camels & masala chai

this is romeo and he's the camel i rode in on.

not to nyc sillies! no, i went to the pushkar camel fair back in november, not because i was in the market for a camel mind you. i just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought i'd stop by and see the goings-ons of a camel fair.



there were, of course, lots of camel-y things going on. camels everywhere!

india's camels are dromedary camels, meaning they have one hump, not two. they are docile, hardworking creatures, and call me crazy, but i think they're cute.

this guy is particularly charming, no?



i know what you're thinking. no, camels do not spit at people. it's a myth. they do however have toes (you thought i was going to go here, didn't you? nope. that would just be wrong).



er, skilled as i am, i'm not exactly sure how to make this jump so... let's just move on to the recipe shall we? i'm roarin' about a little bit of india brought back home. making chai has become an easy ritual for me, it's the perfect warmer on a cold winter day, one sip and i'm right back on the sub-continent.



real chai is oceans away from that overly sweet boxed or chain-store bought 'chai'. there are many variations, in fact the words masala chai mean simply, spiced tea. this combo is my favorite.



masala chai

1 cup milk
5 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
6 green cardamon pods
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 star anise
2 heaping tablespoons loose black tea
2-3 tablespoons (or to taste) jaggery* (or sugar)

serves 4

1. place water, milk and all of the spices except for the star anise in a saucepan. bring to the boil, turn off the heat. cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

2. add the sweetener and star anise, and give it a quick stir. add the loose tea - i like to put it in a large tea strainer and simply lift it out when done. but you can add the tea directly to the pot if you don't have one. cover and let steep for 5 minutes more.

3. strain or lift out the tea and pour. enjoy.

if this does entice you to make a pot of your own on this chilly winter sunday (or any other day you're so inclined) you might want to take a peek at more photos from my india trip.

pawnote:
*the closest local taste i've found to jaggery is maple sugar. if you have that, or maple syrup even, give it a try.

mastering the art of 2012

it's about time i came on here and professed my food and blog related aspirations for 2012, no? (particularly because i realized i never even got around to doing it in 2011 - for shame!)

i for one, love new starts. when the new year comes i have loads of things i plan to do in the 12 months sprawled out and beckoning in front of me. below are the ones i think you might like to know about:

1) i have one very big new start coming soon; after a good full year has passed (yikes!) since i first roared about it here and over there i am this close to redesigning and relaunching these two blogs on one brand new website! i am so excited about it that it's hard not to jump in and tell you all about it right now! but, alas, i'll wait, because in just a few more weeks i'll be able to show it to you!*



2) grow more beans! this was the first year i earnestly attempted to grow beans for drying. i did four varieties and cannot believe how easy they are to grow and shuck (is that the right word?). i love me my beans, and yes i know that rancho gordo has cornered the market in heirloom beans. but, it's really, really fun to grow your own! and then you really do know how fresh they are.



3) have fun with it! all of it; growing, preserving, eating. it's easy for me to be obsessive (have i mentioned that before?) about the things i get into. but gardening and preserving, and eating locally and seasonally doesn't have to be another stress causing endeavor. let's face it, for most of us in the modern world it's a choice, not a necessity. so...

in 2012 i'm having fun with my food! i will grow and preserve as much as i can. but you know what? if i can't do as much as i want to do (who me?) then that's OK.

4) eat more whole grains. give me my bread, my cheese, and my cultured butter and i am as happy as a tigress in...(um, a jungle?) oh, and olive oil, too. basically, i can literally live on bread and fat. which i don't think in and of themselves are bad things, mind you. but, i do love whole grains, and they are good for you. so this year i'm making an effort to eat more of them.



