Category: Inauthentic Recipes

Molasses and me

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It felt like an eternity, my head tipped to the side, watching and waiting for the molasses to trickle out of the bottle into my measuring cup. Unwrapping and plopping the room temperature butter and packed cup-shaped brown sugar in the mixer, spooning measures of baking power and soda into the light flour about to float away from the bowl, cracking the eggs into the fluffy brown butter, collecting the ginger, cinnamon, pepper, cloves into a spice mixture; the recipe had been moving forward quick and steady. Then I waited for the molasses, this dark, most viscous, bittersweet smooth sludge taking it’s very own time to trickle out of a Brer Rabbit bottle labeled since 1907. I felt like I was waiting since 1907. This was my first time cooking with molasses and it’s sheer meditative nonchalance midst the hurried pace of Christmas cookie baking was… impressive. I had even greased the measuring cup in anticipation of a slow pour out of the measuring cup into the mixer. As if it didn’t get the memo honey got, molasses took its sweet, slow time. Again.

I want to be like molasses. I want to pour out in my own time despite pressures of schedules, needs and the quick convenience of sugar cookies. Impressed by its ability to slow down time, I googled “molasses.” It turns out, it is a sugar byproduct that has a lot of nutrients. According to Wikipedia, a version of molasses, blackstrap, is a dietary supplement and an ingredient in cattle feed and fertilizer.

The third boiling of the sugar syrup yields dark, viscous blackstrap molasses, known for its robust flavor.[8] The majority of sucrose from the original juice has been crystallised and removed. The calorific content of blackstrap molasses is mostly due to the small remaining sugar content.[9][10] Unlike highly refined sugars, it contains significant amounts of vitamin B6 and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the recommended daily value of each of those nutrients. Blackstrap is also a good source of potassium.[11] Blackstrap molasses has long been sold as a dietary supplement.

Blackstrap molasses is significantly more bitter than “regular” molasses. It is sometimes used in baking. This residual product of sugar refining is used for producing ethanol and as an ingredient in cattle feed and as fertilizer.

No wonder it doesn’t care and isn’t as eager to move like sugar. It has quite a story of being a beneficial residual of sweetness. Yes, I admire molasses. It can take it’s time in my kitchen. I’ll wait.

In what other dishes can I use magical bittersweet molasses? Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Post-Thanksgiving Sigh

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Today is the embarrassing day after the collective food binge that is Thanksgiving in the U.S. when I promise to eat light and then end up eating another plate of left-overs. Despite my mixed feelings about the origins of the delicious tradition (like croissants), I am thankful for the day of friends and family time dedicated to eating together. In a previous post I had wondered how others manage and prepare for such a traditionally standard meal. Stay consistent and true to family recipes or innovate, change?

My approach is usually a mix of tried and true recipes (that my girls like) and a few experiments (also because my girls enjoy trying new things). This year we also included frozen summer produce from Jim’s parents garden and I was so happy that they could be here to enjoy those dishes with us.

Here is how the balance of family tradition and family discovery worked at our table:

Appetizers at noon

Oysters (raw and rockefeller)

A nod to Jim’s maternal grandfather, Ray, this is now a tradition in our house that we all look forward to.

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

Initially we wanted to have cranberry relish baked in it BUT I didn’t have enough. Instead we used our usual raspberry jam. Such decadence only makes sense when shared.

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Pate and Figs on Crackers

This was Amani’s craving contribution that all of us tried and some liked more than others.

Linner (Lunch/Dinner at 3:00 pm)

Turkey

Ignoring all the noise surrounding how to cook the bird, we just salted a fresh bird over night (with herbs and olive oil). This was the first time we had a fresh bird. Loved it. This will be a new tradition.

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Gravy

Braised turkey neck, liver and heart with celery, onion and carrots. Rachel cut all the meat into little pieces to be included in the gravy. Yum.

