Category Archives: Food

Shepherd’s Pie without the Yang

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Stout Vegetable Pie

This would have originally been Shepherd’s Pie, but the shepherds have grown more clever and figured out the thing with the box of donuts and the net, so this is vegetarian.
It is quite cold, and this is a warm, simple recipe.
Speaking of which, Happy Chinese New Year!
Since this recipe contains neither sheep nor goats, we will avoid the whole semantic argument.
I didn’t actually measure anything, so it will be approximate.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pastry pie crust
  • some olive oil
  • 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 chopped carrots
  • chopped root vegetable: turk (neeps, turnips), beets, parsnips, what have you
  • some (to taste, maybe one small) diced potatoes
  • 3/4 cups TVP (texturized vegetable protein)
  • 1 packet Colman’s Shepherd Pie seasonings (available at Krogers, and at other fine retailers.
  • 2 bottles of Stout, red wine, water, or broth
  • 1/2 cup red lentils
  • 1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (I prefer Dubliner or Cabots, both of which are rennet free)
  • 3 cups or so of mashed potatoes

Step 1, It’s called pie for a reason: Bake a pie shell or acquire one by other means.

Step 2, frying: in a pot, heat a little oil and add the sliced mushrooms and onion. After they are browned, add the protein mixture and stir fry it a bit. Add the chopped carrots and potatoes.
In an iron pan (my iron pot is roughly the diameter of the pie tin, so I went with it), sauté sliced mushrooms until browning, then onions until browning, then add carrots, then slices of turk (turnip) and beet, then finally a little red onion.

Step 3, stewing: add a pack of Colman’s Shepherd Pie seasonings, 3/4 of a cup or so of TVP, a quarter cup or so of red lentils, and two bottles of Porter or Stout. You could use any liquid: wine, broth, whatever’s handy. If really using a Stout or Porter, make sure it isn’t too bitter. Stir and bring to a bubble, then cover and allow this to simmer for 30 minutes or so, while you prepare the mashed potatoes.

Step 4 mashing potatoes: my great, great grandmother made mashed potatoes for folks starting the Oregon Trail in Western Pennsylvania. It’s what made this country great.

Step 5,, putting it all together: fill the pie tin with the stew, sprinkle with some sharp cheddar, Top with mashed potatoes, broil the top of the potatoes a bit, and there you go.

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake for Valentine’s Day

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Dr. Bear - tinyeditor’s note: with our efforts to move the Bistro, I have gotten behind on my recipes This is a wonderful recipe from a previous Valentines Day. Trust me, the cake is better than the holiday.

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake for Valentine’s Day

IGingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake for Valentine’s Dayngredients:

 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1  tsp.  baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs ground ginger
1 tsp.  ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground pepper. cloves or red pepper (depending on how much adventure you like)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout
1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Powdered  sugar for dusting

Step 1, Prepare ye the way: Preheat the oven to 350, grease & flour the pan or pans; I think this makes one Bundt cake, two smaller cakes and two or three loaves.  Also assemble all the ingredients on the counter.

Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, dry ginger, cinnamon, and pepper or nutmeg. Set aside.

Step 3, mixing the wet ingredients: in a medium saucepan (leave room; there will be foam), heat the stout. Take it off the burner, and carefully (!) add the baking soda (this is like the elementary school volcano experiment, but also like my soft pretzel/laugen recipe), whisking it smooth. After the foaming subsides, whisk in and dissolve the brown and white sugars, then, as it cools,  the ginger, the eggs and the oil.

Step 4, combining:  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, maybe about a third at a time, mixing thoroughly. You don’t want pockets of dry, floury ingredients.

Step 5, putting it in the pan/pans: Add half the mixture to the prepared pan/pans, sprinkle this with half of the chocolate chips, then pour in the rest of the mixture and sprinkle with (you guessed this, didn’t you) the rest of the chips. They should sink into the batter.

