Cooking Occasions

Last week, I had the fortune of being invited by a woman at our church to learn how to make zwieback.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with zwieback, it is a yeast roll with two "layers":  a wider roll on the bottom and a miniature roll on top.  They look, more or less, like this->

The woman who invited me had been a young refugee during World War II in Germany, and escaped with her family to the U.S. with the aid of MCC.  After shaping the rolls there at her house, we had the chance to sit and talk about both of our life stories while the rolls raised and baked.  Sitting with this woman of courage, strong opinions (but accepting at the same time -- leave it to a German), and skills, I found myself wanting to hear more about her than I wanted to say about myself.  And I was reminded again that food not only brings people together, but shapes traditions, cultures, and stories.

This coming weekend, two friends are getting married, and I was asked to make part of the dessert.  We settled on cupcakes, and the search for recipes and quality ingredients ensued.  My friends are greatly invested in having a spread which represents both local produce and local labor, and I'm trying to do justice in my part.  I'll be baking 20 dozen(ish) cupcakes of four varieties.  I'm looking forward to the challenge (never done this before!) and am hoping that I'll live to tell about it.

I'm getting long-winded.  Here's the recipe for today!

78.  Kusherie (Egyptian Rice and Lentils), pg. 108

Craving lentils, I was in search of a recipe that I hadn't tried yet, and after reading the forward to this recipe (regarding its surprising ease of production), decided to take it on.  This kind of recipe always looks fun to me -- what I mean is that when I look at something like this, I see lots of room for variations and experimentation.

I used slightly less than called for on the lentils, but kept the stock at 3 cups.  If you use stock instead of water, consider not using the extra salt.  I used a mix of brown and wild rices, and as you can tell in the pictures, it's pretty dramatic.  While my rice usually takes longer to cook (up to 35-40 minutes), I decided to test at 25 minutes, and it was ready.  While you're not supposed to stir, I think it's perfectly reasonable to test the lentils and rice at the 25 minute mark.  If they're not done yet, put the lid back on and wait another 4-5 minutes and check again.

For the sauce, I used about 3 cups of frozen tomato chunks instead of the sauce/juice/puree, and a whole can of tomato paste.  I omitted the celery leaves.  I did put in all the spices, though when I make this again, I probably won't add the extra sugar, as I find tomato paste quite sweet to begin with.

And then come the browned onions.  My-oh-my, how I love them.  Because I made a full recipe, but knew the two of us wouldn't eat it all in one night, I only sauteed one onion and two cloves of garlic.  Tonight, with the leftovers, I'll sauté another onion and two more cloves of garlic, while just reheating the rest of the dish.


I liked several things about this recipe.  One, the rice/lentil combo gets started first, and immediately after adding the rice, you can go on to the sauce, and then once the sauce comes together, you can start working on the onions.  Then, once the onions are done, everything else will about be ready.  It's nice to have two parts of your meal taking care of themselves while you're getting the finishing touches together.  Second thing that I like is that you can, as the contributor states, nix the sauce altogether.  The browned onions have so much flavor that having them with the lentils is still divine.  And lastly, I like that it's a one-plate, one-dish meal.  I know that cooking this recipe will be all I need to make for that meal.

Overall:  4.3 out of 5  Love the flavors, love the colors and presentation.

76.  Coconut-Oatmeal Granola, pg. 95

This is not your typical granola.  You might notice that it calls for 3 cups of flour, more than either coconut or oatmeal.  And, in the end, you can expect a floury-wheaty cereal.

The tastes are nice -- it is pleasantly sweet, and the coconut is tasty.  But the consistency makes your mouth feel coated in paste.  Not really our style, but a gander nonetheless at a morning meal.

Overall:  2 out of 5  Did you see how short my review was?

77.  Cauliflower Salad, pg. 252

You're trying to pull together a meal last minute, and you're not quite sure what to do with that huge head of cauliflower in your fridge?  Try this salad.

Fast to make, with ingredients most cooks already have in their kitchen, this light salad makes for a great side dish to most any meal.  I mixed all the liquid ingredients in a pitcher and then dumped the dressing over the veggies.  Instead of scallions, I used a hearty snipping of chives.  Wild spring onions would also work well.

We didn't have time to chill it before eating, but the flavors were still good.

Overall:  3.8 out of 5  Simple and delightful.

You want something sweet, but crunchy.  Healthy, but only halfway.  You arrive at this recipe, and you know that you have met what will become your snack.

