spontaneous cider :when good fruit goes bad

I admit it. I'm a little skittish about home brewing. While I'm a good cook I'm kind of bad at following orders (um I meant recipes). I am also not punctilious about the state of my dishes. I was also raised by a woman who was the kind of teetotaler who is uncomfortable with using alcohol based extracts in high temperature baking. Add to this the exploded beer atrocity of 1998, the scary bottles of dandelion wine no doubt still lurking in the basement I haven't seen in a decade and the ubiquitous horribleness of my first sourdough starter (since rectified) and I've gotten almost silly about it. These factors have led to things like making slow fermented sauerkraut in the fridge rather than risking fermentation in the warmer (no doubt) faster climes of my cupboards. Meanwhile I envy the glowing jewels of mead, beer and lately other wines that arrive periodically at my house courtesy of benevolent friends.

My favorite alcohols are cider, bourbon and mead- in that order. I'll also admit a fondness for gluhwein. Witbiers used to also be on that list but then I found out I'm not supposed to eat wheat. Unless I research, cider is safer out and about. I still get a mood for the occasional oatmeal stout. Beer is tasty but frankly cider is even better. Plus, no risk. In the plains I mostly had a choice between Hornsby's and Woodchuck. When we moved to Chicago I discovered two things. 1. Alcohol is really really expensive here....like 8$ for a six of the cheapest frankly not very tasty cider I can find in these parts. 2. cider is everywhere and for some reason bourbon is 2x the price it was in Kansas. 3.The apples here are awesome.. I had forgotten.

Now, I can spend 10$ on 22 oz of a fabulous organic sweet cider from Michigan (JK Scrumpy) or an extra 2$ on a six pack of Original Sin or Wyder's. Given that it still takes me weeks to finish that sixer I was ok with that.

One hot late summer day this year I grabbed a half gallon of cider along with some tofu and the peck of apples from our csa. A few hours later I deposited our purchases in the fridge and thought nothing of it. The next am I went to grab a glass of juice and noticed that the cider was carbonated though not yet funny smelling. I looked up some stuff online which said it was fine to drink but thought that maybe I should wait a day or two to see what developed. I checked and stirred it daily to release the gases building up on the plastic walls of the cider jug. Three days later it smelled and tasted like the 10$ per 22 oz product including the ridiculously high alcohol volume and stayed that way for about 5 days by which time it was gone. It makes sense, wild yeast here can't be too different from Michigan and the cider was a preservative free Organic Michigan apple cider (cost 5$ for the half gallon: a bit of a splurge). So now with our CSA Thanksgiving share of 2 gallons of cider I was wondering. how we could fit two jugs of cider in the fridge. It came to me...I could see if I could make it into hard cider was as easy as it appeared.

The day of the share arrival I poured 1 gallon of fresh apple cider -a mixed apple variety from our csa with no preservatives (or it won't ferment) into a 1 gallon sterile carboy (old Rossi jug) and covered with a bit of clean fabric secured with a rubber band. The next day I stirred the mixture (not bubbling yet as it's late November and it's chilly cause we're cheapskates) and added 2 oz Wyder's dry apple cider (because that's what's around and again, it wasn't bubbling yet).

Day Two. rotated and stirred to aerate as I a read blog that said this was important

- apparently. Makes sense, the yeast need to breathe. Mixture appears quite fizzy and tastes like apple soda. To taste this I poured off an ounce or so.

Day Three

The cider appears full on cider-ish, it smells sweet and a touch skunky at first. Keep in mind it took me a minute to smell this and I have quite the sniffing abilities. After allowing it to breathe a few minutes while I googled the possible dangers of skunky cider the eggy smell had evaporated. Now it smells sweet and appley. Mixture tastes like a nice honey sweet cider with a light kick and a mild sour bite. Drank half a glass. So far not ill. Aerated remainder and left on counter. I will let you know what happens on day 4 and beyond.

Warnings: 1. Don't be an idiot with alcohol. Drinking with kids (inside or outside of you) and operating machinery like cars, cell phones (in some cases) or drills is not only hazardous to your health but it's likely to get you arrested or killed. Drinking with idiots is likewise inadvisable. Please, just don't.

2. This is clearly an experiment. Like mushroom hunting you probably shouldn't do this without an expert on hand, decent equipment, testing strips and possibly a cold cellar. I AM NOT AN EXPERT. This might be dangerous, or lethal. I don't know. Research safer methods, ok?

3. Being an experiment, I'm not sure how this will turn out. I'll let you know.

I still venture that this was dangerous...and tasty.
While storing in fridge day 4-10  I rotated the bottle regularly . The sweet bubbly stuff had more of a kick and got gradually drier,and less skunky .
We drank about 1/2 of it before it started smelling like vinegar (no gas resistant bottles around) around day 10. At this point we just opened it up and rotated it daily to allow the gases out. On day 30 it had separated clearly into vinegar and mother of V. We strained and rebottled for use in salads and as hair rinse.
 

cleaner recipes : counter/floor spray, furniture polish, scrubbing stuff... I don't eat this

spray bottle
1 cup water
1 cup cheap vodka
3 tb vinegar
1/4 c liquid soap(castile,flax based or non petroleum based dish detergent)
10-15 drops essential oil for summer in damp mosquito-y Chicago I use lemongrass (can repel many small bugs), and tangerine because it makes me happy

to make
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mix together by pouring in bottle and shaking a few times
label
shake before use
keep away from kids/pets in cool location

spray on surface,wipe,alcohol kills some bacteria soap. some kills some.leaves pretty smell by evaporation.if serving/ preparing food on surface use follow with a wet cloth to remove soap residue. Not for wood surfaces as the alcohol will destroy most shellac, poly coatings and damage wood. To clean wood surfaces wash with soap and water and follow with furniture polish.