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cakes in OvenStep 6, pop it in the oven for baby & me: bake the pans at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until you can stick a toothpick in it and pull it out without it being covered with batter. Take it out, let it sit for a minute or so, then take it from the pan onto a wire rack to cool all the way.GCC5

Step 7, decorating and serving: Once it is cooled, you can dust the whole thing with powdered sugar, or come up with some sort of delicious icing. I plan to powder it, then decorate it with little bits of chocolate.

Cheaters Chili

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Sometimes, you just need something quick to put in a pot to eat. This is a recipe that I explained to my daughter when she was leaving for college. It isn’t fancy, but it will get the job done.

Cheater's Chili (2)Step 1: bean there: Empty several large cans of beans, especially kidney–dark and light–but also chili or pinto or northern or red or black, into a pot or a slow cooker.

Step 2, done that: add one or several cans of diced tomatoes–generally the ones with peppers in them.

Step 3, improvise: I’ve asked you to do this before. Add whatever else you want–maybe some TVP? Some peppers, either sweet or hot? maybe some onions? maybe some spices–garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cumin, curry, ras el hanout? something crazy like cooked down pumpkin or sweet potato or dried apricots?

Step 4, stew: cover and cook. A while if on a stove top, longer if in a slow cooker.Cheater's Chili (3) When the beans have cooked, the juice won’t be a broth, but more of a stew.

Step 5, serve: just in a bowl or cup? in a bowl over corn chips, tortilla chips or spaghetti? topped with cheese or sour cream? with fresh avocado, green onions or cilantro? Maybe serve with corn cakes or pepper muffins?

 

Blueberry Muffins

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Alternative BakingOK, I get a few complaints: Does everything have to be crazy and have wild things like jalapenas or srirachi or beets? Can’t you just cook sweet, normal things?
Hey: some people appreciate a mad genius baker.
Still, I guess the critics have their point, so this one is for the folks who don’t want everything they eat to be some sort of experiment.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour (Whole wheat, white, both, as you wish)Blueberry Muffins (1)
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 ½ cup blueberries (one would think fresh are better, but I think frozen might be)
  • ½ cup almonds
  • ½ cup apple sauce
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk or Greek yoghurt or sour cream
  • ½ cup oil (it might work without this, especially since there is apple sauce; I liked making it with coconut oil.)

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: Preheat the oven to 350°, either grease the muffin tins or put in the cupcake liners (I usually spray a little canola oil in the bottom of these to make things come out easier). I get 2 dozen medium sized muffins out of this mix.

Blueberry Muffins (3)Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In one bowl crumble up the brown sugar, then sift (mix if you don’t have a sifter) in the flour, white sugar, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3, mixing the wet ingredients: In another bowl, mix the blueberries, almonds, apple sauce, vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, and oil.Blueberry Muffins (6)

Step 4, combining the big mess: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix well. You want to make sure the individual bits of apple are each coated to keep them from getting too clumpy.  The consistency should be much firmer than batter, but a little more liquid than cookie dough.

Blueberry Muffins (7)

 

Step 5, baking: Fill two dozen or so muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. See how they look. Stick a toothpick in one and see if it comes out battery.

 

Step 6, sharing: As always, these are great for breakfast, or for a Blueberry Muffins (8)gentle afternoon tea. If you have to work Labor Day while everybody else gets to go have fun, share them with your crew. Randomly plant them for friends to find.

Hot Garden Peppers Muffins

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Alternative BakingI was crossing a parking lot a week or so ago, and Jamie, a friend of mine, called me over to his truck. He expressed his sympathy with the various personal & financial travails I have been slogging through, and in parting he gave me some peppers.
I kidded him that I would cook something out of them–maybe muffins.
As I walked away, I began to think about it…..
The first experiment was a bit of a failure, but the flavour was there. This was the second attempt. Next time, I believe I will try a different fruit than pineapple–too sweet, and I have no patience for sweet. I believe maybe blood oranges, or thinly slice Meyer Lemons with the peel.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour (Whole wheat, white, both, as you wish)
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup of white sugar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprikaHot Pepper Muffins 1
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers
  • 3 or 4 small sweet peppers
  • ½ cup chopped pineapple
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup oat or wheat bran
  • ½ cup TVP and ½ cup or so of a liquid–I used an ale, but you can use what you want–to soften it.
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1 cup cooked sweet potato (I like it baked, but I assume canned will do)
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk or Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup butter

Step 1, Ready? Bake the sweet potato, soak the TVP, make sure you have all the ingredients.

