Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice combine together to create the smells of winter and the winter holidays. In the Eastern Mediterranean, two additional spices are used: mastic and mahlab.
- Mahlab or mahlepi is an aromatic spice made from the seeds of the St Lucie Cherry (Prunus mahaleb). The cherry stones are cracked to extract the seed kernel, which is about 5 mm diameter, soft and chewy on extraction, but ground to a powder before use. The flavour is similar to a combination of bitter almond and cherry.
- Mastic: is a resin obtained from the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus). In pharmacies and Nature shops it is called “arabic gum” (not to be confused with gum arabic) and “Yemen gum”. In Greece it is known as the “tears of Chios,” being traditionally produced on that Greek island, and, like other natural resins is produced in “tears” or droplets. Originally liquid, it is sun-dried into drops of hard brittle translucent resin. When chewed, the resin softens and becomes a bright white and opaque gum. The flavor is bitter at first, but after chewing releases a refreshing, slightly piney or cedar flavor.
Here is a simple recipe for Vassilopita, the Greek New Year’s Bread, I use both of the spices. You may to choose just one the first time so that you can see which one you like. It may seem foreign and odd at first.
If you have a scale, it’s best to use the scale. If not, use a handy dandy measurement conversion application.
Ingredients:
260 grams orange pulp
250 grams olive oil
400 grams sugar
500 grams all purpose flour
5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking poweder
5 drops of mastic oil, or 1 teaspoon powder
1 teaspoon mahlab.
Directions:
- Boil the oranges whole for about one hour. Wait till they are cool. Cut in half and remove the seeds. Process in a food processor and then let them sit in a strainer till the water bits come out.
- Combine the olive oil and orange pulp.
- In a mixer beat the eggs and sugar till they are airy and seem fluffy.
- Add the orange with olive oil mixture.
- Combine the dry ingredients till they are nice and smooth.
- Bake for one hour at 350.
- When cool, sprinkle powdered sugar.
- If you are making for New Years, when it cools, take a coin, wrap in foil and insert in the bottom.
It’s a wonderful seasonal easy sweet bread. Works like a fruit cake. You can eat with feta, marmalade, or just plain.
Pure admiration for the precision and patience. Food in art.
SUBMISSION: For his latest exhibition at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, German artist Wolfgang Laib poured over 30,000 piles of rice and seven piles of pollen to create one of his largest installations ever entitled Unlimited Ocean.
Figs
The proper way to eat a fig, in society,Is to split it in four, holding it by the stump,And open it, so that it is a glittering, rosy, moist, honied, heavy-petalled four-petalled flower.
Then you throw away the skinWhich is just like a four-sepalled calyx,After you have taken off the blossom, with your lips.
But the vulgar wayIs just to put your mouth to the crack, and take out the flesh in one bite.
Every fruit has its secret.
The fig is a very secretive fruit.As you see it standing growing, you feel at once it is symbolic :And it seems male.But when you come to know it better, you agree with the Romans, it is female.
Every fruit has its secret.
… … … . .
Honey-white figs of the north, black figs with scarlet inside, of the south.Ripe figs won’t keep, won’t keep in any clime.What then, when women the world over have all bursten into affirmation ?And bursten figs won’t keep ?
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SUBMISSION: 100 pomegranate seeds, organized neatly.
Man orders the seeds, yet the pomegranate bursts on the tree. Dropping seeds and attracting the late comers to the garden.
SUBMISSION: pomeganite seeds organized by color
— ‘Maybe the night that split open, a blue pomegranate,
a dark breast, and filled you with stars,
cleaving time.
Right under my eyes. Forgot to buy the prepared jar of grape leaves. And in my non sustainable stupor, I did not see the grapevines in my garden.
So, I cut the leaves. Parboiled for 3 minutes. Prepared the stuffing: rice, onion, dill, parsley, mint and pine nuts. Do you see the theme? Spring, spring, spring.
Lay them in a nice circular pattern. Put a plate on top for some weight. You don’t want them to unfold and fall apart when cooking, then you would have rice soup.
Cook till rice is done. It will take about on hour.
Eat with Greek yoghurt.
Now, if you want, you can make them with the standard Greek stuffing mixture by adding some minced meat.
Enjoy.
Pretzels were traditionally a lenten bread. Lenten foods basically were vegan, no animal products. A number of European nations claim to be the inventors of the Pretzel.
