Sep 24

Hard Times for Optimists

It’s getting harder and harder to look on the bright side of life these days. As I type, the death toll due to Covid-19 in the US has surpassed 200,000. The Federal Government can’t get its act together to put out science-based guidelines for states to follow, let alone approve aid for those who need it most. Many small businesses have given up, including my hair salon and dry cleaner. Here in the Northwest, wildfires are causing mass evacuations and hazardous air quality.

Last Friday was a rough one. I was finishing up work when my cell phone pinged with the news of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death from pancreatic cancer. The knowledge that this president would try to put another Justice on the Supreme Court in the midst of an election campaign was frightening. Julian was close to tears. My first comment was, “And Canada won’t let us in.” Our response was to stay glued to the television news, similar to what we did on September 11, 2001. I picked up our usual Friday night takeout. (In an eerie parallel to our 9/11 dinner, I went to a fish restaurant.) Julian uncorked a bottle of white wine and declared, “This won’t last the night.” It didn’t.

In the words of the late John Lewis, who also succumbed to pancreatic cancer, it’s time to get into some “good trouble.” Work for candidates who will uphold the legacy of Justice Ginsburg. Contribute money to these candidates. Vote, and encourage your friends and family to do so. Take advantage of early voting. We need to get our optimism about our country back.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/09/24/hard-times-for-optimists/

Sep 19

Adaptation

Arts organizations have had a rough time during this pandemic. Our spring Seattle Symphony concerts were canceled. We signed up for this season’s concerts back in March, before we knew that Covid-19 would hang around in the fall. Our first concert is tonight, but we won’t be going to Benaroya Hall for it. We will watch a live stream at home. The upsides: No line for the restrooms during intermission, and better coffee for Julian.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/09/19/adaptation/

Sep 15

An Oldie but Goodie

Back in the 1980s I bought several booklets from Garden Way Publishing, now a part of Workman Press. Garden Way specialized in increasing self-sufficiency. Not only did it publish cookbooks and booklets, but it published gardening and animal husbandry titles as well. Now that Yeast Mode has a prominent place on my counter, I’ve utilized the sourdough booklet extensively. I’ve made bread, cake, cobbler, and pancake recipes out of it. A fine return on an investment of $1.95.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/09/15/an-oldie-but-goodie/

Sep 12

Bummer Summer

This has been the summer of our discontent here in the Northwest. The pandemic threw any vacation plans into the dumpster. Now we have wildfires up and down the West Coast. The nearest fire to us is in Enumclaw, in southern King County; however, easterly winds are carrying smoke from the other side of the Cascade Mountains here. The view from our living room looks like a dreary December day without the rain. Air quality is very unhealthy. The poor air quality may increase susceptibility to Covid-19, to make matters worse. The only upside is that the heavy smoke cover has kept outdoor temperatures cool, so folks without air conditioning can keep windows shut without suffocating heat.

Stay cool and safe.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/09/12/bummer-summer/

Sep 07

Kitchen Pyrotechnics

Why is it that men seize on massive firepower to do tasks that more moderate temperatures can do just as well? Is it the need for speed, or just a love of gadgetry?

Example du jour: Julian bought an item called a Searzall. This is a flame diffuser that attaches to a home propane blowtorch. According to the videos, one can sear steaks and fish, roast peppers, and caramelize crème brûlée. He had to go to the hardware store to get a blowtorch and propane tanks so he could try it out.

I have serious concerns about the use of powerful blowtorches in the kitchen, and ours in particular. It’s a glorified galley with way too much wood. It’s one thing to use one of these suckers in a commercial kitchen, quite another in a condo. In addition, I did a week’s rotation in the Parkland Memorial Hospital Burn Unit many years ago. One doesn’t leave that setting without a deep respect for fire and what it can do to the human body.

Julian assembled the blowtorch-Searzall. The instructions called for breaking in the apparatus by running it for exactly two minutes to oxidize the palladium diffuser screens. I made him do it in the driveway well away from our wood-frame abode. (Our neighbors were no doubt relieved.)

The first test of the Searzall followed shortly thereafter. I needed to roast and peel some Hatch chiles. Julian set a chile on a baking rack over a cookie sheet on the kitchen counter and turned on the burn. It was slow going. After several minutes of blasting when only a few charred skin bubbles on the chile had appeared, I asked, “Should I start the gas grill?” He nodded.

