TSA Security Breach

I got this message today while trying to read up on traveling with liquids...

Falltime Deserts

I like my pears super soft and drippling juicy. I had two pears left over from the farmers' market last week that hadn't softened, and I wanted to use them before heading out of town for Annette and Bobby's wedding this weekend, so I decided to bake them. They were easy to make, and left the house smelling wonderful.

Baked Pears with Prunes and Yogurt Sauce

2 pears, quartered and cored, skin left on or peeled
10 prunes
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbs dark rum
3 tbs dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

sauce:
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 tbs dark brown sugar

Mix the brown suar with the yogurt in cheesecloth and spoon into cheesecloth, a paper coffee filter, or a folded paper towl in a small colander or seive and let drip for at least an hour, preferably more. Boil the prunes, water, rum, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon for 15 minutes, while preheating the oven to 350. Place the quartered pears skin side up into the saucepan, spoon liquid over the pears and bake for 30 minutes. When the pears are nearly done, gently squeeze the wrapped yogurt to get rid of remaining excess liquid. Spoon yogurt, pears, prunes and sauce into two dishes.

Willy Street Fair

Today was day two of the Willy Street Fair, which includes the so-called infamous parade. I went to check it out and found, among other things, a bubble-mobile (pictured), more Raging Grannies, roller derby girls, stilt walkers of all ages, jugglers, and unicyclists. Not your typical parade on a Sunday morning, but a great time for people watching, both those in the parade and those watching it.

Political Food

It seems like food used to be simple. But now it's a political issue. Is it local? Treated? Genetically modified? Humane? Fairly traded? Wasted? That being said, it's still a bit surprising to find such a mix of politics and food at the farmers' market. It is mostly just food, but there are also people there looking to get you registered to vote (they got me), tell you why abortions are bad, convert your religion, which can be a lot to take in at 9 on a Saturday morning, and today there were also the Raging Grannies. I've heard about them before, but never seen them in person till today. I like their style -- they've got something to say, but don't take themselves too seriously, at least not all the time.

A first ever image...

... of P wave velocity from joint local and teleseismic tomography of Costa Rica (first as far as I know). There are still several problems that I need to work out, such as damping, grid size, and adding more data. The slab (dipping blue-green structure) also isn't nearly as nice beneath Nicaragua, but it's exciting to get new results from a new code!

Not those black beans, the other ones

Back in the spring, there was a Minimalist about black bean sauce, so I tried it with a stir fry. I've always had trouble getting sauces for stir frys right, and this is now my favorite. I now use it on steamed veggies, and it satisfies my Chinese food takeout cravings in a much healthier way. It's a little different each time, since I just throw the ingredients together in very rough proportions. The hardest part of the recipe is finding the black beans, which are actually salted, fermented and dried soybeans. I've bought them at the Super 88 in Boston, where they're in an aisle with various sauces, and since I can't read Chinese, it took a while to actually find them. When I did, I found that you can get about two cups, which would probably last a year or two, for 49 cents. Now that's cheap.

Black Bean Sauce
based on the Minimalist

2 tbs black beans
4 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbs corn starch
1 tbs sesame oil (optional)
1 tbs sesame seeds (optional)

Mix everything together and let it sit while you're preparing whatever you're planning on putting it on. When you start cooking your other food, start simmering the sauce on low heat, adding enough water to keep it from getting too thick; cook for five or ten minutes. Spoon the sauce over cooked food.

Are you a weed?

Do I pull you? That's what I'm asking a lot of plants in the back yard right now. I've pulled up some things that I know should go, and I'm left with some things I know should stay, and a lot of other plants that refuse to answer my question. I'd like to clear things out this fall, so that in the spring, Anthony and I can plant grass and a veggie patch, and transform the weedy yard into a welcoming one.

The Gypsy Bus

I thought that having the neighborhood gypsy bus living outside my house, I'd learn something about it. Like who lives in it. But after five days, I'm yet to see anyone going in or out of it. So much for a learning experience. But I now wonder, as I peer out of my window looking for them, do they peer out their window looking for me?

