decompressing

After a summer that erred on the side of too crazy and too busy I have had 2 whole days in a row to sew and cook and then sew more. Lots of big things are happening (like leaving my job after 7 years) that have left me feeling overwhelmed both with excitement and anxiety. I have a few weeks to fill my largest ever (by a lot!) order but I was pulled into the kitchen this afternoon by a real need to cook. It's a place where I feel comfortable and calm. Thankfully we are smack in the middle of tomato season here so pasta with heirloom tomatoes and basil was an obvious dinner. I also made a zucchini and chickpea salad with harissa yogurt dressing that I want to experiment a bit more with before sharing the recipe. I realize I have neglected you all in the last few months and I am sincerely planning to be back here more often with recipes and photos to share. I'll also let you in on what's happening to me on the job front, but frankly I am too tired for it right now.

the color explosion that is my kitchen

The one and only time I ever made it to the Alemany Flee Market, I bought this little green table. We were on our way out when I spotted it.  Between three of us we could not quite come up with enough cash for the table, and the vendor did not want to let it go. Not even for $3 less than the asking price. It's a flee market for crying out loud! He finally did agree and as I carried it out I hoped it had been worth the annoyed feeling I felt. It has been the perfect little table to fit along the wall in the kitchen and I have not even come close to regret buying it. Setting up little vignettes after coming home from the market has been one of my great pleasures. I've posted at least half a dozen examples, and here's another. The poppies are a really wild feeling variety and I love looking at the pollen they are dropping. Not so crazy about cleaning it up, but for now I'm leaving the mess and enjoying it for what it is.

summertime food

In the middle of canning 20 jars of apple butter, I said to my sister that we should really order-in when we get together to can instead of planning meals like vegie burger and gazpacho from scratch. It was a laborious day, but the food was amazing so I can't say I regret it.
I used to think I didn't like gazpacho. One night on a whim my wife and I ordered a bowl to share at Ti Couz and it has become a favorite ever since. I think the key is putting the vegetables in last minute, and of course having tomatoes at the height of their season doesn't hurt.
Here's how I made it:
4 pounds peeled and seeded tomatoes, I used Early Girls
juice from 2 limes
1 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne, or to taste
2 small or 1 lg clove garlic

Pulverize in a blender, cuisinart or if you are lucky, a vita-mix. Chill it for an hour before serving.

Have in small bowls any (or all) of the following:
cilantro
corn off the cob
mango
avocado
cucumber
red onion
roasted peppers
radishes

summer food and banana bread

I glanced down at the counter last night while preparing dinner and was so pleased. Tomato season is so very close (you could argue that it's here) and stone fruit is in full swing. I've been eating yogurt with granola and a peach or nectarine every morning and they have been amazing, juicing down my arm as I slice them. I cooked up a quick pasta with summer squash and tomatoes plus major amounts of basil for dinner-a staple around here. That banana bread you see in the background? I'm going to share the recipe. It's by far the best banana bread recipe I've ever used. I'm not kidding. It might be the amount of banana (3-4) which is more than I usually use or it could be the dash of bourbon. Okay, we all the know that's it's the alcohol which deepens the flavor, and I think the extra liquid makes the whole thing more moist. Rather than type out the recipe, I'm sending you right to the source (well not exactly the source since she got the recipe from someone who got it from someone else) because you really should know about this blog. It's gorgeous and totally inspiring.

lunch on the deck

My idea of the perfect lunch always involves good bread and cheese and if your lucky, a proper tomato. A glass of wine doesn't hurt, but when you have to be productive all afternoon like I did, ginger beer will do. I was rather gluttonous with the opened-faced sandwiches today because we have a lot of cheese left over from my birthday dinner. On the far left you see fromage d'affinois (that's a triple cream people) with cucumber, on the top is classic american style, mayo, dijon, gouda, tomato and cuke. The lower one is pesto with aged cheddar and tomato. Pick a favorite? I don't think I could.

visiting mom

"The site was a hot springs retreat center in the past, operating as "Howard Hot Springs" until 1974. The existing lodge, sixty-five small cottages, and large bathing facilities are being rebuilt with the help of an expert team of green architects and builders to create an experiential learning environment, ecovillage and intentional retreat that models sustainable practices and consciousness, including extensive permaculture gardens and an intentional design that invites residents and visitors to live consciously in each moment."


Right now, it's 318 acres of land with a lot of funky buildings waiting to be torn down. But a garden was planted by my mom to feed the groups of people who come and work on the project. To me, visiting Avalon for the first time felt a lot like going to the camp in Dirty Dancing, only forgotten and in total disrepair. It's kind of spooky to imagine all of the people who have been there since the 1880's when it first opened, but it's also exciting to see the potential.

produce

I have some really fascinating images from my recent trip to visit my mom. She is the caretaker for a 100+ year old natural hot springs resort. It was abandoned for years, and now is undergoing a much needed face lift. But I left my camera (and my pillow) there, so I can't share them just yet. What I do have is a few shots of the produce I harvested taken on my cell phone. More about the story of Avalon soon...

canning 101

I promised directions for canning tomatoes, but it took me while to get here. Sorry if you have a whole case of them waiting on me, they're probably good and rotten by now. Rule #1, don't bite off more than you can chew. I think about 20 pounds of tomatoes is perfect for a day of canning. It takes a few hours, yields enough jars to feel worthwhile, but doesn't feel so overwhelming that you lose hope.

