Mar 27

Great Depression Cooking Channel

Clara Cannucciari, a ninety something Great Grandmother recounts growing up during the Great Depression as she prepares dishes from the era. In between recipes for pasta with peas, eggplant parmesan, chocolate covered biscotti, and other dishes, she gives practical advice on cooking nourishing meals for less. It’s just like being in the kitchen with your own grandma learning to cook. Great Depression Cooking – YouTube

She also has a book on Amazon at the moment Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression

Great Depression Cooking Channel

Great Depression Cooking Channel

 

Mar 27

Knowing your onions – The sequel

Since my last post about re-growing green onions (spring onions), I have been experimenting with other members of the Allium family such as baby leeks and garlic. The word Allium is Latin for garlic, and all members of the plant family are edible including the stems and bulbs. They all produce Cysteine Sulfoxide which gives them the characteristic ‘onion-y’ or ‘garlic-y’ flavour and smell, but in different quantities and hence the are not all equally flavourful.

I picked up some baby leeks at the supermarket and while preparing them for a dish, I though I should keep the bulbs as I had done with the green onions and try to re-grow them. As before, I left about an inch (2.5cm) of the leek bulb, put them in a small jam jar with enough water to cover the roots and left them on a sunny window, changing the water every day. Though they did re-grow, they took a very long time, over 20 days, to produce enough stem for harvesting and the bulbs had been severly diminished and probably wouldn’t re-grow a second time. Since leeks are at the larger end of the Allium family it makes sense that they take longer to grown and require more nutrients, and hence probably aren’t suitable for re-growing in just water. Another experiment would be to try and re-grow them in compost or even vermiculite.

Re-growing baby leeks

Re-growing baby leeks

I keep my fresh garlic in a small ceramic garlic pot and there are always tiny, little garlic cloves hanging around at the bottom that are too small to be useful. I did some research and found out garlic steams, sometimes called ‘scapes’ have a culinary use, but are usually just discarded by garlic growers because the stem, or flower stalk takes away too much energy from the bulb. I gathered up about 5 small garlic cloves, put them in a small shot glass and followed the same procedure as with the green onions and baby leeks. These have been a great success. The shoots were a little slow to start, but I was able to make the first harvest after about 6 days, and the 2nd harvest was equally as quick. Tender stems can be chopped into salads and any that are slightly more mature can be sautéed lightly and used over pasta. They have a very pleasantly sweet, garlic taste, and are slightly more unusual than just plain garlic, chives or green onions.

Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes

While I have been carrying out these experiments, I have continued with the green onion experiment. It seems to be that the maximum harvest you can get from re-growing the green onions is 2. The bulbs become so diminished, that trying to grow them for a 3rd time means that the steams are very weak and hardly worth using. Also as the bulbs become older they become very slimy and even though the water was changed every day, they start to produce a very strong ‘onion-y’ pong. Still re-using store bought onions twice is well worth the effort.

Allium Factory

Allium Factory

Mar 24

Violet’s Eden

Every now and then, I encounter a food or drink that is so unusual that I cant help but investigate.  A few years back, while investigating absinthe, to be blogged on another day, I discovered this odd liquor called Liquor de Violette.  As a warning, it is not the same as Crème de Violette. I am sure it is like wine though, with each recipe having their own nuances that appeals to different people.  The difference between a cream/crème and liquor is sugar.  When being crafted, once a certain percent of added sugar is reached, it is no longer liquor, is it considered a crème as in crème de cassis or cream de cacao.

Liquor de Violette is made from crushing the petals of violets and combining the juice with a spirit. The spirit can be brandy or other neutral spirit or a combination of several.  It is found almost exclusively in France but I had difficulty finding it there as well.  I have resorted to internet purchasing with success though some may be limited, by law, in the ability to procure it.  (I use http://www.absintheonline.com/).

The purple, sometimes, pinkish liquor, in its virgin state, has an obvious floral flavor that is thick on the tongue and in viscosity.  Once I tasted it, I became determined to create a more pleasant cocktail in which to enjoy it, as it was too sweet on its own. I could not allow the distinct, enjoyable flavor of a violet to go unattended.  I spent an entire summer month mixing, chilling and heating: not a good option for the record!

What resulted was a sweet martini that was liquor sweet, not sugary sweet, with the strong flavor and aroma of Violet flowers with vanilla and a touch of citrus.

Liquor de Violette Cocktail

Violet's Eden Cocktail using Liquor de Violette

Violet’s Eden

Fill a shaker with ice and add:

2 ounces Vanilla infused vodka
2 ounces Liqueur de Violette
A splash of Grand Marinier

Shake well & strain into a pre-chilled martini glass.

 A summer breeze!

Mar 23

Take-out at Home – Mongolian Beef

The first time I tasted Mongolian Beef was at a Chinese chain restaurant called P.F. Changs. The beef was wonderfully salty, savoury and very tender. Since then, I’ve developed my own recipe and it has now become a regular dish on our dinner table. The dish itself is of American-Chinese origin has has nothing to do with Mongolia.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450g) skirt or flank steak sliced into strips
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp Chinese 5-spice
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 cup (120ml) of soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tsp Shaoxing wine (rice wine)
  • 4oz (115g) shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 large chopped spring onions (green onions)
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch

Stir frying the Mongolian beefMethod
In a bowl Mix together the ginger, Chinese 5-spice, chili powder, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, Shaoxing wine and cornstarch. Add the beef, cover and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan to medium high. Add the onions, mushrooms and stir fry quickly for a few seconds. Add the beef to the wok without the liquid marinade. Using tongs will help with this. Keep the beef and vegetables moving and after the beef has just started to brown, add just enough of the marinade to cover half the beef and vegetables. Bring to a boil until the sauce has thickened. Serve with rice, steamed or stir-fry vegetables.

Mongolian Beef with stir-fry vegetables

Mar 23

Arby’s Reuben Sandwich Review

Reuben Sandwich from Arby's

Wrapped Arby's Reuben Sandwich

I recently posted I Have Been Diagnosed with NRNS (Need Reuben Now Syndrome) with a link to an Arby’s Restaurant humorous commercial highlighting their Reuben Sandwich. My intention was to try one soon and the opportunity presented itself after flying into San Diego this week.

Unwrapped Arby's Reuben Sanwich

Unwrapped Arby's Reuben Sandwich

It has been years since I last ate a Reuben Sandwich at Arby’s. It is a seasonal item and not offered year round. I was really looking forward to giving the sandwich a fair review considering that it is constructed at a fast food restaurant. There were the five basic components; Rye Bread (marbled), Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island Dressing. This was however all that could be said about this Reuben from Arby’s.

The Rye Bread was barely toasted. The Sauerkraut either had no flavor (how is that possible?), or the Thousand Island Dressing was applied so heavily that it dominated the Sauerkraut. I really have no idea what type of cheese was used, so it would be hard to make a positive comment. Even the sliced Corned Beef was flavorless.

I was not expecting to enjoy even a mediocre Reuben Sandwich, but I did anticipate having a sandwich that was comparable to some of the other offerings available at Arby’s. Their Market Fresh Turkey Sandwiches are very good with the turkey meat being minimally processed. I really wanted to have a positive experience and be able to recommend the Arby’s Reuben Sandwich. Even taking into account that it is a fast food version of an amazing sandwich, I cannot find one positive compliment.

In my post Reuben Sandwich Reviews, the Arby’s Reuben Sandwich receives the ranking: Shameless.