Step 2, Set: Pre-heat the oven to 350°, chop the pineapple and the sweeter peppers, either grease the muffin tins or put in the cupcake liners (I usually spray a little canola oil in the bottom of these to make things come out easier). I get 2 dozen medium-sized muffins out of this mix.

Hot Pepper Muffins 3Step 3, Go! mixing the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the sweet peppers, pineapple, sweet potato, spices, oatmeal, TVP, pecans, melted butter, salt and sugars. With a garlic press or something similar, mince the hot peppers in–the juice should be there, and the meat very fine, to blend the heat.
I mix all this separately, so I can taste it and see if I need to adjust the flavour–more heat? More sweet?

Step 4, mixing the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift the flours, Hot Pepper Muffins 4baking soda, and bran.

Step 5, combining the big mess: Add the eggs and yogurt to the wet ingredients, mix, then add the dry ones and mix well. The consistency of the mix should be much firmer than batter, but a little more liquid than cookie dough.

Step 6, baking: Fill two dozen or so muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 or more minutes. See how they look. It is best if they are a bit toasted. Stick a toothpick in one and see if it comes out battery.

Hot Pepper Muffins 5Step 6, sharing: Unlike most muffins, these are actually better for supper paired with a strong entrée than they are for breakfast. Like all muffins, they are especially great to share with a friend or loved one. I gave some to Jamie, who had given me the fresh peppers, and then ran them around to 10 or more different friends, which was complicated but fun.

Tomato and Cucumber Salads

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Heirloom tomatoes (2)I am fond of tomatoes, and I am fond of cucumbers; this is a pretty good time of year to get either. I have written about these before, both as a blog and an audio–strangely enough, roughly a year ago–so you might look there, but here is another approach.
I had never really thought of this as a recipe, more like something I just threw together every night, but I guess there is a recipe of sorts–but all measurements are approximate, since tomatoes are of different sizes, sometimes you have a lot, sometimes you don’t, and you may need 8 helping if you are having guests, or just 3 or 4 if you are eating alone.

Ingredients:
Really, this is what it is all about. These are great salads if you have great ingredients, uninspiring if you don’t. Other than the olive oil and salt, they were all things I could find locally. 

For the Tomato Salad:
Tomato Salad (2)Of course, if you arrange this with sliced fresh mozzarella, it becomes a Caprese Salad.

  • tomatoes
    –about a fist sized helping for each one eating (granted–I have big hands, so be generous). They should be and smell fresh, and it is best if they are an interesting heirloom variety; the last time I made this, for a cast party (I really miss you guys from The Dresser), I found some odd medium sized Tennessee Twister and Stripe varieties which were a delight for the senses.
  • fresh basil leaves
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • a generous amount of olive oil

For the Cucumber Salad:
Cucumber Salad (3)Of course, your could add onion to this, too.

  • cucumbers
    —fresh and local are best, but English cucumbers are really good, too, so locally grown English or Persian are the best. Skins are good, and give more flavor, but if the skin is too tough, peel it, or peel it in strips.
  • fresh savory–a generous amount, maybe the leaves from 4 or 5 stalks.
    —for the idea of savory instead of dill, I am indebted to the lovely Mrs. Rosenbaum of Abingdon, Virginia.
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • vinegar (I like rice wine vinegar because it is sweet & gentle, and doesn’t change the color)

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: gather and wash all the ingredients. Pat them dry a bit as well.

