Category: Food

Baklava – Testing Michael Symon’s Rose Water Recipe

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Making baklava was MUCH easier than I thought it would be! Its magic really… sheets of thin pastry, nuts and syrup add up to simple deliciousness of honey sweet and buttery tastes delivered by nutty and flaky textures. Everyone in my chopped and blended nutty family liked it! Except for chocolate chip cookies, that doesn’t happen very often. Its a miracle people!

I generally followed the recipe except I used a mix of walnuts and pecans and added a bit more lemon juice. I also didn’t cut the pieces as small. It would’ve been better smaller. As you can imagine the dessert is very rich and sweet. Cutting the raw baklava was making me nervous as it started to tear. I think the only rule of baklava making is: build FAST. The dump and simmer syrup needed the longest preparation time but necessary to get the sticky consistency.

I know people like baklava: nutty, sweet and just flaky enough to be fun. Like Baklava they are perfect for large parties. Invite a few and serve them some.

 

Food Network Baklava Recipe Courtesy of Michael Symon

Ingredients
For the syrup:
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)
For the baklava:
1 pound chopped walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and/or almonds (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
18 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Directions
Make the syrup: Bring 2 cups water, the sugar and honey to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low; simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and rose water. Pour into a large liquid measuring cup or heatproof bowl and refrigerate until ready to use (or up to 1 day).

Make the baklava: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Pulse the nuts, confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the vanilla and salt.

Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with melted butter. Trim the phyllo to 9 by 13 inches with kitchen shears (fig. A); cover with a damp towel. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo in the prepared baking dish and brush with butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each sheet. Scatter about 3/4 cup of the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo stack. Top with 2 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each sheet, then top with another 3/4 cup of the nut mixture. Repeat to make 2 more layers (use 2 sheets of buttered phyllo and 3/4 cup nut mixture for each layer), then top with the remaining 6 sheets of phyllo, buttering each sheet (fig. B). Scatter the remaining nut mixture on top.

Cut the baklava into 32 triangles (fig. C). Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 40 minutes (tent with foil if the nuts are browning too quickly).

Remove from the oven and pour the prepared syrup evenly over the top. Let the syrup soak in, at least 2 hours.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/baklava-with-rose-water.html?oc=linkback

In a different mode, I also tested gluten free flour (krusteaz brand) in baking banana bread. It worked out well. Familiar texture, nice crunchy crust on top and moist. There was a slight bitter aftertaste possibly from the sorghum flour. What are your experiences with gluten free flour?

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Wishing all of you happy weekend eating ahead,

Hungryphil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Poem – Lobsters by Howard Nemerov

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Here at the Super Duper, in a glass tank
Supplied by a rill of cold fresh water
Running down a glass washboard at one end
And siphoned off at the other, and so
Perpetually renewed, a herd of lobster
Is made available to the customer
Who may choose whichever one he wants
to carry home and drop into boiling water
And serve with a sauce of melted butter.

Meanwhile, the beauty of strangeness marks
These creatures, who move (when they do)
With a slow, vague wavering of claws,
The somnambulist’s effortless clambering
As he crawls over the shell of a dream
Resembling himself. Their velvet colors,
Mud red, bruise purple, cadaver green
Speckled with black, their camouflage at home,
Make them conspicuous here in the strong
Day-imitating light, the incommensurable
Philosophers and at the same time victims
Herded together in the marketplace, asleep
Except for certain tentative gestures
Of their antennae, or their imperial claws
Pegged shut with a whittled stick at the wrist.

We inlanders, buying our needful food,
Pause over these slow, gigantic spiders
That spin not. We pause and are bemused,
And sometimes it happens that a mind sinks down
to the blind abyss in a swirl of sand, goes cold
And archaic in a carapace of horn,
Thinking: There’s something underneath the world.

The flame beneath the pot that boils the water.