75.  Peanut-Butter Popcorn, pg. 306

Exhibit A.  Peanut-y Cracker Jacks without the miniature baseball card.  I experienced only mild disappointment at the latter, and soon forgot it all together when my tastebuds encountered the sweetly-coated popcorn.  It's so simple to make.  Pop popcorn.  Boil some stuff, add a little PB, dump it all together.  Eat.  Yum.

I split the liquid sweetener, doing half light corn syrup, half agave.  Very agreeable.  If your PB has sugar added, lessen the amount of sugar you use to 1/4 - 1/3 c.

Overall:  4.6 out of 5 The next time I watch the Phillies, I might have to make a batch.

A Happy Easter to each of you!  I hope your respective Easter Bunnies treated you better than mine did... And if they didn't...then maybe it's time to stop believing in him/her.

A festive day calls for festive food, and I was in a festive spirit.  Thus, breakfast was created.

72.  Grandmother's Russian Pancakes, pg. 75

Growing up in a house where a parent could claim Prussian/Russian ancestory, I was familiar with various and sundry meals which were eaten only at home (while living in VA) and in Kansas at relatives' homes.  I always had a special affinity for that which was not PA-Dutch/Southern influenced, and I was excited to try this recipe.  We grew up eating "rearei", a egg-milk-flour concoction fried and then chopped up, and served topped with pancake syrup.  These pancakes looked similar, and today they were called upon to be tested.  Like Mennonites, they were The Chosen.  (I hope you caught the playful sarcasm :))

The batter is easy to whip up and you're straight to the stove top in less than five minutes.  The recipe tells you everything you need to know beyond that.  They'll look a lot like crépes, only mine were a little bit thicker -- I think I had my fire on too high, and they didn't spread out as much as I had anticipated.  So, don't expect it to resemble an American-style pancake -- they do not get light and puffy.  It's very much an eggy pancake.

I liked it!  A half recipe was perfect for two, and we spread ours with cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup, and blackberry syrup (the next recipe below)...all on different ones, of course.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5  Filling and simple.  A taste of history. :)

73.  Fruit Syrup for Pancakes, pg. 77

I was first introduced to this recipe when visiting my brother during his MVS term in Chicago.  We made mango syrup to top (what I remember as being) very delicious pancakes.  I have used this recipe several times since, and enjoy the colors it adds to a breakfast plate.

Today, we used frozen blackberries, which made a vibrant, deep purple syrup (suitable for Easter, eh?)

The photographs tell it all...

Overall:  5 out of 5  I could eat this stuff plain.  (And I do.)

74.  Potato Pancakes, pg. 233

I realise I get on kicks.  For awhile there, it was soups.  Lately, it's been pancakes.  And it seems that for each one, I have a story.  This one is no different.

Between high school and college, I took a year "off" to serve with Service Adventure in Albuquerque, NM.  I worked at an elementary school as a teacher's aide, and in the kindergarten class where I helped half days, we often had activities based on various culture's celebrations.  It was in this class that I tried Latkes for the first time, the potato pancakes traditionally eaten by Jews during Hanukkah.  We ate them, of course, alternating between sour cream and applesauce.  While I can't remember the kids' reactions, I really enjoyed them.  While similar to hashbrowns, the inclusion of eggs and a little flour set them apart a wee bit.

When I made this recipe, we ate them the more traditional-hashbrown way with ketchup, but would definitely eat them with applesauce if I made them again.  It's a good, straight-forward recipe, and I will definitely be making them again.

Overall: 4.6 out of 5  Fried potatoes.  How can you go wrong????

Now, I know I can't count this brilliant ingenuity as a new review, but it needed to be shared.

Here she is:  Mini-Loaf Cinnamon-swirl Oatmeal Bread French Toast.  I looked and tasted and said that it was good.  Can I get an "amen"?
 
And back to the realm of number counting...

71.  Nippy Garbanzo Spread, pg. 308

Every time I skimmed through this page, this recipe always jumped out.  "Nippy" is not a word I typically associate with food (aside from cheese, perhaps), so it always sounded a little funny.  I never really read the recipe, though, in those flip-throughs, and just assumed that it was a recipe for hummus.

Until today.

I had cooked up a bunch of garbanzos, thinking I would make hummus until I discovered that I was plumb (ha!) out of lemon juice.  And, then I remembered this recipe, and decided to give it a go.  The recipe itself puzzled me a little bit because I couldn't imagine how it was going to turn out.  I've never cooked a spread like this one calls for, let alone having to mix eggs in to bind it all together.  I was suspicious, but I was curious.

