A Day That Really Schmecks 2017

Happy New Year!

Regular readers know that my culinary New Year doesn't being on 1 January.  The counters and fridge groan with the the old year: Christmas cookies and cakes from gatherings, dregs of turkey soup (and other reformulations of holiday meals), uneaten nibbles from New Year's Eve.

No, for me the new culinary year starts after the indulging ends, and life returns to normal, and I can think about what I want to do in the kitchen (and write about either here or on Rye and Ginger).

And it all starts of with 15 January, aka A Day That Really Schmecks.  It's hard to believe I created that event 10 years ago, to celebrate my friend Edna Staebler.

This year, I thought back to our first dinner together and who she was: adventuresome, inquisitive, welcoming.  Those thoughts spurred me to launch a new series on Rye and Ginger...and make some onion bhajis.

You can read about how my first dinner with Edna led to creating the A Region That Really Schmecks series on Rye and Ginger.

cheers!
jasmine
I'm a quill for hire!

38 words

"So, 2013, you were hard. I'd appreciate a bit of gentleness in the year to come. I'm hard too, though, so if all you've got is more of the same, 2014, bring it and I'll take ya down. "

Those 38 words--contemplative, declarative, confessorial and  challenging--posted in 2013's waning hours, pretty much summed up so many in my Facebook news feed.

What followed were messages from the bereaved, those who've worn ruts to and from hospital, as well as those who've been discarded by employers or lovers.

Snaps of smiling faces, happy pets, copious foods and drinks, as well as messages of peace and goodwill were there, but a steady stream of resolve, hope and strength kept coming though from all corners of the world.

2013 wasn't a great year for many in my circles, but we came through together, some more bruised than others.  Regardless, unlike entering into 2013, there is a determination to face the good and the bad with the sort of aplomb reserved by those who don't have the luxury of resting on laurels or the assured safety of a soft landing.

So while I take stock of my own 2013 and gird myself for whatever 2014 throws at me, I decided to simmer a pot of Hoppin' John Soup to encourage good fortune and optimism.

Hoppin' John is a southern US peas and rice dish, which may have evolved from what was fed to African slaves transported to the US.  The modern dish itself is usually made with rice, black eyed peas (or field peas) with onion, pork, salt and greens such as kale, cabbage or collard greens.

Today, it's traditionally eaten on New Year's Day to bring diners good luck and prosperity.  The peas symbolise coins, pork represents optimism, and the greens symbolize banknotes.  I've also seen an interpretation where the peas represent peace and the rice, riches.

Whether you believe a dish can usher good luck, riches and peace, my take on the popular American food offers a hearty and warming meal.  I made this soup after looking at several recipes for the traditional meal and its brothy cousin.  My inspirations came from  my friend Kalyn, Emeril Lagasse and AllRecipes.

The soup is smoky, salty and above all, hearty and warming.  The rice breaks down and thickens the tomatoey broth.  The peas are toothsome and not overcooked.  The greens are silky soft.

Whether or not it brings luck…well, ask me in at the end of the year.

Hoppin' John Soup

Yield: approx 2.5 L

Ingredients

225g (0.5lb) dried black eyed peas, picked and soaked overnight
flavourless oil
1 onion, chopped to small dice
1 celery rib, chopped to small dice
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped to small dice
1 garlic clove, minced
500ml (2c) chopped tomatoes
1dspn/2tsp (10ml) Cajun seasoning (see notes)
0.5tsp (2.5ml) dried thyme OR 1.5tsp (12.5ml) fresh thyme
1 large pinch of dried chilli pepper flakes
1-2 bay leaves
2L (8c) chicken or vegetable stock (more, if you want your soup more brothy)
100g (125ml/0.5c) raw rice (see notes)
1 ham hock, ham bone or pieces of ham rind (optional)
225g ham, chopped to small dice (see notes)
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped (chiffonade), green parts only -- approximately 1.5L (6c) (see notes)
1dspn/2tsp (10ml) apple cider vinegar

