Category: Recipes

Beautiful prickly pear blossoms - - but watch those sharp spikes!

June is in full swing here in Middle Tennessee: as I drive through The Shire in the mornings, the landscape is awash in the kind of gorgeous, lush green that used to make my eyes hurt when I arrived on visits from dry, golden California years ago. The fields and sprawling yards are overflowing with flowers of every color, but in early to mid June the beautiful deep orange of our native Tiger lily dominates the color palette, accented with the delicate white, politely bobbing heads of Queen Anne’s Lace.

Delicate Queen Anne’s Lace

I have always loved the Tiger lily, and adding to its beauty is the plain fact that it’s a useful edible plant. Every part of this lily is edible, and you can find something of use in every season. The flowers can be picked clean of pistil and stamen, rinsed clean and eaten as they are or used as small wraps for other foods like fresh, cool tuna salad. Somewhere in my recipe collection are directions on using Tiger lily blooms to wrap a dish that was baked. The roots may be harvested in winter and eaten rather like potatoes or other tubers. For those interested in keeping land that will sustain you, the Tiger lily is a great choice—and it will naturally spread each year all by itself.

In a small corner of my yard sits an old bucket with a prickly pear cactus I dug from the yard to save our riding mower tires (and our feet!). This is another great Tennessee native plant that yields edible parts; the flat pads of the low-growing cactus may be peeled and prepared in much the same way as green peppers. My preference is to peel and chop them, sauté them lightly in a pan with a few veggies and incorporate them into a nice omelette as I used to have at a dusty old cafe in the dry California Salinas Valley many years ago.

Despite a late start this year, the vegetable garden has taken off. We already have more zucchini than we can possibly eat, and the crookneck squash is just starting to ripen. I imagine I’ll have to dredge up some creative ideas for preparing it this summer so we don’t get tired of it too quickly! The tomatoes will be late, but there looks to be plenty of fruit. We did not use the cages this year, so it remains to be seen whether the deer will take more than their fair share.

Young Louis XIV is growing bigger by the day - - and how about those lovely feathered feet?

My beautiful, rare booted bantam chicks are growing by the day. I have learned from experience now that self-hatched chicks are just friendlier than any I could buy from elsewhere. Having them imprinted on me—and handling them every day—makes for the sweetest, most trusting little chickens! The booted bantams will ride around on my shoulder, and my favorite little cockerel Louis XIV likes to just ride around with me all afternoon as I work in the yard. He rules from the throne of my shoulder, chirping away at all the other birds and issuing orders about his little kingdom. His father was quite a handsome fellow, so I expect great things from my little monarch. His namesake lived a long, productive life with plenty of female company, and I hope for the same for my Louis.

My young Australorp cockerel gives me a sideways glance as he struts on by

The first of my two black Australorp cockerels just went with his pullet to live at a lovely farmstead nearby. As much as I’d love to keep the last one (young Mick) as a young husband to my Dame Edna, I’m afraid that my suburban neighbors would not love him as much as I do—so off he will soon go to live on a farm in the country. I did not realize how hard it would be to sell off my chicks! I am so fond of them all, and I know each of them as individuals. This makes it quite difficult when the time comes for them to leave. This was the original plan—to gain the experience of hatching, to keep a few pullets for myself, and to sell the rest—but while moving along smoothly, the plan stings a bit. We’ll see how I feel about this next year.

Aunt Bea terrorizing half-blind Baby Mija: who knew short chickens could be so mischievous?

The rest of my girls are doing well. My three young hens are growing faster every day, and they spend their afternoons strutting around the yard like tall, sleek supermodels in a clique-ish huddle. Squatty little bantam cochin Aunt Bea still terrorizes my now-huge Baby Mija for some inexplicable reason. As little Bea breezes across the yard I can just see the look of horror on Mija’s poor, half-blind face; Bea seems to sense this, and she deliberately moves toward Mija just to get the chase going. The sight of a squatty, feather-footed bantam Cochin running across the yard after a full-grown chicken is something that must be seen to be appreciated; I really must get the video camera out one day and capture it.

Favorite, simple grilled summer supper

There is plenty of yard work to be done at this time of year so the place doesn’t start looking like a Heironymus Bosch painting; however, the extreme, unseasonable heat has made things slow going. Temperatures here have been in the mid to high 90s already, and nights are not much relief. By mid-afternoon on the weekends we are usually tapped out and ready to sit in the shade (or inside!) with a nice cool glass of Pinot Gris and just talk about yard work. RT will fire up the grill, and just to keep things simple we go to our old fall-back summer supper—steaks and fresh veggies, lightly salted and peppered and thrown right on the grill. Simple and no fuss.

One of the great early summer treasures here in the South are the sweet, delicious peaches. The real-deal peaches around here are only available for a few weeks to a month, and they are savored for the brief time they’re here. After our supper the other day, I whipped up one of my favorite peach desserts to enjoy out in the shade. I learned this recipe from a crazy pastry chef I used to know, and its delicious richness combined with the freshness of in-season fruit is absolutely spectacular.