Stuffing

A doctored-up Pepperidge Farm stuffing. Nothing special just classically familiar flavors.

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Mashed Potatoes

Creamed with buttermilk and two roasted jalapenos from Dennis and Rachel’s summer garden.

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Green Beans

Cooked with shallots, mushrooms and cream. This was a dish I’ve made four times, a regular item that I’ve cooked better before. A “non-experiment” that didn’t work the best. It needs to soften a bit more before we have it for leftovers today. Otherwise, still good for future Thanksgiving meals.

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Fried Okra

Not usual on the Thanksgiving table but should be. Rachel brought her garden grown, home fried and frozen veggies with her. Very much appreciated.

Macaroni and Cheese

This was an experiment using a Saveur recipe. Ridiculous amounts of cream, half and half and cheese that only makes sense in a celebratory dish. The grated onion gives the dish more dimension than straight up mac-n-cheese. It even passed the Lucy, picky eater test! A successful experiment.

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Baked Sweet Potato

This was a version of Patti, Jim’s sister’s recipe. I didn’t use the topping because the dessert had the same topping. Otherwise, I thought of Patti as I looked at her Senator Russel’s Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. We all missed having her and her family at the table this year. I drizzled Maple Syrup on top instead. Really good. Both Ava and Atiya got seconds.

Rosemary Rolls

Store bought yeast rolls, egg washed and sprinkled with rosemary and salt.

Cranberry Sauce

Fresh cranberry simmered with sugar and orange zest. Ava washed and prepared the cranberries, a job Atiya graduated from.

Pecan Pumpkin Pie

My father loves pecan pie and my mom loves pumpkin/sweet potato. This Southern Living recipe reminded me of them. They couldn’t be with us but were in my thoughts. This may become a part of the Thanksgiving dessert rotation. Combines best of both pies. Except maybe next time I would blind bake the crust a bit first.

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Aware of so many struggling families in the U.S., I apologetically appreciate my abundant table heavy with tradition, experimentation, choices and guests in body and spirit. Delivering a meal to the local shelter on Monday doesn’t begin to show my gratitude.

Now for my plate of left-overs.

Wishing all of you appreciative good eating with loved ones always,

Hungryphil

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Pop-Tart Makeover

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This recipe dedicated to my best friend and partner in food adventures and binges, Jim, is from Emilie Baltz’s fun and fantastic book: Junk Foodie: 51 Delicious Recipes for the Lowbrow gourmand.

We rarely buy Pop-Tarts, Jim’s childhood breakfast of choice. Photographer, designer, foodie, Emilie Baltz includes the Pop-Tart in the Junk Foodie Pantry along with Twinkies, Little Debbie treats, Animal crackers and more. She describes the confection as follows:

Introduced in 1964, The Pop-Tart name was inspired by the king of retro art movements, “Pop Art.” These toaster-ready breakfast treats were not only hip, but advanced. The packaging was adapted from a process normally used for dog food packing. Delicious.

Here is the recipe for Pop-Tart Brunch Strudel

1 Apple Pie Filling

1 Handi-Snacks Cheese Dip

1 Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop- Tart Crust

Cut top off Apple Pie. Scoop out filling and place to side. Smear Hand-Snacks Cheese Dip on one side of reserved Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart crust. Top with apple pie filling. Cover with other half of Pop-Tart crust. Cut edges off to form a net rectangle shape. Serve.

Look up the website and book for 50 other recipes. The vivid and amazing images are very convincing and I almost want to try a few of the recipes. I am curious. The book is a beautiful exercise in re-imagining ingredients for someone raised without junk food (and a French mother).