As such, there are just as many stories about the symbolism of a Pretzel. The Italians, used it as a treat for children who learned their prayers, the crossing of the arms depicting prayer. It was a way of ridding the world of pagan bread styles, sun breads by the church. No German will ever acknowledge that the Italians had the Pretzel first.
The Swabian Germans, around Stuttgart, have told me multiple stories. Apparently, a lord from Urach, asked the drunkard baker to bake a bread where he could see the sun rise three times and he would be released from prison. So the clever baked, made the Pretzel, three holes. I don’t know how, this trick saved the baker’s life and got him out of jail.
Since the Swabian pretzel is the best, not bread doughie, but has the distinctive lye/laugen flavor I will believe their story. Before baking, it is dipped in lye. Hence it gets the shiny appearance. Lye was a powerful cleanser for the baking equipment. I wonder if it would pass current day standards for food safety.
The chubby upper part is big enough to slice and butter. The crossing part, is crispy. Two such pretzels in the morning with a cup of coffee make about the best fast breakfast. Just don’t tell your local carbophobe.
I am not fond of the Bavarian pretzel. The crossed part is bready.
Be careful, if you eat one Swabian Pretzel, you will never eat another kind. Luckily, Whole Foods makes a pretzel baguette with the laugen flavor that will give you a glimmer of the taste.
Oh, yes, and that thing we call a pretzel with dastardly flavors, it’s something, but it’s not a pretzel.
Rain Vs. Bees
La Niña brings lots of rain to California. This time of year, the storms and winds are a danger to our fruit trees. The bees have no chance to pollinate. The fruit and nut growers of California have issued a warning. Planting of row crops will be delayed. I know, the soil is pure mud at this stage. All the early preparation helped a bit, but will not be able to plant tomatoes.
This was my garden last year about this time. No bees yet.
So, prepare for higher nut and fruit prices. Add that to higher cotton prices, clothes more expensive. Higher wheat prices.
My dear bees, come out, come out and do your work. I want apples, peaches and plums. Almonds. I want lots of almonds.
French onion soup. Sometimes you just have to have it. But, is there a trick?
1. Slice about 6-8 onions.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil.
3. Now this is the trick, you have to simmer the onions very slowly till they release their sugar and reduce. Low heat, for about one hour.
4. When the onions are nice and have color, add 1 tablespoon flour.
5. Add 1/4 cup white wine to release the crispy tasty bits.
6. Then add 6-8 cups chicken broth and about 3/4 more white wine.
7. Get two broiler safe bowls.
8. Pour soup, a slice of old baguette and cover with grated gruyere. Some cognac, like one teaspoon per bowl adds a zip.
9. Broil and eat.
(Based on Dorrie Greenspan’s recipe)
A lovely semi retro lunch/dinner for Sunday: Onion Soup, Quiche and a almond pear tart.
Kitchen renovation of a midcentury California ranch style house. This is slow, very slow. We are doing the work our selves, but we have a plan, a very well made plan.
We are taking away the ceiling to floor oppressive cabinets. Adding an island plus, a big window to see our garden. The cabinets and appliances are temporary. The old kitchen just moved around. Soon you will see the new countertops, cabinets and appliances.
My husband will make the cabinets. No above the counter top cabinets. I refuse to make a tomb. I want an open space.
More to come in the next few months.
Food paradise. Bitter artichokes. Heavenly cheese. Salami heaven, you can see from the fat content that it’s good.
(Source: thatkindofwoman)
Pekmez, aka Petimeze, grape molasses. One of the oldest human made sugars. Also, delicious when made from dates, or carob.
Mix with tahini. Snack anytime. A great breakfast.
Leftover chili with two fried eggs. Avocado. Red, only red, onions. Old diner plate. Sunday brunch with Saturday’s dinner.
“Smoked Chipotle”
Smoked chipotle anything is upsetting me today. Most smoked flavors have an artificial quality. A mistake. I almost burned it, but now I call it smoked. Chipotle was overused by the entire chef class at the Food Network.
What is the point of combining two intense flavors? Which one will win? Which one will lose? If you are trying to shock me as an eater, don’t. I am not twenty one, maybe if I was twenty one and came from Kraft Macaroni and Cheese land, I would need the shock. Food shock jocks, we get it. You are so uber cool, now stop.
I just saw a smoke chipotle humus. Really? You take something soft gentle like humus and your first reaction is bombard the mother fucker with some flavor intensity out of nowhere.
Humus needs lemon, olive oil and a dash of salt. Otherwise, use it to bind other flavors, like a falafel pita sandwich.
Humus with cucumbers and a bit of cumin. Be gentle with humus.