Rich, sweet Amaretto Sabayon over fresh Georgia peaches: Heaven indeed

I started with fresh Georgia peaches, first washed and dried then carefully sliced into bowls. The Amaretto Sabayon was whipped up in a double boiler I made by using a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. We used fresh eggs from the hens, of course, and when the lightly foamy concoction was ready we spooned it over the peaches and sprinkled with some of our own freshly-picked blueberries. Perfect! I placed the “recipe” here on my website if you’d like to try for yourself.

Every season has so many beautiful things to savor, whether food, wine, good company, beloved animals, mysterious plants or any of the other million things I can think of that I so enjoy experiencing. What a treat to move through this world exploring it with all my senses! On warm June days like this, it feels like a (hot) playground custom-made for me.

Lovely Echinacea blooms in the patio garden

Garam masala-crusted chicken with basmati rice

The time right after the holidays is a time ripe with promise: a time for me to reflect on what worked for me in the old year and what didn’t, and a time to think about where I am going and what I want to accomplish in the months to come. The dark of the year is also a perfect time to open some space in my life for different patterns of thinking and acting and being, and one of the most powerful ways I have found to help this process along is to change my routine ~ to spice things up a little. This lets my mind walk a little different path than its worn old wagon trail, and I never cease to be amazed by the surprises that emerge when I simply step out of the same old habits.

While it’s too early yet to see just what surprises lie in store for me in 2009, I am already stepping out of old habits just a bit to get the ball rolling. Instead of staying at home yesterday doing the housework I knew I should get done before I head back to the ol’ day job next week, I took Miss Pat’s invitation to go to lunch in town at a relatively new Ethiopian restaurant. The food was delicious, and our host was just the most delightful gentleman. I am always most impressed with those brave souls who, like my ancestors, risked a great deal by starting a new life in a foreign country. I am even more impressed by those who manage to navigate the business license and health department red tape to open a business here!

In any case, our lunch inspired me to start thinking about spices and ingredients I have woefully not used in years ~ and these thoughts led us to visit an international market near the restaurant so I could pick up a few goodies. The garam masala struck my fancy, and I figured this might be the seed of something delicious this weekend. I love the warm, sweet spiciness of garam masala, and it’s one of those delicious spice mixtures I really should use more often. The combination varies a great deal depending on where you are and where you purchase it (or what your personal preferences are if you mix your own), but the mixture generally includes some arrangement of coriander, cumin, ground ginger, red chili, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, nutmeg, and perhaps other spices. When heat is applied to the mixture through cooking, the beautiful perfume and flavor of the spices is released and the effect is heavenly.

While recipes featuring garam masala can often include thickened sauces, I decided to start with a simple garam masala-crusted chicken. While my imagined meal was to be cooked over an open flame, we ended up using the oven since the weather here is not cooperating today. This morning RT split two small (3.5- to 4-pound) chickens in half, and we rubbed the chicken down with the garam masala-oil paste and set the chicken in a pan in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours.

Pretty ladies relax with their herbal body masques ~

When we couldn’t wait any longer, we cooked the birds until the outside was good and crispy. I dug out the long-unused rice cooker and whipped up some fluffy, delicate basmati rice ~ and I steamed some soft, fresh flatbread from the market as well. A nice cucumber and tomato salad with plain yogurt is a cool foil for the warmth of the spiced chicken, and you could also fold the flatbread over and enjoy the whole thing as a wrap for lunch the next day. While I added some fresh-ground spices to the garam masala to my own taste, you may find the basic recipe for this garam masala-crusted chicken here on my main website.

The sky was Wuthering Heights-dreary today, but we happily stayed inside and enjoyed our warm crusty chicken with its pungent spiciness. While I might have tried a Grenache with this chicken if I had planned ahead, I found that a nice 2006 Chianti Classico stood up beautifully to the warmth of the spice without losing a bit of its sour cherry fruit or structure. I love it when a new path works out!

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You may find a delicious family-recipe garam masala from my very favorite spice merchant here:

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysgarammasala.html

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Cakes and sausage

**** 7/18 UPDATE: Middle Bro has finally brought forth the recipe for Grandpa Jack’s Sunday Buttermilk Pancakes. Click the link for the recipe! ****

Today’s post is a guest blog post written by Middle Brother.

When I called my sister yesterday and asked her why she hadn’t updated her blog all week, she started whining about sick animals and computer problems. I figured it was time to take matters into my own hands and get things done, so today this blog is MINE. There won’t be any poetry written by dead guys - - we’re going to talk about one of the important things in life. Food. Namely, my food.

When we were growing up, our family had some great vacations. Our grandparents were involved in many of these trips, and we would visit them in Florida or at their summer cabin in Ontario, Canada. I have a lot of great memories of these times, and a large part of our family get-togethers involved food - - lots and lots of food. One of my favorite memories was of the times when Grandpa would make his famous pancakes: he would step into the room and say in his low, gravelly voice, “Guess what we’re having for breakfast — buttermilk pancakes.” Grandpa’s pancakes were gigantic and filling, but the texture was always light and fluffy. My cousins, my younger brother and I used to have contests to see who could eat the most, and Grandpa would make pancakes until everyone was finished. Good stuff.

