Wild caught

This blog began when I began rebuilding after traditional home cooking collapsed in my home.  It was spawned in October with a pseudo-cioppino hurriedly made with salmon...the pleasures aroused by the soup stirred my family such that I began my quest to properly nourish them while stimulating their palates. 

There was a time that I relied heavily on the crock pot when I knew I would have a hectic day and would be hungry upon my return...I am well aware that poor (and expensive) food choices usually result from unanticipated hunger. Yesterday I didn't have sense enough to plan for dinner, therefore, after a long day of Girl Scouts (someone please intervene and stop me for booking my weekends solid) I realized I had nothing on the menu. Trader Joes to the rescue. 

I couldn't believe the crowd when I walked in - there were no shopping carts, no baskets, and the lines were down the aisles...there was so much stuff out of stock that I thought I had missed the announcement of a major storm system approaching.  I had no plan, but I wanted to be in and out...particularly since I was traveling with two children who like to binge on samples.  I grabbed bread, apples, eggs, milk, then headed down the frozen aisle.  Eureka - chicken salad for the kid's lunch and salmon stew for dinner...I decided to get fancy so I grabbed a bag of haricots verts and dashed to the line.

At home I started with my standard - onions, garlic, tomatoes, plus peppers and celery; added the salmon, then simmered.  I added the green beans and then decided to drop in a half-cup of steel-cut oats to balance out the one-pot meal.  The soup was hearty and delicious, I doubt the results would've been the same with the farm-raised junk. 

Shorba

I had to make two omelets this morning...for some reason the size that I usually make was bit insufficient (or is it that we're just greedy?).  I think Thursdays and Fridays have become omelet days largely because Wednesday and Thursday night dinners are generally smorgasbords. 

I haven't cooked since Tuesday and that was quite a task.  I was busy all day Saturday and Sunday and was functioning on just a few hours sleep...I knew a crash was coming and it happened on Tuesday.  When my Ethiopian friend called me I was barely coherent.  I mentioned that I had bought the red lentils and she said that they are great for shorba (she also makes a nice soup with oatmeal)...as she was describing the ingredients, searching for English translations I kept thinking about vocabulary similarities between Arabic and Tigrinya...it finally occurred to me that they are both Semitic languages from the Afro-Asiatic family.  Duh. 

After a nap, I went into autopilot, cutting up onions, garlic, peppers (since my last visit to the Low Country, peppers go in everything), and ginger...added tomato paste, then simmered with carrots, potatoes, and the red lentils.  I desperately wanted sambusa on the side but just couldn't muster up the energy.  It was strange because we didn't know what taste to expect but we enjoyed it with fried eggplant on the side. 

Oxtail stew

I'm loving this energy efficient method of cooking...I think this 10 quart pressure cooker might be the most useful kitchen gadget I've purchased...it beats a crock pot hands down because it doesn't degrade the food - so many of my Eastern friends own pressure cookers - perhaps this is because in their country of origin they don't have access to (or are not willing to waste) fuel for simmering. 

This has been a jam packed weekend - yesterday all day CPR/First Aid training, today a GS parent meeting then a field trip - what's for dinner - oxtails...fortunately my husband is now off on Sundays so he was able to prepare the rub/marinade while I dashed out the door this morning - he forgot a couple of things but did a great job - lime, scallions, peppers, celery (including the leaves), garlic, thyme, and green seasoning.  I came home, browned the meat, added tomatoes, lentils, and brown seasoning, then cooked under pressure - I forgot to time it, it probably was 30-45 minutes...I was a little apprehensive about pressure cooking the tails because I thought they needed time to break down the gelatinous fat that surrounds them but when I tasted the meat, the flavor was excellent and texture was good, however I added 10 minutes just for good measure.

We gobbled up those savory tails and then realized that we had no vegetable - and the only option is eggplant, so I guess we're cavemen tonight.

Stewed chicken

Yup, I'm definitely running this pressure cooker into the ground.  I woke up this morning and went to buy chicken because I felt inclined to stew it in the pressure cooker .  My big plan was to cook it before 11am , that was highly unlikely because I didn't head to the store until 9.  I was able to concoct a marinade - I was attempting a Caribbean stew but forgot the lime - onions, garlic, peppers, celery, thyme, tomatoes, soy, and seasonings.

After a day of errands I came home and started brownin then put the veggies from the marinade on top, cut up some carrots and potatoes and pressure cooked for 20 minutes - the chicken was falling off the bone.  I probably should've skinned it but it was very good; almost like a tropical barbecue stew...of course we had mixed greens on the side and we are planning old fashioned milk shakes for dessert. 

Yummy yams

Whenever I get a new gadget, I generally run it into the ground and then let it collect dust.  Apparently I'm on a roll with this pressure cooker...I used it again for a late night "dish". 