Furniture polish for unpainted surfaces

Ingredients
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mix 2 oz olive oil and 2 oz lemon juice
add 4-5 drops citrus essential oil (grapefruit,lemon,tangerine,etc)
4-5 oz empty bottle

to make
-------------
pour into bottle and shake

to use
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label and refrigerate between uses

15 minutes before use take out for fat to thaw
shake well
apply small quantity with soft cloth (circular motion helps)
keep away from kids/pets
do not use on floors as this will make your floor dangerously slippery

scrubbing stuff for tile,stainless steel, enamel,etc
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clean empty 20 oz squirt bottle (the kind dish soap comes in)
4 oz liquid soap(castille , non petroleum dish soap)
4 oz baking soda
4 oz vinegar
essential oil of your choice
2-3 oz water
mixing bowl/ and funnel
fork

to make
-----------------------
1.using fork thoroughly mix soap, baking soda and essential oil in bowl
2.add water, then vinegar -some fizzing should occur,mix gently with fork
3. pour into squirt bottle using funnel,label
keep away from kids/pets

red lentil stew and creamy coconut curry stew upgrade

Ingredients

8 oz red lentils (can also use yellow split peas in this recipe)
paprika (sweet)
Onion
5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice. (fresh if you can but not imperative)
6 cups veggie broth ,chicken stock or 6 cups water plus 2 cubes vegetarian chicken flavor boullion (I like the rapunzel no salt) 2 tb Harissa(if you can't find it sri racha or gochu chang works well instead, In a pinch Lousiana hotsauce will do)

optional add ins: dill, 2 carrots, a potato, a red or orange pepper) 2 handfuls fresh spinach, a handful of barley or kasha, parsley, salt
freezer containers (recipe easily doubles)


1.Put one half bag (8 oz) red lentils in a medium 6 qt pot and add 6 cups water(or chicken stock). Check for stones or rotten beans. If anything floats to the top pick it out and use new water. If using kasha or barley add it now.
Turn heat on high.

2. chop one large onion saute until translucent in two TB olive oil . add one tb whole cumin to the oil and 1 tsp paprika.
3. add 5 cloves or more sliced garlic and saute for 1 more minute (if you add the garlic in at the same time as they onions they will burn and ruin your soup.)
3. Add one two chopped carrots or chopped potatoes if desired
4. grind cumin over lentils 15 times (or add 1 tb ground cumin). Stir the lentils every few minutes as you do this.
5. add onions, garlic, spices to lentils
6. after about 20 minutes add broth cubes if you used water or add at beginning on low for crock pot

7. add 2 cups water and reduce heat to medium. now go do something else in the kitchen for about ten minutes.
8. add lemon juice and stir. If lentils are falling apart taste. if not wait ten more minutes.
9. Adjust salt ,lemon, olive oil, and cumin to your taste
11. If using dill add 1 small handful chopped fronds (skip it if you can't get fresh or frozen)
or 2 handfuls chiffonaded spinach (you could use chard or kale here if you wanted but then add it when you add the lemon)
12. Simmer until blended. about 5 minutes
13.Garnish with thin lemon slices and or parsley if desired

Ok so let's say you've been eating on this for a week because you quadrupled the recipe because it's finals week (or you have doubleshifts )or you don't feel like cooking. You're sick of it.There's no room in the freezer. Well it turns into other stuff pretty easily
Let's say you want:
Curried coconut lentil soup (good hot or chilled)
and you have
4 cups of red lentil stew
1/2 can of whole coconut milk (12 oz) or 4 oz unsweetened coconut cream(half a small tetra pack)
2 tb curry paste (any kind but I think green works best here) or 3 tb good curry powder
and optionally some leftover roasted tofu (or grilled chicken breast or cooked shrimp) and maybe some cilantro


There are two methods for step one:
If you are lazy and/or hot and have a blender
put cooled stew , curry and and coconut milk (and cilantro if using) in blender and pulse until smooth.

Stove top (it's going to be chunkier unless you blend it too)
Add all ingredients and stir in a pot until blended even if you want to serve it chilled so the flavors can marry

Step Two:
Heat or chill and pour into bowls. Garnish with tofu, or shrimp
or chicken if desired. If you used cilantro garnish with a little as a warning to cilantro haters.

