Kneading

Another food blogger recently asked-How do you know you are a foodie? I posted a comment back and then read a lot of the other comments. And then I thought about it some more. I really have no interest in snobbery or high class food. I am obsessed with fresh ingredients and the bounty of nature. I achieve another state of happiness when my friends or family share a meal around a table. I know I am a foodie because food (and the preparation of food) punctuates my life.

Food punctuates everyone's life right? Of course it does-the distinction is the motivation that leads to the cooking of the food. Everyone eats. Most eat several times a day. Some prepare their meals, some buy them. Some eat alone, some eat communally. I spend my minutes mentally preparing occasions for my loved ones. And, I would like to highlight the fact that-I am not, nor do I wish to become, a dexterous or flamboyant cook. It is most unlikely that any dish requiring twelve separate steps will ever be completed in my kitchen. I experiment with new recipes and techniques-but not for the complication of it or the rarity of the ingredient. I am after the experience of providing a filling, soul-healing meal to someone else or to myself. Which is my way of saying that cooking is one of my ways of dealing with life stressors. When the going gets complicated or I'm trying to delve into the depths of my twisted brain, I can usually be found in the kitchen.

The workings of your mind can be so convoluted. Here's what I made on a recent Sunday. Keep in mind that everything is from scratch-well, except the beans in the Minestrone-those were canned.

In order of appearance:
A pot of coffee
A pan of scrambled eggs with cheese
toast
Minestrone
Roast Chicken stuffed with lemons and herbs
Mashed Potatoes
Foccacia with roasted tomatoes
French bread
Ratatouille
Green Beans (also with lemons)
Chocolate chip cookies

The best part is, I didn't realize anything was bothering me until AFTER I'd spent the entire day in the kitchen. You see, I'm very in tune with my inner thought processes, extremely in tune, a paragon of happiness. Errr....right. Well, it was worth a try. You might wonder what is so unusual about spending the day in the kitchen? Well, nothing. Except I hadn't intended to make any of it the night before. No one was coming for dinner and I didn't actually plan the next item to be cooked. Rather, I finished with one thing and then thought "What next?". Very inefficient use of kitchen time. Did I mention that I also made everything in massive quantities and didn't have to cook for a week?

So, what was bothering me? I'm still not sure but I think there are some changes coming in my life. I recently moved (big change) and we're considering expanding the family. My husband started a new job, several of my coworkers have resigned-including someone I was very close with. I also don't have a garden in my new house (yet) and some of this energy would have normally been spent weeding or mucking about in the garden. Mostly, I think I'm reassessing things and trying to plot my course for the next few months. Until I figure it out, I'll probably have more thanksgiving-like feasts.

So, I know that I am a foodie because most of my solutions to life's problems involve food-chicken soup, kneading bread, sipping wine or clean green tea. I wonder if there's a clinical name for me?

Mac and Rind

This title is not nearly as catchy as the standard Mac n Cheese or even Macaroni and Cheese. But it is my preferred method of preparation. If you are related to me, you might recognize this as a southern slur of two of my son's favorite cousins. :)

My son is very clear on his likes and dislikes. Cousins-like. Hot dogs-dislike. Mac n Cheese-top of the list. He adores any combination of pasta and cheese. Any. From powdered box version to homemade with eggs. He thinks of it as a separate food group to be savored and explored. Sometimes, he's so much like me it's scary.

Now discipline is good. It has its place and should be enforced. No eating cookies as you walk around the living room. Vegetables are very important. No, you cannot eat fruit chews for a meal. However, there are some days when a mommy should honor her loved one's cravings and make the foods they love (preferrably in a manner the grownups will love too).

A few Sundays ago, I was digging around in my fridge for a suitable lunch and found I had several peices of very smelly cheese. No cheese nub was large enough to justify an entire dish and the variety wasn't enough for a cheese plate. What to do? Just look over at the blue-eyed towhead and you will see the directional gleam in his eye. I ended up making a massive, artery choking version of macaroni and cheese that I thought I'd share. You can fiddle all you want with the cheese types-just remember that it MUST be very gooey and cheesey or it will taste like a poor substitue for the real thing.

I must point at right here and now that this is more of a guideline, less of a recipe. You will notice that the cheese categories are mine and not classic. I think I even threw in a slice of American pseudo-cheese for this recipe along with 3 (yes 3) different kinds of blue cheese. The point is, if you love cheese then this will be like heaven for whatever kind of cheese you love. It works best for me if I have several different types of cheese whose flavors layer each other.

