Saturday, October 15, 2011
Hydration, hydration, hydration!
And I'm not talking about exercising! I'm talking about bread making. I attempted Peter Reinhart's Whole Wheat Bread today after putting together the poolish and soaker yesterday. I tried my darnedest to keep the dough rather wet and almost but not quite sticky. For kneading - I did some traditional kneading toward the end but mostly did French folds. Also, I cheated and used half all purpose flour in the final dough. After rising 30 minutes I did a stretch and fold with the dough, then another 30 minute rise followed by a second stretch and fold. A third 30 minutes and another stretch and fold. Then finally, I divided the dough into two equal pieces, stretched them into two rectangles and allowed them to rest for about 5 minutes before finally shaping the loaves and putting them in 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch bread pans (2). I let them rise for 60 minutes (should've been 90 but my kitchen was 80F so thought I hour should suffice. Into the over they went at 350F for 55 minutes. They rose in the oven to a nice size (about an inch over the top of the bread pans. I am quite happy with the results- nice light - good crumb, good crust. Next time I'll reduce the cheater flour by 1/2 and replace with more whole wheat flour that I will also grind as fine as I can on my Fidibus 21 flour mill. The key for me is to keep the dough just a bit wetter than I would normally do and it seems to work! Yay!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
What's in the box? 10/12/2011
So here is the list of wonderful ingredients in this week's Eatwell Farm box:
Cherry Tomatoes OR Tomatillos
Shady Lady or Roma Tomatoes
Italian Large Leaf Basil
Eggplant
Romaine Lettuce
Yellow Onions
Baby Leeks
Red Russian Kale
Parsley
French Breakfast Radishes
Arugula
Apples
I really looking forward to another arugula salad with sliced pears, toasted pine nuts and shavings of lavender ricotta salata, all tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We ate that up really quickly last week. Baby leeks - oh yeah, leek and goat cheese tart a la Alice Waters. Radishes and tomatoes with the romaine lettuce for another great salad. Russian Kale with sauteed yellow onions makes a great vegetable side dish for some grilled lamb chops. The basil again will be made into pesto - I'm loving all the great pesto pizza we've been having with fresh mozzarella and fresh slices of tomato on top. The eggplant may find it's way into a parmesan this time. Of course the parsley will probably end up in a salad and any leftover will be dried and used in the many soups to be made this winter. The apples will join some of their kin from a week or so ago to become the first apple crisp of the season. Served warm with a generous dollop of yogurt--it's a great dessert.
Cherry Tomatoes OR Tomatillos
Shady Lady or Roma Tomatoes
Italian Large Leaf Basil
Eggplant
Romaine Lettuce
Yellow Onions
Baby Leeks
Red Russian Kale
Parsley
French Breakfast Radishes
Arugula
Apples
I really looking forward to another arugula salad with sliced pears, toasted pine nuts and shavings of lavender ricotta salata, all tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We ate that up really quickly last week. Baby leeks - oh yeah, leek and goat cheese tart a la Alice Waters. Radishes and tomatoes with the romaine lettuce for another great salad. Russian Kale with sauteed yellow onions makes a great vegetable side dish for some grilled lamb chops. The basil again will be made into pesto - I'm loving all the great pesto pizza we've been having with fresh mozzarella and fresh slices of tomato on top. The eggplant may find it's way into a parmesan this time. Of course the parsley will probably end up in a salad and any leftover will be dried and used in the many soups to be made this winter. The apples will join some of their kin from a week or so ago to become the first apple crisp of the season. Served warm with a generous dollop of yogurt--it's a great dessert.
Monday, October 10, 2011
PAIN de Campagne
Well, I tried to hydrate the bread dough for this bread as much as I dared. The loaves rose beautifully and I was very optimistic about the crumb (the inside of the bread) having lots of good big holes. No such luck. It is a very tasty bread, but not what I exactly had in mind. I'm not sure what's the problem. Could be I needed to let it rise some more? I was unsure about that because the bread, when poked, left a dent. That usually means it's totally proofed. Do I overproof it? If so, how do I keep it from deflating when scored for baking? I'll be trying a different recipe next time, no whole wheat flour either, just Bob's Red Mill unbleached white flour. Got a great baguette recipe on http://www.thefreshloaf.com to try.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Pain de Campagne and Homemade Soup
A few days ago we made up the menus for the week and they included an all time favorite of ours, once the winter greens start showing up at the farmer's market - Grammie Soup! It is actually a type of minestrone that my Grandma Rose would make with escarole, but we like it with a combination of 'sweet' and bitter greens. Today's soup has mustard greens, dandelion greens and kale. The soup lends itself to endless variations with the addition of rice, pasta, beans or small meatballs cooked right in the broth.
Grammie Soup(makes about 2 gallons of soup!)
