Balsamic, Protein, and More

Starting where we left off last time, we'll talk about protein. It's something that often takes up one third or more of plate-space, yet for whatever reason we don't pay much attention to it. We often buy large quantities of the same chicken or ground beef cheaply, and pay little attention to sourcing. 

 The first, and most important thing is the quality of ingredients. You can make much out of relatively small amounts or simple preparation provided that what you're cooking is fresh (I mean a recent purchase, not necessarily un-frozen.) However, freezing affects the texture and sometimes the flavor of the food.
I know this is really basic stuff, but you have to start from the ground up. Also, if you're eating meat, where it comes from and what the animal ate are important. I'm not trying to beat that horse, plenty of other writers have done it better than myself. Keep in mind that on some level, you get what you pay for...and you should pay for the kind of industry that you want to see flourish. If I have learned one thing, it's that we must be the person outside that we are on the inside. If you say that you want to support small farmers and small business, you have to invest in them.

Think about different forms, too. Beans, seafood, eggs, and tofu can add a lot of variety. Beans can be the side, a tasty additive, or even smushed and seasoned into a burger. Eggs aren't just for breakfast either. If you need proof of that, take one look at their large chapter in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Fish can be extremely low maintenance while fitting in every category...fun in the form of baked fish and chips to fancy in the form of salmon en papillote.

Salt while cooking, and use sea salt if possible. I love French Grey, and babble about it ceaselessly. There is a chemical reaction that takes place while the food is cooking with the salt that can not, not, not, be done later. Don't neglect the spice cabinet. Garlic powder, and onion powder go a very long way. Cumin and coriander can be wonderful, on beef, pork, or chicken. Combining them with greek yogurt can make a marinade. Thyme, tarragon, sage, and dill are wonderful with chicken or with eggs. Basil and oregano have been traditionally put a tomato base, with beef or chicken.

I bought a bottle of balsamic, and it's definitely proven itself useful over the past weeks. I know that it's probably not the most authentic stuff, but in terms of marinating and dressing, it gets the job done. I paired it with mushroom broth, garlic powder, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, shallots, and thyme.  I soaked my extra firm tofu steaks in there before crisping them up in the pan a bit.

I'm getting back into the swing of life again, and a big part of that is cooking. Another big part is making art, and writing poetry. In time, I will be sharing some of that with you. Since we talked about the big strokes, it's time for a little application, too.

It's been a while

Every time someone sees my mortar and pestle, they look at me as if I have three heads and ask: "What is That for?"

Well, children, it isn't for witchcraft...but it is magical.

The list is actually quite long and quite practical. Pesto, with all the glorious scent of crushed basil; garlic butter; grinding whole cloves and aniseed for Swedish meatballs; and this morning: freshly ground coffee that went into the French press. I am drinking it now, and jammin' with my Elmo-meets-lawnmower hair to some Yo-Yo Ma.

I am alone in the house this morning. The coffee is rich and aromatic as only coffee can be. I have the sun behind me, and I know a good friend of mine will be here later. This moment, one of so few, feels zen to me. This last year and change has been anything but balanced. I have moved twice, realized I could fit almost everything I own in my car, watched people come and go in my life, and finally followed my feet. No, I didn't go home. I have one now, though.

In the course of writing that paragraph, I became completely un-zen. It's taken a while to come up for air from the last year, and now that I have, I realize some things. I am much older. I have grey hairs now. Food is a different proposition, and we'll talk about that. But after all that, I may never be able to divest myself of the intense caring which has been both a cement block on my feet and Mary Poppins' umbrella.

The act of cooking is still an act of love to me. However, not everyone is able to accept the same kind of love in the same kind of way. They may just be meaties, and that's ok. I'm not offended. This is just teaching me to really be independent, to make decisions, to take care of myself in a way that I relied on certain Big Cats to do. This is freeing, too.

But! To the matter at hand. For a while, we were talking about vegetables, grains, and trying to get a grasp on the underpinnings of home cookin. This still feels like a place to start, and so I think we will talk about proteins next time. This is a challenge that many face, veggie or not, and one that can lead to either joy or utter, stonegrinding boredom. Because, who wants bland ____ing chicken again?? Really. Insert your own choice of expletive there.

