Month: January 2009

My First Sourdough Bread

Sourdough, sliced

Several weeks ago I teased you all with mention of my newly acquired sourdough starter. I nursed it back to health, waiting patiently to make my first loaf, and of course, the day I was all set to make it I read through the instructions and realized that you have to feed a starter before you use it, so that it’s fresh and active. I fed the starter, and then unthinkingly put it back into the refrigerator, where I suspect it promptly went back to sleep, or whatever it is that sourdough does that makes it less useful. So my project was delayed. I tried to do a little research so I might have a better understanding of my starter, but the interwebs were full of conflicting information. Shocking!

Well, this past Friday I finally got around to baking my sourdough. I remembered to feed the starter Thursday evening, and let it sit near the radiator Friday morning to ensure it was fully lively and ready to go. Then I got to messy work. And you know, even though the loaf didn’t turn out as sour as I hoped (it’s not San Francisco, after all), it is easily the best loaf of bread I’ve made yet. The crust is lovely and chewy and the texture is just right, not too soft or too dense. Next week I’m definitely trying out the extra-tangy version of the recipe that came with my starter.
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Chicken Braid? Yes, Chicken Braid.

Chicken Braid

My housemate, Hilary, gave me this recipe a few months ago, and I made it twice in three weeks. Those who know me know that I rarely repeat a recipe, no matter how good it is, so twice in three weeks is really saying something. Hilary says her mom got the recipe from Pampered Chef, but this recipe can be found all over the interwebs, with very little variation. I suspect it may originally have been one of those Pillsbury package recipes, as every version I’ve seen calls for packaged crescent rolls.

I did not use Pillsbury crescent rolls, though. I used puff pastry, and it turned out splendidly, perhaps, dare I say, even better? Key point, though: the first time I made it I used Trader Joe’s puff pastry, and the second time, Pepperidge Farm, and the Trader Joe’s was a far better choice. The sheet of pastry was a better size, it thawed more quickly, and the flavor was much more buttery and light. Just so you know.
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Creamy Vegetarian Minestrone

Creamy Minestrone

I’m not sure if it’s entirely fair to call this a soup. It turned out much thicker than I intended, but in this case that only made it better. This is a very hearty, warming, comforting winter meal, and its creaminess totally belies the fact that it’s pretty darned healthy. In my quest to eat more like a vegetarian or a vegan, this soup is a winner.

I’ve made minestrone many times, so I’m surprised I’ve never written about it. Minestrone is the simplest soup, made up of whatever bits and odds and ends are leftover in the pantry or refrigerator. It usually includes beans, pasta, and tomatoes as a base, but there is no set recipe, and the word minestrone has become a synonym for “hodgepodge” in Italy. It’s a great soup to make on Saturday night, before you go to the grocery store, when your refrigerator is mostly bare, and you need to use up the last of whatever is on hand, and it’s an especially excellent winter soup, because it takes well to all those winter vegetables. Yes, I love minestrone and turn to it often, and yet I’ve never seen the results I saw from this most recent minestrone making.
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Peanut Butter Bread, new favorite breakfast

Peanut Butter Bread

My housemate, Christa (of the Turkey Chili Rice fame) gave me a wonderful old cookbook for Christmas: Good Housekeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries, from 1922. The binding is delicate, the pages yellowed, and it has the great musty old book smell that I would wear as perfume if I could (um, maybe). It offers recipes for every day of the year (as long as you don’t mind eating cold boiled tongue and buttered asparagus every Sunday in May), and I can waste hours perusing the pages, awed by the odd ingredients and the minimal instructions. It’s clear reading this that back in 1922 it was unnecessary to explain every step of a recipe because the woman reading it (and yeah, it was almost always a woman) already knew more cooking basics than most people do today. I’m totally fascinated by this cookbook.
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Homemade Cheese Crackers

Homemade Cheez-its!

I have a serious weakness for Cheez-its. Even if I managed to cut all other processed foods out of my diet, I could never give up Cheez-its. I once ate an entire box by myself in one sitting. I probably shouldn’t admit that, huh? Anyway, when I saw a recipe for homemade cheese crackers on the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Banter blog I knew I had to make them. I immediately went online and bought their Vermont Cheese Powder and when I finally had some free time I headed straight to the kitchen to bake up some (perhaps a little bit healthier) cheese crackers.
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Barley, Lentil, and Swiss Chard Soup

Barley, Lentil, and Swiss Chard Soup

Here it is, week two of the new year and soup two in my impromptu series of healthy, vegetarian soups. When I told Mr. X I was making barley, lentil, and swiss chard soup he made a face that clearly indicated it sounded in no way appealing, which made me a little worried. And I will admit that the soup is more interesting the day after, when the flavors have had a chance to meld a little more. Which makes it an excellent choice for a week of lunches. And I believe that barley and lentils combine to make a complete protein.
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Spaghetti with Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Spaghetti with Sauteed Kale

This is the dinner that almost wasn’t. I started out with an entirely different meal in mind, one that involved mushrooms and squash and greens. But I baked the squash too long and it became dried out and tasteless, and when I sauteed the mushrooms with the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes the whole mixture very quickly became burnt, bitter, and inedible. Exasperating! I almost resigned myself to eating plain spaghetti with butter when I realize I could probably still salvage the kale and at least get some vegetable matter into my dinner.

And you know what? This turned out surprisingly awesome. The sun-dried tomatoes added a sharp sweetness to the slightly bitter kale, and I finished the whole thing off with a small amount of white balsamic vinegar, which added just the right edge. I love it when a salvaged dinner becomes something delicious in its own right.
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