Here is an image and review of pumpkin pie Pop-Tarts, from http://www.cookiemadness.net/2010/09/frosted-pumpkin-pie-pop-tarts/

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For those of you horrified by the above inventive, artificial, and industrial product  recipe, here are a few recipes for home-made pop-tarts

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/09/03/homemade-frosted-brown-sugar-cinnamon-pop-tarts/

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/04/homemade-pop-tarts/

http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/05/homemade-pop-tarts/

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving ahead whether your taste is lowbrow, highbrow or high-low home-made,

Hungryphil

Two Minute Chocolate Cake tastes like …

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…well, two minute chocolate cake. Good for a chocolate craving emergency. I used the Lucky Peach Magazine recipe Here. I had white chocolate chips instead of chocolate chips but that should not have affected the cake consistency. Good doused in ice-cream but still a bit odd and chewy. Try it for yourself and let me know. Maybe the microwave is to blame. Baked the two minute batter in a 350 oven for half an hour. Still, good flavor, strange texture. Fun to watch erupt in the microwave.

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What constitutes a failed recipe?

  1. When the end product following the guidelines does not correspond to the image or expectation?
  2. When the instructions are not followed or understood?
  3. When the instructions are not clear?

Recipes are an odd conceptual category between practical instruction and theoretical consistency. The material threat of subverting conceptual clarity as any humble cook knows is very high. Altitude, humidity, quality of ingredients, interaction of ingredients, measurement discrepancies, tools used, water quality, everything contributes the supposed success of the recipe (not to mention subjective tastes). Recipes should be used as a list and an ontographic map towards a particular gastronomic experience that someone else found. If we want to reach the same destination, we need to follow the directions as best we can. We can never know if we arrived at the exact taste location (unless we are recreating a known or familial taste). Good recipes give us skills that take us to different related places, like my favorite zucchini bread or chocolate chip cookie recipe. How you relate to recipes is a philosophical preference. Do you nervously follow every detail, blame the recipe if it doesn’t meet expectation, blame yourself and accuse your skill level, blame the ingredients?  A lot of anxiety related to cooking comes from relinquishing too much power to the recipe.

I enjoy trying recipes and watching the process of either supposed success or failure. I say “try” because I rarely exactly follow a recipe. Here is another experiment from the weekend that I would say was a success.  The pancake recipe from Southern Living advised not to beat the ingredients vigorously together with an image that showed very lumpy batter and gave instructions on when to flip the pancake.

“Cook the pancakes 3-4 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry and cooked.”

This is a good example of object oriented material thinking. It is not only a measure of time but an assessment of how the ingredients are reacting together. Even with these gentle guidelines, I found it tricky to modulate the heat of my cast iron pan so that the bubbles would form just in time the edges and bottom turned golden, not burnt. Some batches were better than others. Ironically, the first two (usually the worst) were the best. Delicious pancakes. Fluffy, flavorful, buttery…oh yes…very buttery, crispy edges. Thank you, Southern Living recipe writer and tester.

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Then there are delicious dishes that need no recipe, no introduction. Just yummy. Ugly maybe, but so yummy, like my fried egg with bread, marscapone and raspberry jelly. Just dip and enjoy. Or Brie and jam baked in puff pasty. Gooey melting cheese that lazily spills out of flaky pastry. Puff pastry makes everything decadent and as Atiya would say, regal.

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That’s my weekend report. It was delicious.

Next time you cook, call it an experiment in material philosophy.  Notice how you feel and make decisions when things work and when they don’t. Then, come back and share your experiences here with other hungryphilosophers. No judgment, just awareness.

Wishing you a wonderful and delicious weekend ahead,

Hungphil

Delicious culinary culture clash

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Quick confession: Cooking is my preferred method of procrastinating.  Productive, creative and when not obligatory, cooking can be relaxing. Today the weather returned to November grey after a few unusually warm and bright days this week. Feeling under the weather in body and spirit, I allowed myself a day in front of the television menu planning for  Thanksgiving vacation.  As I was sorting through my stack of tagged food magazines, I found this Mushroom Stroganoff recipe from the fall issue of Southern Living. Seemed like the perfect day for comforting carbs and cream. The combination of paprika, black pepper and garlic soothed my throat. But.