It's All Greek to Me

Oh. My. God. When Cook's Illustrated called it the Ultimate Hummus, they were not kidding. It has this rich, full, almost roasted flavor that I've never gotten using canned chick peas. It all started with my needing to find a use for two extra cucumbers that I had bought from the farmers' market two weeks ago. I thought about Greek salad, which is odd since I don't even like raw tomatoes. But I thought I'd give it a shot. Then I thought about making hummus, but this time with dried chick peas instead of canned ones. This, according to Cook's Illustrated, is the difference between regular hummus and the ultimate. I then found yesterday that Woodman's carries the awesome kind of pita bread, which is the super soft Greek kind. This is in their extensive refrigerated flatbread section which, for reference, is tucked behind the bakery department where they have 38 flavors of donut holes. And then I thought I should make some tzatziki sauce, just to round out the meal. The Ultimate Hummus
based on the Cook's Illustrated recipe

1 cup dried chick peas
1/4 cup water
1 tbs lemon juice
5 tbs tahini
2 tbs olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cumin

Rinse chick peas, and soak them in a bowl of water for about 12 hours, unrefrigerated. If you have heavily chlorinated water, used filtered or bottled water. Drain and simmer chick peas in fresh water for about an hour, until they're tender. Cool the chick peas and drain them, saving 1/4 cup of the water if there is enough remaining. Mix the saved water with the lemon juice in a small bowl, adding tap water if necessary. Mix the tahini and olive oil in another small bowl. Put the chick peas and garlic in a food processor, run it for a 20 seconds, and scrape down the bowl. With the processor running, add the water/juice mixture, followed by the tahini/oil, scraping down the sides in between. Add the salt and cumin, process for a few seconds and taste. If it's too dry, add a few tsp water. Continue to process until the hummus is smooth and light.

You can also make this with either a 14 or 19 ounce can of chick peas, and it's still better than any hummus you can buy in the supermarket, just drain and rinse them before using. For a spicier hummus, increase the cumin to 2 tsp, add 1 tsp paprika and 1/4 tsp chili powder.

French Toast for One

Happy Birthday Anthony! It's not the happiest of birthdays for him, since he's stuck in the Las Vegas airport for day two.

Since it's just me right now, I'm doing all my cooking for one. This rainy Sunday morning, it's French toast. I tried a new recipe last night that I wanted to try, and it turns out that it doesn't really taste any different than my usual recipe. Here it is when I sat down to eat:And here it is seven minutes later:

French Toast for One

2 slices bread - I used whole wheat, but a
substantial white bread is also good
1 egg
1/8 cup milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
whatever toppings you have on hand

Mix the egg through the cloves in a wide shallow bowl, big enough to hold a slice of bread. Heat a nonstick pan on medium/high heat for a few minutes. It's the right temperature when you sprinkle a few drops of water on it, and they dance around on the surface. Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture for about ten seconds on a side and put into the pan. After about three mintues, flip and cook for another three. This time I topped with raspberries, orange marmalade and maple syrup.

Welcome!

There are lots of things I like, one of which is food. Growing it (though I'm current sans-garden). Buying it. Cooking it. Eating it. Sharing it.

I also just moved to Madison, WI, which lucky for me, has a wonderful farmers' market every Saturday morning around the Capitol, and various smaller ones throughout the week. Having previously lived in Boston, I grew to love Haymarket, and the farmers' markets here remind me of the good parts of it (the variety; the low prices; the hunt for the best produce of the week), minus the bad parts (food that may be one the verge of going rotten; the gruff demeanor of many vendors, though that does sometimes have its curious appeal). Here's a photo of what I bought this week.

Other exciting things that I've made with things that I've bought at the farmers' market in the past few weeks: tomatillo & corn salsa, beet rosti, pickles, zucchini bread, zucchini pancakes.