5) get back to baking bread. you peeps are going to think i'm crazy. i know you know an oxymoron when you see one. but - let me explain. about four years ago i decided that i was going to learn how to bake bread. that led me down a year and a half path of never buying bread (theme?). it was really fun, and i must admit, i turned some good bread out of my kitchen. then my oven broke and it took quite a few months to fix. nuff said. the bread baking flew out the window never to return.

until now - i'm bringin' it back for 2012! and to prove it, i revived my little pet (photo above). this is the same wild yeast AKA sourdough that i started four years ago. he was tucked in the back of my fridge, starved nearly to death. but i took him out and lo, after just one feeding he got all bubbly and excited.

i can't let this poor bugger down, i just have to make bread now! plus it's a good way to eat more whole grains (ahem).


*pawnote: it's been so hard to refrain from telling you about all of the updates coming your way on the new site; the new look, the recipe index, the new categories - and lotz more amazing stuff. but, shhh! mum's the word! for now.


HAPPY 2012! BRING IT ON!

perfect pie crust

yes i did just say perfect pie crust.

look, i didn't get my stripes for nothing. if there was an iron pie crust master competition, i'd get the prize. a pie crust smack-down, my paws would launch the winning smack. a project pie crust winner; me.

because first, to make the perfect pie crust you have to be a big-time pie lover. you have to prefer almost anything, sweet or otherwise, nestled within a tender-to-the-bite, melt-in-your-mouth, golden-to-the-eye crust.

(moi, again)

and plus i'm not gonna lie; after being frustrated over and over, i went straight to the top. martha and i had a one on one, woman to cat sit down about her famous pâte brisée. (well, actually i sat down with her book, but who's counting?). the point is, i nailed it, again and again and again and again. i've made a perfect pie crust so many times i could probably do it with one paw tied behind my back.

in fact, two summers ago i did it at approximately 2:00am prompted by 2 good friends, 1 husband, a large bowl of cheering blueberries, and a few too many before and after dinner drinks. they dared me. i won.

perfect pie crust.



here's what you need for a 10 inch pie, top and bottom, or two 10 inch pies (or tarts if you must) bottoms only:

• 2 & 1/2 cups flour - you can use all-purpose for the entire lot, but my favorite is 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose and 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour. the all-purpose can be white, or whole wheat made from soft winter white wheat.*
  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) ice cold butter (just above frozen is best) chopped roughly into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces.
  
• 1/4 cup very cold water, plus more if needed
  

you know i'm a pilgrim, but even for me a food processor is essential to a perfect pie crust. you also need a rolling pin, room in the freezer (a cold fridge comes in 2nd) and helpful but not essential; a baking stone.

1. pulse flours and salt in a food processor.

2. add cubes of butter and pulse 5 or 6 times, just until the butter breaks up and distributes. you definitely want pieces of butter as big as a pea remaining. don't pulse too much!



3. after the butter is broken up into pea size pieces, drizzle 1/4 cup of very cold water into the processor as you begin pulsing again. pulse just until the mixture is about to clump. add more cold water by the 1/2 tablespoonful if it is needed (with whole wheat flour i find i have to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water). it's crucial that you don't over mix in this step. when it looks like this:



stop. pinch a bit between your thumb and fingers and if it sticks together, you're golden.

4. scoop it out in equal (approximately) measure onto those two 15-inch long pieces of plastic wrap i told you to put out before we started.

:)



don't worry if it's all crumbly-wumbly, that's what is going to give your crust a tender bite. if i teach you one thing and one thing only about how to make the perfect pie crust, this would be it, and this would be the time to tell you it:

don't fiddle wid'it!