I found myself also craving the completely opposite flavors of a Moroccan style vegetable curry (my friend Sue was on to something when she picked this as her go to comfort food). The smokey, sweet, almost lamb stew like flavors of ras el hanut spice over slow roasted eggplant and squash is decadent yet guilt-less carb and cream-less comfort. Not the prettiest dish on the table but oh so good. Since no water is added, the vegetable juices all combine into an unctuous stew. With no dates on hand I used raisins for the surprise bites of soft sweetness. Ironic that I would make such an odd dinner combination, as I was planning the menu for Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving, the traditional menu is already set with the usual suspects of Turkey, Gravy, Potatoes, Stuffing, Bread, Green Beans and Pie. The only question is which recipes to use. The Southern Stroganoff – Moroccan Tagine combination makes no sense except for me, on this very dreary day. I suppose my unsuspecting family can either choose one or the other mode of comfort food, or follow my lead and load up on both. Can there be too much comfort in the world?

Categorical culinary consistency is so boring isn’t it? I wonder how I can use this experience for Thanksgiving? Or maybe I shouldn’t mess with constructed tradition….too much :o)

Do you stick with Thanksgiving tradition, tweak tradition, or try something different every year?

Broccoli Stem Dal – Home Food Waste Rescue

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At the Global Food/ Local Perspectives symposium a few weeks ago, Chef Ake lamented the waste of broccoli stems at his restaurants. His comments reminded me of a recipe from my sister, Moli, who would cook the stems with dal (lentil soup). Here is my version:

1. I started with a bunch of sad broccoli stems saved from another meal.

2. Like any unappreciated thing the stems are tough and thick on the outside but crispy and juicy on the inside. Using a paring knife, carefully carve away the ugly sadness.

3. Dice the juicy happy centers.

4. In a pot, place the diced stem ( I had a cup) with a cup of any small lentils you have. I had yellow and red lentils. Cover with at least double amount of water or broth. Add more or less liquid depending on how thick you like your lentil soup.

5. There is debate about when to salt lentils. Some say salt prevents the lentils from breaking down. I don’t know. I always add the tumeric and salt after the lentils soften.

6. Once softened, add salt to taste and about a teaspoon of tumeric. Saute cumin seeds, onions or shallots, dried chilies and garlic in 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

7. Pour the roasted shallot mixture over the cooked lentils and broccoli stems.

8. Enjoy with rice or bread, a squeeze of lemon and sprinkling of cilantro. Perfect for fall weather. The roasted onions and cumin give the dish depth and smokiness while the vegetable lightens the thick lentils.

Bengali Sweet Yogurt (Mishti Doi)

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This is a sweet, smooth, tangy custard-like decadent yogurt recipe from my “cooking is a four letter word” sister, Cycee. It is magic.

1 can evaporated milk + 1 can condensed milk +1 cup plain yogurt = Blend, then pour in separate ramekins/bowls or a 9×9 baking dish. Set in a low temp oven 175-200 degrees for at least two hours.  Refrigerate once set and cool. Enjoy.

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Dear Atiya,

You said you could have this yogurt everyday. Now you can make that happen!

Love,

Your Hugryphil mom

4 Weekend Cooking Experiments

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Hungryphil here, reporting on this weekend’s cooking experiments, the victories and defeats, the yummy and not so yummy.

First up, Friday’s Fried Eggplant with tahini, balsamic drizzle (and a sprinkling of salt, pepper and sumac) Good taste but could have been cooked more. You can see the uncooked piece by the watermark. Still worth trying again. I liked the nutty smoothness of the tahini with the acidity of the balsamic.