Step 3: In the extremely unlikely event of leftovers serve heated over steamed rice (white or brown) along side a salad or some pickled veggies

super easy macaroons and even easier macaroons

Mix together
2 cup coconut flakes
½ cup sugar
2 egg whites
¼ tsp salt or vanilla salt
1 tsp almond extract or 1tsp vanilla extract
1 tb  shortening
chill for ½ hr

pre heat oven to 325 F degrees

line a cookie sheet with parchment

drop 1 tb per cookie on cookie sheet

Bake 25 minutes until golden
allow to cool at least 5 minutes before eating
store in airtight container

Even easier vegan macaroons
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Mash 1 overripe banana until pudding textured.
add a pinch of salt and 2cups coconut flakes. Mix well.

pre heat oven to 325 F degrees

line a cookie sheet with parchment

drop 1 tb per cookie on cookie sheet

Bake 25 minutes until golden as your dwelling becomes banana scented
allow to cool at least 5 minutes before eating
store in airtight container.

universal pesto (vegan or cheesy) gf, cf

a blender or food processor
1 lg handful (1/2 ish) nuts or large seeds
1 0z aged cheese (or 1/2 oz tahini and 1 TB dry mustard)
1-2 oz herbs/aromatic greens
pinch salt and maybe pepper
2-4 cloves garlic
1 oz olive oil
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Tonight I have crinkled cress and nasturtium leaves from our garden getting a bit wilty. If I had them and wanted this a touch spicier I could add radish leaves. If I wanted it mellower I could use spinach or chard. I could also use cilantro.
I will add 3 cloves garlic

and 1 oz cheddar (which I buy in bulk) and walnuts (which are yummy and sitting around)with salt pepper and olive oil. I will blend this until it's mostly uniform.

flexible spiced cider and wine

1/2 gallon apple cider
plus 1 can apple juice (2 qts water)

or 1 gallon apple  cider

optional 1 cup orange juice
optional 1 bottle white wine or mixture of several white wines
optional 1 bottle mead
optional 1 cup honey liquer
optional 1 cup rum
optional 1 cup brandy
optional 1 bottle red wine
optional 1/4 cup honey
(last time I used 1/2 c OJ, 2/3 bottle dry white wine, 1/3 bottle mead,1 cup honey vodka and 1/2 cup rum with 1 1/2 gallons of apple juice/cider mix)

Spices
5 peppercorns
1 tsp whole cardamom or 1/2 tsp ground
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
zest of one orange
1/2 chunk of ginger diced
1 peeled orange sliced
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup currants or raisins
Throw everything you want in a crockpot except liquors. Make sure lid is on. Put on High setting.
When everything is hot after 1 -2 hours add liquor and reduce heat to 'keep warm'. Make sure lid stays on when not serving. Make sure everyone drinks responsibly.

easy dosas (vegan, gluten/wheat free)

2 tb minced onion
sm handful cilantro (if on hand) chopped fine
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tb cumin whole or half whole and 1/2 ground
salt to taste
1 cup chickpea flour(might be labeled as chenna, or garbanzo flour)
1/4 tsp paprika (if on hand)
up to 2 1/2 cups water
oil or butter
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, cilantro and onion
Slowly mix in water a bit at a time using a fork or whisk until the texture of crepe batter.
Pre heat skillet and lightly oil. Use 1/2 cup measure to ladle batter onto pan. Lift pan and rotate to spread batter (same as you would with a crepe). Allow to set until bubbles appear and firm up. Flip at this point. Roll and stack on plate to retain heat when done. Repeat until batter is done.
Serve with veg, bhaji, greens, fruit, pickles, scrambled eggs,or whatever or serve with soup or yogurt. Traditionally this is a breakfast or snack dish. These refrigerate up to a week.

barley and apples

The 25 lb sack of barley flour I ordered from a local mill arrived a few days ago. It's been sitting on my living room floor imploring me to bake something already or at least put it away. For those of you wondering why any city dweller would want a 25 lb sack of barley flour let's just say Barley flour is normally 3.79 for 20 oz plus tax. That brand is not local or organic. Barley is a whole grain which I use as the main flour in all kinds of things including bread, pie, cookies, muffins,pancake mix, cake..this was 37$ for 25 lb of local organic barley flour including shipping which is 9.25 cents per oz. as opposed to 18.95 cents per oz at the local store. Barley is a whole grain flour with a moist crumb that no one in my house is allergic to. It is not gluten free but it is tasty and wholesome. I also only have to lug it up the stairs once and don't have to worry about running out later this winter when we have less $. So it's about half the price , more convenient, local, organic and I can afford to get it right now. Win! Lesson here: search for local mills online for inexpensive grain prices.

There's also a 15 sack of apples on the kitchen bench reminding me there's another 10lbs still in the fridge from last fortnight's csa delivery and the thanksgiving delivery is in 10 days...which all means I better get cooking soon.

First the apples.....

I thought that using up the 10 lbs or so of apples sitting in the fridge was a good plan so I went by my old standby of applesauce. Stef and I eat a lot of applesauce. I didn't have time to sit near the dutch oven for an hour so I decided to experiment with crockpot applesauce. I prepared half of them , paring off bad spots , core and a few worm holes (because those happen in organic fruit), I leave the peel . I then threw them in our 3 qt crockpot on low with about 20 oz of water 1 lg stick of cinnamon. 2 inches of diced fresh ginger, 2 cloves and a pinch of all spice. The next morning the sauce wasn't quite as chunky as a I like so I decided to add another 20 oz water and prepped the other half of the apples and threw them in the mix. I had a cold and forgot about them for a day. This am I realized that I could smell apples cooking and discovered they were almost smooth. Applesauce disaster. The 'applesauce' tasted like applebutter... kind of. I added other stuff. Then I ran it through the stick blender until fully smooth. Now it tastes like apple butter but a touch thin. IT should be applebutter in the morning when I turn off the heat.

