Sep 18

Gardening: Worth the Price?

Julian and I have had running discussions on the cost-effectiveness of our little upper-deck garden. He’s dubious that the cost layout for the seeds, plants, soil, fertilizer, and water is worth it. My response is yes.

  • A small sprig or two of basil costs $2 or more at the grocery store. Even during high season, a large bunch of basil (enough for pesto) costs over $5. For $5, I can get enough basil seeds and soil to have several batches of pesto over the summer.
  • I can harvest just what I need without waste. We’ve had numerous half-bunches of cilantro turn into compost in the fridge.
  • There’s the option of cut and come again. The plants regrow and produce more leaves until frost or a particularly rainy fall.
  • The garden lets me grow items that I can’t find at a reasonable price or nearby. Chief example: Padron peppers. Two more examples: Red shiso and rau ram (Vietnamese coriander).

The one exception to the cost-effectiveness equation is tomatoes. I tried to have tomato plants on the upper deck three years ago and earlier at our old house (see this post), and got minimal return on investment. I’m not alone in this assessment. Other friends have reported the same frustration with attempting to grow tomatoes in the Seattle area. As long as we have the fruit stand around the corner, I’m cool with buying my own tomatoes.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/18/gardening-worth-the-price/

Sep 18

Basic Beet Salad

Like most kids, I abhorred beets. Occasionally my school would serve “Harvard beets” as a side dish with lunch. I resolved that if Harvard served those beets, I’d never attend it. (Never mind that Harvard’s undergraduate program was all-male at the time.) As years have passed, I’ve developed a more positive attitude toward beets, but not Harvard.

I had a hankering for beets the other day. Most of the time, beets sold in bulk are about the size of softballs and take forever to cook. However, I found some that were golf ball-size. I bought a handful of them. Sunday night I washed the beets and wrapped them in some heavy-duty foil, then put them in a 425° oven while Julian was making oven fries. Once the fries came out, I turned off the oven and let the residual heat finish off cooking the beets. I took the foil-wrapped package out of the oven and put it in the refrigerator. The following night I peeled and sliced the beets. I tossed them with some extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sliced scallions, salt, pepper, and a little dried thyme. It was served alongside some jerk chicken wings and rice. I had the leftovers with a few cherry tomatoes for lunch today.

The beauty of this salad is that it’s a blank canvas onto which you can add anything. Fresh herbs. Onion or garlic if you don’t have scallions. You can tweak the dressing (see my earlier post, Brewpub Beets). If you’re mixing yellow and red beets, roast them separately. If you’re adding feta or another cheese, do so just before serving. Maybe I should call this salad anywhere but Harvard beets.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/18/basic-beet-salad/

Sep 15

Milk versus Milk

Full disclosure: I am a dairy farmer’s granddaughter. Most of our neighbors when I was growing up had dairy farms. As an animal science major, I worked on dairy research and had to collect milk samples at the Cornell Teaching and Research Center at 4 in the morning for two weeks for one experiment.

Now that I’ve gotten the disclaimer out of the way, a current controversy is the labeling of alternate milks (soy, nut, rice, hemp) as milk. The dairy industry is lobbying to reserve the term milk to only those beverages made from lactating mammals. Obviously a LOT of money is involved here. Dairy farmers are getting record-low prices for milk. Some farmers are selling out or committing suicide because of the depressed prices for their products. Economics aside, how do milks from animal and plant sources compare nutrition- and cooking-wise?

This article on cnn,com offers a good overview of the nutritional differences between animal and plant milks. I’m going to concentrate on the cooking qualities. Chemistry is destiny in the kitchen, so substituting any plant-based milk for a large quantity of cow’s milk (more than a tablespoon or two) will give you different results. This is particularly true in items where the milk protein is essential to thickening. Let’s take the example of an egg custard. The protein in both cow’s milk and egg will denature (change structure) to thicken the custard. Let’s say you decide to substitute an equal amount of nut or coconut milk for the cow’s milk in the recipe. Because of the lower amount of protein in these alternatives, you may need to use more egg to achieve an equivalent amount of thickening. Coconut milk, even the “light” product, is higher in fat than cow’s milk, so the end result will have a much different texture and mouthfeel. Soy milk is close in protein content to cow’s milk, but the proteins may denature at a different temperature or interact differently with the egg protein. This article is a decent reference for substituting plant for animal milk.

The admonitions on using plant milks for cooking and baking goes double for cheese and yogurt substitutes. Additional fat or thickeners may be required to achieve anything close to comparable to dairy products. Some vegan products may come close to their dairy counterparts; others are sadly deficient.

