From Rambutans to Risotto for Bite by Bite

 

Well, I haven't posted for a bit, lots going on here, between cleaning off the fine dusting of volcanic glass, called locally Pele's hair and trying to keep up with my gardening, singlehanded almost.  The first time I remember Volcanic ash coming all this far down the mountain.  Also, hosted a a lovely gathering of ladies today demonstrating how to make wine with local fruits.

Anyway, our current book selection for Cook the Books Club has been, Bite By Bite, Nourishments & Jamborees by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and hosted this round by Simona of Briciole.  The Anthology is a delightful, poetic compilation of short essays about food and the author's memories associated with various fruits and meals she has enjoyed over the years.  Everything from Rambutans to Risotto!

From The Booklist Review: Nezhukumatathil's prowess as a poet infuses this unique memoir-meditation on the foods that mean the most to her. In addition to familiar U.S. fare, she walks readers through fruits exotic to North America, like mangosteen and rambutan, and foods like bangus (fish) and lumpia, common in the Philippines, where her mother hails from. Each chapter weaves facts, trivia, mythology, and personal stories together, linking Nezhukumatathil's food subjects through space and time in a meandering fashion. Her meditation on strawberries, for instance, mixes personal anecdotes about the fruit--reminding readers of the artificial strawberry scent applied to Strawberry Shortcake dolls in the 1980s--with trivia about historical uses and lore (the ancient Romans used strawberries as a cure for depression). She ties it all up with vivid prose that recalls the excitement of a mother anticipating her child eating their first handpicked berry. This whimsical and soothing work will appeal to fans of food writing, memoirs, intercultural stories, and poetry.    

For cooking inspiration, I was especially taken with her tantalizing description of a Mushroom Risotto she and her husband enjoyed in the Swiss Alps.  And, of course I had to make it!  Hard to say if it was as good as the one in Aimee's memory, but damn good all the same! A fresh salad of slivered kale and cherry tomatoes was a perfect contrast.  The recipe from Ina Garten on Food.com is the one I used.  Adding all the various mushrooms I could lay my hands on.

I just posted this in the very nick of time, as today is the deadline!  Be sure to check in for Simona's Roundup of everyone's posts and cooking inspirations, which should be online at Cook The Books a few days from now.  As well as a preview of our upcoming new book selection.

Erupting Volcano and Salon Update

Happy Holiday Blessings to all you Sunday Salon people and other Readers.  It's been awhile, but sometimes life interrupts  the important things :) The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz, to whom we commit our recent reading and happenings.  Our family Thanksgiving was wonderful, though unfortunately no one took any pictures.  Too busy eating and talking!

A friend and I had an altogether fabulous time yesterday, first visiting a local Christmas Fair near Volcano Village, then on to the Volcano House, and watching the current eruption, whilst having a delicious lunch of the best edamame ever, and splitting mushroom pizza! Oh Yea!

The eruption really is fantastic, what amazing wonders of God's creation in action. The line into the National Park wasn't too bad, and we were able to get a good parking place, just outside the hotel.

The Holiday Fair had a beautiful array of art and crafts, even some cute puppies looking for a home!                                

From the Arts Fair, lovely earrings and a porcelain bowl, perfect for my cereal in the morning!  

                                                                    

Waving Happy Holidays to you all, a little Gingerbread man cookie from that Christmas Fair.  Thanks to Naomi, the sweet young lady who made them.

 Books read:

Books read, and as usual, some were better than others!  Maame, my review here.  And our latest Cook the Books Round-Up with the new Book Club selection here.

Who Lies Here? and Mourning Raga, both by Ellis Peters.  Sometimes, maybe a sign of my age?  The older classic authors are just better.  Both excellent mysteries featuring Inspector George Felse.

And in that vein, of oldies  The Crime at Black Dudley and The White Cottage Mystery, from Margery Allingham.   They've gone beyond the availability of book cover pictures!

Another, more recent, and  in the spirit of Margery Allingham from Mike Ripley, Mr. Campion's Abdication.  Great reading all!