Applebutter

a slow cooker with a low setting

10 lbs of apples pared and diced (not peeled) and divided in to 2 equal piles.

set one pile in the fridge

water

1 stick cinnamon, pinch of allspice

1 thumb fresh ginger diced

3 tb honey

2 tb lemon juice

1 tb blackstrap molasses

2 tb cider vinegar

1. Put 5lb of apple bits in crockpot with chunked ginger and spices

2. Cover with water (about20 oz) and set to low

3. The next day add the rest of the apples and another 20 oz of water

4. Allow to continue cooking overnight

5.add honey,lemon juice,molasses and cider vinegar

and blender this thoroughly until smooth

6. Store if it's thick enough for your uses, cook up to 8 more hours. Note: the naturally occurring pectin in the skins should help it firm up a bit so err on the slightly runny side. Refrigerate and give some to a friend.

now I will be making up some of this stuff:

http://squirreleats.blogspot.com/2011/11/barley-quick-bread-and-barley.html

Skillet cornbread

preheat oven to 425 F
put your well cured cast iron skillet (mine is a #10 round)
in with 2  tbsp. butter or analogue
while mixing ingredients
mix dry ingredients:
1/2 cup barley/ ap gf flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 tspn salt (necessary for helping your cornbread rise)
3 heaping tbsp. turbinado sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder (aluminum free please)
optional add ins:
black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes 1 tsp
fresh corn 1 handful is plenty
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add wet ingredients:
1/2 cup soymilk
1 egg equivalent egg replacer
(I use 1/2 tablespoon soyflour & 2 tbsp. cold water mixed thoroughly for 1 egg)
---------------------------------------------------------
take hot skillet from oven
& pour  your oil  into the batter & mix thoroughly
it's normal to have a thin coat of oil left on the bottom of the skillet
it just makes it taste better!
pour that batter into your skillet & bake 15-25 minutes until a toothpick or fork comes out clean

soy free wheat free meat free cheapo holy grail sausage...and it tastes good with gf ingredients

soy free wheat free meat free cheapo holy grail sausage...and it tastes good with gf ingredients

I was lazy and used a food processor to mince:
1/3 well washed medium sized  leek including greens (you could use 1/2 an onion but we were out)
with 1 tb sage
1/4 tsp fresh pepper
6 cloves garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
salt (if desired)
1 tsp sri racha
1/4 tb allspice
handful parsley
a few leaves of basil (because we had gone to the garden earlier)
after this resembled a leaf puree I add
2-3  tb soysauce
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 egg or egg replacer equivalent (flax goo works here)
1/4-1/2 cup potato starch
1 12 oz can well drained black eyes or equivalent of well cooked black eyed peas
(optional) 1 tb fennel, more basil, red pepper flakes, cayenne, 1 tb maple syrup or replace 1/4 cup thick applesauce for egg depending on flavour you are going for
and blend until resembles pinky brown uncooked sausage and beans are fully amalgamated into this with no big pieces.
2 oz walnuts chopped or hand squished to bitty pieces add necessary texture. note that it does not taste like meat but does taste like decent veg sausage.

Fry in scant oil medium high (1tsp or so for each 1/4 lb)browning all sides or make into patties and or meatballs, spray with oil and pile onto parchment lined cookie sheet for 10-20 minutes at 425 degrees. Freezes very well after cooking or as loose sausagey stuff up to 1 week in fridge. Keep separate from soggy/ damp items like sauce or steamed veg until immediately before serving as it ruins the texture.

Spicy hummus

 Recipe easily doubles and will freeze (put it back in the food processor to re mix after thawing) and is cheap
2-3 Tb smooth sri racha (that garlic, pepper, vinegar stuff with the rooster on the bottle)
1/2 tb ground cumin
1/4 c olive oil (because that's what makes it super creamy like store bought stuff)
1 tb paprika (mild or medium)
salt to taste
4 cloves garlic
1-2 lemons of juice or about 3 oz of the bottled stuff
2 generous tb of  tahini
and 1 lb cooked chickpeas:
stovetop: 1/2 lb  dry chickpeas soaked overnight or boiled in double their volume of water and allowed to rest 20 minutes
then boil up to  1 hour until tender or pressure cooker 15-20 minutes

Crockpot: add 5 cups water to each 8 oz of beans... leave on low overnight or while at work

Canned: open a 20 oz can of chickpeas ...spend 2x as much for convenience

Add ingredients to food processor. pulse until you reach desired consistency.if you don't have one  use a potato masher and expect less creamy results. Eat on everything (except peaches)

For non spicy leave out the sri racha and halve the paprika

basic black bean soup-if you need to eat for a week on 5$ this is the right recipe

1 16 oz bag dry blackbeans soaked overnight (8 hours) in water about double their volume. (you can do this in the crock pot just rinse after draining) drain and cover in 2 qts water in the crock pot.
meanwhile:
saute this in 2 tb olive oil
1 enormous or 2 medium chopped onions
4 stalks celery
2 chopped carrots
5 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 tb black pepper
salt to taste


pour veg into pot with 3 tb tomato paste,1 tb paprika(optional) 2 chicken flavor boullion cubes 2 tb worchestershire if available and 2 tb sherry, mirin or xiaoshing wine, 1 tb sri racha if available.



for a crockpot medium heat 6-8 hours...then mash or blend for smoother texture
for a dutch oven bring to a boil then reduce to simmer stirring frequently 2-3 hours ...then mash or blend for smoother texture if desired



optional add ins during cooking:
rice,2 handfuls of currants and a lemon peel with the rice (then also add cinnamon), barley, a green pepper, dried tomatoes, dandelion greens, fresh/canned tomato quarters, 1 handful dried chickpeas, a handful of parsley, cumin, a diced beet for added sweetness (it sounds weird but it works).