Ingredients:

4 TBSP butter
8 oz. assorted smelly srumbly cheese like-parmesan, blue, meunster, emmenthal, really sharp cheddar
8 oz. assorted creamy cheese like chevre, mozzarella, gouda, monterey jack
1/4 cup whole milk or half and half
2 TBSP whole grain mustard

1 LB pasta cooked and drained but not rinsed

I just put all the dairy products into a pan on med low heat and stir until two things happen.
1. The ingredients have melded into something resembling a sauce and
2. There's a quantity large enough to cover my noodles.

Once those things happen, I put the noodles in a casserole dish, cover with sauce and a splash of cheese (yes, more cheese) and then cook at 350 F for a while (approx. 30 minutes) until it looks melded. Serve with something green and full of fiber to counteract the effects.

Blue Horizon

I mentioned in my last entry that I've been going to the Raleigh Farmer's Market for produce. The produce is very good but my will power is limited. I usually end up buying much more than my little family can consume in a week EVEN if I bring a long and explicit list. I just get seduced bythe figs (and the nectarines and the flowers and the specialty cheese).

I'm also interested in local produce and seasonal eating. Lindy at Toast gets a farm box every week and uses that to determine what she will eat. I'm intrigued at the idea of having my groceries predetermined for me by the weather and availability. Otherwise stated-I do not feel complete unless I have put a challenge in place to adapt to.

So, I looked around to try and find a farm locally that I could purchase vegetables from. Blue Horizon farm in Pittsboro has a nice website http://www.bluehorizonfarm.com/ that lists available farm goods and allows you to plan your purchase. Even better, they sometimes have items not listed and are amenable to trying to find an odd eggplant or two for you. I can't meet them at any of their scheduled drop off times or locations so they were also nice enough to let me pick up from their farm. I purchased some yellow cherry tomatoes, some slicing tomatoes, 3 long eggplants, a bunch of beet greens, a bouquet of cut flowers, 2 red peppers, and a dozen eggs. Tammy and Dave were super nice-they drew me a map of a shortcut to Fearrington Village from their house and I managed to make it there (sort of).

All in all, the experience was extremely positive. The only downside is my distance from them (about 35 minutes). Their farm is not near my house but is on the way to my Grandma's so I will stop by when I can. I mean, just look at those lovely eggs? Suddenly Martha's obsession with the color of eggs doesn't seem so odd. I spent my first groggy minutes Sunday morning admiring them in their crate and then on the plate above. And then I smashed them into bits to make some tasty scrambled eggs for the toddler. Yum!

Debauchery

The blog has been silent for a while. Mostly because I've been way too busy to type. I compose in my head but that doesn't get on paper. Two weeks ago my very good friends from PA came to visit. We were hounding them to see our house and mostly just wishing we could see them. They made it down in time for Sunday supper and Monday and Tuesday proved to be a much needed sojourn from reality. The big boys golfed, the kiddies went to the 'castle park' off Kelly Road (http://www.apexchamber.com/info/parksandrec.htm) with me and ec. We had a few minor incidents-my son face planted at the park (notice the puffy honker in picture at left) and several of us ended the two days with mild hangovers. Mostly we just hung out and chatted. The only downside was when we had to send them off!

I did manage to show ec my favorite bakery La Farm (we were in sore need of chocolate chip cookies after the park face plant. We ate lunch at Allen and Sons BBQ and dinner at Tyler's Taproom. But we didn't really explore much new restaurant territory. I had intentions of taking ec to visit some new restaurants that were recommended by the local food critic but I was too enticed by the contents of my own cabinets. I had gone bonkers at the farmers market on Saturday so there was an abundance of veggies. Since I am currently obsessed with eggplant (I make a version of ratatouille almost every week), we decided to make an eggplant recipe for supper one night. Nigella Lawson gives 2 recipes for Eggplant Involtini in 2 separate books (How to Eat and Feast). That reinforces my belief that recipes are more guidelines than rules. Here's how I do it.

Preheat oven to 375 F

Ingredients:
2-3 large eggplant
(or 4-5 large zucchini)
sliced lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick
olive oil for basting
1/2 cup golden raisins soaked for 10 minutes in warm water, then drain
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup mozzarella chopped fine or shredded
1/4 cup parmesan grated (only if you have nice parm. Otherwise, omit)
2 TBSP breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP parsley
1 TBSP oregano
1 egg
3 cups of tomato puree (3-4 large tomatoes in a food processor or 2 cans diced tomatoes)
1 cup mozzarella chopped

Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and grill until floppy.
Mix the other ingredients in a bowl.
Roll the eggplant slices around about 2 TBSP of filling until you have a chubby cigar. The eggplant should roll over itself several times. Do this until you are out of eggplant slices. Then take the leftover filling and squish it anywhere that looks bare. Poor tomatoe puree over top and then mozarella. Put in oven for about 40 minutes-until everything is oozing together and the mozarella on top has browned.