Saturday and second, I attempted to make Bangladeshi “hat roti” (like a tortilla but softer and without fat in the dough). It is made by pouring the flour into boiling water, cooking it enough to absorb and rolling it out without the addition of much extra flour. When done correctly, it is soft, delicate, pillowy, warm, and wraps around halwas (sweet grain, nut or fruit paste, bars) or bhajis (dry vegetables) perfectly. It is a craft and a skill. I failed :o(

I tried pouring boiling water into a food processor with flour in the bowl in order to avoid the whole kneading a ball of hot dough with my hands unpleasantness.  Didn’t work. This will have to be a regular practice of skills, like making a colorless french omelet.

But. I did make the best paratha (a flaky fried flat bread) with the dough. The layers were light and crispy because there was no fat in the dough itself, only between the layers. From now on, this is how I’m making paratha. Mix dough without fat in the food processor, roll out, ghee, fold, roll out again, fry.

So, this experiment was a tie between food fail and fantastic. Sorry no pictures, tried to hide the evidence of failure and then in my excitement ate the paratha too fast to snap a pic. Now I also have a blog excuse to try it again.

Third, Korean Japchae and Bulgogi.

Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef 불고기)

http://www.chowhound.com/recipes/japchae-korean-stir-fried-sweet-potato-noodles-30269

Delicious and surprisingly easy.Worth making again. Score for me.

Fourth, Pumpkin Bread (with Cranberries and with Crystallized Ginger) and Chocolate Chip Cookies for fall college care packages. Here are the recipes:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/03/crispy-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

http://restaurant.recipes-network.net/starbucks-pumpkin-bread.html


Both were great recipes! The chocolate chip cookies were decadent and flavorful. The texture was just perfect as it’s namesake, crispy on the edges and chewy in the center. Perfect as is. Would make it again and again.

The pumpkin bread was also wonderful. I added cranberries to a batch and crystallized ginger to another. Both had pecans. The ginger is a bit aggressive and takes getting used to. In small, finely chopped portions it might be just right. That will take some tweaking.

Hope the kids enjoy the fall treats! Next time, more cookies!

Busy weekend but thankfully there is a lot to snack on in the kitchen this week.

Hoping you had a delicious weekend too,

Hungryphil

Tomato Red Pepper Shrimp with Creamy Oven Polenta

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Super Easy Baked Polenta

1 cup polenta + 4 cups water + 350 degree oven + 40 minutes

Then

+ shredded parmesan cheese + more liquid to make it the consistency you like (milk, cream, broth) + salt + pepper to taste.

Quick Tomato Red Pepper Shrimp Sautee

1/2 red pepper diced + 1/2 onion diced + saute in olive oil until roasted

+ 2 diced tomatoes (seeded) + 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder for smokiness (use old bay, cajun, chili, or any seasoning you like) + 1/2 tsp cumin powder  + salt + pepper + cilantro

+ 1/2 pound shrimp + cooked until no longer grey but pink.

Serve shrimp over polenta for a happy kid on a Wednesday fall evening.

Didn’t want to forget this super easy made up meal tonight. Love having a blog to store these random ideas. Thanks for enduring the fruits of my bad memory.  I really like this easy way to make polenta in the oven, grits should work the same way too, right? I’ll save that experiment for another day.

Wishing you happy eating,

Hungryphil

Testing Easy Apple Roses Recipe

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Like many of you, I was fascinated by the apple roses recipe posted on facebook last week. Last weekend, I thought I’d test it. It was supposed to be super simple. Basically roll sliced apples in puff pastry, bake and taaa daaaa….delicious dessert.

Almost….

Few issues. Tried to make it from my faulty memory.

  1. Didn’t heat the sliced apples in order to make them flexible. So it was a bit difficult to wrap. I broke a few peices.
  2. Didn’t spray the bottom of the muffin tin. It was difficult to get the roses out.
  3. Didn’t bake it long enough for fear of burning the uncooked apples. The pastry was a bit doughy.

Despite these issues. It was still delicious and beautiful. Happy to test it again and again.


  

There are quite a few recipes online. I don’t know which one I glimpsed as I scrolled down my facebook page. Here is one:

Did you try the recipe?