From http://writersalmanac.org/

No Cook and Cooked

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I have no weekend cooking experiments to report this Monday. To the relief of my family, once in a while I do cook the same dish twice. This Sunday Swedish Meatballs were requested. I used this easy tried and true recipe from food blogger Jo Cooks. The mixture of ground beef and chicken make these meatballs a bit lighter in texture and flavor. The meal also included broccoli, peas and roasted brussels sprouts. It was a tasty way to end the weekend. Sadly….no dessert. But….today I’m about to eat something delicious that I may have made up. Its an adaptation of a Jamaican rice recipe with coconut milk and a whole scotch bonnet pepper that soothingly accompanies refreshing black beans and spicy jerk chicken. My version involves sauteing a cup of rice with a tablespoon of oil, adding all my left over vegetables (in my case peas, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale and mushrooms), a can of drained black beans, a can of coconut milk and a can a water. Simmer. The result is a hearty flavorful rice dish studded with beans and vegetables. The slight heat of the whole scotch bonnet contrasts gently with  the sweetness of the coconut milk. Can’t wait for this bowl of moist fried rice goodness, my Monday reward for surviving another busy weekend.

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I also want to sing the praises of the Netflix documentary Cooked. I binge watched all four episodes: Fire, Water, Air and Earth (and re-read Michael Pollan’s book by the same title). With Pollan we travel to far away places across the world and are also invited to his home as he brings home lessons learned. Visually the documentary is a work of art. I have never seen such beauty in a boiling pot or a heap of decaying food. Please see it for yourself. It is rare a celebration of our humanity practiced in making and sharing food. Makes me want to cook. More.

There is a bowl of coconutty veggie filled rice calling my name. Can’t wait to share it with my veggie loving baby, Atiya.

Wishing you happy Monday lunch,

Hungryphil

 

 

 

 

 

Food Poem – Men After Work by Dana Gioia

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Done with work, they are sitting by themselves
in coffeeshops or diners, taking up the booths,
filling every other seat along the counter,
waiting for the menu, for the water,
for the girl to come and take their order,
always on the edge of words, almost without appetite,
knowing there is nothing on the menu that they want,
waiting patiently to ask for one
more refill of their coffee, surprised
that even its bitterness will not wake them up.
Still they savor it, holding each sip
lukewarm in their mouths, this last taste of evening.

From the http://writersalmanac.org/page/3/

Wobblyogi Wednesday – YTT Journal Week 3

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This week we were asked to team teach two fifteen minute sequences of standing and balancing poses. Both times, my partners and I tried to insert standing poses like the wide legged forward bend, trikonasona, extended side angle and the pyramid (or balancing poses like tree, dancer, half moon) smoothly into a sequence. Small  moves like turning the direction of our toes and gaze or stepping back or front became crucial components of a fluid transition. When leading the class, it felt like I was stuttering, as if the mind, body and breathing has yet to learn a new combined language.  I have a new appreciation for all those soothing and calmed voiced yoga instructors out there. Making anything seem effortless takes a whole lot of effort!

Betsy lead us through a Hot Progressive Yoga session. It was a combination of challenging poses and ease that builds in intensity through the session. Despite the intensity and sweat, the session did not conjure feelings of athletic breathless panting. I suppose this was my lesson for the week on and off the mat: to keep my breath steady regardless of ease and effort (and to focus on breathing and cue breathing when teaching).

At my third week of regular yoga practice, I do feel more grounded and grateful. I’m more aware of tight muscles and flexible muscles. I feel increased body awareness and am beginning to understand yoga instructions to “connect with your breath,” “ground through your feet,” “stack your hips” etc,. I’m discovering new questions like why is balancing with closed eyes harder? May that be a metaphor for something? I also continue to be amazed by my fellow yogis. What a combination of intelligence, kindness and grace! I am so lucky to breathe and flow with this inclusive and wonderful little community.

Oh….and we had our first test. It was a good reminder of all that we have learned already. And, of course of things we need to notice as important to remember.

It was a good week. We are no longer strangers. Wherever we started we have all started to deepen our practice.

This week’s yogi snack…dear readers I would love suggestions. What do you like to eat before or after practice? Vegan, vegetarian and/or gluten free options seem difficult to make portable and share-able. Thoughts? Any cook book recommendations out there?

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla, granola, jelly
1. Beat egg and sugar together.
2. Mix in peanut butter.
3. Drop tablespoons of dough. Flatten. Makes about 12-15 cookies.
4. Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
Cool completely before enjoying!

Recipe from Food Network, Damaris Phillips.