Farinata pizza mmmm... gf (assuming you choose gf toppings and sauce (can be vegan or meaty or whatever) also farinata. also faux parm

mix
1 1/2 c garbanzo flour (may be labeled chenna)
1/4 c olive oil
Salt if you want
1 cup water or enough to make a crepe textured batter (this can vary based on altitude and moisture level in house)
Rosemary and or black pepper if you want (any other herbs spices you desire)
Mix thoroughly (you can't over beat this) and allow to set for anywhere from 1 hr to 2 days covered in the fridge.
Pour in well seasoned iron skillet or metal cake or tart pan
(if you want pretty slices use a round of parchment to make the lifting process easy)
Bake 10-15 minutes at 425 F add sauce and top (should resemble finemeal cornbread)
If eating without toppings (as is far more traditional) bake about 5 min longer)

Apply 3-5 tb of sauce of choice
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sauce ideas:
any pizza sauce you like including peanut sauce, pesto,refried beans with lime juice, marinara...... whatever you like.
usually we use homemade marinara
 apply 1/2 -3/4 lbs of veggies/ toppings you like on pizza
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at this point for us this includes
artichokes, broccoli, tiny tomatoes, halved brussel sprouts, garlic,pineapple, peppers, tempeh, roasted tofu (on peanut sauce pizza with broccoli and pineapple) red potatoes, leeks, mushrooms, olives, carmelised onions,,jalapenos, eggplant, spinach, slivered almonds all in bite size pieces
 add cheese/cheez of choice or skip either entirely and toss back in 425 f oven
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Add cheese to taste and spray a thin layer of olive oil to assist in happy brown bubble production like, asiago,parmesan, ricotta, gouda,etc

OR put 1/2 c almonds, 2 tb nutritional yeast 1 clove garlic and any herbs you like in a blender and grind to powder
and apply to pizza as parm substitute
Teese works pretty well too if you're CFGF and nut allergic
 Take out after cheese is melted or veg are done to taste 5-10 minutes
 Allow 5 minutes for bread part  to solid up and serve.
Notes for the Cheap: Chenna/garbanzo flour will usually be less expensive/ easier to find at grocery stores in Indian and Pakistani neighborhoods.

The Shredder aka cabbage free coleslaw with disturbingly easy balsamic dressing

We got this Y shaped ridgey peeler thing that makes beautiful julienned veggie curls from my aunt as part of an assortment of weird (yet useful) kitchen implements for our civil union. This is a recipe which celebrates it's shreddiness.

First make The Shredder
Use funky peeler (ok or a grater if you don't have one) thing to shred:
one forearm/baby arm sized juicing carrot
1 lg cucumber
1-2 lg well scrubbed beets
add 1/4 raisins if you like
put this in a tub or fridge container with a lid and shake it like a maraca until vibrant and multicolored



disturbingly easy  balsamic dressing
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apply this directly to salad of choice
3tb balsamic vinegar
2  tb olive or sesame oil
   salt to taste
   pepper to taste
Contain in tub, jar or fridge container and shake like a maraca again

actual apple sauce -vegan, gf (when using gf ingredients) and cheap

So um... we always grab a ton of apples once fall hits but this year we have an apple csa. http://www.earthfirstfarms.com/CSA.html. Lo and behold, I show up to pick up apples and there are an entire peck (about 15 lbs) of Macintosh waiting for me yesterday. 85$ a year for apples every two weeks for 4 1/2 months (plus extra goodies) is a pretty good deal when you keep in mind that a 3 lb bag of non organic apples will cost 3-4$ in the city. We only have two people in this house and the turtle never has more than a few bites(if feeding apple to aquatic turtles peel and make chunks really small.)Stef has always been ridiculously picky about texture so only a select few are eaten raw. When you get organic there are also going to be a few with holes or other minor damage and it's a good way to use them up. Butter is expensive and pretty bad for you so there's a limit to pie and crumbles.  Grilled cheese with apples and apple squash soup aside there are few things more versatile than good applesauce. You can use it as a fat replacer in baking where you would a fruit spread, it's healthy, high in fiber and vitamins and it's good with everything. It's also really really easy. And you probably already know how but if not that here's a recipe:

Applesauce-not for canning (not enough acid)

Doubles and trebles easily if you have a big enough pot.
Take 2 lbs of apples (or more) remove gross parts if present and chop, wheedle as much fruit as you can off of the cores as well). You can peel but I don't.
Throw this in a big pot 3-4 qt minimum (if you don't want it to taste like iron don't put it in cast iron)
Cover the apples with  their volume in water (or cider if you want really sweet applesauce or half of each)
Add 3 tb of lemon juice if the apple are a non tart/sweet variety like golden delicious or lys goldens.
Add 1-2 tb cinnamon and bring to a boil
(you could also add diced fresh ginger,cardamom, currants or raisins,garam masala,nutmeg and chopped walnuts or pecans or if making for babies peel the apples,leave out the spicesand nuts. Then run it through a food mill or puree)
Stir and reduce to a simmer.
You will also need a project that can be put down at a moment's notice to do in the kitchen as applesauce is sugar and it burns easily. Stir as needed. If the sauce is chunkier than you like and the sauce is getting thick you can add water, stir again and allow it to cook a bit longer or you can mash it as you would potatoesbut you know, more carefully, because this is molten sugar and acid. Allow to cool somewhat before serving for a dessert ( I like to add a drizzle of honey to this sometimes) or store in fridge for a week or in freezer for 2-3 months.

