzle it over the hot loukoumades. Sprinkle with cinnamon (and/or chopped walnuts, sesame seeds or cloves). Serve immediately!
I took the last of the raw milk the other night and made ricotta cheese for the first time! It was so easy and I felt so proud, talk about instant gratification! I followed the recipe I found on The Wednesday Chef and added a little bit of nutmeg in while it was cooking. I also don’t think my candy thermometer works right, because I overcooked the milks and it all came out sort of rubbery – but still edible! And for the first time, I was stoked that I could make cheese right here and not need anything special to do it (like rennet). yay!
I’m going to be gone until Dec 2nd, off to California to visit Rick’s family and traipse around. See you in December! and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
1. Line a wide sieve or colander with cheesecloth, folded so that it is at least 4 layers thick. Place in sink.
2. Pour milk and buttermilk into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently; scrape bottom of pot occasionally to prevent scorching. As milk heats, curds will begin to rise and clump on surface. Once mixture is steaming hot, stop stirring.
3. When mixture reaches 175 to 180 degrees on a candy thermometer, curds and whey will separate. (Whey will look like cloudy gray water underneath a mass of thick white curds.) Immediately turn off heat and gently ladle curds into sieve.
4. When all curds are in sieve and dripping has slowed (about 5 minutes), gently gather edges of cloth and twist to bring curds together; do not squeeze. Let drain 15 minutes more. Discard the whey.
5. Untie cloth and pack ricotta into airtight containers. Refrigerate and use within one week.
So last night I attempted to make beet crisps AGAIN, this time employing the unhealthier preparation = frying.
In the food processor, I sliced up a few turnips, golden beets and a whole bunch of beets I had collected from the share. The processor did a good job at slicing them up uniformly but I think the beets were still too thick and so therefore never got crispy.
Question: Am I supposed to squeeze each beet slice in between paper towels before frying? Like eggplant or something? Or do you think I need to just get those slices thinner?
The turnip crisps came out very well and we ended up eating those completely. I sprinkled the crisps with a lil Wasabi Fumi Furikake and served them on the side of some black bean burgers.
Red Potatoes – Chesley Vegetable Farms, Smithsburg, MD
Nittany Apples – Three Springs Fruit Farm, Aspers, PA
Beer – Philadelphia Brewing Company, Philadelphia, PA
Cheese - Gouda
Dairy Option: 2 Pequea Valley Yogurts
A LA CARTE
Raw Milk***
Apple Cider
Pasta Sauce
Bacon
Onions
Wheat bread
Baguette
I worked a shift today at Greensgrow’s last regular farmer’s market and CSA pick-up. While I was there I picked out my Philadelphia Brewing Co. beer and accidentally left it in the walk-in with my Gouda. I’m such a doofus!
We signed up for the Winter CSA and that begins Dec 20th, but until then (and between our vacation to California) I will stock up at the local markets (Almanac, Reading Terminal, etc).
***Raw Milk? What to do with it? I have to use it up in the next couple days! Does it make good ice cream you think?
With the economy the way it is and work being sparse, I wanted to make a hearty winter meal using a pretty economical section of beef, chuck roast. Because it is muscly and tough people disregard it, but with a bit of slow cooking it easily becomes tender and flavorful. I bought mine at the Stoltzfus Meat Counter at the Ardmore Farmer’s Market.
I used Simply Recipes recipe for Pot Roast and loved how simple it was. I seared the meat at about 5:30pm and by 9pm it was done! I followed a suggestion I saw in the original recipe and piled two burner racks together on my gas stove to get the lowest possible simmering heat. Needless to say, my white cast iron pot is now dyed maroon from the wine that cooked in it for 4 hours.
For the gratin, I found this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. It was (and the leftovers still are!) super decadent with that rich Gruyere cheese, but made for a great accompaniment to the roast.
Having one of those unmotivated, unproductive, all around hating myself weeks.
I made this soup (from Heidi at 101 Coobooks) tonight with some Gouda cheese sandwiches, to try to heal my mood. Not sure if it worked yet, but tasted yum going down. AND I got to use the tomatoes I got in last week’s share, so I guess I was pretty productive after all.
I am always impressed by Heidi’s recipes, not only are they healthy but also easy and flavor-decadent!
As I have mentioned before, I am not very intuitive in the kitchen, but I usually know my way around (albeit rudimentary) the flavors and ingredients of various cuisines. EXCEPT–ASIAN!!! I know it partly has to do with the completely alien cupboard of spices and sauces required in this cuisine, which I just don’t practice at daily or evenly weekly. I really wish I had a solid standby stir-fry sauce, really spicy and not sugary or gelatinous. And also NOT one with a bazillion ingredients! I would like to get rid of the dozen or so random bottles of Asian sauces and vinegars occupying some major real estate in my fridge! I need something simple and easy enough that I can remember it off the top of my head. Any ideas?
Spicy Shrimp, Broccoli and Mushroom Stir-Fry(draft version)
1 pound cooked shrimp
Mushrooms, sliced (My husband doesn’t like mushrooms, so I picked them out of his dish above.)
Broccoli Florets
3 Scallions, sliced white and barely green parts
2 carrots, julienned
1 jalapeno pepper (would have used some Thai chili peppers if I had had them.)
5 garlic cloves, minced
red pepper flakes
canola oil
Here is where the ingredients list gets a bit wonky because I just started adding stuff to beef up the flavor.
Tamari Soy Sauce
Schezuan Sauce (I don’t know why or how I got this, but it was never opened.)
Hoison Sauce (a dollop)
I first blanched the broccoli and carrots. I heat up the oil and sauteed the garlic and red pepper flakes first then added the scallions. Next I added the carrots, broccoli, jalapeno and mushrooms and let them all saute well. Started adding the sauces until it tasted somewhat interesting. Then tossed in the shrimp and heated it thoroughly and served it with brown rice.
It was OK, but something about the sauces left a bad aftertaste, like I could taste the cornstarch or something…I dunno. Let me know what you think, it would be greatly appreciated.
“According to a September survey on consumer anxieties over higher fuel and food prices from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University in Ames, 34 percent of respondents said that they were likely to raise more of their own vegetables. Another 37 percent said they were likely to can or freeze more of their food. The cousin to canning and freezing is the root cellar.”
I wish I had a basement underneath my brownstone to store a bounty of butternut squash, onions and potatoes for the winter, but unfortunately we live in a loft apartment on the 3rd floor and barely have cupboard space.
My grandparents in Greece (both sides) had their own basement cellars where they would cure feta, store wine barrels and other perishables cold. One day I hope to continue the family tradition and keep my lil homemade stash of wine hidden in my basement cellar, some day!
I’m not sure what else there is to say! My tummy and my candidate won last night!
The Hopecakes from Homesick Texan were pretty good, but I messed up the first batch of them. And my Concord Grape Cocktails were delicious but I think upset my stomach (along with staining my whole kitchen purple! haha!). I made juice the night before from a pint of concord grapes and mixed it with some vodka and soda water-SLURP!
Obama Family Chili
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
Several cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground basil
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Several tomatoes, depending on size, chopped
1 can red kidney beans
I also added some chopped jalapenos and a can of tomato paste.
Saute onions, green pepper and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Add ground meat and brown.
Combine spices together into a mixture, then add to ground meat.
Add red wine vinegar.
Add tomatoes and let simmer, until tomatoes cook down.
Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes.
Serve over white or brown rice. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream.