The Searzall may be fine for crème brûlée or other small tasks that don’t take much time, but I wouldn’t trust it to do bulk items like a mess of chiles or several steaks that had been cooked in the sous vide.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/09/07/kitchen-pyrotechnics/

Sep 01

Simple Questions

I’ve been on a slow burn all year between the unjustified murders of Black people and the inadequate response by all levels of government to these murders. The shooting of three people at a protest rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin by a teenaged vigilante finally sent me over the edge. Here are a few simple questions that require answers. I’m not holding my breath that I’ll ever hear them.

  • What the hell was a 17-year-old kid doing with an AR-15 rifle that he wasn’t old enough to purchase?
  • Who purchased this rifle and the ammunition for him?
  • Why did this kid believe that he should cross the state line from his home and play cop with a deadly weapon?
  • Where were the responsible adults in this boy’s life who could have talked him out of going to Kenosha?
  • When will these shootings end?

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/09/01/simple-questions/

Aug 23

Flinging Flour

Yeast Mode earned its keep this week. (And a good thing, since I feel as if I’m buying five-pound bags of flour every time we go grocery shopping.) Thursday I made a batch of blueberry muffins with it. Julian was happy, especially since we have plenty more in the freezer.

Friday night I started a batch of bagels with the starter. I adapted a recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. Instead of making a predough from scratch, Yeast Mode did the honors. The resulting batch was very chewy, suitable for teething tots or testing the tenacity of dental implants. I think we’ve gotten used to the poofy bagels sold in grocery stores hereabouts.

Saturday Julian decided to make mussels for the first time in over a year. As we were walking out of the grocery store, he said, “We forgot to get some crusty bread to go with the mussels. Although you could always make some…” Yes, I could. I found a recipe for Cuban bread from my well-worn copy of The New York Times Cookbook. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s fast. You go from flour to bread in about two hours. I added a little of Yeast Mode to the dough for flavor rather than leavening. The interior was quite fine-textured, with a sturdy crust – perfect for sopping up the mussel liquid.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/08/23/flinging-flour/

Aug 20

Lamb and Figs

We bought some cute little lamb chops at Costco last week. My traditional sauce for lamb chops in the summer contains fresh figs. Unfortunately, the price was prohibitive, so I used dried. Here’s what I did:

Quarter 10-12 dried figs. Dice about 1/4 cup onion. You can also use a shallot. Sauté the onion in a little olive oil. Stir in the figs, along with some port and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Let the figs soften up. Let cool. Just before serving alongside the lamb chops, stir in some chopped fresh mint.

Julian approved. Then he asked, “Was this sauce is a fig-mint of your imagination?” Where’d I pick up this guy?

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/08/20/lamb-and-figs/

Aug 16

Clean out the Fridge Time

Little bits and pieces of stuff accumulate in our refrigerator. They may not be enough to cobble a new meal from on their own, but in combination they can. This was last night’s gemisch:

  • Earlier in the week Julian made chimichurri (garlic cut with a little parsley, carrot, and olive oil) to serve with steak. Later I made some pesto. I consolidated the two sauces into one dish and puzzled how to use the combination. Pesto-churri?
  • We bought some halibut on sale yesterday. As we were waiting to check out, I tossed a can of quartered artichoke hearts into the cart.
  • I had some grape tomatoes that were rapidly turning into raisin tomatoes. I also had some pitted black and green olives that needed to be used.
  • I wound up broiling the halibut. The artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, and pesto-churri were mixed with some white wine vinegar and served alongside the fish with orzo.

The end result worked for me. It also reduced the number of bowls and dishes in the fridge so we could stuff more food in.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/08/16/clean-out-the-fridge-time/

Aug 15

Pandemic Plans

“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!” – Robert Burns, To a Mouse

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon, Beautiful Boy

The pandemic threw many plans into the abyss. Our vacation to Italy. Social gatherings with friends. Annual traditions such as parades, fireworks, and street festivals. About the only plans we can successfully execute these days are menu plans.

Before Covid-19, our menu planning was half-baked. We’d look at what we had in the house, what was on sale at the grocery store, and supplement with midweek trips to the market or go out to a restaurant. Now we try to limit our supermarket shopping trips to once a week; therefore, our menus for the week need to be thought through before we leave the house. Julian will grab a piece of paper and ask, “So what are we making this week?” We go through a litany of items that we’re willing to make, after perusing what’s on sale and what recipes we may have seen browsing through cookbooks, magazines, and the web.

Today was a good example of menu planning. Julian had looked at Central Market’s specials last night and formulated a tentative list – halibut, chicken, pork, eggplant. We also needed to go to Costco, which meant I could get some of its tasty little lamb chops. He’d originally put kalbi ribs on the menu, but they were prohibitively expensive so we got pork steaks instead. We’re at least set until next weekend.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/08/15/pandemic-plans/

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