5. just wrap those two crumbly-wumbly balls-o'-almost-dough up by gathering all the plastic wrap ends and bringing them together and giving it a little twist, dumpling style. here and only here is when you start to press the dough into a disk shape. don't be afraid to press and shape where you need to, but do it quickly, it doesn't have to be perfect. make a disk of dough by pressing and shaping through the plastic wrap.

until it looks like this:



6. wrap them up, like so.



and place them in the fridge for 30 minutes first, if you are going to make your pie right away. you can leave them in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month before you make your pie. if you're taking them out of an extended stint in the fridge, leave it at room temperature for 20 minutes before you start to roll it out. if frozen, start rolling after an hour out of freezer. **



7. basically you want your dough pliable enough to roll, but still pretty cold. place just a bit of flour on your counter top or board, and across your rolling pin. sweep the rolling pin back and forth over the dough only once. give it a quarter turn and repeat, again, repeat. do this until you have a circle large enough to fit into your 10 inch pie dish with about an inch hanging over.

what i mean is; keep rolling until it's big enough. don't pull and stretch your dough, it should be big enough to sprawl all over your pie plate, be tucked gently into the bottom and fall peacefully over the sides. better to go a little bigger and cut off any excess with kitchen shears.***



8. i don't obsess about perfectly crimped pie crust edges (a bit out-of the-ordinary for me, i know) which would have me going over and over the edge with my paws (ok, yes i've done it, in my rookie pie-making days). this, because i'd rather have a delicate crunch-melt in your mouth pie crust edge than a perfect looking hard-as-rock pie crust edge. your pie eaters will agree if you do the same, i'm sure.

this is one of those places where 'rustic' comes in handy.

9. if you are topping your pie, roll your top out in the same manner explained above. place the top on a large plate or baking sheet and put both in the freezer for 30 minutes, or a cold refrigerator for 1 hour. assemble a top-and-bottom pie by placing the top on (make sure it does not have a lot of excess over the bottom crust) and simply crimping both together quickly with your fingers. once your pie is filled and assembled place back in the freezer or fridge for the same length of time before baking.

if i teach you one other thing, and only one other thing only besides the don't fiddle wid'it! ' thing that i taught you up there it's all this bizness about keeping things cold! because butter that melts away only during the baking, and not a moment before, will render a perfectly flaky crust. and a cold crust going into the oven prevents a soggy bottom crust. a baking stone helps prevent a soggy bottom too, so if you have one, use it. preheat it with your oven and place your pie plate directly on it to bake.



...and that dear peeps, is the way to make a perfect pie crust!

do it!

pawnotes:
*the photos above are of a crust made with 1 & 3/4 all-purpose soft white winter wheat flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour.
**if you are in a pie crust making mood, make two batches and freeze for later. but never put both batches in the food processor at once. do them one after the other.
***don't be alarmed by any excess. put in the freezer and make a mini pie or two when you have enough frozen up!

my favorite holiday cookies: butter n' spice

when it comes to cookies, it's probably no surprise that my favorite kind includes loads of butter.

if you ask me, cookies were made for butter, and the holidays were made for cookies.



you with me?

the only other thing that sends an (almost) perfect butter cookie over the edge, is the addition of savory spice. i'm talking fennel, cumin and nigella seeds.



it's a little trick i picked up in india, another one of those genius anglo-indo melds i'm sure. it renders the butter cookie just a tad exotic, and will have your friends and family exclaiming (with glee) as they gather around your holiday hearth, "what have you put in these cookies? they're delicious, but i can't quite place the taste." unless of course they've been to india, or they have a spice obsession.

but no matter that they can't quite place the taste, 'cause they'll be busy placing another handful of said cookies in their mouths.

quite.



butter n' spice cookies

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 & 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 room temperature eggs
1 & 1/2 tablespoon milk or cream
4 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon each of whole fennel, cumin and nigella seeds

yield: approximately 75 cookies

1. if you have a hand or stand mixer, mix the softened butter and sugar together at once and beat on medium high until creamy, about 3 minutes. you can cream the butter and sugar by hand, but add the sugar gradually until it is all incorporated and the mixture is light and creamy.



2. add the salt, eggs and milk and beat until well combined.

3. gradually add the flour, about a cup at time and mix until just combined.

4. divide the dough into 3 portions. sprinkle the first portion with cumin, the second with fennel, and the third with nigella. stir each until the seeds are evenly distributed.