 Since I haven't shared any experiments lately, I'll leave you with one I intend to repeat. Over Christmas break, I concocted Huckleberry Muffins. These are pretty staple muffies, with white-whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, applesauce, etc. The huckleberries, however, are anything but staple. They're wild, glorious, tart, complex, better than blueberry currant-sized morsels. I know, I know, pics or it didn't happen. Soon. I promise.

Volume Effect: Vegetables

For those of us who have both cooked and played Mass Effect: we know that calculations in Newtons won't be necessary. In fact, vegetables will counter-act a protein bomb in most dire situations.

As with the grains, I'm going to attempt to restrain myself to categories. As it stands, this will be a multi-part sub-sector, anyway...

There are quite a few that cross over in use from vegetable to starch, or vegetable to protein. We'll talk about those as they come at us. Firstly, major types and thus, cooking styles.

Water-Based, Fleshy: Green/String beans, cucumber, Zucchini, eggplant, other summer squashes (like those ubiquitous yellow ones), to some extent peas and their like, and I'm putting mushrooms here. Generally speaking, these don't require much cooking. Often you lose by over cooking; their texture suffers and they are mushy, all the nutrients wind up in the surrounding liquid, which is often ignored. Sometimes, as in the case of eggplant...over-cooking results in bitterness. As far as seasoning goes, keep it simple. A little butter and salt after steaming, a little bit of fresh herbs (or a pesto) is complementary as well.

Also worth noting! Some of these are warm weather crops (zucchini: Italian, summer. Peas, spring...), so they'll be disappointing this time of year in the supermarket. (Indeed, and very unpleasantly priced).

Mushrooms are a cross-over: They're just as much protein as they are vegetable. They're great if you're looking for something other than chicken (again, right?), and provide high nutrient value for their low calorie density compared to things like ..chicken.

Water-Based, Leafy: Spinach, salad greens, endive, dandelion, kale. We can even go so far as to include things like cabbages and Brussels sprouts. These range in flavor from the light and savory, sweet (sprouts), to nearly meaty in the Tuscan Kale department.

In leaf form, these cook even faster than the fleshy guys (a few minutes on a relatively warm pan). With a variety like spinach, you can eat them both ways, obviously..but when you cook them they make excellent flexible additions to a pasta, or accomp... accompan..the fellows who sit next to our potatoes.

Some things like radicchio don't always cook well. Greens can tend towards bitterness, so a light blanching (super-short pre-cooking boil) can really make those more palatable if you want to use them in that way.

D'accord, if you want brussel sprouts, they're going to take a bit more than sauteeing some leaves. They're very tasty when they've just crisped themselves on the edges. Or, in the case of Belgian Endive...gratineed a la Julia Child.

 As always, pick them over, discard tough and woody parts. Cut off stem-ends. Same goes with peeling: If you have to choose between peeling it and eating (and enjoying), or not peeling because you're "supposed to eat the most nutritious part"...You're better off missing a little peel and eating the thing. It's better for you than not at all. 

Sub-Sector: Grains

Last time we talked about the different categories which will generally make up the meal. I realize this won't be every meal; some days you might want a plate full of eggs and potatoes for breffast. I have those too. Toast? Maybe...Maybe not. Maybe all there is in the house is a stale heel which you want to feed to the geese.

Back to the matter at hand, we have grains. In this category we will also discuss semi-grainish things (such as things made from grains) or things that aren't quite as explicit as a nub of barley. Obviously, when one thinks of these there are the blatant ones: Rice, quinoa, oatmeal (or by the lesser known moniker "goat-meal"), and the like. Semi grainish things include pastas, breads, polenta, and more.

If you're looking for most nutrient value and/or fiber you will most likely look to whole foods. These include, but are not limited to:

~rice which still has the outer "layer"
~oatmeal which is cut or ground (ex Scottish and Irish styles). Instant oats don't count in this case:  they're stripped of part of their fiber, which makes them faster-cooking.
~other whole grains like quinoa, or millet.

 A bowl of brown rice underneath your stir-fry is remarkably filling. It's nutty, with a little tooth, and it's got something to make you feel good too. These sorts of things are not as quick to prepare, but you're able to take them and get a lot of different combinations. For example, a humble grain of rice can be slathered in tomato sauce; it can be catching some cheese; it could be buttered and seasoned lightly as a side. I'm sure that you can see were this leads.

