Just another meal at my place

Once in a while, C will come back from grocery shopping and bring back some weird and wonderful new edible for me to cook up. She does it more as a challenge because most of the time, I hadn’t cooked with it before and so for me it’s a pleasant voyage of culinary discovery. Yesterday was no exception. She came back with purple bell peppers and fava beans, still in their pods. 

 

Fava beans

So, yesterday I open the fridge and have a look-see. I have onions (loads and loads), garlic, salsa, tomatoes, corn on the cob, one potato (I don’t know how I ended up with one, I just did), some sort of unidentifiable semi-soft cheese, dried Thai finger hot peppers, coriander (cilantro), and what else, oh yeah, my staple, olive oil. At first, I was thinking Latin-American styled stew. But then it hit me – pimentos rellenos con mais, patate y favas (peppers stuffed with corn, potato and beans). So here goes. Keep in mind that I don’t measure ingredients when I cook. These are just approximations based on memory and guessing: 

2 bell peppers

 ~12 fava bean pods

 1 potato, chopped

 3 corn on the cob

 ½ cup salsa

 2 green onions

 1 large clove garlic

 ¼ cup cheese. If it’s hard cheese you can grate it. I had semi-hard so I diced it.

 1 crushed dried Thai finger-hot pepper

 Pepper and cumin to taste – for best results, buy fresh and crush using a mortar and pestle

 3-5 sprigs of fresh coriander – separate leaves from stalks but keep both

Oilve oil

Split green onions and chop garlic. Roast for 10-15 mins. At the same time, boil chopped potato and beans (15 min), boil corn (in separate pot for 15 min). Strain when done.

Chop roasted veg. Strip kernels of corn off cob.

In blender, add potato, beans, pepper, cumin (strong taste, less is more), coriander stalks and a bit of olive oil (enough so that everything blends smoothly) and work until a purée. The coriander stalks have a much stronger taste than the leaves do and really give a nice taste to whatever you make.

Pre-heat pan to medium, add a bit of olive oil (what else?) and heat up corn and roasted veg. Add purée of beans and potato and ¼ cup salsa. Mix together well.

Pre-heat oven to 350, oil bottom of Pyrex. Split peppers in half and clean them out, stuff the peppers with the stuff in the pan. Sprinkle with cheese, diced coriander leaves, and crushed Thai finger-hots. 

Put into the oven for 30 – 35 mins.

Now read carefully. Bring the oven to broil (550), put the peppers on the top rack, and gratiné your cheese. Watch the peppers carefully because the cheese and peppers will burn. This takes about 3-5 mins.

 

Done!

As per usual, serve with your favorite wine, relax and eat your heart out. I laid out the rest of the salsa in a little dish which we added to our pimentos rellenos.

 

 

Gunks

I have always enjoyed climbing at the Shawangunks (pronounced Shahn-Gums), near New Paltz, NY. Easy access, interesting and varied climbing on clean rock, beautiful scenery, and a good atmosphere. Since we’ve been on the west coast for 2 years, I hadn’t had a chance to climb there for several years. Sure, I’ve climbed in the Rockies, Squamish, Skaha, logged hours in the alpine, alpine-tour skied (which is all good) but C and I have always thought that the Gunks were a special place.

Last November, a huge section of rock came tumbling down the cliff, cratering the carriage road (approach road) and clearing a huge swath of trees as it tumbled down. Erosion is always present, but to see something like this (or the aftermath) is always impressive. Unfortunately, my favourite climb, Madame Grunnebaum’s Wulst was closed. First due to the rockfall and second due to peregrines nesting. But with well over 500 climbs listed in the local guidebook, I wasn’t deterred. In April we got on a slew of classics which included Sixish, Horseman, Frogshead, Arrow, Limelight, and Annie O.

Much to my delight, when we were there in July, Madame G’s was open again. Wonderful climbing, about 50-55 meters, can be done in 3 pitches but we did it in two (love double ropes). I originally climbed it 5 or 6 years before so I didn’t remember much about the climb (which is even better) and I was happy to find that it was just as fun as last time. Other classic routes that weekend were Wisecrack, Middle Earth, Ken’s Crack, Beginner’s Delight, Jackie and Maria.

Madame G's

All in all, the two trips to the Gunks were great. I won’t be back this year and depending on how things go with work, I may not be back for a while again.

How to solve a gun problem

Ah yes. Just the thing to do to get tough on crime. When the number of gun crimes increases in your state, the best way to fight crime is with more guns, right? That’s right! Allow your taxpayers to take their firearms into their preferred restaurants and watering-holes. That’s right, mixing guns with alcohol will solve all of your crime-related problems…

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8145541.stm

 

Really, what the hell are law-makers thinking? As one local sheriff said, “I don’t believe people are not going to drink and have guns, because I know they drink and drive.”

Niagara Falls

In June, while I was in Borden, Chantal decided to come see me so that we could go to Niagara Falls. I, having never been to Niagara Falls, was not so excited about the upcoming trip because, well, all that driving for 10 minutes of staring at a waterfall. Really, what’s the big deal? So, we get there, and saw the water fall, and I’ll admit, I was impressed. It was worth the drive. Would I go back there? Not for a long while.