Yoga Elephant image from: https://www.pinterest.com/jenhaussmann/yoga/

Weekend Experiments – Turkish Lamb Pizza

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First of all, Bangladeshi family and friends, I need a “chital peetha” recipe. It occurs to me that as a naturally gluten-free bread it would be a great alternative for my GF friends. Also, I tried to make a version of it and failed miserably. So…please help.

I also had trouble making Ethiopian Injeera bread. It kept sticking to the pan. Online directions tell me to add flour and cover to let it steam. I’ll try that and report back. Let me know if you have an idiot-proof recipe.

I made a corn fritter inspired savory pancake at Atiya’s request. It is wonderful contrasted with maple syrup or any berry compote, or also with sour cream. Here is my made up recipe:

Savory Corn Pancakes

1 can of cream of corn

1 egg

1/2 to 3/4 flour (depending on how corny or pancaky you like it)

enough water to make it pancake consistency

1/4 cup of chopped onion

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of chopped tomato (seeded)

1 Thai chili pepper or jalepeno pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix into batter. Make pancakes on buttered or dry skillet. Atiya likes it buttered so the edges get extra crispy. Enjoy a bright and complex, sweet and savory weekend breakfast.

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The second experiment involved using my Turkish,  Raw Spice Bar, spice packets. Jim and I made their lamb pizza. He did an excellent job preparing and baking the pizza dough. We only used a 3 ozs of meat that seemed to flavor stretch with the Baharat spice that was complex and robust mixed with tomato paste. Did not miss cheese at all. I don’t know if this should be called “pizza.” It tasted more like an inside out meat stuffed naan or paratha. Crunchy, smokey, sweet, spicy all good things in an unassuming hand held bite.

 

Hope you all had a weekend of exploring and examining delicious new and old foods,

Hungryphil

 

 

 

Criteria for Chocolate Chip Cookie Judgment

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Earlier this week, the food magazine, Epicurious, published their favorite chocolate cookie recipe. This is nothing new. There are thousands of “favorite” recipes online, each claiming perfection. But…this one is different. Not because it IS perfect but because it explains to us what and how it reached it’s version of chocolate chip cookie perfection.

The ideal cookie according to recipe author, Rhoda Boon,

“[…] has a slightly soft center, crisp edges, notes of butterscotch, a shiny cracked top, and pockets of chocolate throughout.”

With this ideality in mind, she proceeded to test recipes that adhered to two limiting conditions:

  1. No added ingredients, like peanut butter, coconut or oatmeal.
  2. No overnight dough.

The team chose 8 of the highest rated Epicurious cookie recipes along with the  classic reference of Nestle’s cookie recipe. They tried to combine the best attributes of each to create a new recipe that best represented the ideal cookie definition. You’ll have to read the article for all the nuances, but Ms. Boon talks us through five lessons learned from the process.

  1. Room temperature butter is a must. No substitutes. No melting butter.
  2. Equal amounts granulated and brown sugar.
  3. Baking soda and power for browning and cookie structure.
  4. Too much flour: cakey and  too little: no craggy, irregular texture.
  5. Chocolate chips have anti-melting agents, chop your own for extra melty pockets of chocolate.

I made the cookies and I may have made mistakes. No doubt it is a good recipe. May have added too much flour or cooked too long, or maybe followed it well, I can’t tell except that I’ve had better.  I learned that MY ideal cookie is soft and chewy, with more brown sugar than granulated. Thanks to the explained recipe process I can identify my preference. The recipe is NOT my ideal chocolate chip cookie but the process did show me why it is not so. It was a welcome learning lesson that most recipes do not offer.


We should all approach claims of ideality with suspicion but also use that experience to test and articulate our own preferences.

Next time you eat a chocolate chip cookie, ask yourself,

  • Do I like the texture (cakey, chewy, crumbly)?
  • Do I like the sweetness level?
  • Do I like flavor notes of butterscotch, molasses, vanilla?
  • Do I like additions like nuts, oatmeal, coffee and peanut butter?
  • Is there an aftertaste metallic or otherwise?
  • Does it look yummy?
  • Ponder a split second and then just eat it!

Thank you Rhonda Boon for your efforts and chocolate chip cookie guidance.