Step 2, cutting the guests of honor: theoretically bite sized, but I have a big mouth. I prefer the cucumbers thin and the tomatoes thick.

Step 3, a salt: sprinkle with salt to taste (I like quite a bit more than none, but not so salty it overwhelms everything)Savory & Basil

Step 4, adding herbs: strip the savory off the stems, rub it between your palms, and sprinkle it over the cucumbers. Cut the basil in a chiffonade, and sprinkle it over the tomatoes.

WHAT IS A CHIFFONADE, YOU ASK?
Basil Chiffonade (6)A chiffonade is leaves cut across into long strips. The best way to do this is to stack a number of the basil leafs together, then roll them sideways into a bundle–like fine cigars rolled on the thighs of beautiful women, and then cut them across the roll with a sharp knife (OK, maybe clean scissors).

Step 4, dressing for dinner: pour the vinegar over the cucumbers and the olive oil over the tomatoes.

Final Step, share and enjoy: serve them to friends on the back porch with a good cheese, freshly baked French bread, some cold water, and a good wine–maybe a nice Côtes du Rhone.

Shoefly Scones

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I could just break down and call this really large molasses cookies, but I think of them as scones. This is a reprint with a few corrections of a recipe I published last June.Shoo Fly Scone 4 I needed something new and fast for breakfasts this week, and thought I would make these again.
I also left some for my dear friend Mel and her family, since today is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Mel!
By the way, I did some field-work since last year, and the pronunciation of Scone become more like “scon” the further north you get.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups flour (Whole wheat, white, both, as you wish) and ¼ more for the topping
  • Optional: add ¼ cup of gluten and ¼ cup of brewers yeast for extra protein, and to make the scones firmer.
  • ¼ cup of sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 Tbsp cold butter
  • ¾ cup plain yoghurt
  • ½ cup molasses (or dark corn syrup, or a mixture)
  • 1 egg

Step 1, Prepare Ye the way: Preheat the oven to 400°, assemble all the ingredients, run to the store because you are out of molasses, and grease a baking sheet.

Step 2, sifting the dry ingredients: In one bowl sift (mix if you don’t have a sifter) the flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast & gluten, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3, pastry cutting: Cut in the ice cold sliced butter, using either a pastry cutter or a knife. I suppose some processer thingy can do this, too, but I don’t own one. The result should be crumbly.

Step 3, pastry cutting addendum: Take a quarter cup of flour, mix it with a few tablespoons of sugar and some cinnamon, cut in a tablespoon or more of butter, and set it aside for the crumble topping.

Step 4, mixing the wet ingredients: In another bowl, mix the yoghurt, the molasses and the egg.

Step 4, combining the big mess: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. THe results might be a bit gloppy. Try not to overwork the dough.

Step 5, baking: Flouring your hands, form little scone sized patties out of the dough (should be 6 to 8, depending on your size preference) and put them on the greased baking sheet.  Grab some of the crumble topping and top the dough with it liberally. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. See how they look. Stick a toothpick in one and see if it comes out battery.

Final Step, share and enjoy They do make a handy breakfast, which is much easier to eat in the car than the pie. To your left, they are pictured with my Rhubarb-Almond Scones. They are perfect for sharing over breakfast, or in the afternoon over tea, or for dropping by and giving to friends.

How to live life.

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Ramps (5)Oh my gosh! These ramps are amazing! I wonder what I can do with them?

Scott’s strawberries are in! Will the pint even make it home? If I buy two, they will last until I whip whipped cream.

Whoa! Blackberries! Marvelous! I wonder how these would be in scones?

Asparagus? Sweetness! Oh, the little tender ones are the best!

Oh my goodness! Blueberries? Incredible! Ambrosia itself!

Wow! The first peas! I could just sit in the sun, shell them and eat them raw!