Five Golden Wings, by Donna Andrews was pretty good.  Not her absolute best, but the humor is there, and some Christmas spirit too.

To Fetch a Thief, from Spencer Quinn, one of his books by the dog, which I usually really enjoy, with his dog's frequently hilarious perspective on life and humans!  But this one was a bit too hard on the heroes before they win in the end.  Nasty scrapes I could do without.

Currently reading:  

 I seem to be on a roll here!  

Fallen Into the Pit, by Ellis Peters again, the first of her Inspector Felse mysteries.

Secrets of the Packing Queen, by Jeri Lynch.  I want to follow her example for the upcoming journey, and restrict myself to carry-ons only!

Then we have food:

Only Memorable Meals posted here!

A Barley Risotto with marinated feta, from Yotam Ottolenghi's Cookbook, Jerusalem.  I pretty much stuck to the recipe, though subbing in preserved lemon for the strips of lemon peel.  Scrumptious Comfort food.

                                            

A fun Fall dish, Roast Pumpkin with Cheese "Fondue" from the Gourmet Today cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl.  I used a very small pumpkin, but still had delicious leftovers for several days.  I do love good leftovers when it's usually just me.

                                                    

And last, another Yotam inspiration!  From his Flavor cookbook, Fusion Caponata with Silken Tofu.  I realized in the middle of getting it all together that the caponata was supposed to be marinated for at least 2 hours or overnight, so I had yes, leftovers, and that was okay.  Put this dish off till last night.  One of his more yummy concoctions.                                   

And Wine

                                                               

The latest batch bottled, was made from Mountain Apples, brought over by a neighbor, Grapes from an old Hilo varietal contributed by my nephew, and jaboticabas, (the fruit I call grapes on steroids) from the freezer.

That's it for now, Christmas best wishes, and don't get stressed out by the festivities!  It's supposed to be a time of giving and friendship!  Aloha

Maame - It 'Ain't Over Yet

Well, it's the end of the line, and I'm just getting my post out for our latest Cook the Books Club selection. We've been reading Maame, by Jessica George, these past two months; hosted by Debra of (Eliot's Eats).

 Truthfully, I was getting so depressed by and outraged at the central character, Maddie, for her attitude of victimization and not standing up for herself, that I just put the book aside and went on to life and other reads.  Then, when time was growing short for some sort of review, decided to do one of those sneak peeks to the ending.  Okay, looking much better, and worked my way backwards.  Things do improve, in life and sometimes even in books.  She does eventually take control of herself and her life, basically after her dad dies and frees her up in a sense to move on; after being his care giver, and mainstay of the whole family for so many years.  I won't give the ending totally away for those who haven't yet read the book, but if you can press on, it's a good lesson in giving people a chance and understanding what may have caused their dysfunctions.

From the Publishers:

"Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.

It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

So when her mum returns from her latest trip, Maddie seizes the chance to move out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But when tragedy strikes, Maddie is forced to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils―and rewards―of putting her heart on the line."

Just to explain, what we do at Cook the Books is to prepare something inspired by our reading of the current selection.  For inspiration, I chose to find a dish from Maddie's home country of Ghana.  In Marcus Samuelsson's cookbook on Africa, The Soul of a New Cuisine, he says "Cooking food in banana leaves is a tradition in West Africa."  He includes a recipe for Snapper wrapped in Banana Leaves, which I used, with some adaptations, based on my location in Hawaii.  The fish became Ahi Poke, which is chunks of ahi tuna in some seasonings, to which I included some salted, preserved lemon; which all went into the banana leaf parcels.  Here is Marcus' recipe:

As you will notice, the mainstay of this dish is a rich risotto type preparation, made with rice, coconut milk, stock and various vegetables.  This is all served along with the fish wraps.  The recipe also calls for morning glory or spinach, however I used sweet potato greens from our garden, another popular African  green.

