Month: September 2020

This is a simple, tasty and healthful (and pretty!) salad of Mid-Eastern origin, another recipe that you can modify at will.

This will keep well for a day or two in the fridge, but if doing so, add the lettuce and pita chips just before serving so they will still have their lovely crispiness.

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small pita breads
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• A dash of hot sauce (optional)
• 1 English (hothouse) cucumber or a regular cucumber
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 scallions, sliced thinly OR 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• Chopped lettuce (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 C. chopped herbs of your choice (I used mint, basil and parsley)
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced (optional — strong in flavour)
• Crumbled Feta cheese (optional)

Method:

Chop the cucumber into approximately 1″ chunks, then mix with the salt, leave for 15 minutes, then rinse and drain. (If using a traditional cucumber, first peel and remove the seeds.)

Tear or cut the pita into about 1″ pieces, then either fry in oil or bake in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes (but check often, because it will go from nicely toasted to burnt in about a minute):

Meanwhile, get your chopping done:

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and hot sauce:

Stir in everything else, except the lettuce and pita chips if not immediately serving:

Taste and correct seasoning.

Yum!

-R

This is the first blue cheese I made, following an on-line recipe that I’ve since learned is a bit out of the mainstream.

You were meant to keep it a room temperature, so here it is after a week or so:

And over the course of several months, scrape off the ever-increasingly interesting molds that grew on its surface, monthly (sorry, no pics).

After four months, it was okay, but nothing special, so I wrapped it and put it in the fridge.

After a year, it’s pretty special.

I learned that wax paper is not a good idea for long aging:

But, you ask, how did it taste?

INTENSE. I love sharp blues, but honestly, this pushed my boundaries. Adds credence to my theory that the “blueness” is more due to aging than the actual amount of (visible) color. So intensely “blue” that maybe I’m only imagining I could taste some of the lactic complexity of an aged cheese behind that.

Best enjoyed thusly, in 3/8″ cubes:

I took a couple of slices, which will do me for a week:

. . . the rest re-wrapped (not in wax paper!) and back in to the fridge.

-R

I’m not a great fan of King Oysters, which I don’t think have as much flavor as other Oyster mushrooms, although part of that may be subconscious sour grapes, since I wasn’t able to grow them successfully.

However, they are cheap, about $3/lb. at my local Korean market.

They are often used as a vegetarian substitute for scallops, and indeed they do look like, and have a similar texture to scallops, but the flavor, mild as it is for both, is different.

Trim off the bottom bits:

And cut the stems into 3/8 – 1/2″ inch coins (approximately!):

Saute the allium of your choice (shallots are best, but I used finely chopped onions) in any combination of fats. Since the flavor is so delicate, butter is definitely your friend here 🙂

Now treat them as any other mushroom, the idea being that you want to get a slight sear on both sides, then cook them over very low heat for 10-15 minutes to concentrate the flavor:

Checking . . .

Done!

Taste and adjust seasoning, then optionally give them a squirt of lime or lemon juice, or toss with sour cream or buttermilk.

Fake Scallops on a Bed of Mixed Greens with Cider and Dijon Vinaigrette:

Yum!

-R

Certainement arrachée dans sa terre natale (malgache), et je ne l’acheterais de nos jours, mais j’étais naïf à l’époque.

Tout au moins, elle semblerait m’aimer bien:

2008:

2020:

Chaque été, en mi-été, elle me gratifie de quelques cyathes, avec ses cyathophylles frappantes:

-R

In spring a young man’s fancy turns to love. In fall, an old man’s fancy turns to . . . baked potatoes.

Other than baking the potatoes, this is another “non-recipe,” since once you have a basic understanding of what flavors you like (and like combined), pretty much anything works in a baked potato.

Wash and dry the potatoes. Using a fork, prick them all over (ooh err missus), which will allow the steam that builds up during baking to escape. No one wants exploding potatoes in their oven. Coat with olive oil and about 1 tsp. salt, and use your hands to mix:

Place them on a baking sheet so they’re not touching:

Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour, but check after 45 minutes or so to see if they’re soft (don’t burn your hands!). Depending on the size of the potatoes, this may take longer, like 1-1/2 hours.

Let them cool, then cut off the tops:

. . . and using a spoon, carefully scoop out the insides, trying not to penetrate the skin (it’s not the end of the world if you do), then mash the contents with a fork until they’re as smooth as you prefer:

Meanwhile, make the fillings. I made three. Keep in mind that as you’re making them, you want them to be a bit more flavourful and salty than you’d like, since they’re going to be mixed with the more bland potato, which will dilute the flavour and salt.

1. Toasted Corn and Chicken

Saute some onions until soft, then add the corn (I used frozen). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the corn is cooked (about six minutes) and, if you like, keep going until it’s lightly toasted.