3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 large bunches of greens, washed and chopped coarsely
3 leeks, rinsed well, cut into rounds about 1/8 inch thick
3 carrots, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced with green fronds chopped fine
3 ribs celery, diced
2 tsp salt
1 TBSP Fennel seeds
3 bay leaves
1 TBSP Dried Parsley or 3 TBSP fresh parsley finely chopped
2 tsp Dried Basil or 2 TBSP fresh basil finely chopped
2 tsp Dried Oregano or 2 TBSP fresh oregano finely chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
4 cups cooked beans (garbanzos, baby limas, navy beans, cannelini beans)
or
4 cups cooked small soup pasta like ditalini
or
2 cups cooked rice
or
1 lb. ground beef seasoned with oregano, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and bread crumbs bound together with 1 egg - make small meatballs (about 3/4 inch to 1 inch wide) and drop into the soup as it simmers
1/2 gallon chicken broth
In a large heavy bottomed 2 1/2 gallon soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks, fennel seeds, a generous sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper and salt and saute for 4-5 minutes until the leeks are a softened. Add the carrots, fennel, bay leaves, and celery along with the remaining herbs. Cover the pot and 'sweat' the veggies on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring once about half way thru the 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil, add the greens. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the beans, pasta, rice or small meatballs to the soup. Simmer for 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked thru. Taste the soup and correct the seasonings to your liking. Serve with a crusty bread topped with melty cheese or add some grated parmesan to the top of your soup in the bowl. Enjoy!
To go with our soup we are going to have some fresh baked pain de campagne thanks to Peter Reinhart's recipe in the Bread Bakers Apprentice. Bon appetit!
Grammie Soup(makes about 2 gallons of soup!)
3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 large bunches of greens, washed and chopped coarsely
3 leeks, rinsed well, cut into rounds about 1/8 inch thick
3 carrots, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced with green fronds chopped fine
3 ribs celery, diced
2 tsp salt
1 TBSP Fennel seeds
3 bay leaves
1 TBSP Dried Parsley or 3 TBSP fresh parsley finely chopped
2 tsp Dried Basil or 2 TBSP fresh basil finely chopped
2 tsp Dried Oregano or 2 TBSP fresh oregano finely chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
4 cups cooked beans (garbanzos, baby limas, navy beans, cannelini beans)
or
4 cups cooked small soup pasta like ditalini
or
2 cups cooked rice
or
1 lb. ground beef seasoned with oregano, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and bread crumbs bound together with 1 egg - make small meatballs (about 3/4 inch to 1 inch wide) and drop into the soup as it simmers
1/2 gallon chicken broth
In a large heavy bottomed 2 1/2 gallon soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks, fennel seeds, a generous sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper and salt and saute for 4-5 minutes until the leeks are a softened. Add the carrots, fennel, bay leaves, and celery along with the remaining herbs. Cover the pot and 'sweat' the veggies on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring once about half way thru the 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil, add the greens. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the beans, pasta, rice or small meatballs to the soup. Simmer for 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked thru. Taste the soup and correct the seasonings to your liking. Serve with a crusty bread topped with melty cheese or add some grated parmesan to the top of your soup in the bowl. Enjoy!
To go with our soup we are going to have some fresh baked pain de campagne thanks to Peter Reinhart's recipe in the Bread Bakers Apprentice. Bon appetit!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
What's in the box - 10/5/2011
Good things coming our way this week from Eatwell Farm:
Cherry Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Shady Lady or Roma Tomatoes
Italian Large Leaf Basil
Summer Squash
Eggplant
Romaine Lettuce
Fennel
Arugula
Sweet Banana Peppers or Bell Peppers
Watermelon or Melon
One thing we won't have to worry about is contaminated melon! Thank you. Eatwell Farm. The tomatoes and eggplant will become eggplant parmesan - we ate thru all the eggplant parm I previously made. There will be arugula salad with pears, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinegar and oil topped with a generous shaving of lavender ricotta salata cheese. The melon will make tasty snacks, but if it is a cantaloupe melon, I will be very tempted to treat us to some prosciutto to wrap slices. Romaine will make a great ceasar salad with Eatwell's great pastured chicken eggs. If the summer squashes are large, I'll stuff them. If not, some koftas might be made up and frozen for future dinners. The peppers will be roasted if they are bells, if not, the banana peppers make wonderful sandwiches or burittos with scrambled eggs. The fennel is great eaten just as is, or sliced thin with oranges and onions in a fresh salad. There are so many things to make with all this great stuff!