Somehow I had a stockpile of sweet potatoes and yams - although we've eaten yams quite frequently in the past week or so, this morning there were at least 8 lbs in the house so I thought I might make a pie because I couldn't imagine eating another baked sweet potato. 

As I mentioned previously, I'm not a sweet potato pie maker - my aunt usually makes 15-20 pies at Thanksgiving and she reserves 1 or 2 for me - she uses lemon extract and alot of cinnamon; my mom makes a nice balanced pie; and my aunt in Canton makes the best...I love sweet potato pie so much that I used to barter my carrot cakes for my friend's husband's pies. 

I finished teaching at 7 and went to Wegmans, I called home and asked my daughter to peel the sweet potatoes - yes 5 lbs...I came home and the pressure cooker was sitting on the counter - eureka - it was already 830 and according to the manual, they only needed to cook for 5 minutes - I was in business.  I cooked them with a cup of OJ and then added my ingredients which I subsequently recorded as a recipe!

45 minutes later I took the 4 deep-dish pies from the oven, let them stand for a bit and cut a warm piece - just the right amount of sweetness, only it didn't taste like the typical pie;  uh-oh, I was thinking that the spices need to be increased but my husband said that it didn't need to taste typical and described it as fresh and light - he said it was a refreshing surprise to actually taste the sweet potatoes. 

Under pressure

My husband arrived home at 7pm with what he thought was a solution for my what's for dinner question - oxtails and two boneless legs of lamb.  While I appreciated his effort, cooking either of those meats required far more effort than I was willing to exert at the time.  The problem was everyone was walking around saying that they were hungry and there was no TJ convenience food available. 

I had no choice but to go with the lesser of two evils - lamb. When I pulled out the pressure cooker that I bought a couple of months ago, everyone was a little nervous (my son went to bed).  Around 8pm I seasoned the lamb with bizaara, garlic, crushed red peppers, and a little lemon juice and placed it in the marinator.  At 9pm I seared the lamb, then sauteed onions, garlic, tomatoes and added potatoes and carrots (apparently these are supposed to be added after the meat has cooked a bit in order to avoid mush but I had no intention of opening and closing the pressure cooker). 

I anxiously watched steam escape as I waited for the pressure to build, twenty minutes later there was a gush of steam, I tiptoed into the kitchen and lowered the flame.  I let it cook for another twenty minutes, monitoring the pressure like a schizophrenic.  I was so excited when I released the pressure that I called everyone into the kitchen to watch.  I reviewed the instructions and gingerly unlatched and removed the top. 

At 1015pm we ate tender delicious lamb like neandathrals as we reveled about our newfound technology. 

Chicken, again

Drumsticks are always an option - they're so versatile - tonight it was tandoori.  After Girl Scouts, I marinated the chicken and then relaxed.  Around 630p it occurred to me that I needed to come up with some sides.  I have a stockpile of yams and I thought about currying them but it just seemed weird so I called my Indian friend for an idea other than plain old rice. 

She suggested pilau - I told her about the Trinidadian pelau and how the Indian cuisine in the West Indies has an interesting Caribbean flair...when you think about it, colonial exploitation resulted in wonderful cuisine among ethnic groups in the western hemisphere. 

I made the pilau - sauteed onions, ginger, garlic, an abbreviated garam masala, peas & carrots, and of course rice.  I didn't feel comfortable passing that off as a vegetable dish so I decided to make kale (as a substitute for spinach) - I Indianized it by sauteing onions, garlic, ginger, tomato paste and adding turmeric - I considered cardamon, etc but wasn't sure how that would work with the kale so I stuck to the basics. 

We thoroughly enjoyed dinner.   

Surprisingly simple

Thursday night we ate dinner before 6pm; of course we were ravenous by 8pm.  My husband requested timtimo - so I thought I might try it with the red lentils for a bit more authenticity.  The red lentil, is actually pink and turns yellow when cooked - these cooked faster than the brown lentils; they seem to be similar to a split pea thus the result was a pastier stew.  I made cabbage on the side, we loved it - onions, garlic, tomato paste, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, seasoning, and turmeric.  This was a hearty meatless meal, served with injera and repeated Friday to complete my 3-day vegetarian meal plan. 

I want to do a cleanse and I would like to incorporate some of the ancient grains - in contrast to the dominant global monocultures - maize and wheat - grains such as barley, rye, spelt, and of course quinoa are not only loaded with nutritional value, they are also chock full of flavor; as a matter of fact authentic injera is made from millet (teff).

I will certainly have to look to the East for inspiration.

Puslating peanuts

Clearly my idea about the cleanse has fallen to the wayside.  In attempt to keep hope alive, I made a peanut butter stew - to truly make it a balance meal I should've added some lentils and probably made some rice but I'm actually about to dash out to work, so peanut  butter stew it is.

I was inspired by a recipe in the Soul on Rice cookbook - when I think about it, it puts me in mind of the pepper pot.  If I wasn't going vegetarian, I would've put in a few pieces of meat or even fish. 