 

Incidentally, the next day we decided to go on a wine tour. As most of you know, I love wine. And we happened upon of the best vineyards that we’ve been to in a while.

 

Angel’s Gate: http://www.angelsgatewinery.com/index.html

 

For $20, I bought a 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. A slightly minerally taste to the wine, smooth, no aftertaste, very well balanced. For $20, I should have bought a case.

 

On another note, this was the same weekend that we introduced Jamie to water. At the campground we were at, there was a stream outback. At first she was timid, but when the two Newfie’s decided to plunge in well, monkey-see monkey-do.

Injera – 5th time a charm?

Ever since I was at the Horn of Africa last year, I’ve been trying to master the art of making Injera, Ethiopian flat bread.  Though I don’t know what it’s called in Djibouti or Somalia, they both have something similar.  Essentially, it’s sourdough made from Tef, a grain which grows in the Ethiopian highlands.  Tef has a very  strong, nutty, coffee like flavour.  Because of its intense flavour it requires a strong tasting Wat (stew) which I made with pork.  Here is the recipe.

Pork Wat

Pork loin – cubed

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 pepper, diced

Niter Kibbeh (ghee in India)

Berberé paste

The fist step is to make the Berberé.  There are many different recipes for this but the one I used is a combination of niter kibbeh, cayenne, cloves, pepper, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic and ginger.  Warmed the NK, ground my spices and threw them in with a bit of water.  After 20 seconds or so (careful to not burn them) I poured the mixture into a mason jar let it marinate overnight on the counter.  Next day I simply cooked the meat and veggies in olive oil, transferred them into the Creuset, added the Berberé, a bit of water, and cooked at 350 for 1 hour.

Now for the Injera

This was a bit tougher.  It took four previous tries to understand how it is done.  My biggest problem, of course, is the Tef.  As it is a gluten-free grain it doesn’t stick together very well.  So, to cook it properly I finally figured out that high-heat is required to cook it.  High as in 8 or 9 on the stove.  This also means that my cheap Teflon pan was warped slightly with my tries.  Also, I figured out how to cheat by substituting half of the Tef flour for all-purpose flour to get a bit of gluten in the mix.

3/4 cup ground Tef (I used the coffee bean grinder to grind it into a fine powder)

3/4 cup of white flour

water

Mix everything so that you get a crèpes-like consistency.  As it is a form of sourdough, cover it, leave it on the counter out of the sun and let sour (2-3 days). You’ll know when it’s ready by the bubbles forming in the mix.  If you put it in the fridge it won’t sour.  Now heat you skillet to a very high heat, 8 or 9 on your stove.  Before cooking the first I find that it is useful to add a bit of the mix and spread it out across the skillet, cook and discard.  Don’t know why but it primes it.  Now, add water to mix to bring it back to a crèpes consistency and cook as you would crèpes.  If the mix is properly soured you’ll see bubbles forming at the surface.  Once it develops a spongy consistency, flip it and cook the other side for 30 seconds.  Now it’s done.

Serving is easy.  Put the bread on a large plate with a bit of the wat on top and voilà!  I made a second bread which I sliced and rolled to eat with.  The idea is to pit up some wat with the bread and eat with your hands, sorta like with naan and Indian food.

A couple of weeks ago we had a friend of mine over for supper.  Since I’ve been dabbling in north-east African dishes for a while, I decided to try some out on her.  The menu was,

Starters were

1. Goat cheese stuffed dates with pistachio toppings (courtesy of my folks)

2. Fuul which are beans marinated in lemon, olive oil, pepper, garlic and coriander.

Entrées

1. Grilled lamb in pomegranate reduction covered in a pistachio\cardamom moulé

2. Lentil and mint stuffed tomatoes

3. A simple couscous flavored with some Arab spices

During preparation

These are exceedingly simple though take some time to let the flavours come together.

For the lamb, I simply grilled the meat and reduced pomegranate juice with lemon juice.  Once grilled I glazed the reduction on the lamb and then rolled it in a mixture of crushed pistachios, bread crumbs and cardamom.

For the tomatoes, the night before I mixed the lentils with lemon juice, garlic, mint, crushed pepper, cumin, and olive oil.  The day of, I cored the tomatoes, and stuffed the mixture inside.  Then in the oven at 375 for 40 minutes.

The spices in the couscous were cardamom, pepper, cayenne, onion and garlic.

And finally, the dates were cored and stuffed with goat cheese then sprinkled with crushed pistachios.

At any rate, it was a hit and I will be doing this again.

Out of the oven

Just Another Flu Pandemic

 

Swine Flu Edges Closer to Pandemic - http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/29/health-swine-flu-world285.html

 

Several Companies Suspend travel to Mexico - http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/04/28/transat.html

 

US swine flu cases surge to nearly 100 - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30471035/

 

US reports first swine flu death – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8024611.stm

 

I am not a doctor so here are some flu facts shamelessly taken from the WHO and CDC.

 

Every year, 250 000 to 500 000 people die from the flu. Of those, approximately 36 000 die in the United States alone. Most are the very young (children), the old (over 70) and those who already have medical problems.