Method

• Slick your soup pot with oil and light the hob to a medium flame. Add onions, celery and bell pepper. Saute until soft. Add garlic and stir until the air is perfumed with garlic. 
• Add tomatoes, Cajun spice, thyme, chilli and bay leaves. Mix well and cook (uncovered) for about 10 minutes, occasionally to crushing the tomatoes and stirring, to ensure the veggies don't catch. 
• Add chicken stock, rice and ham hock (if using). Stir, bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. 
• Drain the beans of their soaking water and tip the beans, along with the ham, greens and apple cider vinegar, and give it all a good stir. Bring the soup back up to the boil and turn the flame down to a simmer and let the soup cook for another 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally. The peas should be tender, the rice soft and collapsing, and the greens, silken. Balance flavours to taste. 
• Serve with a good loaf of crusty bread or cornbread.

Notes:

• Cajun seasoning: you can use a shop-bought spice mix or make your own (the recipe I use is Emeril Lagasse's Essence) 
• Rice: Most recipes I've seen call for long grain/wild rice, or seasoned rice mixes. I used basmati, which works well. 
• Ham: I made this with half a slice of ham steak (with the bone), but you can use leftover ham, bacon or sausage (I think English bangers (with lots of sage) or fresh chorizo would work well).
• Greens: I think the point is have something green and leafy--so use what you have chard, kale, spinach, collard greens, etc.

cheers! 
jasmine 
I'm a quill for hire!

Happy New Year: Ricotta Pancakes

Happy New Year!

All the best to you and yours in and I wish you a happy and healthy 2012, filled with good people, amazing adventures and (of course) good food.

And how best to start off a new year than with a good breakfast?

My appreciation of all things breakfasty isn't that much of a secret. Breakfast for supper is a regular occurrence, meeting friends (old and new) over brunch (which is just fancy breakfast) is my preferred meal, and what I look forward to most--when visiting Ireland and the UK--is a good full Irish/English breakfast.

Even though I usually make blueberry pancakes or plain buttermilk pancakes, I decided to play with some leftover ricotta in my fridge and try to make ricotta pancakes.

After looking at a number of recipes including these, I couldn't quite wrap my head around what made for a good ricotta pancake...thin batter or thick, stiffly beaten whites or whole eggs, even citrus or vanilla was in question.

After a couple of attempts I came up with the following recipe. Its batter is of a wet, dropping consistency, but not so much so. For fluffiness I decided to treat the pancake as I did my favourite waffles and beat the egg whites separately. The partial bowl of clementines on my dining room tilted my flavouring decision (but to tell you the truth, my first version used vanilla (which was fine, but I think citrus zest adds a lovely brightness to the pancakes).

Tender and fluffy pancakes--a nice way to welcome the New Year.

Ricotta Pancakes
Yield: approx 6 quarter plate-sized pancakes or approx 15-20 saucer-sized pancakes

Ingredients
4 eggs, separated
250g (250ml/1c) ricotta cheese
125ml (0.5c) milk
1.5Tbsp (20ml) sugar
1.5Tbsp (20ml) melted butter
1tsp grated orange or lemon zest
90g (185ml/0.66c) all purpose flour
0.5tsp (2.5ml) bicarbonate of soda
0.5tsp (2.5ml) baking powder
pinch salt
Butter or oil for frying

Method
Whip the four egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside.

Sift together the flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt into a jug. In a separate bowl, mix well the two yolks, ricotta, milk, sugar, butter and zest. Stir the wet mixture into the dry, until it has barely combined (it's fine if it's lumpy with dry bits and wet bits).

Fold in the egg whites, in the usual three stage method: stir in well one third of the whites, fold in the next third, with a lighter hand, and then lightly fold in the rest of the whites doing your best to keep the batter as airy as possible.

Drop about a teaspoon or two of fat into a pan and let it become sizzling hot. Pour the batter, by spoon or by ladle, and let cook. When the pancakes start to bubble and spurt little bits of steam like geysers, carefully flip them over to let the second side cook.

Serve with warmed syrup, some honey, yoghurt or citrus curd.


cheers!

jasmine

I'm a quill for hire!