The first real tomato of the season. Feel the warm smooth skinTomato against your lips, the pop as your teeth break through, and then the flood of sweetness and tartness and acid and pulp that fills your mouth. I wonder if vampires feel like this?

Is there another? With some cheese, some fresh bread, some basil and some olive oil, I could live on just these for the rest of the summer and die happy!

Hot Dog! Fresh cucumbers! Amazing how they taste cool even in the sun!

Grand! Corn on the cob right off the stalk! I don’t even need butter. Oh wow.

Hmmmmmm. I had forgotten what fresh watermelon was like.

Apples! They even smell like fall! Incredible!

New wine?!? Fan-freakin’-tastic! Let’s bake an onion torte like in the old country!

Lovely! Just lovely! There really isn’t anything quite like warm apple butter on freshly baked bread and a cup of tea on a rainy day.

Pumpkin seeds! Fresh roasted pumpkin seeds! Brilliant! Better than hallowe’en Pies, Shoefly and Apple, Shoefly 6candy!

Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh!!! Shoe fly pie?
I could live on this! Did you make me two?

Outstanding muffins, if I do say so myself! I’ll have to mail some to Josie.

I couldn’t say which was my favorite Christmas cookie; they are all so magnificent!

Ausgezeichnet! There really isn’t anything that makes me feel as good as stew with friends on a stormy January night.

What shall I bake for Valentine…. yeah. hell yeah. This will be even better Ramps (3)than last year.

Ramps! Grand! How Grand! What should I do with them?

912signature marvel

Ramp and Spinach Salad

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Ramps (3)This is a spring salad made with ramps and spinach, and a sweet vinaigrette  
I mentioned ramps last year at this time–clearly around this time, since they are seasonal. Allium tricoccum is a wild plant of the garlic family, but I would describe it as garlic onion in flavour, strong for a leek, but not strong enough for garlic. It grows wild in the mountains of East Tennessee, and can be used as flavouring , or as a dish itself. It has wide leaves, like Lily of the Valley, so it is often stewed as a green.

Step 1, come together: assemble and wash all the ingredients–wild ramps are often found in creek areas, and the mud on the roots can retain that swampy smell.

Step 2, tear the greens: tear the spinach to a bite size and cut the leaves off the ramps, and cut into ribbons smaller than the spinach (a little goes quite a way)Apples

Step 3, all the other fruits of the garden…: slice a tart, crisp apple thinly, into bite sized slices, and drizzle with lemon juice. This will keep it from rusting. Add to greens.

Step 4, release the vinaigrette: in a large bowl, mix the vinegar, the dipping sauce & the olive oil (I used about a quarter cup of each, but you can balance it as you wish). IMG_3572Add salt to taste. Whisk to an even emulsion and drizzle on the salad.

Step 5, to table: serve, share, take to a potluck, eat lots of it and go to a sauna as a spring cleanse. You know what to do.

Alternative Popcorn

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Ok, so this will not be complicated, but it is unusual (not to mention tasty) and if it is too easy, just come up with your own variations.

Ingredients:Alternative Popcorn (4)

  • Popcorn
  • Coconut Oil
  • Salt
  • Garam Masala spice (one of those spice combinations like curry which has hundreds of regional or individual variants, but generally roasted and ground turmeric, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds, and cardamom)

Step 1, well begun is half won: assemble the ingredients and get out a popcorn pan. A large pan with a lid and a handle will do, but remember you have to shake it back and forth to keep the kernels moving.

Step 2, beginning: melt the coconut oil in the pan. I used about a quarter cup, which is a lot, but gives it a faint coconut aroma.

Step 3, now you’re cooking with gas: roast the pan over medium high heat, keeping the corn moving until it is all popped.

Alternative Popcorn (17)Step 4, ’tis the season: sprinkle to taste with the spice and salt–I prefer lightly.

Step 5, enjoy & share: serve to friends for movie night, or just as a late snack, or maybe as snacks before the meal with cocktails. You can also put it in a paper bag and surprise someone with it.