Food for the Land of Milk and Honey

We participants at Cook the Books Club have been reading Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang.  The novel centers on an unnamed chef, 29, who is trying to survive in the wake of an environmental catastrophe which has wreaked havoc on the earth's biodiversity.  According to Publisher's Weekly...

She had "chased complex flavors and busy kitchens since she was 19. But when the disaster decimated kitchen ingredients and shuttered borders, she was left cooking with years-old fish and bioengineered flour: "Chef had lost its meaning... like fresh." In a desperate attempt to change her surroundings, she takes a head chef position at a secretive food research community on the mountainous Italian-French border, which holds a surprising storeroom with the world's last strawberries, Parmigiano, and boar meat. Her transition to cooking for investors she cannot meet is difficult--she has no access to the outside world and she can't stomach the rich food. But she becomes preoccupied with Aida, the boss's mischievous 20-year-old daughter, who shows up to test her cooking. Aida and her father see their facility as the planet's last hope, and the chef soon learns that her role extends beyond food to enabling a world that caters to their ambition. Wrestling with her desire for both excitement and stability, the chef must squash the inner voice that asks, "Hadn't I meant to feed anyone else?"

Personally, I had a hard time identifying with this nameless chef who seemed, to me anyway, a very unsympathetic character. Her namelessness is symbolic.  Zhang attempts to tie everything up at the end.  Chef survives and, in the after years, has a daughter by some man, also nameless.  A theme of difficulty with men ran throughout the story.  Though the dystopian setup was interesting it really didn't get satisfactorily resolved. 

I went with "the years-old fish and bioengineered flour" or as the book says,"mung-protein-soy-algal flour distributed by the government", for my cooking inspiration from this book - a jar of Tuna Ventresca, which I keep on hand, in a Bechamel sauce, served over some rolls made with my stored breadfruit and tapioca flours - the bioengineered bread.

P. 98 “It wasn't tuna ventresca that drew diners to this community over others, nor was it heritage beef. It was the final bottle of a 1985 Cannonau, salt-crusted from its time on the Sardinian coast. Each diner had barely a swallow. My employer bid us not to swallow, not yet, but hold the wine at the back of the throat till it stung and warmed to the temperature of blood and spit, till we wrung from it the terroir of fields cracked by quake and shadowed by smog; only then, swallowing, choking, grateful, did we appreciate the fullness of its flavor.” Oh well....

                   Brazilian Cheese  Bread

Servings

12 to 16 pao de queijo

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Tapioca Flour

• 1 cup Ulu (breadfruit) flour

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 cup Whole Milk

• 1 ½ teaspoon Salt

• 1 Egg

• 1 cup Grated Parmesan

• ½ cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar

• Butter to grease pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F oil baking sheet or muffin pans with butter.

2. Add tapioca flour, ‘ulu flour and salt to bowl and mix well.

3. Warm liquids (milk & olive oil) over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add hot liquids over flour & salt mixture and mix well. The texture should seem like glue. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes so you do not cook egg and cheese when you add them in.

4. Beat 1 egg and combine. Mix for about 2 minutes or until it is well incorporated and has a sticky texture. Slowly add cheese until the mixture forms into a dough. You can leave a little cheese to add on top later on.

5. Add a few drops of oil into your hands and rub evenly. Scoop a spoonful of dough, make small balls and roll in your hands. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on your sheet or add to your muffin pan.

6. Bake for 10 minutes. Then turn the sheet 180 degrees and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the balls for additional cheesy appearance & texture. Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until slightly golden. Be careful not to over cook, as the bottom of pao de queijo can easily burn.  

The rolls were a bit on the dense side, which is what you can get without gluten flour. This is a simple dish I usually have over toast.  The Tuna Ventresca in white sauce was very good.  It's a high end tuna, worth every bit of the extra.

Linking up with Cook the Books Club for this December/January book selection.  And with the February Foodies Read, hosted by Heather at Based on a True Story.  Our next Cook the Books Selection February/March, is Be Ready When the Luck Happens, by Ina Garden, and hosted by Debra of (Eliot's Eats).

An Old Style Recipe for A Perfect Wife

This was our August/September Cook the Books Club selection, hosted by Debra of Eliot's Eats.  And, yes you read that right. Recipe for A Perfect Wife by Karma Brown.  When I first heard the title I was dumbfounded.  What??  But, after all this is the year of strange happenings, 2020, and we are not in a time machine.  Well, Karma Brown does take us on a little time switch, moving back and forth from the 50's to present with her main characters and their lives. She takes a look at the parallels between life as a wife in both eras. I especially loved her exhumation of some old recipes, harking back to my own childhood, and my mom's and mother-in-law's cooking.  Vintage cuisine I guess you could call it. And, an enjoyable, very worthwhile read.  In spite of which, truthfully, I didn't care all that much for the modern character, Alice.  A bit on the discontented whiney side. And she lies way too much for no really good reason.

From the Publishers:
"In this captivating dual narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in hidden notes left by her home’s previous owner, a quintessential 1950s housewife. As she discovers remarkable parallels between this woman’s life and her own, it causes her to question the foundation of her own relationship with her husband--and what it means to be a wife fighting for her place in a patriarchal society. 