On the other hand, you could have a Big Cat meowing in the background. He's telling you that he can see the bottom of his food bowl, and is not happy. So you are looking at the spaghetti you have in the cupboard, or the bread you can toast for a sandwich. These are quicker, and they're tasty too. In either case, you'll find that they won't completely make you full. If you're a hard core carb fiend (and believe me, I have my days) they make even make you hungrier. Balance is needed to enjoy the virtues of these:

~Breads
~polenta
~pastas
~quick cooking rice
~ quick cooking oatmeal

I list these in two categories because it's important to note the differences... In taste, texture and in cooking time. I think we're all familiar with the tamer flavors of bread and pastas. Aside from the fact that they're shaped to work with the rest of the food (think : a shell noodle is shaped to catch sauce), they're also intended not to fight with it. Even a whole wheat pasta cooked al-dente is going to step aside and let your garlic-sauce shine. So if you're looking for a more delicate flavor, go for a rice noodle instead of a hearty brown rice.

The final, extremely important consideration is texture. I've left this to the side until now, however it will make--and break--your meal. There aren't any hard and fast rules to this..But generally speaking, mushy is bad. Unless you're making Indian food, there shouldn't be any question about what utensil to use for eating.

Ok, this is long. More, more, more, to come.

The Undertaking

I apologize about the delay in posting; I have several bad excuses which you may or may not want to hear. One is that between getting ready for Christmas, family, harassing financial aid to do their job, and various other things...I've been hesitant to post.

But, excuses aside, we have an undertaking in front of us. I'm sure this has been done before, and better. And my ideas may not be comprehensive, nor canon.  Nonetheless, the Big Cat requires it. So it must be.

What I'm talking about is a semi-General theory of Foodstuffs. Why oh why, dear Demeter, do your carrots go with your peas? What makes something Greek or Italian? And what is this curious thought of balance so important?

This is going to take some time, so bear with me. I'll begin..in the middle (not as David Copperfield...).

Foods come in three categories: Grains (and starchy things), Protein, and veggies/fruits.

Grains are often the blank canvas of your meal; They provide something to pull the other aspects together, and they can provide some fiber. There is a large scope here: anywhere from bland oatmeal to more processed forms, such as bread or pasta. I will certainly go into more detail about this and our other groupings in future posts. There are going to be crossovers between categories, which we will discuss. Overall, I'd suggest these being about 1/4 to 1/3 of the meal if possible.

Protein is sometimes the filling element, sometimes the garnish. Beans, cheeses, and meats do fall into this category, as well as some other mysterious items. In the scope of a meal, this should be one fourth or so of the total meal. I'm making a distinction between protein "foods" like beans, and grams of protein per meal. So  remember other foods do contain protein, and it's important to consider it from a nutritional standpoint as well.

And lastly, but certainly equal in my mind..are veggies! (And fruits). These should be about half your plate, and you will feel full if you do. They're great sources of fiber and nutrients, and can add a lot of diversity to your diet. Starchy veggies will sometimes cross over and fill the role of grains when you're planning a meal (think: potatoes in a frittata or corn in polenta.).  On the other end of the spectrum, fruits can make fantastic deserts.

 Hopefully, keeping these three categories in mind will bring the "balance" into perspective, and simplify it a bit.

A Few Things at Once

I don't know if you do this, but I often think about flavors in combinations. For example, basil and oregano are to me what peanut butter and jelly are to somebody else. There are a lot of "normal" things, like peas and carrots, dill and lemon, on and on. These have always been good, reliable, and hard to mess up.

On the other hand, there are some ingredients which seemed to be...very strange at first. After having given them a chance, my mind was changed. Here are a few which I highly recommend. Some you might have tried already...others probably not.

1) Chocolate, tomato and chili---primarily in the form of mole. There's a lot more to the sauce than that (HUGE understatement there), and the whole is equally more than the sum of its parts. It's a regional Mexican sauce/dish that is well worth seeking out.

2) Pumpkin seeds. This is sort of a part 2 to the first one, since in Mexico they are referred to as pepitas. They're often included in mole and other dishes. Not a sunflower seed, not a nut...Just interesting. Very tasty on their own when lightly seasoned and baked in the oven!

3) French feta. I thought...Feta is Greek, right? Yes, but this is something else which is salty, briny, complex, crumbly and creamy all at the same time. It's great on a tomato sandwich, with just a little coarse ground pepper.