For those who choose to be vegan or who have cow’s milk allergies or intolerances, plant milks can be viable alternatives. Just don’t expect them to duplicate dairy in the kitchen.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/15/milk-versus-milk/

Sep 15

Raspberry and Figgy Goodness

Inspiration can strike at odd times. In my case, it usually strikes between 5 and 7 am. Yesterday I was rummaging in the refrigerator for breakfast when I noticed the figs and raspberries we’d bought the other night. The neurons started firing: A fruit salad for lunch.

I washed a handful of raspberries and mixed them with four small figs that I’d halved and de-stemmed. I drizzled a little balsamic vinegar into the bowl before closing it. The flavors had several hours to merge before lunch. The end result was very tasty for little effort on my part. Another experiment that bears repeating.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/15/raspberry-and-figgy-goodness/

Sep 15

Welcome to the Rainy Season

Last winter and spring were very wet. We just slogged through one of the hottest and driest summers on record. Now the rain is back. How long will it take before the locals start complaining about the rain?

[Note: This is the 500th post for Edible Thoughts! Thanks for reading and following along with the fun!]

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/15/welcome-to-the-rainy-season/

Sep 09

Doing Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill is a Seattle neighborhood near my workplace. I taught for a quarter at Seattle Central College, in the heart of the neighborhood. Capitol Hill has become highly gentrified in the 15 years we’ve been here. It’s also the traditional LGBT neighborhood in Seattle, with many businesses catering to this demographic. We hadn’t been up there together for a while, so that was our Saturday adventure this weekend.

First challenge: Parking. We wound up on 12th Avenue near Seattle University. Second challenge: Lunch. We settled on sandwiches at a French bakery/café called Sémillon. Both of us brought half of our sandwiches home. We also purchased two macarons for after-dinner eating. Julian said his passionfruit macaron was the best he’d ever had. My mint chocolate one was close to the best I’d ever had. The mint cookies had a layer of chocolate buttercream in the middle rather than a thin glaze of jam.

Following lunch, we went to Eltana Bagels to pick up provisions. Eltana makes Montreal-style bagels, which are thinner and chewier than your standard poofy bakery bagels. We also got some za’atar and scallion cream cheese to schmear on the bagels.

The next stop on our stroll was The Elliott Bay Book Company. This bookstore moved from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill in 2010. It’s the only full-line bookstore on Capitol Hill since Bailey-Coy Books on Broadway closed. Naturally, I went straight to the cookbook section. I was disappointed at the large amount of shelf space devoted to Paleo and ketogenic diet books. Three years ago I blogged on the diets that made the most sense and had scientific evidence to back up the claims. I restrained myself and bought three foodie lit books, suitable for bus commutes.I’ve been waiting to get this book since before we went to Paris last year.It’s unusual to have a chef go after pseudoscience, which is why I bought the one on the left. History has always been an interest of mine. Culinary history even more so.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/09/doing-capitol-hill/

Sep 09

The Cult of Shoes that Fit

Several of my friends and colleagues belong to the Cult of Cute Shoes. They have 8-8 1/2 medium feet, which means they can walk into any shoe store and find what they want. Meanwhile, I have size 10-10 1/2 narrow feet. Two of my former roommates have the same dilemma. Therefore, I’m proposing a new cult: The Cult of Shoes that Fit.

Consider this typical scenario: I walk into an average department store shoe department and look at the styles. An eager salesperson comes over and asks if I need assistance. I describe what I’m looking for and add: “Oh, by the way, I have size 10 narrow feet.” The salesperson’s face goes from enthusiasm to pity: “I’m so sorry, we don’t carry narrow widths”, and scurries off to find more promising customers. I wander off to the next store and more disappointment.

I have a little luck at certain stores around Seattle. Naturally, I have to pay more than my cute shoes cultists for the privilege of finding shoes that fit. Nordstrom usually carries narrow shoes, even in my size. I’ve also had good luck at a store around the corner from my office, Anderson’s Comfort Shoes. I can also find walking shoes in my size at New Balance or Brooks. As long as I can find local stores that have shoes that fit, I won’t go to online sources.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/09/the-cult-of-shoes-that-fit/

Sep 08

The Heavy Equipment

Okay, I’ve given my advice on kitchen gadgets. Now it’s time to talk about cookware and baking gear. You can spend lots of money on these items when you may be able to get away with a more reasonably priced set.