Barley Lemon poppyseed cake (really not gf or vegan..possibly sponsored by the egg and butter boards)

Warning: this is a egg and dairy budget buster

beat 4 eggs
mix with 2 cups of sugar (used turbinado)
and 3 tb lemon curd
add 1 oz limoncello (optional) or 2 tb lemon extract
then1/2 teaspoon sea salt,
3/4 teaspoon baking powder,
1/2 stick butter melted (allow to cool somewhat so you don't have scrambled eggs) ,
1/2 cup almond milk or half and half or buttermilk or soymilk with lemong juice added
1/3 cup lemon juice,
zest of 2 lemons,
add 2 1/2 cups barley or sorghum flour
and whip til smooth (no need to mind overworking the gluten as barley is lower in gluten than wheat)
add more milk if flour was dry
(it will vary-barley being a whole grain tends to absorb water from the air)
It should look like a heavy waffle batter (and can be used that way too)
Mix in 3 tb (or more poppyseeds)
and pour into a  greased and floured bundt pan
Put in 350 F degree preheated oven and bake until med brown (barley darkens more than wheat)
until a toothpick comes out dry usually 45-min to 1 hr.

loosen sides  gently with knife and allow to cool at least 10 minutes
flip onto plate and tap to release
garnish with more lemon curd and a light dusting of powdered sugar or fresh fruit
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Inspired / altered from this recipe
http://blog.lemonpi.net/?p=5257
I used this lemon curd recipe. Leave time to chill so it won't cook the batter and can set.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lemon-curd-recipe/index.html
We used this as one of the civil union cakes and people were super psyched.

w(h)iney fruit salad

mix together
2 tb lingonberry, raspberry, or cranberry sauce/jam
with
 4 oz mead and 3 tb lemon juice, 1 tb honey or other sugar if desired
2 lg apple chopped
2 fresh apricots chopped
2 red plums  chopped
1/2 lb grapes removed from stem
mix and eat

Schi -meaty or vegan , or dairy (gluten free) usually about 45 minutes total time (good crockpotter)

When we were kids Other Mother Brother would occasionally make this sauerkraut soup( or a very similar one) with bones during winter. For all the reasons you would expect it was cozy and still makes me think of him.  Because our sorrel grew up and bolted when I wasn't looking (silly me) I can't have my favorite (and much more traditional for summer) Schi  (http://www.ruscuisine.com/recipes/soups/schi-and-borsch/n--620/)  and we had mushrooms and sauerkraut lying around , hence:

Schi  ----warning! your house will smell like sauerkraut for a day or two after making this. Fortunately it freezes well and is very very cheap.

take:
1 lb  sauerkraut (traditional ferment if you can find it)reserve the liquid for the broth
1 lg chopped onion or 2 cleaned leeks chopped
4 cloves diced garlic
1 sliced or shredded carrot
3 ribs celery (optional)
8 oz mushrooms (I usually use a mix of rehydrated shitake and fresh crimini) chopped into hunks
2 tsp caraway
4 juniper berries(not necessary but nice)
4 peppercorns or a few grinds of pepper
1 bay leaf
 and saute in 2 tb fat (olive oil, beef or pork drippings, butter) in a heavy bottomed pot  deep enough to make 4 qts
(like my 5 qt enamel dutch oven or a stock/crock pot)

once onions are translucent add:
1/2-1 lb parsnip, potato and/ or turnip)
and
(optional) meat : 1 browned pork  chop with bone, or  beef soup bone/oxtail of choice or 6 oz of chicken prepared as you would for soup. Similar quantities of rabbit would likely also work but as a pescatarian I have no clue how.
and /or
(optional) more dried mushrooms
and /or
(optional) add 9 oz tasty but not at all traditional kale
and/or 6 oz of barley (which is not gluten free and is optional)

3 qts broth (beef, chicken, or mushroom) or water plus the reserved sauerkraut (please note that this is not low sodium and is not intended to be)

Bring to a simmer and cover until :

in the case of no meat
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your root veggies begin to  fall apart

in the case of meat on  a bone
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your root veggies begin to  fall apart and the meat begins to fall off the bone
(fork shred the remainder and pull out the bone- if you can add the marrow to the soup and cook a bit longer)

in the case of meat not on a bone
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your root veggies begin to  fall apart and the meat is cooked (you would know better than I would)
 turn off the fire and  now, for the final countdown you can finish in several ways 
 1. use a stick blender or potato masher on about half and then stir for a creamier texture
 2. garnish with parsley or paprika (about 1 tsp))
 3.  add 1/2 c sourcream or hung yogurt and stir until consolidated
 4. serve it as is
5. 1&2, 1&3, 2&3, 1-3, or take half and do 1 and then 3 with the other half ...oh you get what I mean
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I like to eat this with dill pickle and whole rye bread spread with sour cream/ hung yogurt if we have it (well not if there's any in the soup) garnished with sardines or herring(when Rabbit doesn't have to watch), or thin cut raw sliced beets (when she is there to see it) or maybe some home made apple sauce.