An absolutely delicious concoction altogether!  And certainly a taste of another cuisine.  This will be posted with Cook the Books and linked also to Foodies Read, hosted by Heather and Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marge, the Intrepid Reader and Baker, also sharing this post at Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz.   Stay tuned for the coming soon Round-Up of everyone's posts, which should be enticing and interesting!  

Back to Salon Life and Happenings

Here's my report for Sunday Salon, put together by Deb Nance of Reader Buzz.  after a very stressful few weeks, which I won't go into at this time, not letting it rent more space in my brain.  I'll get on to better things.  Praise God, there's always books, and His presence in my life!

First is my quick review of a new book, The Hidden Vegetables Cookbook by Heidi Herman.  I received an advance copy, for my honest take on it.  She presents some excellent methods of sneaking those veggies into foods for the vegetable averse crowd.  However, the recipes, though indeed good, aren't exactly easy.  

I made the Chicken Enchiladas, which were quite delicious, although very time consuming.  Looking through other of Herman's recipes, not all of them are, but to get numerous veggies in place, a lot of chopping, dicing, and pureeing needs to happen.  I'll be trying more of her creations when time permits.  For me, cooking is often a way of zoning out, so this will be good in that sense, though not for anyone in a hurry.

At Cook the Books Club, we had our Round-Up of posts contributed for the last pick, which was Alice Waters' Memoir, Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook.  What a divergence of opinions there!  

Also you will see in the Cook the Books sidebar, our latest selection,  Maame, by Jessica George, if you would like to read and join in.  It sounds like a fascinating book from the reviews.  And I'm looking forward to reading it.

Just read:

The Invitation, by Lucy Foley, which I thought was a great read, entertaining, romantic and atmospheric, set along the Italian Riviera.  

And, Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue, by Spencer Quinn.  I love books about Seniors :) tracking down the bad guys!

I've also been enjoying Mike Ripley's further adventures of Mr. Campion, this latest, Mr. Campion's Fault.  Which goes to show he's the perfect choice to continue Margery Allingham's well loved mystery series featuring gentleman sleuth Albert Campion.

Now Reading: 

Another book by Lucy Foley, The Book of Lost and Found, excellent so far with all the stray people finding each other.

All the news that's fit to print.  I hope you all have a wonderful week-end!

What We're up to!

This is for Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz, wherein we share books we're reading, and what all else is going on in our lives!  And this was my last weekend!  A fun getaway to the big city.  When you live a Big Island, countryside life, the big city would be on Oahu, in Honolulu!  So I got to try some new restaurants and make use of the Spa at the Ala Moana Hotel.  Highly recommended restaurants: MW and Sera. Only a wee bit of shopping.

Books I'm currently reading: 

And here's one I got a little way into, but it kept getting more depressing and dreary.  The premise was intriguing... but, oh well.  Some go back for return to the library earlier than others.

The travel book has some good tips, but overall too much for my weary brain.  Points, points, points, yada yada yada.  I'm going to be traveling in a different easier way, at my age anyway!  A cruise.  And not to a wild or dark shore.  That's for sure.  Here One Moment, great so far, just started.  And Bite by Bite, lovely reflections on life and the bounty of food on this earth. One of our upcoming Book Club selections.

Garden happenings:  I've mentioned about the Sacha Inchi plant before. It's now being processed and used in my cooking:

This Bulgur Quinoa Pilaf with various veggies and some Sacha Inchi nuts providing the complete protein, was inspired by a meal I had at MW in Honolulu.  Trying to get it as good as theirs.  I used a homemade broth and asparagus for one of the vegetables. I thought it came out well.

An ongoing conception or project is making Cheong. A Korean fruit syrup, using mostly just fruit and sugar, 1 lb. fruit with 1 lb. sugar, but you can add herbs or spices.  If I have excess fruit many times I make wine.  However, if there is not that much involved, a fruit and sugar fermentation is a good use of what you have.  I first did it with Brazilian Cherries.  My tree was prolific and the fruit so delicious.  When it was fruiting around the 4th of July, I had friends over, so everyone got to pick fruit.  I gave out baggies.  But, then I wanted to try this Korean technique.