Wishing you all tasty efforts in finding your very own chocolate chip cookie perfection,

Hungryphil

 

 

Weekend with Ina Garten Recipes

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It was a very cold weekend and we needed comfort. Tasty, delicious, feel guilty later, put on a few pounds to keep warm comfort. Perfect attitude for testing a few decadent recipes. Food Network nobility, Ina Garten (a.k.a the Barefoot Contessa) to the rescue. We tried three of her recipes.

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Cranberry Orange Scones

The butter chucks may not have been small enough to process in the stand mixer. I had a lot o flour flying all over and the butter didn’t quite arrive at an uniform grainy stage. Didn’t matter, the scones were flaky and light. I also didn’t shape the scones into beautiful rounds. The cut triangles worked just fine. Didn’t have the patience to wait for the scones to cool enough for the icing. Again, didn’t matter, still tasted wonderful. Despite my veering off the recipe multiple times, Ina’s guidance did not steer me wrong.

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Brownie Tart

This recipe yields a magical combination of cookie like chewy consistency on the edges, fudgy gooeyness in the middle and cakey brownie in between. We swapped walnuts for pecans. May have over mixed the batter, may have not cooked it long enough for the cake to puff up, may have, may have. Without having a sense of how it was “supposed” to be, the dessert just was….. delicious. Sometimes, definitive expectations can be limiting and counter productive. Happy to test this recipe, again and again, in search of tart perfection. Whether I ever get there is irrelevant.

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Turkey Lasagna

This may just be my new favorite lasagna recipe! The goat cheese adds a gentle complexity to the taste. The turkey sausage sauce was very flavorful. I did follow the advice from the comments sections and reduced the amount of salt. Her technique of soaking the noodles in hot water for 20 minutes before layering is genius.  I was skeptical and worried that the noodles wouldn’t cook. She proved me wrong. This is the way I’ll be making lasagna from now on. The fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and parsley, the goat cheese all added a brightness to the rich lasagna.

Small deviations and additions to a recipe make it mine. But, these detours from directions also show me ways to redefine familiar dishes like lasagna or brownies in method and taste. What makes a recipe better or worse? Meeting expectations, good taste, ease of preparation, new techniques?

From the scones, I learned that as long as the proportion of fat (butter and cream) to flour is maintained all else can be variable.

From the brownie tart, I learned that chocolate whether liquid, chewy, soft or hard is delicious. A tart contains all the states of chocolate.

From the lasagna, I learned that layering light fresh ingredients with ricotta, tomato sauce and noodles, the unusual with the usual challenges lasagna expectations.

From now on, I  will trust the Ina.

My Three Rices

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In my pantry I have a large plastic bin with three bags of rice. I remember, Jim’s surprise, a reluctant rice eater at the time, the first time I brought a 20 pound bag of rice home. Regardless of whether I eat rice everyday, I NEED rice in the pantry. Sure, I also have small bags of brown rice and black rice, along with couscous, quinoa, polenta and other grains. But, white rice is my comfortable default.

There are three specific types of rice in my bin: Thai Jasmine, Indian Basmati and Bangladeshi Chinigura or Kalee Jeera. Each kind meets a different emotional register. The first, top left of the image, Jasmine rice is bright and has an almost floral scent. Soft and sticky it is easy to eat with my hand. It reminds me of forming tiny curry flavored rice bites and hand feeding my girls when they were little.  The gentle rice is a gracious host for robust Asian currries and stirfrys .

The second and middle pile, is Basmati. With long elegant grains, it has a nutty, warm taste. Best sauteed in ghee and spices, Basmati makes the best pilafs. Fork friendly and fluffy it is the ideal introductory rice served across Indian restaurants in the world. Cooked with strong cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon, Basmati doesn’t loose it’s texture or nutty flavor. Perfect with South Asian and Middle Eastern flavors.

The third (lower right in the image) rice, Kali Jeera or Chini-gura, is a small grain Bangladeshi rice. The tiny kernels are strong like Basmati and flavor-wise gentle like Jasmine. Good to eat with my hand or my fork. Just as fantastic in a fragrant Biriyani, as it is as a plain boiled rice with a light curry. I have used it for dessert, baby food and festive food. The only reason I don’t use it everyday is because it is expensive, sometimes not so easy to find and so very special.

For me, these three rices map my taste buds that range across Asia and the Middle East.

What is your preferred rice?

 

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