Sucking Chest Wound Salad (simple and gf when made with gf stuff) 15 minutes max

10 or so years ago I thought I hated beets unless they were in borscht. Everyone else in my family loved beets including he tinny or syrupy pickled harvard beets that besmirch all beet kind. I still hate them. Then I had straight beet juice and recognised it's delicious and inherent borschty, earthy, sweet but not syrupy goodness. So I played it against sour stuff and I made borscht, and torschi and finally I discovered the best thing of all ....sliced raw beets. I couldn't be stopped. Sure it will look like a five year old used lip tint on you, but who cares...it's delicious.mmm beets.

Sucking Chest Wound Salad
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(So named because of the color of goat cheese when mixed with raw beets)
1 lb greens
I use what's around but soft buttery greens and peppery ones seem to work best. Sometimes it's little beet greens, arugula, some ' spring mix' , wrinkled cress and other I grab a dozen carrot tops and some dill from the garden; go at them with scissors and call it a day. Anyway, you need 1 lb of salad greens in a big bowl.
add 1/2 oz of sunflower seeds
and 1 oz goat cheese or other sharp flavoured soft white cheese like feta or farmer cheese. now you can be all presentation-y and slice it neatly with dental floss but I usually pinch off a bunch of little  pieces  and throw them in between layers of greenery
you could leave out the 1/4 of a thin sliced red onion but wheres the fun there?
and if it's needing to be used you could add sliced cucumbers or some leftover cooked quinoa or chickpeas
(and clearly, as usual, I digress)
The important part is that you have 2  or 3 well scrubbed raw beets at hand. Speaking of hands you can use some rubber gloves if you don't want to look like Lady Macbeth. Personally I don't bother unless I have an interview or something. Also don't wear anything you might care about getting stained,and um.. if you are squeamish about pink cutting boards either scrub immediately(no guarantees) or protect your board with a layer of wax paper (still no guarantees but a greater success rate) Slice thin or julienne...just remember the smaller the piece the more blood (um I mean juice). Add the beets and juices to your salad bowl. Now for dressing. Drizzle on some lemon or balsamic vinegar (really gory looking and complements your beets sweetness) and maybe some salt and or olive oil. I like pepper but Rabbit doesn't. Toss carefully. Eat.

Phoenix Red Pepper Tofu jam band (vegan and gf if you check your ingredients)

I swiped and modified this recipe from one I got from Phoenix bean llc: my favorite Chicago tofu factory. BTW, it's cheaper if you actually go to the factory. 5438 N broadway from 9a-3p weekdays.

Mix sauce in a bowl
1tb sambal oelek, sri racha or gojuchang (I prefer gojuchang)
1 tb sugar or maple syrup or (1/2 tb honey)-skip this if you used  gojuchang or are avoiding sugar
1 clove or two sliced garlic (totally optional)
1 tb miso or black pepper sauce (check for gluten if you're sensitive)
2 tsp soy sauce (check for gluten if you're sensitive)
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Throw one tb veg oil in a pan
add 1/2 chopped sweet onion (red or yellow) or one clean whole leek
and 1-2 red bell, cubanelle, or ancient peppers(anything red and sweet)
fry until onions are translucent
10 oz tofu(either pre-fried extra firm or baked plain or yellow tofu)
If it's the fried soak and rinse it first
then chop into bite sized pieces and add to pan allow to fry 2 minutes and lower heat
 Add sauce and stir quickly until it thickens.
Serve over rice or cool and eat on a salad or this recipe doubles and stores in the fridge up to one week with no ucky soggyness.  Also makes excellent sandwich filling with some sprouts and cheddar cheese....sounds weird but soo good.

Sorghum quick bread and pancake/biscuit mix (vegan/ gf options)

Barley is NOT GF if you are celiac or gluten intolerant use the Sorghum...please

Barley and Sorghum are whole grains that plays well with other flavors and have a moist crumbly texture. As a whole grain you should either use the flour relatively quickly or leave it in your freezer to prevent spoilage.  Recipes doubles lovely. Don't freeze this unless you WANT bread crumbs as that's what freezing this does. You can mix the wet and dry willy nilly or if you want packets of quick bread mix for busy evenings you can mix the dry ingredients to store in a jar or tin and add the wet when you want to make it up. This will be ready in less than an hour start to finish with about 45 minutes of downtime.
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Dry mix
3 cups sorghum or barley flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tb baking powder
3 tb olive oil or your preferred oil (yes this goes in the dry mix)
Mix until resembles sandy stuff and store in air tight container
If using this as pancake mix add 1 egg and 1 cup milk per cup of mix. If using as biscuit mix just add the 1 cup milk, buttermilk or milk analogue. They will be crumblier than wheat flour biscuits and pancakes but also more tender.

wet stuff
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oil to oil your pan
2 eggs or 2 tb ground flax in one oz boiling water allowed to soak until gelatinized
1 cup milk, buttermilk or milk analogue (almond worked well)
1 tb lemon juice or cider vinegar(optional-do not use with buttermilk)
heat oven to 350F
oil your pan -a dutch oven (leave the lid off), loaf pan, muffin,or bundt pan works
Whisk wet into dry and pour into pan (take care to fill it nor more than 2/3 full as this stuff rises
and allow to bake 25-30 minutes

Home Economics- where it all begins

       When I list off the things I or my wife won't or can't eat I get asked "So what DO you eat?" There seems to be this idea that food is static and inflexible. This blog is going to be about food, a variety of real food. My recipes reflect my experimentation with different forms ,different cultures of people I know. frustrating allergies,a very small budget, access to a whole lot of great small groceries, a deep love of vegetables , tofu and random whole grains,sweet tooths, ethical quandaries about consumption, environment and labor issues. There's also a whole list of stuff my wife won't eat like cherries for example . My avoidance of water chestnuts on the basis of being "not food" , however, is justified and completely reasonable.