Tuna Veggie Pancit

My current house guest and friend doesn't consider herself in any way a cook. She is single, travels a lot on missions all over the world, and has no real permanent kitchen.  I pressed her into making a traditional dish from her home - the Philippines - just because I knew she could do it and I wanted something from there.  And guess what? - It was totally excellent, so flavorful and authentic!  Here is Olga at work:

Creamy Dill Sauce with Tunaballs for Daring Cooks

The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice.

I chose to do another take on my Tunaballs, with a different sauce.  The last time I made these Magnificent Tuna meat balls it was a variation of a variation on Jamie Oliver's.  This one is a variation on an old Fish Patties recipe of mine, origin unknown, deep in the dark past.  An old recipe 3x5 card.

What I like about this version is the utter simplicity, not to mention good taste.  Also, utter simplicity, the Creamy Dill Sauce, and just what the Tunaball Dr. ordered to be lopped around and over them.  Thank you Nancy for the lovely home-grown dill.

I would say this is a mixed ethnic expression.  Like me, and probably many of us, a blend of various cultures and genetic background.  There's a bit of the Scandinavian in both the sauce and those fishy balls.  Not exactly lutefisk, thank God.  Though I'm sure there are a few Norwegians who have made left-over lutefisk into balls or patties.  A dollop of Italian in the pasta. Not sure what cuisine uses ground sunflower seeds as a binder?  So in celebration of cultural smorgasbords.

As I shared in that earlier post, it would be a culinary travesty to use fresh ahi tuna in these.  Sorry Jamie.  The whole point is to take something from your pantry, a can of tuna, and turn it into something special.  Flake and mix with the seasonings, and ground sunflower seeds. 

Tuna Balls with Creamy Dill Sauce

1 can tuna, drained
1/2 chopped onion
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
3/4 cup ground sunflower seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
seasoning/optional additions:
2 anchovies
1-2 tablespoons minced dill or sage
2 teaspoons chopped capers
salted preserved lemon, minced
3/4 oz. grated parmesan cheese

Sauté the onion in a bit of oil until translucent.  Flake fish in bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Mix well and form into balls, squeezing together  (wet your hands with a little water).  Put the tuna balls onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and let sit while you preheat your oven to 400F.

Bake for about 20 minutes or 'til lightly golden.

Sauce
1 cup cream
1/2 cup finely minced fresh dill
1/4 cup white wine
1 egg yolk
salt and pepper to taste

Begin heating 2/3 cup of the cream in a skillet.  Meanwhile, beat the egg yolk well into 1/3 cup of the cream, add the wine and whisk into the heated cream.   Continue whisking while it simmers, and until thickened.  Add the dill and Tuna Balls, then heat through.

Serve with pasta or potatoes, add a bit of salad or maybe some steamed asparagus.  I marinated cooked, cooled beets for a salad to go alongside.  We enjoyed this Challenge meal.  Both the tuna balls and sauce were delicious.  Wasn't really much of a challenge though, to tell you the truth.   Easy peasy.

Stuffed Tuna Shells in Marinara

I seem to be on some kind of tuna bender, featuring it both fresh and tinned, a lot it seems. But,  I couldn't resist this one after seeing various tempting versions of stuffed shells online.  I just had to go out and buy a box.  They are large, easy to fill and look so fabulous served sitting in a splash of marinara.  Just perfect.

If you have left-over ahi tuna or just want to open a can, this couldn't be simpler.  While your pasta water is coming to a boil, mix up the stuffing.  You can make your tomato sauce, use one you've frozen or open a jar of some good brand.  Bring it to a simmer.

Gourmet Tuna Mac 'n Cheese

No, that is not an oxymoron, another Mac 'n Cheese variation, yes.  They are never ending, but luckily always in favor.  At least in our house.  This one requires that you open a can of tuna.  Something most of us have as a pantry staple, things handy for a quick dinner.  Also some black olives, which should be another staple.

It is gourmet because of the black olives, fresh dill, the slivers of preserved salted lemon and the good cheeses in there.  Also, because it is made from scratch.  Well, except for the tuna.

I am trying hard to remember what all did go into this.  Funny how you can be cooking and just neglect to write things down.  At least some pictures got taken.  All is not lost. Tuna water was added to the Bechamel, which always makes sense to me.  That is a type of fish stock, right?

Le Migliori Polpette di Tonno or Tunaballs

Just so you know, right off the bat, these cannot be improved upon by using (murdering) a nice piece of fresh ahi tuna.  Frozen might be excusable.  They are quite excellent, in a groove of their own.  This marvelous recipe converts canned tuna, yes folks, you heard it right, to... ta da....a new dimension. Originally inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe, considerably altered here, and again by me right here.  So, you have the advantage of all the bugs being worked out.

Le Migliori Polpette di Tonno

Serves 4-6
 I did not include directions for the marinara sauce.  I think you can handle that.  If not, or even if, there are some excellent prepared versions out there. The pasta as well, just use your favorite.

And, you will get no careful photos of the preparation.  By the time we realized it was going to be post worthy, the meal was finished.  So next day, before eating those two remaining Tunaballs for lunch, I quickly whipped out my camera.