My sister and I share canning supplies, and that enormous pot is a life saver for tomatoes and other things you might put in pint or quart jars. They aren't expensive, but they do take up space.
Fill your canning pot and put it on to boil. Fill another pot with 4 or 5 inches of water and put it on to boil.
Get out every large bowl you own. You'll also need a pairing knife and a compost bucket.



Pop off any stems that are left on your tomatoes. When your small pot boils, toss in as many tomatoes as will be submerged in water. They should be in the pan for about 1 minute, then put in a bowl filled with ice water. Shocking will make it easy to peel off the skin. If you have a friend to help, one of you should start to peel while the other manages the shocking.


When your tomatoes are peeled, cut them in half crosswise and use your finger to scoop out the seeds and juice. I do this over a sieve so I can keep all the juice for treats such as gazpacho and bloody marys. I toss the tomato halves into the cuisinart and pulse so I can use them easily for sauce. You can also can them as halves if you prefer.


By now your canning pot is likely boiling. Gently place in your jars. A case should give you 8-10 pints. Boil the jars for 10 minutes to sterilize. Pull out carefully and place on a clean towel. Scoop a small amount of the boiling water into a small pot and put in the jar lids, but not the rings.
Carefully fill the jars and put on the lids. Screw on the rings, but don't over-tighten.
Place to filled jars in the boiling water and process for 25 minutes. They'll seal as they cool, and you'll likely hear a pop.

It's messy work. If you need more specifics, like how much space to leave at the top and how long to process what, go here for help. I also think the Ball Blue book is very helpful.

once again, tomatoes

The first time I decided to preserve food was a complete fiasco. Honestly I don't know why I have been addicted to it ever since. My roommate and I decided that jars of homemade apple butter would be a great gift for all of our friends and family for Christmas. We tried a few recipes in small batches and took aspects of a few to make our "ultimate" recipe. Then we multiplied the recipe by 9, which by our calculations would yield about 35 jars. It was ambitious, we knew. But we had access to her parent's very large kitchen, canning tools and we had even convinced Cristina to help. Fifty pounds of apples and 16 hours of stirring later, we had 90 jars of apple butter to deal with. It took two days of stirring to cook it all down. At one point, we had 4 large pots on the stove, plus another one bubbling away on a camp stove. Abby got a nasty burn on her chest from apple splatter, and by the end of the weekend we never wanted to talk about apple butter again. At least it turned out delicious.
So, what did we learn? Apparently not much because the following year, I got a desperate call from Abby while I was on vacation. She was up to her elbows in orange slices for marmalade and needed 20 more pounds of sugar, stat.
And a year after that, Cristina and I thought it would be splendid to make peach jam for each of our guests as a wedding favor. We're celebrating our two year anniversary soon, and we are finally down to 2 jars.


On the plus side, I have canned tomatoes for three years in a row. I basically live for tomato season, and having a few precious jars to open in the middle of the winter is a sacred tradition. My sister and I have become quite the jam makers. Our pickles need some fine tuning, but the pickled green beans were awesome.


It turns out that doing smaller batches more frequently is more fun. So last weekend I bought 1 case of dry-farmed Early Girls from Dirty Girl Farms and made some tomato sauce. About 2 of the 22 pounds were very small, not worth peeling, and those I turned into fresh salsa.


Details for canning tomatoes coming tomorrow. Stay tuned.

ratatouille

It's the perfect recipe for the season. An abundance of zucchini in the fridge inspired me to cook up this late summer classic. Emilie loved it, as you can see. Lately she's been really into rubbing food into her hair during meals, and it always ends up in her eyes. You see her rubbing them in the movie, but I promptly washed her after filming this. (No children were injured during the making of this film.)

Ratatouille
1 large, or 2 med zucchini or summer squash, sliced
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced
1 red or yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp tomato paste (optional)
6-8 medium tomatoes, chopped
handful fresh basil, ripped or chopped coarsely

In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 min, stirring occasionally. When the onion starts to look translucent, add the zucchini and peppers. Cook for 2-3 min, then add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 30 sec-1 min stirring so as not to burn the garlic. Add all of the tomatoes and stir. Place a lid on the skillet and simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Take off the heat and add the basil. Serve over polenta, pasta, rice or with slices of bread and cheese.

day of tomatoes

I love tomatoes. So yesterday I canned some, and I made bloody marys and I made salsa. With only a few weeks left of the season, I have to get my fix.