5. take each dough portion and place on a lightly floured board or counter. roll each one into a log approximately 8 x 2 inches. you can make them completely round, oval or squarish. i try to do each one in a slightly different size for variety and also to tell which one is which spice.

6. wrap each in a plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours (you can also freeze these for up to two months, and even take them out and slice individual slices from the frozen log, baking as you go).

7. preheat oven to 350 degrees. slice chilled cookie logs into 1/4 inch slices. place 1 & 1/2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies turn golden.

these cookies last in an airtight container for up to two weeks or even more. but, you know what i'm going to say about that don't you?



gobble.

and, if you're a cookie lover, been making holiday cookies lately, have a great cookie recipe to share, want more cookies in your life, want to win one of my fave canning or d.i.y books of 2011, or just plain like to party, then hop on over to my facebook page this thursday december 15th at 7:30pm for my first ever cyber holiday give-away + cookie party!

hope to see you there!

jam on it: pumpkin corn muffins

after galivanting halfway around the world i feel like i'm a tad late on the 2011 fall celebrations.

to me, pumpkins and winter squash are the best thing about cool weather eating. they're no small consolation for the end of summer blues. i love seeing their wacky shapes and gorgeous colors in my garden and at the markets! and i love baking with them even more.



for these I wanted a versatile muffin, equally at home served alongside a savory bean & greens dish or nestled under my favorite flavor-of-the-month fall spread.



pumpkins and winter squash always add a moistness and heft to baked goods. i've added full fat yogurt here to bring that quality to the next level. what i'm sayin' is,

they melt in your mouth.



coarse local cornmeal, a tad of smokey dried pepper and home-ground cinnamon celebrate new world flavors; these are my 'happy to be home' muffins.

make them. now.

(and please, invite me over, 'cause this dozen is going quick!)



pumpkin corn muffins

1 & 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup coarse cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 - 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper (or chipotle powder, or smoked spanish paprika)*
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon**
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 packed cup pumpkin or winter squash puree ***
1/2 cup maple, light brown, or raw sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
2 large eggs

yield: 12 muffins

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees. grease muffin tins.

2. in a large bowl mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pepper.

3. in a separate bowl whisk together cooled butter, pumpkin, sugar, yogurt, and eggs. add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. be mindful not to over stir, this will contribute to a tender muffin.

4. place on middle rack. bake for 20 minutes or until nothing sticks to a toothpick or cake tester when inserted in the center. gently release muffins and cool on rack.

these muffins freeze well and disappear quick, so double-batching is a good idea.

pawnotes:
*3/4 teaspoon aleppo pepper provided a subtle smokey heat with just a tad of peppery tang. you could go to a full teaspoon if using a very mild pepper type, or if you want to up the heat anti.

**i cannot stress enough the difference between grinding your own cinnamon from a cinnamon stick and the flavor-lacking pre-powdered stuff. do it! it's worth it. plus, cinnamon sticks last so much longer in your larder.

***making your own pumpkin or winter squash puree is easy. to roast: cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds & strings, and brush a neutral oil all around the flesh. place cut side down on baking sheet in a 400 degree oven. bake for approximately 45 minutes depending on size. you'll know it's done when you can stick a fork easily through the center. let cool completely, then peel the skin off. to puree: place flesh in bowl and mash with fork or better yet, your hands. it freezes well - do it in cup sizes so they're at the ready when it's muffin makin' time!




jam on it: a once and again series celebrating toasty things fit to be slathered.
i mean, you gotz jams, don't ya? ...get in there and bake!

new england apple butter

fall is the season of new england. there is no doubt about it in my book (blog?); it's the legend of sleepy hollow, pumpkins and jack-o's, mulled cider, outside fires, and a carpet of stars shining way, way up in the night. it's the harvest moon, lace-ups, and dozens of worn down gravestones, crooked like teeth.

its apples that my good neighbor brought me.



in new england it happens when summer barely ends. the nights get cooler, and the trees start to fade even as the grass gets greener still.