It's a simple dish, yet rich and very flavorful - I sauteed onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes; then added a paste made from peanut butter and water; added additional liquid, diced sweet potatoes, mixed greens, seasoned and let simmer.  I think ginger and okra would've added a nice touch but I had to work with the ingredients on hand. 

My cleanse plan seems to be unraveling; perhaps I can make a minimal effort and do vegetarian for the next two days.

Sucrose

Yesterday on my way back from Patterson, I stopped by Wegman's to show the kids my favorite supermarket. After I picked up an organic grass fed chuck roast for $5.99 per pound in addition to my typical weekly items I was delighted when I saw the Kosher for Passover display; I have been waiting for this all year, soda made with sucrose instead of HFCS - I grabbed the yellow capped Coke and white capped Pepsi like a madman and continued shopping.

I marinated the beef in garlic, mustard, and vinegar. Then got started on the sauce. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but I seriously need to consider bottling that stuff. The mixed greens were delicious, and of course baked sweet potato on the side.

After dinner I sat on the couch marveling in the freshly kilt smell that was still on my hands from handling the meat and sipping on Coke.

Marvelous mustard

5 days in the Low Country and what did I eat? Shrimp, shrump, and more shrump. And two pounds of yellow grits. 

Day one we went to Whalelys and had fried goodies from the marsh - oystas, scallops, shrump. Succulent.
Day two it was fried whiting, cabbage, grits. Day three shrimp, grits, collards. Day four whiting, grits, cabbage and the best Key Lime pie I've ever had from Kings Farm and Market - the crust was so flaky and the custard was just the right balance of sweet and tart - I have to learn how to make that. Day five we hit Fishnet Seafood just outside of Charleston for fried platters.  Breakfast each day, shrump n grits.

I don't know the last time I ate so much fried food...when in Rome...

Unfortunately we weren't able to try any BBQ on account of the pork thing but I took a stab at Low Country BBQ sauce tonight and it was a toe tapper.  In the Low Country BBQ sauce is mustard and vinegar based as opposed to tomato (or ketchup) based - this sauce is clearly a derivative of the tangy onion mustard sauce that tops the grilled lamb, fish, and chicken dishes of Mali, Senegal, and the like.

I love BBQ sauce but lately I haven't really been using it because the majority of the sauces contain HFCS.  I know quite a few people that "make" good sauce, generally by starting with a bottled base and doctoring it up with onions, peppers, sweeteners, etc and cooking it until it reduces to a thick sticky consistency.  I used that as my guideline and went to work - onions, garlic, peppers, crushed red peppers, brown sugar, molasses, honey, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and of course mustard.

My sauce ended up having a complex taste - sweet, tangy, spicy - and was thick; next time, I'll puree the veggies for a better consistency.  My husband wants to grill beef tomorrow so that we can use the rest of the sauce; tonight it was chicken thighs, collards and kale, and baked sweet potatoes. I was actually tickled with the success of the sauce, I'm just hoping that I'll be able to recreate it on demand.

Tomato pie

I enjoy the Low Country because of the slow pace and the good eatin' - I indulge daily in shrimp but the cold winter has interfered with my produce plans. Today I reflected on what Low Country really is - tidal marsh - when thinking from this perspective, this explains alot.  I've been curious about the Gullah culture but hadn't had the opportunity to do any exploration - essentially the creolization of slaves and their masters - the language, cooking style, etc have been preserved in the low country.  This is what makes southern cooking so flavorful. 

But something is not quite right - not only are there land grabs, but in some instances low country dwellers aren't even the proprietors of their own culture. 

I went to Main's Market today - it advertises Gullah cooking...I had shrimp, string beans (greens cooked with pork), mac and cheese, tomato pie, and of course sweet tea.  The tomato pie was delicious so of course I confirmed what I suspected to be the ingredients - tomatoes; seasoning; onions and green pepper; sugar; cheese and real mayonnaise; and cracker crumbs.  I can't wait to go home and make it.  I was even invited to Easter service but we're leaving on Saturday...she tried to entice me with Easter breakfast, but the service just doesn't work for my schedule. 

In addition to the pie recipe, I learned of a strange dynamic - she's an employee at the store...her family owns the store but leased it to Mr. Main who needless to say is not Gullah. BTW - I've been doing shrump n grits all wrong - not only are the grits supposed to be fried, but it's supposed to be topped with a shrimp gravy. 

After a long day in Savannah, I made it back to Edisto and made shrimp, grits, and collard greens - I decided to use green peppers because of the Gullah influence and it really enhanced the veggies (similar to the green pepper enhancement of Liberian food) - just sauteed onions, garlic, green peppers, collards and a bit of seasoning, then simmered - unbelievably delicious.  Red Diamond Sweet Tea and a pecan pie from Carolina Cherry Company.