 

About the pandemic. Consider the definition of the word. “Pan” from the Greek word for “all” and “demos,”Greek for population. So a pandemic occurs when disease affects a relatively large portion of a given population. This given population can be a geographical location, a country, a continent, or the world. An epidemic, on the other hand affects more than the expected number of cases of disease occurring in a community or region during a given period of time. A sudden severe outbreak within a region or a group as, for example, the annual influenza epidemic (yes, annual) which affects 5-15% of the world’s population. Besides, if you really are worried, a “pandemic” hasn’t been issued by the WHO yet nor have they said to what location it might be pandemic to. As an example, there were influenza pandemics located in Hong Kong in 1997 and 2003.

 

What I’m trying tell you is not to get your britches into a knot over this. Wash your hands, if you’re sick stay home, if you have flu symptoms and are really worried go see a doctor.

 

The worry about this strain of influenza is that it genetically resembles the strain of the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 in which at least 40 million died. That strain affected young healthy adults, and this current strain appears to affect the same. But, that was 91 years ago before flu vaccines, antibiotics (to treat infections due to a suppressed immune system) and other common sense notions of hygiene which we now take for granted.

 

By the way, did you know that there is currently an avian flu pandemic and the current hot spot is in Egypt? Didn’t think so. By the way, there have been 257 reported deaths. Don’t believe me, go here for more information. Why has this not gathered any attention? Actually it has (CBC link), but since this pandemic started in Hong Kong in 1997 it is now old news.

Once again, the Roman Catholic church has made stupid…

 

Yes, the Roman Catholic church is completely out of touch with reality. 

Read this.

In sum, a girl was raped repeatedly by her stepfather and became pregnant with twins.  After a failed intervention by the Roman Catholic church, her mother and doctors succeeded in having the pregnancy aborted.  The church, which vehemently opposes abortions, will now excommunicate the mother and doctors.

The girl is 9 years old. 

The church, stating that “the law of God was above any human law,” obviously agreed that the child was too die because there is a no way a 9 year old can carry a pregnancy, especially twins.   Wait … doesn’t that mean that the church sanctions murder?  By opposing an abortion of a 9 year old, they were, in fact, ready to let her die.  Isn’t the 5th Roman Catholic commandment “Thou shall not kill,” or something to that effect (I’m paraphrasing here)?

Really, if I was the mother or the doctors, would I care that a religious order which has routinely ostracized the masses and made dozens of boneheaded declarations in the past years, had excommunicated me?  No I wouldn’t, and I hope they don’t.

By the way, anyone who agrees with the church on this is wrong and shouldn’t bother responding.

Making Naan

 

Last week I decided to make an Indian dinner. On the menu was dal, curried veges of some sort and naan. But of course, as per my usual, I decided to make naan myself. After a bit of a web search, I came across a very simple recipe. Essentially, if you can sorta make bread and pancakes, you can make naan.

 1 ½ tsp dry yeast

½ cups water

1 egg

2 ½ cups flour

3 tbp ghee (or butter – but it won’t taste the same)

 

Proof the yeast (1 tsp sugar with water – try to get it to 38 C, or just above body temperature) and let froth for 5-10 minutes. Add all ingredients to flour and mix. Knead about 10 minutes, put the dough in a bowl, cover outside in oil and cover. Let the dough rise 1 hr or until it doubles in size.

 

Divide into golf ball sized balls – you should get about eight. Cover and let size another 30 minutes.

 

Once the second rise is complete, roll out each ball until it’s extremely thin. I mean real thin. Heat your pan with oil (cast iron if its primed or the lazy non-stick pan which is what I use) to medium low. Gently put your flattened dough onto the pan and cover. It will smoke a bit. After 2 minutes it should be bubbled so its time to flip the dough over. Recover and let cook another 2 minutes.

 

To make this go smoothly, as one naan cooks I suggest rolling out the next. You can get a little production line happening and it works really well.

 

Once you have one of these you won’t want to have store-bought naan again.

 

A word on ghee – it gives you a very nice Indian taste and isn’t difficult to make. Take ½ lb of butter, melt in a pan, add, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, turmeric, cassia bark, pepper, fenugreek and other spices and bring to a boil then reduce. Use whole spices (not ground versions) because you’ll have to filter them out after. There is no set amount or exact type of spice as every recipe I found had different quantities of each. Let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. At one point the fat will separate from the rest of the liquid. Once this occurs, let cool and then strain through cheesecloth. You’ll wind up with a translucent buttery liquid and will last about 2 months in the fridge.

Just another supper

Cooked this up one night

1.  Roast 2 portabello mushrooms

2.  Blend into ricotta with basil

3.  Stuff aldente cooked shell noodles and put in oven dish

4.  Warm 1/8 cup olive oil with lemon juice from 1/2 lemon, with garlic, add pepper and fresh savory

5.  Add olive oil – lemon juice mix

6.  Add some water if desired

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes

With this we had wonderful wine from Michigan  …. that’s right, Michigan.  The Jt. Julien was a Pinot Grigio and the Grand Traverse was a Spatlese Riesling.  Both $10 US and I will definitely be looking for these in the near future.