Stir in some cooked chicken:

And continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated:

2) Hamburger, Tomatoes and Green Pepper

Fry some onions, then add the hamburger and cook until it’s no longer red (I threw in some basil puree):

Add the diced green pepper and tomatoes:

And cook until the moisture has evaporated and the peppers are soft:

3) Poached Salmon. For this one I wanted a more delicate flavour.

Poach the salmon in the clam juice and 1 Tbsp. butter for about six minutes, or until done:

Remove the salmon and flake:

Reduce the clam juice by half, then add the flaked salmon and chives and cook until there’s little moisture left.

Taste and adjust the seasonings for each filling.

Mix a bit of the potato with the filling, and stuff back into the potato skins, garnishing as desired:

Yum!

-R

One of my fave Elvis Costello albums, which came out in 1980. Now I have three versions (US original version on Columbia, UK original version on F-Beat, and 2015 US double-album re-release on Universal [so, the original two sides spread over four]), so it was time for a comparison.

As for the covers, the first thing to notice is that the original US release (top left) removed the fake “album cover wear” from the the UK release (what was Columbia afraid of?), but that was restored in the 2015 US version.

The cover stock is all pretty standard, but the UK version is shiny (“plasticized?”). Impossible to take a picture of, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.

The UK version has a sticker proclaiming “20 Great Hits:”

. . . whereas Columbia seemed less convinced that the hits were “great,” and instead emphasized quantity (“20!!”):

(None on the 2015 version.)

As for the inner sleeves, the UK version is on much heavier stock. The re-release has nice plastic-lined paper sleeves:

. . . and instead reproduces the original inner sleeve on the inside of the cover:

All three versions reverse the sides as listed on the covers:

But, you ask, how do they sound?

At the time, there was concern that cramming 20 songs on one record would result in a loss of fidelity, so much so that there was a statement by producer Nick Lowe on the album cover:

. . . but due to the shortness of the songs, there’s only about 24 minutes of music on each side, as compared with the more standard 20.

Due to the cheapness of US record companies, at least in the 70’s/80’s, a lot of their pressings were pretty crappy (I’m looking at you, RCA), so I and fellow music enthusiasts sought out the much better UK pressings, even if the album was identical, although they were of course more expensive. Thus I bought both US and UK versions.

So, for my sound test, they were all carefully cleaned, and I listened to a fair bit of each, but for the ratings, used the song New Amsterdam, because (1) it’s my favorite song on the album, so I know it pretty well, and (2) it’s close to the center of record, where any “groove cramming” would theoretically have more effect.

So, in the end, grading from 1-5:

• US original release: 1
• UK original release: 2.5
• Re-release: 5

Thanks for the tip Martin, this is superb!

-R

Au bout de 12 ans, mon Euphorbia pachyclada, qui mesure presque autant que moi

m’a gratifié d’un cyathe.

12. ans.

Un. seul. cyathe.

Better than nothing!

-R

You’re meant to wait at least a year for a Parmesan, but after 10 months, I could no longer contain my (im)patience. My excuse is that I have two other Parmesans that will come up on their anniversary in the next few months.

Looks good:

And smells even better.

As usual, the distressing moment of truth:

Looking good!

But, you ask, how did it taste?

Pretty good. More lactic/sour than I would have wished for, but with definite undertones of the sweet/nutty flavour of a Parmesan. The paste next to the rind is milder, and the rind itself was nearly impossible to chew through, so that’s definitely Parmesan-y.

In any case, 1000X better than that shredded stuff you get in a plastic bag in the supermarket. My slight disappointment just makes me look forward to what t’other two will be like in a few months, and I think I’ll leave one of them for 18 months.

Tomorrow this will get the acid test in a spaghetti carbonara, but tonight I used it in/on a salad:

Chayote, Tomato and Corn Salad in a Cider Vinaigrette:

Yum!

-R

This is a very simple, but very good salad. The taste of the beets is pretty muted, so even beet haters might like this one (maybe).

This will be fine for a couple of days in the fridge, but if you’re not going to serve it immediately, it’s best to keep the bean sprouts separate and stir them in at the last minute.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. peeled, grated beets (about 12 oz.)
• 2 C. peeled, grated carrots (about 5 medium)
• 2 Tbsp. minced shallot (substitute: 2 scallions, thinly sliced)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped finely
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. sea salt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 C. fresh bean sprouts
• 1/2 C. chopped cilantro

Method:

Stir together the oil, salt, and lemon. Stir in the beets, carrots, shallots/scallions, and jalapeno.

Stir in the bean sprouts and top with the cilantro:

Both pretty and yum!

-R

This species, from Mexico, is unusual for a cactus, in that its tubercles, rather than being short and stout, are exaggeratedly long, and crowned with equally exaggeratedly long paper spines:

And as a result looks a bit of a mess:

But every summer, sometimes twice, it produces a beautiful yellow flower, here glistening from the recent rain.

Cheers,

-R