   

As a result I have lovely jam and a jar of the syrup for flavoring soda water type drinks. Think San Pelligrino, ice and a bit of the syrup.  It's awesome!  After draining off the syrup, you are left with the pulp, which may be blended into a fantastic jam. 

Right now there is a pineapple with li hing mui spice and a guava cheong with galangal and ginger going on the counter.

Well, that's it for the update.  Have a wonderful weekend you all!

Coming to My Senses

Our latest Cook the Books Club selection is Coming to My Senses, by Alice Waters, which I am hosting this round.

And, I kept hoping that she would!  In the end.  As far as her personal life went at least. Rather radical politics and morals, (what she termed "serial monogamy") though an accurate glimpse into that particular time and place.

 For the restaurant concept, as Alice remarks in her Afterword, "I knew very well that I was running a counterculture restaurant, and that Chez Panisse would never have happened without that movement.  I couldn't have done it in the real world; the idea of having only one menu was preposterous by mainstream standards, and I never could have borrowed money from the banks.  But everybody in the counterculture felt that if you did something really well, however unorthodox, if you stayed true to human principles, you could succeed.... Our place didn't look like other places.  We bought used furniture and put mismatched vintage glassware on the table.  We hired women as cooks and waitstaff in a fine-dining establishment, which was practically unheard of at the time.  The women and men we hired didn't have long cooking resumes but were smart and talented and believed in the vision."

From the Publishers: 

"The long-awaited memoir from cultural icon and culinary standard bearer Alice Waters recalls the circuitous road and tumultuous times leading to the opening of what is arguably America's most influential restaurant.

When Alice Waters opened the doors of her "little French restaurant" in Berkeley, California, in 1971 at the age of 27, no one ever anticipated the indelible mark it would leave on the culinary landscape - Alice least of all. Fueled in equal parts by naiveté and a relentless pursuit of beauty and pure flavor, she turned her passion project into an iconic institution that redefined American cuisine for generations of chefs and food lovers."

I had a few laugh out loud moments, for instance when, a decade after the restaurant had been opened she "filmed an episode with Julia Child for one of her shows ... I was pitting olives with my fingers, and she said in that fluting voice of hers, "Oh! Is that how you pit an olive, Alice?  How fascinating"  And the recollections of how she picked her staff and collaborators, "I looked for another person who could cook - I was way too afraid to shoulder all of the cooking myself.... and Tom, ever the great connector, said "Oh I'll find somebody for you ... and he found Paul Aratow, an aspiring filmmaker who was the cameraman for Agnes Varda's documentary on the Black Panthers.  Paul was a really good Italian cook, and he did help me.  I believed in his instincts."

There was just so much food inspiration, but I was especially taken with her love of salads, Alice even went so far as bringing one as her special dish to New York for a big fete featuring the "twenty-five best restaurants in the country.  (We were number seven!)." P.103.  She brought a composed salad, on a special plate donated by James Beard.

As I do love salads,  that was my inspiration and featured dish for this post!  Some of its story involves a long diatribe on the subject of Sacha Inchi, a plant I'm growing, also known as the Peruvian Peanut, just check out the above link. However, I just can't resist -  this nut is actually a complete protein!  You notice the small brown object on my fork in the picture?  That's one, and I did post about it earlier, but by now I have processed it and actually use the nuts in meals.  As it's one of those tropical plants and probably not of general interest, still I find it fascinating!  Just look at the shape of it!

You harvest them when they turn brown, then dry, roast and crack them open, a whole process to get at the nut inside.  Similar in some ways to the process of chocolate or coffee. But worth it in the end.  They are good, and a nice replacement for where you might use peanuts.

Anyway, back to the salad.  Not a totally "composed" recipe, but more as I tend to do, throw things together!  With an oil and vinegar dressing, also thrown together, I usually add some shoyu, sesame oil and a bit of Balsamic vinegar.  Hoping it all works out well.  This one did!