Again, the first consideration is what you do in the kitchen. Do you use the microwave more than the regular oven? On average, how many pans do you use to make dinner? Do you bake anything more complex than buy and bake pizza?

Second consideration: What kind of cooktop do you have? Electric, gas, smooth top electric, or induction? We learned when we bought our induction range that most of the pots and pans we’d accumulated over the years wouldn’t work on it. We failed to factor in the cost of new cookware in the price of the range.

Third consideration: Are you comfortable with obsolescence? The average non-stick pan may last a couple of years before you have to replace it. On the other hand, your descendants can inherit your cast iron pan if you care for it properly.

Here are the bare-bones items for a starter kitchen:

Two frying pans, one cast iron and one non-stick;

One large pot suitable for boiling pasta or making soup;

One medium and one small saucepan;

One large and one small shallow baking pan (often called cookie sheets or half sheet pans);

A 1 1/2 quart ceramic casserole dish, preferably with a cover;

A 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, for bread or meat loaf;

One 9″ square and one 9″ x 13″ baking pan for cakes, cookies, or casseroles.

The type of pans you buy will depend on the above considerations and your views on cleaning cookware. Julian ordered a pricey set of cookware that’s compatible with our induction range. For most of our everyday cooking, I use our old induction-compatible pans or the items we bought at Ikea while we were waiting for the good stuff to arrive. The Ikea pans and glass/ceramic casseroles can go into the dishwasher. The pricey stuff and cast iron need to be hand washed, dried, and regularly re-seasoned. The ability to let the dishwasher do the work gets you back to watching silly online videos or reading blog posts faster.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/08/the-heavy-equipment/

Sep 06

Deconstructed Chiles Relleños

Hatch chiles have arrived in Seattle. These are the state chiles of New Mexico, and come in medium and hot varieties. (This is by New Mexico standards. By Seattle standards, Hatches come in hot and incendiary varieties.) Central Market offered a recipe for chiles relleños using Hatches. It looked feasible and didn’t require deep-frying.

Hatches require roasting to remove the rather tough skins. Some stores will do the roasting for you; however, it’s easy to do on an outdoor grill. Roast them over medium coals or flame until they’re blackened on all sides. Put the chiles in a paper bag to steam for a few minutes before peeling off the skin. DO NOT do the roasting indoors unless you love the smell of pepper spray in the evening. While the chiles were steaming in the bag, I sautéed some onion and bell pepper. I then added a little ground beef and let it brown. I added a little salsa to the meat mixture and went back to peel the chiles.

Most standard chiles relleños recipes call for Anaheim or poblano chiles rather than Hatches. There’s a good reason – Hatches are thinner-walled than the other chiles and more prone to tearing. I wound up using the chile pieces more like lasagne noodles and putting the meat mixture in between the layers. I topped the casserole with some grated Monterey Jack cheese and put it in the oven at 400°F for 20 minutes. We served it with a salad. You can top the chiles with sour cream to abate the heat a little.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/06/deconstructed-chiles-rellenos/

Sep 02

Power Tools!

Now we get to the Tim Allen/Home Improvement part of arming your kitchen. Some people love kitchen electrical gadgets. Others eschew them. We are in the middle camp. Our main consideration: Will we use this appliance  enough to grant it precious space on our counter or in our cabinet? Here are a few other factors to consider as you walk through a kitchenware store.

What are your physical abilities? You may not need a food processor if you’re an expert with a mortar and pestle. If your knife skills are flagging because of arthritis, a food processor can help cut up potatoes and carrots quickly.

What do you cook or bake? For a casual baker (cake mixes, cookies), a hand electric mixer may work fine. If you turn out yeast breads, you may need a heavy-duty stand mixer. A blender is a necessity if you make a lot of smoothies or shakes.

How much of a particular item do you make at a time? If you have a large family, a large rice cooker is a good investment.

Is the time spent cleaning and reassembling this gadget going to outweigh the time saved by using it? See my earlier post, Inspecting Kitchen Gadgets.

The electric gadget that gets the most use here at Casa Sammamish is the rice cooker. We have a small one with an on-off switch and no neuro-fuzzy logic or different settings for different rices. We have small and standard-size food processors, and hand and stand mixers. I picked up an electric spice grinder at a kitchen yard sale several years ago. I admit I don’t use it very often, but it works very well on grinding dried chiles and hard seeds. The bowl and knife assembly are metal, so there’s not much flavor carryover. It’s a unibody construction; however, the bowl is shallow enough so you have less chance of ripping up your fingers during cleaning.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/02/power-tools/

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