4) Course ground pepper and sea salt. This was another "I think it's the same" as that stuff we all have in the cupboard.

NO, it's not. I must be adamant about this. It's one of the cheapest, quickest, most effective ways to bring out the flavors in almost everything you cook. For the more experienced, you're sitting there telling yourself you've read this in every cookbook since Mastering the Art of French Cooking....The rest of us are in for something profound. 

Sea salt has mineral flavors which are vastly underrated. Most of what you taste is stripped out in your average table salt...Especially that stuff with the spout at the top of the cardboard container. I found that as soon as a experimented with sea salt (I use a French grey) I needed less to do the same amount of flavoring. Bonus: interesting crunching texture, or easily ground into smaller grains for whatever.

Freshly ground pepper was a new world to me. It's not nearly as bitter, and it has an interesting bite and fragrance. Plus, it doesn't have that odd dusty consistency, and it's fun to grind it into whatever you're working on.  And for as much as you'll use it---it's pretty inexpensive, even if you go for organic. 

5) Speaking of which, organic herbs/seasonings. From my experience: Fresher, better color, better flavor and cheaper. It's really surprising given the reputation of organic products being "expensive" and indistinguishable. 

I'm not going back on that one. 

6) Here's a really old one! We're going medieval on your... Dill in your eggs (preferably fresh dill). Chop the dill up a bit, and it works for scrambled, omelettes, whatever. 

7) Tomato and chevre. I know that we all like tomato and cheese...and it comprises a hefty portion of my own diet. I'm not going to pretend I don't do that at on a weekly basis, in some form or another. But this sauce really hit the spot, and it was kinda out of left field.

I sauteed up a little onion and tarragon, and then mixed that with my tomato base. Added a little (about a teaspoon to 1/2 a cup) basic white sugar, some salt, some pepper, and let it simmer for a few minutes. (This dish also included small brown mushrooms, peas, and tortellini. Adjust at your whim). 

When I was ready to put the sauce in, I combined about 2 ounces of chevre into my tomato sauce. This was enough for two, with a little bit left over. It came out creamy, tart, and clung to the tortellini in a pleasing way. Snarfed. 

Also really old, and unknown: the French Press. All you need is coarse ground coffee and boiling water. Then  four minutes later, you have an excellent pot of coffee. Keep in mind the most wondrous part: You can do this anywhere, no electricity required.

I'm sure there will be more things soon. These have been on my mind, and I always like to share tasty. Who doesn't, after all?

Banana Bread

So since this is a long-awaited post, I decided to make it something of a treat. I had posted a casual pic of this on facebook, and received quite a response. 

The Big Cat has a very large sweet tooth, and he's madly in love with breakfast. I deflected the incessant cookie monster for a week or so with this, as it covers both bases. 


The recipe has been a long time coming. Originally, I'd been scrounging on Cooks.com...Looking for something. It's really either hit-or-miss... You get a fantastic recipe for pizza dough, then go back for croissant to wind up with butter-mush. 


Anyway, I took those basic components I saw over and over, and fashioned this.After a couple of good loaves, I wrote it down. It's a relatively small batch, but does double well if you need, but you'll need to bake it for probably 15 mins longer. 

Ingredients:

1 to 1.25 cups flour ( I use white whole wheat. King Arthur's organic has always treated me well)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt, more mineral flavor)
a tiny dash of baking powder

About 1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup granulated white sugar 
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
about 6 tablespoons cultured butter (could add more if you like)
2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 350.

Lightly beat your eggs first, then add your butter and sugars. I melted the butter slightly to make that go more quickly and evenly. Then I put in the banana, so it will stay a little chunky.

Combine your other dry ingredients, and slowly add them to your wet mix. I do this in a separate bowl and stir them with the other end of my spoon. You could be truly persnickety and sift it, but it's not necessary. Stir until just combined. 


At this point, you can add some walnuts, chocolate chips, or a small (very small) amount of rum. If you're using chocolate chips, you may want to wait. I like to put the mixture into my butter dish first, and drop the chips on top. This keeps them from sticking to the bottom (in a most annoying manner!)

I prefer the square glass-type baking dish, but metal would work also. Might have to watch your baking time more, however. 



Use with caution, or you might get some unwanted guests.