As far as I recall, it had shredded cabbage, slices of small sweet pepper, cherry tomatoes, ramen noodles, shredded carrot, some fresh greens, basil and of course, the toasted Sacha Inchi nuts.  

The deadline for posting your contributions is September 30th.  Be sure to add your link in the comments at Cook the Books Club.  I'll be including this post at Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marge, the Intrepid Reader and Baker. and the Sept. Foodies Read, hosted by Heather.

Naan for A Bakery in Paris

 

Well, I'm a bit under the wire on this one.  I could blame it on my stressful life at the moment.  Anyway, our latest (deadline today!!) pick for Cook the Books Club has been this very well written and inspirational novel, A Bakery in Paris, by Aimee K. Runyan, which juxtaposes the lives of two women of the same family, from different generations, both set around, yes, a bakery in Paris.

From the Publishers:

This captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post-World War II Paris follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find that their futures lie within the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre. 1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into submission. Lisette Vigneau--headstrong, willful, and often ignored by her wealthy parents--awaits the outcome of the war from her parents' grand home in the Place Royale in the very heart of the city. When an excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National Guardsman, Théodore Fournier, her destiny is forever changed. She gives up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People. She opens a small bakery with the hopes of being a vital boon to the impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into famine, and then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her past life is sorely tested. 

1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of her father and the disappearance of her mother during the war. In their absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters. At the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in a prestigious baking academy with her entire life mapped out for her. Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young girls, she becomes obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself. Both women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face impossible choices armed with little more than their courage and a belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a revolution of their own.

I was inspired by all the bread, how necessary, how central It became, especially for those people in line to get a loaf in difficult times, and often unable to get any.  Since I usually have sourdough on hand I made a very easy flatbread, called naan.  What was especially nice is that the little balls of dough can be kept in the fridge for a few days, and then rolled out and cooked on the skillet when needed.  Several were used for a side with various meals.  I stuffed one with chicken salad, and made one into a small pizza for one.

Servings: 8

Ingredients: 

               ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard (unfed)

               2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour

               ½ cup (120 g) milk (dairy or plant based)

               ¼ cup (60 g) plain yogurt (dairy or plant based) I used kefir)

               1 tablespoon (15 g) olive oil 

               1 ½ teaspoons (7 g) sea salt

               

INSTRUCTIONS

• • Mix the dough: Mix the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Use your hands to incorporate the ingredients until they are well combined and there are no dry bits left in the bowl. The dough will be stiff. Cover the bowl with plastic and let rest at room temperature until doubled in size. In my 68°F ( 20°C) kitchen, it takes roughly 8 hours. Warmer kitchens will take less time, colder kitchens will take more time.
    Divide and shape: Turn the dough out onto your work surface and use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 78g each. Shape each piece into a ball and cover them with a kitchen towel. (At this stage the dough balls can be stored in a covered container, in the fridge for up to 3 days before cooking.)
    Preheat skillet: While the dough is resting, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. If you are worried about sticking, feel free to oil the skillet, but I find it's not necessary.
    Roll dough: Working with one ball of dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a round shape with a ⅛" thickness. Use a little flour if necessary to prevent sticking. The dough rounds should be about 6" in diameter.
    Cook naan: Place the rolled dough into the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Flip the naan over and cook on the second side for 1-2 minutes. Flip the naan one more time and watch for the dough to puff up with air. Once it is full, remove it from the skillet and repeat with the remaining dough. Serve hot or at room temperature.
    NOTES
    Store the cooked naan at room temperature in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
    If you store the dough in the fridge to cook later, allow the dough to come to room temperature before cooking for best results.
    Freeze the naan in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Naan, it turns out is something I'll be making a lot more of.  If you're interested, but don't keep a sourdough starter, there are other naan recipes out there that just use regular yeast, and which would make for a faster result as well.

Be sure to check out all the various, and I'm sure delicious contributions when our Round-Up is posted in a day or so at Cook the Books.  I'll also link this up with Heather's Foodies Read for August, and at Weekend Cooking, hosted by the Intrepid Baker and Reader, Marg.