Cherry Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Shady Lady or Roma Tomatoes
Italian Large Leaf Basil
Summer Squash
Eggplant
Romaine Lettuce
Fennel
Arugula
Sweet Banana Peppers or Bell Peppers
Watermelon or Melon
One thing we won't have to worry about is contaminated melon! Thank you. Eatwell Farm. The tomatoes and eggplant will become eggplant parmesan - we ate thru all the eggplant parm I previously made. There will be arugula salad with pears, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinegar and oil topped with a generous shaving of lavender ricotta salata cheese. The melon will make tasty snacks, but if it is a cantaloupe melon, I will be very tempted to treat us to some prosciutto to wrap slices. Romaine will make a great ceasar salad with Eatwell's great pastured chicken eggs. If the summer squashes are large, I'll stuff them. If not, some koftas might be made up and frozen for future dinners. The peppers will be roasted if they are bells, if not, the banana peppers make wonderful sandwiches or burittos with scrambled eggs. The fennel is great eaten just as is, or sliced thin with oranges and onions in a fresh salad. There are so many things to make with all this great stuff!
More Soup!
We liked the tomato soup so much last night, I decided to make some soup for the week's lunches. I had some colorful rainbow chard on hand from Eatwell Farm along with some canned chickpeas. Here's what I did:
Chard and Chickpea Soup
1 Medium Onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 cups chicken broth
1 large bunch of chard
2 14 oz. cans of chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups dry chickpeas, cooked and drained
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper, or 1/8 tsp. cayenne
2-3 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried parsley
Wash the chard well. Remove leaves from the stalks and set aside. Dice the stalks into a fine dice. This takes some time, but adds to the flavor of the soup. Cut the chard leaves into 1-2 inch squares.
In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and 1 tsp. salt. Cook and stir occasionally until the onion is softened. Add the celery, carrots and chopped chard stalks. Add the dried herbs, pepper and stir. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the mixture to 'sweat' in the pan for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, chard leaves and chickpeas along with 2-4 cups of water so the soup is a consistency you like (some folks like a stew more than a soup). Heat the soup thru until chard is cooked, adjust seasoning. Serve in bowls, sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top and enjoy with some crusty bread on the side.
Chard and Chickpea Soup
1 Medium Onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 cups chicken broth
1 large bunch of chard
2 14 oz. cans of chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups dry chickpeas, cooked and drained
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper, or 1/8 tsp. cayenne
2-3 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried parsley
Wash the chard well. Remove leaves from the stalks and set aside. Dice the stalks into a fine dice. This takes some time, but adds to the flavor of the soup. Cut the chard leaves into 1-2 inch squares.
In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and 1 tsp. salt. Cook and stir occasionally until the onion is softened. Add the celery, carrots and chopped chard stalks. Add the dried herbs, pepper and stir. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the mixture to 'sweat' in the pan for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, chard leaves and chickpeas along with 2-4 cups of water so the soup is a consistency you like (some folks like a stew more than a soup). Heat the soup thru until chard is cooked, adjust seasoning. Serve in bowls, sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top and enjoy with some crusty bread on the side.
Soup Weather Coming Up!
There is an ever so slight coolness to the air, meaning autumn and winter are on the way. One of my favorite meals as the weather cools is soup. Last night we had a light dinner of fresh tomato soup, grilled gouda cheese sandwiches and a green salad. Here's my recipe for tomato soup:
Fresh tomato soup
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes, chopped into 1 1/2 inch dice
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small/medium onion, diced
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
2-3 TBSP Olive oil
2-3 cups chicken or veggie broth
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
In a heavy bottom soup pot over medium, heat the olive oil then add the garlic and onion along with 1 tsp salt. Stir until the onion is somewhat soft, but do not brown- be sure the garlic doesn't brown either. Add the turmeric and cumin and stir for a couple of minutes to cook the spices (do not burn). Add tomatoes and stir. Cook the tomatoes for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and let simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, puree the soup either with an immersion stick blender or regular blender (if using regular blender, blend in batches, filling the blender no more than half way before blending, use a tea towel to hold the top of the blender on, beware of steam coming from the top of the blender as it works). Place the soup back on the stove and heat thru. Serve in soup bowls with a generous dollop of yogurt. Enjoy!
Fresh tomato soup
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes, chopped into 1 1/2 inch dice
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small/medium onion, diced
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
2-3 TBSP Olive oil
2-3 cups chicken or veggie broth
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
In a heavy bottom soup pot over medium, heat the olive oil then add the garlic and onion along with 1 tsp salt. Stir until the onion is somewhat soft, but do not brown- be sure the garlic doesn't brown either. Add the turmeric and cumin and stir for a couple of minutes to cook the spices (do not burn). Add tomatoes and stir. Cook the tomatoes for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and let simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, puree the soup either with an immersion stick blender or regular blender (if using regular blender, blend in batches, filling the blender no more than half way before blending, use a tea towel to hold the top of the blender on, beware of steam coming from the top of the blender as it works). Place the soup back on the stove and heat thru. Serve in soup bowls with a generous dollop of yogurt. Enjoy!
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