With a food processor, this recipe is a snap to make.  Dump in onion and a couple cloves of garlic and let them mince.  Scoop them out and start sauteing them while you process the garbanzos and eggs together.  Stirring until "dry" was a bit of a crapshoot.  I just let them go until they turned the approximate consistency of scrambled eggs.

As the mixture cooled, I added salt, pepper, cayenne, and about 3 T. of mayo.  And then I tried it.

It was okay.  Not super, but not as awful as I thought it might be.  If you're looking for hummus, this ain't gonna satisfy you one bit.  If you're looking for a new spread idea for persons with highly sensitive palettes (read: bland), this might be a good bet.

Overall:  2.6 out of 5  If you're looking for nippy, head straight to the freezer aisle and skip the process of making this.  If you're looking for something wet to put on sandwiches, and want to keep it "agreeable", you'll probably like it.

70.  Wheat Germ Griddle Cakes, pg. 74

Saturday morning came around and I had guests to feed.  Having pancakes in our house is a special treat, since it means that we (being the husband et moi) are eating breakfast together.  It is actually a rare occurrence in our house, since one of us is always getting up early for work on the day that the other one can sleep in...

So, having doubled the number of people in our house, I thought it was an excellent excuse to pull something together more elegant than granola for our morning meal.  I often look to MWL for pancake recipes (as I mentioned before here) and this one was chosen.

The batter is mixed up a little differently than normal pancakes, and there is less room for error in this recipe.  Mixing it well will not result in flat, dense cakes.  In fact, these cakes cooked high and light, leaving me in awe of the wonders of wheat germ.

Not only in looks were these pancakes a hit.  They were tasty as well, with subtle nutty flavors and just sweet enough that you didn't feel like you had to dump a jug full of Aunt Jemima on top.  (I don't really use Aunty's corn syrup abomination, but I'll try not to judge those who do...ahem...)

So, if you're looking for something pancake-like, but don't want the same old buttermilk deal, give these a try and you might have yourself a new favorite!  Or, at least, something to get your husband/wife/child/friend/etc. up for on Saturday mornings.  :)

Overall: 4.5 out of 5  Delightful plain, with chocolate chips, or dressed with butter and maple syrup.

68.  Six-Layer Dish, pg. 137

We had plans we had to work around on the night I decided to make this.  Therefore, this dish worked very nicely, as it sat in the oven for two hours while we did all our other stuff.  It's been a long time since I've made something that is along the lines of "fix it and forget it," and it was very nice to think about that the dish could be left to its own devices while I puttered away elsewhere.

On top of the lovely time factor, this dish can easily become a five-layer or seven-layer or whatever-you've-got kind of meal.  If you've got a food processor, the slicing and dicing goes super quick as well!

I used a 9x9 baking pan and didn't measure anything.  I went by looks and catered according to what we like most.  Two potatoes, a couple carrots, skipped the rice, a big onion, a can of black beans instead of meat, and a 15 oz. can of tomatoes. Ba-dah-bing.  Done.  (Mostly.)  I poured a little bit of oil over the top, nixed the brown sugar, covered it, and stuck it in the oven.  When there was about 20 minutes left (I estimated -- maybe an hour and a half into it, when a fork easily pierces the potatoes), I sprinkled a little bit of feta cheese on top.  I left the pan uncovered then, and set it to cook just a bit longer.  And that was all I wrote. (On this one.)

It was good and hearty.  An all-in-one kind of dish.  While I often turn up my nose at casseroles, this one might be a keeper!

Overall:  3.8 out of 5  Simple flavors, and simple to make.

69.  Basic Cooked Lentils, Curried, pg. 105

Now, I realise that I've technically made one of these recipes before, but I decided that I'm allowed to count another one since I'm reporting on it. :)

While I often enjoy making elaborate multi-course meals, especially when we're having friends over, after a long day at work, oftentimes I just want to do something straight-forward and easy.  When in those tight "what do we eat tonight?" spots, my mind occasionally wanders to having rice and lentils.  I appreciate their shorter cooking time, how nicely they pair with any kind of rice, and their nutty flavor.

Basically all I want to say about this recipe is that if you like curry, you will probably like this yumminess.

Overall:  4 out of 5  Spicy, lentily, and satisfyingly delicious.