the mile mark for me is when the farmer down the road drives his tractor up into our field to cart off the hay he baled way back in summer's dawn. winter food for his lovely cows that i'm happy to provide. i know then the time is nigh to pack up and make our yearly move back to the city.

in fact, i'm already there. it came earlier this year. with a trip down south to my in-laws and travel across a few seas coming soon, we had to pack up and get down sooner than normal.

so i brought my beloved new england back with me.



new england apple butter

6 & 1/2 pounds apples, preferably a variety
juice of 3 lemons
1 & 1/2 cups maple sugar *
3 whole cloves, crushed (use a mortar & pestle)
2 large bay leaves **
1/2 teaspoon salt
immersion blender
pint or smaller mason jars

yield: approximately 4 pints

1. place juice of 3 lemons in a large bowl. peel, core and slice apples to 1/4 inch. toss apples in the bowl and coat with lemon juice as you go, this will prevent discoloring.

2. warm a non-reactive pot (stainless or enameled cast iron) on low. add apples, lemon juice, salt and maple sugar. stir gently until maple sugar melts and apples just start to break down.

3. add crushed cloves and whole bay leaves, turn up the heat to medium. cook, stirring occasionally as apples soften. you can add a small amount of water if needed - it depends on the apple varieties. but if you are attentive and stir more frequently as the apples break down you may not need to - i didn't

4. while apples are cooking down. prepare jars and lids for hot water bath processing. you do not need to sterilize the jars as they will be processed for 15 minutes.

5. when the apples have completely softened, about an hour or so in, remove bay leaves. use an immersion blender to 'butter' the apples.

6. fill hot jars; tap the full jar on a towel-covered counter to release air bubbles, and fill to 1/4 inch headspace. hot water bath process for 15 minutes.



although i used an immersion blender, i wanted my butter quite pilgrim-like, that is to say chunky not smooth. you could use a potato masher or even a wooden spoon and go authentic pilgrim.

the aroma of the cooking down maple sugar and apples is extravagant! like those caramel-apples-on-a-stick, only a kazillion times better. i didn't want to add any spice that would deter from that delicious smell. the bay and clove are pure old new england and give a solid base in which the maple sugar shines.

this is like new england gold, it is!

pawnote:
*i know maple sugar is expensive, but it really is the co-star in this recipe and so worth the splurge. i use justameretree farm maple sugar. the quality of their products are outstandng - and they're really nice too!

**you haven't really tasted bay unless you grow and dry your own. if you have a windowsill and a pot you can do it!

lemon basil nectarine preserves

whoa! it's been a whirlwind of a month! i've been busier than i've ever been. i won't go into details but if a picture is worth a thousand words (or ahem, 85,000!) then here you go:


photo bennett sell-kline

i haven't been back to my beloved berkshires, and more importantly, my beloved garden since august 21st to be exact. (ugh!) it feels like those lazy summer days i dreamt about last winter remained just what they were - a dream.

some people in my life find it hard to believe i do what i do, and i garden, and i preserve the bounty, and i roar over here and here about it - and here and here too!

but you know what? i love it - all of it!

so i hope you'll stick around even during those times when my paws are busy with other thingz, and i can't be around here quite as often.

'cause you know, eventually i'mma give you something like this:



lemon basil nectarine preserves

as crazy as my august was, i couldn't bear to let nectarine season go by without getting some of these little sweeties in jars. one of my fave preserves from last year was nectarine preserves with summer savory and white pepper.

for this batch i used the following:
4 pounds nectarines
4 & 3/4 cups sugar
3 lemons
large bunch lemon basil

i followed exactly the same technique as last year's recipe, but because of my buzyness, i left the fruit macerating in the fridge for 2 full days and nights.

bury the lemon basil in your just simmered fruit on day one, keep it in there throughout the maceration process, then take it out just before you put it on the stove day 3.

the combo is brilliant - if i do say so myself.



back in the saddle again peeps, back in the saddle...