                   Food speaks to us in sounds and smells that remind us of our history , our friends, family, old lovers or next door neighbors. Food is about culture, about artistry , about survival. Food is one of the basic ways we provide for our families. Food is also about how we connect and build communities or destroy them. When talking about food I am always reminded that I am my mother's daughter. She is the woman who made sure I knew how to cook in era when most city dwellers had resort to packaged food or takeout, and how to scrounge and to think about food.
  
                         Here's where my food comes from.  I grew up in a working class family on the north side of Chicago. My mother was trying to feed 2 (sometimes 3) kids on a nurse's salary in a very expensive city. She was busy, like most single parents so we all helped out in meal preparation. Keeping expenses down meant that we always tried to keep a small garden in the back of our building, on a balcony or on the easement. In addition, she was/is a very ethical person and was concerned about the labor conditions our food was produced and sold under so that informed a lot of choices too. Being in a large city also gave us access to recipes and condiments from every corner of the earth. I got to taste everything-Around Channukah  Mrs. Feldman liked feeding me latkes and cookies, I went to Vickie's upstairs for tea and papaya salad, or fried fresh caught smelt on the BBQ with my brothers.

                    Being broke for our family meant that meat was considered a condiment. This  last factor was very lucky as we later found out that mom has a rare genetic kidney disorder which causes the body to do very bad things with certain proteins including all quadrupeds, most game fowl, mushrooms and spinach. I would now be very sad without my beloved mushrooms but I also got the lesson that meals can be planned around economics and allergies with a little creativity. It really came in handy when I couldn't breathe around most cleaners and again last year when I found out I've been allergic to wheat this whole time.

                              Eventually we left and moved to Nebraska in the 90's where I had to learn how to be even more creative because there was less access to certain ingredients (like gojuchang, tapioca or rice noodles )and a greater access as well as much lower costs on produce from local farms. Around the time we moved to Nebraska I became a vegetarian and found it a lot easier than many people my age who did the same because we'd always eaten very little meat. Gradually more diverse ingredients came into the stores there and I gradually learned where the small ethnic groceries were hiding and learned to cook there too. Throughout high school we had a little more money so I got to play with more ingredients and experiment with some pretty outlandish combinations. Some of them worked. Cranberry fudge sauce anyone? Some of them ended up with scorch marks on the ceiling and hiding mutilated cheese under newspaper in the trashcan. I have loved to cook my whole life but it really took off then. 

      Five years ago we were living in KS. I still miss the prevalence of biscuits and gravy even though I know now I'm not supposed to eat wheat. I also miss the guy who charged us 10-15$ for a few bushels of veg every week at the farmers market. Sometimes this means I make baked beans, collards and barley biscuits for a week.  About 10 years ago I  had a year long vegan period which mostly has amounted to knowing how to bake without dairy or eggs- a handy skill for people who want to keep a small budget and avoid factory farming or excessive cholesterol. I also have friends who are allergic to things. I like to accommodate so I will be including recipes for GF stuff, oatfree, cornfree, low/no sugar things, recipes for cleaners for people with chemical sensitivities, etc...  Just after being vegan I started eating fish again, although  I'm pretty picky about what kind for environmental and labor politics reasons so it ends up being once or twice a month when we're feeling financially flush now.  

      We've usually been pretty broke and like a lot of people during this really scary economic climate we still are very broke. In some ways this helps with a quest to eat healthier stuff and in some ways it doesn't. 1$ a lb for organic oats plus a penny for  salt, maybe an apple, cinnamon and ginger plus almost nothing for water  is a far cheaper than a box of cereal with milk. It's arguably healthier. What it isn't is fast or convenient. Research and thought are required. Sometimes land or food really isn't there to use. Sometimes we go out to eat more frequently than we intend. Sometimes we trust the guy who lives less than a hundred miles away who raises chickens in his yard, or grows apples rather than spending thousands on a USDA cert the farm can't afford. Sometimes spending time with your family is more pressing than cooking from scratch. Sometimes we really can't afford that extra 20cents a lb for organic potatoes, and carrots. I think that's ok. We do what we can with what we have, you know?  There are some places where I'm a bit rigid-usually on animal protein. I'd rather go without eggs than buy ones where the chicken had no outdoor access, I eat fish and shellfish rarely because I don't like how fishermen are treated in most large scale operations but I have been known to be more flexible than I'm ethically comfortable with in order to have cheese. Sometimes I'd rather buy a bottle of hard cider than a dozen eggs despite the nutritional benefits of egg vs the questionable nutritive deficit involved in fruit-booze. We all have our faults and our limits. In any case, I plan on making my experiments and time tested recipes available here  and I encourage you to email me and do the same.