I am not really sure if I want the world to have Grandpa’s pancake recipe, but I am pretty sure there aren’t too many people reading Jen’s blog so I think we’re safe. As soon as I figure out how, I will post the recipe here, on her main website recipe section.

One of the important things for the batter is to use fresh, fresh ingredients. Even the flour and baking powder need to be fresh. Also, keep the measurements exact (pack and level off the dry ingredients).

Getting started

After the batter comes the wait while they cook on the griddle. Grandpa taught us to watch the bubbles along the outside of the pancakes: when there are a good number of them rising and popping, you’re ready to flip.

Good things cookin’

When the pancakes are ready, you can dress them up any way you want. My wife likes them with strawberries and whipped cream.

Cakes ‘n strawberries

As for me, I like them straight up with real maple syrup, like the kind we used to get in Canada. I picked up some of the good stuff when I was back in New York in May, and I used some of that on my pancakes today. There’s nothing like real syrup!

Shortstack

I have never had pancakes anywhere else that could match Grandpa’s, although maybe some of the magic is in the memories I have of great times with family. Who knows! Try them yourself - - maybe you’ll start your own family tradition.

Now, guess what we’re having for breakfast….??

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Jen’s Patchwork Slaw

“I hate and love.
And if you ask me why,
I have no answer, but I discern,
can feel, my senses rooted in eternal torture.”

- Gaius Valerius Catullus, ca. 60 BC (transl. Horace Gregory)

I hate and love my computer. As I wobbled along in Linux this week, learning about seven new programs just to get this post out, suddenly this old poem came to mind and I had to laugh in spite of myself. (I need you I want you I love you I hate you please don’t leave me!) It was certainly cheaper to laugh than to smash the computer with a balpeen hammer. I can’t even remember if we have a balpeen hammer anyway.

In between love-hate sessions with the computer I made this lovely coleslaw I remembered from last summer. I originally developed it last July for our family reunion. It was a big reunion, and as food assignments were issued I had mixed feelings when I drew “coleslaw.” (Coleslaw? How about something elegant and amazing?) Now, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of variations of coleslaw, and one of my life goals is trying every one. (I like to aim high.) There are the mayonnaise-y slaws; the hot, horseradish or garlic variations; those leaning toward vinegar and oil; some with delightful Asian influences, like wasabi or sesame oil; some that rely on cabbage and no other veggies ~ and then there are the more colorful ones that incorporate different greens, or even peppers and herbs. I decided to make something a bit more fresh and interesting than the vapid white stuff normally slopped onto the plate next to a deli barbecue sandwich, so I worked this up and it came out tasty and colorful. I used my trusty old duct-taped Cuisinart to finely chop up red and green peppers, and for the seasoning I used lemon pepper and Jane’s Krazy Mixed-up Salt. While I don’t know exactly what herbs Miss Jane puts in her salt, I do know it is fantastic on salads.

Jane’s Krazy Mixed-up Salt: worth the effort to find

I also use fresh parsley and chives from my herb garden; last year I used green onions from the local grocery, and they were delicious too (but I used less, as their flavor is more pungent). You may find the recipe for my Patchwork Coleslaw on the main site, in the recipe section (or by following the link).

If you are looking for something a little different for your summer barbecues, changing up your ’slaw might be just the ticket! Fresh, crispy, cool ~ it doesn’t get any better on a hot afternoon.

Fresh slaw on a hot day

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Plump, still-warm sausage pinwheels

When I first moved to Tennessee during my high school years, I was fortunate to make a lovely friend named Christy. I boarded my horse at her parents’ stable, and she and I became good riding buddies. Her parents were wonderful folks who had a very beautiful log home. They built the house with timbers from an old barn, and it was so beautifully decorated with Tennessee antiques (including an original telephone with the earpiece on the wall) that it had graced the covers of several magazines.

I still remember the beautiful dogwood trees blooming in their yard in spring, and I also remember the delicious Southern meals Christy’s mom used to make for us. They were some of my first samplings of Tennessee cooking, and the context of the food and friendship helped me begin to appreciate the roots of Southern cooking.

One of the recipes Christy’s mother passed to us was for her sausage pinwheels. She made her biscuit dough from scratch, of course, but I have found Bisquick a reasonable choice for its speed and ease of use. I am not completely sure the pinwheel origins are Southern, but they had a place in Christy’s household and that’s good enough for me. Whenever I make them they remind me of cabins and horses and dogwood trees ~ and my first friendship in a strange, new place.

You may find my version of Mrs. C’s recipe for sausage pinwheels in my recipe collection on the main site. May they bring you many happy thoughts!

Isn’t this just begging for a fresh egg?

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